A parachute canopy release assembly includes a frame assembly with first and second upstanding members. A latching member has a pivot end and a latch end, the pivot end pivotally coupled to a bottom portion of the first upstanding member. A riser bar has a pivot end and latch engaging end, the pivot end of the riser bar pivotally coupled to a top portion of the second upstanding member, the latch engaging end retained by the latch end of the latching member in the locked state. A release linkage assembly includes a lock member configured to transition from a first state to a second state, retain the latching member in a first position in the first, locked state and retain the latching member in a second position in the second, unlocked state.

Within the Department of Defense there is a mission to deliver a large number of soldiers to a forward position by parachute. The jumpers are equipped with harnesses and parachutes to slow their descent. All modern parachute systems have a means of separating the parachute from the harness for emergencies and continued execution of the mission once on the ground. The means of separation is called a parachute or canopy release assembly.
Parachute systems worn by the airborne soldier utilize a solid mechanical release. This release has been in the field in various forms since the 1950's. Existing releases such as these require a piece of metallic hardware to be sewn into the harness. Activation of the release permits the separation of a male fitting and female assembly. The female assembly is sewn into the harness and stays with the jumper. The male fitting is sewn to the parachute riser and leaves with the riser. This situation can result in a significantly sized piece of steel passing by the head and face of the jumper.
Sport jumpers use a 3-ring canopy release. The 3-ring canopy release is a series of three interlocking rings sewn onto the harness and riser which are closed by a nylon-coated steel ripcord. Each ring uses mechanical advantage to reduce the load held by the previous. The result is the potential to only need to restrain as little as 1/10 the load acting through the canopy riser. Other configurations of the ring style release exist in which the load reduction factor was attempted to be increased (4 and 5 ring assemblies).
The final closure of a multi-ring release is a textile loop held in place by a ripcord. When the ripcord is pulled free of the textile loop, the loop flexes and releases the smallest of the metallic rings. In turn, each ring releases the next successively larger ring until the riser is set free.
Past efforts have been made to include a multi-ring release into the Airborne Soldier harness system. Several factors make a multi-ring assembly attractive. However, due to the large variation in body sizes the harnesses have to fit, the ripcord method is not applicable.
Various constraints prevent the aforementioned devices to be available for activation in all conditions. One significant condition is the act of a jumper being dragged on their chest and stomach. The motion to activate the release would be blocked by the ground.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a canopy release that addresses at least some of the problems identified above.

The United States of America as Represented by the Secretary of the Army


The present disclosure relates to a method of evaluating accuracy of a summary of a document. The method includes receiving a plurality of reference summaries of a document and a system summary of the document. The system summary is generated by a machine. The method further includes extracting, for each reference summary, a tuple that is a pair of words composed of a modified word and a dependent word having a dependency relation to the modified word and a label representing the dependency relation. The method further includes replacing, for each of the extracted tuples, each of the modified word of the tuple's word pair and the dependent word with a class predetermined for the words. The method further generates a score of the system summary based on the class and a set of tuples of the system summary.

Conventionally, in a natural language processing field of automatically processing a language using a computer, a technique of automatically scoring a system summary using the summary (hereinafter, a reference summary) of correct answers created by persons when the reference summary is given.
As an automated summary evaluation method, a Basic Elements store determined on the basis of a word pair having a dependency relation common to a reference summary and a candidate summary and a tuple t=<h,m,rel> of the relation is known. h, m, and rel are a head word, a modifier word, and a dependency relation. For example, from a sentence "The dog likes eating sausage.", a set of tuples including <dog,The,det>, <likes,dog,nsubj>, <likes,eating,xcomp>, and <eating,sausage,dobj> are obtained.
Now, it will be assumed that a set of reference summaries(R={R1, R2, . . . , RK})is given, a set of tuples obtained from an i-th reference summary is defined as Ti, and a set of tuples obtained from all reference summaries is defined as below.T=∪i=1KTi
In this case, a BE score of a system summary S is calculated by Equation (1) below.
                    [                  Formula                                                              1                ]                                                                      BE                                (                          R              ,              S                        )                          =                                            ∑                              i                =                1                            K                                                                  ∑                                  j                  =                  1                                                                    𝒯                                                                                            min                                                  {                                                            N                                                                    (                                                                              t                            j                                                    ,                                                      R                            i                                                                          )                                                              ,                                          N                                                                    (                                                                              t                            j                                                    ,                          S                                                )                                                                              }                                                                                ∑                              i                =                1                            K                                                                  ∑                                  j                  =                  1                                                                    𝒯                                                                                            N                                                  (                                                            t                      j                                        ,                                          R                      i                                                        )                                                                                (        1        )
N(tj,Ri) represents the frequency in the i-th reference summary of the j-th tuple, and N(tj,S) represents the frequency in a system summary of the j-th tuple.

Summary evaluation device, method, program, and storage medium

NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION


A torque detector includes an output body, an input body adapted to permit a torque to be applied thereto, a torque beam unit, and a detecting unit disposed between the input and output bodies for converting a relative rotation of the input and output bodies into an electric signal. The torque beam unit includes a shaft, at least one flexible first beam extending radially and outwardly from the shaft and having a proximate end portion connected to the shaft, and a distal end portion connected to and co-rotatable with the output body, and at least one second flexible beam extending radially and outwardly from the shaft in a direction different from that of the first beam and having a proximate end portion connected to the shaft, and a distal end portion connected to and co-rotatable with the input body.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a torque detector, and more particularly to a torque detector including a torque beam unit that is at least partially flexible to allow for relative rotation between an input body and an output body.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional torque detector disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,370,966 includes a pair of input and output shafts 11, 12 that extend along an axis 10, a sleeve 13 that has an internally splined portion engaging an externally splined portion of the input shaft 11 and that is movable relative to the output shaft 12 along the axis 10, and a sensor 14 connected to the sleeve 13 for detecting the displacement amount of the sleeve 13.
When a torque is applied to rotate the input shaft 11 relative to the output shaft 12, the angular displacement of the input shaft 11 is converted into movement of the sleeve 13 along the axis 10, which can be detected by the sensor 14.
However, since the angular displacement of the input shaft 11 is converted into the movement of the sleeve 13 through a spline arrangement including the internally splined portion and the externally splined portion, the entire structure of the conventional torque detector gets complicated, thereby resulting in increased manufacturing costs.


An automatic noodle cooker which continuously and automatically supplies hot water while cooking long thin ingredients such as spaghetti. The noodle cooker comprises a hot-water boiler which is divided into several water storage spaces, for example four, and which allows the supplied water to flow from space to space, and where each storage space is equipped with its own heater. The water supplied to the first storage space is heated by the heater and then moves to the next storage space. The hot water is finally supplied from the last storage space through a hot-water supply pipe to a processing section where the ingredients are processed. If new water is supplied to the first storage space equal to the amount of water which was supplied from the last storage space, the temperature of the hot water in the last storage space does not drop very much due to the fact that there are several storage spaces. Therefore, hot water can be continuously and automatically supplied to the processing section from the last storage space at a constant temperature, thus making it possible to improve the processing efficiency of the ingredients. Also, By using a high-pressure pump to supply hot water, the temperature of the hot water can be increased, improving the processing efficiency even more.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an automatic noodle cooker and in more particular to an automatic noodle cooker which cooks long thin food products made of raw noodles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many food products which use noodles as the main ingredient, such as spaghetti, macaroni, udon, soba, and somen, however, to make these food products, after the noodle material has been made into flour, the material is made long and thin according to the specifications of each respective food product, and then these long thin noodles are cooked in hot water to produce the final food product.
Normally, in order to obtain the final food product, a noodle cooker with a hot water boiler is used. FIG. 6 shows an example of the construction of a hot water boiler used in a prior noodle cooker. The hot water boiler 16 comprises a cylindrical container 30 which has a bottom 30A, and at one end of the space 32 is a water supply opening 34 and there is also a heater 33. There is also a hot-water supply pipe 35, hot-water supply valve 36, and cover 17, and hot water flows into the central hollow section 37 of the cylindrical container 30 and is stored. This central hollow section 37 functions as the processing section for cooking the long thin ingredients.
With this kind of construction, the water supplied to the space 32 through the water supply opening 34 is heated by the heater 33 until it is hot, and then this hot water flows through the hot-water supply pipe 35 to the central hollow section 37, with the amount of hot water being regulated by the hot-water supply valve 36. When the aforementioned long thin ingredients to be processed such a as spaghetti are supplied to the central hollow section 37, they are cooked by the hot water. This water is heated by the heater 33 and is 100.degree. C. or lower.
As the amount of hot water flowing to the central hollow section increases, the amount of hot water in the space 32 decreases and this is detected by a liquid-level sensor (not shown in the figure) and so more water is supplied to the hot water boiler 16 through the water supply opening 34. The water is heated by the heater 33 in the same manner as described above and then supplied to the central hollow section 37 together with the long thin ingredients which are to be processed.
In this type of prior noodle cooker, equipped with a hot water boiler, there is a problem that as the hot water in the space decreases, more water is supplied and heating is performed again, however, when water is supplied, the temperature of the hot water lowers and so it takes time for it to be heated. Therefore there is a delay in supplying hot water to the processing section, and the efficiency of processing the long thin ingredients is lowered and interrupts the work.


