In a unit by which groups of cigarettes are packed in rigid type packets, the single packet is fashioned from a flat diecut blank folded around the group. An assembly consisting of one blank and one group is directed along a predetermined path and conveyed ultimately into a folding station with the blank still presenting two lateral flaps to be bent over and flattened; the station comprises two folders each presenting a fixed shoe of helical geometry around which a belt is looped slidably and positioned to engage a respective lateral flap as the assembly advances along the relative folding path, the active branch of the loop running in a direction concurrent with that of the advancing assemblies.

The present invention relates to a unit for packaging products.
In particular, the invention relates to a unit for packaging elements of elongated appearance, typically cigarettes, in packets of the rigid type with a hinged lid, to which direct reference will be made in the present specification albeit with no limitation in scope implied.
Generally considered, cigarette packets of the rigid type with a hinged lid are of substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and comprise a container, of cupped embodiment, surmounted by a similarly cupped lid hinged to a rear top edge of the container and rotatable thus between an open position and a position in which the container is closed.
The single packet is fashioned generally from a flat diecut blank of substantially rectangular outline referable to a predominating longitudinal axis, presenting two longitudinal crease lines and a plurality of transverse crease lines combining to define a front panel, an end panel and a rear panel compassed between the two longitudinal lines, both for the container and for the lid.
The blank also presents lateral portions that are bent along the aforementioned longitudinal crease lines to form respective side panels constituting the flank faces of the packet.
Packers of conventional design, the machines by which groups of cigarettes are wrapped in rigid packets of the type outlined briefly above, will generally comprise a wrapping wheel rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis and presenting a plurality of peripheral seats by which the blanks are taken up in succession at an infeed station together with the groups of cigarettes, these being ordered previously and wrapped normally in metal foil paper.
In accordance with one wrapping method, each of the aforementioned blanks is placed in the relative seat and advanced along a substantially circular feed path through a succession of stations at which the blank is folded by steps around the relative group of cigarettes.
Thereafter, at an outfeed station of the wrapping wheel, the single blank and the corresponding group of cigarettes partially enveloped by the blank are aligned with gripping elements distributed around the periphery of a transfer wheel disposed with its axis parallel to the axis of the wrapping wheel and rotating in the opposite direction. The function of the transfer wheel is to take up each blank along with the group of cigarettes and, following a given angular movement of the gripping element about a radial axis, to place the partly assembled pack on respective receiving elements afforded by a belt conveyor. The conveyor directs the assembled blanks and groups of cigarettes along a path parallel to the predominating axis of the blank toward a gluing station, a further station at which the lateral portions are folded, and a station from which the completed packets run out.
In particular, the flank faces of the packet are folded by fixed helical elements, located on either side of the belt conveyor in such a manner as to engage and flatten the respective lateral portions of the blank one over the other as the blank and the group of cigarettes advance together along the path followed by the belt conveyor. This means also that an appreciable force must be applied by the fixed helical folders in a direction perpendicular to the flattened lateral portions so that their breasted surfaces will bond after a predetermined quantity of adhesive substance has been interposed between these same surfaces at the gluing station. In effect, the adhesives employed are reasonably quick setting, although not instantaneous, and accordingly there is the need for a substantially uniform pressing action to be exerted on the flank faces of the packet for a given duration.
The fixed helical folders mentioned above betray certain drawbacks.
A first drawback connected with the use of fixed helical folders consists in the fact that there is relative sliding contact between the folders and the packet advancing on the conveyor, also that notable frictional forces are generated between the flank faces and the folders not least as a result of the aforementioned force applied perpendicularly to the flank faces. Besides tending to impede the free movement of the packets along the conveying path, the sliding action and frictional forces can damage the outer surface of the packets through the effects of scoring and rubbing or abrasion.
A second drawback connected with the use of fixed folders, attributable likewise to the perpendicular force applied to the lateral portions of the blank when overlapped to form the flank faces, is that a part of the adhesive substance interposed between these same portions can be forced out. Thus one has residues of adhesive that cling to the surface of the fixed folder, inhibiting the smooth advance of the packets along the conveying path and soiling the outer surface of the finished packet.
It will be evident that in order to remove the aforementioned residues of adhesive and clean up the folder, the machine must be shut down, and this in turn brings disadvantages in terms of costs and lost production.
Another drawback connected with the use of fixed folders is that of the impact which occurs between the folders and the advancing semi-finished packet due to the high velocity of relative motion between the two as the product and the enveloping blank are propelled forward by the belt conveyor.
The prior art embraces belt type folders arranged along the conveying path followed by the blanks, of which the function is to bend the blanks and cause them to assume configurations determined by special crease lines.
Such belt type folders on the other hand present the drawback that they do not allow overlapped portions of the blank to be pressed together.
The object of the present invention is to provide a unit for packaging products in rigid packets, such as will be free of the drawbacks mentioned above.
The stated object is realized according to the present invention in a unit for packaging products in respective diecut blanks designed to generate packs of substantially parallelepiped appearance, wherein at least one edge portion of the blank is folded in such a way as to establish a respective face of the pack.
The unit disclosed comprises means by which to fold the edge portion as the products advance along a predetermined folding path in a predetermined direction, also runner means forming part of the folding means, capable of movement in a direction concurrent with that of the advancing products and disposed in contact with the edge portion of the blank during the course of the folding step.


A solid-state device includes a metal pattern formed on a substrate, a conductive bump connected to the metal pattern so as to be contact with a side surface of the metal pattern, and a solid-state element connected to the metal pattern via the conductive bump. A bottom surface level of at least a portion of the conductive bump is substantially equal to a bottom surface level of a portion of the metal pattern at which the metal pattern is connected to the conductive bump.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a solid-state device and a method of manufacturing the solid-state device.
2. Related Art
Conventional solid-state devices include a device that a solid-state element such as LED chip is connected to a metal pattern via a conductive bump (see, e.g., JP-A-2011-222875).

Solid-state device including a conductive bump connected to a metal pattern and method of manufacturing the same


A cut-back composition useful for ambient temperature application to substrates comprising a resinous or residue-based component such as asphalt, polymer modified asphalt, coal tar, natural rubber or elastomers and a terpene solvent.

The present invention relates in general to resinous compositions such as asphalt, coal tar and/or elastomeric compositions, and more specifically, relates to a unique resinous cut-back composition for ambient temperature application to substrates wherein the composition comprises an environmentally safe and biodegradable terpene solvent.
Resinous or residue-based compositions such as those comprising asphalt, polymer modified asphalt, coal tar, natural rubber and elastomers are widely utilized for construction and industrial purposes. Examples of such compositions include hydrocarbon-based sealants, adhesives, cements, mastics, caulking, waterproofing agents, primers and protective aluminum coatings. Such compositions need exhibit good adhesion to the substrates upon which they are applied and should be generally resistant to deterioration over time. The compositions need to have some amount of elasticity and flexibility to avoid cracking and failure when exposed long-term to any number of environmental stresses such as wind, rain or the contraction and expansion of surrounding substrates.
For years these resinous compositions have tended to be solvent blends, also known as "cut-backs", wherein the asphalt or other resinous component is blended with a solvent to increase the fluidity of the composition and enable easy "cold-pour" application at ambient temperatures. The solvent evaporates following application leaving the asphalt residue firmly in place as an adhesive, coating or similar material.
Highly volatile compounds (VOCs) such as aromatic and chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents, including xylene, trichloroethane, toluene, methyl-ethyl ketone and butyl acetate have traditionally been utilized in cut-back formulations. These solvents have proven useful since they readily evaporate following application to leave a relatively dry adherent residue in a short amount of time. Yet due to the potentially carcinogenic, toxic and high VOC character of many aromatic and chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents, the use of such solvents for construction and industrial purposes is now closely scrutinized by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Furthermore, these solvents are the subject of stringent hazardous chemical regulations because they are highly volatile, not readily biodegradable and are photochemically reactive. Another disadvantage of using such solvents is that some construction materials, such as roofing membranes for example, can be damaged by intimate contact with these strong solvents.
In view of the environmental, health and quality concerns heretofore described, less dangerous solvents such as mineral spirits have been used to provide resinous cut-back compositions. The mineral spirits is less toxic and volatile than solvents used in the past, and therefore release a smaller amount of VOCs into the environment. Although the reduced volatility is preferred for environmental and safety reasons, the mineral spirits evaporates slowly over a long period of time which detracts from the overall effectiveness of the composition. For instance, when applying an adhesive, a slower evaporation time delays set-up of the composition and inhibits complete bonding between joined surfaces. As a result of this extended drying period, the construction has poor wind resistance or is otherwise vulnerable to environmental factors.
To eliminate these drawbacks, some asphalt or modified asphalt compositions are provided as "hot-melt" compositions. The "hot-melts" are prepared by heating the asphalt to relatively high temperatures in excess of 300.degree. F. and applying the composition while hot. The composition is fluid at such high temperatures enabling application of the composition without the need for volatile and dangerous solvents. Although these "hot-melt" compositions are readily used commercially, they require heating equipment, such as oil jacketed double boilers with oil being used as the heating medium, at the work site. Another problem associated with the use of these heaters and hot asphalt materials is the risk of fire and accidental burn injuries. In addition, careful control of the heating of the heat transfer oil and of the hot-melt composition must be exercised to prevent overheating. Even with proper heating control, the physical characteristics of these rubbery compositions, such as elasticity and resilience, can often be reduced by thermal degradation which accompanies high temperature maintenance for relatively long periods of time.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a resinous composition that is both environmentally safe and that can be applied at ambient temperatures.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a resinous composition which sets-up to provide a resistant and otherwise strong bond in a relatively short period of time following application.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a resinous or residue-based composition that comprises a relatively high amount of solids to minimize shrinkage following application.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a resinous composition that avoids the use of dangerous highly volatile organic chemicals which pose an environmental threat and expose the applicator to health risks.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a resinous or residue-based composition that contains a biodegradable solvent which exhibits relatively low toxicity and non-corrosiveness.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a resinous composition which comprises a solvent that has a relatively low-level or minimal VOC release.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a resinous composition comprising a solvent that is not photo-chemically reactive as to destroy or otherwise effect the ozone layer.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a resinous composition that can be easily handled and applied without special heating equipment.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a resinous or residue-based composition that does not deteriorate over time and does not destroy or alter construction materials used therewith.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a resinous composition that exhibits good elasticity, stress relaxation, superior bond and adhesion to substrates even at relatively low temperatures.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method for preparing a resinous composition meeting all of the above and foregoing objects.

