A method includes a computing system accessing a training sample that includes first sensor data obtained using a first sensor at a first geographic location, and first metadata comprising information relating to the first sensor. The system may train a machine-learning model by generating first map data by processing the training sample using the model and updating the model based on the generated first map data and target map data associated with the first geographic location. The system may then access second sensor data and second metadata, where the second sensor data is obtained using a second sensor. The system may generate second map data associated with a second geographic location by processing the second sensor data and the second metadata using the trained model. A high-definition map may be generated using the second map data.

Traditional maps that assist humans with navigation are typically two-dimensional and mainly concerned with the accuracy of layouts of the roads. The level of detail in traditional maps is sufficient for purposes of showing human drivers how to navigate from one location to another. While traditional maps may assist human drivers with navigation, the task of driving—including obeying traffic rules and avoiding any hazards—is left to the human drivers and unassisted by traditional maps.
In contrast to traditional human-driven vehicles, an autonomous vehicle is a vehicle that is capable of sensing its environment and driving autonomously with little to no human input. In order to get to a destination, an autonomous vehicle not only would need to know how to navigate to the destination, but also how to drive safely. Rather than relying on a human driver, an autonomous vehicle typically relies on high-definition (HD) maps to be aware of its current surroundings and what is ahead. Unlike traditional maps, HD maps typically have highly accurate, detailed three-dimensional models of roads and the surrounding environment, such as road edges, road dividers, curbs, shoulders, traffic signs/signals, poles, mail boxes, fire hydrants, and any other features of roads and nearby structures that may be pertinent for driving. Such level of detail typically is not obtainable from using satellite or aerial imagery alone, but require costly, laborious on-the-road data collection. Data are typically collected by a fleet of vehicles equipped with sensors. However, due to differences in the data-collection equipment, precision in the gathered data may suffer, which in turn may affect the accuracy of the HD generated based on the gathered data.

Generation and update of HD maps using data from heterogeneous sources


A steering wheel cover has an inner core and an outer casing. The inner core has a series of alternating ribs and openings that together form a spring-like structure that more easily fits over a steering wheel while retaining its initial shape once installed. The inner core requires significantly less material than conventional steering wheel cover cores

Steering wheel covers are often installed over vehicle steering wheels to enhance driver grip and comfort, personalize vehicle interiors, and protect the steering wheels from excessive wear. Conventional steering wheel covers typically include a semi-rigid core such as the one shown in prior art FIG. 1 and an outer casing made of fabric, leather, or other material. The core provides shape and cushioning and keeps the steering wheel in place on the steering wheel, and the casing provides grip and ornamentation.
The cores of some steering wheel covers are made of recycled rubber, which is relatively inexpensive but can emit unpleasant odors. Rubber cores are also not very stretchable, which makes installation difficult. Other steering wheel cover cores are made of molded Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate (EVA) foam and/or Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPE), both of which are substantially odorless, softer, and more elastic than recycled rubber, thus improving marketability and easing installation. However, EVA foam cores and TPE cores are costlier to produce than recycled rubber cores, and despite being more elastic than recycled rubber, are still difficult to install because they must be annularly stretched to fit over a steering wheel yet be resilient enough to retain their initial shape once installed.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A method of manufacturing a trench non-volatile memory cell, comprises the steps of: providing a semiconductor substrate; performing ion implantation to form a source region in the semiconductor substrate; forming a trench on the semiconductor substrate by silicon etching, the trench reaching down to the source region; growing a first isolation layer on the surface of the semiconductor substrate, and the bottom and sidewall of the trench; forming a hollow-shaped first conducting layer in the trench; performing thermal oxidation on the first conducting layer to form a bird's beak isolation layer and a floating gate, which are the oxidized and unoxidized part of the first conducting layer, respectively, wherein the floating gate has a peak; partially removing the first isolation layer and the bird's beak isolation layer to bare the surface of the semiconductor substrate, the peak and the sidewall of the trench; depositing a second conducting layer; patterning the second conducting layer to form a control gate; and defining a drain region in the semiconductor substrate.

Non-volatile memory cells, including stacked gate and split gate, are well-known in the art. The split gate structure has better over erase control performance, simple circuit design and faster access speed.
A cross section of a conventional Flash EEPROM is shown in FIG. 1. Drain impurity diffusion layer 16 and a source impurity diffusion layer 17 are formed on a main surface of the semiconductor substrate 10 and are spaced from each other by a predetermined distance with a channel region therebetween. The conventional Flash EEPROM further includes a floating gate electrode 13 formed on the channel region with a first gate oxide film 12 therebetween, a control gate electrode 15 formed on the floating gate electrode 13 with an insulating film 14 therebetween, an interlayer thermal oxide film 18 covering the semiconductor substrate 10, floating gate electrode 13 and control gate electrode 15, and an interlayer insulating film 19 covering the interlayer thermal oxide film 18. Gate bird's beak oxide films 20 are formed at opposite ends of the first gate oxide film 12 and opposite ends of the insulating film 14. The interlayer insulating film 19 contains an impurity such as boron or phosphorous. The purpose of the interlayer thermal oxide film 18 is to prevent the movement of the impurity (i.e., boron of phosphorous) of the interlayer insulating film 19 into the semiconductor substrate 10, control gate electrode 15 or floating gate electrode 13, and thus to prevent change of the electrical characteristics thereof.
After the final step of forming the interlayer insulating film 19 to cover the interlayer thermal oxide film 18 shown in FIG. 1, heat treatment by a reflow method is usually carried out to flatten the interlayer insulating film 19. During this process as well as while thermally growing the thermal oxide layer 18 by means of wet oxidation, oxidizer (H.sub.2 O) penetrates the interlayer insulating film 19 and interlayer thermal oxide film 18. This causes further oxidization between the semiconductor substrate 10 and the ends of the floating gate electrode 13, and between the control gate electrode 15 and the floating gate electrode 13. As a result, the gate bird's beak oxide films 20 are formed. Consequently, the lower end of the floating gate electrode 13 contacts the gate bird's beak oxide films 20 so that the lower end of the floating gate electrode 13 is oxidized to a large extent as compared with the other portions.
The gate bird's beak oxide film 20 can form either at the lower end of the floating gate 13 and the source impurity diffusion layer 17, or at the lower end of the floating gate near the drain impurity diffusion layer 16, or at both locations. In these cases, the conventional "beak" of the bird's beak is usually long and elongated, thus increasing the size of the cell and at the same time providing paths for current leakage and resulting, therefore, in low memory speed.
The formation of a conventional bird's beak in a polysilicon gate is better shown in FIGS. 1b and 1c. In FIG. 1b, layers of gate oxide 110, polysilicon 120 and nitride 130 are successively formed on substrate 100 and then patterned with a photomask layer 140 to define the floating polygate region 160. Subsequently, polysilicon layer 120 is oxidized, whereby gate bird's beaks 121 and 121' are formed as well known in the art. The prior art offers a method of implanting the polysilicon so as to decrease the growth of the protrusion of the gate bird's beak as shown by reference numerals 121 and 121' in FIG. 1c to a smaller size and sharper shape shown by reference numerals 125 and 125'. It will be known by those skilled in the art that the smaller the birds' beak, the smaller the encroachment under the polysilicon edge, and hence the smaller the impact on the electric-field intensity between the corner edge of the floating gate 129 and the control gate 180 of the completed cell structure shown in FIG. 1d, and thus the faster the memory speed. (See S. Wolf and R. N. Tauber, "Silicon Processing for the VLSI Era," vol. 2, Lattice Press, Sunset Beach, Calif., 1990, p. 438). It will also be appreciated that the smaller the bird's beak, the smaller the overall size of the memory cell, also contributing to the increased speed of the memory.
However, in the above-mentioned prior art, it is difficult to reduce the chip area occupied by the memory cells because all of the cells are built on the silicon surface.


A frequency divider includes a first shifter and a second shifter. The first shifter includes first to M-th clock control components connected together to form a first ring. The control components in the first shifter are controlled by an input clock signal such that signals are shifted along the first ring. An output of selected clock control components in the first shifter is provided as a carry signal of the first shifter. The second shifter includes first to N-th clock control components connected together to form a second ring. The control components in the second shifter are controlled by the carry signal of the first shifter such that the signals are shifted along the second ring. An output of selected clock control components in the second shifter is provided as a carry signal of the second shifter. M and N are integers greater than one.

Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a frequency divider and a phase-locked loop including the same.
Description of the Related Art
To synchronize electrical signals between different electronic components, a system clock is commonly used as a timing device to send data or signals between the different components. In particular, a phase-locked loop (PLL) is typically used to establish the system clock.
A PLL typically includes an input reference clock divider (input divider), a phase frequency detector (PFD), a charge pump (CP), a low pass filter (LPF), a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), and a feedback clock frequency converter (feedback divider). The PLL compares an input reference clock signal (input signal) with an output frequency-divided clock signal (output signal), aligns the phases of the input and output signals, and locks the frequency ratio between the input and output signals (frequency multiple ratio).
The input signal having a particular frequency may be generated from a crystal oscillator or other means. The frequency of the output signal is determined by the PLL. In most instances, the (synthesized) output signal is much faster than the input signal. Thus, the feedback divider is usually operated at high speeds.
Frequency dividers may be classified into synchronous dividers and asynchronous dividers. Asynchronous dividers can be operated in multiple stages. Each stage runs at lower frequency, which results in lower power consumption and reduced high frequency clock loading. However, asynchronous dividers have the disadvantage of jitter/latency accumulation.
Although synchronous dividers have reduced jitter, all flip-flops in the synchronous dividers are operated at maximum frequency, which results in higher power consumption and large loading on the high frequency clock.

