An optically transparent furnace (10) having a detection apparatus (29) with a pedestal (12) enclosed in an evacuated ampule (16) for growing a crystal (14) thereon. Temperature differential is provided by a source heater (20), a base heater (24) and a cold finger (26) such that material migrates from a polycrystalline source material (18) to grow the crystal (14). A quartz halogen lamp (32) projects a collimated beam (30) onto the crystal (14) and a reflected beam (34) is analyzed by a double monochromator and photomultiplier detection spectrometer (40) and the detected peak position (48) in the reflected energy spectrum (44) of the reflected beam (34) is interpreted to determine surface temperature of the crystal (14).

The present invention relates generally to a temperature measurement method and means, and more specifically to a non-invasive method for measuring the surface temperature of growing crystals.
Temperature is frequently an important parameter systems where materials are processed or their properties are to be measured. Many methods have been developed for measuring the temperature of solid or fluid phases of materials at both high and low temperatures. These methods may be classified as contact or non-contact methods. The contact methods (referred to as "invasive" methods) usually involve placing a sensor within or very close to the object to be measured, and then monitoring a temperature dependent property of the sensor, such as an electrical, optical, or geometrical property, or the like. It is generally essential for accurate measurements that the sensor disturbs the object as little as possible.
The non-contact ("non-invasive") methods of temperature measurement use a sensor which is remote from the object, and they measure a temperature dependent property of the object itself, such as the thermal (Planck) blackbody radiance, some feature of the optical spectrum, or the like. Methods which utilize the impingement of a probing beam onto an object to be measured in order to produce a measurable reflectance, absorption, or fluorescences response are, strictly speaking, invasive. However, particularly when photon beams are used as a probing beam, it is often possible to minimize the disturbance of the object by using a beam of very low intensity. The use of such a low intensity probe beam may be considered to be effectively nonintrusive.
In some situations, such as the growth of single crystals in various media, it is of interest to measure the temperature of the surface, as distinct from the bulk of a material. In several methods of crystal growth, a temperature gradient is established in a fluid medium to transport material or heat to or from a crystal which is growing in that medium. The thermal gradient normally extends into the crystal, so the surface and subsurface ("bulk") regions are at different temperatures. Since the quality of the crystal depends on controlling the temperatures of the crystal faces as they grow, it is the surface temperature which is of particular importance.
Many types of sensors are available for measuring the temperatures of solid or fluid phases in most situations, except that contact senors are not available for very high temperature measurement. However, contact sensors are usually inappropriate for measuring surface temperature because of their intrusive nature. The process of growing a single crystal of controlled composition and low defect content requires that precise control be maintained over the local thermal and composition fields at the surface of the crystal. A small disturbance of these fields can greatly affect the growth process. The presence of a sensor, however unobtrusive, can introduce disturbances such as contamination, mechanical damage to the growing crystal face, or alteration of the local temperature due to the thermal mass and conductivity of the sensor. For these reasons, non-invasive methods or photon probe methods with negligible impact are preferable in such cases, when they are available.
Single crystals of the tetragonal form of mercuric iodide (".alpha.-HgI.sub.2 ") have several important applications, and the growth of such crystals are of particular interest to the present inventors. Particular problems are encountered in the growth of .alpha.-HgI.sub.2 crystals due to the softness of such crystals and their chemical reactivity with most sensors.
The best known method for avoiding sensors and measuring temperature non-invasively during the growth of crystals is radiation pyrometry. Radiation pyrometry is the measurement of the radiation which all objects emit continually in accordance with known physical laws of radiation. The characteristics of the radiation depend, in part, on the temperature of the object. Optical or infrared radiation pyrometries are useful over a wide temperature range, and by selecting a spectral range in which the object is opaque, the measurements can be said to pertain to the surface temperature. However, radiation pyrometry is not appropriate for monitoring the growth of .alpha.-HgI.sub.2 crystals. There is enough radiance at the growth temperatures of the .alpha.-HgI.sub.2 crystals to be measured by modern infrared sensing instruments, although the emissivity is relatively low in the infrared spectrum where the Planck radiation peak is located. However, because the crystal is transparent in this spectral range, the detected radiance represents the underlying bulk, as well as the surface, temperatures. Since the crystal during growth has a temperature gradient between its surface and interior, the analysis of its radiance will yield a depth-to-surface average temperature, rather than being specific to its surface. In a different situation, such as during annealing (where the crystal is isothermal), infrared radiation pyrometery could be useful, if the usual precautions are taken to eliminate background radiance transmitted through and reflected from the crystal. If the transparency problem is avoided by measuring the radiance at wavelengths below approximately 580 nm, at which frequency the .alpha.-HgI.sub.2 crystal is opaque, the intensity is immeasurably small at the temperatures of interest.
Clearly, it would be advantageous to provide a method which could accurately measure the surface temperature of growing .alpha.-HgI.sub.2 crystals by non-invasive methods. However, to the inventors' knowledge, no prior art method has successfully accurately measured the surface temperature of growing crystals, such as the .alpha.-HgI.sub.2 crystals, by non-invasive methods. All prior art successful methods for measuring the surface of such growing crystals have either been of an invasive type or else have measured temperatures which were not truly accurate surface temperatures when the crystals had a surface to bulk temperature gradient.

Crystal face temperature determination means

The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy


3,5-dialkyl-4-hydroxybenzyl-substituted benzene compounds are made by reacting 2,6-dialkyl-4-methoxymethyl phenols with a benzene compound having an unsubstituted nuclear position in an inert solvent and in the presence of an organic sulfonic acid catalyst while distilling methanol by-product from the reaction mixture as it forms.

Rocklin et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,026,264 describes the antioxidant use of several 3,5-dialkyl-4-hydroxybenzyl-substituted benzene compounds such as 2,4,6-tri(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzyl) mesitylene. They are made by the reaction of 2,6-dialkyl-4-hydroxymethyl phenols with a benzene compound in an inert solvent at -15.degree. to 100.degree. C. in the presence of sulfuric acid or a Friedel Crafts catalyst. Shin U.S. Pat. No. 3,925,488 shows the same reaction except using an organic sulfonic acid catalyst and distilling water from the reaction.
Gurvich et al. G.B. 1,327,542 discloses a process for making 2,4,6-tri(3,5-dialkyl-4-hydroxybenzyl)benzenes by reacting a 2,6-dialkyl-4-methoxymethylphenol with an alkylbenzene compound in an inert solvent in the presence of an acidic catalyst such as sulfuric acid or toluene sulfonic acid. In Example 7, Gurvich et al. used 3.1 moles of toluene sulfonic acid per mole of 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methoxymethylphenol. In a commercial operation this presents a severe spent acid disposal problem. However, merely reducing the amount of sulfonic acid results in a reaction wherein less than all of the reactive positions on the benzene compound become substituted. In the case of mesitylene and 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methoxymethylphenol, lowering the amount of sulfonic acid gives a product which contains both mono- and di-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzyl) substituted mesitylene by-products, making it unacceptable for commercial sale. Thus, a need exists for a process which allows reduction in the amount of acid used as catalyst and at the same time gives a product suitable for commercial use.


A database system may provide determination of statistics for a field of a database table. The determination may include determination of whether the field of the table is associated with a check table, and, if the field of the table is associated with a check table, determination of a number of distinct values of the field in the table based on a number of distinct values of the field in the check table.

A database management system may receive a query, search a database based on the query, and provide data resulting from the search. A query, however, specifies only desired data and not a manner in which a database management system should search the database for the desired data. A database management system may therefore be required to select from multiple strategies for searching a database in response to a received query. For example, in response to a query specifying multiple joins, a database management system must determine an order in which to execute the multiple joins.
A database management system often includes an optimizer to select a most appropriate (e.g., fastest) search strategy for responding to a given query in a given situation. The optimizer selects the strategy based at least in part on optimizer statistics associated with the database. The optimizer statistics are determined based on data stored in the database.
Optimizer statistics may specify any characteristics of data stored in the database. For example, an optimizer statistic may specify a number of distinct values that are associated with a given field of a given table and/or a statistical distribution of such values. The foregoing optimizer statistics may be determined by reading each row of the given table, which can be unsuitably resource- and time-consuming if the given table is large. For large database tables, these statistics may be determined by reading only a sample of all rows in the table and extrapolating the statistics based on the sampling. However, if the extrapolated optimizer statistics are too inaccurate, the optimizer may select an inefficient search strategy based thereon.
The efficiency of a database system may therefore be improved by increasing the speed and/or accuracy with which optimization statistics are determined. Systems are therefore desired for efficient determination of optimizer statistics.

