An apparatus and a method of surface-treating a half sliding bearing, the method comprising the steps of: preparing a tank which accommodates a surface-treatment solution and an anode of an alloy to be applied to the bearings as a surface treatment; successively and one by one introducing the bearings into the surface-treatment solution; performing the surface treatment in such a manner that the surface layer of the alloy is applied to the surface of the bearings by feeding an electricity between a cathode served by the bearing and the anode via the surface-treatment solution while moving, in the surface-treatment solution, the bearings being introduced into the surface-treatment solution in a state in which the bearings is brought into contact with one another; and successively and one by one drawing out the bearings, which have been applied with the surface treatment, from the tank.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for surface-treating the inner surface and/or the outer surface of a half sliding bearing.
2. Related Art
Hitherto, the inner surface of a half sliding bearing is applied with electric plating to form a plating layer of several microns to several tens of microns in thickness in such a manner that an anode bar is disposed in the axial direction along the center line of the inner surfaces of a plurality of half sliding bearings placed in a tank in which a surface-treatment solution is enclosed. In this case, the upper and the lower portions of the half sliding bearing generate the portion in which the desired plating thickness cannot be obtained. Accordingly, members, each of which is so-called a spacer metal or a dummy metal in the form of a half sliding bearing and made of a conductive material, are fastened to the upper and the lower portions of the half sliding bearings. Then, a plating case to which the half sliding bearings have been fastened is treated in a degreasing tank, an electrolytic degreasing tank, an acid dipping tank, a plating tank, a recovery tank, a water rinsing tank, a neutralization tank and a cleaning tank and the like. The treated half sliding bearings are then removed from the case so that the surface treatment for the half sliding bearings is completed.
However, the conventional technology has encountered the following problems:
(a) The case or a jig to which the plurality of the half sliding bearings have been fastened is dipped into the treatment solution so as to be treated as desired before the half sliding bearings are taken out. However, the quantity of undesirable discharge of the treatment solution is enlarged in proportion to the surface area of the object to be introduced and taken cut. The undesirable discharge will enlarge in quantity in proportion to the degree of complication of the structure of the plating case and the like. Therefore, a problem arises in that each of the treatment solution is contaminated due to the rise in the density of the recovered treatment solution, that is, the contamination concentration of the rinsing water. What is even worse, the quality of the plating will deteriorate and problems in terms of the waste water disposal will take place. PA1 (b) In order to uniformly supply electricity to the half sliding bearings, a uniform contact with the power supply portion of the plating case or the jig is necessary. However, there are too many contact portions such as the contact portion between the half sliding bearing and the spacer, that between the spacer and the plating case or the jig and that between the plating case or jig and the hooks of the apparatus. Therefore, the uniform electricity supply is hindered by the total quantity of the contact resistance. As a result, the accuracy in the plating thickness is deteriorated. PA1 (c) Furthermore, the vertical position of the half sliding bearing in the plating case or the jig will cause the change in the electric current distribution characteristics. Hitherto, a method as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B has been employed in order to reduce the above- described undesirable change in such a manner that spacers 101 each having the same inner diameter as that of the half sliding bearing are disposed in the upper and the lower portions at the time of the electric plating. However, the above-described change has not satisfactorily be prevented. What is even worse, the accuracy in the thickness of the plating will deteriorate due to the inclination of the plating case or the like. PA1 (d) The spacer 101 employed in the manner as described above must be provided for each of the plating cases or the jigs to which a plurality of the half sliding bearings are fastened. Since the spacer 101 is subjected to the plating at each of the plating operations, its surface will be gradually raised and the surface will become too rough. It leads to a fact that the accuracy in the thickness of the plated layer at the portion of the half sliding bearing adjacent to the spacer is deteriorated. Furthermore, another problem arises in that each of the treatment solution is contaminated due to the rise in the concentration of the recovered treatment solution, that is, the contamination density of the rinsing water. What is even worse, problems in terms of the waste water treatment will take place. PA1 (e) According to the conventional method, insoluble sediment adheres to the jig and the quantity of the sediment is enlarged due to a chemical reaction simultaneously with the occurrence of the contamination described in (a) during a period in which the plating case or the jig is dipped in the alkali solution and the acidic solution. Furthermore, since each of the treatment solution is arranged to be used at an individual temperature, the case or the jig must be subjected to a repetition of high temperature and low temperature. As a result, a strain generates in the case or the jig, causing the accuracy in fastening the half sliding bearing to be deteriorated. What is even worse, the accuracy in the thickness of the plating applied to the half sliding bearing is deteriorated. PA1 (f) Since the performance of the engine must be improved and the noise from the same must be reduced in recent years, the half sliding bearing and the surface of the half sliding bearing must be finished extremely precisely. Furthermore, there is a desire for the half sliding bearing to reveal a uniform quality. Therefore, a rigid plating case, a large-size plating apparatus and a large-size wastewater disposal facility are necessary for the above-described conventional methods. Furthermore, a large quantity of water must be supplied. As a result, this, of course, excessively raises the initial cost, the running cost and the cost for the maintenance. PA1 (g) Another problem arises in terms of the manufacturing operation such that too many operations, such as operations of fastening the half sliding bearing to the case, fastening the case to the apparatus, removing the same from the apparatus and drawing out the half sliding bearing from the case, must be repeated. Therefore, an excessively large cost is necessary to complete the above-described repetitive operations if the above-described operations are performed by humans or automatic apparatuses. Therefore, the manufacturing cost has not been reduced.

Method of electroplating half sliding bearings


A refrigeration apparatus includes: an electrical circuit (10) including a power device (14); a refrigerant jacket (30) which is thermally connected to the power device (14), and in which a refrigerant for a refrigeration cycle flows; a refrigerant pipe (20) which carries the refrigerant flowing in the refrigerant jacket (30), and forms a current path (20a, 20b) for grounding the refrigerant jacket (30); and a magnetic body (90) which is attached to the current path (20a, 20b), and generates a predetermined impedance in the current path (20a, 20b).

A refrigeration apparatus which performs a vapor compression refrigeration cycle by circulating a refrigerant includes an electrical circuit, such as an inverter circuit, to control an operation state of a motor of a compressor. In general, a power device which generates high heat is used as the inverter circuit. In conventional refrigeration apparatuses, a cooler for cooling the power device is provided to prevent the power device from generating heat higher than an operable temperature of the power device. As a specific example of the cooler, a heat sink may be attached to the power device to air-cool the power device, or a refrigerant used for the refrigeration cycle may be used to cool the power device (see, e.g., Patent Document 1). In a refrigeration apparatus of Patent Document 1, a refrigerant path through which the refrigerant used for the refrigeration cycle flows is provided in a refrigerant jacket (a heat sink in this patent document), the power device (a giant transistor in this patent document) is fixed to the refrigerant jacket, and the refrigerant jacket is placed in an electrical component box.

Refrigeration apparatus with a magnetically shielded refrigerant pipe


A differential signal conditioner circuit with common mode voltage (CMV) compensation is provided. The circuit includes a signal multiplexer that receives a input signal that includes a high and low signal and a reference CMV signal, a differential amplifier coupled to the signal multiplexer that receives the reference CMV signal and outputs a CMV error value during a first cycle, and receives the input signal and outputs an amplified difference signal during a second cycle. The circuit also includes a CMV measurement circuit that receives the reference CMV signal and outputs a confirmation value during the first cycle, and receives the input signal and outputs a CMV compensation value during the second cycle, and a processing element that receives the CMV error value, the amplified difference signal, the CMV compensation value, and a differential amplifier gain value and generates a CMV compensated output based on the received signals and values.

The subject matter disclosed herein generally relates to a differential signal conditioner and, more particularly, to error compensation in a differential signal conditioner.
As shown in FIG. 1, a general differential input signal conditioner 100 includes input signals 104, compensation signals 106, a signal mux 108 selects from amount the signals 104, 106, a difference amplifier 102, an A/D mux 110, an A/D converter 112, and a digital system/processor 114 that provides selection signals and control signals as shown.
General differential input signal conditioners, such as the differential input signal conditioner 100, amplifies the differential input signal, SIG1, and is generally not able to completely reject a common mode voltage signal, SIG1_CMV. The difference amplifier 103 in the general/legacy differential input signal conditioner 100 diagram shown in FIG. 1 is used to amplify the input signal and attempts to reject its common mode voltage. However, as noted above, a real world difference amplifier is non-ideal and produces an error voltage due to the common mode voltage.
The resulting common mode voltage error term can be described using a common mode rejection ratio (CMRR) that is the ratio of the common-mode gain to differential-mode gain. However, the CMRR of an amplifier varies with input signals, temperature, and from device to device and the input signal DC common mode voltage is typically unknown.
For example, in the case of a thermocouple signal, the CMRR error term could be very significant because it only takes approximately 41 micro-volts of CMRR error to cause a 1 degree Celsius temperature error. The CMRR error term on a strain gauge signal is also significant because strain gauge sensors have a nominal non-zero common mode input voltage. For example, a strain gauge sensor with a 10V excitation typically produces a nominal 5V DC common mode output voltage.
Therefore, the CMRR error term can be a significant error in systems that require high accuracy. However, in most legacy differential input signal conditioners, it is not possible to compensate for the CMRR error term, especially if the common mode input voltage is unknown or varies over a wide range.

Differential signal conditioner with common mode voltage error compensation


Oral hygiene antiplaque compositions which include as an active ingredient an amino sugar containing a sugar moiety recognized by lectins on oral bacteria (e.g., .beta.-D-galactose, .beta.-D-N-acetyl galactosamine, L-rhamnose and .beta.-D-fucose) and in which nitrogen is linked to carbon number 1. The amino sugars singly or in combination with each other provide enhanced inhibition of bacterial aggregation, surfactancy, and antimicrobial activity.