Resinous cut-back compositions and methods of preparing the same


In conducting a plurality of kinds of surface-treatments on objects to be treated, concentration of produced gases in exhaust gas discharged from a reaction vessel are detected, and data of the detected concentrations are compared with reference data stored in a control unit to continuously control and process the respective surface-treatments. As a result, processing control can be performed suitably for the respective kinds of surface-treatments, and different kinds of surface-treatments can be continuously conducted by one and the same surface-treatment device.

This invention relates to a method for controlling plasma surface-treatments, specifically a method for controlling plasma surface-treatments which can perform a plurality of kinds of surface treatments on an object to be treated in continuous steps.
Some LSI fabrication processes include surface treatments of thin films with plasma. For example, the ashing of organic thin films is widely used in resist removing steps, and etching with plasma is an essential technique to the etching of micronized patterns of integrated circuits in objects to be treated.
The ashing speed and the etching speed vary depending on various factors, such as resist materials, etched materials, specimen temperatures, processing conditions and other conditions. The ashing requires no precise time control but essentially requires endpoint detection of an ashing because excessive exposure of specimens to plasma causes radiation damages, contamination, etc. The etching requires endpoint detection of an etching because unnecessary parts of oxide films are removed to expose underlying doped layers.
Conventionally an endpoint of an ashing is detected by the method in which an intensity of interference waves of reflected light against a photoresist, and reflected light against the surface of the substrate is measured based on that the intensity of the interference waves correspond to a film thickness of a resist. In addition, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 115536/1981, since an emission spectrum abruptly changes at the endpoint of an etching, the change is detected. Fluorescence is detected. Plasma is directly visually observed. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 165327/1981 describes a method of detecting a gas pressure in a reaction vessel. On the other hand, in such surface treatments states of surfaces being treated have to be monitored. To this end, surfaces which have been actually treated are checked based on their states, or surfaces being treated are monitored through the above-mentioned optical methods or the visual observation of plasma.
These conventional methods for optically monitoring plasma disadvantageously require spectroscopes and optical instruments, and devices for conducting these methods are accordingly complicated and expensive. In addition, these devices need complicated operations.
Especially in such optical endpoint detection of such surface treatment, monochromators are used. But detected wavelengths vary depending on kinds of films to be surface-treated, e.g., Poly-Si, SiN, etc., and different monochromators have to be needed for respective wavelengths. When a large number of objects are surface-treated, the endpoint detection of the surface treatments are more difficult.
Disadvantageously the visual observation needs some experience, and the human sense is not reliable. In addition, during the visual observation, an operator has to confine himself on the work, which lowers productivities. The method in which states of actually surface-treated objects are checked wastes might waste the objects. The method in which a gas pressure in a reaction vessel is detected must have a vacuum gauge built in the reaction vessel, which makes the device complicated, and the vacuum gauge might be degraded by exposure to plasma.

Method for controlling plasma surface-treatments with a plurality of photodetectors and optical filters


A pressure intensifier comprising a housing incorporating a first floating piston-cylinder unit with means to supply a primary pressure fluid medium to one side of the piston to apply pressure to a fluid medium in contact with the other side of the first piston, a second floating piston unit provided with a fluid medium communication port therethrough, there being direct communication between the medium contacting the other side of the first floating piston with one side of the second floating piston and through the port thereof to a fluid medium pressure power take-off chamber, the port of the second floating piston being closeable by means of a valve comprising two active parts, one part of which is incorporated in the second floating piston and the other part of which is provided with limited movement with respect thereto, there being means to apply primary fluid pressure to the other side of the said second floating piston to maintain the communication port open, the other part of the valve being constituted by a further ported piston the port of which is closeable by the said valve arrangement to allow the further ported piston to act as a high pressure creating piston on the fluid medium in the power take-off chamber.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to air powered pressure intensifier cylinders of the type which provides an operating ram pressure applicator initially with a relatively low hydraulic oil operating pressure and, subsequently with a second higher and final operating pressure, the first lower pressure being utilized to advance a ram to which a tool is secured, for instance a punch, to contact a workpiece and the second higher pressure being used to power the ram to perform the actual work on the workpiece, which work may be the piercing of the workpiece by the punch.

Multi-piston air-oil pressure intensifier with automatically variable working stroke length


Method and Systems for configuring, monitoring, updating and validating Internet of Things (IoT) software code and configuration using blockchain smart contract technology. The use of smart contracts for delivering software code and or configuration scripts to IoT devices is an enhanced cybersecurity solution meant to ensure the security and integrity of IoT devices. The use of smart contracts is also shown how it can be used for verifying the integrity of the IoT devices software code and or configuration is a proactive method of cybersecurity. The proactive cybersecurity method will prevent man in the middle attacks as well as preventing rogue devices from impacting other IoT devices or networks.

The convergence of blockchain technology with Long Term Evolution (LTE), and Fifth Generation Wireless (5G) with IoT and cloud services fosters in a host of new services that were not possible before. Distributed architectures for providing services in a communication ecosystem is common to blockchain, LTE, 5G, IoT and cloud services. The convergence of these unique technologies facilitates a neutral host environment and network slicing that is extended to the enterprise and smart home environments.
Blockchain while initially known for cybercurrency provides many other key factors. Blockchain fosters a distributed ledger that is shared providing a history or rather record of all previous actions which is immutable due to the unique cryptographic security that blockchain uses. Blockchain also enables smart contracts which lead to machine to machine communication for delivering contracts.
LTE/5G networks deployed using Network Containers (NC) and or Network Function Virtualization (NFV) with Software Defined Networks (SDN) is a low latency flat distributed network. This (NC/NFV)/SDN network involves the integration of several cross-domain networks and the systems will be built to enable logical network slices across multiple domains and technologies to create tenant or service-specific networks
The Internet of Things (IoT) is pervasive and more and more devices are being deployed for a vast amount of applications. IoT devices can be currently found in consumer applications, smart homes, enterprise, infrastructure management, industrial applications, military, agriculture, energy management, environmental monitoring, medical, transportation, food services, insurance, retail, city infrastructure, banking as well as in oil, gas and mining.
IoT covers a huge range of industries and use cases that scale from a single constrained device up to massive cross-platform deployments of embedded technologies and cloud systems connecting in real-time,
IoT is often considered the next great industrial revolution. Each of the before mentioned industries has unique applications of IoT, but the premise is a common theme: sensors and devices connected via machine-to-machine, or machine-to-infrastructure to monitor assets, collect data, analyze processes, and improve efficiency.
However, tying the diverse IoT ecosystem together which includes numerous legacy and emerging communication protocols that allow devices and servers to talk to each other in new, more interconnected ways is a daunting task.
At the same time, dozens of alliances and coalitions are forming in hopes of unifying the fractured and organic IoT landscape.
However, the IoT ecosystem has created artificial barriers either by design or because of the legacy platforms themselves.
Presently LTE/5G and IoT run on different cloud environments leading to unique policy security issues. This means that the IoT hub may need to segment the traffic streams or rather network elements.
LTE utilizes narrowband, Cat-NB1 (NB) or wideband Cat-M1 (CAT-M) as two access technologies supporting for IoT. However, there are other wireless access techniques using LTE and other wireless access protocols that support IoT devices and the use of NB and CAT-M is meant for illustrative proposes and not meant to limit this innovation to a specific wireless access technique.
The need to have low latency for device to device communication is becoming essential for IoT devices as well as smart vehicles and others. 5G access for IoT devices is still being defined with LTE (4G) having solutions which continue to evolve. Smart vehicles are currently using DSCR also known as 802,110p as well as LTE/5G to facilitate low latency device to device communication.
Presently there is a large focus on blockchain solutions, LTE/5G solutions, IoT solutions and cloud solutions. Some cross pollination between these four pillars are emerging. However, these four seemingly diverse technologies when brought together will enable the next communication system of the future as well as foster in new services and concepts which are not even imaginable right now when you also add location awareness.
LTE/5G and IoT devices leveraging blockchain coupled with cloud services provides a wholistic ecosystem which is the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem.
Security and especially cybersecurity have and continues to be a major concern not only in all aspects of telecommunications but of unique concern for IoT. The threat of a cybersecurity attack on IoT devices continues to serious concern for governments, industry and consumers. The currently method of detecting a cybersecurity attack is to utilizing monitoring for post intrusion detection. However, a more robust method is needed involving a proactive method whereby the cybersecurity breach and or intrusion attempt is stopped from the onset.
Blockchain technology utilizing smart contracts can be used to robustly secure IoT devices. The use of blockchain smart contract technology can involve both wired and wireless technologies that either communicate with a private, public or consortium blockchain.
Blockchain smart contract technology can be used to not only robustly secure IoT devices due to its immutability it can also be used to deliver or run software and or configuration files for IoT devices.
SUMMARY
Various embodiment systems and methods provide enhanced security for IoT devices
The present invention is a method for improving the security of IoT devices through the use of blockchain technology