Determination of database statistics using application logic


A polymer for forming an organic anti-reflective coating layer between an etching layer and a photoresist layer to absorb an exposure light in a photolithography process and a composition comprising the same are disclosed. The polymer for forming an organic anti-reflective coating layer has repeating units represented by

In general, a photolithography process comprises the steps of applying a photoresist composition on a substrate such as wafer, glass, ceramic, metal, and so on by a spin coating or a roller coating, forming a photoresist layer by heating and drying the applied photoresist composition, forming a photoresist pattern by exposing the photoresist layer to a exposure light of a predetermined pattern, optionally heating, and developing the exposed photoresist layer, and forming a semi-conductor element pattern by etching the substrate with the formed photoresist pattern as a mask. The photolithography process is widely used in production of a semi-conductor such as IC (Integrated Circuit), a LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), photography, and so on.
Due to the increasing demand for the highly integrated semi-conductor device, ArF excimer laser using an exposure light of wavelength of 193 nm, which is shorter than the wavelength (248 nm) of the KrF excimer laser, is used as the light source to increase the resolution of a photoresist pattern. In addition, F2(157 nm) excimer laser, EUV (Extreme Ultra Violet), VUV (Vacuum Ultra Violet), E-beam, X-beam, ion beam, etc have been studied and developed as a light source of a lithography process. However, as being shorter the wavelength of the exposure light, optical interference of the light reflected from the etching layer of the semi-conductor substrate during the exposure process increases. In addition, due to undercutting, notching, etc., the photoresist pattern profile and the uniformity of thickness are deteriorated. To overcome these problems, the bottom anti-reflective coating (BARC) layer is conventionally formed between the etching layer and the photoresist layer to absorb the exposure light. The anti-reflective coating layer can be classified into the inorganic anti-reflective coating layer made of titanium, titanium dioxide, titanium nitride, chrome oxide, carbon, amorphous silicon, and so on, and the organic anti-reflective coating layer made of a polymer, which depends on the material for forming the anti-reflected coating layer. In comparison with the inorganic layer, the organic anti-reflective coating layer does not generally require complex and expensive apparatus such as a vacuum deposition equipment, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) device, a sputter device and so on for forming the layer, and has a high absorptivity of a radioactive light, and is generally insoluble in a photoresist solvent. Also, small materials thereof does not diffuse from the anti-reflective coating layer into a photoresist layer during coating, heating, and drying the photoresist layer, and the organic anti-reflective coating layer has an excellent etch rate in a dry etch process of a photolithography process. But until now, the conventional composition for forming the organic anti-reflective coating layer is not satisfactory in its characteristics, such as the absorptivity of an exposure light.

Polymer for forming anti-reflective coating layer

Abstract: wherein, R is a substituted or non-substituted alky group of C1 to C5.


A mechanism for adjusting an orientation of an electrode in a plasma processing chamber is disclosed. The plasma processing chamber may be utilized to process at least a substrate, which may be inserted into the plasma processing chamber in an insertion direction. The mechanism may include a support plate disposed outside a chamber wall of the plasma processing chamber and pivoted relative to the chamber wall. The support plate may have a first thread. The mechanism may also include an adjustment screw having a second thread that engages the first thread. Turning the adjustment screw may cause translation of a portion of the support plate relative to the adjustment screw. The translation of the portion of the support plate may cause rotation of the support plate relative to the chamber wall, thereby rotating the electrode with respect to an axis that is orthogonal to the insertion direction.

In plasma processing, the shrinking feature sizes and the implementation of new materials in the next generation of device fabrication have put new requirements on plasma processing equipment. The smaller device features, larger substrate size, and new processing techniques (involving multi-step recipes, such as for dual-damascene etch) have increased the challenge to maintain good uniformity across the wafer for better device yields.
In capacitively coupled RF plasma reactors, the electrode opposite to the substrate electrode is generally called the upper electrode. The upper electrode could be grounded, or have one or more radio frequency (RF) power sources attached to it. The substrate electrode is generally called the lower electrode. A mechanical arrangement for a lower electrode in a capacitively coupled plasma processing chamber may involve cantilevering the assembly that includes the lower electrode from a side of the chamber. This cantilevered lower electrode can be a fixed distance from the upper electrode or can be designed for a variable distance from the upper electrode. In either case, parallelism of one electrode surface to the other is generally a critical mechanical parameter that can affect the process performance on the wafer.
Due to added complexity, many capacitively coupled RF plasma reactors forgo the feature of precise parallelism adjustment between electrodes and rely on tight manufacturing tolerances of the assembly components to keep parallelism within acceptable limits. This approach typically adds cost to those components and may limit the ultimate parallelism specification that can be achieved. Other arrangements include slots or clearance holes in mating parts allowing free play to adjust parallelism during assembly. This approach is time consuming and usually requires repetitive processes to achieve the correct configuration. The approach may also require the plasma processing system to be disassembled to some extent to adjust the necessary components. Other methods attempt to provide a means for adjustment, but may have no direct means to correlate the amount of adjustment to the actual effect on at least one of the electrodes. As a result, such methods may also require iterative processes to dial in parallelism. Some of these methods are also vulnerable to shifting of the adjustment over time due to vibrations, such as shipping loads.

Electrode orientation and parallelism adjustment mechanism for plasma processing systems


A method, an apparatus and a system for controlling charging of a battery module are provided in the present disclosure. The method for controlling charging of the battery module may include: acquiring an internal pressure value of the battery module; determining a target pressure threshold range to which the acquired internal pressure value of the battery module belongs, based on a plurality of predefined pressure threshold ranges; obtaining a target charge cutoff voltage corresponding to the target pressure threshold range, based on a correspondence relationship between a plurality of predefined charge cutoff voltage and the plurality of predefined pressure threshold ranges; and controlling the battery module to be charged based on the obtained target charge cutoff voltage.

With the wide utilization of new energy sources, a battery module may be used as a power source in various fields. In order to increase the life of the battery module, the battery module can generally charge and discharge in cycles and thus can be recycled.
Moreover, due to a user's high requirement to usage experience of the battery module, the user may no longer use a charging speed as a single evaluation index to evaluate the battery module. The life for cycle charging and discharging of the battery module may become an evaluation index for evaluating the battery module as well. However, most of existing battery modules have a relatively short life for cycle charging and discharging. Taking a lithium battery as an example, a process for cycle charging and discharging the battery module is a process of repeatedly rapid insertion and extraction of lithium ions. In this process, the anode graphite in the battery module is rapidly expanding due to the rapid insertion of the lithium ions, and the pressure generated by the expansion causes a squeezing effect inside the battery module. When the pressure in the battery module increases to a certain value, the electrolyte and lithium ions in the battery module will be redistributed to make the lithium ions highly concentrated at a certain part of the battery module. This may result in side reactions in the battery module, deteriorate the recycle of the battery module, and consequently reduce the life for cycle charging of the battery module.

Method, apparatus and system for controlling charging of a battery module

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited


A combined knot pusher/suture cutter device for manipulating a knotted suture to properly locate the knot relative to the tissue being sutured, and then for removing excess suture from the knot. The knot pusher/suture cutter includes a body member with a handle and an inner member (or inner rod) having a knot-engageable section at the opposite end (distal end) for engaging and moving the knotted suture by manipulation of the handle. The knot-engageable section of the inner member is provided with a slot at its distal end which allows suture to be threaded through it. The inner member is provided within an outer sleeve that is designed to be actuated by a spring and a thumb pusher (trigger) located on a surface of the handle. By actuating the thumb trigger (for example, by sliding forward the thumb trigger), the outer sleeve is advanced and the suture post is cut.

Tissue repair typically requires the surgeon to pass suture material through selected tissue, form a plurality of surgical knots extracorporeally and then move the knots into position adjacent the desired tissue to be sutured. In such procedures, the surgeon must tie the knots on the suture strands after the suture is threaded through the selected tissues to be sutured, and then cut the remaining suture strands from the surgical site. High strength suture materials, such as FiberWire®, for example, are difficult to cut mainly because of their increased strength.
An improved surgical instrument that acts both as a knot pusher instrument (forcing the knots down into the proper position) and as a suture cutter (cutting the ends of suture) is needed. An instrument that cuts suture clean and without difficulty, regardless of the strength of the suture material, is also needed.

Method of using knot pusher and suture cutter instrument


A laser projecting device and a light-combining lens are provided. The light-combining lens is a one-piece structure, and has a difference of refractive indexes less than 0.2. The light-combining lens includes collimation surfaces, reflection surfaces, and a light emergent surface. Each collimation surface defines a collimation path inside the light-combining lens. The reflection surfaces respectively located at the collimation paths are parallel to each other and arranged along an arrangement direction. The light emergent surface is located at the arrangement direction. Each reflection surface and the corresponding collimation path have an acute angle therebetween to define a reflection path. The reflection paths are overlapped in the light-combining lens to define a light-combining path. The light combining path passes through at least one of the reflection surfaces that allows light to pass therethrough along the light-combining path, and passes through the light-combining lens from the light emergent surface.

A conventional light-combining assembly includes a plurality of optical members spaced apart from each other and arranged in a chamber, and there is air between any two of the optical members. As such, the conventional light-combining assembly has a large volume. Moreover, when the conventional light-combining assembly is used in a light-combining process for combining lights, the lights would travel in an environment having extremely different refractive indices, thereby causing the efficiency and the accuracy of the light-combining process to be easily affected.

Laser projecting device and light-combining lens


Novel DNA constructs comprising yeast regulatory regions plus the structural coding region for human tumor necrosis factor, are disclosed. These novel constructs are incorporated into a variety of linear and circular plasmids. Such plasmids are used for yeast transformation and ultimately for the production of human tumor necrosis factor by yeast.