A receiver is operated in a first power mode, for example a high power mode, during a first portion of a particular connection state (for example, a RRC_CONNECTED state in LTE when the UE receiver is on) of a communication protocol being used by the telecommunications network, and a second power mode during a second portion of the particular connection state, for example a low power mode.

Power is a limited resource in a handheld mobile communication device. Therefore, there is a continuous need to reduce power consumption in such mobile communication devices.
At the same time, due to an increased need for higher data rates and good performance in high load cellular systems, there is a continuous need for improving the modem performance. The modem can be split into three major parts with respect to power consumption, namely the transmitter, receiver and digital baseband sections. The analog transmitter part typically dominates the power consumption in the case of a high transmit power (for example greater than 15 dBm), which typically occurs at the cell coverage border, or when high uplink data rates are needed. The digital baseband part is typically significant only when receiving and decoding very high data rates (for example greater than 10 Mb/s). Finally, the receiver tends to be the part that is typically on for longer periods than the transmitter, both in the case of low and high data rates, and therefore due to the utilization time, is a large contributor to the overall power consumption in a mobile terminal.
FIG. 1 shows an exemplary telecommunications network 10, for example the Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) which uses the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. The system 10 comprises a plurality of radio base stations (also known as eNodeBs, NodeBs, etc) 12a, 12b, 12c, each of which maintains one or more cells (not illustrated). User Equipment (UEs) 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d within each cell communicate with a corresponding radio base station 12 of that cell.
In E-UTRAN, radio base stations are capable of communicating with one another over interfaces known as X2 interfaces (illustrated as dashed lines in FIG. 1). Each radio base station 12 further has one or more interfaces with the core network. These are known as S1 interfaces (illustrated as solid lines in FIG. 1). In particular, the radio base stations 12 have one or more interfaces to one or more mobility management entities (MMES) 16a, 16b (known as S1-MME interfaces). As will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art, the telecommunications network 10 will include other nodes and interfaces not shown, including (but not limited to) nodes such as Serving Gateways (S-GWs), Packet Data Network Gateways (PDN-GWs), Serving GPRS Support Nodes (SGSNs) and Home Subscriber Servers (HSSs), plus interfaces such as S1-U, S5, S6a, S3, and so forth.
UEs in a LTE telecommunications network can be in one of two main operating modes or connections states, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle mode (RRC_IDLE) or a RRC connected mode (RRC_CONNECTED). In the RRC_IDLE mode, a UE is not known on a cell level but rather on a much larger routing area level. This mode is very energy efficient as the UE does not need to perform handovers, and only needs to read a paging channel from time to time, but no other control channels.
The transitions to lower energy consuming states in a UE receiver occur when the network changes operating mode from one connection state to another. For example, the transitions of power consumption can be controlled on the transitions from a CELL_DCH state to a CELL_FACH state, a transition from a CELL_FACH state to a CELL_PCH state, and a transition from a CELL_PCH state to an idle mode in HSPA.
In order to handle bursty traffic scenarios (for example IP traffic), telecommunication networks utilize different timers for when and how long a UE needs to listen and decode a (typically shared) control channel. When in a RRC_CONNECTED mode in LTE, or a CELL_DCH mode in a High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) network, for example, a UE may be configured to operate in a Discontinuous Reception (DRX) mode of operation as shown in FIG. 2. A DRX cycle may be set at 320 ms, for example. An on-timer T1, for example set to 5 ms, specifies how long during each DRX cycle the UE must decode the control channel, for example the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) in LTE as shown, (or the High Speed Shared Control Channel (HS-SCCH) in HSPA). An inactivity-timer T2, for example set to 100 ms, specifies how long the UE must decode the control channel after the last packet is received. If the inactivity-timer expires without the receiver having detected a further packet, then the UE receiver changes its state, from where the receiver in on to where the UE receiver is off until the next DRX period, thus saving power. This may occur for example in the LTE connection state RRC_CONNECTED. It will be appreciated that the inactivity-timer T2 is not used if no packet is sent to the UE.
While such solutions enable UE power savings by turning off the receiver in a connected state of a telecommunication protocol, they have the disadvantage of not fully utilizing the possibilities for power consumption reduction in the radio receiver.
In particular, some of the timers mentioned above are used and set in order to ensure that no delayed packets will be missed, which typically means that they are designed based on worst case delay scenarios that may rarely happen in practice. Examples of such known systems are disclosed in EP2148519, WO2008/054103, US2008/181127 and WO2008/086532.


The present invention relates to methods and compositions for removal of arsenic and heavy metals from water.

Arsenic, a highly poisonous metallic element that is found in rocks, soils and waters, affects more than 100 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO reports that arsenic poisoning is prevalent in a number of countries around the world, including Bangladesh, India, Argentina and China, including Taiwan. WHO estimates that arsenic in drinking water will cause 200,000 to 270,000 deaths from cancer in Bangladesh alone. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency reports that thirteen million people in more than twenty states are affected by arsenic contaminated drinking water. Medical problems linked to arsenic ingestion include skin cancer and bladder cancer, among other illnesses.
Industrial technologies for removal of arsenic from water include: precipitation processes, adsorption processes, ion exchange (IX) processes, membrane filtration, alternative treatment processes such as greensand filtration, and point-of-use devices (POU). There are a number of developing technologies for the removal of heavy metals from drinking water, including: iron oxide coated sand, nanofiltration, iron filings, sulfur-modified iron, granular ferric hydroxide, biological settling processes and plant intake methods. However, these technologies often require multiple treatment stages or combination of various technologies to achieve acceptable water quality, and are difficult and expensive to manufacture and operate. Additionally, there is a big problem with safe and effective waste disposal after the water has been purified using the above technologies.
Accordingly, robust and affordable technologies to handle arsenic and/or heavy metal removal from water, as well as safe disposal of these toxic substances, appear as the best option to resolve increasing health problems associated with arsenic and/or heavy metal contamination.

Methods and compositions for removal of arsenic and heavy metals from water


A valve train mechanism of an internal combustion engine including a cylinder head formed with an intake port and an exhaust port, and a camshaft including a valve for opening or closing the intake port and the exhaust port formed in the cylinder head of the engine, a cam mounted to the camshaft so as to be rotated together, and a rocker arm supported on a rocker shaft to be swingable, in which the valve is opened or closed by swinging the rocker arm by rotation of the cam. The rocker shaft is formed with an oil passage, inside the rocker shaft, extending in an axial direction and with an oil outlet communicating with the oil passage and extending in a radial direction of the rocker shaft.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a valve train mechanism of an internal combustion engine for opening or closing a valve (an intake valve, an exhaust valve) by swinging a rocker arm by rotation of a cam.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, there is known a structure, to lubricate a sliding contact portion between a rocker arm and a cam, which includes an oil injection hole formed at a bearing of the rocker arm through which lubricating oil in an oil passage in a rocker shaft is injected (see Patent Document 1: Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 59-116509).
However, according to the structure disclosed in the Patent Document 1, since the oil injection hole communicates with the oil passage in the rocker shaft at all times, the pressure of lubricating oil is difficult to control. Particularly, in a low-speed rotation range of an engine, the rotation speed of an oil pump is low, and hence, the lubricating oil pressure becomes low, and when the lubricating oil is continuously injected from the oil injection hole of the rocker arm, the oil pressure may become insufficient, which provides a fear of preventing desirable supply of the lubricating oil to respective components or portions of the engine.

Valve train mechanism of internal combustion engine


One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for ranking search-results. During operation, the system receives a query, wherein the query includes one or more terms. The system subsequently searches a dataset using the one or more terms to obtain search-results. Next, the system receives an attribute-identifier, which identifies an attribute for the obtained search-results. Then, for each search-result, the system calculates a combined score based on an attribute-value for the identified attribute, and a relevance-score for the search-result. The system then ranks the search-results based on combined scores associated with the search-results. Finally, the system presents the ranked search-results to a user.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to search-engines. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for ranking search-results produced by a search-engine.
2. Related Art
Upon receiving a query from a user, a search-engine will typically identify a set of search-results that are related to terms in the query. In most cases, the search-engine will present the search-results to a user in an ordering based on a relevance measure. However, often a user desires to rank the search-results by a specific attribute, such as price or date. To do so, the user specifies the desired attribute, and the search-engine subsequently re-ranks the search-results based on the desired attribute.
However, if the search-engine re-ranks search-results based on a desired attribute, the search-engine may list less relevant search-results before more relevant search-results. Consequently, the user may have to browse through several pages of less relevant search-results before finding more relevant search-results. This problem is often exacerbated by people who adjust a specific attribute to affect the ranking of specific search-results. For example, a merchant may reduce the price of a product by a nominal value to ensure that a search-engine lists the product first. This often causes the search-engine to list less relevant products before more relevant products.
Hence, what is needed is a method and apparatus for ranking search-results without the problems listed above.

