Disclosed herein is a paint composition comprising a hydroxyl group containing resin (A), comprising structural units based on 2,2-dimethylolalkanoic acid, having a hydroxyl group value of from 200 to 400 mgKOH/g, and comprising less than 25 weight % in the resin solid fraction of structural units based on a lactone compound; a hydroxyl group containing resin (B), having a hydroxyl group value from 50 to 200 mgKOH/g, and comprising from 25 to 75 weight % in the resin solid fraction of structural units based on a lactone compound; and a crosslinking agent (C) comprising at least two OH-reactive functional groups per molecule; wherein the resin solid fraction weight ratio (A)/(B) of the hydroxyl group containing resin (A) and the hydroxyl group containing resin (B) is from 90/10 to 10/90.

In recent years problems have arisen with the formation of scratches on automobile paint films as a result of car-wash machines and there is a pressing need for the development of paints which have excellent car-wash scratching resistance and durability. In the past softening the paint film itself by reducing the Tg and crosslink density of the paint film and improving the scratching resistance has been considered as a means of resolution which improves the scratching resistance but, although the car-wash scratching resistance is improved, this results in the other features such as hardness, staining resistance, acid resistance and the like which are required of the paint film obtained being lost.
Paint compositions which contain as essential components (A) acrylic copolymers of acid value from 25 to 125 and hydroxyl group value from 30 to 150 which contain (meth)acrylic acid derivative units, (B) acrylic copolymer of epoxy equivalent from 230 to 1500 and hydroxyl group value from 30 to 150 which contain unsaturated monomer units which have epoxy groups, where the (A) and (B) components are copolymers which may contain unsaturated monomers which are ε-caprolactone modifications of acrylic monomers which have hydroxyl groups, and (C) amino resins are known as a method of obtaining paint films which have excellent acid resistance and scratching resistance (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Laid Open H5-171103). However, with these paint compositions there is a weakness in that the acid rain resistance is reduced since they have an amino resin as an essential component.
Furthermore, similarly high solid fraction paint compositions which are characterized by the fact that they contain in the proportions indicated (A) from 5 to 30 wt % of hydroxyl group containing lactone modified oligomer of weight average molecular weight not more than 1,000 and of which the hydroxyl group value is from 200 to 800, (B) from 5 to 50 wt % of hydroxyl group containing resin of weight average molecular weight from 1,000 to 6,000 and of which the hydroxyl group value is from 50 to 200, (C) from 30 to 70 wt % of polyisocyanate compound and (D) from 3 to 30 wt % of melamine resin are known as paint compositions in which two types of hydroxyl group containing resin are used and which have excellent finished appearance, paint film hardness, acid rain resistance and scratching resistance, and which have a high solid fraction (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Laid Open 2002-105397). However, with these paint compositions the glass transition point (Tg) of the paint film is inevitably reduced by the use of the low molecular weight hydroxyl group containing lactone oligomer and there is a weakness in that the staining resistance and the weather resistance are reduced.
Furthermore, paint compositions which have as essential components (a) from 30 to 90 parts by mass of a lactone modified acrylic polyol resin which has been obtained by the ring-opening addition reaction in the absence of a catalyst on adding from 10 to 200 parts by mass of lactone compound to 100 parts by mass of an acrylic polyol resin of which the hydroxyl group value is from 75 to 250 mgKOH/g and the acid value is from 0.5 to 50 mgKOH/g, (b) from 10 to 70 parts by mass of polyisocyanate compound and (c) from 0.01 to 20 parts by mass of a specified alkoxysilane partially hydrolyzed condensate are known as paint compositions where the staining resistance and impact resistance are excellent and where at the same time the appearance, weather resistance, water resistance and the like are also excellent (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Laid Open 2003-313493). However, with these paint compositions there is a weakness in that the balance of the paint film performance in terms of the car-wash scratching resistance and the acid rain resistance, staining resistance and weather resistance cannot be maintained satisfactorily because of the presence of one type of lactone modifier acrylic polyol resin.

Paint compositions, a method of paint finishing and painted objects


Techniques for operating a diversity receiver are described. A user equipment (UE) may include (i) a first receive chain having an equalizer and a first rake receiver and (ii) a second receive chain having a second rake receiver. The UE may support (i) a first mode in which only the equalizer is used to process a received transmission and (ii) a second mode in which both rake receivers are used to process the received transmission. The UE may determine a first performance metric for the first mode (e.g., based on the performance of the equalizer) and a second performance metric for the second mode (e.g., based on the performance of both rake receivers or only the first rake receiver). The UE may select the first or second mode based on the performance metrics and may power down the second receive chain if the first mode is selected.

I. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to communication, and more specifically to techniques for operating a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system.
II. Background
Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. These wireless systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting multiple users by sharing the available system resources. Examples of such multiple-access systems include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) systems, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) systems, and Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) systems.
A UE (e.g., a cellular phone) in a CDMA system may employ a rake receiver to process a received signal. The rake receiver may include a searcher and multiple demodulation elements (or rake fingers). The searcher may search for strong multipaths in the received signal. The rake fingers may be assigned to process strong multipaths found by the searcher. Each rake finger may process its assigned multipath and provide detected symbols for that multipath. The detected symbols from all assigned fingers may then be combined to obtain data symbol estimates. The rake receiver can provide acceptable performance for a CDMA system operating at low geometry, e.g., low signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio (SINR).
An equalizer may also be used to process the received signal. The equalizer may attempt to reduce all noise components such as thermal noise, interference due to other transmissions, and inter-symbol interference (ISI) that can come from multipath and distortion in the wireless channel. At high geometry, ISI may become dominant. The equalizer may be able to more effectively combat ISI than the rake receiver. Hence, the equalizer may be able to provide better performance than the rake receiver at high geometry.
The UE may employ a diversity receiver with multiple receive antennas to obtain diversity against deleterious path effects. At least one propagation path typically exists between a base station antenna and each of the receive antennas at the UE. If the propagation paths for different receive antennas are independent, which is generally true to at least an extent, then diversity increases and the received signal quality improves when multiple antennas are used to receive the signal from the base station.
The UE may have various hardware blocks to process a transmission received via one or more antennas. These hardware blocks consume power when operational. It is desirable to reduce power consumption by these hardware blocks in order to extend battery life for the UE.

Method and apparatus for operating a diversity receiver with an equalizer and a rake receiver


An apparatus and method for measuring broken spot weld artifacts has a framework for supporting a light and a plurality of cameras for acquiring controlled images of a specimen with minimal distortion and parallax. The framework holds the specimen flat and in a reproducible position, controlling movement while imaging. The image data is received in a computer programmed with image processing software capable of isolating and measuring the artifacts. A calibration standard is used to correct for aberrations.

Methods for inspection of resistance spot welding (RSW) are known involving detecting spot weld formation, evaluating spot weld quality, and predicting the end of electrode life. In one approach, the weld joint is broken and the weld dimensions are measured manually, e.g., by a caliper. The weld dimensions and appearance may also be evaluated by comparing the weld fracture appearance to standards of a classification system, such as, American Welding Society, AWS D8.2, Specification for Automotive Weld Quality-Resistance Spot Welding of Aluminum. Laser-based inspection systems have also been developed for the inspection of resistance spot welding of steel. Notwithstanding, improved and/or alternative methods and apparatus for inspecting welds remain desirable.

Apparatus and methods for weld measurement


A wire saw (S) for separating a plurality of ceramic components (11-16) from a ceramic component block (1) has a roller system (2), the roller system has a plurality of deflecting rollers (3-5) guiding a wire (6) to form a wire harp (7), wherein at least one of the deflecting rollers (3) is divided into separate discs (31-36) guiding a single wire winding (61-66) of the wire (6) and being inclined at an adjustable angle (a) of less than 90 DEG to an axle (A) connecting the centers (M1-M6) of the discs (31-36).