As recombinant DNA technology has developed in recent years, the controlled production by microorganisms of an enormous variety of useful polypeptides has become possible. Many eukaryotic polypeptides have already been produced by microorganisms and approved by the Food and Drug Administration for pharmeceutical applications, such as for example, human growth hormone, leukocyte interferons, human insulin and human proinsulin. The continued application of techniques already in hand is expected in the future to permit production by microorganisms of a variety of other useful polypeptide products. One such useful polypeptide product is human tumor necrosis factor.
Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is an antitumor substance found in the sera of animals that have been treated with microbial products in two orderly events. The first event is a priming event that causes the activation and proliferation of macrophages and is associated with expansion of reticuloendothelial elements in the liver and spleen. For this priming event, mycobacteria such as Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG), corynebacteria such as Corynebacterium parvum and zymosan (yeast cell walls) are effective. The second event is an elicitation event which is necessary for appearance of TNF in the blood. This requires subsequent treatment of primed animals with lipopolysaccharide (LPS--a major constituent of the cell wall of gram-negative bacteria, also known as endotoxin or bacterial pyrogen). Using these principles, one can obtain sera with similar antitumor and cytotoxic properties from mice, rats and rabbits.
The cellular origin of TNF is macrophages (monocytes), thus TNF is also referred to as a monokine. TNF causes haemorrhagic necrosis and sometimes complete regression of certain tumors transplanted in mice and shows cytotoxic activity against certain tumor cell lines, but not against normal cells. TNF is not species specific, for example, mouse TNF is effective against a wide range of cell lines derived from human cancers.
The gene coding for human TNF has been cloned and expressed in E. coli. Human TNF appears to be encoded by a single copy gene. Four exons code for a precursor product of 233 amino acids and a mature product of 157 amino acids after an unusually long leader sequence has been removed. The molecular weight of human TNF is 45,000 daltons by gel filtration, and, as determined by SDS-PAGE, has a minimum molecular weight of 17,000. TNF has an isoelectric point of 5.6, does not have N-glycosylation sites and has only one possible S-S bridge. Mouse TNF also has been recently cloned and shows approximately 80% homology to human TNF at the (deduced) amino acid level. These recombinant TNF products have biological activities similar to that predicted from work with nonrecombinant TNF.
Recent evidence indicates that TNF belongs to a family of molecules having similar biological activities and varying degrees of sequence homologies. TNF is related in its cytotoxic activity to lymphotoxin. Both of these proteins exhibit synergism with interferon-.gamma. in eliciting cytotoxic activity. TNF shares 30% amino acid homology with lymphotoxin. The single copy genes which encode these proteins share several structural features; each gene is approximately 3 kbp in length and is interrupted by three introns. In addition, these genes are closely linked and both have been mapped to human chromosome 6. In view of these similarities in biological activity, TNF is designated as TNF-.alpha. and lymphotoxin as TNF-.beta.. Although their biological activities are similar, they are derived from different cell types and have distinct induction kinetics. TNF-.alpha. is secreted from monocytes 4-24 hours after induction, while TNF-.beta. is secreted from T-lymphocytes 24-48 hours following induction. Unlike TNF-.alpha., (molecular weight 17,000), TNF-.beta. is a glycosylated protein of monomer molecular weight 25,000. TNF-.alpha. and TNF-.beta. together appear to be the major cytolytic factors produced by peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL). Several lines of evidence suggest that TNF-.alpha. is identical to cachectin, which is one of the principle mediators of the lethal effect of LPS and which is assayed by its ability to suppress the activity of lipoprotein lipase in cultured adipocytes.
In view of the several useful biological activities of TNF with potential commercial value, a method for the production of human TNF-.alpha. with both yields and biological activities superior to that produced in E. coli would be highly desirable.

Yeast production of human tumor necrosis factor


An indicating instrument including at least one display unit including display segments that are used to represent a currently engaged gear and a background surrounding the display segments, and a control circuit configured to apply a first signal having a first polarity to the display segments and a second signal having a second polarity opposite to the first polarity to the background such that the display segments and the background have different contrasts to indicate the currently engaged gear.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an indicating instrument such as an indicating instrument in a motor vehicle, which includes at least one digital display unit displaying an indication about what gear is currently being used and/or that a gear shift operation is required.
2. Description of the Background Art
Motor vehicles, particularly those with automatic transmissions, generally includes indicators to visually indicate to the operator which gear is currently engaged. For example, the German patent publication DE 100 46 909 A1 illustrates an indicating instrument that displays the engaged gear in a separate region and also displays other functions such as a tachometer and speed sensor in other regions of the instrument. In another example, the German patent publication DE 197 57 564 A1 illustrates the gear indicator being displayed with the speedometer.
In addition, the German patent publication DE 197 39 626 A1 discloses a display unit displaying a limited predefined character set. In this publication, the display unit is a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) and displays the selected gear on a screen portion of the display unit. A light component such as a light-emitting diode (LED) or a light bulb can also be integrated into the display unit. The LED can be used to indicate a warning signal to the operator. The LED or light bulb can also be used to illuminate the display unit. Further, the German patent publication DE 29 23 986 describes an optimal shift control process for a manual transmission. That is, the optimal shift time for shifting gears is displayed to the operator.

Indicating instrument with a gear indicator


A data processing network in which a plurality of workstations such as personal computers (PC) (12) are connected to a host processor (11) and contain PC programs at particular levels for controlling tasks on the personal computers. The personal computers send a signal to the host when they are about to conduct a task indicating which data files they have and at what level. The host has an object library containing a copy of each disk file for each version of PC program. The host determines if the personal computer has the latest level data file for the version of program at that personal computer and, if it does not, sends a copy of the latest level data file to the personal computer to replace the down-level data file. Preferably, the host checks if the personal computer has all the data files it needs for the particular task and, if it does not and if it should because of the version of PC program stored at the PC, the host can load a copy of the missing file to the personal computer. The host does not have to contain a record of all the levels of all the programs of all the personal computers connected to it. However, by updating the object library in the host, this arrangement ensures that all personal computers connected to it are automatically brought to the latest authorized level of data files as are required by the personal computer.

Frequently such work stations will contain data files which need to be updated from time to time. Where the workstations are programmable and are constituted, for example, by a personal computer adapted to be connected to the host computer, the personal computer will contain computer programs which may require modifying from time to time to correct errors in the programs. Personal computer (PC) programs are normally supplied to users on magnetic diskettes. In reality the user does not buy the program but pays to the program owner a licence fee to use the PC program in accordance with the terms and conditions of the licence. If the user wishes to obtain a new version of the program, a new licence fee would be required.
Although computer programs are tested extensively before they are supplied to customers, it can and does happen that errors are found in them and schemes have been devised for handling the updating of defective programs, normally involving each program user needing to register his address with the program owner or the dealer through whom the program was obtained. The program owner or dealer then needs to contact each registered user to supply a new corrected PC program or to supply correction or patch information so that the user can change the old program by editing it. Apart from the expense to the program owner, this can mean inconvenience to the user and, especially where there are many personal computers on a single site, take a long time to install the new program on all of them.
Any solution to this upgrade problem should be cheap and quick.
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 18, No. 8, January 1976, page 2663, describes an online database level control arrangement in which a host computer updates a distributed database and ensures that each local subsystem is provided with the latest version of the data base stored at the host. When required, in an emergency procedure the host interrogates each subsystem to determine if it contains that part of the database needing to be updated. If it does, the host causes that part to be deleted at the subsystem, forcing that subsystem to obtain the latest level when it next requires that part of the database. Normal updating would occur after the subsystem had been powered off, for example during the night, by the host causing deletion of the down level data base during the power-up sequence, again forcing the subsystem to access the host for the upgraded data base when it requires to use that part of the data base.
Although there are certain similarities between data bases and computer programs, there are differences including the way in which computer programs are supplied to users and where there are various versions or releases of a computer program, it is very important that any upgraded information relating to a particular level or version is only supplied to a user authorised to be using that particular level or version.

Data processing network with upgrading of files

International Business Machines Corporation


A liquid-cooled heat radiator kit is disclosed to include a heat radiator, which has radiation elements at the top wall and parallel grooves at the bottom wall, two liquid-cooled heat pipes bilaterally arranged in parallel at the bottom side of the heat radiator, each liquid-cooled heat pipes having two close ends and a plurality of enclosed chambers spaced between the two close ends, and a plurality of straight flow-guide pipes respectively fastened to the grooves at the bottom side of the heat radiator and connected between the two liquid-cooled heat pipes to form with the enclosed chambers of the liquid-cooled heat pipes a detoured flow passage for the passing of a cooling fluid in one direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to heat radiators and more particularly, to a liquid-cooled heat radiator kit.
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 1 illustrates the system architecture of a computer liquid-cooled heat radiator kit according to the prior art. FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the computer liquid-cooled heat radiator kit according to the prior art. FIG. 3 is an elevational assembly view of the computer liquid-cooled heat radiator kit according to the prior art.
The prior art computer liquid-cooled heat radiator kit 3 is to be used with a thermal collector 2 to form a fluid-cooled circulation system. When in use, the thermal collector 2 absorbs heat from the CPU 1, and the heat energy-carried fluid is delivered to the heat radiator kit 3 for dissipation of heat. After dissipation of heat, the fluid is returned to the thermal collector 2, forming a circulation cycle. In a simple word, the fluid-cooled circulation system works to dissipate heat from the CPU 1.
Due to the limitation of the turning angles 331 and arrangement of the coiled heat pipe 33 of the heat radiator kit 3, the contact area between the radiation fins 31 of the heat radiator kit 3 and the heat pipe 33 is reduced. Further, the heat pipe 33 is welded to a metal plate 32 and then the radiation fins 31 are fixedly fastened to the metal plate 32 with screws 34. This heat tube mounting design causes a heat dissipation loss. Therefore, this design of liquid-cooled heat radiator kit is not satisfactory in function.