It is generally recognized that the development of dental plaque begins with the adhesion of bacteria to the teeth. Bacterial adhesion to tooth surfaces usually involves stereospecific interactions between cell surface binding proteins, referred to as adhesins, and cognate structures which form binding sites either in salivary pellicle, or on the surfaces of other bacteria resident in plaque, or in the extracellular plaque matrix (Gibbons, R. J.; J Dent Res 68,750-760).
Many of the oral bacterial adhesins described in the art exhibit carbohydrate-specific binding and are often found on filamentous extensions (i.e., pili or fimbriae) which protrude from cell surfaces. These carbohydrate recognition structures, which are also referred to as lectins, mediate binding to host-derived or microbial-derived saccharide-containing structures on the teeth. Several different bacterial lectins have been described in the literature. Fucose-specific lectins have been described for several oral bacterial species, including those belonging to the genera Actinomyces, Capnocytophaga, and Streptococcus. Rhamnose-specific lectins have been isolated from oral species including Capnocytophaga sp.
By far, the lectins most commonly expressed by plaque bacteria are .beta.-galactoside-specific or "lactose sensitive" adhesins. The genera of bacteria which produce .beta.-galactoside-specific adhesins cover a diverse taxonomic range, including Actinomyces, Streptococcus, Porphyromonas, Fusobacterium, Haemophilus, Capnocytophaga, Veillonella, Prevotella, Staphylococcus, and Neisseria; these represent both primary and secondary colonizers of the teeth (Kollenbrander, P. E.; Crit Rev Microbiol 17:137-159). Kollenbrander notes that bacterial coaggregation plays an active role in formation of dental plaque and adherence of bacteria to epithelial cells in the oral econiche.
Most attempts to control plaque through anti-adhesion mechanisms have involved non-stereospecific inhibition of bacterial attachment to the teeth, usually with compositions containing surface-active polymers. For instance, G. B. Pat. No. 2,224,204A and U.S. Pat. No. 4,877,603 disclose oral compositions which include phosphonate-containing polymers that inhibit bacterial attachment to hydroxyapatite surfaces. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,202 discloses a method for treating surfaces with combinations of polymers which form barriers that retard bacterial adsorption.
With respect to blocking stereospecific interactions which mediate oral bacterial adherence, the use of mono- and oligosaccharides has been described, as inhibitors of lectin-mediated adhesion to human cells. For instance, abstract of U.S. Pat. No. 7,349,772 describes oligosaccharides isolated from S. sanguis which inhibit the build-up of adhesive dental plaque. Gaffar et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,759) disclose oligosaccharides containing either a galactose moiety (which may be .beta.-galactose) and/or a fucose moiety as agents in dentifrice preparations for inhibiting adherence of Streptococcus pyogenes to human epithelial cells. European Patent Application 184,121 discloses the use of galactose and/or lactose as anti-caries agents in foods, drinks, and pharmaceutical preparations. Neeser (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,992,420 and 4,994,441) describes kappa-caseino-glycopeptide compounds and desialylated derivatives thereof (the derivatives contain .beta.-galactose groups) as inhibitors of in vitro adhesion by dental plaque bacteria to human erythrocytes.
Lynch et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,855,128) disclose polysaccharides such as xanthan gum, gum tragacanth, guar gum, gum karaya, chondroitin sulfate, polygalacturonic acid, (pectin) sodium alginate and carrageenans of the kappa/lambda configuration as plaque-inhibitory agents which inhibit bacterial coaggregation; carrageenans of kappa/lambda configuration and chondroitin sulfate contain .beta.-galactose.
Stromberg et al. (J. Biol. Chem. 265,11251-11258) disclose that N-acetyl-galactosamine-.beta.1,3-galactose-O-ethyl is an inhibitor of binding by Actinomyces viscosus and Actinomyces naeslundii to human erythrocytes. McIntire et al. (Infection and Immunity, vol. 41, No. 2, 848-850) have described O-glycosides of galactose-.beta.1,3-N-acetyl-galactosamine, including phenyl, phenylethyl, and nitrophenyl derivatives, which inhibit coaggregation between Actinomyces sp. and Streptococuus sanguis; McIntire et al. note that the addition of aglycones increased the inhibitory activity significantly but not greatly.
Stromberg et al. ("Synthetic Receptoranalogues Prevent Plaque Formation in Man", Abstracts of International Association for Dental Research Scandinavian Division, Helsinki, Aug. 22-24, 1991) disclose a study demonstrating the plaque inhibitory activity of GalNAc.beta.-3Gal.alpha.1-O-ethyl, which blocked adherence of Actinomyces strains 12104 and LY7. Clinical plaque strains were evaluated in a mouth rinse experiment including five human individuals. The study is said to demonstrate that receptor analogues such as GalNAc.beta.-3Gal.alpha.1-O-ethyl, may prove useful in future antiplaque therapy. O-glycosides described by Stromberg and McIntire are structurally different from glycosylamines included in applicants' invention. In the latter compounds, nitrogen is connected to carbon number 1, whereas in the O-glycosides described by Stromberg and McIntire nitrogen is connected to carbon number 2. Further, O-glycosides described by the Stromberg and McIntire references are expensive molecules and their synthesis is complicated; hence, their practical utility is limited to the study of the stereospecificity of bacterial binding. By contrast, glycosylamines included in the present invention are relatively inexpensive and synthetically versatile.
As to non-dental art, abstracts of Japanese Patent Applications 03112905 and 03112904 disclose the use, as antibacterials for preserving food and cosmetics, of 2-acetylamino-N-alkyl-glycosylamines and alkyl-glycosyl-amines, particularly glucosamines represented by structures 1 and 2, respectively. ##STR1##
The Japanese disclosures are not aimed at delivering antiplaque or antiadhesion benefits or at affecting oral indigenous bacteria or at targeting .beta.-galactoside specific binding proteins on oral bacteria. None of the bacteria listed in the Japanese patents are involved in dental plaque formation.
Rosenberg et al. (Infection and Immunity, March 1983, 1024-1028) disclose that emulsan, which consists of D-galactosamine (anomeric structure not reported) containing polysaccharide backbone with covalently linked fatty acid chains, prevents adherence of A. calacoaceticus and S. pyogenes to buccal epithelial cells and is highly effective in removing bound indigenous bacteria. Emulsan is a polyanionic heteropolysaccharide with a molecular weight average of 9.9.times.10.sup.5 Like in the Stromberg and McIntire compounds discussed above, in the galactosamine units of emulsan nitrogen is connected carbon number 2 as opposed to the present compounds where the linkage is at carbon number 1. Eigen et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,737,359) disclose toothpaste or mouthwash preparations containing emulsan. Emulsan is said to reduce plaque formation by inhibiting attachment of S. mutans, which is said to be due to the presence of a galactosamine-specific lectin on the surface of S. mutans. Eigen et al. note the possibility that emulsan acts by breaking the bacterial lectin-carbohydrate interactions.
While emulsan may be an effective plaque inhibitor, emulsan must be produced by biotechnological procedures, i.e. through fermentation procedures which require extensive downstream processing and purification and which are relatively expensive. Since the production of emulsan is dependent on bacteria, emulsan cannot be easily modified (modification requires post-synthetic chemical treatment). Therefore, the use of material which can be produced and modified by synthetic procedures which are relatively less complex and less expensive than the biotechnological procedures involved in production of emulsan, would be desirable.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide oral hygiene compositions which include specific N-containing derivatives of saccharides which include at least one .beta.-D-galactose group, or .beta.-D-N-acetyl galactosamine group, or .beta.-D-fucose group, or L-rhamnose group as antiplaque agents.
It is another object of the present invention to provide oral hygiene compositions which contain effective yet commercially feasible antiplaque amino sugars.
It is another object of the invention to provide oral hygiene compositions which include antiplaque agents which can be produced and modified by synthetic procedures.
It is still another object of the invention to provide methods of inhibiting bacterial adhesion and/or bacterial growth in the oral cavity.
These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent from the detailed description and examples that follow.

Oral hygiene compositions containing amino sugars as antiplaque agents

Lever Brothers Company, Division of Conopco, Inc.


A method (and structure) includes receiving a challenge for an authentication, in a chip having stored in a memory device therein a secret to be used in an authentication attempt of the chip by an external agent. The chip includes a hardware processing circuit to sequentially perform a processing related to the secret. The secret is retrieved from the memory device and processed in the hardware processing circuit in accordance with information included in the received challenge. The result of the processing in the hardware processing circuit is transmitted as a response to the challenge. The hardware processing circuit executes in a parallel manner, thereby reducing a signal that can be detected by an adversary attempting a side channel attack to secure the secret.

The present invention relates to security, and more specifically, to solving the problem of leaking secret information on a hardware device through side channels such as power and/or electromagnetic radiation during a side channel attack, by forming one or more permutations of the secret and processing, in a parallel manner, the permutations in hardware circuitry.
In cryptography, a side channel attack is an attack to gain secret information from the physical characteristics of a cryptosystem, rather than by brute force or theoretical weaknesses in the algorithms. Examples of physical characteristics that might be monitored during a side channel attack include such parameters as timing information, power consumption, electromagnetic (EM) leaks, or even sound, any of which can provide extra information which can be detected by an adversary and possibly exploited to break the system. The recent rise in web applications and software-as-a-service has also significantly raised concern about the possibility of side channel attacks on the web, even when transmissions between a web browser and server are encrypted through HTTPS (secure protocol for Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)) or WiFi (wireless local area network) encryption.
Thus, side channel attacks are distinguished from attacks based on attempting to break a cryptosystem by deceiving or coercing people with legitimate access or attacks on computer systems themselves to obtain, for example, cryptographic key information stored on a computer.
One conventional method to solve the leakage problem uses secret sharing of the bits involved in each step of a cryptographic operation which may use the secret. This method causes a significant overhead, but the solution may still not adequately protect the secret from EM leakage.
There are other ad-hoc means that attempt to address and reduce side-channel attacks, such as running a noisy circuit in parallel. However, such techniques can easily be defeated by simply collecting more data. Finally, there is a conventional technique based on simply changing the secret often enough, but this method is not possible in systems where the secret cannot be changed.