Ceramic component blocks are typically piezo stacks which are used in the production of piezo actuators.
A piezo actuator generally consists of a number of piezoceramic plates. A piezoceramic is a material which expands because of the piezoelectric effect when a voltage is applied to it. Such piezoceramics form the basis for the piezo actuators, which implement a movement path of a few micrometers when a voltage is applied. The piezoceramic has electrical dipole moments which each exhibit a preferred direction within Weiss domains which are delimited from one another. In an unpolarized basic state of the piezoceramic the preferred directions of the individual Weiss domains have no arrangement so that to the outside there is no macroscopic electrical polarization of the piezoceramic present.
To make the piezoelectric effect usable for piezo actuators, the piezoceramic must be polarized by the alignment of the electrical dipole moments, after which the electric dipole moments in all Weiss domains do not deviate or deviate only slightly from a preferred direction specified by the polarization axis. The piezoceramics are used for example as basic bodies of piezo actuators, which are used in such areas as automotive technology, for example as electromagnetic converters in common rail injection systems for internal combustion engines.
The individual piezoceramics described above are provided on both sides with metallic electrodes or internal electrodes. If a voltage is applied to these internal electrodes, the piezoceramic reacts with a lattice distortion which leads along the main axis to the usable length extension already described above. Since however this only amounts to 2 thousandth of the layer density along the main axis, to achieve the desired absolute length extension a correspondingly greater layer thickness of active piezoceramics must be provided. With increasing layer thicknesses of the individual piezoceramic layers within a piezo actuator however, the voltage required to make the piezo actuator respond also increases. To keep this within manageable limits, the thicknesses of individual piezo layers with multilayer actuators usually lies between 20 μm and 200 μm. Therefore, for a desired length expansion, a piezo actuator must have a corresponding number of individual ceramic layers.
It is known to the inventor that piezo stacks can be manufactured for example by arranging piezo ceramic green films in a stack alternately with internal electrode material.
The inventor also knows from internal sources that the piezo stack can be manufactured in multi images by stacking a plurality of "green" unsintered ceramic films or piezo ceramic green films or piezo layers onto each other and subsequently compressing them. This stack is subsequently to be separated or to be split into a plurality of individual components.
Wire saws are known from semiconductor technology for separating or splitting the individual components. To this end FIGS. 1A and 1B show a schematic longitudinal cross section or a schematic transverse cross section of a conventional wire saw DS. With a conventional wire saw DS of this type a plurality of wafers are cut from a silicon monocrystal using a wire D or by means of parallel wire sections DA1-DA13 formed therefrom. To this end the wire D is routed several times in parallel via deflecting rollers U1-U3 in order to produce a wire harp DH or wire lattice. However the distances or the respective offset VS between the individual wire sections DA1-DA13 is restricted to a narrow measurement of a few millimeters, since otherwise the wire D would jump out of its guide or the wear on the wire D as a result of mechanical stress would be too great. This distance of a few millimeters is however too small for the cutting width of the piezo stack needed, so that the wire saws known from semiconductor technology cannot be used for separation of ceramic components, such a piezo stacks.
Such a wire saw is known for example from publication U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,523. With this wire saw in the actual saw area of the wire is guided as a type of harp over three deflection rollers arranged in a triangle having at least the diameter of the workpiece, of which one is driven. The workpiece is initially located inside the prism-type arrangement and during the separation process is pushed from below against the horizontally tensioned area of the moving wire.

Wire saw and method for producing a wire saw


The invention relates to an auxiliary floating system for the installation, transport or maintenance of an offshore structure, said structure comprising at least one essentially vertical shaft, wherein said auxiliary floating system comprises: at least one floating element that remains semi-submerged during the process of installing the offshore structure; at least one coupling structure connected to said floating element; and guide elements secured to the coupling structure and in sliding contact with the shaft. Advantageously, the sliding contact between the auxiliary floating system and the shaft is such that it allows essentially horizontal relative movement between the auxiliary floating system and said shaft, such that during the process of installing the offshore structure, said structure sinks while the auxiliary floating system remains at essentially the same level on the surface.

In the sector of marine civil construction, the use of auxiliary floating structures or vessels with the aim of carrying out the offshore installation and/or the transport of heavy and/or voluminous structures, for example offshore foundations and wind turbine towers, is known. The large majority of said auxiliary structures consists of large barges or ships with special characteristics intended for these types of operations, the use of which generally entails an extremely high cost, in addition to the fact that they have very little availability, and furthermore they are only able to operate under very specific and favorable weather conditions.
For example, the patent application EP 2597027 A1 describes a system that comprises a floating structure and a working ship, wherein the floating structure comprises a section equipped with a flange so that it can fit in the securing that forms part of said ship. Once the floating structure is connected to the working ship, the installation and maintenance tasks can be carried out. The problem of this invention is that, in addition to the high costs of use and the limited availability of a ship with these characteristics, the floating structure remains fixed by the securing means, making the installation of the same difficult or impossible in certain conditions.
Likewise, the existence of different types of barges with a space intended to accommodate the offshore structure, more specifically the offshore wind turbine tower to be transported and/or installed, is known. The majority of them have a U shape or consist of two parallel structures joined by fixed metal beams, such as that which is described in patent application WO 2010028762 A1. These solutions also have the main problem of the large dimensions thereof and the resulting high costs of the auxiliary floating structures, along with the need for a specific design for each one of them based on the type of wind turbine tower, as is the case, for example, of the barge described in document EP 2905217 A1. Furthermore, these types of solutions are generally associated with elevation or vertical connection elements by means of which the auxiliary floating element supports at least part of the weight of the auxiliary structure. These types of elements, together with the corresponding connection and disconnection processes, reduce the effectiveness and boost the costs of said solutions.
Many of the offshore positioning or transport systems for large structures additionally comprise the use of large extendable vertical metal columns, intended to rest against the sea bed during the installation period, for example the systems described in the patent applications WO 2008071861 A1 and WO 2009153530 A1, which further increases the total cost of said positioning or transport.
On the other hand, the systems described in patent application GB 2501459 A, which are especially designed for the transport and installation of jacket-type offshore platforms, are also known. However, said systems are generally applied to structures that are not self-floating, and therefore they require the use of two auxiliary elements or structures to function, one of them being intended to provide buoyancy to the structure and the other to improve the stability thereof. Likewise, the system described in the aforementioned application comprises a plurality of connection elements (clamps, pre-installed supports, etc.) between the main structure and the auxiliary floating structures, wherein said connection is made in a rigid and secured way, thereby transmitting vertical forces of floating support to the main structure, and as such contributing to the buoyancy thereof. Although this approach is necessary for the transport and installation of non-floating structures (as is the case in GB 2501459 A), it is a drawback for installing self-floating structures, given that it requires the deinstallation or partial removal of the floating system prior to the anchoring of the main structure. This adds complexity and additional steps to the installation methods, thereby affecting working and maintenance times, as well as involving additional costs associated with the same.
Lastly, patent application WO 2014073956 A1 describes a structure for the transport and installation of a fully assembled and erected wind turbine tower, which comprises securing means, an accommodation area and a gate structure. In this case, the auxiliary floating structure is connected and secured to the substructure of the wind turbine. Thus, although the entire assembly can move in a vertical way for the installation and securing of the wind turbine in the definitive position thereof, this solution does not allow for relative movement between the auxiliary floating structure and the wind turbine tower, thereby making the installation operation difficult. Additionally, these types of structures are especially designed for the installation and transport of completely assembled Tension Leg Platform (TLP) wind turbine towers, making the use of them in other types of offshore structures impossible or very difficult.
The present invention is intended to solve the limitations and drawbacks of known systems for the installation and transport of offshore marine structures, by means of a new auxiliary floating system for performing said operations, together with a method associated with said system.

Auxiliary floating system for the installation and/or transport of offshore structures and method comprising said system


A diamond surface is selectively etched by forming a mask on a surface of diamond, and etching the diamond surface with a mixture of oxygen-containing gas and an inert gas, in which a concentration of oxygen in terms of O.sub.2 is from 0.01 to 20% based on the whole volume of the mixture.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for dry etching a surface of diamond which is used in the production of semiconductor devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
A diamond semiconductor device attracts attention since is functions stably under severe conditions such as high temperature or under irradiation, and can function at a high output. A reason for that the diamond device functions at high temperature may be that the band gap of diamond is as large as 5.5 eV, which may be attributed to the fact that a temperature at which carriers of the semiconductor cannot be controlled is higher than 1400.degree. C.
When a device comprising diamond is produced, an etching technique is necessary in addition to epitaxy growth of diamond, electrode formation and wiring techniques. With silicon which is most widely used in electronic devices, the etching technique is well developed, and very complicated devices have been produced. It can be said that the etching technique makes it possible to produce the high performance electronic devices.
It is known that diamond can be etched with oxygen (see, for example, Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. 220524/1988).
When diamond is etched with oxygen, etch pits tend to be formed or unevenness appears on the surface of diamond. Therefore, the etched surface of diamond cannot be smooth enough for the production of electronic devices.
When the surface of diamond is etched with argon, the diamond surface can be smoothly etched, but a masking material is also etched. That is, the diamond surface is not etched with sufficient selection between the diamond and the masking material. Therefore, argon cannot be used for etching diamond in the production of electronic devices.
Further, Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. 220525/1988 discloses the use of a mixture of oxygen and argon for etching diamond. But, this Kokai Publication describes that, when a mixture of oxygen and argon in a ratio of 1:1 was used, the etched diamond surface was rough.
None of the above prior arts is succeeded in etching the diamond surface selectively when it is masked.