Method and apparatus for ranking search results


A vacuum processing apparatus for processing a substrate under a vacuum atmosphere includes a vacuum processing module, a vacuum transfer module, a gate valve and a control unit. The vacuum processing module includes a processing chamber, a mounting table and a first gas supply unit. The vacuum transfer module includes a transfer chamber airtightly connected to the processing chamber through the transfer port, a transfer unit and a second gas supply unit. The gate valve is configured to open and close the transfer port for the substrate. The control unit is configured to open the gate valve in a state where a flow rate of an inert gas supplied from the first gas supply unit is smaller than a flow rate of an inert gas supplied from the second gas supply unit and a pressure in the processing chamber is lower than a pressure in the transfer chamber.

A multi-chamber system is known as an apparatus for performing vacuum processing that is one of semiconductor device manufacturing processes while ensuring a high throughput. In this system, a plurality of vacuum processing chambers are connected to a common vacuum transfer chamber through respective gate valves, and a substrate is transferred from an atmospheric pressure or an inert gas atmosphere of an ordinary pressure to the common vacuum transfer chamber through a load-lock chamber and then transferred to one of the vacuum processing chambers by a transfer unit in the vacuum transfer chamber. The vacuum processing may include film formation, dry etching, annealing, and the like.
Conventionally, when a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as "wafer") is transferred between the vacuum transfer chamber and the vacuum processing chamber, an atmosphere of the vacuum processing chamber is prevented from flowing into the vacuum transfer chamber by opening/closing the gate valve in a state where a pressure in the vacuum transfer chamber is maintained at a level slightly higher than that in the vacuum processing chamber. Depending on a type of processing of the wafer or a structure of the vacuum processing chamber, reaction by-products generated during the processing may be adhered and deposited to an inner surface of the vacuum processing chamber, especially to a vicinity of the gate valve. Accordingly, when the atmosphere inert gas in the vacuum transfer chamber flows into the vacuum processing chamber by opening/closing the gate valve, the reaction by-products may be peeled off and adhered as particles to a surface of the wafer being transferred.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-64873 discloses a technique for suppressing adhesion of particles to a surface of a wafer by opening/closing a gate valve after setting a flow rate of a gas in a vacuum processing chamber twice or more than that in a vacuum transfer chamber in a state where a pressure in the vacuum transfer chamber is set to be higher than a pressure in the vacuum processing chamber. However, the flow rate of the gas in the vacuum transfer chamber may be suddenly increased and, thus, the particles may be peeled off. In addition, when the flow rate of the gas in the vacuum processing chamber is set to be greater than that in the vacuum transfer chamber, the particles may scatter into the vacuum transfer chamber.

Vacuum processing apparatus and operation method thereof


A plasma display panel of the present invention preferably reduces the luminance differences over a display area of a panel. The reduction in luminance difference is achieved by at least one of changing distances between corresponding scan electrodes or corresponding sustain electrodes of corresponding scan/sustain electrode pairs in different areas of the panel or varying a gap between the scan and sustain electrodes of the scan/sustain electrode pair.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a display device, and more particularly, to a plasma display panel.
2. Description of the Background Art
Generally, the plasma display panel is a display device which includes an upper substrate, a lower substrate, and a barrier rib that is produced between the upper substrate and the lower substrate. Each cell is mainly filled with discharge gas such as Ne, He, or Ne+He and also contains inert gas, such as small amount of xenon. Upon being discharged by applying high frequency voltage, the inert gas generates ultraviolet rays (preferably vacuum ultraviolet rays), thereby to emit light by fluorescent substance on the lower substrate and/or the barrier ribs to realize an image. Such plasma display panels are relatively thin and lightweight and are preferable as next generation display device compared to CRT or LCD.
FIG. 1 is a structural diagram that shows the electrode arrangement of a plasma display panel. As shown, the electrode arrangement of plasma display panel includes a plurality of scan electrodes Y1 to Yn and a plurality of sustain electrodes Z1 to Zn, which are respectively paired. The scan electrodes and the sustain electrodes are originated from the scan electrode pad 21 and sustain electrode pad 22 and on the upper substrate 20. The distance between the plurality of scan electrodes is uniformly maintained within error range through the upper substrate 20, and the distance between the plurality of sustain electrodes is uniformly maintained within the error range through the upper substrate 20. Further, the distance between the scan electrodes and the sustain electrodes maintain uniformly.
In a plasma display panel with such electrode structure, the electrode structure within discharge cell is shown in FIG. 2. The electrode structure within discharge cell of the plasma display panel include a bus electrode b of the scan electrode 101 and the sustain electrode 102 formed on both side of the discharge cell, respectively on an upper substrate, and a transparent electrode a of the scan electrode 101 and the sustain electrode 102 formed respectively on both side which each bus electrode b are formed so that they are opposite each other while leaving center of a discharge cell between them.
Corresponding address electrode on a lower substrate crosses with the bus electrode b and the transparent electrode a within each discharge cell. Although not shown, the cell has fluorescent materials within the discharge cell for emitting R, G, and B rays upon cell discharge.
In the plasma display panel with such electrode structure within discharge cell, if corresponding voltages are provided to corresponding transparent electrode a of the scan electrode 101 and the sustain electrode 102 and the corresponding address electrode within a cell, a discharge occurs in the cell and the fluorescent materials emit light, thereby to display image.
The luminance property in each section of the plasma display panel is shown in FIG. 3. If the corresponding signals, i.e. signals of 180V, 1.14 A, are applied to each of the scan electrodes and the sustain electrodes, sections A1 to A5 exhibits an average luminance of 159.2, sections A6 to A10 exhibits an average luminance of 156.2, sections A11 to A15 exhibits an average luminance of 153, sections A16 to A20 exhibits an average luminance of 157.4, and sections A21 to A25 exhibits an average luminance of 160.8. In other words, if the same signals are applied to the scan electrodes and the sustain electrodes formed in the plasma display panel, each section in the upper substrate 100 of the plasma display panel exhibits different luminance.
Such luminance irregularity to be exhibited in all sections of the upper substrate corresponding to a display plane of the plasma display panel causes deterioration of image quality, and decreased reliance of the plasma display panel.

Plasma display apparatus and driving method thereof


The disclosure teaches an adjustable/extendable piping system/module for associating fluid access products (such as fire hydrants) to a buried fluid source. The piping system defines an adjustable configuration that allows for the overall length of the piping system to be modified to compensate for different bury depths. The disclosure further teaches a flex module configured for associating a fluid product with a piping system connected to a fluid source. The flex module is configured to flex a predefined amount to prevent damage to the system from low energy impacts.

Fluid delivery systems frequently provide access ports to allow a fluid consumer access to a fluid supplied by such systems. One such fluid delivery system is a water delivery system provided by utilities across the US. One type of access port provided by such systems is a fire hydrant. As is well known, fire hydrants (sometimes called "fire plugs") provide a source of water in most areas with municipal water service. The concept of "fire plugs" dates to at least the 1600s and during such era firefighters responding to a call would dig down to the water mains and hastily bore a hole to secure water to fight fires. When no longer needed, such holes were then plugged with stoppers. Thus, the "fire plug" was born; a colloquial term still used for fire hydrants today.
Modern fire hydrant systems typically provide the following components: (a) a connection ("boot") to the "mains" (the main fluid source), (b) stand pipe in fluid communication to the mains connection (boot), (c) a hydrant body connected to the stand pipe wherein the hydrant body defines an output port, (d) a cap or bonnet mechanically connected to the upper end of the hydrant body, and (e) an operating nut configured to open and close a valve that allows or prevents water to flow from the main fluid source, to the hydrant body's output port.
It should be noted that at least a portion of the stand pipe is underground. Further, the burry depth of water mains to which fire hydrants connect vary from one installation site to another requiring some way of adjusting the length of the stand pipe element so that one end of the hydrant body is at or near ground level. Today's method of compensating for different burry depths is to use expensive stand pipe extensions. What is needed is a better and more cost-effective way to compensate for different burry depths.
Another issue with fire hydrants is damage due to being hit by objects such as vehicles. We have all seen movie scenes where a vehicle runs into a fire hydrant and water come shooting out of the fire hydrant way up into the air. Such a failure can be caused by even relatively minor collisions with a "wet barrel" fire hydrant causing extensive and expensive damage to the fire hydrant system. What is needed is an apparatus and method that allows for a more flexible fire hydrant system that is designed with relatively inexpensive components that yield/pivot at low energy impacts and break at high energy impacts to limit damage to the remainder of the system.

Extendable stand pipe and flex joint modules


A resin which may be cured to form a polymeric resin which is diffcultly inflammable and resistant to high temperatures, said resin being a mixture of. (a) a resin component comprising at least one thermically curable 1-oxa-3-aza tetraline group containing compound and optionally a curable epoxy compound; and of PA0 (b) a second component comprising at least one flame retardant selected from the group consisting of: aluminum hydroxide; hydrated calcium magnesium carbonate; magnesium hydroxide; element red phosphorus, oxygen acids of phosphorus; inorganic salts of oxygen acids of phosphorus; organic salts of oxygen acids of phsophorus; polyphosphates; boric acid; salts of boric acid.