Cryptographic side channel resistance using permutation networks

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A system for automatically controlling the pressure maintained in a plurality of fluid-filled cylinders supporting a sleep surface in order to maintain a desired degree of firmness/softness. In one mode, the system permits the user to set the desired level of firmness and then the system acts to maintain that level under the conditions encountered in use, either venting if an above-setting pressure is sensed or pumping to fill if a below-setting pressure is detected. In another mode, the user is enabled to manually activate either the pump or the vent in order to vary the firmness to his choice.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to fluid-filled beds, such as water beds or inflated tube mattresses, and more particularly relates to an automatic control system for such beds.
2. Description of the Related Art
Beds and mattresses, sometimes referred to as sleep surfaces, have long been an important item of furniture in homes, temporary lodgings, or wherever people go when in need of sleep. On the average, a person spends about one-third (eight hours, more or less, of each twenty-four hour interval) of his life in bed. Clearly, the degree of comfort provided by one's bed is important to the user.
Various factors contribute to or detract from the comfort of a bed: the surface "terrain", whether smooth or lumpy; the degree of firmness; the type and uniformity of support over the sleep surface; etc. An uncomfortable bed may interfere with sleep by keeping a person from going to sleep readily or by causing the person to sleep fitfully during the night. Even a bed that is not noticeably uncomfortable may still cause the user to awake in the morning with certain aches and pains, stiffness or the like as a result of an unsatisfactory sleep surface.
Until the introduction of coil springs, improvements in the designs of beds were directed more to their shapes and configurations, such as their use of paneling with posts supporting a canopy, etc., than to the degree of comfort afforded the occupants. With the development of coil springs, which were first fitted into mattresses in the early 19th century, bed comfort was transformed. Over the next 150 years or so, beds evolved into the general form in common use today, generally a metal frame supporting a spring structure on which a mattress, which may also incorporate springs, a foam or similar support or a combination of the two, is placed.
With 150 years of development, the current coil spring bed with an inner spring mattress has about reached the pinnacle of its design. Current innovation in the development of beds and mattresses involves the use of fluid supported sleep surfaces. The waterbed, as it was known, which became a minor fad about a generation ago, was in its simplest form merely a plastic sack or bag which was filled with water. It was noted for its "wave action", which contributed to new sleep sensations; for its substantial weight because of the volume of water involved; and for its tendency to develop leaks. These two latter aspects gave the term "water bed" an unpleasant connotation, particularly with landlords whose rented apartments were sometimes damaged by tenants' water beds.
The problems with waterbeds of the single cell type have been largely overcome by the substitution of a plurality of water filled cylindrical containers as support members. These are typically arrayed side by side in a central cavity in the bed structure. Since each container only holds about thirty pounds of water, they can be manipulated much more readily, and a leak in one container is not disastrous because the volume which is involved is much less; also, a waterproof liner in the cavity is adequate to contain water from a leaking cylinder. The multi-cell configuration provides one outstanding advantage, in addition to eliminating the wave action of the "water bag", in that it is possible to vary the firmness of the sleep surface from one side of the bed to the other, simply by adjusting the degree to which the individual cylinders are filled with water.
Most recently, advances in bed design have been directed to achieving the capability of adjusting the degree of firmness of support automatically at different points of the sleep surface by using a settable control, much like the temperature of two sides of an electric blanket can be individually adjusted by setting a rheostat in a control system which includes sensors capable of monitoring temperature or some analog thereof. A feature such as the automatic control of the degree of support of the sleep surface with maintenance of the apparent firmness at a present level, selectable by the user, regardless of the load on the sleep surface, is a highly desirable attribute in a bed where sleep comfort is important to the user. It is also desirable from the standpoint of salability of the product, since it is a feature that provides a favorable comparison with other types of beds which are incapable of providing such a feature.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a system for a fluid supported bed which allows selection of a setting which is variable over a range of firmness levels. It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a system which has the capability of automatically adjusting the degree of support to accord to the preset firmness level as the load on the sleep surface changes, as when a person moves around on the sleep surface or gets on or off the bed.


An improved emergency or interim lighting device and associated methods for providing emergency or temporal lighting. The device satisfies the need for an electrochemical lighting system capable of providing prolonged illumination over the life of the power unit. The device benefits from the use of LEDs as the illumination source, which provide optimum lumen output with considerably less power consumption than conventional incandescent lighting devices. By providing for a unique combination of diode arrangement and parabolic reflector the directional limitations of conventional LED lighting devices are overcome and wide area illumination coverage is provided. Additionally a multi-level lighting scheme provides for a means of identifying the device during electrical power outage and providing multiple levels of lighting intensity.