A battery pack including a bare cell, the bare cell including a first surface, a second surface, a pair of short side surfaces, and a pair of long side surfaces; a circuit module on the first surface of the bare cell, the circuit module being electrically connected to the bare cell; and a frame covering a portion of the bare cell including the circuit module thereon, wherein the frame has a protrusion part at interior portions of side surfaces thereof, the protrusion part being coupled to the short side surfaces of the bare cell.

1. Field
Embodiments relate to a battery pack.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, secondary batteries may be used as power sources of portable wireless devices, e.g., cellular phones, portable computers, video cameras, or the like. The secondary batteries may be repeatedly charged and may be implemented as small-sized, large-capacity batteries. Accordingly, secondary batteries are widely used in advanced electronic devices because they have a high operating voltage and high energy density per unit weight.
The secondary battery may include a bare cell including an electrode assembly having a positive electrode plate, a negative electrode plate, and a separator, a can accommodating the electrode, and a cap assembly sealing an upper end of the can. A battery pack may be formed by mounting a protection circuit module in the bare cell and accommodating the resultant product in a separate frame, followed by labeling.


Compounds of the formula ##STR1## wherein: R.sub.1 is alkyl, alkoxy, hydroxy, cycloalkyl, hydroxyalkyl, alkoxyalkyl or hydroxyalkoxy;. Y is alkylene of 3 to 9 carbon atoms, PA1 R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 independently are hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxy, halo, trifluoromethyl and nitro; PA1 R.sub.4 is alkoxy, hydroxy, halomethyl, dihalomethyl, trihalomethyl, cycloalkyl, alkoxycarbonyl, hydroxyalkyl, alkoxyalkyl, alkanecarbonyloxyalkyl, cyano, 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl, (4-methylphenyl)sulfonyloxymethyl, N.dbd.Q or CON.dbd.Q, where N.dbd.Q is amino, alkylamino or dialkylamino; or pharmaceutically acceptable acid-addition salts thereof are useful as antiviral agents.

a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to novel 1,2,4-oxadiazolyl-phenoxyalkylisoxazoles, to methods for the preparation thereof, and compositions and methods for the use thereof as antiviral agents.
b) Information Disclosure Statement
Diana U.S. Pat. No. 4,843,087, issued Jun. 27, 1989, discloses heteryl-phenoxyalkylisoxazoles, wherein the heteryl moiety is an oxazole or an oxazine, which exhibit antiviral activity.
Diana et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,539, issued Aug. 15, 1989, discloses antivirally active compounds of the formula ##STR2## wherein: Y is an alkylene bridge of 3-9 carbon atoms;
Z is N or HC: PA1 R is hydrogen or lower-alkyl of 1-5 carbon atoms, with the proviso that when Z is N, R is lower-alkyl; PA1 R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are hydrogen, halogen, lower-alkyl, lower-alkoxy, nitro, lower-alkoxycarbonyl or trifluoromethyl; and PA1 Het is selected from specified heterocyclic groups. Included in the definition of Het is unsubstituted 1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl and unsubstituted 1,2,4-oxadiazol-5-yl. PA1 X is O, S, SO or SO.sub.2 ; PA1 Z is N or R.sub.8 C, where R.sub.8 is hydrogen or lower-alkanoyl; PA1 R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, lower-alkyl, lower-alkenyl, halogen, nitro, lower-alkoxy, lower-alkylthio, difluoromethyl, trifluoromethyl, amino, lower-alkanoylamino, di-lower-alkylamino, hydroxy, lower-alkenoyl, lower-alkanoyl, hydroxymethyl and carboxy; PA1 R and R.sub.3 are each hydrogen or alkyl of 1 to 3 carbon atoms optionally substituted by a member of the group consisting of hydroxy, lower-alkanoyloxy, lower-alkoxy, halo or N.dbd.Z', wherein N.dbd.Z' is amino, lower-alkanoylamino, lower-alkylamino, di-lower-alkylamino, 1-pyrrolidyl, 1-piperidinyl or 4-morpholinyl; with the proviso that when Z is N, R is other than hydrogen; and PA1 R' is lower-alkyl or hydroxy-lower-alkyl of 1-5 carbon atoms; PA1 R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are hydrogen, halogen, lower-alkyl, lower-alkoxy, nitro, lower-alkoxycarbonyl or trifluoromethyl; and PA1 R.sub.8 is hydrogen or lower-alkyl of 1-5 carbon atoms. PA1 R' is lower-alkyl or hydroxy-lower-alkyl of 1-5 carbon atoms; PA1 R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are hydrogen, halogen, lower-alkyl, lower-alkoxy, nitro, lower-alkoxycarbonyl or trifluoromethyl; and PA1 R.sub.8 is hydrogen or lower-alkyl of 1-5 carbon atoms. PA1 R.sub.1 is lower-alkyl, lower-alkoxy-(C.sub.1-3 -alkyl), lower-alkoxycarbonyl, cyclopropyl or trifluoromethyl; PA1 R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 independently are hydrogen, lower-alkyl, halogen, lower-alkoxy, nitro, trifluoromethyl or hydroxy; and PA1 R.sub.4 is hydrogen or lower-alkyl; where lower-alkyl and lower-alkoxy, each occurrence, have from 1-5 carbon atoms; PA1 with the proviso that when R.sub.1 is lower-alkyl, at least one of R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 is hydroxy. PA1 Y is alkylene of 3 to 9 carbon atoms, PA1 R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 independently are hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxy, halo, trifluoromethyl or nitro; PA1 R.sub.4 is alkoxy, hydroxy, halomethyl, dihalomethyl, trihalomethyl, cycloalkyl, alkoxycarbonyl, hydroxyalkyl, alkoxyalkyl, alkanecarbonyloxyalkyl, cyano, 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl, (4-methylphenyl)sulfonyloxymethyl, N.dbd.Q or CON.dbd.Q, where N.dbd.Q is amino, alkylamino or dialkylamino; or a pharmaceutically-acceptable acid-addition salt thereof.
Diana et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,791, issued Aug. 29, 1989, discloses antivirally active compounds of the formula, inter alia, ##STR3## wherein: Y is an alkylene bridge of 3 to 9 carbon atoms optionally interrupted by one or two oxygen atoms, by cyclohexyl or by an olefinic linkage;
Het is selected from specified heterocyclic groups including unsubstituted 1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl.
Diana et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,942,241, issued Jul. 17, 1990, discloses antivirally active compounds of the formulas ##STR4## wherein: Y is an alkylene bridge of 1-9 carbon atoms;
Diana U.S. Pat. No. 4,945,164, issued Jul. 31, 1990, discloses antivirally active compounds of the formula, inter alia, ##STR5## wherein: Y is an alkylene bridge of 3-9 carbon atoms;
Commonly assigned G. D. Diana and T. R. Bailey U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/731,569, filed Jul. 17, 1991, discloses compounds of the formula ##STR6## wherein: Y is alkylene of 3 to 9 carbon atoms;

1,2,4-oxadiazolyl-phenoxyalkylisoxazoles and their use as antiviral agents


A mobile terminal that includes a processor, a NFC circuit, a wireless network circuit. The processor executes a payment application in a memory to generate transaction data relating to a financial transaction. The NFC circuit receives the transaction data and encrypts the transaction data to output NFC encrypted transaction data. The wireless network circuit establishes a wireless network link with an accessory device that is separate from the mobile terminal, encrypts the NFC encrypted transaction data to output combined wireless network+NFC encrypted transaction data, and transmits the combined wireless network+NFC encrypted transaction data through the Bluetooth link to the accessory device for relay to a financial transaction terminal. Related accessory devices are disclosed for proxy encrypted data between the mobile terminal and a financial transaction terminal.

Cell phones and other mobile terminals are increasingly including near field communication (NFC) circuits that can be used to provide credit/debit account information to retail point-of-sale terminals. Because the NFC circuit is embedded within a housing of the phone, a user must properly position a particular part of the phone housing immediately adjacent to a NFC reader of the retail point-of-sale terminal to successfully complete a transaction. It may be undesirably inconvenient for the user to have to retrieve the phone from a briefcase, purse, or pocket in order to complete a purchase.

Secure NFC forwarding from a mobile terminal through an electronic accessory


A technique for intelligently evicting cache lines within an inclusive cache architecture. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to a technique to evict cache lines within an inclusive cache hierarchy based on the cache coherency traffic generated between an upper level cache and lower level caches.