Numerous embodiments of one or more layers of void-maintaining synthetic drainable base courses (“VMSDBC's”) are provided as incorporated into landfills and other waste containment facilities.

Leachate, an aqueous solution created by the passage of fluids through waste piles, is a principal environmental concern. Since passage of the Clean Water Act, waste containment systems must be engineered to prevent migration of leachate into the groundwater underlying landfill sites. Conventionally, the containment and flow control of such leachate has been achieved by the use of one or more of compacted clay liners, various types of synthetic geomembranes, and synthetic clay liners.
It is well established that leachate can cause distress and damage to synthetic liner systems, causing leaks, and thereby polluting groundwater and the local environment. Therefore, the effective engineering and design of a containment system for a landfill or other similar structure requires drainage systems to be constructed above geomembrane liners which are disposed to remove these fluids. In fact, the USEPA regulatory guidance states that no more then a one-foot liquid head is allowable above a geomembrane in such an installation. In some conventional drainage systems, engineers specify that stone of uniform gradation be utilized as the leachate drainage layer at the base of a landfill. Stones are often specified to obtain a certain "diameter" and are measured in sieves that have specific diameters. This is because spheres touch at points of tangentiality. In some other drainage systems, engineers specify that processed tire chip aggregate of uniform sizes be utilized as the leachate drainage layer at the base of a landfill. Engineers skilled in the art of landfill design utilize the principle of tangentiality and require aggregate producers to manufacture stone particles that are relatively spherical. They achieve this by specifying uniform gradations of stone. A gradation refers to the distribution of stones with different "diameters."
Thus, leachate collection systems are highly engineered layered structures and require engineered materials that are selected based upon factors such as their density, particle or aggregate size, compressibility, chemical compatibility, and other engineering parameters of the soil, stone and aggregate-based products.
Stone is highly non-compressible. Therefore, even when stones are subjected to compressive forces, voids exist in those spaces where the stones do not touch. Therefore, even under significant loading conditions, void spaces, or porosity may be obtained. The more open void space volume created, the greater the porosity. Typically, the more porous an installation or layer, the higher the resulting cost. For example, a stone with an effective size of ¼″ and a coefficient of uniformity of 2.5, typically costs much more then sand. This type of gradation is often classified as AASHTO 57 and is often utilized to create open-graded base course in landfills, roadways, and other installations needing a specified drainage capacity. Aggregate classifications are standardized for FHWA and DOT Transportation applications. In contrast, this degree of classification typically does not exist for environmental markets. For example, while a landfill in California may specify a stone of uniform gradation of average ½″, such specifications may not refer to the stone as an AASHTO 57 stone. This is so even though the transportation department or company that constructed the road to the landfill may have utilized the same exact stone and classified it as AASHTO 57. AASHTO 57 is often used as an open-graded base course (OGBC).
An open graded base course (OGBC) can be utilized as a means to convey fluids to leachate collection laterals and pipes. Still, in other systems engineers will specify sand as a natural material that offers both vertical permeability and horizontal transmissivity. As one skilled in the art of landfill design can appreciate, not all landfills require sand nor do they all require stone. Therefore, design of particular landfills is often site-specific. For example, engineers may require a stone drainage layer to achieve the regulatory requirements but the local geological conditions do not offer stone. When this occurs, contractors are required to purchase stone and have it transported over long distances. Such transportation costs significantly drives up the cost of construction of the landfill. In fact, engineers and other design personnel who procure construction aggregates typically estimate that the cost of aggregate supply doubles for every 25 miles of transport distance to the landfill site.
In conventional landfill construction, an OGBC may be placed to form a leachate collection system. These OGBC systems are typically used above primary geomembranes. Leachate collection systems are highly engineered layered structures and require engineered materials that are selected based upon factors such as their density, particle or aggregate size, compressibility, chemical compatibility, or other engineering parameters of the soil, stone and aggregate-based products.
Other engineering parameters reflect the importance of sufficient drainage in landfills. In fact, bioreactors and/or leachate recalculation facilities require high flowing materials. For example, theses types of structures collect all leachate and recirculate the fluids to help further consolidate the waste mass. This re-circulation results in increased void or air-space which results in more capacity and, consequently, more potential revenue for a site. Thus, the rate at which leachate and other fluids are transported away from the various layers of a landfill is a critical element in its useful life. Leakage rates that are excessive require the landfill to be closed and the leak to be corrected. Thus, inadequate drainage can be an extremely serious and costly problem affecting a landfill.
In one conventional method of approaching these drainage problems, an OGBC drainable layer formed of natural stone and aggregate materials is included above or beneath a geomembrane in an attempt to positively control fluids and dissipate pore pressures which commonly accumulate within these structures. Typically, an OGBC-drainable permeable layer also utilizes a geotextile for membrane protection and/or filtration. An OGBC is intended to be a porous drainage media that is capable of receiving fluids from the points of entry and then transporting them to designated discharge points in a timely manner. These systems often utilize AASHTO 57 stone. According to the FHWA, an AASHTO 57 stone has a permeability of 6,800 linear feet per day and any OGBC drainage layer should have a minimum permeability of 1,000 linear feet per day.
An OGBC is typically produced from stone that has been mined from quarries. A main distinguishing characteristic of OGBC materials is that they are usually delivered to work sites having a fairly uniform gradation per the specifications of the project engineer. Typically, project engineers use published standards for OGBC available from AASHTO, the Federal Highway Administration, or their resident state's department of transportation. Theoretically, the uniform gradation of OGBC materials typically creates voids of desired and predictable dimension between the pieces of stone when they are in place. Thus, desired flow rates through both vertical and horizontal planes of the OGBC can be increased or decreased somewhat predictably by selecting appropriate size distributions of the stone particulate material.
An OGBC can be costly to install and maintain, and can be difficult to control and predict with respect to quality. Although such gradations of stone typically create interconnecting void spaces or holes among and between the aggregate useful to facilitate the reception and transmission of fluid, an OGBC can take up a considerable volume of valuable space of the installation. An additional problem relates to the longevity of the chosen stone. Stone is made of different minerals, some of which minerals are soluble in water or in the harsh chemical environments which often exist in landfills. In fact, in Kentucky, certain OGBC leachate collection systems constructed of limestone have completely dissolved because of the chemical nature of the fluids passing through them.
Other disadvantages of OGBC's pertain to the additional elements that are required in an OGBC installation. Typically, a well graded granular or geotextile filter layer is needed above the OGBC in order to prevent contamination of the OGBC from the migration of fines. This extra filter layer further increases the construction costs of the landfill. Yet another problem with the use of OGBC's is that aggregate of sufficient quality is not always available or, if available, it's cost is uneconomical or prohibitively high. There is therefore a need for landfills and for landfill drainage systems that utilize components which can be engineered and manufactured offsite, and easily transported to the site and integrated economically into the landfill or other large structure, and to provide equivalent or superior flow to that of a conventional OGBC. There is a similar need for drainage elements suitable for integration into landfills and other large structures which take up much less space than conventional OGBC's.
The present geosynthetic drainage elements offer a solution to these problems. In general, geosynthetics are manufactured from polymeric materials, typically by extrusion, as substantially planar, sheet-like, or cuspidated products. Geosynthetics are usually made in large scale, e.g., several meters in width and many meters in length, so that they are easily adaptable to large-scale construction and landscaping uses. Many geosynthetics are formed to initially have a substantially planar configuration. Some geosynthetics, even though they are initially planar, are flexible or fabric-like and therefore conform easily to uneven or rolling surfaces. Some geosynthetics are manufactured to be less flexible, but to possess great tensile strength and resistance to stretching or great resistance to compression. Certain types of geosynthetic materials are used to reinforce large manmade structures, particularly those made of earthen materials such as gravel, sand and soil. In such uses, one purpose of the geosynthetic is to hold the earthen components together by providing a latticework or meshwork whose elements have a high resistance to stretching. By positioning a particular geosynthetic integral to gravel, sand and soil, that is with the gravel, sand and soil resident within the interstices of the geosynthetic, unwanted movement of the earthen components is minimized or eliminated.
Most geosynthetic materials, whether of the latticework type or of the fabric type, allow water to pass through them to some extent and thus into or through the material within which the geosynthetic is integrally positioned. Thus, geosynthetic materials and related geotechnical engineering materials are used as integral parts of manmade structures or systems in order to stabilize their salient dimensions.
Before the present invention, the only geosynthetic materials available for landfill drainage were exclusively limited to drains at the edge or shoulder of a landfill. These edge-drain systems are commonly located within a covered trench originally dug along the shoulder of the landfill. Conventional edge drain geosynthetics, however, cannot withstand the repeated dynamic loads that are present directly beneath heavy overburdens, such as those typically found in land fills and other large structures. Geosynthetic drainage materials have been utilized also on side slopes of landfills in order to ameliorate stability difficulties associated with construction of granular material drains. Geosynthetic drainage materials of dimensions up to 275 mils thick have been utilized to complement sand or to substitute for sand as a natural material at the floor of landfill. However, such geosynthetic products have never been engineered to achieve flow rates and void-maintaining capabilities sufficient to replace stone. The present invention relates generally to synthetic void-maintaining structures with high permittivity and high transmissivity that are capable of partially or fully replacing stone in landfills and other large structures by maintaining voids of sufficient dimensions to permit the timely egress of undesirable fluids.
The present invention provides a series of Void-Maintaining Synthetic Drainable Base Courses ("VMSDBC's") of polymeric material, and related methods, for designing and constructing leachate collection systems and drainage systems. The present VMSDBC's and methods thereby eliminate or minimize the amount of conventional open-graded stone that might otherwise be required. Until the present invention, no geosynthetic material had been designed or implemented that could provide a drainage system of equivalent or superior drainage to those of an OGBC as utilized to convey fluids in a conventional landfill. Similarly, until the present invention, no geosynthetic material had ever been designed that could maintain voids of defined and sufficient dimensions while undergoing the repeated dynamic cycles of fluid infiltration and exposure demanded of bioreactors and re-circulation facilities.
The present VMSDBC void-maintaining system is the first such synthetic material that allows those skilled in the art of landfill design to replace stone. Water migrates and enters the VMSDBC system and then travels through the VMSDBC to locations or areas where the fluid is then conveyed for discharge in a timely manner in designated areas of a landfill, or outside of it. The present invention thus offers a synthetic product that overcomes the many deficiencies of the conventional OGBC.
Thus, the present invention relates generally to synthetic void-maintaining structures with high permittivity and high transmissivity that are capable of extending the life of a landfill. The present invention thus overcomes stability concerns of other geosynthetics which are not truly suitable for use as void-maintaining drainage structures in landfills and other large structures. Numerous embodiments of the present VMSDBC and methods overcome the disadvantages of the conventional OGBC systems by providing a plurality of interconnected voids of great mechanical and dimensional stability while simultaneously providing sufficient horizontal flow to perform in accordance with "Good to Excellent" drainage performance when assessed with respect to AASHTO definitions. These performance attributes are unique to the present VMSDBC drainage elements and landfills, which eliminate many of the problems associated with fluids underlying large structures that are not resolved by conventional OGBC systems or any conventional geosynthetic product. By eliminating these problems, VMSDBC's of the present invention extend the useful life of the landfill by increasing the effective amount of airspace.
In accordance with other aspects of the present invention, the VMSDBC's of the invention can be positioned in a landfill to maximize their effectiveness. For example, a VMSDBC can be positioned directly above a geomembrane or beneath a geomembrane. Moreover, a VMSDBC of the invention can be made in large pieces, for example, in pieces several meters wide and many meters long. For convenience and installation, however, a VMSDBC and its components may be installed in portions which are interconnected such that the interconnecting voids are of sufficient dimension that the leachate can move freely through the SDBC and be connected to drain means such as a perforated pipe, drainage ditch, or culvert adjacent to the landfill.
In an important aspect, VMSDBC's of the invention, maintain the preferred void dimensions even under substantial loads. For example, typically the lower surface of the super stratum, that is, the upper fluid-transmissible layer, and the upper surface of the substratum, that is, the lower fluid-transmissible layer, are prevented from having contact with one another when the upper surface of the substratum and the lower surface of the super stratum are placed under sustained loads above 10,000 psf and the lower surface of the substratum and upper surface of the super stratum are in contact with a soil environment for a duration of not less than 100 hours.
Other advantages of the present VMSDBC's can be seen with respect to their fluid-transmitting capacity. For example, in some embodiments, a VMSDBC of the present invention typically exhibits a fluid transmitting capacity of at least 4,000 ft.3/day/ft when tested under a normal load of 15,000 psf, and at a gradient of 2% per ASTM D 4716. Thus, the present VMSDBC's exhibit superior fluid-transmitting characteristics and meet the specifications for classification as "Excellent to Good" performance under AASHTO's definitions.
Advantageously, a VMSDBC according to the present invention is superior to conventional drainage elements, inter alia, because it is capable of resisting long-term compressive stress to the extent that it resists creep deformation and structural catastrophic collapse under load by retaining 60% of its external dimensional thickness after 10,000 hours under a sustained normal load of 10,000 pounds per square foot. Preferably, a VMSDBC according to the invention, comprises an upper fluid-transmissible surface, and the core is pervious to the vertical migration of fluids. Furthermore SDBCs are preferably constructed and arranged to transmit fluids to discharge points within or at the perimeter of a landfill whereby the piping or other collection means is designed to receive fluids transported from within the landfill by means of the SDBC.
Void-maintaining synthetic drainable base courses ("VMSDBC's") of the present invention can be fabricated into panels of various lengths and widths by using conventional means to weld, adhere, tie or sew SDBC sections to one another to form a continuous SDBC underneath construction soils, landfill materials, or waste.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Drainable base course for a landfill and method of forming the same