The present invention relates generally to the field of illumination and, more particularly, the invention relates to a solid-state lighting source such as a light-emitting diode (LED) device that provides for multi-level illumination in emergency or temporary situations that demand such.
Frequently, homes, offices and industrial plant facilities experience many types of emergency situations involving power failures where an interior or an exterior area has no light. Electrical short circuits, brownouts, fire, accidents, natural disasters (i.e. floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc.) or a planned shutdown of electricity may cause these power failures to a facility or dwelling. As a result of these emergencies, most facilities, and especially residential homes, do not have emergency generators to provide temporary back-up lighting or are limited to emergency lighting in the form of portable light sources, such as flashlights or lanterns.
Conventionally, incandescent light bulbs have been used in most of the emergency lighting devices, such as flashlights. However, incandescent bulbs are generally inefficient in terms of energy use and subject to frequent replacement due to their limited lifetime. Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) have become an attractive alternative as a lighting source in emergency lighting devices. LEDs consume a fraction of the energy used to illuminate incandescent bulbs, therefore costly electrochemical power, typically battery power, is preserved. By comparison, LEDs implemented in a lighting array will require ninety percent less energy to produce optimum lumen output than that required by a similar incandescent lighting element. Additionally LEDs have a much longer use-life than conventional incandescent bulbs. However, in battery operated devices as electrical power is withdrawn from the cell, the voltage available across a given current load will decrease. This decreased available voltage across the given load causes reduced light output, gradually dimming the light as the battery charge depletes. LEDs have voltage, current and power parameters that must be controlled in order to maximize the extended device life. For an example of a flashlight device incorporating the use of LEDs see U.S. Pat. No. 6,095,661, entitled xe2x80x9cMethod and Apparatus for an LED Flashlightxe2x80x9d, issued on Aug. 1, 2000 in the name of inventor Lebens et al.
While LEDs have many exciting and practical characteristics that make them attractive to new applications, they also present technical limitations such as narrow band spectra, extremely directional light distribution, and reliability concerns. Attempts have been made to address the directional limitations in numerous inventive ways. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,227,679, entitled xe2x80x9cLED Light Bulbxe2x80x9d, issued on May 8, 2001 in the names of inventors Zhang et al. The Zhang ""679 patent addresses the directional limitations by providing for an array of LEDs in which the individual LED units are concentrically mounted and point at various angles to attempt to provide equal light intensity throughout the viewable lighting area.
Reflection means have also been implemented to try and compensate for the directional limitations of the LED. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,645, entitled xe2x80x9cLED Lighting System for Producing White Lightxe2x80x9d, issued on May 22, 2001, in the name of inventors Borner, et al. In the Borner ""645 patent an array of LEDs are mounted on the periphery of a circle and pointing in the direction of the reflector and the area to be lighted. The light emitted from the LEDs is reflected off of a conical shaped reflector and directed outward. Also see for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,283, entitled xe2x80x9cLED Lamp With Reflector and Multicolor Adjusterxe2x80x9d, issued on Nov. 21, 2000, in the name of inventors Conway et al. The Conway ""283 patent teaches the use of an array of LEDs disposed in a circular array and pointed toward a reflector and away from the area to be lighted. The light emitted from the LEDs is reflected off a circular, dome shaped reflector and directed outward toward the area to be illuminated. While these reflection means have made some improvements in providing LED light with greater directional capacity, further improvements are still desired to provide broader illumination coverage in emergency lighting devices that implement LEDs.
A need exists to develop an electrochemical LED lighting system capable of providing prolonged illumination over the life of one battery pack. By providing for long-term, interim illumination a solution to electrical service disruption will be gained, especially in areas such as stairwells, bathrooms, corridors, kitchens and offices.
An additional need exists to develop an LED lighting device that is capable of providing wide area illumination coverage. By providing for a device with wide area illumination coverage the device will have useful application in a variety of tasks that include building trades, maritime operations, recreational camping and the like. Additionally, the device should provide for a highly portable unit that can affixed to walls or ceilings, or a free-standing unit that can be positioned on a table, counter or the like.
Also, a need exists to develop a multi-level lighting scheme that will provide identification of the lighting device and the immediate surrounding area so that the device can be located when electrical service interruption occurs. The multi-level lighting scheme should also provide different levels of lighting (i.e., mid-level illumination and maximum illumination) to accommodate the degree of lighting necessary to sufficiently illuminate the area.
The present invention provides for an improved emergency or interim lighting device and associated methods for providing emergency or temporal lighting. The device of the present invention satisfies the need for an electrochemical lighting system capable of providing prolonged illumination over the life of the electrochemical power unit. The device benefits from the use of light emitting diodes (LEDs) as the illumination source, which provide optimum lumen output with considerably less power consumption than conventional incandescent lighting devices. By providing for a unique combination of diode arrangement and reflector the present invention overcomes the directional limitations of conventional LED lighting devices and results in wide area illumination coverage. Additionally the multi-level lighting scheme of the present invention provides for a means of identifying the device during electrical power outage and providing multiple levels of lighting intensity.
In one embodiment of the invention a lighting device that is capable of providing long-term, interim lighting includes an array of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) in electrical communication with corresponding electrical circuitry. The array will typically be configured in an elliptical pattern although other patterns such as generally conical, generally circular and the like are also feasible and within the inventive concepts herein disclosed. In one specific embodiment the LEDs comprise both amber and white LED units. The device also includes a means for providing electrical energy to the array of LEDs. In many embodiments the chosen source for electrical energy will be a direct current source, such as an electrochemical source. However, it is also possible to provide energy to the LEDs via other forms such as solar power, conventional alternating current power or any other means of supplying electrical energy.
The lighting device also includes a parabolic reflector positioned proximate to the array of light emitting diodes that reflects light from the LEDs to provide a wide area coverage of illumination. The geometric relationship between the LEDs and the parabolic reflector aids in dispersing the lumen output such that the lighting device is capable of broadcasting a wide-area blanket of light from the reflector. In one embodiment of the invention the elements comprising the LED array face inward toward the parabolic reflector with the reflected light be transmitted outward toward the area to be illuminated.
In another embodiment of the invention a lighting device that is capable of providing multi-level illumination includes an array of LEDs in electrical communication with a circuit board, the array comprising one or more low luminance LEDs and one or more high luminance LEDs. The array will typically be configured in an elliptical pattern although other patterns such as generally conical, generally circular and the like are also feasible. In one specific embodiment the low luminance LEDs comprise amber LED units and the high luminance LEDs comprise white LED units. The device also includes a means for providing electrical energy to the array of LEDs. In many embodiments the chosen source for electrical energy will be a direct current source, such as an electrochemical source.
This embodiment will also include electrical circuitry disposed on the circuit board that provides for engaging the one or more low luminance LEDs in a first level of illumination, engaging the one or more high luminance LEDs in a second level of illumination and engaging the one or more low luminance LEDs and the one or more high luminance LEDs in a third level of illumination. Additionally the electrical circuitry may include a means for accelerating the flow of electricity to the high luminance LEDs to increase the intensity of light output by the lighting device.
In another embodiment of the present invention a multi-level security illumination device includes a switch for engaging multiple levels of illumination and a processor in electrical communication with the switch that determines the level of illumination based on signals from the switch. The device additionally includes a first bank of light emitting diodes in electrical communication with the processor that provides low intensity illumination based on signals from the processor and a second bank of light emitting diodes in electrical communication with the processor that provides high intensity illumination based on signals from the processor. Additional processing means are provided for that increase current to the second bank of light emitting diodes to affect a maximum amplification level of illumination.
The invention is also defined by a method for multi-level illumination. The method comprises the step of engaging one or more low luminance Light Emitting Diode (LEDs) that are disposed in a LED array to provide first level illumination for the purpose of illuminating the location of the light source, followed by the step of disengaging the one or more low luminance LEDs and engaging one or more high luminance LEDs that are disposed in the LED array to provide second level illumination for the purpose of illuminating a specified area proximate the light source. The method follows with the step of engaging the one or more low luminance LEDs, in conjunction with the previously engaged one or more high luminance LEDs to provide third level illumination for the purpose of further illuminating the specified area proximate the light source. Additionally the method may comprise the step of accelerating the flow of electricity to the one or more high luminance LEDs for the purpose of increasing the intensity of illumination to a maximum amplification.
As such the present invention provides for an LED lighting system capable of providing a prolonged interim illumination solution in instances where electrical service disruption occurs. In the electrochemical energy embodiments this results in long-term use over the lifetime of a single battery pack. In providing for such devices, the present invention is especially attractive as a temporary lighting alternative in stairwells, bathrooms, corridors, kitchens and offices.
Additionally, the unique geometric combination of the LED array and the parabolic reflector provide for wide area illumination coverage. Such devices will have much needed applicability in a variety of tasks that include building trades, maritime operations, recreational camping and the like.
The multi-level lighting method of the present invention will provide ongoing identification of the lighting device allowing for easy identification of the device in instances in which electrical service disruption occurs. In addition, by providing for different levels of lighting (i.e., mid-level illumination and maximum illumination) to accommodate the degree of lighting necessary the device is capable of preserving battery life and, thus, prolonging the lighting period.

Apparatus and methods for providing emergency lighting


A method for selectively recovering nucleic acid from a sperm cell in a sample containing cells of at least a sperm cell and an epithelial cell, and a cell suspension medium comprising extracellular impurities, is provided. The method entails introducing a sample into a vessel, sequestering the cells from the remaining sample components, washing the cells with a washing solution either before or after sequestration, removing the impurities-containing cell suspension medium from the vessel while retaining the cells; lysing selectively cells of the first cell type; and isolating the nucleic acid from the lysed cells. Methods for recovering nucleic acid from the second cell type are also provided.

Forensic DNA analysis of sexual assault evidence often involves analysis of DNA from sperm cells and DNA from other cells such as epithelial cells. Sperm cells are normally obtained from a rape victim by rubbing a swab against a mucous membrane. The samples obtained from victims often contain a mixture of sperm and epithelial cells. Because the epithelial cells may outnumber sperm cells in the sample by at least an order of magnitude, the former can cause contamination of sperm cell DNA, when sperm DNA is purified. Consequently, it is often desirable to separate, as cleanly as possible, the sperm cells and epithelial cells, or the sperm DNA and the epithelial DNA, prior to analysis. Separation and isolation of DNA from sperm and epithelial cells are essential steps in identifying an assailant from a forensic specimen, and in associating the assailant with the victim.
The standard method for purifying sperm from swabs is based on differential extraction. Separation of the sperm DNA from the victim's DNA removes ambiguity, facilitates DNA analysis and allows for easier interpretation of the assailant's DNA profile in a rape case. Although differential extraction is commonly used to separate sperm and epithelial cells, the standard protocol is time consuming and laborious, and entails epithelial cell lysis prior to sperm cell lysis.
Typically, cells are first resuspended from a forensic specimen, followed by selective digestion of the victim's epithelial cells with a solution containing Proteinase K and SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate). The intact sperm are separated from the solubilized, contaminating DNA and epithelial cell debris by centrifugation, careful removal of supernatant, and extensive washing of the sperm pellet (see e.g., Giusti et al., J. Forensic Sci., 31:409-417, 1986; Gill et al. Nature 318:577-579, 1985; Wiegand et al., Int J. Legal Med., 104:359-360, 1992; and Yoshida et al., Forensic Sci. Int., 72:25-33, 1995). Unfortunately, the processes of centrifugation and careful removal of supernatant are difficult to automate and can cause the loss of sperm DNA due to multiple sample handling steps.
In one example of this procedure, Gill et al. (supra) describe a process for isolating sperm DNA from vaginal swabs taken from sexual assault victims. These swabs contain sperm and also a large excess of the victim's epithelial cells. The epithelial cells and the DNA contained in these cells are removed by preferential lysis (i.e., by incubation of the cell mixture in a buffer solution containing SDS, and Proteinase K). Sperm nuclei are impervious to this treatment because they have disulfide bond cross-linked thiol-rich proteins, while other cell types are digested and the corresponding DNA is solubilized. After preferential lysis, the samples are centrifuged to separate the sperm nuclei from the victim's solubilized DNA. The supernatant containing the victim's DNA is removed and the sperm pellet is washed repeatedly. The sperm nuclei are subsequently lysed by treatment with a buffer solution containing SDS, proteinase K and DTT (dithiothreitol), and the lysate separated from the contaminating cells by centrifugation.
Wiegand et al. (supra) attempted to improve on the method of Gill et al. for samples having low sperm counts by using mild lysis conditions and by avoiding the washing steps.
A number of proposals for separating sperm cells from epithelial cells are based on filtration. Chen et al. (J Forensic Science 43:114-118, 1998) and Garvin (PCT/US01/01835) separate the sperm from the epithelial cells before differential lysis by gravitational or mild vacuum filtration or by use of a filter material that can withstand strong vacuum or centrifugal forces without having the pores increase in size. DNA is then isolated from the sperm collected in the filtrate.
Differential extraction, specifically for sperm cell analysis, has been carried out by first lysing epithelial cells, before extracting the DNA from sperm. In order to reduce the time for forensic analysis, it is desirable to selectively extract the DNA from the sperm cells, initially. In addition, because the selective epithelial cell lysis conditions also cause some sperm lysis, lysing epithelial cells before the sperm cell fraction reduces the number of sperm cells present in the sample. The additional wash steps that are required to remove epithelial DNA also contribute to the loss of sperm cells.
Accurate sperm analysis can be impeded by the lysing or presence of epithelial cells, or other contaminating cell types, such as leukocytes. DNA present in the forensic sample, from damaged nonsperm cells, can contaminate the cells (most likely by binding to the surface of sperm cells), which can inhibit accurate identification of a perpetrator, especially when the number of recovered sperm cells is low.
The present inventor discovered that although techniques exist for differential extraction of one type of nucleic acid (from an individual cell type) from a heterogeneous cell population, residual contaminating nucleic acid is still a problem that warrants more precise extraction methodologies. One application where the need exists for highly specific differential extraction is forensic, specifically sexual assault analysis.
Because of their fragile nature, epithelial and other cells, e.g., leukocytes, in a sexual assault sample often break and lyse during handling, sample processing or storage. This residual DNA, if not removed, may contaminate male DNA during selective sperm lysis, especially when the number of sperm cells is low. In addition, epithelial and sperm cell surfaces are highly functionalized, with molecules (e.g., glycoproteins) that bind nucleic acid through ionic interactions, as well as other non-covalent methods. These cell surface proteins have been found to associate with extracellular nucleic acid present in a sample.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method for recovering sperm nucleic acid from a forensic sample