Prior art cache line replacement algorithms typically do not take into account the effect of an eviction of a cache line in one level of cache upon a corresponding cache line in another level of cache in a cache hierarchy. In inclusive cache systems containing multiple levels of cache within a cohesive cache hierarchy, however, a cache line evicted in an upper level cache, for example, can cause the corresponding cache line within a lower level cache to become invalidated or evicted, thereby causing a processor or processors using the evicted lower level cache line to incur performance penalties.
Inclusive cache hierarchies typically involve those containing at least two levels of cache memory, wherein one of the cache memories (i.e. "lower level" cache memory) includes a subset of data contained in another cache memory (i.e. "upper level" cache memory). Inclusive cache hierarchies are useful in microprocessor and computer system architectures, as they allow a smaller cache having a relatively fast access speed to contain frequently used data and a larger cache having a relatively slower access speed than the smaller cache to store less-frequently used data. Inclusive cache hierarchies attempt to balance the competing constraints of performance, power, and die size by using smaller caches for more frequently used data and larger caches for less frequently used data.
Because inclusive cache hierarchies store at least some common data, evictions of cache lines in one level of cache may necessitate the corresponding eviction of the line in another level of cache in order to maintain cache coherency between the upper level and lower level caches. Furthermore, typical caching techniques use state data to indicate the accessibility and/or validity of cache lines. One such set of state data includes information to indicate whether the data in a particular cache line is modified ("M"), exclusively owned ("E"), able to be shared among various agents ("S"), and/or invalid ("I") ("MESI" states).
Efficient cache operation utilizes cache management techniques for replacing cache locations in the event of a cache miss. In a typical cache miss, the address and data fetched from the system or main memory is stored in cache memory. However, the cache needs to determine which cache location is to be replaced by the new address and data from system memory. One technique for replacing cache locations is implementing a protocol with least recently used (LRU) bits. Least recently used bits are stored for each cache location and are updated when the cache location is accessed or replaced. Valid bits determine the coherency status of the respective cache location. Therefore, based on the value of the least recently used bits and the valid bits, the cache effectively replaces the cache locations where the least recently used bits indicate the line is the least recently used or the line is not valid. There is a variety of replacement protocols utilized by cache memory, such as, pseudo-LRU, random, and not recently used (NRU) protocols. However, the present replacement protocols may result in increased inter-cache traffic. For example, replacing a line from an inclusive last level cache requires the same line to be evicted from all the lower level caches. Therefore, this results in increased inter-cache traffic.
Inter-cache traffic due to cache line evictions in upper level caches can be exacerbated in multi-core processors or multi-processor computer systems, in which multiple processing elements (cores or processors) share the same inclusive cache. FIG. 1 illustrates a typical prior art 2-level cache hierarchy, in which two lower level caches, such as level-1 ("L1") caches corresponding to two processor cores, respectively, contains a subset of data stored in an upper level cache, such as a level-2 ("L2") cache. Each line of each L1 cache of FIG. 1 typically contains MESI state data to indicate to requesting agents the availability/validity of data within a cache line. Cache data and MESI state information is maintained between the L1 caches and L2 cache via coherency information between the cache levels. FIG. 1 further illustrates an LRU replacement hierarchy to determine which cache way is to be replaced. In the prior art example of FIG. 1, the LRU chooses which way of the L2 cache to evict without regard to the traffic the coherency traffic the eviction may cause between the L2 cache and lower level caches, such as the L1 caches.
Accordingly, cache line eviction techniques that do not take into account the effect of a cache line eviction on traffic among lower level cache structures within the cache hierarchy can cause a processor or processors having access to the lower level cache to incur performance penalties.

Cache eviction technique for reducing cache eviction traffic


A hook (4) for a hearing aid (1) provides a sound passage for transmitting the sound emanating from an output transducer of the hearing aid. The hook is composed of different parts (4a, 4b, 4c) made from materials with different mechanical properties. This provides a damping means for damping mechanical vibrations. The invention further provides a hearing aid with a hook.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hearing aids. The invention, more specifically relates to a hook for a hearing aid, in particular a BTE-type hearing aid, and a hearing aid utilizing a hook.
2. The Prior Art
BTE-type hearing aids generally have a hearing aid housing comprising a shell in which all of the electronics, including input and output transducers, of the hearing aid are typically located. The shell is worn Behind The Ear, hence the abbreviation BTE. If the output transducer is located in the hearing aid housing, the output sound from the hearing aid is conducted via a sound tube to an earplug placed in an ear of the person wearing the hearing aid.
BTE-hearing aids generally have a hook-shaped part forming the transition from the hearing aid housing in which the sound output transducer is located to the sound tube. This hook-shaped part may be integrally formed with the shell of the hearing aid housing. The hook-shaped part has a curved shape, which may inter alia serve to hold the hearing aid in a correct position behind the ear of the wearer.
Often, however, in BTE-hearing aids the sound tube is not connected directly to the shell of the hearing aid housing. Rather, a separate intermediate piece, commonly referred to as a hook, forms the transition between the shell of the hearing aid housing and the sound tube.
The hook is made from a material which is more rigid than that of the sound tube in order to allow the sound tube to be readily attached thereto and removed therefrom. As the name hook indicates, it has a curved shape. The external shape of the hook is usually so that a smooth transition from the hook to the hearing aid housing, to which it is attached, is obtained. Thus, at the proximal end, where the hook is attached to the hearing aid housing, the external cross-section usually matches that of the hearing aid housing. The hook generally has a taper from the proximal end towards the distal end. Internally the hook has a sound passage extending from the proximal end to the distal end. This passage usually has a circular cross-section, with a constant diameter along the length.
In hearing aids it is well known that feed-back problems exist between the output transducer, and the input transducer. The feed-back is inter alia a problem because it limits the maximum gain achievable with the hearing aid.
The present invention bases itself on the realisation by the inventors that even though the output transducer and input transducer are located in the same housing, the hook attached to the shell of the hearing aid housing, or if the hearing aid has an integral housing, the hook-shaped part extending beyond the output transducer plays a role in these feedback problems.
On this background the present invention sets out to reduce the amount of feed-back between output and input transducers in hearing aids, in particular of the BTE-type. In this respect it should be noted that wherever the present description and claims makes reference to an input transducer, the use of more than one input transducer is not excluded. The skilled person will know that more than one input transducer is commonly used, e.g. in order to obtain directionality, and that the number of input transducers is generally immaterial to the feed-back problems as discussed herein.


A driving assistance apparatus includes processing circuit, and a communicator that communicates with the outside. The processing circuitry executes the following processes: identifying a driving state of a driver in a following vehicle behind a subject vehicle on the basis of a rear image containing the back of the subject vehicle; determining circumstances around the subject vehicle on the basis of images around the subject vehicle including the rear image; and controlling the autonomous driving of the subject vehicle on the basis of the driving state of the driver in the following vehicle, identified in the identifying process, and the circumstances, determined in the determining process.

Patent Document 1 discloses a driving assistance apparatus that assists driving based on monitoring information about the behavior of a following vehicle, so that a driver can avoid dangers while travelling his/her vehicle.
That is, Patent Document 1 discloses that a rear vehicle-distance sensor monitors a following vehicle traveling behind a subject vehicle. In addition, a performance-determination electronic control unit (ECU) estimates the driving aspect of the following vehicle in accordance with the monitoring information obtained from the rear vehicle-distance sensor, and evaluates the estimated driving aspect on the basis of a predetermined driving evaluation standard. Furthermore, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which a display speaker makes a notification in conformance with the evaluation result obtained from the performance determination ECU, to the driver of the subject vehicle.