Compounds containing 1-oxa-3-aza tetraline groups and their prepolymers (hereafter called "oxazene resins" by convenience) are known, for example form Swiss Patents Nos. 574,978, 579,113 and 606,169. They can be obtained, for example, from phenols by reaction with formaldehyde and an amine, according to formula (A): ##STR1## wherein R is, for example, hydrogen, halogen, alkyl or alkoxy, and R' is an aliphatic or aromatic group.
However, they can also be prepared by other processes leading to similar products.
In contrast to other known condensation reactions of phenols, amines and formaldehyde, in the reaction outlined above phenolic OH groups are consumed, it is thereby possible, according to the formula (A) hereinabove, to determine the amount of the synthesized 1-oxa-3-aza tetraline groups from the analytic determination of the said OH groups in the reaction mixture.
Prepolymers of 1-oxa-3-aza tetraline group containing compounds are also useful in preparing said oxazene resins. Since some of the 1-oxa-3-aza tetraline groups may react during polymerization, these prepolymers may contain a fewer number of said 1-oxa-3-aza tetraline groups than provided by the monomers used to form such prepolymers. It is essential, however, that the intermediately formed or hypothetic monomer reaction product does in fact contain 1-oxa-3-aza tetraline groups. This can easily be calculated by a person skilled in the art from the functionality. An oxazene resin, or its prepolymer, useful in accordance with the invention is, for instance, formed if the molar ratio is kept within the limits defined in Swiss Patent No. 606,169.
Phenol and phenol derivatives, respectively, as well as amines and formaldehyde are used as starting or basic materials for preparing the oxazene resin.
Preferably, for the present invention, 1-oxa-3-aza tetraline group containing compounds are used which are formally derived from a phenol and an amine, one of said components being more than monofunctional.
Examples of phenols that can be used include:
Monovalent phenols, such as phenol, m and p-cresol, m- and p-ethyl phenol, m- and p-isopropyl phenol, m- and p-isopropyloxy phenol m- and p-chloro phenol and betanaphthol. Meta-substituted phenols are preferred, since they do not include any blocked reactive positions. PA0 Bivalent phenols, such as 4,4'-dihydroxydiphenylmethane, 3,3'-dihydroxy-diphenylmethane, 2,2'-bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-propane, 4,4'-dihydroxy-stilbene, hydroquinone, pyrocatechol, and resorcin. PA0 Low-condensed phenol formaldehyde novolak resins, eventually mixed with a phenol. PA0 Examples of amines that are particularly useful include: PA0 Aniline, o-, m- and p-phenylene diamine, benzidine, 4,4'-diaminodiphenyl methane, cyclohexylamine, ethylenediamine, and propylenediamine. PA0 (a) a resin component comprising at least one thermically curable 1-oxa-3-aza tetraline group containing compound; and of PA0 (b) a second component comprising at least one flame retardant selected from the group consisting of:
Polymeric resins on the basis of 1-oxa-3-aza tetraline group containing compounds are resistant to high temperatures of more than 200 .degree. C., and up to more than 300 .degree. C. The flame resistance, despite the fact that it compares favorably with that of other polymeric resins resistant to high temperatures, such as for instance epoxy resins is still not sufficient for many uses. The attempt to improve said flame resistance by incorporating of halogen would result in the drawback that highly toxic gases of combustion are formed in case of fire.
It is known to improve the flame resistance of some inflammable polymeric resins, such as epoxide resins and unsaturated polyester resins, by addition of a flame retardant which is not mixable with the polymeric resin. However, for achieving self-extinguishing properties such a high amount of additive is necessary, for instance 200 phr and more, that the good mechanical properties of these resins are lost.
As usual, in the present specification "phr" means "parts by weight of additive per 100 parts by weight of resin".
Therefore, such systems are practically unsuitable for preparing highly reinforced polymeric resins. Difficultly inflammable phenolic resins are also out of the question for said use, since, per se, they already show much lower mechanical properties. In spite the serious toxicological doubts, no satisfying alternative to halogenated systems was found so far.

Fire retardant curable 1-oxa-3-aza tetraline (also termed "3,4-dihydro-1,3-benzoxazine") derived resin composition


A method for replacing cache lines in a computer system having a non-uniform set associative cache memory is disclosed. The method incorporates access latency as an additional factor into the existing ranking guidelines for replacement of a line, the higher the rank of the line the sooner that it is likely to be evicted from the cache. Among a group of highest ranking cache lines in a cache set, the cache line chosen to be replaced is one that provides the lowest latency access to a requesting entity, such as a processor. The distance separating the requesting entity from the memory partition where the cache line is stored most affects access latency.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to cache memory in computer systems, and more particularly to cache replacement systems and methods for reducing latency in non-uniform cache architectures.
2. Description of the Related Art
On-chip cache memories are usually size-limited by area, power, and latency constraints. These cache memories are often not able to accommodate the whole working set of a given program. When a program references a piece of data that is not present in the cache, a cache miss occurs and a request is sent to a next level of the cache hierarchy for the missing data. When the requested data eventually arrives from the next level, a decision must be made as to which data currently in the cache should be evicted to make room for the new data.
These algorithms are called cache replacement algorithms. The most commonly employed cache replacement algorithms are random, first in first out (FIFO), and least recently used (LRU). Except for the random replacement algorithm, all replacement algorithms base their replacement decision on a ranking of all cache lines in the set where the new data will be stored. For example, the LRU replacement algorithm tracks the access ordering of cache lines within a cache set, while the FIFO replacement algorithm ranks the cache lines by their allocation order. The least recently accessed/allocated cache lines are given the highest ranking and upon cache miss, they are chosen to be replaced.
Prior work on replacement algorithms does not consider the access latency to each cache line, because in logic-dominated cache designs all cache lines have the same access latency. Recently, wire delay has played a more significant role in access latencies. Consequently, access latencies to different cache partitions have grown further apart. Therefore, there is a need for a new cache replacement algorithm that considers access latencies while formulating a replacement decision to reduce average latencies to lines stored in different partitions of a cache.

Latency-aware replacement system and method for cache memories

International Business Machines Corporation


A medical image diagnosis apparatus according to an embodiment includes a controller. The controller generates a plurality of candidates for a first cross-sectional image from three-dimensional image data obtained by taking images of a heart. The controller generates, from the three-dimensional image data, one or more second cross-sectional images each of which intersects the candidates for the first cross-sectional image. The controller displays in parallel on a display, the candidates for the first cross-sectional image, as well as the second cross-sectional images on each of which information is superimposed. The information indicates positional relationships between the candidates for the first cross-sectional image and the second cross-sectional image.

Conventionally, medical image diagnosis apparatuses such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) apparatuses, X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) apparatuses, and ultrasound diagnosis apparatuses are configured to acquire three-dimensional image data (hereinafter, "volume data") of a target site and to generate a desired cross-sectional image from the acquired volume data. A cross-sectional image called a "basic cross-sectional image", for example, is useful for performing a diagnosis process on a desired site, when being displayed on a medical image diagnosis apparatus or an image display apparatus. In contrast, a cross-sectional image that intersects the "basic cross-sectional image" is called an "auxiliary cross-sectional image", for example, and is used for checking to see if the "basic cross-sectional image" is properly set or not.
For example, an MRI apparatus is configured to generate a basic cross-sectional image and an auxiliary cross-sectional image from volume data obtained by taking images of the heart and to display the basic cross-sectional image and the auxiliary cross-sectional image arranged in a row on the display. In that situation, an operator of the MRI apparatus repeatedly corrects and checks the basic cross-sectional image, while viewing the cross-sectional images displayed on the display.

Medical image diagnosis apparatus and image display apparatus


A profertility composition for administration to infertile men with sperm oxidative stress is disclosed. The composition comprises a unique combination of a pharmaceutically acceptable vitamin E, vitamin C, selenium, zinc, folic acid, lycopene and at least one carnitine source.