Method and system for IoT code and configuration using smart contracts


The present invention relates to a fluid agitator which may stir fluid in a closed space without leakage of the fluid. The fluid agitator has a motive means and a bearing means installed in the closed space.. In the fluid agitator employing a electric motor as the motive means, only the stator coil of the motor which is weak in its resistance against high temperatures and humid atmosphere is sealed in a sealing chamber. The sealing chamber may be provided with a cooling device to cool the inside thereof. The driving shaft of the motor is supported by a bearing having resistance to high temperatures and high humidity and is provided with an agitating blade.. In the fluid agitator employing a turbine system as the motive means, a turbine chamber and a turbine blade are set in the closed space. A fluid supply is furnished to introduce fluid into the turbine chamber from outside of the closed space for driving and rotating the turbine blade. The turbine blade is connected to an agitating blade through a rotation transmission.

Fluid agitating is sometimes required under increased pressure, under reduced pressure or at high temperature in a closed space, for example in a reaction chamber, an autoclave, a rubber vulcanizer, an electric furnace, a heat treatment furnace, a culture chamber, or the like. The fluid agitating in such closed space is required to uniformly and promptly to distribute the temperature and/or the humidity thereof, or to activate the reactive fluid.
Apparatus for achieving such agitating includes a motive means, e.g. a motor or the like equipped outside of the closed space, and a rotating shaft attached to the motor, the shaft being provided with an agitating blade. The rotating shaft passes through a partition into the closed space amd stirs the fluid therein by means of the agitating blade.
With such apparatus, the hole must be formed in the partition to enable the shaft to pass through, and a seal must be provided around the shaft. A mechanical seal, a labyrinth seal, an oil seal, a gland packing or the like are generally utilized for sealing of such rotation shaft. As is well known, such shaft sealing devices are not able completely to prevent leakage of the fluid from the closed space. Where the inner pressure or the temperature of the closed space is very high, and/or where the shaft rotates at high speed, such sealing devices cannot retain their sealing ability. This lowers the reliability of the equipment using it. In fact, accidents occurred where lubricating oil, which has leaked from a double type mechanical seal into the inside of the closed space, was subject to high temperature and ignited.
Thus it was not generally possible to obtain satisfactory equipment in which fluid required to be stirred was disposed in a closed space. There are many fields, e.g. a high temperature and pressure moisture curing vessel for light bubble concrete, where the use of an agitating fluid in the closed spaced in not practiced, notwithstanding the fact that agitation of such fluid would be clearly effective and advantageous.
If a fluid agitator could be provided which substantially agitates the fluid under temperature and high pressure condition in a closed space without accidents, e.g. without leakage and/or ignition, it would be applicable for many fields of industry.


A imaging method is described that includes: obtaining a spectral weighting function indicative of an attribute of the reference sample; illuminating a target sample with light whose spectral flux distribution corresponds to the spectral weighting function to produce a corresponding target image, wherein the target image is indicative of a response of the target sample to the corresponding illumination at multiple spatial locations of the target sample; and identifying one or more target features in the target sample based on the target image.

Advances in the molecular understanding of many diseases and conditions depend, to a large extent, on microscopic evaluation of tissues. For example, malignant cells are identified by evaluating tissue samples. It is one of the most arduous and time-consuming tasks in pathology. To facilitate the evaluation, tissue samples can be treated with stains to provide feature contrast.
Human color vision is a form of spectral imaging by which we determine the intensity and proportion of wavelengths present in our environment, and their spatial distribution. However, unlike the eye, which breaks up the light content of an image into red, green, and blue, instrument-assisted spectral imaging can use an arbitrarily large number of wavelength-classes. Furthermore, it can extend the range to include the ultraviolet and infrared regions of the spectrum invisible to the unaided eye. The result of spectral imaging is a data set (known as a data cube) in which spectral information is present at every picture-element (pixel) of a digitally acquired image.
The invention features a method that forms one or more images of an unknown sample by illuminating the sample with a weighted spectral distribution for each image. The method analyzes the one or more resulting images and identifies target features. The identifying can include classifying regions of the images based on their spectral or/and spatial properties. In addition to classifying, the method can quantify the amount of some biomarkers either in combination or apart from the classifying. The identification of particular target features can guide the automation of subsequent processes.
In general, in one aspect, the invention features a method for imaging. The method includes: obtaining a spectral weighting function indicative of an attribute of the reference sample; illuminating a target sample with light whose spectral flux distribution corresponds to the spectral weighting function to produce a corresponding target image, wherein the target image is indicative of a response of the target sample to the corresponding illumination at multiple spatial locations of the target sample; and identifying one or more target features in the target sample based on the target image.
Embodiments of the method may include any of the following features.
The spectral weighting function may be obtained from a set of reference images. The spectral weighting function may be determined based on at least one of principal component analysis, projection pursuit, independent component analysis, convex-hull analysis, and machine learning The method may also include illuminating a reference sample at each of a plurality of pure spectral bands to produce the set of reference images, wherein each reference image is indicative of a response of the reference sample to the corresponding illumination at multiple spatial locations of the reference sample.
The method may also include determining one or more additional spectral weighting functions indicative of additional attributes of the reference sample based on the set of reference images; and illuminating a target sample with light whose spectral flux distribution corresponds to each of the additional spectral weighting functions to produce additional corresponding target images, wherein each target image is indicative of a response of the target sample to the corresponding illumination at the multiple spatial locations of the target sample. The response of the reference sample may include transmission, reflectance, or fluorescence. The response of the target sample may include transmission, reflectance, or fluorescence. The spectral weighting function may include multiple ones of the spectral bands. The spectral weighting function is a single one of the spectral bands.
The method may include preparing the reference and target samples with markers suitable for chromogenic in-situ hybridization. The response of the target sample to the spectral weighting function may correlate with the presence of the in-situ hybridization marker in the target sample. The method may include preparing the reference and target samples with a marker suitable for color immunohistochemistry. The response of the target sample to the spectral weighting function correlates with the presence of the color immunohistochemistry marker in the target sample. The method may include preparing the first reference and first target with a general stain.
The identification may include assigning the one or more target features to one or more classes. The identification may include quantifying the amount of a chromogen in a target feature.
The method may further include automating a subsequent process based on the identification of the one or more target features. The subsequent process may include laser capture microdissection. The laser capture microdissection may include directing laser energy to the identified target features in the target sample to remove corresponding portions of the target sample. The method may include performing mass spectroscopy on the portions of the target sample removed by laser capture microdissection process. The mass spectroscopy may be protein mass spectroscopy. The may also include performing protein purification on the portions of the target sample removed by laser capture microdissection process. The subsequent process may include determining the extent of a condition or disease in a target sample. The condition may be fibrosis. The condition may be chronic organ rejection
The method may also include repetitively illuminating the target sample with light whose spectral flux distribution corresponds to the spectral weighting function to record the target image as a function of time. The identifying one or more target features may be based on the time dependence of the target image.
This application incorporates other documents by reference. In case of conflict, this document controls.
The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

Cambridge Research and Instrumentation, Inc.


A heat sink includes a first surface including an attachment area to which a semiconductor module is attached and is installed such that a first side of the first surface extends in a vertical direction. Thermal grease containing oil is applied to the attachment area. A first groove extending in a horizontal direction is formed below the attachment area in the first surface. An inner wall of the first groove includes a groove top surface and a groove bottom surface spaced below the groove top surface. The length of the first groove in the horizontal direction is shorter than the length of the first surface in the horizontal direction. A wall includes a first wall extending in the horizontal direction and second walls respectively connected to both end portions of the first wall in the horizontal direction and inclined upward as the second walls extend away from the first wall.