Driving assistance apparatus and driving assistance method


A multiple block lifting device that includes two support arms pivotally connected at the opposite ends enabling the support arms to move from a closed, parallel configuration to an open, linear configuration. Attached to each arm is at least one block attachment unit that selectively connects to one block. In the preferred embodiment, the movement of the support arms and each block attachment unit is controlled by hydraulic cylinders and a main control valve. When paired blocks are aligned on a pallet, the device is in a closed, parallel configuration, and each block lifting unit engages a block. The device is then lifted and the support arms are aligned in the open, linear configuration. Each arm may include an optional extension arm that enables the device to lift additional blocks.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to devices used to lift concrete building or retaining wall blocks into position on a wall, and more particularly, to such devices that enable several pairs of blocks to be simultaneously lifted from their original positions on a pallet and shifted to varied positions on a wall.
2. Description of the Related Art
Lifting devices that are attachable to backhoes to help construction workers more efficiently set concrete blocks in place on building or retaining walls are widely known. These devices eliminate the need for workers to individually lift and position the heavy concrete blocks, saving time, physical energy, and labor cost. Unfortunately, such devices are able to lift and position only one concrete block at a time, which makes wall building a slow, tedious process.
Retaining wall blocks are shipped from the manufacturer on pallets. Typically, the pallets 95, 96 come in two sizes: 3xe2x80x2xc3x973xe2x80x2 and 3xe2x80x2xc3x974xe2x80x2, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, respectively. The 3xe2x80x2xc3x973xe2x80x2 pallet 95 has four pairs of blocks, while the 3xe2x80x2xc3x974xe2x80x2 pallet 96 has six pairs of blocks. Each block in a pair of blocks is longitudinally aligned in an end-to-end orientation with the other. Each pair of blocks is longitudinally aligned in rows.
In order to expedite the process and reduce labor and rental equipment costs, what is needed is a lifting device that allows a backhoe operator to easily and securely lift multiple pairs of concrete blocks directly off the pallet and then adjust their relative positions for direct placement on a retaining wall.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for lifting a plurality of blocks from a pallet and position them on a retaining wall.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a device that lifts the concrete blocks from their original positions on a shipping pallet.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a device that lifts blocks that are positioned in rows and aligned in an end-to-end manner with an adjacent block on a pallet.
These and other objects of the invention which will become apparent are met by the lifting device disclosed herein that includes two horizontal support arms, each with a plurality of block attachment units mounted on the arm""s outside surface and designed to attach to blocks in their original locations on a pallet, securely lift them and place them on a retaining wall. The support arms are pivotally connected at their ends and move between a closed, parallel configuration to an open, linear configuration. A means for controlling the pivotal movement of the support arms, such as central hydraulic cylinder, is disposed between the two support arms, and used to selectively control their movements between the two configurations.
Each block attachment unit includes a downward extending sleeve member designed to slide freely into a hole formed on a block. Located inside the sleeve member is hole engaging member that selectively engages the sides of the hole to temporarily attach the block attachment unit to the block. In one embodiment, the hole engaging member is an actuator arm that moves longitudinally inside the sleeve member and moves a gripping member between engaged and disengaged positions against the inside surface of the hole. Each actuator arm is connected to a hydraulic cylinder that connects to a main control valve mounted on the device that controls the operation of the hydraulic cylinders used to control the block attachment units and the movement of the support arms.
Fixed to each arm is a lifting bracket which connects to a chain or cable suspended from a backhoe which is used to lift the lifting device in a horizontal orientation over the pallet or wall.
In the first embodiment, the lifting device includes two block attachment units evenly spaced apart on each arm at selected distances so that four pairs of blocks placed in rows facing each other may be lifted. During use, the support arms are initially positioned in the closed, parallel configuration and lowered over the four blocks. After each sleeve member on each block attachment unit is inserted into a central hole on a block, the hydraulic cylinder on each block attachment unit is activated to move the actuator arm and to force the gripping member outward against the inside surface of the hole, applying sufficient pressure to lift and hold each block. The lifting device is then raised so that the blocks clear the other remaining blocks on the pallet and allow the support arms to be moved into a linear configuration.
When the support arms are moved into a linear configuration the blocks are aligned side-by-side and face the same direction. The lifting device is then properly positioned over the wall and lowered to properly position the blocks on the wall. The hydraulic cylinder on each block attachment unit is then deactivated to release the actuator arm and disengage the gripping member from the sides of the hole. The lifting device is then raised so that the sleeve members clear the holes and the central hydraulic cylinder is activated to realign the support arms in a closed, parallel configuration. The lifting device is then repositioned over the pallet to attach to four more pairs of blocks.


Provided is a low-density parity-check (LDPC) code decoder and a decoding method. The decoding method may include calculating a message of a variable node (V-node), calculating a message of a check node (C-node), and calculating log-likelihood ratio (LLR) data of a channel using the message of the V-node and the message of the C-node.

1. Field
The following description relates to a low-density parity-check (LDPC) code decoder and method for reducing memory usage.
2. Description of Related Art
A low-density parity-check (LDPC) code decoder typically involves a large number of operations. Accordingly, the LDPC code decoder is generally implemented as a single instruction multiple data (SIMD)-class application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). However, there are various LDPC standards which have been established. As a result, developing ASIC-type LDPC code decoders that are compliant to each of the standards can cause the decoder to be quite inefficient.
To flexibly respond to various standards, an application specific instruction processor (ASIP) is needed. However, ASIPs struggle when processing a relatively large amount of data. Also, it is difficult to implement an ASIC-type LDPC code decoder due to low compatibility.

Low-density parity-check code decoder and decoding method

Kwangwoon University Industry-Academic Collaboration Foundation


A mechanism is provided for resolving patterning conflicts. The mechanism performs decomposition with stitches at all candidate locations to find the solution with the minimum number of conflicts. The mechanism then defines interactions between a layout of a first mask and a layout of a second mask through design rules, as well as interactions of mask1/mask2 with top and bottom layers (i.e., contacts, vial, etc.). The mechanism then gives the decomposed layout and design rule definition to any existing design rule fixing or layout compaction tool to solve native conflicts. The modified design rules are that same-layer spacing equals spacing of single patterning, different-layer spacing equals spacing of final layout, and layer overlap equals minimum overlap length.

The present application relates generally to an improved data processing apparatus and method and more specifically to mechanisms for resolving multiple patterning conflicts.
Optical lithography is a crucial step in semiconductor manufacturing. The basic principle of optical lithography is quite similar to that of chemistry-based photography. The images of the patterned photo-mask are projected through the high-precision optical system onto the wafer surface, which is coated with a layer of light-sensitive chemical compound, e.g. photo-resist. The patterns are then formed on the wafer surface after complex chemical reactions and follow-on manufacturing steps, such as development, post-exposure bake, and wet or dry etching.
Multiple patterning is a class of technologies developed for photolithography to enhance the feature density. The simplest case of multiple patterning is double patterning, where a conventional lithography process is enhanced to produce double the expected number of features. Double exposure is a sequence of two separate exposures of the same photoresist layer using two different photomasks. This technique is commonly used for patterns in the same layer which look very different or have incompatible densities or pitches. In one important case, the two exposures may each consist of lines which are oriented in one or the other of two usually perpendicular directions. This allows the decomposition of two-dimensional patterns into two one-dimensional patterns which are easier to print.
Double pattern lithography (DPL) is an effective technique to improve resolution. DPL theoretically doubles resolution through pitch splitting. DPL involves two separate exposure and etch/freeze steps (litho-etch-litho-etch or litho-freeze-litho-etch). DPL is expected to be needed for 20 nm technology and is one of the best candidate solutions for scaling to 14 nm technology and beyond.
Layout decomposition includes mask assignment, also referred to as graph coloring. In one case, shapes to be formed using photolithography are colored such that two shapes within a predetermined distance are colored differently, meaning they are formed using different photographic masks. Shapes of different masks can overlap. The point at which masks overlap is referred to as a stitch. Stitching is used to resolve a coloring conflict; however, not all conflicts can be resolved by stitching. Some conflicts require layout perturbation or modifications.
In one prior art solution, one may construct a conflict graph, detect odd cycles, and perform wire perturbation. One may repeat this process iteratively until no improvements are possible. Wire perturbation comprises finding all possible perturbations to resolve a conflict and perform trial compaction. This solution has a very long runtime. Also, using this solution, it is impossible to cover all combinations of perturbation. This solution does not consider impact on cross layer constraints like via coverage, etc. A resolution of one conflict may introduce other conflicts. In addition, this solution only works with a single spacing rule and cannot be used with shape-dependent design rules.
In another prior art solution, one may pre-compute all wire-spacing options that reduces conflicts. This solution formulates coloring problem as integer linear programming (ILP) to minimize candidate wire-spreading options. This solution is very slow. This solution is limited to wire-spreading, and spreading may cause new conflicts at other places.
Another solution uses split level design for double pattern lithography. The solution specifies a DPL layer as two layers. For example, a metal layer, M1, is specified to the designer as M1a and M1b corresponding to two exposures of DPL. The designer must then consider inter- and intra-level ground rules to ensure DPL compatibility during design. This solution exposes the designer to DPL such that the designer must ensure the design satisfies extra design rules for DPL compatibility.
The prior art solutions present trade-offs between "correct-by-construction" and "layout legalization" approaches. Correct-by-construction exposes designers to DPL complexity. Layout legalization flows are runtime intensive and suffer from the issue that resolution of one conflict may create other conflicts. A conflict removal flow should shield designers from DPL complexity and provide efficient flow that detects and fixes conflicts once and for all simultaneously across all layers.