Male infertility has been on the rise for several decades and is now considered a major health problem affecting around one in twelve of the men in USA. Id. If the trends observed over the last century continues, some infertility experts predict that by the middle of this century, most men will be advised to freeze their sperm at a young age to ensure adequate sperm quality.
A successful fertilization and subsequent embryo development requires properly matured sperm chromatin with minimal damage to its DNA integrity. Equally important, is the integrity of sperm membrane lipid structure essential for sperm motility and sperm-oocyte fusion. At least one of the causes of sperm DNA damage and membrane peroxidation is attributed to excess Reactive Molecular Species ("RMS"), most importantly Reactive Oxygen Species ("ROS"), leading to a condition commonly referred to as sperm oxidative stress. In general, the term "Oxidative Stress" refers to a condition that occurs as a result of excessive generation of ROS and/or a diminished capacity of ROS scavenging endogenous antioxidants. Accordingly, the excess concentration of ROS overwhelms the local environmental antioxidant defense mechanism of the spermatozoa potentially leading to the formation of sperm cells with lower or no fertilizing potential.
Under normal conditions, cells utilize an array of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants as internal defense to scavenge and neutralize excess levels of ROS. It is believed that oxidative stress develops either because of an overabundance of ROS from environmental or pathological stressors or a lack of antioxidant capacity to neutralize excess concentrations of ROS. Excess ROS within semen and the sperm cell has been described to cause degradation of the cellular components such as membrane and DNA, hence, the sperms injured by such oxidative species have diminished or no fertility potential.
To date several studies have reported that levels of ROS within semen can be reduced by augmenting the scavenging capacity of seminal plasma using oral antioxidant supplementation. In fact, the benefits of oral antioxidant therapy has been described in numerous articles. By the way of reference, such articles include Comhaire et al, The Effects of Combined Conventional Treatment, Oral Antioxidants and Essential Fatty Acids on Sperm Biology in Subfertile Men, Prostaglandins Leuko Essent Fatty Acids, 63, 159-165 (2000); Lenzi et al, Placebo-Controlled, Double-blind, Cross-over Trial of Gluthathione therapy in male infertility, Hum Reprod, 8, 1657-1662 (1993); Greco et al, Reduction of the Incidence of Sperm DNA Fragmentation by Oral Antioxidant Treatment. J Androl, 17, 276-287 (2005); Tremellen et al, A Randomised Control Trial Examining the Effect of an Antioxidant (Menevit) on Pregnancy Outcome During IVF-ICSI Treatment, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 47, 216-221 (2007); and Agarwal et al, Oxidative stress, DNA Damage and Apoptosis in Male Infertility, a Clinical Approach, BJU Int, 95, 503-507 (2005), the teachings of which are incorporated herein in their entirety.
However, there is no product in the market today that has the instantly disclosed combination of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins. Moreover, the prior art does not teach the steps described herein to enhance the natural fertility process. At least one object of the present invention is to address such a need in the field.
Excessive concentration of ROS can cause extensive sperm DNA damage and membrane peroxidation. In general ROS includes reactive moieties such as hydroxyl radicals (OH−), ionic species such as superoxide anions (O2−), and neutral but highly reactive oxidizing molecules such hydrogen peroxides (H2O2). In semen, such species are predominantly generated by leukocytes or morphologically abnormal sperms. It has been described in the art that ROS plays both physiological and pathological roles in maturation of sperm cells. For example, at normal baseline ROS concentrations, sperms are properly matured as ROS modulates the regulation of the normal sperm function in various cascades including but not limited to sperm-oocyte fusion, acrosome reaction and sperm capacitation.
On the other hand, excess ROS concentrations result in direct insult on cellular components such as lipids, proteins and DNA, thus interfering with normal cell function. Traditional semen analysis methodologies fail to detect DNA damage caused by ROS. In fact, in many cases infertile men who undergo a clinical workup show normal sperm parameters, including sperm count motility and morphology. However, when compared with healthy fertile men, at least a subpopulation of these infertile men, show higher concentrations of oxidants in their seminal fluid which may be coupled with significantly lower concentrations of antioxidant as compared to healthy fertile men.
At the genomic level, excess concentrations of ROS modifies sperm DNA structure in a number of ways. For example, ROS can induce chromatin cross-linking, DNA base oxidation and cause high frequencies of single and double DNA strand breaks. Even though, sperms with damaged DNA may still fertilize the oocyte, the degree of DNA damage can have profound implications in normality of embryonic development resulting in higher miscarriage rates, birth defects or the long-term health of the progeny.
Current medical approach to facilitate embryonic development and pregnancy uses invasive techniques collectively referred to as Assisted Reproductive Techniques ("ART"), including Intrauterine Insemination ("IUI"), In vitro Fertilization ("IVF") and Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection ("ICSI"). However, such techniques generally have an average rate of success of about 30%. At least one explanation for such poor outcome is the fact that the semen and the sperm analysis techniques employed during ART cannot differentiate sperms with DNA damage from the normal ones.
Moreover, ART modes of fertilization have been linked with birth defects and incidences of childhood cancer, e.x. acute leukemia and lymphoma. Nevertheless, ART remains the only viable option for infertile couples. Another shortcoming of the ART is the cost. Couples on average undergo several IVF attempts to achieve a pregnancy, therefore undertaking huge expenses. Additionally, the risk of failure often causes intense emotional trauma.
Moreover, ART can not and does not address the damage done by ROS to sperm and ultimately to the fertilized egg. Therefore, there is a need in the art to address the impact of Sperm Oxidative Stress ("SOS") among infertile couples. Currently, there are no effective and generally accepted pharmacotherapy that can combat the problem of male infertility associated with SOS. Thus, there is a need for convenient, inexpensive fertility methodologies and products to aid and improve couple's fertility potential. There is also a need for a kit that will provide couples in need with all products, tools and material required to facilitate a comprehensive plan for achieving a successful pregnancy.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Treating male infertility secondary to sperm oxidative stress


A balanced, charge-recycling repeater link is disclosed. The link includes a first set of segments operating in a first voltage domain and a second set of segments operating in a second voltage domain. The link is configured to transmit a first signal over at least one segment in the first set of segments and at least one other segment in the second set of segments. Each segment of the link includes at least one active circuit element configured to charge or discharge one or more corresponding interconnects within the link and a level shifter configured to shift the level of a signal on a last interconnect of the segment from the first voltage domain to the second voltage domain or the second voltage domain to the first voltage domain.

Integrated circuits utilize interconnects to transmit signals from one portion of the circuit to another portion of the circuit. Interconnects within an integrated circuit typically comprise wires formed in a metal layer of the integrated circuit. Each wire is associated with a resistance and a capacitance that is related to the physical design of the wire (e.g., cross section, length, etc.). Transmitting signals on these wires is not instantaneous. Changing a signal on the wire requires the wire to be charged or discharged. There is a time delay for a signal to travel down a wire that is characterized by an RC factor associated with the wire (i.e., a resistance of the wire in ohms multiplied by a capacitance of the wire). Because both resistance of a wire and capacitance of a wire increase linearly with a wire's length, the time delay increases as a square of the wires length.
In order to decrease the time delay associated with a long interconnect, active circuit(s) can be introduced along the long interconnect to break the long interconnect up into multiple shorter interconnects. Because the time delay of the short interconnects, added together, is less than the time delay of the long interconnect, a relatively faster link can be provided over the same linear distance of the integrated circuit. FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) repeater link 100, in accordance with the prior art. The link 100 includes a plurality of interconnects (e.g., 112, 114, 116, 118, etc.) connected to a number of repeaters (e.g., 102, 104, 106, etc.). The repeaters shown in FIG. 1 are conventional CMOS inverters. It will be appreciated that an even number of repeaters (and an odd number of interconnects) may be used to ensure the signal at the end of the link 100 is the same as the signal at the beginning of the link 100.
The link 100 may be used to transmit a signal, A, from one end of the link 100 to the other end of the link 100. For example, the interconnect 112 may be charged to high potential (Vdd) to match a logic high state of signal A. The inverter 102 then discharges interconnect 114 to a low potential (Vss) to match an inverted state of signal A, i.e., a logic low state of signal Ā. The inverter 104 then charges interconnect 116 to a high potential (Vdd) to match an inverted state of signal Ā, i.e., a logic high state of signal A. The inverter 106 then discharges interconnect 118 to a low potential (Vss) to match an inverted state of signal A, i.e., a logic low state of signal Ā, and so forth until the end of the link is reached and the last interconnect is charged to a high potential (Vdd) to match a logic high state of signal A at the beginning of the link 100.
A common way to define the power dissipation of conventional CMOS repeater links, such as the link 100 of FIG. 1, is shown in Equation 1.P=A*F*C*V2  (Eq. 1)
In Equation 1, the term A refers to an activity factor of the data, the term F refers to a frequency of the data clock, the term C refers to a capacitance of the wire, and the term V refers to a voltage swing of the signal, which is typically between a low supply voltage, Vss (i.e., a ground potential), and a high supply voltage, Vdd. The activity factor of the data refers to a relative measurement of the number of transitions between logic low and logic high of the signal relative to a number of transitions of the data clock. For example, a signal representing a clock, where the signal has alternating positive or negative transitions during each period of the data clock (e.g., 1010101010101010 . . . ) would have an activity factor of 1. The activity factor may be lower where there are very few transitions in the signal (e.g., 00000000111111110000000011 . . . ).
It will be appreciated that the power dissipation depends on the square of the voltage swing on the interconnects of the link 100. One technique for reducing the power dissipation in the links is to reduce the magnitude of the voltage swing in the voltage domain utilized by the link. For example, reducing the voltage swing from 5V to 3V would reduce the power dissipation by more than 60%. Another technique that has been proposed is to split the voltage domain into two voltage domains and stack the links such that each link utilizes a voltage domain associated with a voltage swing of half the magnitude compared to a voltage swing associated with the full-scale voltage domain, a technique known as charge-recycling.
FIG. 2 illustrates a pair of stacked CMOS repeater links 200, in accordance with the prior art. The pair of stacked CMOS repeater links 200 includes a first link in a first voltage domain and a second link in a second voltage domain. As shown in FIG. 2, the first link includes a plurality of interconnects (e.g., 211, 213, 215, 217, etc.) connected to a number of repeaters (e.g., 201, 203, 205, etc.). The first link operates in a first voltage domain having a high supply voltage of Vdd and a low supply voltage of
            V      dd        2    ,which is provided by a voltage regulator 220, such as the op amp coupled to a pair of equally sized resistors (each labeled R) placed in series between the high supply voltage and the low supply voltage. The voltage regulator is required to keep the mid-range supply voltage
      V    dd    2stable. Without the voltage regulator, the mid-range supply voltage could drift due to the uneven charging and discharging of the interconnects in the pair of stacked CMOS repeater links 200 based on the uneven transitions between the pair of signals transmitted over the pair of links. The second link includes a plurality of interconnects (e.g., 212, 214, 216, 218, etc.) connected to a number of repeaters (e.g., 202, 204, 206, etc.). The second link operates in a second voltage domain have a high supply voltage of
      V    dd    2and a low supply voltage of Vss (e.g., a ground potential). Again, the repeaters shown in FIG. 2 are conventional CMOS inverters. It will be appreciated that an even number of repeaters (and an odd number of interconnects) may be used to ensure the signals at the end of the pair of stacked CMOS repeater links 200 are the same as the signals at the beginning of the pair of stacked CMOS repeater links 200.
The stacked CMOS repeater links 200 can be used to transmit a pair of signals (A/B) in a similar manner of the link 100, described above. The signal A may be transmitted in the first voltage domain, and the signal B may be transmitted in the second voltage domain. Because signals A and B are independent signals, the state of signal A and the state of signal B will transition differently such that both A and B can be both logic high, both logic low, or one logic high and one logic low at any given time t. Given that the transitions for signals A/B are different, the inverters (e.g., 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, etc.) will charge or discharge the interconnects (e.g., 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217, 218, etc.) in an uneven manner based on the states of the signals, which could cause the mid-range supply voltage to drift without the inclusion of the voltage regulator 220.
Stacking the links in the manner shown in FIG. 2 will reduce power dissipation of the link due to the reduction in the voltage swing applied to each interconnect. However, much of this reduction in power dissipation may be given back in terms of the power required to hold the mid-range supply voltage steady using the voltage regulator 220, both in terms of the power dissipated through the resistors and losses in the op amp as well as losses associated with routing the mid-range supply voltage to each of the repeaters in the links. Thus, there is a need for addressing these issues and/or other issues associated with the prior art.