Frequency divider and phase-locked loop including the same

SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING INTERNATIONAL (SHANGHAI) CORPORATION


A universal controller is employed in a domestic appliance including a user interface. In order to determine the particular user interface utilized and, correspondingly, the available cycles, features and options of the appliance, a scan of a keypad matrix associated with the user interface is performed to determine the presence and/or absence of shorts used to reflect the existence of permanently closed keys of the matrix. In accordance with the invention, the shorts can be indicated individually, in sequence and/or in combination in order to indicate to the controller which firmware to execute for a particular user interface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of appliances and, more particularly, to an arrangement for identifying an appliance model through a user interface by employing a scan matrix system.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In order to provide a product line which will appeal to a wide spectrum of consumers, product manufacturers will generally produce various product models. In the field of appliances, model differentiation is often concerned with adding or subtracting certain features, such as display aspects, available cycles and potential options. Depending on the available features, the controls for different appliance models will be varied. That is, each appliance will have a user interface which is designed based, at least in part, on the specific features incorporated into a given appliance model.
Based on the different cycles, options and other features between certain models, the electronic controllers employed in the appliances need to perform different functions. To this end, there must be either a distinct controller for each user interface employed or a way must be provided to signify to the controller what particular user interface and, correspondingly, what model features exist, in order to enable the appliance to operate properly. Obviously, providing distinct controllers can increase overall manufacturing costs significantly. For at least this reason, it would be preferential to provide a generally universal controller including a control board which can be signaled to identify the specific model in which the controller is used and the particular user interface connected thereto.
With this desired result in mind, it is considered possible to employ a latter programming step for each controller prior to installing the controller in a given appliance unit. That is, the controller can be preprogrammed so as to be usable in a wide range of appliance models. However, after it is known which model a given controller will be used, a final programming step is undertaken to correlate the controller with the specified model. In another alternative, a final programming operation can be performed after the controller is completely installed in the appliance. In any case, it is considered desirable to provide a system which will enable a universal appliance controller to be matched with a given appliance model in a cost efficient and overall effective manner.

Appliance control identification system employing user interface scan matrix


A semiconductor memory device is provided with a plurality of memory cells connected to a plurality of word lines, a word-line leakage detector configured to detect a leakage current generated on at least one of the plurality of word lines, and a controller configured, when a leakage current is detected by the word-line leakage detector, to determine that a block including a memory cell connected to a word line through which the leakage current is flowing is defective. The word-line leakage detector has a detection voltage generator configured to generate a detection voltage in accordance with the leakage current, a comparator configured to generate a flag signal having output logic that is inverted depending on whether the detection voltage exceeds a predetermined threshold voltage, and an adjuster configured to adjust a current amount by diverting part of the leakage current in accordance with an ambient temperature.

Word line leakage has become a big problem for memory chips such as a NAND flash memory, as miniaturization has proceeded in a fabrication process and memory capacity has become larger. For this reason, a word-line leakage detection circuit is provided within a memory chip. There is a technique in which a leakage current detected by a word-line leakage detection circuit is compared with a predetermined threshold value and it is determined to be a leakage fault when the leakage current exceeds the predetermined threshold value.
A leakage current flowing through a word line varies depending on an ambient temperature. For example, in general, as an ambient temperature rises, a leakage current becomes larger. Therefore, when an ambient temperature rises, even a chip that is not defective may be erroneously determined to be defective.

Semiconductor memory device and defective judging method thereof


In a fiber optic sensor for measuring electric fields and voltages, in place of a bimode fiber extending between sensor head (14) and evaluation unit (13) two separate bimode fibers (4a, 4b) of the same type are connected in series in the manner of a tandem interferometer. The first bimode fiber (4a) is disposed, together with the sensor element (6), in the sensor head (14). The second bimode fiber (4b) is situated within the separate evaluation unit (13). In this way, the sensor head (14) and the evaluation unit (13) are connected only by insensitive monomode fibers (2a, 2b).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of the optical measurement of electrical quantities. It concerns a fiber-optic sensor, comprising
(a) a light source; PA1 (b) a piezoelectric sensor element; PA1 (c) a first bimode fiber with an entrance end and an exit end, in which fiber the LP.sub.01 fundamental mode and the even LP.sub.11 mode can propagate, and which fiber is at least partially fixed to the sensor element so that a change in the dimension of the sensor element in an electric field leads to a change in length in the fiber; and PA1 means for measuring the field-dependent change in length of the fiber. PA1 (e) the light source is a multimode laser diode; PA1 (f) the measuring means comprise a second bimode fiber of the same type as the first; PA1 (g) the parameters of the two bimode fibers are selected so that the interference contrast is approximately equal to zero in each instance for the path differences of both modes in the individual bimode fibers and for the sum of the path differences; and PA1 (h) respective monomode fibers for the transmission of the light are provided between the light source and the entrance end of the first bimode fiber, and the exit end of the first bimode fiber and the entrance end of the second bimode fiber. PA1 (a) the second bimode fiber is at least partially fixed to a piezoelectric modulator; PA1 (b) two detectors for measuring the intensities of the two modes are disposed at the exit end of the second bimode fiber; PA1 (c) the output signals of the two detectors pass via a subtractor to the input of a quadrature regulator; PA1 (d) the output of the quadrature regulator controls the modulator; and PA1 (e) the output signal of the quadrature regulator is passed via a high pass filter to a signal output.
Such a fiber-optic sensor is known, for example, from EP-A1-0,433,824.
2. Discussion of Background
Fiber-optic sensors for the measurement of electric fields and voltages have already been described in various publications such as, for example, European Patent Applications EP-A1-0,316,619 and EP-A1-0,316,635 or the articles by K. Bobherr and J. Nehring in Appl. Opt. 27, pp. 4814-4818 (1988) or Opt. Lett. 14, pp. 290-292 (1989).
The measurement principle employed in this case is based on the inverse piezoelectric effect in materials with a selected crystal symmetry. The temporally periodic change in dimension which an appropriate piezoelectric body experiences in an alternating electric field is transmitted to a glass fiber fixed to the body.. The change in length of the fiber is then proportional to the field amplitude or voltage amplitude and is interferometrically measured and evaluated.
Various types of glass fiber interferometers may be employed for the interferometric measurement. On account of its simplicity, among these types the bimode fiber interferometer known from the article by B. Y. Kim etal., Opt. Lett. 12, pp. 729-731 (1987) is of particular interest. In this interferometer, the parameters of the sensor fiber are selected so that precisely two modes (the LP.sub.01 fundamental mode and the even LP.sub.11 mode) can propagate in the fiber.
In the bimode fiber interferometer, light is passed from a coherent light source, e.g. a laser diode, through a bimode fiber which is fixed to a piezoelectric sensor element for the electric field E. The two modes are excited by the light and propagate differently in the fiber. At the fiber end it is then possible to observe an interference pattern which arises from the superposition of these two modes. In this case, a change in length of the fiber leads to a differential phase shift between the two modes, which is expressed in a corresponding change of the interference pattern.
The two mutually adjacent substructures of the interference pattern are detected by two detectors (e.g. in the form of photodiodes). Two signals V.sub.11 and V.sub.12 which are phase-shifted by 180.degree. are present at their output: EQU V.sub.11 =(1/2)V.sub.0 (1+a*cos.PHI.(t)) (1) EQU V.sub.12 =(1/2)V.sub.0 (1-a*cos.PHI.(t)) (2)
with (t).PHI.=A*sin.OMEGA.t+.theta.(t). The phase shift .theta.(t) between the two modes is thus composed of a temporally periodic component A*sin.OMEGA.t generated by the alternating field to be measured (in this case, A is proportional to the amplitude of the field) and an arbitrary phase term .theta.(t) which may likewise change with time, e.g. in consequence of temperature-dependent fluctuations of the fiber length. Finally, V.sub.0 is proportional to the optical power and a is a measure of the interference contrast.
The target term A*sin.OMEGA.t is frequently obtained by a homodyne detection process from the output signals of the detectors (in the case of a fiber-optic sensor with a monomode fiber, see in this connection: D. A. Jackson etal., Appl. Opt. 19, pp. 2926-2929 (1980); a corresponding fiber-optic sensor with a bimode fiber is described in the European Application EP-A1-0,433,824 cited in the introduction). In this process, the sensor fiber is additionally guided via a piezoelectric modulator. By means of this modulator 4, the phase difference .PHI.(t) is set to +(pi/2) or -(pi/2) (modulo 2pi). To this end, the modulator is a component of a regulating circuit which consists of the detectors, a subtractor and a quadrature regulator and which sets correspondingly to zero the differential voltage EQU V=V.sub.11 -V.sub.12 =V.sub.0 *a*cos.PHI.(t) (3)
The two components A*sin.OMEGA.t and .theta.(t) of the phase shift are thus precisely balanced by the modulator by means of an appropriate (opposite) change in length of the fiber. The voltage present at the modulator then includes a slowly varying component which is proportional to .theta.(t) and a periodic component which is proportional to A*sin.OMEGA.t. The target component A*sin.OMEGA.t is filtered out by a high-pass filter and can be picked off at the signal output. As a result of this, the output signal is independent of the possible fluctuations of the laser intensity (i.e. V.sub.0) and of the interference contrast a.
In a series of practical applications of the sensor (e.g. in voltage measurement in outdoor substations), relatively large spacings may occur between the actual sensor head and the sensor electronic system (10 m to a few 100 m). It is inexpedient to bridge these spacings using the bimode fiber itself, since the influence of external disturbances (temperature fluctuations, mechanical vibrations etc.) increases correspondingly with increasing fiber length and the signal/noise ratio deteriorates. Rather, the light feed from the laser diode to the interferometer and the return guidance of the output signals of the interferometer should take place via separate glass fibers, which are not a component of the interferometer.
In the above-described homodyne process using an active phase modulator, it would however, be necessary to provide, in addition to the connecting glass fibers, an electrical connection between the sensor electronic system and the sensor head to drive the modulator. The attractiveness of a sensor operating with this type of interferometer would be very greatly restricted by this.
In two older German Patent Applications (file references P 41 14 253 5 and P 41 15 370 7) it has therefore been proposed in place of the known active signal detection, which requires an additional modulator in the measurement fiber with an appropriate electrical supply line, to provide a passive signal detection, which is based on the Guoy effect (in this connection, see: S. Y. Huang et al., Springer Proc. in Physics, Vol. 44 "Optical Fiber Sensors" , pp 38-43, Springer Verlag Berlin, Heidelberg (1989)), i.e. the phase difference between the interference patterns of the close field and remote field: in this case, the substructures of the close field and remote field (a total of 4) are separated in the sensor head by optical means and can be transmitted via separate glass fibers to a remote electronic evaluatlon system. In that system, the desired information on the change in length of the measurement fiber can be obtained by using at least three of these four substructures.
Using this proposed solution, a complete electrical separation is indeed achieved between sensor head and electronic evaluation system. However, this advantage is acquired in consideration of the fact that additional optical components (beam splitter) and a relatively complex electronic system must be employed. Over and above this, it is necessary to use a monomode laser diode, which necessitates special measures for the suppression of the light backscatter from the sensor into the diode.