Herein is disclosed a modified ethylene vinyl alcohol polymer (EVOH) comprising an oxygen scavenging functional group. Preferably, the modified EVOH comprises structures IV, V, and VI:

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of high oxygen barrier polymers. More particularly, it concerns a modified poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol) (EVOH), or blends comprising the modified EVOH, used as an oxygen barrier for food and beverage packaging applications, methods of making the modified poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), packaging articles comprising the modified poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), and methods of making the packaging articles.
2. Description of Related Art
It is well known that limiting the exposure of oxygen-sensitive products to oxygen maintains and enhances the quality and shelf-life of the product. For instance, by limiting the oxygen transmission from environment into the oxygen sensitive food products in a packaging system, the quality of the food product is maintained, and food spoilage is avoided. In addition, high oxygen barrier packaging also keeps the product in inventory longer, thereby reducing costs incurred from waste and restocking.
Plastics continue to expand into food packaging applications traditionally served by metal and glass materials. An important packaging application area for polymeric materials is in packaging oxygen-sensitive food and beverage products. Polymers used for these applications, either as films or rigid containers, can be classified by their relative permeation to oxygen. Of the many classes of polymers. for such applications, those generally held to be high oxygen barrier materials include poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol) (EVOH), poly(vinylidene chloride) (PVDC), and acrylonitrile polymer (PAN). The barrier polymers generally classified as moderate to intermediate include aromatic nylon MXD-6 (Mitsubishi Gas Chemical) and amorphous nylon Selar PA (Du Pont). Among the high oxygen barrier resins, the use of poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol) (EVOH) copolymers shows the most rapid growth. EVOH is commercially available in several grades with different ratios of ethylene/vinyl alcohol in the polymer chain (Eval, Selar-OH, Sarnol). Familiar containers comprising an EVOH oxygen barrier include squeezable bottles (e.g. for ketchup or other condiments), shelf-stable entree container, and, more recently, beer bottles. However, the oxygen barrier properties of high barrier polymers, such as EVOH, are still frequently not as high as glasses or metals for a wide range of packaging applications. This performance gap between high barrier polymers and glasses or metals represents a tremendous opportunity in both rigid and flexible packaging applications; this has prompted intensive effort in the field to improve the oxygen barrier performance for EVOH barrier materials.
One approach to improve oxygen barrier performance of EVOH copolymers is to incorporate platelet-type fillers into ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymers (T. C. Bissot, "Performance of High-Barrier Resins with Platelet-Type Fillers," in Barrier Polymers and Structures, ACS Symposium Series 423 (1990), William J. Koros, Ed.). With such a composition, the oxygen barrier performance is increased approximately three-fold. The benefit is ascribed to the increased diffusion path length at the same layer thickness (tortuous path) produced by overlapping platelets obtained from orientation during processing. However, its improved barrier performance is critically dependent on the process (e.g. orientation of the platelet fillers in the EVOH matrix), and oxygen barrier performance is still not as strong as that seen for glasses and metals.
The recent development of oxygen scavenging technology has attracted significant commercial interest in the food and beverage packaging industry. With this technology, headspace oxygen in the filled package can be quickly removed by an oxygen scavenging polymer component in the packaging structure. In such a packaging structure, the headspace oxygen is consumed by the reaction between oxygen and the oxygen scavenging polymer. The reaction is often catalyzed by a transition metal salt, such as cobalt oleate. In such a system, the packaging article is typically designed to allow an efficient diffusion of headspace oxygen into the oxygen scavenging polymer in order to effect the desired oxygen scavenging reaction (oxidation), and the oxygen barrier property against ingress oxygen often relies on additional oxygen barrier layers in the packaging structures, such as aluminum foil in a juice carton packaging structures.
From this, it will be recognized that a superior oxygen barrier polymer with performance competitive with glasses and metals is extremely important to the packaging industry. Desirably, such a superior oxygen barrier polymer system would provide an extremely high oxygen barrier, or virtually zero oxygen diffusion. It would also be desirable for the superior oxygen barrier polymer to have improved moisture resistance, improved processibility, or improved interlayer adhesion.
Ching et al., WO 99/48963, showed an acrylate polymer comprising a cyclohexene moiety is very efficient in removing headspace oxygen in a packaging article. 1-cyclohexene-3-methanol was chemically linked to an ethylene methyl acrylate copolymer by a catalyzed ester exchange reaction. However, ethylene methyl acrylate is generally not regarded as being an oxygen barrier polymer.
Beer in PET, Part I of III (Packaging Strategies, Inc., eds., West Chester, Pa.) (1999), reports the reputed testing of a blend of an oxygen scavenger and an ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) in a packaging article for packaging beer. The identity of the oxygen scavenger, and the proportions of the oxygen scavenger and EVOH in the blend, were not reported. Further, this reference also does not disclose any chemical modification of EVOH.

Enhanced oxygen barrier performance from modification of ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymers (EVOH)

Abstract: wherein x is an integer greater than or equal to 1, y is an integer greater than or equal to 1, z is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and R comprises a cycloalkenyl group.

Abstract: The modified EVOH is useful in oxygen barrier applications, such as a forming an oxygen barrier layer of a packaging article.

Abstract: Also disclosed are methods of modifying ethylene vinyl alcohol polymers, and using the modified EVOH to make packaging articles with a superior barrier to entry by atmospheric oxygen.


The present disclosure relates to a method for preparing tolimidone on large scale with maintaining high purity and uniform particle size distribution, and more specifically, a method suitable for preparing tolimidone on industrially large scale by using tetrabutyl ammonium bromide catalyst and recrystallization in ethanol, which can prepare highly pure tolimidone in a time shorter than prior arts while maintaining water content and particle size distribution constantly.

Tolimidone of the following formula 1 exhibits good effect of lowering blood sugar in diabetes-induced animal model through the mechanism of action of lowering blood sugar by activating Lyn kinase (The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 2012, Vol. 342, No. 1, pp. 23-32).

In the currently known method for preparing tolimidone, as shown in the following reaction scheme 1, the compounds of formulas 6 and 5 as starting materials are reacted to obtain the intermediate of formula 4, and then the aldehyde intermediate of formula 3 is obtained through Vilsmeir reaction. Next, the intermediate of formula 3 and urea are refluxed with agitation under the condition of sodium ethoxide/ethanol to obtain the sodium salt of formula 2, and then the sodium metal is desalted by using 6N aqueous solution of hydrochloric acid or acetic acid to obtain tolimidone of formula 1 (U.S. Pat. No. 3,922,345; Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 1980, Vol. 23, pp. 1026-1031).

However, in case of the first reaction of the above preparation method, in order to obtain the intermediate of formula 4, water should be removed from meta-cresol of formula 6 and the starting material of formula 5 in the presence of potassium hydroxide in Dean-Stark apparatus at a high temperature of 140˜150° C., and this procedure is not suitable for a large scale production process.
Next, in the step of desalting the sodium salt of formula 2 by using hydrochloric acid or acetic acid to obtain tolimidone of formula 1, it is not easy to completely remove water, which is used for washing in filtering procedure of a large scale production process, through drying procedure. In addition, the particle size distribution of tolimidone of formula 1 obtained by the above preparation method is not sufficiently uniform for large scale production, and the reproducibility of the particle size distribution is also not sufficient for large scale production.
It has been generally known that particle size distribution of a drug affects the dissolution rate, bioavailability, stability, etc. of the drug (JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES 2010, 99 (1), 51˜75; INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICS 1995, 122 (1-2), 35˜47). Therefore, the uniform particle size distribution of tolimidone of formula 1 is very important in order to uniformly maintaining the dissolution rate, bioavailability, etc. of the drug in clinical use.

Method for preparing tolimidone on large scale


A method of manufacturing an optical waveguide, includes forming a first cladding layer on a substrate, forming a core layer on the first cladding layer, forming a groove portion including a light path conversion inclined surface by processing the core layer in a thickness direction, and forming a second cladding layer in which a light path conversion hole is arranged on the light path conversion inclined surface on the first cladding layer and the core layer.

Recently, the development of the backbone network communication line as mainly focusing on the optical fiber communication technology is proceeding steadily and, in such a situation, the electronic wirings in the information terminal are becoming a bottleneck. Against such background, instead of the conventional electric circuit substrate in which all signal transmissions are made by using the electric signal, the optoelectronic composite substrate (the optical waveguide device) of the type that transmits high-speed parts by the light has been proposed, in order to compensate the limit of transmission speed of the electric signal.
In the optoelectronic composite substrate, the light signal is transmitted by the optical waveguide including such a structure in which the core layer is surrounded by the cladding layers.
In an example of the method of manufacturing the optical waveguide, first, the lower cladding layer, the core layer, and the upper cladding layer are formed sequentially on the substrate. Then, the core layer is processed by the rotary blade so as to divide the core layer from the upper cladding layer, so that the groove portions each having an inclined surface at an angle of 45° to the light propagation direction are formed.
Then, in the air boundary of the inclined surface in the groove portion, the light which is propagated through the core layer is made to reflect in the vertical direction, and the light path is converted.
A related art is disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2010-78882.
In the prior art, the groove portions each having the inclined surface are formed as the release spaces that are extended elongately to intersect orthogonally with a plurality of core layers such that these release spaces go across the optical waveguide forming areas, after the core layers are covered with the upper cladding layer. Accordingly, since a volume of the groove portions becomes relatively large, the enough mechanical strength of the optical waveguide cannot be obtained. Also, since the groove portions are connected elongately, such a risk is increased that a foreign matter adheres to the inclined surfaces, thereby long-term reliability of the optical waveguide is feared.
Further, in the case that the groove portions are covered by fixing the coating member onto the optical waveguide by the adhesive, some devising is needed such that the adhesive does not go around the groove portions.