A patient support apparatus, such as a bed, cot, stretcher, etc., for supporting a patient includes an exit detection system with multiple user-selectable modes of operation that each have different sensitivity levels for triggering an exit alert. The exit detection system also includes one or more non-user selectable modes of operation that are automatically implemented in response to a triggering action. For example, a transition mode may be automatically implemented when the user attempts to switch from a first user-selectable mode to a different user selectable mode, or a motion mode may be automatically implemented when movement of one or more components of the patient support apparatus occurs. In the transition mode, the exit detection system may use a least restrictive sensitivity level. In the motion mode, the exit detection system may inhibit exit alerts and/or change the criteria for issuing the exit alert.

The present disclosure relates to patient support apparatuses, such as beds, cots, stretchers, operating tables, recliners, or the like. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to patient support apparatuses that include sensors for monitoring the motion and/or activity of an occupant of the patient support apparatus and issuing an alert if the occupant is, or may be, about to exit the patient support apparatus.
Existing hospital beds and/or stretchers often include an exit detection system that is adapted to detect when a patient has exited the bed, or when a patient may be about to exit the bed. Typically, such beds include circuitry for providing an audio or visual alert when such an exit or pre-exit situation is detected. In many cases, the bed or stretchers include circuitry for transmitting a signal to a remote location, such as a nurses' station, so that the appropriate caregivers are notified of the exit, or pre-exit condition, and can respond appropriately. The exit detection system itself may be implemented in a variety of manners, including using a plurality of force sensors. In general, it is desirable to implement the exit detection system so as to minimize false alerts, but also prevent the patient from being able to exit the bed without an alert being issued while the exit detection system is armed.

Patient support apparatus with automatic exit detection modes of operation


An integrated circuit comprises scan test circuitry and additional circuitry subject to testing utilizing the scan test circuitry. The scan test circuitry comprises a scan chain having a plurality of scan cells. The integrated circuit further comprises a clock distribution network configured to provide clock signals to respective portions of the integrated circuit. The clock distribution network comprises clock gating circuitry configured to control delivery of one or more of the clock signals along respective clock signal lines of the clock distribution network at least in part responsive to a scan shift control signal that is also utilized to cause the scan cells to form a serial shift register during scan testing. The clock gating circuitry may be used to determine whether a clock delay defect that causes a scan error during scan testing will also cause a functional error during functional operation, thereby improving yield in integrated circuit manufacturing.

Integrated circuits are often designed to incorporate scan test circuitry that facilitates testing for various internal fault conditions. Such scan test circuitry typically comprises scan chains comprising multiple scan cells. The scan cells may be implemented, by way of example, utilizing respective flip-flops. The scan cells of a given scan chain are configurable to form a serial shift register for applying test patterns at inputs to combinational logic of the integrated circuit. The scan cells of the given scan chain are also used to capture outputs from other combinational logic of the integrated circuit.
Scan testing of an integrated circuit may therefore be viewed as being performed in two repeating phases, namely, a scan shift phase in which the flip-flops of the scan chain are configured as a serial shift register for shifting in and shifting out of test patterns, and a scan capture phase in which the flip-flops of the scan chain capture combinational logic outputs. These two repeating scan test phases may be collectively referred to herein as a scan test mode of operation of the integrated circuit, or as simply a scan mode of operation.
Outside of the scan test mode and its scan shift and capture phases, the integrated circuit may be said to be in a functional mode of operation. Other definitions of the scan test and functional operating modes may also be used. For example, the capture phase associated with a given scan test may instead be considered part of a functional mode of operation, such that the modes include a scan shift mode having only the scan shift phase, and a functional mode that includes the capture phase.
Integrated circuits commonly include multiple clock domains. In an integrated circuit of this type, different portions of the integrated circuit are provided with different clock signals via a clock distribution network. For scan testing purposes, several clock signals having a common frequency but associated with different clock domains may be synchronized with one another. This is often done to facilitate scan testing. However, in some situations this type of simplification can be problematic, in that clock delay defects detected for synchronized clock signals during scan testing may nonetheless permit proper functional operation of the integrated circuit, because the functional operation may not require these clock signals to be synchronous. This can reduce device yield when manufacturing integrated circuits, as the devices failing the scan testing may be rejected for clock delay defects that do not actually interfere with functional operation.