Fiber-optic sensor with first and second bimode fibers


A semiconductor laser device of the present invention is provided with a base portion (2) having a horizontal top surface (S), a heat sink portion (3) that has a vertical element mount surface (7) and is located above the top surface (S) of the base portion (2), and a semiconductor laser element (4) that is fixed to the element mount surface (7). There is formed a depression (9) in the base portion (2) located immediately below the semiconductor laser element (4) so as to receive part of the semiconductor laser element (4) disposed in the depression (9). The element mount surface (7) is located inward of the inner side surface of the depression (9).

Semiconductor laser elements for DVD-Rs, CD-Rs, Blu-Ray disks and the like are required to have high output power. In a semiconductor laser device, such a semiconductor laser element is mounted either directly or via a submount on a highly efficient heat sink to dissipate heat generated from the semiconductor laser element. The heat sink is fixed to a top surface of a disk-shaped base in such a way that an element mount surface is perpendicular thereto. The base has, in the top surface thereof, a depression that is located immediately below the semiconductor laser element. As disclosed in Patent Publication 1, this depression is mainly used for receiving a monitoring light-receiving element to be disposed therein or a lead pin to be disposed therein that receives a signal from a light-receiving element that also serves as a submount.
A high output power semiconductor laser element can be achieved by making longer the cavity length of the semiconductor laser element. Thus, we have made higher the heat sink to make longer the semiconductor laser element, only to find that the position of the luminous point of the semiconductor laser element varies. The problem here is that such an element does not conform to standard specifications, and makes the device larger. We have also made the base thinner, only to find that the thinner base reduces the heat capacity, leading to reduced heat dissipation characteristic.
Therefore, Patent Publication 2 discloses a semiconductor laser device that permits the mounting of a longer semiconductor laser element without changing the position of the luminous point of the semiconductor laser element by disposing the semiconductor laser element in such a way that part thereof projects into a depression formed in a top surface of a base.
However, when a heat sink is formed separately from the base, an error, if any, that occurs when the heat sink is mounted thereon makes an element mount surface not flush with an inner side surface of the depression. When the element mount surface is located outside the rim of the depression, a lower end portion of the semiconductor laser element or the submount makes contact with the inner side surface of the depression with priority, forming clearance between it and the heat sink. The clearance thus formed narrows the heat dissipation path, and thereby impairing the heat dissipation characteristic. Moreover, even when the heat sink portion and the base portion are formed in one piece, an upper part of the element mount surface located above the base becomes more recessed than a lower part thereof after post-processing of the element mount surface such as metal stamping and polishing, producing surface discontinuity. In this case, the semiconductor laser element or the submount does not make close contact with the heat sink, as in the case where they are formed separately, impairing the heat dissipation characteristic.    Patent Publication 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-267674    Patent Publication 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-179494


An acoustic sound absorptive panel or block is provided that is made from a plurality of materials and volumes selected such that each discrete volume of material has a sufficiently different sound absorption profile, resulting in a system that provides better overall sound absorption of traffic noise from motorways and railways in a practical and cost-efficient manner.

Sound panels comprised of a combination of cement-bonded wood fibre and concrete core/backing are known. However, the concrete core of such panels is not sound absorptive; it is there as structural support for the panel.
There may be such sound panels having a relief pattern, such as ribs or flutes, or cavities therein to create a type of anechoic chamber, however, they typically use air and only one material.
There may be probably concrete blocks with sound absorptive inserts disposed therein, however, the difference here is that the inserts are exposed directly to the sound for absorption; the concrete block is not absorptive. In addition, with the inserts exposed to the environment, they are not durable for exterior applications. Such panels are usually used in gymnasiums and interior applications only, not for exterior use on railway track systems to reduce traffic noise therefrom.
There also might be steel or concrete sound barriers with insulation on the inside, however, the outer layer is not sound-absorptive.
There are railway silencers made from cement bonded wood fibre or porous concrete or light weight concrete, however, they comprise either one material or one material and air.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide a sound absorption panel that overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art.


Static random access memories (SRAM) with read-preferred cell structures and write drivers are disclosed. In one embodiment, the SRAM has a six transistor bit cell. The read-preferred bit cell is implemented by providing two inverters, each having a pull up transistor, a pull down transistor and a pass gate transistor. Each pull up transistor is associated with a feedback loop. The feedback loop improves random static noise margin. Each transistor has a width and a length. The lengths of the pass gate transistors are increased. The widths of the pull down transistors are equal to one another and also equal to the widths of the pass gate transistors. The widths of the pass gate and pull down transistors may also be increased relative to prior designs. A write assist circuit may also be used to improve performance.

I. Field of the Disclosure
The technology of the disclosure relates generally to static random access memories (SRAM) with improved performance characteristics.
II. Background
Mobile communication devices have become common in current society. The prevalence of these mobile devices is driven in part by the many functions that are now enabled on such devices. Demand for such functions increases processing capability requirements and generates a need for more powerful batteries. Within the limited space of the housing of the mobile communication device, batteries compete with the processing circuitry. These and other factors contribute to a continued miniaturization of components within the circuitry.
Miniaturization of the components impacts all aspects of the processing circuitry including the memory transistors and other reactive elements in the processing circuitry. While miniaturization of components in mobile communication devices is easy for the consumer to appreciate as phones become smaller and lighter and have longer battery times, miniaturization pressures are not limited to mobile communication devices. Computing devices ranging from mobile communication devices to desktop computers to servers and the like all benefit from miniaturization efforts. In particular, almost all of these devices have various forms of memory such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and static random access memory (SRAM).
A basic SRAM bit cell structure relics on six transistors that form two cross-coupled inverters that store each memory bit. A typical SRAM uses metal oxide field effect transistors (MOSFETs) for each of the six transistors. The smaller the transistors, the more transistors may be placed in a given amount of space in a memory chip and the more memory that the memory chip can provide.
As SRAM is miniaturized to the twenty-two nanometer (22 nm) scale and smaller, the geometries associated with these reduced scales preclude compliance with a 6σ yield. That is, the 6σ standard requires that 99.99966% of the devices are free from defects and meet the design criteria. In particular, SRAM designers have defined a number of parameters, including three noise parameters (e.g., Static Noise Margin (SNM), Hold Static Noise Margin (HSNM), and Write Ability Margin (WAM)) and the basic six transistor (6T) design fails to meet 6σ in both the SNM and the WAM parameters. Accordingly, there is a desire amongst memory designers to improve the SNM and WAM parameters of SRAM bit cells.

Static random access memories (SRAM) with read-preferred cell structures, write drivers, related systems, and methods


Quantum resolution imaging methods and devices are disclosed herein. The quantum resolution imaging device comprises an optical component provided to receive incoming radiation, a mode separating structure for separating the received incoming radiation into multiple modes, and an imaging array having multiple array elements for measuring an energy level of each mode to construct an image of the received incoming radiation as it comes in contact with a surface of one of the array elements.