International Business Machines Corporation


A non-contacting face seal for shafts rotating at high speeds with improved secondary sealing means for low axial drag forces. Secondary sealing means comprise an O-ring with a compliant spring element at its outer circumference.. Compliant spring provides a controlled radial force, which keeps the secondary seal in a more reliable sealing contact with the seal ring and the seal housing balance surface but avoids excessive radial forces, typical for secondary seal located between two machined cylindrical surfaces. Low axial drag forces due to secondary seal displacements are important for prevention of sealing face hang-up and consequent high leakage condition.

Non-contacting face seals are usually applied to high-speed, high-pressure rotating equipment, where the use of ordinary mechanical face seals with face contact would result in excessive generation of heat and wear. Non-contacting operation avoids this undesirable face contact when the shaft is rotating above a certain minimum speed, which is often called a lift-off speed.
As with ordinary mechanical seals, a non-contacting face seal consists of two sealing rings, each of which is provided with a very precisely finished sealing surface. These surfaces are perpendicular to and concentric with the axis of rotation. Both rings are positioned adjacent to each other with the sealing surfaces in contact at conditions of zero pressure differential and zero speed of rotation. One of the rings is normally fixed to the rotatable shaft, the other located within the seal housing structure and allowed to move axially. To enable axial movement of the sealing ring and yet prevent leakage of the sealed fluid, a sealing element is placed between the ring and the housing. This sealing element must permit some sliding motion while under pressure, therefore normally a top quality O-ring is selected for that duty. This O-ring is often called the secondary seal.
To achieve non-contacting operation of the seal, one of the two sealing surfaces in contact is usually provided with shallow surface recesses, which act to generate pressure fields that force two sealing surfaces apart. When the magnitude of the forces resulting from these pressure fields is large enough to overcome the forces that urge seal faces closed, the sealing surfaces will separate and form a clearance, resulting in non-contacting operation. The character of the separation forces is such that their magnitude decreases with the increase of face separation. Opposing or closing forces, on the other hand, depend on sealed pressure level and as such are independent of face separation. They result from the sealed pressure and the spring force acting on the back surface of the axially movable sealing ring. Since the separation or opening force depends on the separation distance between sealing surfaces, during the operation of the seal or on imposition of sufficient pressure differential equilibrium separation between both surfaces will establish itself. This occurs when closing and opening forces are in equilibrium and equal to each other. Equilibrium separation constantly changes within the range of gaps. The goal is to have the low limit of this range above zero. Another goal is to make this range as narrow as possible, because on its high end the separation between the faces will lead to increased seal leakage. Since non-contacting seals operate by definition with a clearance between sealing surfaces, their leakage will be higher then that of a contacting seal of similar geometry. Yet, the absence of contact will mean zero wear on the sealing surfaces and therefore a relatively low amount of heat generated between them. It is this low generated heat and lack of wear that enables the application of non-contacting seals to high-speed turbomachinery, where the sealed fluid is gas. Turbocompressors are used to compress this fluid and since gas has a relatively low mass, they normally operate at very high speeds and with a number of compression stages in series.
During a typical period of operation, a turbocompressor is started and the power unit starts the shaft rotating. At the initial warm-up stage of operation, shaft speeds may be quite low. Typically, oil is used to support the shaft at its two radial bearings and one thrust bearing. Oil warms up in oil pumps and also accepts shear heat from compressor bearings. The oil together with process fluid turbulence and compression in turn warm-up the compressor. Once the full operating speed is reached, the compressor reaches in time some elevated equilibrium temperature. On shutdown, shaft rotation stops and the compressor begins to cool down. In this situation, various components of the compressor cool down at different rates and, importantly, the shaft contracts with decreasing temperature at a different rate than the compressor casing. The net result of this at the seal is the axial creeping motion of the shaft and the seal parts fixed to it, which may move the rotatable sealing face away from the stationary sealing face. With often only a spring load behind the stationary sealing ring, the stationary sealing face may not be able to follow the retracting rotating face, if the above mentioned secondary seal has too much friction. These prior art secondary seal arrangements can be found for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,768,790; 5,058,905 or 5,071,141. The term used often in the industry for this phenomenon is "seal face hang-up". In such case there may be a very high leakage of process fluid the next time the compressor is restarted and often in such cases the seal will resist all attempts to reseal it. The seal must then be removed and replaced at a considerable cost in time and lost production.


Systems, methods, and apparatus are provided for enabling orientation of directional antennas even when one or more of the directional antennas are moving. Position information for each directional antenna is transmitted using an omnidirectional antenna transmitting at a low bandwidth and a low power. The position information of the directional antennas is used to orient the directional antennas so that a high bandwidth, low power wireless connection can be enabled and/or maintained between the directional antennas. The position information is periodically transmitted and the orientation of the directional antennas is updated as one or more of the directional antennas move so that the wireless connection between the directional antennas is maintained.

Wireless communication and data transmission has become ubiquitous with multiple types of wireless networks, including Wi-Fi, cellular, satellite, etc. Wireless connections are also used to transmit data over long distances. Typically, long-distance wireless communication that enables high data rate transmission is accomplished with high-gain directional antennas. The gain of the antenna is a measure of increase in power that the antenna adds to the wireless signal. The direction of the antenna is the shape of the radiation pattern created by the antenna, which is typically measured in degrees and referred to as beamwidths. The beamwidth of a directional antenna generally includes a main lobe and one or more side lobes.
As the gain of an antenna increases, the beamwidth of the antenna decreases. Thus, the higher the gain of the antenna, the smaller the beamwidth. A higher gain provides a greater coverage distance of the main lobe, but reduced coverage angle (beamwidth). To transmit over longer distances (e.g., greater than 20 kilometers), directional antennas must be oriented so that the receiving antenna is within the main lobe of the transmitting antenna. This is typically accomplished by mounting both the transmitting and receiving antennas at fixed locations and having operators at each antenna orient the antennas toward one another by measuring the signal strength between the antennas. When an orientation with the highest signal strength between the antennas is determined, the antennas are secured to the fixed locations so that wireless connection between the antennas may be established and maintained.
While implementations are described herein by way of example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the implementations are not limited to the examples or drawings described. It should be understood that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit implementations to the particular form disclosed but, on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope as defined by the appended claims. The headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description or the claims. As used throughout this application, the word "may" is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words "include," "including," and "includes" mean "including, but not limited to." Additionally, as used herein, the term "coupled" may refer to two or more components connected together, whether that connection is permanent (e.g., welded) or temporary (e.g., bolted), direct or indirect (i.e., through an intermediary), mechanical, chemical, optical, or electrical. Furthermore, as used herein, "horizontal" flight refers to flight traveling in a direction substantially parallel to the ground (i.e., sea level), and that "vertical" flight refers to flight traveling substantially radially outward from the earth's center. It should be understood by those having ordinary skill that trajectories may include components of both "horizontal" and "vertical" flight vectors.

Orientation of directional antennas using horizontal position information


An architecture for providing service mediation in a network having a Layer-2 domain and an MPLS domain includes at least one Layer-2 provider edge device in communication with a first customer site; at least one Layer-2 edge device in communication with the Layer-2 provider edge device; at least one MPLS mediation edge device in communication with the Layer-2 edge device; and at least one MPLS provider edge device in communication with both the MPLS mediation edge device and a second customer site. An end-to-end connection is established using native Layer-2 signaling, if any, in the Layer-2 domain and PWE3 signaling protocols in the MPLS domain. The MPLS mediation edge device resolves associations between Layer-2 edge devices and MPLS provider edge devices. The service is “mediated” in the sense that native Layer-2 signaling is terminated at the MME, and a new domain, i.e., pseudowire, is established across the MPLS domain.