Integrated circuit having clock gating circuitry responsive to scan shift control signal


The invention relates to a brake device for a hydraulic vehicle brake system. In this device, a return feed pump located in a feed pump housing is supported at several points between an assembly housing and a fastening plate and is movable relative to the other components. The mounting is done by screws resting in bearing tubes, the screws being surrounded by elastic damping sleeves in order to enable the elastic mobility of the feed pump housing. The line connections between the feed pump housing and the assembly housing are made by small connecting tubes resting in housing bores in the feed pump housing on one side and in the assembly housing on the other. The through bore extending through the feed pump housing in this region is sealed off on the side of the feed pump housing opposite the small connecting tubes by bolts, which with their part remote from the feed pump housing rest on the fastening plate.

The invention relates to a brake device for a hydraulic vehicle brake system as defined herein.
Brake devices of this type include an electrohydraulic actuating assembly and a return feed pump and are mounted in the engine compartment of the vehicle body. Considerable noise is generated because of variable feed quantities in the return feed pump. To decouple structure-borne sound, the pump is therefore suspended from the housing by elastic mounts, with both structural parts movable relative to one another. The suction and pressure connection lines between the two parts of the housing must therefore be embodied in such a way that the mobility of the return feed pump inside the elastic mount is assured.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,729 discloses a brake device of this type, in which small connecting tubes in housing bores extend between the fastening plate and the feed pump and between the feed pump and the assembly housing. A disadvantage of this arrangement is that the connecting lines must be sealed off at more than one transition. Moreover, the through bore extending both through the assembly and feed pump housing and through the fastening plate must be sealed off with a sealing cap at its end in the fastening plate. Securing the pump suspension in case the damping elements fail is provided for, in this arrangement, by two pins fitted into the assembly housing and anchored in both the assembly housing and the fastening plate. Finally, in this brake device there is also the danger, in the event of failure of the damping elements, that the small connecting tubes can slide out of the bores and thus leak.

Brake device for a hydraulic vehicle brake system


A recording layer for an optical information recording medium, which has a high reflectance (initial reflectance) and excellent recording characteristics; an optical information recording medium comprising the recording layer; and a sputtering target useful for forming the recording layer. The recording layer for an optical information recording medium, on which recording is performed by irradiation of laser light, is characterized by containing indium (In) oxide and palladium (Pd) oxide which includes palladium monoxide and palladium dioxide. The recording layer for an optical information recording medium is also characterized in that the ratio of Pd atoms contained in the recording layer relative to the total of In atoms and Pd atoms contained therein is 6-60 atom %.

The optical information recording media (optical disks) are typified by optical disks such as CD, DVD, and BD, and are largely classified into three types of read-only type, write-once read-many type, and rewritable type according to the recording and reproduction system. Out of these, the recording system of the write-once read-many type optical disk is largely classified into, mainly, a phase change system in which the recording layer is allowed to undergo a phase change, an interlayer reaction system in which a plurality of recording layers are allowed to react, a system in which a compound forming the recording layer is decomposed, and a punching system in which recording marks such as holes or pits are locally formed in the recording layer.
With the phase change system, materials utilizing the changes in optical characteristics due to crystallization of the recording layer have been proposed as materials for the recording layer. For example, in Patent Literature 1, there is proposed a recording layer containing Te—O-M (where M is at least one element selected from metal elements, metalloid elements, and semiconductor elements). In Patent Literature 2, there is proposed a recording layer containing Sb and Te.
As the recording layer of an optical information recording medium of the interlayer reaction system, for example, in Patent Literature 3, there is proposed a recording layer in which a first recording layer includes an alloy containing In—O— (Ni, Mn, or Mo), and a second recording layer includes an alloy containing one element selected from Se and/or Te element, O (oxygen), and Ti, Pd, and Zr. Whereas, Patent Literature 4 proposes the following: a first recording layer: a metal containing In as a main component, and a second recording layer: a metal or a non-metal other than an oxide, containing at least one element belonging to the group VB or the group VIB are stacked; thus, recording is performed by the reaction or alloying due to heating.
As the recording layer of the system of decomposing the compound forming the recording layer, for example, in Patent Literature 5, a recording layer containing a nitride as a main component is shown. A study is conducted on materials for performing recording by decomposition of the nitride with heating, or an organic dye material.
As the recording layer of the punching system, the layer including a low-melting-point metal material has been studied. For example, in Patent Literature 6, there is proposed the layer including an alloy obtained by adding elements of the group IIIB, the group IVB, or the group VB to an Sn alloy. The present applicant also proposes, in Patent Literature 7, a recording layer including a Sn-based alloy containing Ni and/or Co in an amount within the range of 1 to 50 at %. Further, the present applicant proposes, in Patent Literature 8, a recording layer including an In alloy containing Co in an amount of 20 to 65 at %, or the In alloy further containing one or more elements selected from Sn, Bi, Ge, and Si in an amount of 19 at % or less.
[Citation List]
[Patent Literatures]
[PTL 1] JP-A No. 2005-135568
[PTL 2] JP-A No. 2003-331461
[PTL 3] JP-A No. 2003-326848
[PTL 4] Japanese Patent No. 3499724
[PTL 5] WO2003/101750
[PTL 6] JP-A No. 2002-225433
[PTL 7] JP-A No. 2007-196683
[PTL 8] Japanese Patent No. 4110194

Recording layer for optical information recording medium, optical information recording medium, and sputtering target


A cookie product is prepared having a liposome-encapsulated component dispersed therein and leavened to a crumb-like structure. The liposomes substantially retain their structural integrity during the processing, mixing, and post extrusion baking and thus remain intact in the finished cookie. The liposomes may encapsulate flavorings, fragrances, preservatives, anti-staling agents, and other labile food additives. The liposomes may provide a sustained release of the encapsulant to the cookie during storage and prior to consumption. The encapsulant may be released when the cookie is baked or eaten by the consumer. The cookies are prepared by feeding the cookie ingredients to a blending zone of a cooker-extruder and heated to form a heat treated mass. A liposome-encapsulated component is added to the cooled heat treated mass and mixed at low pressure and temperature to prevent rupture of the liposomes. An optional source of water may also be admixed to form a dough-like mixture. The dough-like mixture is then extruded into shaped cookie pieces, and leavened by heating in an oven. The heat treating of the dough-like mixture in the cooker-extruder reduces the post extrusion baking time such that liposomes prepared from phospholipids having a high phase transition temperature substantially retain their structure integrity in the leavened cookie.