The present invention provides a method for calculating the birefringence of an optical element and selecting the direction of minimum birefringence in the optical element. A material for manufacturing the optical element is a fluoride single crystal with a birefringence value that is reduced compared to conventional materials. The fluoride single crystal is cut from a fluoride single crystal ingot obtained by crystal growth so that the {111} crystal planes are two parallel planes, after which the optical performance is improved by subjecting this material to a heat treatment. The birefringence of the optical element is calculated by converting known piezo-optical constants in a specified three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system for the optical material into piezo-optical constants in an arbitrary three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system. The amount of change in the refractive index .DELTA.n1 of the optical material in a first direction along the direction of one coordinate axis of the arbitrary three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system, and the amount of change in the refractive index .DELTA.n2 of the optical material in a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction are calculated using a uniaxial stress that is applied to the optical material along the first direction and the piezo-optical constants in the arbitrary three-dimensional coordinate system. The amount of birefringence as seen from a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction is determined in the arbitrary three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system by determining the difference between the amount of change in the refractive index .DELTA.n1 and the amount of change in the refractive index .DELTA.n2.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an optical element, the method of making the optical element, an optical system using the optical element for an optical apparatus (e. g., a camera, microscope, telescope or photolithographic apparatus such as a stepper, etc.), and a method for calculating the birefringence of the optical element.
2. Description of the Related Art
Calcium fluoride, strontium fluoride and barium fluoride, which are fluoride crystals (single crystals) used as optical element materials, have a low refractive index compared to ordinary optical glass, and also show little dispersion (wavelength dependence of the refractive index); accordingly, such materials are useful for color aberration correction in optical systems.
In particular, calcium fluoride is easy to obtain, and can be obtained even as large-caliber single crystals with a diameter of .phi. 150 mm or greater.
Such fluoride crystals (single crystals) belong to the cubic crystal type, and are optically isotropic bodies. These materials are suitable as materials for optical elements such as lenses, etc. Fluoride crystals have long been widely used as materials of camera lenses, microscope lenses and telescope lenses, etc.
Birefringence is a phenomenon in which the refractive index varies according to the direction of polarization of the light or other electromagnetic waves. Ordinarily, this is expressed as the light path difference (called "retardation") that occurs when the light passes through a unit length of the substance in question, and is given in units of nm/cm.
Furthermore, as another method of expressing birefringence, this phenomenon is also sometimes expressed as the difference (n1-n2) between the refractive index n1 with respect to light having a certain direction of polarization and the refractive index n2 for light with a direction of polarization that is perpendicular to the above-mentioned direction of polarization.
Furthermore, the refractive index n0 in a state in which no external force is acting on the substance in question is affected by external forces so that the refractive index changes. In cases where this change is dependent on the direction of polarization, the amounts of change in the refractive index are expressed as .DELTA.n1 and .DELTA.n2, and the difference between these amounts of change, i. e., (.DELTA.n1-.DELTA.n2), is also sometimes called "birefringence".
In cases where birefringence is caused by strain, this birefringence is also commonly called "strain". Moreover, crystals with cubic crystal systems inherently lack birefringence, but may have birefringence as a result of the effects of electromagnetic fields and stress.
Specifically, in the case of the above-mentioned fluoride crystals (single crystals), birefringence is generated as a result of the effects of stress. For example, considerable birefringence is present in currently manufactured fluoride crystals as a result of thermal stress occurring in the manufacturing process. Furthermore, the value of this birefringence is at least about 5 nm/cm, and may commonly reach 10 mn/cm or greater in fluoride crystals with a diameter of .phi. 100 mm or greater.
Accordingly, even if an attempt is made to minimize the aberration of an optical system using a fluoride crystal (single crystal), the birefringence of the fluoride crystal arising from the effects of stress is an impediment. As a result, satisfactory optical performance often can not be obtained in the optical system.
Furthermore, if countermeasures such as an extreme lengthening of the annealing time in the fluoride crystal manufacturing process, etc., are adopted in order to reduce the birefringence of fluoride crystals (single crystals) used in optical elements or optical systems, delivery dates are delayed (i. e., the productivity drops), and costs are increased.
In recent years, there has been a rapid development of lithographic techniques for inscribing integrated circuit patterns on wafers. Demand for higher integration of integrated circuits continues to grow. In order to realize such higher integration, it is necessary to increase the resolving power of stepper projection lenses.
The resolving power of a projection lens is governed by the wavelength of the light used and the NA (numerical aperture) of the projection lens. The resolving power can be increased by shortening the wavelength of the light used or increasing the NA (increasing the caliber) of the projection lens.
First, shortening of the wavelength of the light used will be discussed. The wavelengths used in steppers have already advanced to the g line (wavelength: 436 nm) and i line (wavelength: 365 nm). In the future, when even shorter-wavelength KrF excimer laser light (wavelength: 248 nm) and ArF excimer laser light (wavelength: 193 nm), etc., come into use, the use of optical glass in optical systems will become virtually impossible from the standpoint of transmittance.
Accordingly, synthetic silica glass or calcium fluoride is commonly used as an optical element material in the optical systems of excimer laser steppers.
Next, increasing the caliber of such elements will be discussed. Here, it is not simply a question of better results with a larger caliber. In regard to the materials of optical elements used in the optical systems of excimer laser steppers, it is necessary that single crystals be used in the case of calcium fluoride.
Furthermore, as the performance of steppers has improved, there has recently been a demand for large-caliber calcium fluoride single crystals with a caliber of around .phi. 120 mm to .phi. 250 mm. Such calcium fluoride single crystals have a low refractive index compared to ordinary optical glass, and also show little dispersion (wavelength dependence of the refractive index). Accordingly, such materials are extremely effective in the correction of color aberration. Furthermore, such materials can easily be obtained in the marketplace, with large-caliber single crystals having a diameter of .phi. 120 mm or greater also being obtainable.
Calcium fluoride single crystals which have such advantages have long been used as lens materials in cameras, microscopes and telescopes in addition to being used as optical materials in steppers.
Furthermore, single crystals of barium fluoride and strontium fluoride, which are fluoride single crystals other than calcium fluoride single crystals, belong to the same cubic crystal type, and have similar properties; accordingly, the uses of these crystals are also similar to those of calcium fluoride single crystals.
Such fluoride single crystals can be manufactured by a method known as the Bridgeman method, the Stockberger method, or the "pull-down" method.
Here, a method for manufacturing calcium fluoride single crystals by the Bridgeman method (one example) will be described.
In the case of calcium fluoride single crystals used in the ultraviolet or vacuum ultraviolet region, natural fluorite is not used as a raw material; instead, the general practice is to use high-purity raw materials manufactured by chemical synthesis.
The raw materials can be used "as is" in a powdered state. In such a case, however, the volume decrease upon melting is severe. Ordinarily, therefore, semi-molten raw materials or pulverized products of the same are used.
First, a crucible filled with the above-mentioned raw material is placed in a growth apparatus, and the interior of the growth apparatus is maintained at a vacuum of 10.sup.-3 to 10.sup.-4 Pa.
Next, the temperature inside the growth apparatus is elevated to a temperature above the melting point of calcium fluoride (1370.degree. C. to 1450.degree. C.) so that the raw material is melted. In this case, control by means of a constant power output or high-precision PID control is performed in order to suppress fluctuations in the temperature inside the growth apparatus over time.
In the crystal growth stage, the crucible is lowered at a speed of approximately 0.1 to 5 mm/h, so that crystallization is gradually caused to occur from the lower part of the crucible.
When crystallization has occurred up to the upper portion of the melt, crystal growth is completed, and a simple gradual cooling process is preformed, with sudden cooling being avoided so that the grown crystal (ingot) does not crack. When the temperature inside the growth apparatus has dropped to room temperature, the apparatus is opened to the atmosphere, and the ingot is removed.
Ordinarily, a graphite crucible is used in this crystal growth, and a pencil-shaped ingot with a conical tip is manufactured. In this case, a single crystal can be formed by growing the crystal from the area of the tip end of the conical part positioned at the lower end of the crucible.
Furthermore, if necessary, there is also a technique in which the direction of crystal growth is controlled by placing a seed crystal in the above-mentioned tip end portion; however, if the diameter of the ingot exceeds .phi. 120 mm, control of the orientation of crystal growth becomes extremely difficult.
Generally, in cases where a fluoride single crystal is manufactured by the Bridgeman method, it is considered that there is no preference in the direction of growth, so that the horizontal plane of the ingot is a random plane in each crystal growth process.
Since there are extremely large amounts of residual stress and strain in the ingot removed from the crucible, the ingot is subjected to a simple heat treatment "as is".
The fluorite single crystal ingot thus obtained is cut to an appropriate size according to the desired product. Here, the ingot is naturally cut horizontally (annular cut) in order to cut out a material for manufacturing a larger optical element (lens, etc.) from the ingot in accordance with the desired product. Then, the material thus cut out is subjected to a heat treatment in order to improve the quality of the material.