The following documents are incorporated by reference:    [SPVC-IW] Swallow draft "Soft Permanent Virtual Circuit Interworking between PWE3 and ATM", draft-swallow-pwe3-spvc-iw-00.txt    [PWE3-CONTROL] Martini, L., et al., "Pseudowire Setup and Maintenance using LDP", draft-ietf-pwe3-control-protocol-05.txt, December 2003    [L2VPN-SIG] Rosen, E., Radoaca, V., "Provisioning Models and Endpoint Identifiers in L2VPN Signaling", draft-ietf-12vpn-signaling-00.txt    [VPN-AUTO-DISCOVERY] Ould-Brahim, H., Rosen, E., Rekhter, Y., "Using BGP as an Auto-Discovery Mechanism for Provider-Provisioned VPNs", draft-ietf-13vpn-bgpvpn-auto-00.txt.    [BGP-L2VPN-AD] Radoaca, Unbehagen, P., et al., "BGP-based Auto-Discovery for L2VPNs", work in progress, draft-hlmu-12vpn-bgp-discovery-00.txt    [SM-SCOPE-REQ] "Service Mediation scope and requirements", mpls2004.010.00    [SHAH-QOS] Shah, H., Ould-Brahim, H., Metz, C., "QoS Signaling for PWE3", draft-shah-pwe3-pw-qos-signaling-00.txt, work in progress.
Layer-2 protocols such as Frame Relay and Asynchronous Transmit Mode ("ATM") were developed with the intent of supporting voice and data communications in service provider networks. Consequently, Layer-2 legacy equipment is widely deployed in existing networks. More recently, service providers have been deploying Internet Protocol ("IP") and Multi-Protocol Label Switching ("MPLS") based equipment. Since it would be quite costly to deploy parallel networks, service providers often deploy IP and MPLS based equipment in the same network with legacy equipment based on Layer-2 protocols.
One provisioning model for a network that includes both ATM/FR equipment and IP/MPLS equipment is the unmapped mode. The unmapped mode requires that calls originating from the Layer-2 domain encode information that identifies the target Forwarder and the destination MPE in the MPLS domain. The Forwarder located on the MPE side is identified using Layer-2 related information such as port number, VPI, VCI, and DLCI values. Forwarder identifiers at the MPE and the IP address of the MPE are taken exclusively from the Layer-2 information carried within the native Layer-2 call. The attachment identifiers on the MPE represent information relevant to the Layer-2 network being mediated. The native Layer-2 address represented by the Calling Party Number (in this case the ATM NSAP address) encodes the IP address of the destination MPE and is assigned a specific address format code that indicates that the address contains an IP address. During the signaling phase the mediation function screens the Called Party Information Elements and extract the IP address, the port number and the VPI.VCI values. The MME screens the AFI and ICP from the received call, extracts the IP address representing the loopback address of the destination MPE, and establishes a pseudowire to that MPE. A TAII is constructed from the information carried within the NSAP address (in this case the ESI—End System Identifier) and the SPVC IE (VPI.VCI/DLCI values). An Example of the unmapped mode solution is described in [SPVC-IW], which is limited to ATM technology. However, the unmapped mode has some disadvantages.
The unmapped mode disadvantageously restricts the set of Forwarders on the MPE devices to only those that are relevant to the Layer-2 network. Indeed, it is not possible for the MPLS operator to configure two separate Forwarders for the same mediated service on two different MPEs with the same or different VPI.VCI/DLCI values or port numbers. Neither is it possible for the unmapped mode to support scenarios where an Ethernet port is backing up a primary ATM port on the MPE, or an ATM port is upgraded to an Ethernet port without reconfiguring all the Layer-2 connections on the Layer-2 network domain destined to that MPE. Further, it is not clear how the unmapped mode supports other addressing plans such as E.164 and X.121 which can still be found in some Frame Relay networks today (since this mode requires encoding an IP address of the MPE onto the native Layer-2 address information). Finally, the unmapped mode does not offer the ability to perform address mobility within the MPLS network such as relocating the attachment identifiers to different ports, or to different MPEs, or even to different MPLS networks without requiring modifications to these identifiers.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Layer-2 to MPLS service mediation architecture


An aqueous ink ensuring less blurring and high color formation on plain paper, satisfactory color formation and fixing property on special paper and excellent ejection stability is realized by using a microcapsule of a colorant encapsulated with a polymer and rendered dispersible in water and specifying the amount of the aromatic ring in the polymer to be from 20 to 70 wt % of the polymer.

The properties recently required of the aqueous ink for aqueous inkjet printers are that the printed image has good fastness such as water resistance and light fastness, troubles such as irregular flow of aqueous ink or spreading of ink to enlarge the attached small ink droplet (hereinafter this is referred to as "blurring") do not occur irrespective of the species of printing medium, and the printed image exhibits high density/color reproducibility irrespective of the species of printing medium.
Among these requirements, for ensuring the fastness of the printed image, studies are being made to use a pigment having excellent fastness in place of a dye. The pigment has no solubility in water unlike dye and therefore, needs to be dispersed in a fine particle state in water, but it is very difficult to stably maintain this dispersed state. To solve this problem, various techniques for stably dispersing a pigment in water have been proposed, such as a method of using a dispersible surfactant described in JP-A-1-301760 (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application") and a method of using a dispersing polymer having a hydrophobic moiety and a hydrophilic moiety described in JP-B-5-64724 (the term "JP-B" as used herein means an "examined Japanese patent publication"). Also, with regard to the aqueous ink for aqueous inkjet printers, a technique of encapsulating the colorant surface with a polymer has been proposed, such as a method of using a microcapsule enclosing a dye aqueous ink described in JP-A-62-95366, a method of using a microcapsulated dye obtained by dissolving or dispersing a dye in a water-insoluble solvent and emulsifying the resulting solution or dispersion in water with a dispersible surfactant described in JP-A-1-170672, a method of preparing a microcapsule containing an inclusion product obtained by dissolving or dispersing a sublimable disperse dye in at least one of water, a water-soluble solvent and a polyester and using the microcapsule in a recording solution described in JP-A-5-39447, an ink composition comprising a colored emulsification-polymerized particle and an aqueous material described in JP-A-6-313141, and a method of using a phase inversion emulsification reaction or acid precipitation described in JP-A-10-140065.
As for the realization of a printed image having good color reproducibility, JP-A-5-155006 and JP-A-10-52925 describe a method of forming an image by combining a yellow aqueous ink, a magenta aqueous ink, a cyan aqueous ink and a black aqueous ink each obtained by dispersing a specific pigment with a water-soluble resin, and JP-A-2001-354886 describes a method of forming an image by combining a yellow aqueous ink, a magenta aqueous ink, a cyan aqueous ink, a black aqueous ink, a green aqueous ink and a red aqueous ink each obtained by dispersing a pigment with a water-soluble resin.
However, dispersing elements obtained by conventional techniques are unstable and when a surfactant or a substance having a hydrophilic moiety and a hydrophobic moiety, such as glycol ether, is present, absorption or desorption readily takes place and the aqueous ink disadvantageously suffers from poor storage stability. In the preparation of a normal aqueous ink, a surfactant or a substance having a hydrophilic moiety and a hydrophobic moiety, such as glycol ether, is necessary so as to reduce the blurring on paper. If such a substance is not used, the aqueous ink insufficiently permeates into paper and this causes a problem that the species of paper is limited for performing uniform printing or the printed image readily decreases in the quality.
Furthermore, when an additive for use in the present invention (that is, an acetylene glycol, an acetylene alcohol, a silicon-base surfactant, a di(tri)ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, a (di)propylene glycol monobutyl ether, a 1,2-alkylene glycol or a mixture thereof) is used in conventional dispersing elements, the long-term storage stability cannot be obtained and due to poor re-solubility of the aqueous ink, the aqueous ink is readily dried to cause a problem of clogging, for example, at the nozzle of an aqueous inkjet head or at the pen tip of a writing tool.
Also, the pigment dispersed by using such a dispersant has a problem in that the residual dispersant remains in the aqueous ink system and the dispersant does not satisfactorily contribute to the dispersion but desorbs from the pigment to increase the viscosity. If the viscosity increases, the amount added of the coloring material such as pigment is limited and a sufficiently high image quality cannot be obtained particularly on plain paper.
The present invention has been made to solve these problems and an object of the present invention is to provide an aqueous ink containing a dispersing element capable of giving an aqueous ink ensured with less blurring and high color formation on plain paper, satisfactory color formation and fixing on special paper, and in the aqueous inkjet recording, excellent ejection stability.

Water-based ink, water-based ink set, and process for producing dispersion


A microprocessor may be switchable between a normal mode and a test mode for performing a test program and may include a central processing unit (CPU) for saving contextual data in a stack of the microprocessor at the time of switching to the test mode. The CPU may deliver, at the beginning of the test program and on an input/output port, contextual data present in the stack beginning with the top of the stack. The CPU may also decrement a stack pointer by a value corresponding to a number of contextual data delivered.