Optical waveguide and method of manufacturing the same, and optical waveguide device


A semiconductor device having a trench isolation structure which has a high insulating characteristic, is suitable for miniaturizing a semiconductor device, and prevents a leakage current, as well as a method of manufacturing the semiconductor device. A small-density polysilicon film is formed between a semiconductor substrate and a CVD silicon oxide film in the area within a trench where a trench isolation structure is to be formed. Mechanical stress that develops between the semiconductor substrate and the CVD silicon oxide film during heat treatment is mitigated by changing the crystalline structure of the polysilicon film.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a manufacturing method therefor, and more particularly, to an isolation structure of a semiconductor device.
2. Description of Related Art
Trench isolation is one method of isolating and insulating semiconductor elements from one another. A trench isolation structure is formed by forming a trench in the surface of a semiconductor substrate, and by filling the trench with a polysilicon film or a silicon oxide film. Compared with other insulation and isolation structures, the trench isolation structure requires a much smaller area and involves much lower parastic capacitance. Therefore, the trench isolation structure is suitable for increasing the density of and the operating speed of a semiconductor device.
FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional MOS semiconductor device having a trench isolation structures. In the drawing, reference numeral 101 designates a semiconductor substrate; 102 designates a trench; 104 designates a buried film; 105 designates a gate insulating film; 106 designates a polysilicon layer; 107 designates a metal silicide layer; 108 designates a sidewall; 109 designates a silicon oxide film; 1010 and 1011 designate source/drain regions; 1012 designates an interlayer insulating film; and 1013 designates a gate electrode. The gate electrode 1013 is formed from the polysilicon layer 106 and the metal silicide layer 107. An isolation region is formed from a trench isolation structure comprising the trench 102, the silicon oxide film 109, and the buried film 104.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. 4-209551 and 2-114654 disclose a structure which is formed by filling an trench isolation with a polysilicon film and capping a surface of the trench isolation by thermal oxidation. As can be seen from FIG. 29, in the MOS semiconductor device, the gate electrode 1013 runs over the trench isolation structure and is shared among a plurality of transistors. Therefore, the buried film 104 must be formed from a silicon oxide film having a highly-insulating characteristic.
FIG. 30 is a cross-sectional view of a trench isolation structure of a conventional semiconductor device. In the drawing, reference numeral 110 designates what is called a bird""s beak.
Silicon oxide films include several types of films; among them a silicon oxide film formed by thermal oxidation (hereinafter referred to as a xe2x80x9cthermal oxide filmxe2x80x9d) and a silicon oxide film (hereinafter referred to as a xe2x80x9cCVD silicon oxide film) formed by CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition). The thermal oxide film is formed by forming the trench 102 in the surface of the semiconductor substrate 101 and subjecting the substrate to a heat treatment for a long period of time. As a result, the bird""s beak 110 becomes larger, as shown in FIG. 30. In contrast, the CVD silicon oxide film retards formation of the bird""s beak and is suitable for miniaturizing a semiconductor element. A semiconductor device for which a trench isolation structure is formed through use of a CVD silicon oxide film is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. 59-135743 and 63-266878.
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having a trench isolation structure through use of a CVD silicon oxide film will now be described.
FIGS. 31 to 34 are cross-sectional views showing a process of manufacturing a conventional semiconductor device, and FIG. 34 is a cross-sectional view of a trench isolation structure of the conventional semiconductor device. In FIG. 31, reference numeral 1021 designates a silicon nitride film; and 1091 designates a silicon oxide film.
First, the silicon oxide film 1091 and the silicon nitride film 1021 are formed on the semiconductor substrate 101. Through use of a photoresist mask (not shown), the silicon nitride film 1021 is patterned in such a way as to open an area where the trench 102 is to be formed. FIG. 31 is a cross-sectional view of an element of a semiconductor device obtained after completion of the foregoing processing operations.
Next, after the silicon oxide film 1091 and the semiconductor substrate 101 have been etched while the silicon nitride film 1021 is used as a mask, the inner wall of the trench 102 is subjected to thermal oxidation, thereby forming the silicon oxide film 109. FIG. 32 is a cross-sectional view of the element of the semiconductor device obtained after completion of the foregoing operations.
In FIG. 33, reference numeral 1041 designates a CVD silicon oxide film. As seen in the drawing, the trench 102 is filled with the CVD silicon oxide film 1041, and the substrate is then subjected to heat treatment at 1000xc2x0 C. in an oxygen atmosphere for about one hour. FIG. 33 is a cross-sectional view of the element of the semiconductor device obtained after completion of the foregoing processing operations.
After the silicon substrate has been made smooth by means of CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing), the silicon nitride film 1041 and the silicon oxide film 1091 are removed, thereby completing the trench isolation structure.
Since the CVD silicon oxide film has a low density, mere embedding of the film into the trench results in a poor-quality CVD silicon oxide film; the silicon oxide film assumes particularly poor quality in the center of the trench 102. As a result, the CVD silicon oxide film 1041 is etched when the silicon oxide film 1091 and other silicon oxide films are removed by hydrofluoric acid, thereby forming a recess in the CVD silicon oxide film 1041 such as that shown in FIG. 34. For this reason, after deposition of the CVD silicon oxide film 1041, the substrate is subjected to heat treatment so as to improve the etch resistance characteristics of the CVD silicon oxide film 1041, thereby preventing formation of a recess.
The semiconductor device shown in FIG. 29 is formed by sequentially forming the gate insulation film 105, the gate electrodes 1013, the source/drain regions 1010 and 1011, and the sidewalls 108.
Since the CVD silicon oxide is formed in such a manner as mentioned above, formation of a bird""s beak is retarded when compared with the case in which a buried film is formed from a thermal oxide film. Consequently, the CVD silicon oxide film is suitable for miniaturizing a semiconductor element.
However, in the conventional semiconductor device, if the substrate is subjected to heat treatment in order to improve the quality of the CVD silicon oxide film after the CVD silicon oxide film was formed, or if the substrate is subjected to heat treatment during the process of fabrication of an element, for reasons of a difference in coefficient of thermal expansion between the CVD silicon oxide film and the semiconductor substrate, the volume of the CVD silicon oxide film filled in the trench is changed to exert mechanical stress (stress) in an area between the semiconductor substrate and a buried layer. The stress induces defects in the semiconductor substrate around the trenches. If such a semiconductor substrate is subjected to heat treatment in an oxygen atmosphere, the CVD silicon oxide film expands, as a result of which defects become particularly noticeable.
FIG. 35 is a cross-sectional view of an element of a conventional semiconductor device and shows an NMOS when a leakage current flows because of defects. In the drawing, reference numeral 120 designates a defect; 130 designates an electron; and 140 designates a hole. Because of the semiconductor device being subjected to the heat treatment after deposition of the CVD silicon oxide film, the defect 120 is formed in the semiconductor substrate around the trench. The defect 120 deteriorates the reliability of the element, in addition to causing the electron 130 and the hole 140 to form a pair. As a result of migration of the electron 130 and the hole 140 in the directions indicated by arrows in the drawing, a leakage current flows in the source/drain region, thereby causing a faulty operation or an increase in power consumption. Memory cells in DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) store information by means of electric charges stored in a capacitor and perform refresh (i.e., read/write operations) at regular time intervals. In the event of a leakage current flowing by means of defects, the information stored in the capacitor is excessively lost, thus deteriorating the refresh characteristics of the memory cells.
The present invention has been conceived in light of the foregoing drawbacks of the prior art, and the object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor device having a trench isolation structure which has a high insulating characteristic, is suitable for miniaturizing an element, and is capable of reducing a leakage current, as well as to provide a method of manufacturing the semiconductor device.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor device comprising a semiconductor substrate having a trench formed in a main surface; a polysilicon film formed on a surface of an area of the semiconductor substrate within the trench; and a CVD silicon oxide film formed on the surface of the polysilicon film filling the trench; and an element formed in an active region surrounded by the trench formed in the main surface of the semiconductor substrate.
In the semiconductor device, the trench may be disposed between the active region and an other active region, and the polysilicon film may be surrounded independently each of the active region and the other active region.
Here, the semiconductor device may further comprise a first thermal oxide film between the polysilicon film and the CVD silicon oxide film.
Here, the semiconductor device may further comprise a silicon nitride film between the polysilicon film and the CVD silicon oxide film.
In the semiconductor device, the polysilicon film may have irregular surface.
In the semiconductor device, the element formed on the main surface of the semiconductor substrate may have source/drain regions formed in the main surface of the semiconductor substrate and may have a gate electrode formed on the main surface of the semiconductor substrate by way of an gate insulating film.
Here, the semiconductor device may further comprise a silicon oxide film formed between an edge of the polysilicon film and the gate insulating film.
Here, the semiconductor device may further comprise an interlayer insulating film covering the surface of the semiconductor substrate and having an opening; and a capacitor connecting to either the source region or the drain regions by way of the opening.
Here, the semiconductor device may further comprise a second thermal oxide film formed between the semiconductor substrate and the polysilicon film.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of forming a trench to surround an active region by etching a main surface of a semiconductor substrate while the main surface in the active region of the semiconductor substrate is masked; forming a polysilicon film to cover the surface of the trench; depositing a CVD silicon oxide film over the entire surface of the trench by filling the trench; subjecting the semiconductor substrate to heat treatment; planarizing the surface of the CVD silicon oxide film; removing the mask; and forming an element on the main surface in the active region of the semiconductor substrate.
In the semiconductor device manufacturing method, after the step of forming a polysilicon film, the method may further comprise the step of etching the polysilicon film formed on the surface of the bottom of the trench in the semiconductor substrate.
In the semiconductor device manufacturing method, after the step of forming a polysilicon film, the method may further comprise the step of forming a thermal oxide film on the surface of the polysilicon film.
In the semiconductor device manufacturing method, after the step of forming a polysilicon film, the method may further comprise the step of forming a silicon nitride film on the surface of the polysilicon film.
In the semiconductor device manufacturing method, the surface of the polysilicon film may have irregularities.
In the semiconductor device manufacturing method, after the step of forming a polysilicon film, the method may further comprise the step of forming irregularities by etching the surface of the polysilicon film.
In the semiconductor device manufacturing method, the step of formation of the polysilicon film may comprise a step of formation of an amorphous silicon film and a step of subjecting the semiconductor substrate to heat treatment in a vacuum.
Here, the semiconductor device manufacturing method may further comprise the steps of forming a gate insulating film on the main surface of the semiconductor substrate by thermal oxidation; forming a gate electrode on the surface of the gate insulating film; and forming source/drain regions on the main surface of the semiconductor substrate.
Here, the semiconductor manufacturing method may further comprise the steps of forming a sidewall on the side surface of the gate electrode; forming an interlayer insulating film over the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate; forming an opening to permit communication between the surface of the interlayer insulating film and either the source region or the drain region; and forming a capacitor to be connected to either the source region or the drain region by way of the opening.
In the semiconductor manufacturing method, after the step of forming a trench and prior to the step of forming a polysilicon film, the method may further comprise the step of forming a thermal oxide film on the surface of the semiconductor substrate within the trench.