Optical element made from fluoride single crystal, method for manufacturing optical element, method for calculating birefringence of optical element and method for determining direction of minimum birefringence of optical element


A fuel property adaptive control system for controlling the performance of an engine, such as an internal combustion engine. An on-board fuel classifier classifies the fuel that the engine is running. Based on stored properties for that fuel, the system selects optimal engine control parameters.

Today's marketplace offers an increasing selection of fuels for engines, particularly internal combustion engines. These fuels have different properties, and fuel variations greatly affect engine performance. In addition, as emissions regulations become increasingly more stringent, fuel properties become increasingly important to the effectiveness of emissions treatments systems (also referred to herein as after-treatment systems).
Engine control systems and emissions treatment systems have become highly sophisticated, often using processor-based calibration and/or modeling techniques. However, currently, fuel properties are unknown to these systems. Engine calibration tables and models are often compromised to tolerate fuel property variations, resulting in less than optimal control systems.

Fuel property-adaptive engine control system with on-board fuel classifier


Methods and apparatus are described for integrated circuit optical signal emitters. A method includes emitting an optical signal from a gas plasma that is RF inductively coupled to an integrated circuit including a gas plasma discharge device having an inductive coil. Emitting includes magnetically energizing the inductive coil with the integrated circuit to induce a discharge from the gas plasma.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of optical signal emitters. More particularly, the invention relates to integrated circuit gas discharge light emitters as well as integrated circuits that include an acousto-optic crystal together with a light emitting diode or laser diode and/or a lens.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Hot electron sources are well known to those skilled in the art of photonics. A hot electron source can be used as a source of emitted photons, via phosphors for example, or directly. Integrated circuits that include a hot electron source are conventional.
Light emitting diodes, sometimes called LEDs, are also well-known to those skilled in the art of photonics. Integrated circuits that include a light emitting diode are conventional.
Lasers, are also well-known to those skilled in the art of photonics. Integrated circuits that include a laser are also conventional.
However, it is important to appreciate that none of the known hot electron source, LED or laser approaches provide an efficient, inexpensive, fast switching light emission source for use as part of an integrated circuit. Hot electron sources are very inefficient, typically providing a conversion efficiency of less than 0.01% electrical to optical. Silicon based light emitting diodes and lasers are not fast switching relative to current demand for data throughput. GaAs and InP and other more expensive integrated circuit processes do make some reasonably fast switching LED and laser devices available, but such devices are currently at least 10 times more expensive than silicon based devices. Another problem with these more expensive process based LED and laser devices is that they also have a limited range of emission wavelengths available. What is needed, therefore, is a integrated circuit light emission source that is energy efficient, inexpensive, fast switching and wavelength versatile.
Meanwhile, gases containing electrically charge particles, sometime called plasmas, are well-known to those skilled in the art of video displays. Plasmas can be generated by applying a radio frequency (RF) potential across a gas in a partially evacuated chamber. For instance, a conventional plasma video display typically includes thousands of individually addressable pixels each of which can be defined by a plasma containing cell. Also, those of skill in the art of microelectronic fabrication are familiar with the use of plasmas to deposit materials on substrates and/or remove materials from substrates.
Heretofore, the requirements of efficiency, low cost, quick switching and emission wavelength flexibility in an integrated circuit light emitter referred to above have not been fully met. What is needed is a solution that simultaneously satisfies all of these requirements.

Integrated circuit optical signal emitters


When a plating layer is formed on through holes in semiconductor packages, first and second stacked bodies are stacked with first and second cavities formed in the first and second stacked bodies facing the inner side and are bonded together by applying adhesive to peripheral regions so that the cavities of the first and second stacked bodies form sealed spaces, and the through holes are formed such that part of the first and second stacked bodies including the bonding surface remains. Then, the through holes are plated to form the plating layer, the peripheral regions are removed as cutting allowances, i.e., removal regions, and the first and second stacked bodies are divided into a plurality of pieces along dicing lines to form semiconductor packages.

A conventional typical semiconductor package includes recess portions (hereinafter, referred to as semiconductor-element receiving cavities or cavities in some cases) for receiving semiconductor elements and through holes rendering respective electrode layers conductive.
Typical processes are as follows:
Process 0: form cavity holes and circuits in a plate (hereinafter, an insulating sheet) made of an insulating material
Process 1: stack the insulating sheet formed in Process 0 and an adhesive layer
Process 2: drill through holes
Process 3: plate through holes and bottom and top surfaces of the stacked body
Process 4: remove unnecessary plated portions of the bottom and top surfaces of the stacked body by etching
Process 5: apply and pattern a solder resist
Process 6: plate with gold
Process 7: singulate by dicing
However, there is a problem in that, when the through holes are plated, a plating layer adheres to the whole semiconductor-element receiving cavities; therefore, the electrodes, such as die bonding electrodes on which semiconductor elements are to be mounted and wire bonding electrodes, are short-circuited.
The following technology is disclosed in Patent Literature 1. In Patent Literature 1, a technology is proposed in that, when the through holes and the bottom and top surfaces of the stacked body are plated in Process 3 described above, in order to avoid plating from adhering to the semiconductor-element receiving cavities, the semiconductor-element receiving cavities are sealed with an insulating sheet and, after the plating process is finished, part of the insulating sheet is removed as Process 4 so as to form the semiconductor-element receiving cavities. Thereafter, singulation is performed by dicing.

Manufacturing method of semiconductor package


Disclosed are various embodiments for performing a join operation using a graphics processing unit (GPU). The GPU can receive input data including sequences or tuples. The GPU can initialize a histogram in a memory location shared by threads. The GPU can build the histogram of hash values for the sequences. The GPU can reorder the sequences based on the histogram. The GPU can probe partitions and store the results in a buffer pool. The GPU can output the results of the join.

In the past few years, in addition to the computing capacity that has grown exponentially, graphics processing units (GPUs) have undergone a dramatic evolution in hardware architecture and software environment. On the other hand, existing join algorithms are designed for earlier GPU architectures. Therefore it is not clear whether they can make the most out of latest devices in the market. Although the GPU code may scale well with the increasing amount of computing resources in newer GPU devices, maximum performance cannot be achieved without optimization towards new GPU components and features in the runtime system software.