The present invention relates to the field of electronic devices, and, more particularly, to microprocessors that may be switched to perform a test program. The present invention also relates to a method of managing the memory space of a microprocessor after switching the microprocessor to perform a test program, and the recording of contextual data into a stack.
It is conventional to provide, in the memory of a microprocessor, a test program which allows control of the microprocessor to be taken over by external equipment (e.g., a test station) to check the operation of the microprocessor and/or debug an application program. To aid in further understanding, FIG. 1 schematically shows a microprocessor MP1 including a central processing unit CPU, a non-volatile program memory PMEM, a test memory TMEM, and a volatile memory RMEM. The memories PMEM, TMEM and RMEM are, for example, FLASH-, ROM- and RAM-type memories, respectively.
Memory TMEM receives a test program TST-PGR provided by the manufacturer, and memory PMEM receives an application program APL-PGR developed by the user. The RAM memory, provided for storing temporary data, receives the stack STK of the microprocessor. The stack STK occupies a non-extendible portion of the RAM delimited by a low address and a high address, which are typically noted in the specifications provided by the manufacturer, for example.
The CPU unit includes various registers, the content of which defines the xe2x80x9ccontextxe2x80x9d of the currently running application program. In particular, this may include: an accumulator register ACCU; a condition codes register CC including various flags such as a flag Z (Zero), flag N (Negative), flag C (Carry), flag H (Half-Carry), flag I (Interrupt Mask), etc; an index register X for the indexed addressing of the memory plane or the addressing of registers; a program counter PC including the address of the currently running instruction, generally including a most significant register PCh and a less significant register PCl; and a stack pointer SP (or stack indexing register) generally including a most significant register SPh and a less significant register SPl, and including the address of the top of the stack STK (i.e., the address of the first free location of the stack).
When the microprocessor switches into the test program while running the application program, the contextual data of the application program is saved in the stack STK to be restored at the end of the test session. A first memory area RZ1 must therefore be reserved in stack STK for saving the context. This area is provided for receiving the current value A0 of the accumulator, the current value CC0 of the condition code register, the current value X0 of the index register, and the most significant bytes PCh0 and the least significant bytes PCl0 of the program counter PC.
On the other hand, when the microprocessor has switched to the test mode, the test program TST-PGR must itself have at its disposal an available area in the stack for the recording of data when running particular instructions. This data may include, for example, two bytes PChT, PClT forming the return value of the program counter PC when running JUMP or CALL instructions. Thus, a second memory area RZ2 must be reserved in the stack STK for recording this data.
Further, the memory space to be reserved in the stack STK of such a microprocessor for providing switching to the test program includes the area RZ1 and the area RZ2. The location of this memory space is not defined and depends on the filling ratio of the stack at the time of switching. In practice, the user that develops an application must make sure that the application program never completely fills the stack, and that at least one free location is left at the top of the stack corresponding to the two above-mentioned areas.
For the user who wishes to best exploit the resources of the microprocessor when developing an application program, the areas RZ1, RZ2 to be reserved in the stack STK is memory space which cannot be used and, consequently, is a waste of the microprocessor""s resources. However, the areas RZ1, RZ2 generally include only a relatively small number of bytes. Thus, the aforementioned problem may become particularly accute when using low cost microprocessors which include limited memory space and a limited size stack. Yet, many of the microprocessors currently in use in the home, automation, and automobile fields are indeed limited size, low cost microprocessors.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a microprocessor that does not require the reservation, in the stack of the microprocessor, of the area RZ2 to be used by the test program.
This and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention are provided by a microprocessor which may include means for switching into a test program, and means for saving contextual data in a stack of the microprocessor at the time of a switching into the test program. The microprocessor may further include means for delivering on an input/output port of the microprocessor contextual data present in the stack (starting with the top of the stack) at the beginning of a test session, and for decrementing a stack pointer by a value corresponding to the number of delivered contextual data.
More particularly, the microprocessor may include means for further delivering on the input/output port data present in a volatile memory of the microprocessor at the beginning of a test session. Further, the microprocessor may include means for delivering on the input/output port the content of at least one register likely to be modified during a test session at the beginning of a test session.
Additionally, the microprocessor may include means for performing a context restoration command. The context restoration command may include the recovery, via an input/output port, of the contextual data extracted from the stack at the beginning of a test session. It may also include recording this data in the stack and incrementing the stack pointer by a value corresponding to the number of contextual data recovered. Additionally, the means for performing a stack restoration command may also be arranged to recover other data extracted from the microprocessor after switching to the test program, and to record this data at its initial locations.
The present invention also relates to a method of managing the memory space of a microprocessor after switching the microprocessor to a test program and recording contextual data in a stack of the microprocessor. The method may include delivering, on an input/output port of the microprocessor, contextual data present in the stack starting with the top of the stack. Further, this data may be stored in external equipment, and the stack pointer may be decremented by a value corresponding to the number of contextual data delivered at the port.
More particularly, the method may also include delivering on the input/output port and storing in the external equipment data present in a volatile memory of the microprocessor. Further, the method may include delivering on the input/output port and storing in the external equipment the content of at least one register likely to be modified during a test session.
Additionally, the method may include performing context restoration when the microprocessor leaves the test program. The restoration may include recovering, via an input/output port, contextual data extracted from the stack at the time of switching to the test program, recording this data in the stack, and the incrementing the stack pointer by a value corresponding to the number of contextual data recovered. Moreover, the restoration may also include recovering other data extracted from the microprocessor after switching to the test program, and recording this data at initial locations thereof.

Microprocessor for saving contextual data when switching to a test program


A new hybrid mandarin tree particularly distinguished by producing seedless tangerine fruit from October to December in Central Florida is disclosed.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct, nearly seedless variety of hybrid mandarin (tangerine) for the fresh citrus market named 'N40W-6-3'. 'N40W-6-3' was selected from a population of 50 plants grown from irradiated budwood (cobalt 60, Vindicator Co., Mulberry, Fla.) from 'Snack' (unpatented), a seedy mandarin hybrid of unknown parentage. Irradiation treatment of budwood is known to induce mutations that, in rare instances, cause a permanent genetic change in a variety to greatly reduce or eliminate seed in fruit, without otherwise altering the integrity of the variety. 'N40W-6-3' was first asexually propagated by grafting to experimental rootstock Orange #14 (unpatented) and planted in Lake Alfred, Fla., in 2011. Asexually propagated trees of 'N40W-6-3' have remained true-to-type to the original selection through successive generations.


There is provided system and a separation substrate device for use with an NLM separator in separating and/or detecting at least one target analyte in a sample, the substrate comprising a micromagnet array of a plurality of micromagnets, the micromagnet array comprising a first capture region, a second focusing region, and, a third detection region, the focusing region comprising a converging and/or diverging micromagnet array region. Also provided is a method for separating and detecting at least one target analyte in a sample. The method including: contacting a plurality of magnetic beads with a sample, the magnetic beads functionalized for binding with one or more target analytes in a sample to form aggregates; providing the sample including magnetic beads and aggregates to a separating substrate comprising a micromagnet array of a plurality of micromagnets; transporting the magnetic beads and aggregates relative to the micromagnet array to provide separation and enable detection of the magnetic beads and aggregates; detecting motion of the beads or aggregates of the sample on the array in response to the applied magnetic field and/or detecting beads or aggregates of the sample on the array at a detection region of the array.

There are increasing demands for portable, economical, and user friendly diagnostic instruments, which can perform fast and precise sensing of biological analytes and also can be mass fabricated in production.
Based on microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology and micro-fluidics, the lab-on-a-chip (LOC) system has been developed and provided a strategy for such demands. As a result, various micro-sensors and micro-actuators have been developed.
Optical micro-particle detector has been used in airborne and microfluidic micron or nano-sized particles detection due to advantages, such as speed, sensitivity, and it provides a non-contact, bio-compatible approach. Among this field, flow cytometry has been used to detect the particles and biological analytes, such as cells, DNA, bacteria, e.g. in laboratory applications. However, there are still challenges with such systems including limited resolution, difficulties for particles focusing, and limited detection volume of particles.
The present application aims to address such problems and to find provide an improved detection system including to provide an improved lab-on-a-chip detection system The present application further aims to address the problems of limited detection volume, limited resolution and problems associated with particle focusing.
Bio-separation describes techniques used for determining the molecular state of a cell, or whole organism. Currently, bio-separation is often performed using liquid chromatography, electrophoresis or centrifugation, which achieves separation by transporting an analyte relative to a stationary phase based on a physical or chemical property, such as surface chemistry, size, charge, or mass density. Although these techniques separate analytes with a relatively high resolution they are recognized to have the problems of being slow and often difficult to implement. Another bio-separation technique is magnetophoresis. In this technique a very strong magnetic field and field gradient are typically applied to effect separation. However, in known linear magnetophoresis, the magnetic particles often coagulate to form undetectable complexes such as chains, which can make it difficult to perform multiple separations on different particles.
There is therefore a need to address these and other problems and limitations of prior art separation devices and methods. There is a need to provide an improved separation and detection system and method.

Optical detection based on non-linear magnetophoretic transport of magnetic particle for particle and biological sensing and separation

University College Dublin, National University of Ireland, Dublin