Semiconductor device and manufacturing method therefor


A filter device configured with a plurality of micro-resonators and having a wide specific bandwidth. The filter device is configured as having a plurality of beam-structured, micro-resonators (15), (16), (17), (18) electrically connected in a lattice-forming manner between two input terminals (11), (12) for balanced input and two output terminals (13), (14) for balanced output, each of the plurality of micro-resonators (15), (16), (17), (18) being composed of a resonator group including a plurality of resonators differed in resonance frequency.

Along with progress in recent IT (information technology), the number of devices making use of networks shows a vast increase. In this situation, in particular in view of usability, there are increasing demands for wireless networking technology. An RF front-end module used for radio communication has, beside a semiconductor chip, relatively large-sized components, such as SAW (surface acoustic wave) filter and dielectric filter used for RF filter (high frequency filter) and IF filter (intermediate frequency filter), incorporated therein, so that presence of these components is causative of inhibiting miniaturization and cost reduction of the RF front-end module. Therefore, efforts has been made on realizing miniaturization and cost reduction of the RF front-end module, by incorporating these filter functions into a semiconductor chip. More specifically, there is known a technique of using a MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical system) element, a sort of micro-machine, as a resonator.
A resonator employing the MEMS element (referred to as micro-resonator, hereinafter) is formed on a semiconductor chip using semiconductor processes, and has a beam structure allowing the device to function as a resonator. The micro-resonator has advantages in that the device needs only a small space to occupy, can realize a high Q value (ratio of energy/loss), and can be integrated with other semiconductor devices. Therefore, a proposal has been made on using it as a radio communication device, especially as a frequency filter (RF filter, IF filter) (see, for example, High-Q HF Microelectromechanical Filters, "IEEE Journal of Solid-state Circuits", (U.S.A.), April 2000, Vol. 35, No. 4, p.512-526).
However, the micro-resonator disclosed in the above-described High-Q HF Microelectromechanical Filters has an extremely large Q value, and a specific bandwidth obtained in a case where the filter device is configured by mechanically connecting (coupling) beam electrodes of two micro-resonators with a rod-like elastic strip is only as small as 1% or below (0.23% according to the description in the document). In contrast to this, most of specific bandwidth required for the filter device is 2% or above, so that there has been a need of expanding the specific bandwidth in order to satisfy the demand.
The present invention was conceived in order to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof resides in realizing expansion of the specific bandwidth of a filter device configured using micro-resonators.

Filter device and transmitter-receiver utilizing beam-structured micro-resonators


An electronic device includes a driver that is connected with a pin, receives an input signal, and outputs an output signal to the pin in response to the input signal, a core circuit that transfers the input signal to the driver, and a monitor circuit that receives the input and output signals and detects a stuck voltage state of the output signal based on the input and output signals. The monitor circuit includes a first detection circuit that detects the stuck voltage state when the input and output signals are logically incorrect, a second detection circuit that detects the stuck voltage state when the input and output signals are logically correct and when the output signal is at a low level, and a third detection circuit that detects the stuck voltage state when the input and output signals are logically correct and when the output signal is at a high level.

Embodiments of the inventive concept described herein relate to an electronic device, and more particularly, to an electronic device which detects a stuck voltage state of an output driver and to a method of monitoring a stuck voltage state.
An electronic device such as a semiconductor chip (or package) is configured to communicate with an external device. The electronic device may include signal lines to receive signals from the external device and transmit signals to the external device. A voltage level of one or more of these signal lines may become stuck or frozen due to an error in manufacturing the electronic device or due to a progressive defect of the electronic device. Herein, the phrase "stuck voltage state" means a condition in which a voltage level of a given signal line is improperly fixed in place as the result of coupling with a power supply voltage VDD or a ground voltage VSS.

Electronic device for detecting stuck voltage state and method of monitoring stuck voltage state


System and method for controlling one or more light emitting diodes. For example, the system includes: a phase detector configured to process information associated with a rectified voltage generated by a rectifier and related to a TRIAC dimmer, the rectified voltage corresponding to a first waveform during a first half cycle of an AC voltage and corresponding to a second waveform during a second half cycle of the AC voltage, the phase detector being further configured to generate a phase detection signal representing a first time duration during which the first waveform indicates that the rectified voltage is larger than a predetermined threshold and representing a second time duration during which the second waveform indicates that the rectified voltage is larger than the predetermined threshold; and a mode detector configured to process information associated with the rectified voltage.