Direct imaging can be executed by using a series of lenses or apertures to focus an image on a plane and then measuring or recording the local intensity or power of the radiation on that plane. This method of direct imaging, however, suffers from limited resolution owing to the Rayleigh Criterion.
For example, the Rayleigh Criterion has led to a plethora of large diameter observatories in the quest of higher and higher resolution astronomy. Far-field linear optics can achieve sub-Rayleigh resolution and the long-held Rayleigh Criterion can be a mere limitation of the direct imaging technique.
For example, in direct imaging, photon counting on a 2D plane can be executed in a localized position array of detectors such as in a charge coupled device (CCD). This technique, however, neglects the wave nature of the image photons, treating them purely in a particle capacity. Thus, the phase information of the image may not be acquired.
In direct imaging, the finite dimensions of the optical aperture, D, induces diffraction patterns which limit the angular resolving power of the system from two separate distant physical objects to θ=1.22λ/D. If photon counting can be executed on mode by mode basis instead of in a position basis, then the resolution of the system may become quantum limited.


There is provided a connector, for introducing or extracting a material to or from at least one receptacle, comprising a housing extending between a distal end and a proximal end, the housing comprising, at least at one end, a pierceable seal; a hollow needle mounted, at least partially, within the housing between the distal end and the proximal end of the housing, a first end of the hollow needle being connected or connectable to a first corresponding receptacle, and a second end of the hollow needle facing the pierceable seal at an end of the housing; and an actuating mechanism acting on the housing or the hollow needle to enable the hollow needle to pierce the pierceable seal thereby forming a communication through the pierceable seal, such that material is able to transfer through the connector.

Cell and gene therapy manufacturing processes are often complex and include manual or semi-automated steps across several devices. Equipment systems used in various steps, or unit operations, of cell-based therapeutic products (CTP) manufacturing may include devices for various functions. These various functions may be, for example, cell collection, cell isolation, cell selection, cell expansion, cell washing, volume reduction, cell storage or transportation. The unit operations can vary immensely based on the manufacturing model (i.e., autologous versus allogenic), cell type, intended purpose, among other factors. In addition, cells are "living" entities sensitive to even the simplest manipulations, for example, such as differences in a cell transferring procedure. The role of cell manufacturing equipment in ensuring scalability and reproducibility is an important factor for cell and gene therapy manufacturing.
In addition, cell-based therapeutic products (CTP) have gained significant momentum thus there is a need for improved cell manufacturing equipment for various cell manufacturing procedures. These manufacturing procedures may include, for example, stem cell enrichment, generation of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, and various cell manufacturing processes such as collection, purification, gene modification, incubation, recovery, washing, infusion into a patient, or freezing.
The culture or processing of cells typically requires the use of a device to hold the cells, for example in an appropriate culture medium when culturing the cells. The known devices include shaker flasks, roller bottles, T-flasks, bags and the like. Such devices are typically required to be connected to other devices, such as containers, interfaces or the like, so that various media may be introduced to, or removed from, the device holding the cells.
As such, there is a need for connecting one device to another device during cell and gene therapy manufacturing processes to enable fluid communication between the devices. Moreover, it is often desirable to provide a sterile, or aseptic, connection between the various devices, such that a sterile, or aseptic, fluid connection can be achieved. However, known connectors suffer from several drawbacks.
In some known connectors, specifically aseptic connectors, a first device or container having a first volume of fluid may be connected to a second device or container having a second volume of fluid through a genderless connector, a male-female connector, a threaded connector or the like. Usually, a first portion of the connector is connected to the first device and a second portion of the connector is connected to the second device. The first and second portions of the connector each include opposing removable adhesive strips that face toward one another and provide aseptically sealed ends of the first device and the second device. In use, the connection between the first and second portions of the connector is made, and the opposing adhesive strips adhere to one another. The user then removes the adhered strips, thus removing the adhered aseptic strips from the connection. In this way, an aseptic fluid pathway is provided between the first and second devices.
However, such aseptic connectors have many drawbacks. The major disadvantage of such aseptic connectors is that the first device or container and second device or container cannot be disconnected and/or reconnected aseptically. Instead, when the first and second portions of the connector are disconnected, a non-sterile environment is created. Thus, it is necessary to dispose of such connectors, or to sterilize such connectors, both of which are costly to the user. Moreover, the adhesive strips in such aseptic connectors are unsuitable where they may come into contact with liquids or are subjected to pressure, i.e., a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure. Furthermore, such adhesive strips are unsuitable for automated processes, and also require a cumbersome assembly on the part of the user.
Therefore, it is an object of the present disclosure to address some of the disadvantages associated with known connectors, particularly aseptic connectors.


A radiator assembly in a vehicle comprises a first coolant tank; a second coolant tank spaced apart from the first coolant tank; a plurality of moveable blades; a linkage coupled to the plurality of blades; and an actuator coupled to the linkage to adjust positions of the blades. Each of the plurality of blades has a first end pivotally coupled to the first coolant tank, a second end pivotally coupled to the second coolant tank and has a hollow body portion extending between the first end and the second end, and each of the blades is fluidly communicated with the first and second coolant tanks to form a coolant passage.

A radiator in a vehicle is a heat exchanger used for cooling an internal combustion engine. The radiator is typically mounted behind a front grille to receive airflow from the forward movement of the vehicle. The velocity of air flow across the radiator has a major effect on its ability to dissipate heat. Active grille shutters have been developed, which improve efficiency by opening and closing automatically to control airflow across the radiator. When they are opened, the shutters allow air to flow through the radiator and into the engine compartment to promote cooling. When the cooling is not needed, the shutters close and reroute air around the vehicle to lessen aerodynamic drag and reduce fuel consumption. During the engine start-up, closed shutters can reduce warm-up time in cold weather.
In the current active grille shutter systems, the grille shutter is separated from the radiator and is an addition to the traditional cooling system. The inventor has recognized that there is a need for a cooling system having a reduced cost and weight compared to the current cooling system with active grille shutters.

Vehicle radiator assemblies with coolant paths via moveable blades


The present invention relates to a tolerogenic dendritic cell population (Tr-DC) capable of generating a population of T cells having regulatory activity, method of production and uses thereof. Furthermore, soluble HLA-G promotes the differentiation of a population of T cells with regulatory activity.

Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation is increasingly used for the treatment of a number of malignant and non-malignant disorders of both hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic origin. However, rejection responses mediated by the immune system of the donor against the recipient, termed graft versus host disease (GvHD) remains a major cause of morbility. Organ transplantation is the best available established technique for the treatment of end stage failure of most essential organs (liver, heart, and lungs), but allograft rejection mediated by the host is a major hurdle to long-term graft survival. A panel of immunosuppressive drugs is now available to prevent acute GvHD and allograft rejection including steroids, cyclosporin, metotrexate, cyclophosphamide, anti-thymocyte globulin, and anti-CD3 mAb. While these agents have significantly improved graft outcomes, their use have been associated with numerous and rather significant toxicities. Moreover, continuous drug administration leads to a sustained state of immunosuppression with consequent high risk of infections. All these effects are linked to the non-selective mode of action of the immunosuppressive drugs.
A valid alternative to immunosuppressive regimens for prevention of GvHD and of allograft rejection is the induction of tolerance to the alloantigens expressed by the recipient or the graft. This tolerance strategy should selectively target only a small fraction of potentially alloreactive T cells and leave the rest of the immune system intact.
In autoimmune diseases, undesired immune response to self-antigens lead to destruction of peripheral tissues. Treatments of autoimmune diseases are currently based on modulation of inflammation and non-specific immunosuppression. Similarly to the prevention of allograft rejection and GvHD, this approach is frequently not effective long-term due to the side effects of immunosuppression including infections and cancer, and high risk of disease relapse once the drug is withdrawn. An alternative strategy is based on the induction of specific immune tolerance with the ultimate goal to down-regulate the pathogenic immune response to self-antigens and to keep intact the mechanisms of host defense.
In chronic inflammatory diseases and in allergies an altered immune response to pathogenic and non-pathogenic antigens occurs. This may be due to an unbalance between effector and regulatory immune responses. Conventional anti-inflammatory or immunosuppressive therapies are insufficient to restore this balance. Moreover, the benefit of these therapies is not long-lasting after drugs withdrawn. The induction of antigen-specific tolerance mechanisms able to suppress undesired responses would represent a major advantage. Indeed, IL-10-producing T cells with regulatory properties, which are specific for different non-pathogenic antigens have been isolated in healthy donors.
In addition to central tolerance which occurs during T-cell ontogeny in the thymus and is mediated by clonal deletion of self-reactive T cells, peripheral T-cell tolerance is operational throughout life and is designed to control responses towards self antigens and foreign antigens which are not harmful. Peripheral T-cell tolerance can be induced and maintained by a variety of mechanisms, including deletion, induction of T-cell hypo-responsiveness, and differentiation of T regulatory (Tr) cells. Tr cells include a wide variety of cells with a unique capacity to inhibit effector T-cell responses. Although T cells with suppressive activity exist in all T-cell subsets, the best characterized are comprised in the CD4+ T population. The two most relevant classes of Tr cells described within the CD4+ subset to date are: T regulatory type 1 (Tr1) cells (1) and CD4+CD25+ Tr cells (2). These two Tr cell subsets differ in a number of important biological features, including their specific cytokine secretion profile, cellular markers, ability to differentiate in response to Ag specific stimuli, and dependency on cytokines versus cell-cell contact mechanisms for mediating suppressive activity.
IL-10 and Type 1 T Regulatory (Tr1) Cells.
IL-10 plays a central role in controlling inflammatory processes, suppressing T cell responses, and maintaining immunological tolerance (reviewed in (3)). IL-10 inhibits IFN-γ and IL-2 production by T cells (4). It has anti-inflammatory effects inhibiting production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α, IL-1, and IL-6, and chemokines, such as IL-8 and MIP1α, produced by activated antigen-presenting cells (APC), neutrophils, eosinophils, and mast cells. Furthermore, IL-10 down-regulates the expression of MHC class II, costimulatory, and adhesion molecules (5-7) on APC, and modulates their stimulatory capacity (8). Importantly, IL-10 is crucial for the differentiation of adaptive type 1 T regulatory (Tr1) cells (1). Tr1 cells are characterized by a unique cytokine secretion profile, upon TCR activation they secrete high levels of IL-10, significant amounts of IL-5, TGF-β and low levels of IFN-γ, and IL-2 but not IL-4 (1). Ag-specific murine Tr1 cells can be indeed differentiated in vitro by repetitive TCR stimulation in the presence of high doses of IL-10 (1). Furthermore, treatment of mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) cultures with IL-10 (9) (and TGF-β in the mouse (10)) results in T-cell anergy. Importantly, allo-reactive Tr1 cell clones from healthy individuals have been originally isolated by limiting dilution of in vitro IL-10-anergized CD4+ T cells (1).
The first suggestion that human Tr1 cells are involved in maintaining peripheral tolerance in vivo came from studies in severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) patients successfully transplanted with HLA-mismatched allogenic stem cells. In the absence of immunosuppressive therapy, these patients do not develop GvHD. Interestingly, high levels of IL-10 are detected in the plasma of these patients and a significant proportion of donor-derived T cells, which are specific for the host HLA antigens and produce high levels of IL-10, can be isolated in vitro (11). Importantly, IL-10-anergized cells preserve their ability to proliferate in response to nominal antigens, such as Tetanus Toxoid and Candida Albicans, indicating that IL-10 induces an Ag-specific anergy (Bacchetta unpublished data). In a preclinical model of bone marrow transplantation, transfer of donor CD4+ T cells anergized ex-vivo by host APC in the presence of IL-10 and TGF-β results in a markedly decreased GvHD in MHC class II mismatched recipients (10, 12). These data offer a strong rationale for the development of a clinical protocol using co-transfer of ex-vivo IL-10-anergized cells of donor origin in patients undergoing haplo-identical HSC transplantation.
Tolerogenic Dendritic Cells (DC)
DC are highly specialized APC that classically initiate Ag-specific immune responses upon infection (13). This process involves the terminal maturation of DC, typically induced by agents associated with microbial infection. It is now clear that DC can be not only immunogenic but also tolerogenic. In steady state DC remains immature DC and can induce tolerance via deletion of Ag-specific effector T cells and/or differentiation of Tr cells (14-18). Repetitive stimulation of naïve cord blood CD4+ T cells with allogeneic immature DC results in the differentiation of IL-10-producing Tr cells (19), which suppress T-cell responses via a cell-contact dependent mechanism. The authors recently reported that peripheral blood naïve CD4+ T cells stimulated with allogeneic immature DC become increasingly hypo-responsive to re-activation with mature DC and after three rounds of stimulation with immature DC, they are profoundly anergic and acquire regulatory function. These T cells are phenotypically and functionally similar to Tr1 cells since they secrete high levels of IL-10 and TGF-β, suppress T-cell responses via an IL-10- and TGF-β-dependent mechanism, and their induction can be blocked by anti-IL10 mAb (20). Not only immature DC but also specialized subsets of tolerogenic DC can drive the differentiation of Tr cells. Maturation and function of DC can be regulated at different levels (21). Both pharmacological and biological agents have been shown capable of inducing tolerogenic DC (22). Several biological agents including IL-10 (23, 24), TGF-β (25), IFN-α (26, 27), and TNF-α (28) can induce Tr cells. The presence of IL-10 during maturation of DC generate tolerogenic DC (23, 24), which express low levels of costimulatory molecules and MHC class II (24), display low stimulatory capacity (3, 29), and induce antigen-specific T cells anergy in both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells (23, 24).
It has been already described that IL-10 during DC differentiation results in a population of macrophage-like cells with low stimulatory capacity but mature phenotype (8, 30). Herein, we demonstrated that IL-10 treatment induces the differentiation of a unique subset of DC (Tr-DC) characterized by the expression of CD14, CD11c, CD11b, CD83, CD80, CD86, CD71 and HLA-DR, but not CD1a. Tr-DC express immunoglobulin-like transcript (ILT-) 2, ILT-3, ILT-4, and the non classical MCH class I molecule HLA-G. Tr-DC secrete significantly higher levels of IL-10 compared to immature DC, whereas the amounts of IL-12 are comparable to those produced by immature DC. Interestingly, IL-10/IL-12 ratio is maintained upon activation with LPS and IFN-γ. Tr-DC display lower stimulatory capacity compared to immature DC, and, importantly, induce Tr1 cells. Thus, IL-10 promote the differentiation of a new subset of tolerogenic DC which can be used to generate anergic Tr1 cells with limited in vitro manipulation and suitable for potential clinical use to restore peripheral tolerance.
Induction of T cell anergy by IL-10-treated DC has been suggested by Zheng et al. (2004). The authors have generated immature DC by culture of adherent cells with IL-4 and GM-CSF treatment. The immature DC obtained after 7 days are then washed and cultured with IL-10 for additional 2 days. The resulting IL-10-treated immature DC present a phenotype very different from the one of the Tr-DC obtained in the present invention. Indeed, the cells obtained in Zheng et al. are CD83 negative, CD86 low and HLA-DR low.
The protocol proposed by Levings et al. (2005) leads to the induction of Tr1 cells by repetitively stimulation of CD4+ T cells using immature DC, which are different from the Tr-DC generated in the present invention.
The international patent application WO2004/087899 discloses a method for obtaining Tr1 cells from T cells by means of specialized DC. DC are obtained from CD34+ cells in presence of IL-4, GM-CSF and IL-10. However, by contrast with the Tr1 DC of the present invention, the resulting DC express low level of CD11c, HLA-DR, CD80 and CD86, and are CD14 negative.
The international patent application WO03/000199 provides compositions which comprise at least two of a CD4+CD25+ T cell, IL-10, a CD8+CD28− cell and a vitamin D3 analog. This application also discloses a method for generating a tolerogenic antigen-presenting cell, which comprises contacting the cell with an effective amount of IL-10, a CD4+CD25+ T cell and/or a vitamin D3 analog. A method for increasing the expression of ILT3 and/or ILT4 by an antigen-presenting cell which comprises contacting the cell with an effective amount of IL-10, a CD4+CD25+ cell and/or a vitamin D3 analog and methods for inhibiting the onset of or treating the rejection of an antigenic substance and inhibiting the onset of or treating an autoimmune disease in a subject are provided.
The U.S. Pat. No. 6,277,635 describes IL-10 for producing a population of cells which are capable of inhibiting or suppressing reactions to alloantigens, for example in graft-versus-host disease or tissue rejection. IL-10 for reducing responses in mixed lymphocyte response (MLR) is also described. Exogenous or induced endogenous IL-10 may be used for the inhibition or suppression of the reactions to alloantigens. The Tr-DC method of the present invention differs from the IL-10 protocol to anergize T cells in vitro as follow:                Anergy by Tr-DC can be induced in all the individuals.        Anergic T cells induced by Tr-DC are more stable compared to those obtained with IL-10.        T-cell cultures obtained with Tr-DC display higher cell recovery compared to those obtained with IL-10.        IL-10 and Tr-DC are comparable in inducing T-cell anergy in haplo-identical pairs. Importantly, in haplo-identical pairs in which IL-10 does not induce anergy, Tr-DC do.        In HLA-matched un-related (MUD) pairs the use of DC is required to stimulate host-specific T-cell responses, therefore Tr-DC are necessary for T-cell anergy induction.        Lower number of cells from both recipient and donor are required for the in vitro manipulation to generate anergized T cells with the Tr-DC of the present invention.
The United States patent application 20070009497 relates to culture-expanded T suppressor cells and their use in modulating immune responses. This invention provides methods of producing culture-expanded T suppressor cells, which are antigen specific, and their use in modulating complex autoimmune diseases. In particular a method for producing an isolated, culture-expanded T suppressor cell population, comprising: (a) contacting CD25+CD4+ T cells with DC and an antigenic peptide, an antigenic protein, or a derivative thereof, or an agent that cross-links a T cell receptor on said T cells in a culture, for a period of time resulting in antigen-specific CD25+CD4+ T cell expansion; and (b) isolating the expanded CD25+CD4+ T cells obtained in (a), thereby producing an isolated, culture-expanded T suppressor cell population is provided. The DC population describes in this application display very different characteristics than the Tr-DC population of the present invention.
The International patent application WO03102162 relates to tolerogenic DC and methods for enriching for these cells in tissue preparations and using the cells for preventing or minimizing transplant rejection or for treating or preventing an autoimmune disease. A human tolerogenic DC having surface antigens DEC205 and B220, but not CD19 is described.
HLA-G and Immunomodulatory Properties
HLA-G, a non-classical MHC class I molecules, is a low polymorphic molecule. Compared with the classical class I genes, the most polymorphic genes in the human genome, HLA-G has relatively little polymorphism in its coding region (31). The HLA-G gene has eight exons encoding a signal peptide (exon 1), the α1, α2, and α3 domains (exons 2, 3, and 4, respectively), the transmembrane domain (exon 5), and the intracellular domain (exons 6 and 7), similar to other class I genes. However, a premature stop codon in exon 6 results in a truncated cytoplasmic tail that reveals a cryptic retrieval motif (32). This results in the slow turnover and prolonged expression of HLA-G at the cell surface. HLA-G encodes multiple isoforms as a result of alternative splicing. The full-length isoform HLA-G1 is structurally similar to other class I genes, except for the truncated cytoplasmic tail. The G2 isoform results from the removal of exon 3 and homodimerizes to form an HLA class II-like structure (33). HLA-G1 and HLA-G2 isoforms can be also expressed as soluble proteins (HLA-G5 and -G6, respectively) due to the inclusion of intron 4 sequences in the mature mRNA, resulting in secreted proteins with an additional 21 amino acids (encoded by intron 4 sequences) following the α3 domain (34). HLA-G3 results from the removal of exons 3 and 4. Additional isoforms are HLA-G4 and -G7.
HLA-G has been extensively studied in pregnancy and it is known to be the major contributor to induction and maintenance of foetal-maternal tolerance (31, 35). HLA-G inhibits cytolytic activities of both NK and CTL (36), and allo-specific T-cell proliferation (37, 38). A positive correlation between allograft acceptance and HLA-G expression on both graft cells (39, 40) and T cells (38) has been reported (41), indicating a role of HLA-G in modulating allo-responses. In addition, HLA-G acts as a negative regulator of tumor immune responses through several mechanisms including, inhibition of angiogenesis, prevention of antigen recognition and T-cell migration, and suppression of T and NK cytolytic effects (42). Antigen-presenting cells expressing HLA-G1 are poor stimulators and are able to promote the induction of anergic/suppressor CD4+ T cells (43). Moreover, HLA-G binds to the inhibitory molecules immunoglobulin-like transcript (ILT)-2 and ILT-4 expressed on DC (39, 44). It has been shown that engagement of ILT-4 by HLA-G prevents the up-regulation of costimulatory molecules, inhibits DC maturation (45), and promotes the differentiation of anergic/suppressor CD4+ T cells (46). The authors demonstrated that soluble HLA-G alone or in combination with IL-10 promotes the differentiation of a population of CD4+ T cells with low proliferative capacity and suppressor functions. Soluble HLA-G-induced Tr cells produce TGF-β, intermediate levels of IL-10 and IFN-γ, but low levels of IL-2, and IL-4, express high levels of granzyme B, CTLA4, CD25, but not FOXP3. Thus soluble HLA-G is a new immunomodulatory compound able to promote the differentiation of a population of CD4+ T cells with regulatory activity.