There have been known heat sinks that dissipate heat generated by heating elements such as semiconductor modules. A semiconductor module and a heat sink are installed, for example, in power conversion apparatuses. In general, a heat sink includes a rectangular base plate to the front surface of which a semiconductor module is attached and a plurality of fins attached to the back surface of the base plate and disposed parallel to each other. The front surface of the base plate includes an attachment area to which the semiconductor module is attached. In general, thermal grease is applied to the attachment area in the heat sink to improve the thermal conductivity between the semiconductor module and the heat sink. Moreover, thermal grease contains oil to improve the ease of applying the thermal grease to the attachment area in the heat sink.
In some cases, the oil separates from the thermal grease and escapes, or leaks, from between the attachment area in the heat sink and the semiconductor module because of the aging or change in temperature of the thermal grease. When the heat sink is disposed such that the front surface of the base plate extends in the vertical direction, the oil escaped may flow down the front surface of the base plate and may flow out of the apparatus that includes the semiconductor module. In such a case, there arises a problem in that the oil fouls devices installed outside the apparatus that includes the semiconductor module, the floor at the installation site of the apparatus that includes the semiconductor module, and the like.
As a technique to solve such a problem, Patent Literature 1 discloses a heat sink provided with a groove below the attachment area on the front surface of the base plate. The heat sink disclosed in Patent Literature 1 can retain oil separated from the thermal grease in the groove and thus can inhibit the escape of the oil from the apparatus that includes the semiconductor module. The inner wall of the groove includes a groove top surface and a groove bottom surface spaced below the groove top surface.


An acoustic surveying method includes computing at least one of a distance and direction between first and second subterranean boreholes. An acoustic pulsed is transmitted into a subterranean formation from the first borehole and received at three or more spaced receivers deployed in the second borehole. A distance between the two boreholes may be determined using longitudinally spaced receivers while a toolface to target direction (angle) may be determined using circumferentially spaced receivers.

Both passive and active magnetic ranging techniques are well known in the oil field services industry and are commonly used for determining a distance and a direction to a magnetic target. Such magnetic ranging techniques have been successfully utilized in various commercial well twinning, well intercept, and well avoidance applications. For example, commonly invented and commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,985,814 and 7,656,161, disclose passive ranging methodologies suitable for use in well twinning applications. The '814 patent makes use of remanent magnetization in a target well casing string while the '161 patent teaches a method for magnetizing the target well casing string prior to deployment in the target well. While the above described passive ranging techniques have been successfully utilized in commercial well twinning applications, there is room for further improvement. For example, magnetic ranging can be susceptible to magnetic interference in certain applications. Moreover, magnetic ranging techniques are typically limited to relatively small separation distances between the twin and target wells (e.g., less than about 10 meters) unless very strong fields are utilized.
Therefore there exists a need for improved ranging techniques suitable for use, for example, in well twinning and well intercept applications.


A functional gadolinium contrast agent comprising a gadolinium cation and a ligand secured to the gadolinium cation is disclosed, the ligand comprising a reactive group capable of bonding to a capture substrate. A method of removing gadolinium contrast agents from a patient is disclosed, the method comprising providing a gadolinium contrast agent containing a reactive group; providing a capture substrate for insertion into a patient's bloodstream; administering the gadolinium contrast agent to the patient; conducting a magnetic resonance imaging procedure; and sequestering the gadolinium contrast agent on the capture substrate. A system for removing gadolinium contrast agents is also disclosed.

Contrast agents are commonly used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to enhance and improve the quality of the MRI images. Gadolinium contrast agents are formed of a gadolinium chelate that includes a Gd3+ cation plus a ligand that typically contains three or four amine groups securing a gadolinium cation. The ligand also often includes a plurality of acid or amide groups. The ligand isolates the gadolinium cation, preventing it from being rapidly absorbed by cells, while also influencing and improving imaging contrast properties.
Gadolinium contrast agents and their byproducts are often excreted unchanged by glomerular filtration. However, studies have shown that gadolinium can accumulate in tissues, such as brain tissue, bone tissue, and kidney tissue. This accumulation in a patient's tissues can be problematic, especially for patients with reduced renal function. Symptoms of gadolinium accumulation include central pain, peripheral pain, headaches, bone pain, skin thickening, clouded mentation, etc.
Therefore, a need exists for a way to effectively remove gadolinium contrast agents from a patient's bloodstream after undergoing MRI procedures.

Gadolinium contrast agents, scavenging methods, and scavenging system


A system for performing a minimally invasive surgical procedure includes a cannula, a surgical instrument for use through the cannula, and a remote positioning system to adjust the relative position between the surgical instrument and the cannula. By allowing a physician to perform the minimally invasive surgical procedure at a distance from the patient, the remote positioning system minimizes the radiation exposure of the physician while still providing accurate control over the procedure.

A minimally invasive procedure (sometimes referred to as a percutaneous procedure) is a medical procedure that is performed through the skin or an anatomical opening. In contrast to an open procedure for the same purpose, a minimally invasive procedure will generally be less traumatic to the patient and result in a reduced recovery period.
For example, for many individuals in our aging world population, undiagnosed and/or untreatable bone strength losses have weakened these individuals' bones to a point that even normal daily activities pose a significant threat of fracture. In one common scenario, when the bones of the spine are sufficiently weakened, the compressive forces in the spine can cause fracture and/or deformation of the vertebral bodies. For sufficiently weakened bone, even normal daily activities like walking down steps or carrying groceries can cause a collapse of one or more spinal bones. A fracture of the vertebral body in this manner is typically referred to as a vertebral compression fracture. Other commonly occurring fractures resulting from weakened bones can include hip, wrist, knee and ankle fractures, to name a few.
Fractures such as vertebral compression fractures often result in episodes of pain that are chronic and intense. Aside from the pain caused by the fracture itself, the involvement of the spinal column can result in pinched and/or damaged nerves, causing paralysis, loss of function, and intense pain which radiates throughout the patient's body. Even where nerves are not affected, however, the intense pain associated with all types of fractures is debilitating, resulting in a great deal of stress, impaired mobility and other long-term consequences. For example, progressive spinal fractures can, over time, cause serious deformation of the spine ("kyphosis"), giving an individual a hunched-back appearance, and can also result in significantly reduced lung capacity and increased mortality.
Until recently, treatment options for vertebral compression fractures, as well as other serious fractures and/or losses in bone strength, were extremely limited—mainly pain management with strong oral or intravenous medications, reduced activity, bracing and/or radiation therapy, all with mediocre results. Because patients with these problems are typically older, and often suffer from various other significant health complications, many of these individuals are unable to tolerate invasive surgery. In addition, to curb further loss of bone strength, many patients are given hormones and/or vitamin/mineral supplements—again with mediocre results and often with significant side effects.
In an effort to more effectively and directly treat vertebral compression fractures, minimally invasive techniques such as vertebroplasty and, subsequently, kyphoplasty, have been developed. Vertebroplasty involves the injection of a flowable bone filler material, usually polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA—commonly known as bone cement), into a fractured, weakened, or diseased vertebral body. Shortly after injection, the liquid filling material hardens or polymerizes, desirably supporting the vertebral body internally, alleviating pain and preventing further collapse of the injected vertebral body.
Because the liquid bone cement naturally follows the path of least resistance within bone, and because the small-diameter needles used to deliver bone cement in vertebroplasty procedure require either high delivery pressures and/or less viscous bone cements, ensuring that the bone cement remains within the already compromised vertebral body is a significant concern in vertebroplasty procedures. Kyphoplasty addresses this issue by first creating a cavity within the vertebral body (e.g., with an inflatable balloon) and then filling that cavity with bone filler material. The cavity provides a natural containment region that minimizes the risk of bone filler material escape from the vertebral body. An additional benefit of kyphoplasty is that the creation of the cavity can also restore the original height of the vertebral body, further enhancing the benefit of the procedure.
In both vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty, as with most minimally invasive procedures, x-ray fluoroscopy is used to allow the surgeon to visualize the procedural actions being performed within the patient. Unfortunately, due to the constrained access requirements of minimally invasive procedures, tools associated with such procedures have typically been designed to be manipulated in close proximity to the actual access location to the patient's body. Therefore, the surgeon performing a minimally invasive procedure can be exposed to the radiation field from the fluoroscopy system. For a surgeon performing a large number of procedures, the cumulative radiation exposure from those procedures can be significant.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide surgical tools and techniques that minimize the radiation exposure to a surgeon.

Remote position control for surgical apparatus


A motor-driven conveyor roller includes a cylindrical roller body extending along a longitudinal axis of rotation, an axle unit coaxially aligned with the roller body with respect to the longitudinal axis of rotation, a drive unit arranged in the roller body, which is coupled to the roller body and the axle unit to produce a rotational movement between the axle unit and the roller body about the longitudinal axis of rotation, and an end lid which closes the roller body at a first axial end and through which an axle section of the axle unit extends. The end lid has an outer wall formed of stainless steel and an inner wall cast on the outer wall and formed of a light metal.

Motor-driven conveyor rollers and methods of operating them are basically known from EP 1656312B1 and EP 1671901B1, for example. Such motor-driven conveyor rollers are used in numerous different applications. A typical application is the use in a conveyor line for conveying objects such as containers, consignments of goods, luggage, and the like. In such applications, motor-driven conveyor rollers are mounted horizontally in a frame and the products to be conveyed roll on the outer surface of the roller body. In such applications, motor-driven conveyor rollers are often used together with idle rollers, which do not have their own drive, and which are mounted parallel to the motor-driven conveyor roller in the frame to form a conveyor section. These idle rollers are driven by the motor-driven conveyor roller by means of appropriate drive belts.
A fundamental requirement of motor-driven conveyor rollers, especially in such applications, is the provision of a high torque for conveying and braking even heavy objects without delay. For this reason, motor-driven conveyor rollers with an electronically commutated three-phase a.c. motor have proven their worth. This three-phase motor is arranged inside the roller body to save space and is typically supplied with power via a supply line that passes through a hollow axle element of the motor-driven conveyor roller.
It is required to encapsulate motor-driven conveyor rollers as far as possible in such a way that the ingress of liquids, for example, during cleaning of the conveyor system, is reliably prevented, as is the escape of lubricant from the conveyor roller into the environment. The disadvantage of this type of encapsulation, however, is that, especially at high operating loads, a large amount of heat is generated inside the roller body by the electric motor located inside it and the heat generated cannot be dissipated sufficiently by the encapsulation. The maximum permissible continuous load of such motor-driven conveyor rollers is therefore often limited by a maximum temperature which must not be exceeded for the most temperature-sensitive component within the roller body.
In order to be able to convey products such as containers, packages, pieces of luggage, or pallets with different and/or short lengths evenly in the conveying direction and with support on at least two, preferably three conveyor rollers at any time, conveyor sections on which the products rest directly on the roller bodies are constructed from conveyor rollers with a diameter of about 50 mm. This enables a close alignment of conveyor rollers, only some of which must be designed as motor-driven conveyor rollers, which can then drive other conveyor rollers via a traction drive such as a Poly-V-belt, if necessary. In motor-driven conveyor rollers for this application and with these dimensions, drives are used which have a power output of up to xx watts and are characterized by a compact design with a planetary gear.
Drum motors, which have a diameter of more than 100 mm and are generally used as drive units for belt conveyors, are a different design. Such drum motors use drive units with more than xxx Watt, which often require separate cooling measures such as oil filling of the interior of the drum tube to dissipate the thermal load of the drive via the drum tube. A drum motor is usually wrapped around a conveyor belt, which regularly has a high belt tension in order to be able to transmit the forces from the outer surface of the drum tube in a force-locking manner. In certain applications, conveyor belts with form-locking to the drum tube, for example by means of toothing, are also used to transfer high conveying forces between the drum tube and the conveyor belt.
Such drum motors are subjected to high forces during operation, which are generated by the drive power on the one hand and by the belt tension and the weight of a product resting on the drum motor on the other. Drum motors are often used in demanding environments, such as dust-laden environments. In applications where drum motors are used under clean room conditions or in the pharmaceutical or food processing industry, there is also the added burden of cleaning operations, combined with the requirement that the drum motor must be easy to clean with little risk of bacterial growth in gaps, niches, or the like. Especially due to the deformations occurring under the high load, this requirement, combined with the necessary tightness against entering liquids, for example, when cleaning with a high-pressure cleaning jet, can only be met with very complex measures.
The interface between the front lids and the drum tube on the one hand and the interface between the axle or axle sections in the area of the passage from the drum tube interior to the outside on the other hand has proven to be a particular problem. The inventors have found that known solutions in which the shaft penetrates a plastic or metal lid that rotates with the drum tube and is firmly sealed to the drum tube can only reliably achieve a seal against liquids acting under high pressure if the shaft is solid, which is a major disadvantage for the materials required for use in hygienically demanding environments for cost reasons.


A rotational force which was input from a transmission is received by a main shaft and transferred to the rear wheel side. The rotational force of the main shaft is transferred to the front wheel side through a hydraulic clutch. The hydraulic clutch receives the supply of an operating hydraulic pressure from an oil pump which is driven by a DC motor. Further, an operating hydraulic pressure is supplied in parallel to the hydraulic clutch from a second oil pump which is driven by the main shaft. The DC motor is driven only in the low-speed mode, stop mode, and reverse mode. On the other hand, after the motor was turned on at a rotational speed of a predetermined rotational speed or less, if the speed does not reach a second rotational speed higher than the predetermined rotational speed, the motor is not turned off.

The present invention relates to a 4-wheel driving transfer apparatus having a wet multi-plate clutch mechanism which is hydraulically driven and, more particularly, to a 4-wheel driving transfer apparatus in which a clutch hydraulic pressure is generated by an electric oil pump.
Hitherto, as a 4-wheel driving transfer apparatus which is used in combination with an automatic transmission, for instance, there has been known an apparatus as shown in FIG. 1.
In FIG. 1, reference numerals 10, 12, and 14 denote casings. A main shaft 16 is rotatably supported to the casings 12 and 14. Reference numeral 18 denotes a planetary gear mechanism and 20 indicates a switching mechanism for switching the planetary gear mechanism 18 to two stages of a high speed and a low speed. Reference numeral 22 indicates a hydraulic clutch mechanism which can absorb a differential rotation between the front wheels and the rear wheels and is hydraulically driven. Reference numeral 24 denotes a drive sprocket which is coupled to the hydraulic clutch mechanism 22. Reference numeral 26 represents a driven sprocket which is coupled to the drive sprocket 24 through a chain 28. Reference numeral 30 denotes a front drive shaft which is formed integrally with the driven sprocket 26.
A rotational force from the automatic transmission arranged in front of the transfer apparatus is switched to a low speed (deceleration) or a high speed (direct coupling) in accordance with the switching state of the planetary gear mechanism 18 which was selected by the switching mechanism 20 and is transferred to the main shaft 16 and, further, drives the rear wheels (not shown). On the other hand, in the 4-wheel driving state in which the hydraulic clutch mechanism 22 is hydraulically driven, the rotational force of the main shaft 16 is transferred to the drive sprocket 24 through the hydraulic clutch mechanism 22 and is transferred from the drive sprocket 24 to the front drive shaft 30 through the chain 28 and driven sprocket 26. Further, a rotational force of the front drive shaft 30 is transferred to the front wheels and the 4-wheel driving running state is obtained.
However, in such a conventional transfer apparatus, the hydraulic clutch mechanism 22 for variably changing a torque distribution of the front and rear wheels is used upon switching between the 2-wheel driving mode and the 4-wheel driving mode and upon 4-wheel driving. However, since the hydraulic clutch mechanism 22 always needs the hydraulic pressure, only a combination with the automatic transmission in which a line pressure is always obtained is satisfied.
That is, in a combination with a manual transmission, there is a problem such that even if an oil pump which receives the rotation of the transmission and generates a hydraulic pressure is provided, no hydraulic pressure is obtained when the vehicle stops, and the hydraulic pressure lacks in the low-speed running mode or the reverse mode, and the switching between the 2-wheel/4-wheel driving modes by the hydraulic clutch mechanism and the control to variably change the torque in the 4-wheel driving mode cannot be properly executed.


A magnetic recording medium comprising a subbing layer provided between a nonmagnetic plastic support and at least one of a magnetic layer and a backing layer, the magnetic layer and the backing layer each having a void of 40% by volume or less, and the subbing layer having higher solubility in a 0.5 wt % alkaline aqueous solution at 40.degree. C. than that in water at 40.degree. C. and being soluble in a weak alkaline aqueous solution having an initial pH of less than 13 or a low concentration alkaline aqueous solution having 0.25N or less. The subbing layer comprising a polymer containing acidic polar groups, and the subbing layer being soluble in a weak alkaline aqueous solution having an initial pH of less than 13 or a low concentration alkaline aqueous solution having 0.25N or less. A process for recovery and processing of a magnetic recording medium, the process comprising the steps of: (1) cutting a magnetic recording medium comprising a nonmagnetic plastic support having thereon a magnetic layer and/or a backing layer each having a void of 40% by volume or less; (2) dipping pieces of the magnetic recording medium in a weak alkali having an initial pH of less than 13 or a low concentration alkaline aqueous solution having 0.25N or less with stirring so that a subbing layer in the pieces having higher solubility in an alkaline aqueous solution than that in water is dissolved therein to peel off the magnetic layer and/or the backing layer from the nonmagnetic plastic support, and (3) separating the magnetic layer and/or the backing layer from the nonmagnetic plastic support.

In recent years, the demand for a tape-shaped magnetic recording medium comprising a magnetic recording layer (hereinafter referred to as "magnetic layer") for use e.g., in audio equipments, video equipments and computers and a disk-shaped magnetic recording medium comprising a magnetic layer such as a floppy disk has drastically grown regardless of whether they are for general purpose or business purpose. With this drastic increase in the demand for magnetic recording media, there has been a great increase in the amount of defectives and waste articles from the production process and used articles.
This type of a magnetic recording medium generally comprises a magnetic layer having a ferromagnetic powder dispersed in a binder on a film support such as polyester. Therefore, the recovery and reuse of such a film support such as polyester is very important in view of environmental protection.
Such demand for environmental protection is not limited to magnetic tapes. Recovery has been also studied for other materials. For example, in the field of photographic light-sensitive materials, silver and film base are recovered. JP-A-52-138131 (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application") proposes a film base recovery process which comprises allowing ultrasonic wave to act on recovered waste film articles in a peeling bath for peeling off a light-sensitive layer and/or subbing layer from a support with an alkaline solution so that the peeling can be carried out with a low concentration alkaline solution in a short period of time. Specifically a 26 KHz ultrasonic wave in used to carry out the peeling by dipping in a 2% NaOH aqueous solution at a temperature of 70.degree. C. in 3 minutes.
JP-A-62-160451 proposes a process which comprises dipping a photographic film in an enzyme solution having an activating effect in an alkaline range so that gelatin is decomposed to separate silver from a film base.
JP-A-52-97738 proposes a process for removal of gelatin emulsion film from silver salt photographic films using base films composed of polyester and cellulose derivative by treating with an aqueous solution of an enzyme and the removal of a subbing layer from the mixture with an alkaline aqueous solution.
However, the emulsion layer in these photographic films has little or no void as compared to general magnetic layers and thus greatly differ from magnetic layers having a void of 40% or less at maximum. This produces a great disadvantage in peeling. In other words, the alkaline aqueous solution first dissolves the emulsion layer and then dissolves the subbing layer. This means that the alkaline aqueous solution cannot permeate through the emulsion layer to dissolve the subbing layer. Therefore, it takes much time for the alkaline solution to dissolve and peel off the emulsion layer and the subbing layer.
Such an approach with an alkaline solution to peel off a magnetic layer has been applied to commonly available magnetic tapes. For example, JP-A-53-70404 proposes a magnetic tape recovery and processing which comprises dipping a magnetic tape in a caustic alkaline solution having a concentration of 0.5% or more at an elevated temperature of 70.degree. C. to separate a magnetic material from a plastic film. There is disclosed that peeling cannot be effected with a weak alkali such as sodium carbonate or a low concentration alkaline solution. In its examples, peeling is effected under conditions of a 5 wt % NaOH solution at a temperature of 95.degree. C. in 3 minutes. This shows that the magnetic tape used in the examples exhibits a low peel rate as 3 minutes with a high concentration alkaline solution at an elevated temperature.
JP-A-53-112979 proposes a base film recovery process which comprises peeling with an aqueous solution containing 0.1 to 40% by weight of a basic substance at a temperature of 5.degree. to 150.degree. C. In its examples, peeling was effected under conditions of a 5 wt % NaOH solution at a temperature of 88.degree. C. in 100 minutes or with a 4 wt % NaOH solution at a temperature of 100.degree. C. in 10 minutes. This shows that the magnetic tape used in the examples exhibits an extremely low peel rate.
Further, JP-A-54-66985 proposes a magnetic tape recovery process which comprises dipping a magnetic tape in a strong alkaline solution at a temperature of 25.degree. C. to peel a magnetic layer. An aqueous solution of NaOH having a concentration of 5% by weight or more is used as the alkaline solution. In its examples, among five kinds of magnetic tapes tested, one treated under conditions of 90 minutes at a temperature of 60.degree. C. with a 5 wt % NaOH solution has the highest peel rate.
JP-A-60-223835 proposes a process which comprises addition of a basic substance as well as a surface active agent during peeling. In its examples, the peeling is effected under conditions of a 5 wt % NaOH solution at a temperature of 80.degree. C. in 10 minutes. Similarly, the peel rate thus attained is low.
As processes for the recovery of a base film, there are proposed in JP-A-59-52433 and JP-A-59-91028 starting material recovery processes which comprise cutting a magnetic tape, dipping the pieces in an alkali to swell them, stirring the material at a high speed so that the magnetic layer is separated from the base film, washing the materials, drying the materials, and then magnetically separating the materials. In their examples, an aqueous solution of NaOH having a concentration of 5 to 20% by weight is used. There is disclosed that the magnetic tape used exhibits a peel rate of 20 minutes with a 5 wt % NaOH solution at a temperature of 90.degree. C.
It can thus be seen that the prior art methods for peeling magnetic layer from waste magnetic tapes, an aqueous solution of alkali provide an extremely low peel rate, and magnetic tapes themselves are not provided with special design for peeling.
While the detailed description of the above cited prior arts state that the material can be treated with an aqueous solution having a wide range of concentrations, it can be seen that magnetic tapes disclosed therein do not exhibit such a high peel rate.
An attempt has been made to use special solvent to effect peeling. For example, JP-A-53-92879 and JP-A-53-94381 propose a base film recovery process which comprises processing a magnetic tape with a glycol solution containing 0.01 to 5% by weight of a basic substance (e.g., caustic soda, sodium carbonate, pyridine) at a temperature of 50.degree. to 200.degree. C. However, in their examples, the processing is effected with ethylene glycol at an elevated temperature of 100.degree. C. for 60 minutes or 145.degree. C. for 20 minutes. Under these processing conditions, a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) base film is damaged and the processing cost rises. In other words, ethylene glycol is a starting material for PET and has an extremely high solubility to PET.
JP-A-62-167601 proposes a base film recovery process which comprises dipping the material in a mixture of an organic amine and dimethyl formamide (DMF) to decompose the binder. However, the mixture of an organic amine and DMF cannot be practically used in view of the cost and installment. DMF is a solvent having an extremely high ability to produce a homogeneous system and can dissolve and penetrate PET itself, making it impossible to obtain recovered PET with good qualities.
As a process for the recovery of a base film from a thin metal film type magnetic recording medium, there is proposed in JP-B-1-32295 (the term "JP-B" as used herein means an "examined Japanese patent publication") a process which comprises processing the material with an alkaline solution. That is, a magnetic recording medium recovery and processing is proposed which comprise separation of a magnetic material and a base film which constitute a thin ferromagnetic metal film. The peel rate thus attained is 30 minutes with a 0.5N (2 wt %) NaOH aqueous solution at a temperature of 90.degree. C. Thus, thin metal film type magnetic recording media free of water-soluble subbing layer exhibit an extremely low peel rate.
As mentioned above, various efforts have been made to recover a base film from commercially available magnetic recording media. However, since ordinary magnetic media comprise a subbing layer for only purpose of firmly adhering the nonmagnetic plastic support to the magnetic layer, the magnetic layer cannot be actually peeled from the support unless an extremely strong alkaline aqueous solution or special organic solvent is used. When such a strong alkaline aqueous solution is used, the base film itself is hydrolyzed and the base film thus recovered does not exhibit sufficient qualities for reuse.
In the mechanism of peeling of the prior art methods, the magnetic layer, which comprises a binder cured with a polyisocyanate and insusceptible to hydrolyzation, is little dissolved in an alkaline aqueous solution. The alkaline aqueous solution penetrates the material through voids in the magnetic layer to hydrolyze a polymer such as polyester which constitutes the subbing layer to initiate peeling. At the same time, the polyester base (such as PET) itself begins to be hydrolyzed. Thus, the prior art processing with alkali is disadvantageous in that peeling proceeds with hydrolyzation rather than dissolution, providing a low peel rate. Further, the polyester base film thus recovered shows deterioration in qualities due to hydrolyzation.
On the other hand, various binders have been developed merely to improve the adhesion strength but regardless of peeling properties. For example, in JP-A-62-185227, JP-A-62-195064, JP-A-63-108530, JP-A-63-146213 and JP-A-63-108079, a coating composition for subbing layer using a polyester, in which 5 to 20 mol % of the dicarboxylic acid component is an ester-forming dicarboxylic acid having a sulfonic acid alkaline metalsalt group as a substituent, in combination with carbon black. The carbon black is used to improve electric conductivity, and a water soluble polymer, particularly a sulfonic acid metal salt substituted polyester resin, is used to improve the dispersibility of the carbon black and the adhesion strength. However, because the metal salt of sulfonic acid is completely substituted by alkaline metal salts, the solubility of the polymer in water and that in an alkaline aqueous solution are not changed. Therefore, if peelability is increased, the solubility in water of the polymer is also increased, resulting in that the tape thus-obtained is readily deteriorated by humidity.
JP-A-56-87233, JP-A-61-22423 and JP-A-58-217546 utilize a copolymerized polyester resin containing metal salts of sulfonic acid in a subbing layer. However, both the humidity resistance and the peelability cannot be improved at the same time because sulfonic acid is completely in the form of metal salt groups.
A subbing layer using water soluble polymers is disclosed, for example, in JP-A-61-13435 and JP-A-62-66422. However, because resins having high water solubility are used, both the humidity resistance and the peelability cannot be improved at the same time.
A resin containing carboxyl groups has been used in a subbing layer as described, for example, in JP-B-47-15623, JP-B-60-31011, JP-A-55-55435 and JP-A-2-278511. However, because an isocyanate compound is used in combination, the resin contained in the subbing layer becomes macromolecules that is highly cross-linked. The carboxyl group itself reacts with the isocyanate compound. Therefore, the subbing layer has no solubility in an alkaline aqueous solution.
JP-A-63-182381 discloses a subbing layer coating composition that is an aqueous composition containing a resin having at least one kind of a polar group and at least one unsaturated double bond per one molecule. However, this composition is finally cured by irradiation, and therefore a water-insoluble cross-linked three-dimensional macromolecule is formed, resulting in a subbing layer that is not soluble in an alkaline aqueous solution.
As mentioned above, there have been proposed various compounds as binders for subbing layer. However, since these subbing layers are all designed for only purpose of improving the adhesion between the nonmagnetic plastic support and the magnetic layer and hence improving durability, they are not quite intended for peeling of the magnetic layer the nonmagnetic plastic support by processing with an alkali. When attempted to peel the components, it is quite impossible, or even if possible, peeling cannot be effected unless processing is effected with a strong alkali such as high concentration aqueous solution of NaOH for an extended period of time. As a result of such a prolonged processing with a strong alkali, hydrolyzed PET with deteriorated qualities can only be recovered. Further, polymers having high water-solubility are poor in humidity resistance.
Other examples of subbing layers containing water-soluble groups include easily-adherable subbing layer as described below. For example, JP-A-62-204939 proposes an easily-adherable polyester film comprising a primer layer with an initial Young's modulus of 40 to 20,000 kg/cm.sup.2 made of an aqueous polyurethane resin and an aqueous acrylic resin. Further, JP-A-62-204940 proposes an easily-adherable polyester film comprising a primer layer made of an aqueous polyurethane resin and an aqueous acrylic resin. Moreover, JP-A-61-175925 proposes a magnetic recording medium comprising a compound containing either or both of sulfonic acid groups and sulfonate groups. These easily-adherable subbing layers are all obtained by stretching the above mentioned easily-adherable layer. Therefore, the easily-adherable layer lies partially on the nonmagnetic plastic support. Thus, even if such an easily-adherable layer is composed of water-soluble group or resin, peeling cannot be easily effected even with an alkaline aqueous solution because the easily-adherable layer lies partially on the support.
As mentioned above, the prior art subbing layer in magnetic recording media has been intended for improvement in the adhesion between the magnetic layer and/or back layer and the nonmagnetic plastic support but with no consideration of peelability of these layers. In other words, no attempts have been made to improve magnetic recording media themselves, particularly subbing layer, for the positive purpose of environmental protection and base film recovery.

Magnetic recording medium having specific subbing layers and process for recovery and processing thereof


Described is a method for preparing a coarse-pored formed carbon from charcoal dust, charcoal tar and sodium hydroxide solution. These ingredients are mixed, kneaded, shaped and low-tempeature carbonized in as low-oxygen atmosphere as possible at temperatures of 300 to 900.degree. C. The product is further activated with water vapor and/or carbon dioxide at temperature of 700 to 1200.degree. C. In the initial mixture, sodium hydroxide is added in amounts of 5.0 to 15.0 % by weight relative to the amount of charcoal dust.

The present invention relates to a method of preparing a coarse-pored formed carbon from charcoal dust, charcoal tar and sodium hydroxide solution. The method includes mixing, kneading, shaping and low-temperature carbonization of the shaped mixture in as low-oxygen atmosphere as possible at temperatures of 300 to 900.degree. C. The method further includes activation with water vapor and/or carbon dioxide at temperatures of 700 to 1200.degree. C.
Formed carbon is used as absorption agent in percolation decolorization, e.g. in the preparation of methionine; for the separation of high-boiling liquids; or as catalytic carrier.
The use of a formed carbon produced from lignite (brown coal) for these applications is known.
The use of lignite as a raw-material base has the disadvantage that variations occur in the quality of the formed carbon.
Some prior art processes are described in Kirk-Othmer, Encyclopedia of Chemical Terminology, 3rd Edition, Vol. 4, pgs. 561-569, "Activated Carbon". This material is incorporated herein by reference.

Method of preparing a coarse-pored formed carbon


A method for primary-backup server switching. A control server monitors whether a primary server fails. The control server is in communication connection with the primary server and a backup server. The primary server is provided with a primary memory database. The primary memory database is configured to save in real time state information of the primary server each time after an operation is executed, and the state information is read and saved in real time by a backup memory database in a backup server. In response to a failure of the primary server, the control server sends a primary-backup switching command to the backup server. The primary-backup switching command is configured to instruct the backup server to upgrade itself to become a new primary server according to the state information saved in the backup memory database.

In a distributed storage system, in order to ensure that services can be quickly restored after a server failure, a backup server may be set up in the system. Once a primary server fails, the backup server may be switched to be as a primary server to continue to provide services.

Method for primary-backup server switching, and control server

Beijing Dajia Internet Information Technology Co., Ltd.


A structure for an instrument or device, such as a hearing aid instrument, having a shell for enclosing the instrument components and an opening through a wall or face of the shell for access to the components wherein the shell has relatively large dimensional tolerances while the components are to be mounted within relatively close dimensional tolerances. A unitary or multi-part interface frame for mounting the components into the shell is mounted to the shell, typically in the opening therein, and has an outer contour adapted to the dimensional and shape tolerances of the shell and an inner contour adapted to the dimensional tolerances of the components.

The majority of present hearing instruments are produced as units fitting entirely within the ear or within the ear canal. These hearing aids commonly referred to as "in-the ear" or "in-the-canal" instruments. Such instruments are typically constructed as a "shell" containing a battery and the electronic components, the shell having a faceplate that typically includes one or more doors or portals providing access to the battery and electronic components.
The hearing aid shell fits substantially within the ear canal so that in use the faceplate is the only visible part of the instrument. The shell is custom molded or shaped to the inner contours of the individual users ear canal to provide a fit that is comfortable and that retains the instrument securely in the ear. The customization of the shell to each individual user requires the precise shaping of the shell to the inner contours of the individual user's ear canal, which requires that each shell be molded or cast with complex contours. In order to reduce costs, the individual shells are typically produced by a "rapid shell manufacturing" process wherein a powder or a liquid material is irradiated with a laser beam into a solid form of a desired shape. The laser beam is directed to irradiate selected small volumes of the powder or liquid to eventually cause the transformation of the entire powder or liquid into the solid in the selected and irradiated volumes and to thereby also define and form the desired shape.
A recurring problem in this and other processes for molding, casting or otherwise forming hearing aid shells, however, is that hearing aid components are relatively small, as are the available space and dimensions within a shell, so that the components must be mounted securely within a shell within very tight dimensions and tolerances. In addition, the components of the hearing aid, such as the microphone, amplifier, sound processing circuitry, sound output transducer and battery, are mounted into the shell through an opening covered by a door. The access door may be separate from or combined with a battery access opening and battery cover, and which thereby presents additional problems with respect to the dimensions of the shell. The problem is compounded in that the component access opening, and perhaps also the battery access opening and their associated doors or portals, often serve as structural elements or components for positioning and mounting the components. For example, in some prior art systems some or all of the electronic components are mounted onto a circuit board, which in turn is mounted into the shell access opening in various ways, such as by adhesives or screws into a lip formed in a rim of the shell access opening, or by mating edges of the opening and the circuit board.
For various reasons, such as inherent inaccuracies in the "rapid shell" forming processes and machines, variations and tolerances in the molding materials, and variations in temperature and humidity during the molding processes, it is difficult to achieve the necessary dimensional accuracies with rapid shell manufacturing processes, or with other processes commonly used to manufacture hearing aid shells. For example, erroneous or poor dimensional control tolerances in a shell may prevent the secure mounting of components within the shell, or may cause the components to interfere with one another. The tolerances may thereby prevent secure support or mounting between the components or between the components and shell or may place undue strains on electrical or mechanical connecting components. In the instance of a circuit board mounted onto a lip around the shell access opening, for example, the lip may be too narrow or the overlap between the edge of the circuit board and the lip insufficient to provide a secure mount, the actual opening of the shell access opening may be too small or too large, and so on. It will also be recognized that these problems and other related problems are compounded yet further when the shell access opening is of a complex shape, which will frequently occur when the components are mounted into the shell access opening as a pre-assembled unit, itself having a complex shape.

Instrument with an interface frame and a process for production thereof


Group III-nitride epilayers can be grown directly on copper substrates using intermediate passivation layers. For example, single crystalline c-plane GaN can be grown on Cu (110) substrates with MOCVD. The growth relies on a low temperature AlN passivation layer to isolate any alloying reaction between Ga and Cu.

Gallium nitride and its aluminum and indium compound semiconductor alloys have been a focus of intense research effort because of their importance in light-emitting, lasing, high-frequency, high mobility, and high-power devices. Due to the lack in availability and high prices of bulk GaN substrates, GaN is typically grown heteroepitaxially on foreign substrates, such as sapphire, SiC, and Si. When these devices are operated in high power conditions, their performance is often limited by the poor electrical and thermal conductivity of the substrates. A widely adopted solution to this problem is to remove or lift off the substrates and bond the thin epilayers on thermally conductive submount materials, such as metal. However, direct growth of GaN on metal substrates would allow more ideal device performance by providing improved heat dissipation and current spreading capability, and avoiding the need for the lift-off and bonding processes. The feasibility of GaN heteroepitaxy on metal has been demonstrated on single crystalline Cu, Mo, Fe, and W substrates. See S. Inoue et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 88, 261910 (2006); K. Okamoto et al., J. of Cryst. Growth 311, 1311 (2009); K. Okamoto et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 93, 251906 (2008); and G. Li et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 89, 241905 (2006). The growth technique of these works was pulsed laser deposition at low growth temperatures ranging from 450 to 700° C. In addition, Zhu et al. recently demonstrated the epitaxial growth of GaN on lattice-matched metallic substrates. See Zhu et al., U.S. Pat. Appl. Pub. 2011/0117376. However, this technique required one-axis lattice matching of the c-plane of wurtzite GaN to the (110) crystalline plane of the tungsten substrate and is not generally feasible for other metallic substrates.
Therefore, a need remains for a facile method of Group III-nitride heteroepitaxy on metal substrates using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), which is the most adopted growth technique for Group III nitride devices in industry and academia.

Method to grow group III-nitrides on copper using passivation layers


A contra-rotating mechanism includes master and slave shafts coaxially arranged to rotate in first and second directions, the first direction being opposite to the second, a master driving member fixed around and to the master shaft to rotate therewith; a plurality of drive-transfer units symmetrically and radially arranged around the master driving member and receiving a driving force from the master to rotate in the second direction; a plurality of rotation reversing units symmetrically and radially arranged around the slave shaft, each rotation-reversing unit disposed between corresponding neighboring drive-transfer units of the drive-transfer units and configured to receive rotation-force from the corresponding drive-transfer units to rotate in the first direction, a slave driven member fixed around the slave shaft to rotate therewith in the second direction, the slave driven member to mesh with the plurality of rotation-reversing units to rotate in the second direction; and first and second panels.

The contra-rotating mechanism means a mechanism in which when a master shaft rotates by a driving source, a slave shaft coaxial with a master shaft rotates in a reverse direction with respect to a master shaft. The CONTRA-rotating mechanism is widely used in the field such as a cooling fan, a blowing fan, a ship, an aircraft or others.
For example, a ship propelling apparatus called a CRP (Contra/Contra Rotating Propeller) is equipped with two propellers which are arranged coaxially and have opposed rotation directions. The ship propelling apparatus makes it possible to enhance energy efficiency while reducing noises with the aid of fluid dynamics of a front propeller and a rear propeller.
The conventional CRP ship propelling apparatus has one dual shaft formed of two shafts which are rotatably inserted. As two motors rotate in opposed directions, two propellers connected to the motors rotate in opposed directions. In the above conventional CRP ship propelling apparatus, since two motors are installed, the construction is complicated, and the area of installation disadvantageously increases, which leads to increasing costs.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,890,938 discloses an apparatus for reversing the rotations of two shafts from each other by using one motor with the aid of bevel gears. The above apparatus has a complicated construction and is unstable.
The Korean patent number 10-0673560 filed by the same applicant as the present invention discloses an apparatus in which a plurality of intermediate gears are arranged at a front side and a rear side of a panel. In this case, since the number of intermediate gears is a lot, the construction of the apparatus is complicated, the whole volume of the apparatus increases. Since a lot of movements occur at the master shaft and the slave shaft, the mechanism becomes unstable.


In a health exercise assist system, a portable music playback apparatus acquires a preset exercise plan, a history of exercise information, and a music playback history and stores them. An information processing apparatus produces a service request including at least one of the preset exercise plan, the history of exercise information, and the music playback history acquired from the portable music playback apparatus, and transmits it to a service information providing apparatus. In accordance with the service request received from the information processing apparatus, the service information providing apparatus produces service information and returns the produced service information to the information processing apparatus. The information processing apparatus provides the received service information to a user of the audio playback apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system, apparatus, and method for assisting a user to exercise while listening to music.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to perform exercise such as walking or jogging while listening to music with a tempo well matching a tempo of music thereby leveling the tempo of exercise in synchronization with music and thus reducing a load imposed on an exercising person. To make it possible to easily use this technique, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-156641 discloses a technique to control the tempo of music being played in accordance with a walking pace.
To make it possible for a user to perform a particular amount of exercise at a moderate pace, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-024467 discloses a technique to advance a virtual reality game with advance in an exercise menu so that the user can continue exercise while enjoying the virtual reality game.
The techniques disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-156641 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-024467 are advantageous in that instead of patiently performing monotonous exercise according to an exercise plan in terms of an exercise time, a moving distance, the number of times, etc., a user can enjoy performing exercise until a goal is achieved.

Health exercise assist system, portable music playback apparatus, service information providing apparatus, information processing apparatus, and health exercise assist method


A chip-scale packaged IC is made by bonding one or more singulated die chips (from an IC wafer) to a common substrate, such as a single cap wafer (or a portion thereof) and cutting (singulating) the substrate to yield individual, chip-scale packaged ICs. Alternatively, each die chip is bonded to an individual, pre-cut cap. Electrically conductive paths extend through the cap wafer, between wafer contact pads on the surface of the cap and electrical contact points on the IC wafer. Optionally, the cap wafer contains one or more die. The IC wafer can be fabricated according to a different technology than the cap wafer, thereby forming a hybrid chip-scale packaged IC. Optionally, additional “upper-level” cap wafers (with or without die) can be stacked to form a “multi-story” IC.

The present invention relates to integrated circuit packages and, more particularly, to wafer-level packages for integrated circuits. Integrated circuits (ICs) are manufactured as wafers, each wafer containing many individual circuits (die). After fabrication, a wafer is cut ("singulated") into individual die. Each die is then encapsulated in a plastic or ceramic package or is attached to a ceramic cap.
Each die includes several electrical contact pads. During packaging, each of these contact pads is connected to a respective lead or another external structure. In one common practice, a bonding wire is welded between each contact pad and a respective lead. The leads or other structures are used to electrically connect a completed IC to a circuit board or the like, such as by soldering. These solder connections often also provide the sole mechanical connection between the IC and the circuit board.
IC wafer fabrication is commonly referred to as the "front-end" process of IC fabrication. An IC wafer can be fabricated relatively efficiently, because all die on the wafer are fabricated concurrently (i.e., in parallel), such as by a photolithographic process, in which an entire layer of the wafer is produced at one time using a lithographic mask. Thus, the amount of time required to fabricate a wafer is largely independent of the number of die on the wafer. However, after the die are singulated, packaging the individual die (the "back-end" process of IC fabrication) is time consuming and expensive, because each die must be packaged individually (i.e., serially). Given the reliance of the electronics industry on ICs and the large number of ICs installed every week, reducing the cost of each IC can lead to a substantial overall cost saving.

Chip-scale package for integrated circuits


A method of fabricating a non-volatile memory is described. A plurality of first memory units having gaps between each other is formed over a substrate. Insulating spacers are formed on the sidewalls of the first memory units. A composite layer is formed on the substrate and the gaps between the first memory units are filled with a doped polysilicon layer. Thereafter, a portion of the doped polysilicon layer is removed to form trenches. After that, a metallic layer fills the trenches. A portion of the metallic layer is removed to form a plurality of gates. The gates and the composite layer together form a plurality of second memory units. The second memory units and the first memory units together constitute a memory cell column. Then, a source region and a drain region are formed in the substrate adjacent to the two sides of the memory cell column.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of fabricating semiconductor memory device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of fabricating non-volatile memory.
2. Description of the Related Art
Among the various types of non-volatile memory products, electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) is a memory device that has been widely used inside personal computer systems and electronic equipment. In the EEPROM, data can be stored, read out or erased numerous times and stored data are retained even after power is cut off.
Typically, the floating gate and the control gate of an EEPROM cell are fabricated using doped polysilicon. In the conventional technique, a charge-trapping layer is sometimes used to replace a floating gate fabricated from polysilicon material. The charge-trapping layer is, for example, fabricated using silicon nitride. In general, an oxide layer is formed both above and below the silicon nitride charge-trapping layer to form an oxide-nitride-oxide (ONO) composite structure. This type of memory is often referred to as a silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (SONOS) memory device.
The semiconductor manufacturers have produce one kind of non-volatile memory with a structure shown schematically in FIG. 1. The non-volatile memory includes a memory cell column having a plurality of first memory cells 102 and a plurality of second memory cells 116. The first memory cells 102 are separated from the second memory cells 116 through insulating spacers 110 respectively. Each first memory cell 102 includes a bottom dielectric layer 104a, a charge-trapping layer 104b, a top dielectric layer 104c (the bottom dielectric layer 104a, the charge-trapping layer 104b and the top dielectric layer 104c together form a composite layer 104), a gate 106 and a cap layer 108 sequentially stacked on the substrate 100. Each second memory cell 116 similarly includes a bottom dielectric layer 112a, a charge-trapping layer 112b, a top dielectric layer 112c (the bottom dielectric layer 112a, the charge-trapping layer 112b and the top dielectric layer 112c together form a composite layer 112) and a gate 114 sequentially stacked on the substrate 100. Because there is no gap between neighboring memory cells, the level of integration of devices for this type of non-volatile memory is increased.
However, the gates 106 of the first memory cells 102 are fabricated from a polycide material that includes a doped polysilicon layer 106a and a metal silicide layer 106b. On the other hand, the gates 114 of the second memory cells 116 are fabricated from a doped polysilicon material. Since the doped polysilicon material has a resistance much greater than the polycide material, there is a significant difference in the electrical performance between the first memory cells 102 and the second memory cells 116. Hence, there will be a drop in the electrical performance of the devices and a greater instability in the device process.

Method of fabricating non-volatile memory