Certain embodiments of the present invention are directed to circuits. More particularly, some embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for controlling currents. Merely by way of example, some embodiments of the invention have been applied to light emitting diodes (LEDs). But it would be recognized that the invention has a much broader range of applicability.
With development in the light-emitting diode (LED) lighting market, many LED manufacturers have placed LED lighting products at an important position in market development. The LEDs often provide high brightness, high efficiency, and long lifetime. The LED lighting products usually need dimmer technology to provide consumers with a unique visual experience. Since Triode for Alternating Current (TRIAC) dimmers have been widely used in other lighting systems such as incandescent lighting systems, the TRIAC dimmers are also increasingly being used in LED lighting systems.
Conventionally, the TRIAC dimmers usually are designed primarily for incandescent lights with pure resistive loads and low luminous efficiency. Such characteristics of incandescent lights often help to meet the requirements of TRIAC dimmers in holding currents. Therefore, the TRIAC dimmers usually are suitable for light dimming when used with incandescent lights. However, when the TRIAC dimmers are used with more efficient LEDs, it is often difficult to meet the requirements of TRIAC dimmers in holding currents due to the reduced input power needed to achieve equivalent illumination to that of incandescent lights. Therefore, conventional LED lighting systems often utilize bleeder units to provide compensation in order to satisfy the requirements of TRIAC dimmers in holding currents.
Additionally, certain TRIAC dimmers have a threshold voltage for current conduction in one direction and another threshold voltage for current conduction in another direction, with these threshold voltages being different in magnitude. The different threshold voltages can cause the TRIAC dimmers to process differently positive and negative values in the AC input signal and thus generate positive and negative waveforms of different sizes. Such difference in waveform size can cause flickering of the LEDs.
FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram showing a conventional TRIAC dimmer. As shown in FIG. 1, the TRIAC dimmer 100 includes a Triode for Alternating Current (TRIAC) 110, a Diode for Alternating Current (DIAC) 120, a variable resistor 130, and a capacitor 140. The TRIAC dimmer 100 includes terminals 102 and 104. The terminal 102 receives an alternating current (AC) input voltage 180 (e.g., VAC), and the terminal 104 is coupled to a LED driver chip 190 through a rectifier 150.
The TRIAC 110 includes three terminals, one terminal of which is configured to receive the alternating current (AC) input voltage 180 (e.g., VAC) through the terminal 102, another terminal of which is connected to a terminal of the rectifier 150 through the terminal 104, and yet another terminal of which is connected to a terminal of the DIAC 120. The capacitor 140 (e.g., capacitor Ct) includes two terminals, one terminal of which is connected to the terminal of the TRIAC 110 and another terminal of which is connected to one terminal of the variable resistor 130 (e.g., variable resistor Rt). Another terminal of the variable resistor 130 (e.g., variable resistor Rt) is configured to receive the AC input voltage 180 (e.g., VAC) through the terminal 102. The DIAC 120 includes two terminals, one terminal of which is connected to the terminal of the TRIAC 110 and another terminal of which is connected to both the terminal of the variable resistor 130 (e.g., variable resistor Rt) and the terminal of the capacitor 140 (e.g., capacitor Ct).
When the AC input voltage 180 (e.g., VAC) is in the positive half cycle during which the AC input voltage 180 (e.g., VAC) is larger than zero, the voltage at the node T1 is higher than the voltage at the node T2 so that the RC charging circuit that includes the variable resistor 130 (e.g., variable resistor Rt) and the capacitor 140 (e.g., capacitor Ct) charges the capacitor 140 (e.g., capacitor Ct). The voltage drop between two terminals of the capacitor 140 (e.g., capacitor Ct) is equal to the voltage at the node G minus the voltage at the node T2. If the voltage drop between two terminals of the capacitor 140 (e.g., capacitor Ct) becomes larger than a predetermined positive-direction voltage that is equal to a positive-direction threshold voltage (e.g., VBD), the DIAC 120 becomes turned on and the TRIAC 110 is also turned on, so the voltage at the node T1 and the voltage at the node T2 become equal, causing the capacitor 140 (e.g., capacitor Ct) to discharge through the variable resistor 130 (e.g., variable resistor Rt). The positive-direction threshold voltage (e.g., VBD) is larger than zero volts (e.g., being equal to about 30 volts).
When the AC input voltage 180 (e.g., VAC) is in the negative half cycle during which the AC input voltage 180 (e.g., VAC) is smaller than zero, the voltage at the node T1 is lower than the voltage at the node T2 so that the RC charging circuit that includes the variable resistor 130 (e.g., variable resistor Rt) and the capacitor 140 (e.g., capacitor Ct) charges the capacitor 140 (e.g., capacitor Ct). The voltage drop between two terminals of the capacitor 140 (e.g., capacitor Ct) is equal to the voltage at the node G minus the voltage at the node T2. If the voltage drop between two terminals of the capacitor 140 (e.g., capacitor Ct) becomes less than a predetermined negative-direction voltage that is equal to a negative-direction threshold voltage (e.g., VRD) multiplied by −1, the DIAC 120 becomes turned on and the TRIAC 110 is also turned on, so the voltage at the node T1 and the voltage at the node T2 become equal, causing the capacitor 140 (e.g., capacitor Ct) to discharge through the variable resistor 130 (e.g., variable resistor Rt). The negative-direction threshold voltage (e.g., VRD) is larger than zero.
If the current that flows though the TRIAC 110 is larger than a holding current of the TRIAC 110, the TRIAC 110 remains turned on, and if the current that flows though the TRIAC 110 is smaller than the holding current of the TRIAC 110, the TRIAC 110 becomes turned off. Additionally, the variable resistor 130 (e.g., variable resistor Rt) is adjusted to change the time duration that is needed to charge or discharge the capacitor 140 (e.g., capacitor Ct), thus also changing the phase range within which the waveform of the AC input voltage 180 (e.g., VAC) is clipped by the TRIAC dimmer 100.
FIG. 2 is a simplified conventional diagram showing a current flowing through the TRIAC 110 as a function of the voltage drop between two terminals of the capacitor 140 as shown in FIG. 1. The current IT represents the current that flows through the TRIAC 110, and the voltage VGT2 represents the voltage drop between two terminals of the capacitor 140, which is equal to the voltage at the node G minus the voltage at the node T2. If the current IT is larger than zero, the current flows through the TRIAC 110 from the node T1 to the node T2, and if the current IT is smaller than zero, the current flows through the TRIAC 110 from the node T2 to the node T1. Also, if the voltage VGT2 is larger than zero, the voltage at the node G is larger than the voltage at the node T2, and if the voltage VGT2 is smaller than zero, the voltage at the node G is smaller than the voltage at the node T2. Additionally, VBD represents the positive-direction threshold voltage, and VRD represents the negative-direction threshold voltage.
As shown in FIG. 2, after the TRIAC 110 is turned on, if the current IT that flows though the TRIAC 110 is larger than the holding current (e.g., hi) of the TRIAC 110, the TRIAC 110 remains turned on, and if the current that flows though the TRIAC 110 is smaller than the holding current of the TRIAC 110, the TRIAC 110 becomes turned off. Also as shown in FIG. 2, after the TRIAC 110 becomes turned off, if the current IT that flows though the TRIAC 110 is larger than the latching current (e.g., IL) of the TRIAC 110, the TRIAC 110 becomes turned on, and if the current that flows though the TRIAC 110 is smaller than the latching current (e.g., IL) of the TRIAC 110, the TRIAC 110 remains turned off. The latching current (e.g., IL) of the TRIAC 110 is larger than the holding current (e.g., IH) of the TRIAC 110.
As an example, the positive-direction threshold voltage VBD is not equal to the negative-direction threshold voltage VRD, so given the same resistance value for the variable resistor Rt, the phase range within which the waveform of the AC input voltage VAC is clipped by the TRIAC dimmer 100 during the positive half cycle of the AC input voltage VAC is not equal to the phase range within which the waveform of the AC input voltage VAC is clipped by the TRIAC dimmer 100 during the negative half cycle of the AC input voltage VAC. For example, if the positive-direction threshold voltage VBD is significantly different from the negative-direction threshold voltage VRD, the TRIAC dimmer 100 generates a waveform during the positive half cycle of the AC input voltage VAC and a waveform during the negative half cycle of the AC input voltage VAC, wherein the sizes of these two waveforms are significantly different, causing flickering of the one or more LEDs 190.
Hence it is highly desirable to improve the techniques related to LED lighting systems.

Systems and methods for controlling currents flowing through light emitting diodes

On-Bright Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.


There is provided a light emitting apparatus including: at least one pair of lead frames; a light emitting device electrically connected to the lead frames to emit ultraviolet rays; a body including a side wall surrounding the light emitting device, and a groove portion formed in an upper surface of the side wall to receive an adhesive; and a lens part disposed above the light emitting device and fixed to the upper surface of the side wall of the body by the adhesive.

1. Field of the Inventive Concept
The present inventive concept relates to a light emitting apparatus with increased strength and reliability.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor light emitting devices may generate various colors of light through the recombination of electrons and holes at a p-n junction between p-type and n-type semiconductors when current is applied thereto. Light emitting diodes (LEDs) have several advantages, such as a long lifespan, low power consumption, excellent initial driving characteristics, high vibration resistance, and the like, as compared with filament-based light emitting devices, and thus, the demand for such LEDs is continuously increasing. Semiconductor light emitting devices can emit light having various wavelengths, including visible light such as red light, blue light, and the like, infrared rays, and ultraviolet rays, and thus, may be widely applied in the fields of interior illumination, street lighting, medical devices, and the like.
Most light transmissive resin materials widely used as general sealing materials or support members of light emitting devices are easily deteriorated by ultraviolet rays. Therefore, in the case of an ultraviolet (UV) light emitting device emitting light having a wavelength of about 380 nm or shorter, when a general light transmissive resin is used as a material for a package, stable light emissions cannot be obtained due to a decrease in ultraviolet ray transmittance, and when the resin is used as an adhesive material, adhesive strength is decreased due to deterioration thereof due to ultraviolet rays, which may cause a degradation in the reliability of the apparatus.


A new and distinct cultivar of Heuchera plant named ‘Big Top Caramel Apple’, characterized by its medium greyed-red and medium green-colored foliage, medium yellow-green and white-colored flowers, and vigorous, mounded growth habit, is disclosed.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Heuchera plant botanically known as Heuchera x hybrida and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name 'Big Top Caramel Apple'.
The new cultivar originated in a controlled breeding program in Hem, The Netherlands during the summer of 2016. The objective of the breeding program was the development of Heuchera cultivars with unique foliage coloration and a vigorous, mounded growth habit.
The new Heuchera cultivar is the result of open-pollination. The female (seed) parent of the new cultivar is 'Carnival Watermelon', U.S. Plant Pat. No. 24,803, characterized by its immature foliage color of greyed burgundy-red with a slight silvery overlay and prominent reddish to reddish-brown venation, mature foliage color of greyed-green and prominent green venation, and moderately vigorous and mounded growth habit. The male (pollen) parent of the new cultivar is unknown. The new cultivar was selected as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the above stated open-pollination during July 2017 in a controlled environment in Hem, The Netherlands.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by in vitro propagation since July 2017 in Tenjo, Colombia and Bremen, Germany has demonstrated that the new cultivar reproduces true to type with all of the characteristics, as herein described, firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of such asexual propagation.


A surgical suturing device having an axis extending between a proximal end and a distal end is operable to move a suture through body tissue. An actuating rod extends between the handle assembly and the shaft. A needle assembly at the distal end of the actuating rod is movable with the actuating rod between an extended state and a retracted state. Bifurcated portions of the needle assembly define a suture slot, the bifurcated portions have a proximate relationship when the needle assembly is in the retracted state and having a separated relationship when the needle assembly is in the extended state. The needle assembly is biased to the retracted state and the bifurcated portions are biased to the separated relationship. A handle assembly is configured to releasably receive the needle assembly and is operable to move the needle assembly between a free suture state and a captured suture state.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to surgical suture apparatus and, more specifically, to needle suture manipulating apparatus and methods.
2. Discussion of Related Art
One of the more challenging aspects of endoscopy/arthroscopy is to properly place a suture in identified tissue. This task is complicated by the fact that all work must be done through a 5-8 millimeter cannula while viewing one's efforts on a monitor.
With these difficult size configurations, it has been a significant challenge to incorporate all of the tasks into a single instrument. As a result, the tasks for initially passing a suture through target tissue and subsequently retrieving the suture from the far side has often required use of more than one instrument.
Various needle configurations have been contemplated, some with the needle permanently attached to the suture and others wherein the needle merely engages the suture. Attempts to miniaturize the needle structure have often produced needles that were so small they tended to yield under compressive stresses.
The handles associated with suturing devices have been limited in the number of functions that could be performed. In some cases, handle assemblies have required two-handed operation. It has also been typical to provide needle assemblies that were permanently attached to the handle rather than assemblies that were removable from the handle and perhaps disposable.

Expandable needle suture apparatus and associated handle assembly