Tolerogenic dendritic cells, method for their production and uses therof


A method and apparatus optimizes transmitter power allocations among a plurality of wireless channels that connect to remote units. The optimizing is effected by the remote units sending information to the base stations regarding the quality of the channels. The apparatus modifies the received information to arrive at operating estimates that account for service grades, and through an iterating process that accounts for probability of actual channel qualities relative to the operating estimates of the channel qualities, allocates the transmitter's power to the different channels.

This pertains to communication systems and, more particularly, to allocation by a transmitter of transmission power to a plurality of channels.
One characteristic of current-day mobile communication systems is that a base station provides service to a large number of mobile units that are permitted to travel while communicating. Another characteristic of such communication systems is that the capacities of the individual channels that are used for transmitting to the mobile units vary with time. Yet another characteristic is that the transmission power is limited. The transmitter of a base station is thus faced with a situation where a plurality of channels of different capacities need to serve a plurality of mobile units that expect data flow of respective rates, over respective bandwidths, with respective tolerances to errors, all in an environment where the qualities of the channels are not known with precision.
The qualities of the channels are not known with precision because the best knowledge that the transmitter has is obtained from feedback, such as Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) messages, that is sent by the mobile units. The measurement of the channel quality, the coarse CQI encoding, the transmission of the CQI messages to the base station, and the decoding of those messages all take time, in addition to containing significant quantization errors and, consequently, the best information that a base station has of channel quality is a coarse estimate of past performance. This information is, therefore, of questionable value in fine allocation of transmitter power.
The challenge is to assign transmission power to channels in the most effective manner, taking account of the different performance levels that are required, or acceptable, in an environment where only the aforementioned coarse estimates of the qualities of the channels are known.
The prior art handles this uncertainty in the channel quality knowledge by employing a fade margin, which adds several dBs to the transmit level to insure successful communication in the event the actual channel's conditions are worse than what the CQI messages indicate.
The problem with the prior art approaches is the inability to optimize transmitter/receiver operation to the case at hand when firstly we are dealing with limited radio resources (limited power, limited bandwidth), and secondly the channel is known with a statistical error. Consequently, prior art solutions end up either with wasted power (too big margins) or excessive error-rate if margins are insufficient. In both cases the effective communication rate is less than can be obtained if optimal solution is used.

Resource allocation for channels with imperfect feedback


A network initialization communication storage system includes a host device coupled to a storage system and an initialization issue analysis system via a network. The host device includes an initialization subsystem coupled to each of a plurality of ports. During network initialization of the host device via the storage system, the initialization subsystem identifies network initialization communications transmitted via the port(s) and the network, filters the network initialization communications to remove a subset of network initialization information and provide filtered network initialization communications, and transmits the filtered network initialization communications for storage in a remote access controller subsystem in the host device. In the event the network initialization of the host device fails, the initialization issue analysis system retrieves the filtered network initialization communications from the remote access controller subsystem, and uses them to identify at least one issue with the network initialization of the host device via the storage system.

The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to storing network initialization communications associated with information handling systems.
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Information handling systems such as, for example, server devices and/or other host devices known in the art, have begun to initialize via networks. For example, storage systems such as Non-Volatile Memory express over Fabrics (NVMe-oF) storage systems, HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP)/HTTP Secure (HTTPS) storage systems, Internet Small Computer Systems Interface (ISCSI) storage systems, Pre-eXecution Environment (PXE) storage systems, and/or other network initialization storage system known in the art, may be provided with initialization information (e.g., an operating system and other information used by host devices for initialization), and host devices may retrieve that initialization information from the network initialization storage system and use that initialization information to start up, boot, and/or otherwise initialize (e.g., load an operating system and enter a runtime state in which the operating system controls the host device). However, initialization via network initialization storage systems raises some issues.
For example, the network initialization discussed may be performed by the host device using the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and initialization via an network initialization storage system using TCP involves complex network initialization functionality that utilizes storage subsystems, discovery controllers, routers, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) subsystems, Domain Name System (DNS) subsystems, and/or other subsystems known in the art. For example, subsequent to a host device powering on, a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS)/Uniform Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) may perform increasingly complex network communications with the network initialization storage system including TCP connection establishment communications (e.g., network initialization with a Universal Network Device Interface (UNDI) and/or other relatively low-level protocols), DHCP server communications (e.g., to retrieve an IP address for the network initialization storage system), DNS server communications (e.g., to retrieve a domain for the network initialization storage system), TCP communications with the network initialization storage system (e.g., to exchange initialization information, identify a boot partition, identify an operating system, load an operating system, etc.), and/or other network communications that one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure would recognize as being performed during network initialization.
As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, the network initialization discussed above may fail due to issues with the network communications such as, for example, inability to communicate with a DCHP server, inability to communicate with a DNS server, inability to establish a TCP connection, data transfer errors, security issues (e.g., certificate or key issues with Transport Layer Security (TLS), handshake issues, security protocol issues, host device permission issues related to the network initialization storage system, host device namespace issues related to the network initialization storage system, etc.), and/or other network communication issues known in the art. In response to networking initialization failure, conventional network initialization systems will typically have the host device display an error message to the network administrator or other user, and may retry the network initialization (e.g., sometimes using the same initialization/boot option, sometimes using a new/subsequent/next initialization/boot option) to see if the network initialization issue persists. In the event the network initialization issue persists, the network administrator or other user must guess what caused the network initialization issue and then modify the host device and/or network initialization storage system based on that guess in an attempt to remedy the network initialization issue that led to the network initialization failure, which can be time-consuming and results in downtime for the host device.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a network initialization system that addresses the issues discussed above.

Network initialization communication storage system


A method for inhibiting cycle slip in a tape drive having at least three channels that each utilizes a corresponding numerically controlled oscillator includes establishing a reference clock that is based on an output of the numerically controlled oscillators for at least two of the channels, comparing the output of the numerically controlled oscillator for one of the three channels with the reference clock to determine a first channel phase delta value for the one channel, and generating an error signal for the one channel if the channel phase delta value exceeds a threshold phase delta value for the one channel. The method may also include applying an inhibition loop filter to the error signal for the one channel if the first channel phase delta value exceeds the threshold phase delta value, adjusting a gain of the inhibition loop filter based at least partially upon one of the first channel phase delta value and the threshold phase delta value, and/or feeding back the error signal to the numerically controlled oscillator of the one channel.