In the production of a high oil containing farinaceous composition by extrusion cooking, mobility and immiscibility of the water and oil phases generally increase with increasing temperature. Additionally, the mechanical action of extruder screws tends to increase separation of oil from the remaining cookie mass. The tendency for the oil to separate is at locations within the extruder at which the components are subjected to the highest pressure. Exemplary of high pressure locations in a twin screw extruder are: (1) the space between the extruder screw tips and the die orifice, and (2) the narrowest or more restricted passageways between the left and right hand screw elements.
Oil separation under system pressure (screw or die pressure) can be manifested in extruder surging or uneven mass flow rates from the die. Upon extrusion from the die, separated oil may: (1) appear as a coating on the remaining dough mass, or (2) periodically discharge separately from the remaining dough mass. Non-homogeneous dough production and discontinuous extruder operation may thus result from oil separation. The problem of oil separation increases with increasing oil levels.
Water separation from flour, up to the boiling point of water, is generally not a problem because of the more hydrophilic properties of flour components such as gluten and starch. As flour and water temperatures are raised, increased migration of water into starch granules, protein (e.g. gluten) denaturization, and starch gelatinization tend to occur. The binding or reaction of water with flour components may promote separation of oil: (a) by making the flour components more polar or hydrophilic and (b) by creating a greater mass of hydrophilic components.
Conventional cookie production involves forming cookie dough preforms or pieces followed by baking of the pieces. Low temperatures, typically at about room temperature, are used to form the dough. The low temperature mixing generally avoids separation of shortening or fat from hydrophilic dough components. While baking temperatures in a conventional oven, such as a band oven, may promote oil separation, there is no mixing or pressing action performed at the baking temperatures. Any oil separation which may occur in such ovens does not generally interfere with continuous operability of the cookie production process as it would in a continuous cooker/extruder process.
In addition to high temperature mixing and high system pressure, the presence of sugar in a cookie dough may also increase oil and water separation. Solubilization of sugars in water increases the relative amount of the hydrophilic mass. This in turn may tend to promote oil separation.
The elimination or significant reduction of added water or a source of added water in a cooker extruder tends to reduce oil separation from hydrophilic cookie dough components at elevated temperatures. However, added water or a source of water is needed in cookie production for formability or machinability of cookie doughs into sheets or pieces at high production rates. Water also helps to disperse cookie ingredients and to promote flavor and color development.
Cooking of dough products changes the texture and the flavor of the dough. The temperatures experienced in the baking oven and in a cooker-extruder will produce many of the desirable flavors. However, the cooking temperatures will inherently destroy some of the desirable compositions in the food product. A number of additives are commonly added to dough products to improve the shelf-stability, color, and flavor of the dough product. Typically, these additives are combined during the dough mixing stage and subjected to the high cooking temperatures The high temperatures often result in a loss of the activity of the additive. Many flavoring compositions contain volatile compounds which dissipate during baking. Some antioxidants and vitamins may be destroyed during the heating step.
Efforts to overcome the loss of activity of these compounds during baking usually result in adding excessive amounts of the compound during mixing or, alternatively, applying a coating of the compound over the finished product after baking. These efforts have resulted in only limited success in obtaining satisfactory concentrations of additives. For example, many of the concentrated coatings tend to impart a bitter flavor to the food. Applying a coating of the compound does not facilitate sufficient penetration of the compound to the interior of the product and results in a high concentration on the surface and low concentration toward the center. In addition, a carrier is often needed in order to apply the compound and further tends to dilute the concentration of the compound. When an aqueous solution is sprayed onto the food product, the water must typically be removed to avoid an unacceptable moisture level on the surface. The coating compositions are typically further exposed to the atmosphere and to sunlight which may degrade or alter their activity over time. In the case of preservatives and antioxidants, it is preferable to have the compounds remain in the active form for an extended period of time, in order to prevent spoilage of the food product. Coating compositions of preservatives generally have a high initial activity, which decreases steadily as the product ages. Timed release of preservatives from a stabilized source tends to maintain a steady activity level.
Liposomes are known to be useful for encapsulating a number of components such as enzymes, cosmetics, perfumes, and pharmaceuticals. Most of the work with liposomes has been in the pharmaceutical field and has been aimed in delivering bioactive agents and drugs to a particular site in the patient. Liposomes have been used to a limited extent to deliver enzymes in cheese making.
Liposomes are essentially closed lipid bilayer membranes in the form of vesicles or sacs containing an entrapped aqueous core. Liposomes may be unilamellar or multilamellar lipid vesicles enclosing a three dimensional space. The membranes of liposomes are made up of a bimolecular layer of a lipid having a polar head and a non-polar tail. When lipids are dispersed in an aqueous solution, the polar heads of the lipids orient themselves outwardly to the aqueous solution and form a continuous outer surface. Unilamellar liposomes have a single lipid bilayer while multilamellar liposomes generally have a plurality of concentric lipid bilayers. The structure of the liposome provides a unique and convenient carrier for various components entrapped in the internal aqueous layer which is separated from the external aqueous environment.
In the process of the present invention, cookie products are produced using an extrusion cooker to promote Maillard browning and flavor development without the problems caused by the separation of oil from the remaining cookie dough mass. The extruded cookies or cookie-like products of the present invention have a cookie crumb or crumb-like structure and texture and exhibit structural integrity. The cookie-like products further contain a liposome-encapsulated additive.

Extrusion baking of cookies having liposome encapsulated ingredients


A device is configured to establish first and second device power domains. Isolation circuits isolate signals from passing between circuits in the first device power domain and circuits in the second device power domain. During a transition between power domains, an n-bit value is stored in a particular storage location, and compared to a particular n-bit value. Isolation between the first and second device power domains is removed when the n-bit value stored in the particular storage location matches the particular n-bit value.

FIG. 1 illustrates different power modes for a data processing device. When an external power supply (VCCX) is available, the device operates in Normal power mode. In Normal power mode, all circuit blocks are powered and their inputs and outputs are well defined. Thus, the Normal power domain comprises all circuit blocks in the drawing. Auto-Store power mode is entered when VCCX (external power supply) drops below a specified threshold. In Auto-Store power mode, device power is derived from a backup supply (VCAP) utilizing one or more capacitors. In Auto-Store mode, circuit blocks powered by VCCX (blocks within dashed line boundaries in FIG. 1) have undefined outputs. This includes most if not all I/O circuits 102 of the device. Thus, the Auto-Store power domain comprises all circuit blocks not within dashed boundaries in the drawing, including microcontroller (uC 110), memory 108, isolation block 104, and power supply switch 107. In Auto-Store power mode, signals crossing from the Normal power domain into the Auto-Store power domain are isolated by a control signal to the isolation block 104, the signal generated by the power supply switch 107. The power switch 107 monitors VCCX and generates the control signal based on whether VCCX is above or below a specified threshold. The control signal is applied to isolation block 104 to isolate signals crossing from the Normal to the Auto-Store power domains.
A third power mode, called Sleep power mode, involves putting the device into a very low power consumption state. In Sleep power mode, all circuit blocks except those required for 'waking up' (transitioning out of Sleep power mode) are unpowered. VCCX powers the few circuit blocks needed to wake up from Sleep power mode.
In order to implement a Sleep power mode in a device including both Normal and Auto-Store power modes, there must exist a mechanism to reliably transition out of Sleep power mode. However, in some devices, such as those utilizing low power nvSRAMs (non-volatile static random access memories), there are no circuits which can be relied upon to power the data retention and isolation blocks between power domains while waking up from Sleep mode, in the event VCCX fails during wakeup before VCAP is sufficiently charged.
In the following description, examples are used that include nvSRAMs. Although useful to devices including nvSRAMs, the logic and techniques described herein are not limited to such devices.

Device and method of establishing sleep mode architecture for NVSRAMs


Systems and methods for rendering an image related to a target area is provided. Image data and an associated depthmap of the target area are received. Vector image data corresponding to the image data of the target area are further received. A height value for each of a plurality of pixels of the image data is determined based on the associated depthmap. A mask for the image data is created based on the determined height value for each of the plurality of pixels of the image data, and applied to the vector image data. An image of the target area comprising the received image data and the masked vector image data is rendered for display.

The subject technology generally relates to rendering images used in mapping applications, and in particular, relates to systems and methods for rendering images that correspond to a map with selectively applied vector image data related to the map.
Certain mapping applications utilize images (e.g., satellite view images, oblique aerial view images, etc.) to provide additional perspectives and details through actual views of target areas of a map selected by a user. In order to provide mapping information (e.g., thoroughfares, thoroughfare labels, landmark labels, etc.) along with these images, vector image data may be rendered with the images. However, rendering raw vector image data onto an image that provides 3-dimensional (3D) information may produce aesthetically unpleasing results. For example, thoroughfares, such as roads, highways, trails, etc., and associated labels derived from vector image data may be laid across a physical structure that would otherwise occlude a view of the thoroughfare in the image. An operator may manually modify vector image data to remove them from being laid across physical structures and send the modification as extra information with the vector image data; however, such a process would require a more complex infrastructure and extra bandwidth for sending the information.


Method of raising sheet-like products (2), in particular printed products, which are taking part in a conveying process and follow sequentially one after the other, the products (2) resting, at least in certain regions, on a conveying means (1) during the conveying process, it being the case that, for at least a period of time of the raising operation, gravitational force being overcome in the process, the products (2) are pivoted actively about an axis (B) which extends essentially parallel to the direction (A) in which the conveying process is oriented immediately prior to the raising operation.