A display device includes a light source unit generating light a display unit displaying an image using the light generated from the light source unit and a display part displaying a symbol, the display part disposed on the display unit, wherein the symbol is determined based on a type of the light source unit, a driving method of the light source unit or a luminance generated from the light source unit.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a display device, and more particularly, to a display device having a display part displaying a symbol representing a type of a light source unit.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display (LCD) device includes an LCD panel displaying an image using light transmissivity of liquid crystal and a backlight assembly disposed behind the LCD panel to provide light to the LCD panel.
The LCD panel includes an array substrate having pixel electrodes and thin-film transistors (TFTs) electrically connected to the pixel electrodes, a color filter substrate having a common electrode and color filters, and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the array substrate and the color filter substrate. An arrangement of the liquid crystal layer is changed by an electric field formed between the pixel electrodes and the common electrode. The arrangement of the liquid crystal layer determines the light transmissivity.
The backlight assembly includes a light source unit generating light and an optical member disposed on the light source unit. A cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) and a light-emitting diode (LED) can be used as the light source unit.
However, the light source unit disposed inside the display device is not visible from the outside. Accordingly, it is difficult to determine the type of light source unit that is mounted inside the display device without disassembling the display device.


The present invention provides a sulfonium salt photoinitiator, a preparation method therefor, a photocurable composition comprising sulfonium salt photoinitiator, and use thereof. The sulfonium salt photoinitiator has a structure represented by formula (I). By modifying the structure of an existing sulfonium salt photoinitiator, a sulfonium salt photoinitiator having a new structure is obtained, which can exhibits a higher photosensitivity and an excellent as well as characteristics of low odor and low toxicity, when being used in a photocurable composition. This is significantly superior to existing similar photoinitiators.

Sulfonium salts, which are used as a photoinitiator, have been well known in the art, and there are a number of literatures reporting uses of onium salt compounds as photoinitiators. However, the utilization rate of ultraviolet light sources is very low due to the limitation of the absorption wavelengths of the onium salt compounds, which always limits their applications in the field of photocuring.
In recent years, attempts have been made to improve structures of sulfonium salts so as to allow for red shift of absorption wavelengths of onium salt-based initiators. Different types of high molecular weight sulfonium salt photoinitiators have been reported and disclosed. Although the problem with absorption wavelengths of micromolecular sulfonium salt photoinitiators has been solved to some extent, the problem of poor photosensitivities of these initiators still exists. Additionally, the problems of solubilities of onium salt-based photoinitiators and toxicities and odor properties after curing are always urgent to be solved in the art.

Sulfonium salt photoinitiator, preparation method therefor, photocurable composition comprising sulfonium salt photoinitiator, and use thereof

Changzhou Tronly New Electronic Materials Co., Ltd.

Changzhou Tronly Advanced Electronic Materials Co., Ltd.


A child safety seat includes a seat shell, and a first and a second belt restraining member respectively connected with the seat shell. The seat shell has a shell surface, and a first and a second opening for selective passage of an anchoring belt to attach the child safety seat on a vehicle seat in two different configurations, which include a rearward and a forward facing configuration. The first belt restraining member is independently operable to press against an anchoring belt passing through the first opening, and the second belt restraining member is independently operable to press against an anchoring belt passing through the second opening.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to child safety seats.
2. Description of the Related Art
A child safety seat is typically used in an automobile vehicle to properly restrain a child in the event of accidental collision. It is widely known that a child safety seat that is placed in a rear facing position can provide better protection, because it can distribute crash forces over a larger portion of the body (i.e., child's head and torso). Accordingly, safety experts and car seat manufacturers usually recommend to seat children in a vehicle in a rear facing configuration until the age of 2 years old. As the child grows older, the child safety seat then may be installed in a forward facing configuration.
The installation of the child safety seat usually requires securely attaching the child safety seat on the vehicle seat with a vehicle seatbelt or a harness separately provided. This can be so difficult to achieve with certain child safety seats that a caregiver may need to climb into the vehicle and press down on the child safety seat while pulling on the vehicle seatbelt.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved child safety seat that allows convenient attachment on a vehicle seat with minimal effort, and can address at least the foregoing issues.


When an engine is driven on a different type of fuel (for example, ethanol-containing fuel) from a reference fuel (for example, gasoline) and the engine torque is thus greater than that produced when the engine is driven on the reference fuel, a differential state control device expands a non-differential range compared to that at the time when the reference fuel is used. Thus, in the case where a plurality of types of fuel including the reference fuel are supplied to the engine, the advantage of switching a power distribution mechanism between a differential enabled state and a non-differential state can be fully utilized in correspondence with engine torque characteristics which may vary in accordance with the type of fuel for the engine. As a result, the fuel consumption rate can be reduced in correspondence with the plurality of types of fuel supplied to the engine, for example.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a control device for a power transmission device for a vehicle, and relates to a technique for using a plurality of types of fuel to drive an internal combustion engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there has been known a power transmission device for a vehicle including a differential part that has a differential mechanism coupled between an internal combustion engine and driving wheels and a first motor coupled to the differential mechanism and that controls the differential state of the differential mechanism by controlling the operating state of the first motor, a speed shift transmission coupled between the differential part and the driving wheels, a second motor coupled to the input side of the speed shift transmission, and a differential restriction device capable of selectively switching the differential mechanism between a non-differential state in which its differential action is disabled and a differential enabled state in which its differential action is enabled. Such a power transmission device for a vehicle may be suitably used in hybrid vehicles, and is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-273900 (JP-A-2005-273900), for example. A control device for the power transmission device for a vehicle according to JP-A-2005-273900 switches the differential mechanism between the non-differential state and the differential enabled state using the differential restriction device on the basis of predetermined conditions using the vehicle speed etc. as parameters.
In recent years, a plurality of types of fuel are occasionally used to drive an internal combustion engine. When different types of fuel are used to drive the internal combustion engine, the output characteristics of the internal combustion engine are also different. For example, in the case where the internal combustion engine is driven on an ethanol-containing fuel obtained by mixing ethanol into a gasoline fuel, the anti-knocking performance of the internal combustion engine is improved and the ignition timing of the engine is thus advanced, which tends to increase the output torque of the engine, compared to the case where the internal combustion engine is driven on the gasoline fuel. Thus, in order to maintain the operating efficiency of the entire vehicle at a high level, it is necessary that the predetermined conditions for switching the differential mechanism between the non-differential state and the differential enabled state should be modified in accordance with changes in output characteristics of the internal combustion engine due to changes in type of fuel. However, the control device according to JP-A-2005-273900 particularly does not modify the predetermined conditions and hence does not reduce the fuel consumption rate in correspondence with a plurality of types of fuel to be supplied. Such an issue is not known in the art.

Control device for power transmission device for vehicle


The present disclosure is directed to method for the fabrication of spacer structures between source/drain epitaxial structures and metal gate structures in nanostructure transistors. The method includes forming a fin structure with alternating first and second nanostructure elements on a substrate. The method also includes etching edge portions of the first nanostructure elements in the fin structure to form spacer cavities, and depositing a spacer layer on the fin structure to fill the spacer cavities. Further, treating the spacer layer with a microwave-generated plasma to form an oxygen concentration gradient within the spacer layer outside the spacer cavities and removing, with an etching process, the treated portion of the spacer layer. During the etching process, a removal rate of the etching process for the treated portion of the spacer layer is based on an oxygen concentration within the oxygen concentration gradient.

Gate-all-around (GAA) field effect transistors (GAA-FETs), such as nano-sheet or nano-wire GAA-FETs, have improved gate control over their channel regions compared to other types of FETs whose gate structure covers sidewall portions and top surfaces of semiconductor fin structures. Due to their gate-all-around geometry, GAA nano-sheet or nano-wire FETs achieve larger effective channel widths and higher drive currents.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.


The present disclosure provides an optical flow calculation method for a computing device, including: acquiring an event data flow with a predetermined duration from a DVS, the event data flow including a coordinate position and a timestamp of a triggered event; generating a timestamp matrix in accordance with the coordinate position and the timestamp of the triggered event; scanning elements in the timestamp matrix in a predetermined scanning direction, so as to determine at least one intermediate point in each element in accordance with a value and a gradient of the element in the predetermined scanning direction; and calculating a distance between adjacent intermediate points and a gradient direction, and generating an optical flow matrix in accordance with a calculation result. The present disclosure further provides the computing device.

Dynamic Vision Sensor (DVS) is a biologically-mimic vision sensor for simulating a pulse-triggered neuron-based human retina, and it is provided with a pixel unit array. Each pixel unit is capable of independently responding to, and recording, an area where a light intensity changes rapidly, and outputting the recorded data using an event-triggered processing mechanism, so an asynchronous digital event flow, rather than an image frame, is outputted by the sensor. In this regard, the DVS is capable of detecting a high-speed object moving at a speed of up to ten thousand frames per second, without any restraint from an exposure time and a frame rate, and meanwhile reducing a computational burden significantly, so it has a wide application prospect.
Currently, various optical flow calculation methods have been presented on the basis of an event data flow from the DVS. In these methods, a movement direction and a movement speed of each pixel point are calculated in a hyperplane formed through fitting the event data flow in a time-space joint coordinate space. It is necessary to search a space neighborhood and a time neighborhood with respect to each pixel point and fit a local hyperplane, so a current DVS-based optical flow calculation method is complex and time-consuming, thereby it is difficult to meet the requirement on real-time performance.
Based on the above, there is an urgent need to provide an effective optical flow calculation method to meet the requirement on real-time performance.

Optical flow computing method and computing device

OMNIVISION SENSOR SOLUTION (SHANGHAI) CO., LTD