In a media drive, such as a Linear Tape Open (LTO) drive, a self-clocking technique is commonly used for reproducing a phase-synchronized digital signal from a read back signal at a certain sampling frequency. The self-clocking technique generally involves the use of phase-locked loop (PLL) and interpolator (ITR) circuits. For example, in a multi-channel tape drive, each channel has its own PLL to track its phase and frequency errors and generate its own channel bit clock. Generally speaking, the phase error in a multi-channel tape drive contains two main components: (1) phase errors that are unique to individual channels, and (2) a frequency component that is common to all channels. Tracking the error unique to each individual channel allows monitoring of a different phase for each different channel, and tracking the error common to all channels makes all clocks run at approximately the same frequency on average.
Various sources could cause the PLL/ITR circuitry for one or more of the channels to either slip one or more bits, or insert one or more extra bits into the sequence of the phase-synchronized digital signal (also known as "cycle slip"). Inhibiting and/or preventing cycle slip is critical for a reliable and robust media drive because once cycle slip occurs, all of the following code words are incorrectly framed and can thereafter become a long train of uncorrectable errors.
Traditional cycle slip detectors have been implemented in media drives that utilize a single data stream. These types of detectors typically require expensive logics and a relatively long time delay. As technology has advanced, an increasing number of applications have migrated from a single channel media drive to a multiple parallel channel media drive for the transfer of data. For example, over approximately the past decade, the number of parallel channels for many magnetic tape drives has increased from four to eight to 16, with potentially an even greater number coming in the foreseeable future.
In a media drive with multiple inputs and multiple outputs (a MIMO system), there is additional useful information between channels that does not exist in a single channel media drive. When the ITR receives a sequence of erroneous phase and/or frequency information at its input, the numerically controlled oscillator (NCO) block will experience incorrect integration that results in one or more cycle slip events at the bit clock output controlling sampling of the data. Even though the root cause errors are short and within the correction power of a C1 error correction code (ECC), the fact is that they result undesirable cycle slip events. The end result can include a C1 ECC failure due to error propagation.
Fundamental PLL architecture typically includes three major blocks: a Mueller-Miller (MM) phase detector, one or more loop filters, and the NCO. Each of these blocks includes a separate gain. The MM phase detector gain is pattern dependent and can, for example, cover a range from approximately 0.44 to 3.14, in 12T to 2T patterns. In one typical system, nominal loop filter parameters are such that the integral gain is 0.0003, proportional gain is 0.03, and the NCO gain is 1. These numbers can vary based on usage and tuning, however the relative gain differences between blocks are likely to be somewhat similar to these. For example, MM gain will have large and wide variation compared to the loop filter gain(s), and the NCO gain will be larger than the loop filter gain(s). These gains are usually optimized for a steady state loop performance requirement such as bandwidth, phase margin, and gain margin, and assumes that the media drive does not have erroneous input conditions.
When the PLL encounters erroneous transient disturbances, the MM phase detector will typically amplify them. The loop filter integrator will be impacted to a relatively low extent due to very low gains since the function of the loop filter integrator is to track speed variation, rather than phase shift. Therefore, conventional global timing recovery applications which are based on averaging multiple channel loop filter integrators do not effectively or necessarily resolve the problem of cycle slip as described herein. However, the loop filter proportional gain will pass the amplified MM output to the NCO block with some level of attenuation. These transient error events at the input of the NCO block will result in the NCO integrator quickly moving toward an incorrect position and eventually locking into an incorrect phase cycle as the overall PLL loop stabilizes. This move of the NCO integrator to an incorrect position is one of the primary causes of the error propagation event that results in C1 ECC failure.

System and method for detecting and inhibiting cycle slip for multi-channel media drive


A releasable connection between a pan and a handle comprises a bracket, which is provided with a hole and intended to project laterally from the body of the pan, and an engaging mechanism, which is intended to be arranged on the handle and which comprises an engaging tooth which is inserted into said hole and a cam element which is rotatable into a locked position for pushing with a first cam surface against a corresponding edge of the said hole so as to clamp a part of the bracket between the first said cam surface and a facing projecting part of the engaging mechanism. A strip allowing sliding of the cam and pressing against the edge of the hole is arranged between the said first cam surface and the corresponding edge of the hole. Advantageously the bracket may be made as one piece with an aluminum pan.

(1) Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a removable handle for pans and to a pan with such a handle made of relatively soft material, as well as to a detachable connection with improved strength between a handle and a pan.
(2) Description of Related Art
In the art detachable connections between a handle and pan are known. An example of such a type of connection is illustrated in EP 1,121,041. Such a connection makes use of the reaction between two opposite surfaces of a rotating cam in order to achieve firm fixing of the handle once the connection is completed. This system necessarily requires very small tolerances in order to prevent the presence of play which would result in a not entirely rigid connection, thus giving the user the impression of a certain instability. Owing to the need for a very small amount of play, manufacture of the connection is relatively costly and each connection performed may require final adjustment.
EP 2,173,225 proposes providing a resilient part against which the cam reacts. In this way a stable play-free connection is ensured as a result of the elasticity of the fixing system.
One drawback which remains in the known rotating-cam systems is that, during rotation, the cam present on the handle slides against the reaction surface which is formed on a bracket projecting from the pan. If the cam and the bracket are not made of metal with the same hardness, this sliding action in the long run will damage one of the two surfaces. This results in both a weakening in the rigidity of the connection and partially engaged parts which make it difficult to insert and release the handle. For obvious strength-related reasons, usually the cam is made of a hard metal, such as steel, and the bracket must therefore be likewise made of a metal which is equally hard. The bracket is therefore usually made of suitable material and then fixed to the pan so as not to condition the choice of material used for the pan.
However, it would often be preferable to avoid using a separate bracket or also manufacture the bracket with the possibility for a wider choice of materials. For the abovementioned reasons, this is not always possible with cam-type locking systems and therefore often use of the removable handle is dispensed with. For example, in the case of aluminium pans, with the known systems it is not possible to manufacture a single-piece pan having an engaging seat for the removable handle.
The general object of the present invention is to overcome the abovementioned drawbacks by providing a detachable connection which ensures a solid and reliable joint, with a pleasing sense of solidity for the user, without any constraints as regards the resistance of the engaging seat to rotation of the locking cam.

Releasable connection between a handle and a pan, and a pan with said connection


The present invention provides a method for preparing hydrophilic polymer foam. The method comprises a step of providing an isocyanate functionalized prepolymer (A) and a step of foaming and curing the prepolymer (A). The prepolymer (A) is prepared by reacting diisocyanate (A1) and polyether polyol (A2), wherein the diisocyanate (A1) is selected from any one and a combination of 1,4-butyl diisocyanate (BDI), lysine diisocyanate (LDI) and 1,5-pentyl diisocyanate (PDI); the polyether polyol (A2) is a copolymer of ethylene oxide (EO) and propylene oxide (PO) and/or butylene oxide (BO); the ethylene oxide has a weight percentage of about 50%-100% in the polyether polyol, and has an OH functionality degree of 3-6, a hydroxyl value of about 21 mg KOH/g-168 mg KOH/g and a number-average molecular weight of about 1000 g/mol to about 8000 g/mol; and NCO content in the prepolymer (A) is 1%-10%.

Isocyanate is a main raw material for synthesis of polyurethane, and can be generally divided into an aliphatic category and an aromatic category. Although many types of the isocyanate are introduced in literatures, only the above two categories are actually applied. At present, there are two main types of polyurethane dressing, that is, one polyurethane dressing type taking aromatic isocyanates as raw materials, such, as toluene diisocynate (TDI) and diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI); and the other polyurethane dressing type taking aliphatic diisocyanates as raw materials, such as hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI), dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate (HMDI) and isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI).
A U.S. Pat. No. 7,777,091 proposes a polyurethane system taking the toluene diisocynate (TDI) and the isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) as main raw materials, wherein a polyether component is an ethylene oxide (EO)/propylene oxide (PO) tri-functional copolymer with high EO content. However, the material may produce toluenediamine (TDA), diphenylmethane toluene diamine (MDA) and other aromatic diamines in a degradation process when used in a medical dressing. Lots of toxicity experiments prove that the TDA and the MDA are strong cancerogenic substances capable of inducing gene mutation. Therefore, the polyurethane taking the aromatic isocyanates as the raw materials is not an ideal safety material.
A United States patent US 20110184080 (with an application number of U.S. Ser. No. 13/003,205) discloses a method of preparing a prepolymer from hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) and a polyether with high EO content, synthesizing hydrophilic isocyanate from a tri-functional HDI tripolymer and a mono-functional polyoxyethylene alcohol, and enabling a mixture of the prepolymer and the hydrophilic isocyanate to react under a combined action of water, a catalyst and a surfactant to produce a hydrophilic polyurethane foam material. The principal isocyanate is aliphatic diisocyanate such as the HDI. Hexamethylene-diamine (HDA) exists in a degradation product of such a polyurethane material. Although the substance is not carcinogenic aromatic diamine, the substance is still not a substance existing in a human body, and safety should be further verified. Meanwhile, a catalyst and other metal salts thereof should be added to serve as foaming assistants in a material preparation process, otherwise an ideal foam material cannot be obtained, and foam may suffer from expected intense contraction after foaming.