The invention relates to a method of, and an apparatus for, raising sheet-like products, in particular printed products, which are taking part in a conveying process and follow sequentially one after the other, the products resting, at least in certain regions, on a conveying means during the conveying process.
In certain application cases, it is necessary for products transported, for example, on a conveying belt to be turned through 180xc2x0 in relation to an axis parallel to the conveying direction. This is achieved according to the prior art, for example, by so-called xe2x80x9crotary beltsxe2x80x9d in which the products are retained between two belts which are twisted parallel to one another through 180xc2x0 along the conveying direction. In order to avoid damage to the products and to ensure reliable turning, these rotary belts have to extend over a relatively large region of the conveying belt, which is disadvantageous in respect of the amount of space taken up by the turning apparatus.
In other application cases, it is necessary for the conveying direction of products transported, for example, on a conveying belt to be changed abruptly by a predetermined angle, in particular by an angle of 90xc2x0. According to the prior art, this is achieved, for example, in that running at the end of the first conveying belt is a second conveying belt, which extends at right angles to the first conveying belt and of which the conveying plane is arranged beneath the conveying plane of the first conveying belt, with the result that the products can drop onto the second conveying belt and thus change their conveying direction by 90xc2x0. It is disadvantageous here, for example, that the products drop between the two conveying planes in an uncontrolled manner, which may result in disruption. It is further disadvantageous that for example, if when the conveying direction is changed, upstream or downstream, the products are also to be turned, this can only be achieved by means of separate turning apparatuses or rotary belts, which in turn is disadvantageous in respect of the amount of space taken up. The same applies if when the conveying direction is changed, upstream or downstream, the products are to be rotated about an axis running perpendicularly to the conveying plane or a combination of the abovementioned operations of changing the conveying direction, turning and/or rotating are to take place in any desired time sequence.
It is an object of the invention to develop a method of the type mentioned in the introduction such that products supplied sequentially by a conveying means can be processed further individually with reduced mechanical outlay, the intention also being, in particular, to achieve the situation where the conveying means is only overlapped to a slight extent, if at all, by the apparatus for raising the products.
This object is achieved according to the invention in that, during at least a period of time of the raising operation, gravitational force being overcome in the process, the products are pivoted actively about an axis which extends essentially parallel to the direction in which the conveying process is oriented immediately prior to the raising operation.
At the beginning of the raising operation, a redirection of the movement of the products thus takes place to the effect that the forward movement brought about by the conveying process is slowed down, and a laterally oriented pivoting movement commences during this slowing-down operation. For this pivoting movement, which is oriented laterally in relation to the direction of the conveying process, the product has to be fed potential energy at least for a period of time, with the result that it is possible for the products to be pivoted upward during the above-mentioned period of time. Once the abovementioned period of time has elapsed, the products thus have higher potential energy than prior to this period of time.
Since the pivoting of the products commences in each case when a product arrives at a defined position or at the end of the conveying means, all the products are pivoted individually one after the other, with the result that, with products following one after the other quickly or in imbricated formation, a fan-like structure is produced during the pivoting operation, each fan element of said structure being formed by precisely one product in each case, with the result that it is easily possible for the individually fanned-out products to be further processed individually. This is because, once the products have executed the pivoting movement according to the invention, they can easily be, for example, gripped and removed individually from their individually fanned-out structure or deposited individually on a further conveying means.
Instead of individual products being conveyed and pivoted, it is also possible for groups of products to be conveyed and/or pivoted in each case. The product groups here may be formed during the conveying operation preceding the pivoting operation, with the result that even the conveying operation takes place in groups. It is also possible, however, for the product groups only to be formed immediately prior to commencement of the pivoting operation or even during the pivoting operation, which means that, shortly prior to or during the pivoting operation, individual products following one after the other, for example, in imbricated formation are pushed essentially congruently one above the other to form groups.
The pivoting movement provided according to the invention further achieves the situation where the transfer between two conveying means which follow sequentially one after the other can take place with an extremely small amount of space being required since the two conveying means only need to overlap one another slightly, this overlapping being, for example, in the order of magnitude of the longitudinal extent of a product in the conveying direction.
It is advantageous if the pivot axis which is decisive for the pivoting movement according to the invention coincides at least essentially with a product edge which extends parallel to the direction in which the conveying process is oriented immediately prior to the raising operation. In this case, the products are pivoted about one of their edges, which, on the one hand, means that the pivoting movement can be executed with a minimal amount of space being required and, on the other hand, advantageously results in the products only having to be accelerated to an unproblematic extent. In this case, the edge about which the pivoting movement takes place is advantageously not accelerated at all in practice.
Immediately prior to the beginning of the raising operation, the products may be oriented horizontally or in a manner inclined in relation to the horizontal. It is advantageous here if the products rest with their surface area on a correspondingly oriented conveying means, in particular a conveying belt.
It is likewise possible, however, to convey the products by means of grippers, which then transfer the products, for the purpose of the pivoting operation according to the invention, to a corresponding pivoting apparatus. These grippers can retain the products, for example, at one or two edges.
Throughout the pivoting movement, the products are preferably pivoted through an angle of between 10xc2x0 and 270xc2x0, the raising-operation period of time, over which the gravitational force is overcome, usually always accounting for an angle range of between 10xc2x0 and 90xc2x0. It is thus possible according to the invention for the products first to be raised through an angle range of between 10xc2x0 and 90xc2x0 and then to be pivoted downward, for example assisted by gravitational force, through an angle range of between 90xc2x0 and 180xc2x0.
In order for it to be possible for the pivoting movement according to the invention to be executed in a defined manner, it is possible, during this pivoting movement, for the products to be retained at least temporarily, in particular at their leading edge, as seen in the conveying direction, by suitable means, e.g. by supporting means or grippers, which cause the products to pivot and pivot along with said products. In particular each product here is assigned an individual gripper, of which the movement, ultimately, determines the speed of the pivoting movement of the products. Immediately prior to the beginning of the pivoting movement, the products may be moved, by way of their leading edge, into the gripper by the conveying movement. It is likewise possible for a suitable apparatus to guide the grippers, counter to the conveying movement, up to the leading edge of the products in order then to grip the latter.
It is preferred if, at the beginning of the raising operation, the products are moved, by way of their leading edge, against an in particular stationary stop, with the result that the products, at least in certain regions, lift off from the conveying means in the pivoting direction. This stop thus initiates the pivoting movement according to the invention in that, for example in a region of the leading edge of the products which is directed away from the pivot axis, it prevents further movement in the conveying direction, which results in the products xe2x80x9cbulging outxe2x80x9d upward on account of the action of friction between the conveying means and products. This bulging out takes place in each case in a defined direction away from the conveying means, with the result that the abovementioned stop triggers a controlled and defined initiation of the pivoting movement, whereupon the rest of the pivoting movement in the upward direction can take place in a controlled manner by way of a gripper or a suitable supporting means.
It is particularly preferred if, at the beginning of the raising operation, products having an overfold are only moved against a stop of the abovementioned type by way of the leading edge of their overfold region, with the result that that region of the products which is located opposite the overfold lifts off from the overfold in the pivoting direction and the products are thus made to open. In this case, the stop thus results both in the pivoting movement being initiated and in the products being opened.
As an alternative, or in addition, to the abovedescribed stop, it is also possible to provide, in the region of the conveying means, an in particular stationary guide element, along which the products are moved by way of their leading edge at the beginning of the raising operation. The guide element causes, at least in certain regions, the products to be raised from the conveying means in the pivoting direction. If then a stop is also provided in addition, for example at the end of the guide element located in the conveying direction, products with an overfold can first of all be raised by the guide element, whereupon the raised products are then opened by way of the overfold butting against the stop, with the result that the products can easily be gripped, for example, by a three-finger gripper, in each case one finger of the gripper ending up on the two outer sides of the product and one finger ending up between the overfold region and the region located opposite the overfold region.
During the conveying process preceding the pivoting movement, the products may be transported both in imbricated formation and without overlapping one another. In order to implement the method according to the invention, all that is necessary is for individual products or product groups to follow sequentially one after the other.
Once they have been raised into an at least essentially vertically oriented position, the products may each be gripped individually by grippers, in particular at an upwardly oriented edge, and fed for further processing. It is possible here for the conveying direction of the corresponding gripper section to run essentially perpendicularly to the direction in which the conveying process is oriented immediately prior to the raising operation.
Once the products have been raised into an at least essentially vertically oriented position, however, it is also possible for the products to be pivoted downward assisted by gravitational force, it being possible for this pivoting operation to take place about the same pivot axis as the preceding raising operation. The downward pivoting operation assisted by gravitational force takes place here, in particular, through an angle range of between 90xc2x0 and 180xc2x0. Following the downward pivoting operation, the products may be deposited on a further conveying means or a product stack.
Particularly cost-effective functioning of the method according to the invention is achieved when, during the pivoting movement taking place counter to gravitational force and/or during the pivoting movements assisted by gravitational force, the products are processed, in particular opened, stapled, addressed, cut or the like. In this case, the pivoting movement is not just utilized for lifting off the products from the conveying means; at the same time, it is also possible for processing to take place during the pivoting movement, time being saved in this way.
If folded products are opened during the pivoting movement, it is advantageous if the fold region of the products ends up in the radially inward direction in relation to the pivoting movement. In a particular variant of the method according to the invention, it is then possible, during the pivoting movement, for already open products to have further products inserted into them.
Following the pivoting movement according to the invention, the productsxe2x80x94as has already been mentionedxe2x80x94may be deposited, for example, on a further conveying means. In this case, the conveying direction of this further conveying means may run essentially perpendicularly, or else also parallel, to the direction in which the conveying process was oriented immediately prior to the raising operation. The conveying direction of the products may thus be changed, for example, by 0xc2x0, 90xc2x0, 180xc2x0 or 270xc2x0 by means of the method according to the invention. The further conveying means may be designed, for example, as a gripper section, as a pocket conveyor, as a saddle conveyor, as a combined pocket and saddle conveyor or else also as a conveying belt.
Further preferred embodiments of the method according to the invention are described in the subclaims.

Method of, and apparatus for, raising sheet-like products


A solar roofing shingle assembly includes an attachment panel configured for attachment to a roof deck and a solar shingle mounted to the attachment panel.

Typical building applied photovoltaic (BAPV) and building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems are labor intensive to install. An installer typically must attach brackets and frame rails to an existing roof deck over existing shingles and then mount the photovoltaic panels to the frame rails. In situations where the roof on a building is not relatively new; e.g. over ten years old, the BAPV system installer often must recommend that the roof be replaced concurrently with the installation of the BAPV system.
If the building roof is not replaced at the time the BAPV system is installed, a roof replacement later will require that the BAPV system be removed and reinstalled on the new roof, adding significant cost to the roof replacement. Some typical BIPV systems are nailed to the roof deck like a shingle, but are also installed in place of existing roof deck over existing shingles, and the building owner must also decide whether to replace the roof concurrently with installation of the BIPV system or risk having to remove and reinstall the BIPV system on a new roof.
The above notwithstanding, there remains a need in the art for an improved BIPV system.