Hydrophilic and biologically safe polymer foam as well as preparation method and application thereof


Although there has been a method for evaluating pattern shapes of electronic devices by using, as a reference pattern, design data or a non-defective pattern, the conventional method has a problem that the pattern shape cannot be evaluated with high accuracy because of the difficulty in defining an exact shape suitable for the manufacturing conditions of the electronic devices. The present invention provides a shape evaluation method for circuit patterns of electronic devices, the method including a means for generating contour distribution data of at least two circuit patterns from contour data sets on the circuit patterns; a means for generating a reference pattern used for the pattern shape evaluation, from the contour distribution data; and a means for evaluating the pattern shape by comparing each evaluation target pattern with the reference pattern.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pattern generating apparatus and a pattern shape evaluating apparatus for evaluating the shapes of circuit patterns for electronic devices by use of captured images of the circuit patterns, the circuit patterns being manufactured on a wafer, a reticle or the like.
2. Background Art
In recent years, higher densification and integration of a semiconductor device have been in progress for the purpose of improving the performance of the semiconductor device and reducing the manufacturing costs thereof. Producing semiconductor devices with much higher density and integration requires development of lithography technologies for forming fine circuit patterns on a silicon wafer. The lithography is a process in which a mask is formed as a master pattern for circuit patterns, and in which an exposure apparatus transfers the circuit patterns of the mask onto a photosensitive light-receiving resin (called a resist below) applied on a silicon wafer. The development of the lithography technologies is still in the trend toward finer patterning, thanks to various kinds of technological innovations in the phase shift mask technology, the modified illumination technology, in the scanning exposure technique, in the field of chemically amplified resist materials, and in other related fields.
For a circuit pattern having a minimum size smaller than a wavelength of light from an exposure light source, however, the conventional lithography technologies have a problem of an extreme reduction in a tolerance (hereinafter, called a process window) allowed for each process condition for lithography in the case where the process condition varies from its optimum condition.
There are a wide range of factors of such extreme reduction of the process window, for example, which include: unevenness of illumination accompanying a wavelength shortening of light from an exposure light source; non-uniformity in processes such as antireflection, bake, and development; and variations in mask size. These factors of variations in the lithography processes can be classified into an effective dose (simply called a dose below) that behaves in the same manner as variations in an exposure light amount, and an effective focus (simply called a focus below) that behaves in the same manner as variations in focus.
For this reason, in the course of development of new semiconductor devices, semiconductor manufacturers make an attempt to increase process windows through the following operations. In one of the operations, the process windows for a dose range and a focus range for manufacturing non-defective patterns are figured out by measuring test patterns with use of a length measuring SEM, the test patterns formed on a silicon wafer with the dose and focus being changed stepwisely (hereinafter, this operation is called a condition finding operation. See Japanese Patent Application Publication No. Hei 11-288879). In another one of the operations, optimum conditions for lithography are derived by repeatedly analyzing the factors of dose variations and focus variations through optical simulations.
As for processes on patterns in size of 65 nm or finer, however, the condition finding operation in the course of the development has a difficulty of finding the optimum process windows for all the combinations of pattern shapes and pattern arrangements due to a high density of the patterns and high pattern complexity. Accordingly, more importance is now placed on the monitoring of a deformation of a pattern shape caused by process variations in mass production processes.
An effective method for monitoring a deformation of a pattern shape caused by process variations in mass production processes is a method of obtaining a deformation amount in a pattern shape in a chip by comparing the pattern shape in the chip with the pattern shape of a pattern representing a non-defective pattern whose pattern shape is not deformed at all by the process variations (hereinafter, the pattern is called a reference pattern). As such pattern shape evaluation methods, there have been disclosed the inventions in which a pattern shape is evaluated by using the design data on an electronic device as the reference pattern (Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 7-260699, Japanese Patent Application Publications Nos. Hei 10-312461, 2002-6479 and 2001-338304 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,868,175)), and the invention in which a pattern shape is evaluated by using a non-defective pattern as the reference pattern (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. Hei 10-312461).

Pattern generating apparatus and pattern shape evaluating apparatus


A new and distinct Gypsophila plant named xe2x80x98Danfestarxe2x80x99 characterized by being suitable for gardening outdoors, in containers and as a small sized cut flower; forms a flowering bush with a 10-15 inch spread in 2-3 months; compact dense branched plant with plenty of flowering stems; medium, semi-filled white flowers, early flowering, having a long lasting flowering flush; and perennial plant that will come back after winter.

Latin name of the genus and species of the plant claimed: Gypsophila paniculata.
Variety denomination: xe2x80x98Danfestarxe2x80x99; commercial denomination: Gypsophila cv. Festival Star.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Gypsophila plant, botanically known as Gypsophila paniculata, hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name xe2x80x98Danfestarxe2x80x99.
The new cultivar was derived from an open pollination with a proprietary female cultivar and unknown male parent made in a controlled breeding program in Moshav Mishmar Hashiva, Israel. The female parent is hybrid no. 589 (unpatented, proprietary cultivar). The male parent is an open pollination. xe2x80x98Danfestarxe2x80x99 was discovered and selected by the inventor, Gabriel Danziger, as a flowering plant within the progeny of the open pollination in a controlled environment in Moshav Mishmar Hashiva, Israel.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by side shoot cuttings was first performed in 1999 in Moshav Mishmar Hashiva, Israel and has demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for the new cultivar are firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction. The new cultivar reproduces true to type.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be basic characteristics of xe2x80x98Danfestarxe2x80x99 which in combination distinguish this Gypsophila as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Suitable for gardening outdoors, in containers and as a small sized cut flower;
2. forms a flowering bush of 10-15 inch spread in 2-3 months;
3. compact dense branched plant with plenty of flowering stems;
4. medium, semi-filled white flowers, early flowering, having a long lasting flowering flush; and
5. perennial plant that will come back after winter.
xe2x80x98Danfestarxe2x80x99 has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype of the new cultivar may vary significantly with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity, and daylength without any change in the genotype of the plant. The following observations, measurements and values describe the new cultivar as grown in Moshav Mishmar Hashiva, Israel under conditions which closely approximate those generally used in commercial practice.
Of the many commercial cultivars known to the present inventor, the most similar in comparison to xe2x80x98Danfestarxe2x80x99 is the cultivar Gypsophila cv. xe2x80x98Happy Festivalxe2x80x99 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,711 under variety denomination xe2x80x98Danghappyxe2x80x99). In comparison to xe2x80x98Danfestarxe2x80x99, xe2x80x98Happy Festivalxe2x80x99 has a more compact growth habit and dense inflorescence; smaller flowers than those of xe2x80x98Danfestarxe2x80x99 and is better suited as a 4 inch pot plant.
The following is a comparison between xe2x80x98Danfestarxe2x80x99 and the female parent.

Danziger xe2x80x9cDANxe2x80x9d Flower Farm


A resin composition comprising. (A) 100 parts by weight of a hydrolyzed eithylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, PA0 (B) 1 to 100 parts by weight of a polyester resin and PA0 (C) 0.1 to 50 parts by weight of a polyester-amide resin The composition is excellent in impact strength and flex crack resistance.

The present invention relates to a resin composition of a hydrolyzed ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, and more particularly to a hydrolyzed ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer composition which has improved impact resistance and flex crack resistance and is suitable for use of moldings.
The hydrolyzed ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer is remarkably excellent in rigidity, hardness, abrasion resistance, antistatic property and cold resistance compared to other resins suitable for use of moldings. However, the hydrolyzed copolymer is insufficient in impact resistance and flex crack resistance.
In order to improve the impact resistance of the hydrolyzed ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, there have, hitherto, been, conducted a method in which a plasticizer such as buthylene glycol or dioctyl phthalate is added thereto, or a method in which an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer is blended therewith. However, the former has defects that the plasticizer bleeds on the surface of the molded article and the molded article is remarkably lowered in mechanical properties. Also, the latter has a defect that the obtained molded article has a film of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer on its surface so the appearance of the molded article is impared due to the poor compatibility between the hydrolyzed ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer with the ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer upon molding in a molten state, though the impact resistance is extremely improved. Particularly, when injection molding, the obtained molded article has flow marks on its surface, resulting in that the preferable gloss or luster peculiar to the hydrolyzed ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer disappears, or when blending with a pigment to give the colored molded article, the floating of the pigment is caused, which is an obstacle to practical use.
In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional defects, Japanese Unexamined patent Publication No. 218352/1988 proposes to blend a polyester with the hydrolyzed ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 24277/1969 proposes to blend a polyamide with the hydrolyzed copolymer or Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 139733/1985 or No. 161453/1985 proposes to blend a polyamide-polyether block copolymer with the hydrolyzed copolymer. However, in case of blending the hydrolyzed copolymer with the above-mentioned polymer, the physical properties of the hydrolyzed ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer is insufficiently improved, since the compatibility between the hydrolyzed copolymer is not necessarily sufficient with the each above polymer.
An object of the invention is to provide a resin composition of a hydrolyzed ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, having improved impact resistance and flex crack resistance.
This and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the description hereinafter.

Nippon Gohsei Kagaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha