A semiconductor structure comprising a polysilicon pad, a metal pad separated from the polysilicon pad by an insulator, and a metal via connecting the pads. A fuse is formed at the intersection of the polysilicon pad and via.

Computers and related electronic equipment typically have a number of different types of data storage or memory devices. For example, a read only memory (ROM) is a semiconductor memory device in which data is permanently stored. The data cannot be overwritten or otherwise altered by the user. A ROM is also non-volatile which means that the data is not destroyed when power is lost. A ROM is "programmed" during its manufacture by making permanent electrical connections in selected memory cells. ROMs are useful wherever unalterable data or instructions are required. A disadvantage of ROMs is that their programming is determined during the design stage and can only be varied by redesigning the chip.
An alternative to a ROM is a programmable read only memory (PROM) which is programmable once after its manufacture. In one type of PROM, each memory cell is provided with an electrical connection in the form of a fusible link. The PROM is "programmed" by blowing the fusible link in selected cells. A PROM is frequently programmed at the factory; however, it is not uncommon for it to be programmed by the purchaser. A clear advantage of a PROM is that a single semiconductor design can have many different applications.
There are a considerable number of known designs for the fusible links used in PROMs. Perhaps the most common is a metal link, such as tungsten, which is narrowed or necked down in one region. To blow the fuse, current is driven through the link. The current heats the link to its melting point and the link is broken. Usually the link breaks in the necked down region because that is where the current density is highest.
One problem with the design of existing fusible links is that they usually call for a relatively high programming current. The requirement for high current can affect the basic manufacturing process for the PROM. For example, a popular process is one which produces MOS transistors in a CMOS configuration. Another process is one which produces bipolar transistors. It is costly to integrate CMOS and bipolar designs into a single process so it is generally preferred to use either a CMOS or bipolar process, but not both. To obtain the high current required to blow a fuse, generally bipolar technology is required. This means that a CMOS PROM design will require bipolar transistors to drive the programming current.
Another problem with existing fuse designs is that certain fuse metals, such as tungsten, require a specialized process to properly deposit them on a chip. As with bipolar transistors, different or specialized processes increase the cost of chip manufacture.
A further problem with existing fuse designs is referred to as "grow back" or "metal migration". Grow back is a phenomenon in which a fuse metal which has been blown grows back together to reconnect the fusible link. Although not completely understood, grow back alters the data stored in the PROM--clearly an undesirable result.


A transparent thermal insulation arrangement for heating buildings with solar energy includes a glass plate, and absorber and an edge bond between the glass plate and the absorber. The absorber has an absorber plate which is inherently rigid and is assembled with the glass plate by the edge bond. An intermediate space is formed between the glass plate and the absorber plate and is filled with an inert gas. In addition, a space is formed between the absorber plate and the wall of the building which may be filled with air.

The present invention relates to a transparent thermal insulation arrangement for the solar heating of buildings with a glass plate and an absorber arranged at a distance to the glass plate via an edge bond.
While conventional opaque building insulation in an exterior wall can only reduce heat loss from a building, transparent thermal insulation systems can utilize solar energy for the heating of buildings and provide net het gain in the course of the heating period. The term xe2x80x9ctransparent thermal insulation (xe2x89xa1 hereinafter TTI)xe2x80x9d is defined as materials which possess thermal insulation properties while they are transparent for solar radiation. Solar radiation penetrates the system and reaches the wall where it is converted into heat which is conducted through the wall into the room behind. Only a small amount of heat flows back outside. For the conversion of solar radiation into heat, it is customary to apply a radiation-absorbing layer to the wall in the form of plaster or paint.
A TTI element described by J. Geisler in the periodical xe2x80x9cSonnenenergiexe2x80x9d [xe2x80x9cSolar Energyxe2x80x9d], 4/95 (published by Verlag Solar Promotion GmbH) consists of a frame filled with drying agents into which very thinly-walled glass tubes are inserted. The glass tubes are fixed in a bond resembling insulation glass, between two highly transparent glass plates. This structure allows a large amount of the incident solar energy to pass while providing a high degree of thermal insulation against the heat stored in the exterior wall. The presence of drying agents in the insulation glass bond plus the fact that the glass tubes do not absorb any moisture means that the function of the element is not adversely affected over time through condensation in the interior of the element.
In this construction known in prior art, a gas-filled intermediate space is provided between the TTI element and the absorbent layer on the exterior wall of the building. Since gas exchange takes place between this intermediate space and the ambient air, the space is always filled with air. The intermediate space can also serve as ventilation if little or no heating effect is desired. However, condensation can form in this air space, and in particular on the absorbent layer, in case of temperature fluctuations. Dust can also settle on the absorbent layer, which over time will adversely affect the light-absorbing, solar-energy absorbing and infrared-reflecting properties of this layer. This layer must therefore be resistant to such effects. It must also be easy for contractors to apply it to several backgrounds (masonry, plaster). Normally, dark plaster or paint coats are therefore used. These have a good absorption coefficient (a to 95%), but a relatively high emission coefficient ( greater than 50%).
A transparent thermal insulation arrangement of the type mentioned above is described in DE 196 42 511 C1, from which a double-plated insulation glazing in an aluminum frame is known. In it, a black absorber film is applied to the surface facing the intermediate space between the two plates of the inner glass plate, and an insulation glazing is fastened to the exterior wall with mortar and a silicon layer, without an air space.
A disadvantage of this construction is that an additional glass plate must be provided and that this glass plate must be coated with the film-like absorber. This is time-consuming and costly. Furthermore, the application of such a TTI arrangement to an exterior wall constitutes a rather complicated and difficult process, which has the effect that once the TTI arrangement has been fastened, it cannot be removed from the wall without destroying the arrangement.
It is the object of the invention to provide a TTI arrangement which does not have the disadvantages of these prior-art system, and which in particular can be installed and dismantled in a standard work process.
This object is achieved by means of an arrangement of the above kind where the absorber consists of an inherently rigid inner absorber plate which is held together with the glass plate by an insulation-glass edge, with an intermediate space filled with an inert gas, and with an air space provided between the absorber plate and the building wall.
The arrangement according to the invention is provided with an insulation-glass edge bond between a glass plate and an interior inherently rigid or stable absorber plate. This means that the glass plate and the absorber plate are held together or bonded together by means of a spacer containing a drying agent, and that no condensation can occur in the space between the two plates. Neither can dust or other contaminants enter the inside and affect the absorber surface of the absorber plate. Since the absorbent layer is hermetically sealed and thus protected against the weather and contamination, very efficient layers can be used which, however, can also be very sensitive. The installation of the inherently rigid absorber and the glass plate is very simple and quick.
According to a preferred embodiment of the thermal insulation plate according to the invention, another glass plate is provided outside, whereby this additional plate is held together with an insulation-glass edge bond. Due to the presence of a drying agent in the outer edge bond, it is in turn ensured that no condensation can occur in the outer intermediate space either.
The intermediate space between the outer and middle glass plates can be filled with parallel layers of glass tubes, plastic honeycomb or tubular structures, but also with aerogel or other materials to suppress convection and attenuate infrared radiation, whereby preferably, an air gap is left in the intermediate space beside the honeycombs or tubes. The intermediate space between the outer and middle glass plates can also be filled with an inert gas such as krypton.


In a medical or dental instrument having a driven treatment tool and an illumination device with a lamp, in particular for the treatment area, wherein the lamp is mounted in a plug-in socket, the plug-in socket is formed by two spring elements biassed towards one another between which the lamp is mounted to swing freely. Alternatively at least one damping element can be arranged between the holder and the lamp or the holder can be mounted elastically on the base part.

With instruments of this kind it is known to generate the light necessary for illuminating the treatment area by means of an electric lamp arranged in the instrument. The lamp may be arranged in the front region of the instrument so that its light is aimed directly on to the treatment area. In particular in the case of such instruments which are in two parts, so that it is possible to exchange different treatment tools and for the purpose of disinfection, wherein the front instrument part can be connected by a quick-fitting coupling to the rear instrument part and, in particular with regard to the latter, is held rotatably thereon, it is known to arrange the lamp in the region of the rear instrument part, preferably directly behind the separating point. The light generated by the lamp is guided by means of a light conductor extending longitudinally in the front instrument part to a light emission opening which is located in the front region of the front instrument part and is aimed towards the treatment area. The lamp may be arranged in the axis of rotation or the longitudinal centre axis of the instrument, as described in DE 31 04 239 C2, or the lamp may be arranged eccentrically, as described in DE 33 32 628 C2.
Owing to the motor drive for the treatment tool, which may be either a mechanical drive (DE 33 32 628 C2) or a turbine drive (DE 31 04 239 C2), vibrations are generated in the instrument which also act on the lamp. In the known constructions, in which the lamp is held immovably in the region of its plug-in foot and/or its lamp bulb, vibrations lead to premature failure of the lamp. With lamps having a spiral-wound filament the most common cause of failure is a break in the spiral-wound filament.
An instrument of the kind described in the introduction is in public use. In this known construction the lamp holder has a plug-in socket in the form of a hollow cylindrical bush, into which the lamp foot can be inserted, there being in the bush two contact elements which are spaced apart and formed by thoroughly bendable spring arms between which the lamp foot can be inserted. Owing to the fixed seating in the bush, the lamp is mounted rigidly. The contact elements serve only for electrical contacting. Furthermore the contact elements are supported laterally on a holding ring, with the intermediate arrangement of an insulating layer. In the contact position the contact elements are therefore practically immovable.

Dental instrument with an illumination device


A power supply control device including a mode switching controller, a first power supply section, a second power supply section, a third power supply section, a wiring system opening and closing unit and a controller. During the sleep mode, the first power supply section continues to supply power to a specific control system, the second power supply section shuts off its supply of power, and the third power supply section supplies power to the specific control system by a separate system to the specific control system. The wiring system opening/closing unit sets a power supply wiring system of the commercial power source to an open state or a closed state. When the third power supply section is supplying power during the sleep mode, the controller controls the wiring system opening and closing unit and sets the power supply wiring system of the commercial power supply to the open state.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a power supply control device, an image processing device, a power supply control method, and a computer readable medium.
2. Related Art
It has been suggested that a power source based on a solar battery and a rechargeable battery or the like be used in an energy saving mode of an image processing device such as a multifunction device or the like.

Power supply control device, image processing device, power supply control method, and computer readable medium


A method and device for endoscopic harvesting of blood vessels from a patient for use in subsequent procedures. The device having a two piece headpiece. A vessel to be removed is inserted into the headpiece and the top and bottom portions of the headpiece are alternatively extended in reciprocating fashion to dissect above and below the vessel. The headpiece having electrodes for ligation of any side branch vessels which are uncovered in the dissection process.

This invention relates to surgical devices and methods for dissection and removal of blood vessels from a patients body. In particular this invention relates to endoscopic vessel harvesting devices and methods.
Endoscopic harvesting of vessels is well known in the surgical field and has been the subject of a great deal of recent technological advancement. Typically, the harvesting of vessels is performed so that the vessels can be then used for procedures such as Cardio Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG). In this procedure the saphenous veins of the legs are harvested for subsequent use in the CABG surgery.
Known methods and devices for performing vessel harvesting are discussed in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,480 issued Sep. 16, 1997 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,934 issued Mar. 3, 1998, both issued to Knight, et al, both of which are incorporated herein by their reference.
In the traditional endoscopic harvesting devices shown in prior art FIG. 1, there is provided a hollow shaft 12 connected to a concave headpiece 16 located at the distal end of the shaft which provides a workspace 18. An endoscope 5 is typically inserted in the shaft so that the surgeon may view workspace. The leading edge of the headpiece 16 is used for dissecting the vessel from the surrounding tissue. The device may also have guides located on the underside of the device which allow for the entry of other devices such as dissectors, ligation tools, and cutting tools, into the workspace.
The traditional method for removal of a vessel section is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Initially an incision 3 is made and the vessel 7 is located. Then, the vessel is dissected from the surrounding tissue using the leading edge of the headpiece 16 of the device to separate the tissue from the vessel 7. At this time there is sufficient space created around the vessel 7 so that other instruments can be inserted into the incision 3 via the guides located on the underside of the device. These instruments include ligation tools for securing side branch vessels 9, vessel dissectors for performing a more complete dissection of the vessel 7 which is to be removed, and laproscopic scissors for the transection of both the side branch vessels 9 and the vessel 7 which is to be removed.
Of the know techniques for harvesting vessels and devices used for such procedures, as in the case in the above described procedure and device, the blunt dissection is performed using the headpiece 16 of the device, and then any dissection to be performed under the device must be performed using other tools which must be inserted into the patient following the original incision 3. Upon the discovery of a side branch vessel 9 still further tools must be inserted into the incision 3 for performing the ligation and transection function.
The tool exchanges of instruments, and in fact the instruments themselves complicate the procedure. They require a great deal of skill to master and no matter the skill of the person performing the procedure, the process requires a great deal of time to perform.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the short comings of the prior art by providing a device which can limit the number of tools required to perform the removal of the vessel, decrease the number of tool exchanges necessary to perform the removal, and increase the efficiency and ease of operation of the entire procedure.
The present invention overcomes the limitations of the devices of the prior art by providing a means by which a user can dissect both above and below the vessel which is to be removed using only a single tool. Further, the device is capable of ligating any side branch vessels without the insertion of any extra tools.
The device of the present invention minimizes the number of tool exchanges, the total number of tools required, and increases the users efficiency.
Accordingly, a vessel harvesting device is provided. The vessel harvesting device comprises a shaft having a lumen for insertion of an endoscope therethrough. The device has a handle located on a proximate end of the shaft for allowing an operator to manipulate the device. The device is also equipped with a headpiece connected to a distal end of the shaft, the headpiece has a top and a bottom portion, these two portions define a gap that surrounds a vessel inserted therein. The two portions of the headpiece are used to dissect above and below the vessel.
The device has means for reciprocating either the top or the bottom portion relative to the other. The headpiece has a first opening for receiving a dissected portion of the vessel and one or more second openings allowing a dissected portion of a vessel to exit the headpiece. The vessel is dissected from the surrounding tissue by reciprocating one of the top and bottom portions as the headpiece is advanced along the length of the vessel.
The device may be fit with electro-surgical ligation electrodes for ligation of side branch vessels. The electrodes can be energized by an energizing means to ligate side branch vessels. The device may also be fit with a transection element. The transection element may be a raised portion of one of the upper and lower portions of the headpiece.
Also provided is a headpiece for an endoscopic vessel harvesting device. The headpiece comprises a top portion for dissecting the tissue above a vessel which is to be removed. The top portion is typically rigidly attached to the endoscopic harvesting device. The device further comprises a bottom portion for dissecting the tissue below the vessel to be removed. The bottom portion is connected to the endoscopic harvesting device by an articulated connection. The top and bottom portions define a gap into which a vessel is inserted, the top and bottom portions then surround the vessel. There is an opening in the headpiece for receiving a dissected portion of the vessel and one or more openings in the headpiece allowing a dissected portion of the vessel to exit the headpiece after dissection. The device dissects a vessel from the surrounding tissue by reciprocating the bottom portion relative to the top portion while traversing the length of the vessel.
The headpiece may be fit with electro-surgical ligation electrodes for ligation of side branch vessels. The electrodes can be energized by an energizing means to ligate side branch vessels. The headpiece may also be fit with a transection element. The transection element may be a raised portion of one of the upper and lower portions of the headpiece.
Still yet provided is a method of vessel dissection comprising a series of steps. Initially, the vessel to be harvested must be located, then an incision to expose the vessel must be made. Next, the surgeon must pre-dissect the vessel from tissue above the vessel. Then, the surgeon must pre-dissect below the vessel. Upon having a portion of the vessel dissected both above and below, a portion of the vessel which has been pre-dissected is inserted into a two piece headpiece of the vessel harvesting device so that a top and a bottom portion of the headpiece surround the vessel. Then the vessel is dissected from the tissue by projecting the top portion of the headpiece along the vessel and by simultaneously reciprocating the bottom portion of the headpiece. Dissection is accomplished by repeating the previous two steps while traversing the length of the vessel. Finally the vessel is ligated, transected and removed. When a side branch vessel is uncovered it too must be ligated and transected using the ligation and transection means of the vessel harvesting device.

Vessel harvesting retractor with bilateral electrosurgical ligation


Disclosed herein are methods of utilizing machine learning methods to analyze microscope images of populations of cells.

Large populations of cell can be difficult to screen and characterize efficiently, especially when screening for the purpose of identifying subtle phenotypic differences between cells. High-resolution imaging of cells can provide a wealth of cell phenotype data, however, the interpretation of such data is complex as well as difficult to correlate with the detailed molecular genetic data provided by modern sequencing techniques. Accordingly, there is an unmet need for new methods that facilitate the interpretation of high-resolution cell imaging data.

Methods of analyzing microscopy images using machine learning

Altius Institute for Biomedical Sciences


There is disclosed a method for determining the heating value of a fuel, the fuel comprising at least one hydrocarbon including a first hydrocarbon present in the highest molar concentration, the method comprising: measuring the stoichiometric oxidation molar flow ratio of the fuel; determining the ideal molar heating value (HVm,i) from the measured stoichiometric oxidation molar flow ratio; measuring the molar concentration of the first hydrocarbon; and determining the real molar heating value (HVm,r) from the ideal molar heating value (HVm,i) and the molar concentration of the first hydrocarbon. An apparatus is also disclosed.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for determining the heating value and the relative density (or specific gravity) of a hydrocarbon fuel. These values are used to define the energy content and/or the Wobbe Index of a hydrocarbon fuel.
Contracts for the supply of hydrocarbon fuels are based upon the average values of the energy content of the gas on an hourly or daily basis. Accordingly, the primary concern of designers or equipment for the measurement of the energy content of fuels has been on the accuracy of the measurements. The most commonly used instrument today to measure the energy content of fuel gases for industrial use, is the process gas chromatograph (PGC). This instrument, sometimes referred to as 'BTU analyser', is characterised by having a high accuracy, but also a long analysis time, of the order of several minutes, typically from 3 to 5 minutes. Further, the instrument is complex to construct, operate and maintain and requires multi-component gases in order to calibrate. These factors provide the need for an improved means for measuring the energy content of a fuel that is both fast and accurate, while being simple to construct, operate and maintain.
The Wobbe Index is a calculated value used to provide a comparison of the combustion energy output of different fuel streams, in particular gaseous fuels. By comparing the Wobbe Index of different fuels, an indication of their different energy outputs during combustion can be obtained. Thus, two fuels of different composition having a similar Wobbe Index will provide a similar energy output when combusted under a given set of conditions.
The Wobbe Index (WI) is calculated from the heating value (HV) and the relative density (RD) of a fuel and is defined by the following formula:WI=HV/√{square root over (RD)}.
The Wobbe Index is used on a commercial scale to compare the combustion energy output of different hydrocarbon fuels, in particular hydrocarbon fuel gases. Accordingly, the accurate determination of the Wobbe Index is important for a wide range of industries, most notably the natural gas industry.
There is a particular need for a means of determining the Wobbe Index that is both fast and accurate for application in fuel burner installations, especially gas burner installations. This need arises as a result of safety and environmental issues in connection with the operation of the burner installation. Such an improved means for determining the Wobbe Index would also be of considerable use in fuel mixing stations, where a fast analysis time is required in order to reduce the internal volume of the buffer lines employed in the fuel supply system.
Fast meters for determining the energy and/or the Wobbe Index are known. A first type is based on the requirements of ASTM Standard D-4891, entitled 'Standard Test Method for Heating Value of Gases in Natural Gas Range by Stoichiometric Combustion'. D-4891 concerns the determination of the heating values of gases within a certain composition range. The method is based upon the linear relationship between the heating value of natural gas and the stoichiometric gas oxidation flow disclosed in the standard. The fuel is combusted with oxygen (or air) and either the temperature of the combustion or the oxygen (or air) flow rate at the outlet is measured in order to determine the stoichiometric oxidation gas flow conditions. The method disclosed in D-4891 is fast, having a response time of less than 15 seconds, and is relatively accurate, with an accuracy of about 0.4%. The method also has the advantage that it can be applied to a wide range of gas compositions without the need for extensive and time consuming recalibration. However, in order to determine the Wobbe Index, the method of D-4891 must be combined with a method for measuring the density of the fuel gas having the same level of accuracy and speed of response.
A second type of fast meter for determining the energy content and/or the Wobbe Index of a fuel is applied to the measurement of so-called generic fuel gases, that is natural gas produced as a result of hydrocarbon exploration and production activities. The composition of generic natural gases is assumed to consist of four dependent components: nitrogen (N2), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and the so-called 'equivalent hydrocarbon' (CH). The equivalent hydrocarbon represents the higher hydrocarbons of the gas, which are assumed to consist essentially of alkanes. According to the one third rule generally applicable to generic gases, the molar ratio of consecutive higher hydrocarbons is about one third, that is, for example, the molar ratio of propane to ethane is about ⅓, the molar ratio of propane to butane in the gas is about ⅓, and so on. These characteristics allow generic natural gases to be characterised using three independent properties of the gas, referred to as the 'correlative principle for generic natural gases'. Meters for the determination of the energy content and/or the Wobbe Index for generic natural gases operating on the principle of the one third rule are referred to as "Correlative Meters" and apply the measurement of three independent properties. Examples of suitable independent properties include the heating value of the gas, the density of the gas, the velocity of sound in the gas, the heat capacity of the gas, the heat conductivity of the gas and the concentration of carbon dioxide. Such meters are characterised by combining a fast response time, typically less than 15 seconds, with an acceptable accuracy of measurement of both the heating value and density of the gas, typically within 0.5%. However, as a result of the principles on which these meters operate, in particular the equivalent hydrocarbon theory and the one third rule, their application is limited to naturally produced fuel gases. Correlative meters cannot be applied to other fuel gases, such as natural gas that has been treated, for example to strip propane and butane, or blended with nitrogen, and other fuel gases, such as biogas, refinery gases and the like, since such fuels do not have a composition that follows the one third rule.
Accordingly, there is a need for a means for determining the energy and/or the Wobbe Index of a wide range of fuels, not just natural gases, that combines a high speed of response and a high degree of accuracy. It would also be advantageous if such means could be simple to construct and operate, requiring little or no calibration and little or no maintenance.

Method for determining the heating value and the relative density of a hydrocarbon fuel and apparatus for the same


Aspects of the subject technology relate to electronic devices having speakers with resonators, such as Helmholtz resonators, acoustically coupled to the front volume of the speaker. A speaker module for an electronic device may include multiple resonators, including a first resonator that is acoustically separate from, and at least partially disposed within a second resonator. An acoustic barrier between the first resonator and the second resonator may have a liquid resistance that is different from a liquid resistance that is provided between the first resonator and a back volume of the speaker module and/or between an external environment of the speaker. In one or more implementations, a third resonator may be provided, that is spatially separated from first and second nested and/or adjacent resonators.

Electronic devices such as computers, media players, cellular telephones, wearable devices, and headphones are often provided with speakers for generating sound output from the device. However, particularly as devices are implemented in ever smaller form factors, and as user demand for high quality audio increases, it can be challenging to provide speakers that generate high quality sound, particularly in compact devices such as portable electronic devices.


An optometric apparatus and an optometric method includes the steps of acquiring subject's attributes and an orientation selected by the subject on an astigmatic axis determination chart displayed on the computer screen, displaying vision measurement charts in the acquired orientation and the orientation perpendicular thereto to acquire visual recognition limits selected by the subject, calculating far point distances based on the acquired visual recognition limits and the acquired subject's attributes, and calculating a refractive power based on the acquired orientation and the calculated two far point distances. The far point distance is calculated using a neural network that has been determined by a number of subjects in advance. The astigmatic axis determination chart has four groups of a plurality of parallel lines, each group having lines arranged in their respective orientation, and the vision measurement chart has a plurality of light and dark line images of different sizes, thereby reducing the risk of presenting an erroneous refractive power.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optometric apparatus, an optometric method, and an optometric server for performing eye examinations to determine the refractive power of eyeglasses or contact lenses. More particularly, the invention relates to an optometric apparatus, an optometric method, and an optometric server for performing subjective eye examinations using a computer screen.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a subject must go to an ophthalmologist or to an eyeglass shop to have their visual acuity examined subjectively or objectively by following examiner's instructions. Generally, to perform an objective eye examination, the examiner measures objectively the refractive coefficient of a subject's eye using an auto-refractometer and then lets the subject wear a ready-made corrective lens to check the resulting subject's visual acuity. On the other hand, to perform a subjective eye examination, using a vision test table which indicates symbols such as Landoldt rings as shown in FIG. 19, the examiner points to a symbol or character on the vision test table to determine how the symbol or the character is viewed by the subject, thereby determining the subject's visual acuity based on the subject's response.
Recently, a quantum leap has been made in ordinary household environments by the Internet. As a result, this permits consumers to check their visual acuity at home and purchase eyeglasses or contact lenses without having to go to an ophthalmologist or to an eyeglass shop.
As a matter of fact, when the consumers measure their visual acuity at home, they cannot conduct the objective eye examination because they have no test apparatus such as the auto-refractometer at home. Thus, to make measurements of visual acuity via a network such as the Internet, it is necessary to send image data to display the vision test table as shown in FIG. 19 on the screen of a subject's computer, thereby allowing the subject to determine the smallest target whose features can be visually identified by the subject.
However, generally available vision test tables are configured to display many slightly different size targets on a single screen. This configuration prevents the subject from easily making a proper determination of which target was the smallest one that could be visually clearly identified by the subject. Consequently, the subject sometimes indicated a preference for a target other than the smallest one that could be visually recognized by the subject, which results in an erroneous vision test result. Additionally, the vision test alone is not sufficient for a subject with astigmatism. Thus, an astigmatic dial as shown in FIG. 20 is conceivably presented on the computer screen to elicit from the subject a response as to the orientation in which the subject can clearly identify the dial. However, the astigmatic axis may vary depending on the distance between the subject and the computer screen, causing a simple determination of whether the orientation can be clearly identified to possibly lead to an improper determination of the astigmatic axis.
During a visual acuity measurement performed in the presence of an examiner, even a wrong response made by the subject as to his preference of targets could be checked by knowing the course of the response. However, in the absence of the examiner, it is impossible for a third party to determine whether the preference indicated by the subject is a proper or improper one.

Optometric apparatus, optometric method, and optometric server


The invention features a soft foam sled board for use by a sitting or kneeling rider to slide over a snow or ice covered surface. The sled is prepared from a shaped polyethylene foam core, and at least the bottom surface of the core is covered by a slick, polyethylene film/polyethylene foam sheet laminate which provides little frictional resistance between the sled board and sliding surface, and provides an impervious outer surface to the board so as to resist puncture and water infiltrate. The sled board has one or more rails, ribs, or fins embedded below the body weight of the rider so as to either protrude from, or jut into, the board. The fins enhance the ability of the sled board to travel down the hill in a straight, forward direction.

The invention relates to a sports board for sliding on surfaces such as snow or ice.
Due to their comfort, light weight, and attractive designs, soft foam sled boards have become popular for sliding in a kneeling, prone, or sitting position on snow or ice. Soft foam sled boards have been prepared with a polyethylene foam core and a slick film outer skin that is puncture resistant and impervious to water. These boards have the advantage of a slick surface, which creates less drag and promotes quick release from the sliding surface, but also have a flat, planar bottom surface which is prone to lateral motion. Thus, sled boards of soft foam construction suffer from an inability to keep a straight course.
It is thus an object of the invention to provide a soft foam sled board that holds a substantially straight, forward course when used on a sliding surface such as snow or ice.


A method and an arrangement are presented for pattern recognition on the basis of statistics. According to the method, for an object to be recognized on the basis of a complete set of two-class or multiclass classifiers, the association with each target class of the class set is estimated with a numerical value that is produced by cascaded use of polynomial classifiers. According to the invention, on a learning sample in which all class patterns to be recognized are sufficiently represented, there is a selection, from all the two-class or multiclass classifiers by way of their estimation vector spectrum, of those two-class or multiclass classifiers with estimations contributing the most to minimize a scalar quantity calculated over the estimation vector spectrum and having high separating relevance. The selected two-class or multiclass classifiers are subsequently used to form, via an expanded learning sample, estimation vectors from which expanded characteristic vectors are produced by polynomial linking. An evaluation classifier is formed on the basis of said characteristic vectors for estimating all target classes.

Pattern recognition is becoming increasingly significant in the era of electronic data processing. Its range of use extends from automation technology to machine-based image and text processing, where it is used for automatic letter distribution (address reading) or to evaluate formulas or documents. The objective of pattern recognition is to allocate to a piece of electronically pre-processed image information an identification that reliably coincides with the true meaning of the pattern. Statistics-based pattern-recognition methods assess a digitized piece of image information with estimates from which the degree of association of the pattern with a class of patterns can be read. With K given target classes, the class whose estimation result corresponds to the maximum of all K estimates is generally awarded this assessment. A recognition system is more reliable the more frequently the target class estimated as the maximum class matches the true target class (meaning). A network classifier used to this point, which comprises a complete ensemble of two-class classifiers and has the task of discriminating the K target classes, is based on the fact that a two-class classifier is calculated for all possible K*(K-1)/2 class pairs. During a reading operation, for the present pattern, each of the two-class classifiers supplies an estimate of the association of the pattern with one of the two fundamental target classes. The result is K*(K-1)/2 estimates, which are not independent among themselves. From these K*(K-1)/2 estimates, K estimates are to be formed, one for each target class. The theory provides a mathematical rule for this relationship, which is described in Wojciech W. Siedlecki, A formula for multiclass distributed classifiers, Pattern Recognition Letters 15 (1994). The practice of classifiers demonstrates that the applicability of this rule is unsatisfactory, because the two-class classifiers supply no statistical conclusion probabilities as soon as they estimate a foreign pattern that is not part of their adapted class range. In practice, this means that shutoff mechanisms must deactivate those classifiers that are not responsible for the pattern as early as possible. The shutoff rules used to this point in practice are largely of a heuristic nature. Consequently, an element of arbitrariness that is not statistically controlled is factored into the processing of network classifiers. This rule-based iteration of variables that experience a measurable statistic behavior significantly worsens the recognition results. Rule-based iteration of network classifiers additionally prevents the possibility of effectively re-training the classifier system when the samples are changed. With 30 or more classes to be discriminated, the use of network classifiers also meets with fundamental problems:
1. The number of components (pair classifiers) to be stored increases quadratically with the number of classes (K* (K-1)/2). PA0 2. An assessment and combination of the component-related estimates into a reliable total estimate becomes increasingly less reliable with a growing number of classes. PA0 3. Adaptations of a network classifier to country-specific writing styles incur considerable costs in the adaptation phase. PA0 2. A Cartesian product vector is also formed in a second embodiment. By means of a subspace transformation U, this vector is converted into a shortened vector, of which only the most crucial components corresponding to the eigenvalue distribution of the transformation matrix U are used to adapt a quadratic classifier. This quadratic classifier then maps the transformed and reduced vector for an estimation vector onto the target class. PA0 3. Fundamentally, in another embodiment a meta-class classifier, which is trained over groups of class quantities, generates estimates for the groups prior to activation of the respective selection of the two- or multi-class classifiers. Afterward, the two- or multi-class classifiers for the characters of the groups whose estimated value lies above an established threshold are activated. To determine the total estimate, the group estimates are linked to the estimates of the respective, associated character-assessment classifiers for the character target classes according to a unified rule such that the sum of all character estimates obtained in this manner yields a number that can be normalized to 1. The first variation yields the most precise results with the most computational effort, while the second and third variations contribute to the reduction in the computational effort.

Method and arrangement for pattern recognition on the basis of statistics


A multiprocessor system (10) includes a plurality of processing engines (14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 32, 33 and 35) including a software processing engine and a hardware processing engine implemented on a single silicon device defined by a single programming language and the single programming language tagged with at least one macro. The multiprocessor system further includes connectivity (37 and 40) between the plurality of processing engines defined by the single programming language and by the single programming language tagged with at least one macro.

Programmable devices are general-purpose integrated circuits that can be configured for a wide variety of applications. Such programmable devices have two basic versions, mask programmable devices, which are programmed only by a manufacturer, and field programmable devices, which are programmable by the end user. In addition, programmable devices can be further categorized as programmable memory devices or programmable logic devices. Programmable memory devices include programmable read only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM) and electronically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM). Programmable logic devices include programmable logic array (PLA) devices, programmable array logic (PAL) devices, erasable programmable logic devices (EPLD) devices, complex programmable logic devices (CPLD), programmable gate arrays (PISA), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC).
As chip capacity continues to increase significantly, the use of field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) is quickly replacing the use of application specific integrated circuits (ASICs). An ASIC is a specialized integrated circuit that is designed and mask programmed for a particular application such as a specialized microprocessor. With the shrinkage in integrated circuit design rules, FPGAS, which are user programmable, achieve almost the gate density of factory programmed ASICs. This high gate density has contributed immensely to the popularity of FPGAs. FPGAs typically include user configurable input/output blocks (IOBs), and programmable logic blocks, and configurable interconnect lines, and switching capability for interconnecting the lines and programming the blocks.
The advancement of computer chip technology has also resulted in the development of embedded processors and controllers. An embedded processor or controller can be a microprocessor or microcontroller circuit that has been integrated into an electronic device as opposed to being built as a standalone module or "plug in card." Advancement of FPGA technology has led to the development of FPGA-based systems-on-chip (SoC) including FPGA-based embedded processor SoCs. A SoC is a fully functional product having its electronic circuitry contained on a single chip. While a standalone microprocessor chip requires ancillary electronic components to process instructions, a SoC may include all required ancillary electronics on a single integrated circuit chip. For example, a SoC for a cellular telephone can include a microprocessor, encoder, decoder, digital signal processor (DSP), RAM and ROM. It should be understood when contemplating the present invention that an FPGA-Based SoC does not necessarily include a microprocessor or microcontroller. For example, a SoC for a cellular telephone could include an encoder, decoder, digital signal processor (DSP), RAM and ROM that rely on an external microprocessor. A SoC could also include multiple processing modules coupled to each other via a bus or several busses. It should also be understood herein that "FPGA-based embedded processor SoCs" are a specific subset of FPGA-based SoCs with or without their own processors.
The processing modules can either be hardware or software based.
Notwithstanding advantages provided by using FPGA-based SoCs, the development of these SoCs can be very challenging, particularly where software and hardware processing engines are combined in a single system. Existing systems for designing multiprocessors such as Coware SystemC cater to the needs of hardware designers with an emphasis on the detailed mechanics of a particular system. Such a system fails to allow a designer to work more in the software level of abstraction and fails to allow a user to use simple tags to implement different functions on different processing engines. In another system, the Celoxica Handel-C/Xilinx Forge compiler system allows C code to be translated directly into hardware using parallelizing compiler techniques. Rather than translating from C into hardware, there is a need to translate from function to structure where the structure can be hardware or software processors.
One of the other challenges includes communication among multiple hardware and software processors embedded in a FPGA-based SoC. Typically, such communication occurs over a bus. Unfortunately, communication over a bus involves a large amount of overhead due to bus arbitration times. Therefore, several clock cycles are typically needed for simple communication among processing modules. Furthermore, the actual links among the processing modules are not flexible in terms of defining or customizing data sizes and FIFO sizes. Also, many links among processors are processor type dependent. FPGA based embedded processor SoCs are being introduced into the market, but there are no solutions which allow users to customize the system, the hardware and software processing modules, the links among the processing modules, and the associated software, nor is there a system enabling a user to trade off a function between being implemented in hardware (FPGA fabric) or software (running on the embedded processor). It would be desirable to have a method and system for designing multiprocessor systems in FPGA-based SoCs that enables a translation (without resorting to a central processor or other co-processors) from function to structure including software and hardware processors independent of processing module type, and that further overcomes the shortcomings described above.

Method and system for designing a multiprocessor


Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to techniques for configuring an adaptive frame structure for wireless communications systems using unlicensed radio frequency spectrum. A base station (BS) may determine whether another device is transmitting on a channel in the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum or one or more other network conditions pertaining to the channel, determine a frame structure from a plurality of frame structures used for data communications based at least in part on the one or more network conditions, wherein each of the plurality of frame structures has a different frame duration, and communicate with a user equipment (UE) using the determined frame structure. A UE may determine a frame structure from a plurality of frame structures used for data communications, wherein each of the plurality of frame structures has a different frame duration, and communicate with a BS using the determined frame structure.

Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communication, and more particularly, to techniques for configuring adaptive frame structures for wireless communications using unlicensed radio frequency spectrum.
Description of the Related Art
Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. These wireless networks may be multiple-access networks capable of supporting multiple users by sharing the available network resources. Examples of such multiple-access networks include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) networks, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) networks, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, and Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks.
A wireless communication network may include a number of eNodeBs that can support communication for a number of user equipments (UEs). A UE may communicate with an eNodeB via the downlink and uplink. The downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from the eNodeB to the UE, and the uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from the UE to the eNodeB.
As the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, using LTE in unlicensed radio frequency spectrum has been considered to solve the spectrum congestion problem for future wireless needs, not only to meet the growing demand for mobile broadband access, but to advance and enhance the user experience with mobile communications. However, unlicensed radio frequency spectrum may carry other transmissions, requiring techniques such as listen before talk (LBT) procedure (e.g., clear channel assessment (CCA)) to gain access to the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum. These techniques present challenges when using current radio frame formats.

Techniques for configuring an adaptive frame structure for wireless communications using unlicensed radio frequency spectrum


Methods and corresponding apparatus and systems for assessing cellular metabolic activity are disclosed. In one aspect, a cell can be illuminated with optical radiation in order to cause multi-photon excitation of at least one endogenous metabolic cofactor in that cell and cause the excited metabolic cofactor to emit fluorescent radiation. A detector can be used to detect the fluorescent radiation emitted by the excited endogenous metabolic cofactor. A computer processor can analyze the fluorescent radiation to derive the following parameters: (1) using a computer processor to analyze the intensity of the fluorescent radiation, (2) a fluorescence lifetime of at least one of the excited metabolic cofactor, (3) a parameter indicative of mitochondrial clustering in the cell. These parameters can be used to assess at least one metabolic process of the cell.

Metabolism is responsible for many life sustaining chemical processes that support cellular function through molecular and energetic transformations. Numerous pathways have evolved to sustain cellular bioenergetics and their balance can be critical for normal development and aging. Conversely, metabolic perturbations or dysfunctions are often implicated in numerous diseases, including obesity, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disorders. Accordingly, the ability to monitor subcellular functional and structural changes associated with metabolism can be essential for understanding tissue development and disease progression. However, established techniques are often either destructive or require the use of exogenous agents.
Generally, metabolic responses can be highly dynamic and heterogeneous both temporally and spatially, and this inherent heterogeneity can impact disease development or response to treatment significantly. Traditional imaging tools for assessing metabolic activity in vivo typically require addition of exogenous agents and can often have limited resolution and sensitivity. More sensitive, quantitative metabolic assays, such as those based on mass spectrometry and carbon labeling, cannot be readily performed within living cells and require cell and tissue homogenization. Therefore, such techniques can have limited capabilities for capturing dynamic or heterogeneous aspects of metabolic responses.
High resolution fluorescence imaging based approaches that rely on exogenous fluorescent probes can be sensitive to mitochondrial membrane potential or target specific cellular organelles or proteins, and can, therefore, overcome the latter limitations. However, such techniques often require cellular manipulations and can be confounded by artifacts related to the distributions of the fluorophores, especially in more complex, three-dimensional (3D) tissues. Therefore, quantitative, high-resolution, label-free techniques for examining metabolic processes, non-invasively and in vivo in 3D tissues, are needed to assist with characterizing and elucidating the role of different metabolic pathways in disease development, and as potential therapeutic targets.
Additionally, mitochondria can undergo trafficking, fusion, and fission, creating continuously changing networks to support mitochondrial function and accommodate cellular homeostasis. Aberrant mitochondrial dynamics and the corresponding changes in mitochondrial organization are increasingly associated with a variety of human pathologies, including neurodegenerative, metabolic, cardiovascular and neoplastic diseases. Many conventional methods for investigating mitochondrial morphology are invasive relying, for example, on scanning electron microscopy, mitochondria-specific dyes, or genetically engineered expression of fluorescent proteins. Accordingly, there is a need for improved methods and systems for assessing mitochondrial organization and dynamics.

System and method for assessing cellular metabolic activity


A powershift transmission includes an input shaft, an output shaft arranged parallel with the input shaft, a branching unit arranged on the input shaft through which a torque acting on the input shaft is divided between two power paths, a switch group including at least two switching stages arranged in the first power path, and a torque converter arranged in the second power path. A torque is transmitted from the input shaft to the output shaft via the switch group and the torque converter.

Steplessly switchable powershift transmissions are known in principle from the prior art. DE 23 35 629 A1 describes, for example, a powershift transmission in which by a planetary stage a drive torque can be transmitted via a mechanical and via a non-mechanical power path to an output shaft. The mechanical torque transmission is in this instance produced in the form of gear pairs which can accordingly be stepped up or down. A hydraulic unit comprising a hydraulic pump and a hydraulic motor is used as a non-mechanical drive path. The hydraulic pump is driven by the drive shaft and accordingly produces a pressure in the hydraulic fluid. This pressure is used to drive the hydraulic motor which in turn is connected to the output shaft. The hydraulic unit is in this context constructed as a torque converter, wherein an adjustment of the torque which is intended to be transmitted is carried out by an adjustment of the valve stroke of the hydraulic pump or the hydraulic motor. A switchability via the mechanical power path is not provided so that the non-mechanical power path is solely responsible for a change or adaptation of the torque transmission.
DE 103 19 252 A1 also sets out a powershift transmission having a mechanical power path and a non-mechanical power path, wherein the non-mechanical power path can be formed by either a hydraulic unit or an electronic unit, wherein an electronic unit accordingly comprises a generator and an electric motor. Also in this instance, there is brought about a power branching by a planetary stage, wherein, in contrast to the powershift transmission described above, a transmission of the drive torque to the output shaft can be carried out only by the mechanical power path. The non-mechanical power path is provided only to absorb a specific proportion of the torque. A transmission of the torque to the output shaft may be provided by two switch units, wherein both of these switch units differ from each other as a result of the step-down or step-up ratio.
In the context of the present disclosure, the term switch unit is intended to be understood to refer to the combination of a drive toothed wheel and an output socket gear, wherein the drive toothed wheel and the output socket gear are in engagement with each other. However, a switch unit may also comprise other components.
The powershift transmissions described above have been found to be advantageous in principle. However, they can be improved. In particular, the transmission of torques via the torque converter represents a relatively inefficient torque transmission so that the stepless nature to some degree is at the expense of the gearing efficiency.
Against this background, there is a need to provide a powershift transmission which, on the one hand, is distinguished by an improved gearing efficiency and, on the other hand, can be produced in an easy and cost-effective manner.


A heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system includes a refrigerant loop having a compressor, where the compressor is configured to circulate a refrigerant through the refrigerant loop, a first heat exchanger disposed along the refrigerant loop, where the first heat exchanger is configured to place the refrigerant in a first heat exchange relationship with a working fluid, and an air handling unit having a second heat exchanger, where the second heat exchanger is configured to place the working fluid in a second heat exchange relationship with an airflow, and where the air handling unit is isolated from the first heat exchanger to reduce or eliminate mixing of refrigerant with the airflow.

The present disclosure relates generally to environmental control systems, and more particularly, to an intermediate heat exchanger for a HVAC unit.
Environmental control systems are utilized in residential, commercial, and industrial environments to control environmental properties, such as temperature and humidity, for occupants of the respective environments. The environmental control system may control the environmental properties through control of an airflow delivered to the environment. For example, a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system routes the airflow through a heat exchanger prior to delivery to the environment. The heat exchanger transfers thermal energy from a fluid flowing through the heat exchanger to the airflow to increase or decrease a temperature of the airflow. In some cases, the fluid flowing through the heat exchanger may be exposed to the airflow directed to the environment.

Method and apparatus for isolating heat exchanger from the air handling unit in a single-packace outdoor unit


An over-current protection device includes first and second electrodes and a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) multilayered structure disposed between the first and second electrodes. The PTC multilayered structure includes a first polymer layer that is bonded to the first electrode, an intermediate layered unit that is bonded to said first polymer layer and that includes a second polymer layer, a third polymer layer that is bonded to and disposed between the intermediate layered unit and the second electrode. The first, second and third polymer layers respectively have first, second and third volume resistances, the second volume resistance being higher than the first and third volume resistances.

A positive temperature coefficient (PTC) over-current protection device exhibits a PTC effect that renders the same to be useful as a circuit protection device. Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional circuit protect on device 1 includes a PTC polymer layer 11 and two electrodes 12 attached to two opposite surfaces of the PTC polymer layer 11. The PTC polymer layer 11 includes a polymer matrix that contains a crystalline region and a non-crystalline region, and a particulate conductive filler dispersed in the non-crystalline region of the polymer matrix and formed into a continuous conductive path for electrical conduction between the electrodes 12. The PTC effect is a phenomenon that, when the temperature of the polymer matrix is raised to its melting point, crystals in the crystalline region start melting and result in generation of a new non-crystalline region. As the new non-crystalline region is increased to a certain extent and merges with the original non-crystalline region, the conductive path of the particulate conductive filler will become discontinuous and resistance of the PTC polymer material will increase rapidly, thereby resulting in electrical disconnection between the electrodes.
The circuit protection device 1 is used for protecting an electronic apparatus, and the polymer matrix of the PTC polymer layer 11 is selected based on an operating current and an operating voltage of the electronic apparatus. The polymer matrix of the PTC polymer layer 11 is usually made from a polyethylene-based composition. However, the circuit protection device might not have desired electrical conductivity due to a relatively poor adhesion between the PTC polymer layer 11 and the electrodes 12.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,238,598 discloses a PTC polymer blend composition and a circuit protection device. The PTC polymer blend composition includes a non-grafted polyolefin, a grafted polyolefin, and a conductive particulate material. The circuit protection device includes a PTC element having the PTC polymer blend composition and two electrodes respectively connected to two opposite sides of the PTC element. With inclusion of the grafted polyolefin in the PTC polymer blend composition, the circuit protection device has a relatively good electrical stability and good adhesion between the PTC element and the electrodes.
However, certain electrical properties (e.g., volume resistance, withstand voltage, etc.) of the circuit protection device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,238,598 may be further improved to meet industrial requirements.


A portable telephone set capable of recognizing a call during music replay is disclosed. This portable telephone set comprises talking means and music replay means, and posts a call when receiving the same during music replay by the music replay means. Thus, the call can be recognized during the music replay.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable telephone set, and more specifically, it relates to a portable telephone set having talking means and music replay means.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, a portable telephone set has a plurality of functions in addition to a communicative function. For example, a well-known portable telephone set has a function of reproducing/outputting information (including voices and music) and a function of displaying information (texts and images) in addition to a communicative function.
However, the conventional portable telephone set executes only one of the functions at a time. When a call is received during reproduction/output of information, therefore, the portable telephone set is regarded as busy, to consequently reject the call. In this case, the portable telephone set continuously reproducing/outputting the information cannot answer even to an important call. When talking over the telephone, on the other hand, the user of the portable telephone set cannot listen to music replayed by the same but may be discontented.


A method and control system for treating a hafnium-based dielectric processing system in which a system component of the processing system is exposed to a chlorine-containing gas. A residual hafnium by-product remaining in the processing system after a hafnium removal process is reacted with a chlorine-containing etchant derived from the chlorine-containing gas. A chlorinated hafnium product is volatilized for exhaustion from the processing system. The control system can utilize a computer readable medium to introduce a chlorine-containing gas to the processing system, to adjust at least one of a temperature and a pressure in the processing system to produce from the chlorine-containing gas a chlorine-containing etchant for dissolution of a residual hafnium by-product remaining in the processing system after a hafnium silicate, hafnium oxide, or hafnium oxynitride removal process, and to exhaust a chlorinated hafnium product from the processing system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to semiconductor processing, and more particularly, to a process for treating an apparatus such as a furnace used in producing a high-k dielectric metal-containing insulator.
2. Description of the Related Art
High dielectric constant (high-k) materials with low equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) and very low leakage currents are likely to replace silicon dioxide (e.g., SiO2) dielectric layers in the semiconductor industry. High-k metal-oxides can provide the required capacitance at a considerably larger physical thickness than SiO2, thus allowing the reduction of the gate leakage current by suppression of direct tunneling. Binary oxides such as hafnium oxide (e.g., HfO2) and zirconium oxide (e.g., ZrO2), metal-silicates such as hafnium silicate (e.g., HfxSiyOz) and zirconium silicate (e.g., ZrxSiyOz), alumina (e.g., Al2O3), and lanthanide oxides, are promising metal-oxide high-k materials for gate stack applications.
Precise control of the high-k film growth, the evolution of the interface between the silicon and the high-k film, and the thermal stability of the gate stack are key elements in the integration of high-k films into semiconductor applications. More specifically, hafnium silicate (e.g., HfxSiyOz) films are being developed as high-k dielectrics to scale transistor gate performance beyond thin SiO2.
In some cases, multiple film materials are processed in the same thermal chamber or furnace. Dry cleaning of the furnace is required to maintain practical usage of the tool. Various parts of a processing system can include consumable or replaceable system components that can, for example, be fabricated from quartz, silicon, alumina, carbon, or silicon carbide. The consumable nature of the replaceable components requires frequent maintenance of the processing system. Consumable system parts are commonly replaced or cleaned after film accumulation threatens particle problems, for example between incompatible processes scheduled to be run in sequence, or after detrimental processing conditions, or when unsatisfactory processing results are observed. Alternately, consumable system parts can be cleaned or replaced according to a predetermined maintenance schedule that can, for example, be based on the number of operating hours.
Chamber conditioning processes (also referred to as passivation processes) are commonly implemented in semiconductor fabrication to prepare process chambers for optimal performance. For example, chamber conditioning processes may be carried out following chamber cleaning, after an extended chamber idle period, or before a first chamber production process. When used with plasma chambers, chamber conditioning processes typically involve using a "conditioning plasma" in the plasma chamber for a predetermined length of time to prepare or "condition" the chamber for the upcoming performance of a plasma process involving production wafers. The parameters of the conditioning process (e.g., RF power, chamber and substrate temperature, feed gas composition, and pressure) are usually maintained at or near the parameters of the corresponding production process for which the chamber is being conditioned. In this manner, conditioning processes can help ensure that all processes performed in a process chamber produce results within a desired range.
A method of pre-coating the quartz walls with an SiO2 deposition has been utilized previously to reduce the damage to the quartz parts from dry etching and prevent early quartz failure and particle generation. These methods, however, do not provide the requisite degree of cleaning for long term operation of the furnaces and maintenance of a low particulate process in a hafnium oxide, hafnium silicate, or hafnium oxynitride deposition system.

Method and control system for treating a hafnium-based dielectric processing system


Three-dimensional laminates and methods for making the same are provided. The three-dimensional laminates may be apertured and may have welds between various substrates. The three-dimensional laminates may be used in absorbent articles, such as diapers and pants, for example, as topsheets, as topsheets and acquisition layers, or as outer cover materials, for example. The three-dimensional laminates may be produced on an absorbent article manufacturing line.

Three-dimensional substrates have a variety of uses in various industries. One of the industries that has interest in three-dimensional substrates is the absorbent article industry. The absorbent article industry manufactures products such as diapers, pants, sanitary napkins, tampons, and adult incontinence pants, diapers, and products, for example. These absorbent articles may desirably comprise one or more three-dimensional substrates or laminates with at least one three-dimensional substrate as portions of or as topsheets, acquisition layers, distribution layers, outer cover materials, and/or other components, for example. Three-dimensional means materials that have three-dimensional elements more than a standard generally planar material. As an example, three-dimensional elements may extend 0.5 mm to 5 mm, 1 mm to 5 mm, or 2 mm to 5 mm, for example, from a planar surface of the substrates. Three-dimensional substrates used in absorbent articles are typically manufactured at a first location and then shipped to a second, different location for incorporation into absorbent articles. The first location is typically a three-dimensional substrate manufacturer, or a nonwoven or film manufacturer, and the second, different location is typically an absorbent article manufacturer. A first issue that arises in these situations is the three-dimensional substrates or laminates need to be tightly wound at the first location and then shipped to a second, different location. This typically reduces the three-dimensionality of the substrates or laminates due to their lack of ability to withstand compression and tensioning caused by the winding. A second issue that arises in these situations is the substrates or laminates need to be unwound and fed into absorbent article manufacturing lines at the second, different location. This typically further reduces the three-dimensionality of the substrates or laminates owing to their lack of ability to withstand compression and tensioning caused by the unwinding. Finally, compact packaging, as often used for absorbent articles, reduces three-dimensionality further. What is needed are reliable methods and tooling for producing three-dimensional substrates or laminate comprising one or more three-dimensional substrates on an absorbent article manufacturing line that reduce three-dimensional element compression and distortion.
Additionally, when three-dimensional substrates (e.g., absorbent article topsheets) are joined to an additional substrate, to form a laminate, sometimes delamination occurs. The additional substrate may be three-dimensional or planar. Delamination is quite undesirable in that it reflects poorly on product quality with consumers. Improved methods of joining two substrates together are needed to avoid, or at least reduce, delamination concerns during use of the laminates.

Laminates for absorbent articles and methods of making the same


A computer system generates snapshot backups of a virtual machine by creating a metadata snapshot and a backup snapshot. The computer system identifies a backup request for a virtual machine operating on a host computing system, initiates a backup snapshot of storage devices in use by the virtual machine, generates a metadata snapshot of a configuration of the virtual machine, and maintains the metadata snapshot in a data store.

Distributed computing is the use of computing resources (hardware and software) that are delivered as a service over a network (typically the Internet), often referred to as "cloud computing." In a distributed computing environment, a customer pays a "cloud provider" to execute a program on computer hardware owned and/or controlled by the cloud provider. It is common for cloud providers to make virtual machines hosted on its computer hardware available to customers for this purpose. Virtual machines are software implementations of a physical device than can execute programs in a manner equivalent to the physical device.
The cloud provider typically provides an interface that a customer can use to manage virtual machines and associated resources such as processors, storage, and network services, etc. The interface also allows the customer to install and execute programs, and to request backups and restorations of virtual machines. It may be desirable to backup the data and state of the virtual machine; however, such backups can be time consuming. Additionally, restoring such a state backup can require the complete provisioning of the virtual machine state.

Virtual machine backup using snapshots and current configuration


Formamidine compounds of general formula I ##STR1## in which: R.sub.1 represents H or C.sub.1-4 alkyl,. R.sub.2 represents benzoyl, benzyl, or alphahydroxybenzyl, the aromatic ring being optionally substituted by a halogen atom, PA0 R.sub.3 and R.sub.4, which are identical or different, represent hydrogen, lower-alkyl, or lower-alkenyl, or form between them with the formamidine function a heterocycle, PA0 R.sub.5 represents hydrogen or C.sub.1-4 lower-alkyl or forms with R.sub.4 a double bond (--N.dbd.R.sub.4) in the case of pseudoaromatic heterocycles, PA0 n equals 0 or 1, PA0 A represents a linear or branched C.sub.1-4 alkylene chain, PA0 X represents hydrogen, halogen, C.sub.1-4 lower-alkyl, C.sub.1-4 lower-alkoxy, or nitro, and pharmaceutically-acceptable salts thereof, are disclosed.. The compounds and pharmaceutical compositions thereof are used, optionally in combination with other active principles, as drugs for the treatment of gastrointestinal ailments, especially as gastric antisecretory and antiulcer agents.

1. Field of Invention
Gastric antisecretory and antiulcer compounds, compositions, and treatment; novel thioformamidines useful for such purpose.
2. Prior Art
Cimetidine [(N-Cyano-N'-methyl-N''-[2-[[(5-methyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl)methyl]thio]ethyl] guanidin e; Tagamet (TM)] is a renowned antagonist to histamine H.sub.2 receptors, especially in the treatment of duodenal and gastric ulcers, and therefore is a compound which may advantageously be employed as a standard when testing the effectiveness of another compound against excessive gastric secretion and ensuing ulcers.
The compounds of the present invention, which are novel formamidines, are superior to cimetidine in their gastric antisecretory effect and approximately equal thereto in the inhibition of ulcer lesions.

Thioformamidines, and use as medicaments


The present invention relates to an electronic circuit for harvesting energy from ultra-low power sources, said circuit comprising a capacitor module (1), a microcontroller (2), two analog switches (3 and 7), an auxiliary battery module (4), a terminal (5), and an operating mode module (6). The circuit is characterised in that: at least two sources (FE) from a plurality of sources (FE) are connected to the capacitor module (1); and the microcontroller (2) transmits the RC digital signals [1.4] at the capacitor module (1) to the first set of analog switches and changes from an idle state to an active state. In addition, the microcontroller (2) is configured to: perform an energy storage step, by connecting the energy sources in parallel with the capacitors; perform a first amplification step, by reconnecting the set of capacitors in series with one another via the first set of analog switches connected in parallel, by means of a switch, with the array of auxiliary batteries that are connected in parallel with one another; perform a first step of transferring energy from the capacitors to the auxiliary batteries; perform a second energy amplification step, by reconnecting the array of batteries connected in series with one another via the second set of analog switches; perform a second step of transferring the energy amplified by the auxiliary batteries by means of a switch, by means of which the auxiliary batteries connected in series with one another are connected in parallel with a main external battery, transferring the energy to same.

Micro or nanoscale energy harvesting raises the possibility of creating a technology capable of reducing maintenance costs and inconveniences involving conventional wiring systems. Some ultra-low power energy sources include biological, mechanical vibration, radio frequency electromagnetic, pressure gradients, temperature gradients, solar among others related to renewable energies (Harb, 2011).
The first electronic devices designed to harvest energy were based on passive components that only had the function of recirculating electrons, as the resistors that dissipate power as heat. However, to harness the energy is required to store it in capacitors and then amplify using series and parallel configurations, in this way, the voltage obtained can be useful for some electronic device (Park, 2014).
An alternative that has been proposed to store energy is to use capacitors connected in parallel and then reconfigure the array of capacitors in series to amplify the collected voltage (Logan, 2011) (Logan, 2013).
The present invention addresses the problem of developing and implementing new designs to centralize power in a hybrid energy system once it has been stored.
Some solutions addressed in the state of the art, are described below. For example, Patent Application US 2011/0254514 A1, describes a method and apparatus for converting low voltage and energy storage using a charge pump including a first set of capacitors connected in parallel with a second set of capacitors and switches for selectively coupling the first and second set of capacitors to a variable input DC voltage, with a data processor programmed to control one or more switches for coupling the first and second set of capacitors to a variable input DC voltage for a first variable time period in which first and second set of capacitors are charged to a DC voltage level. An energy storage device is coupled switchable to a matrix output charge pump. The data processor controls by a programmable way one or more switches for coupling the matrix output charge pump to the storage device power for a second variable time period, during which a voltage stored across each capacitor during the first time period, is combined to produce a significantly greater than the DC input voltage, the higher voltage being provided to power storage device.
Another solution has been proposed in the patent application US 2013/0076145 US A1, which describes an electronic circuit to increase voltages of one or more energy sources. The electronic circuit may include a first set of capacitors and a second set of capacitors, and a first set of switches associated with the first set of capacitors and a second set of switches associated with a second set of capacitors. It also includes at least one energy source and an external load. The first and second set of capacitors, first and second set of switches, the power source and the external load are arranged and connected such that the first set of capacitors is connected to at least one power source in parallel while the second set of capacitors is connected to the external load in series and vice versa.
These developments are emerging and are focused on specific energy sources such as thermoelectric and microbial energy respectively, which limits its operating range and current output due to the problem of connecting different ultra-low power sources in parallel configuration, since the behavior of different sources vary in voltage amplitude, oscillation frequency and energy density (Harb, 2011). However, there exist in the state of the art electronic systems that connect each of the various energy sources to a capacitor in parallel and store the energy, once the control system detects the desired voltage for energy transfer then active switches, in order to disconnect the capacitors of them independent energy sources and connecting capacitors in series to each other resulting in the sum of the voltages, i.e.; the present invention describes the design and implementation of an electronic circuit that harvest and/or collects energy from multiple sources of ultra-low power, e.g. mechanical vibration, electrochemical, thermal, etc. Wherein the electronic circuit uses capacitors as initial storage medium and then combined with auxiliary batteries that allow power transfer to a central battery 12 V. This solution allows to integrate energy sources available in different environments, such as: transport, commercial or domestic. Furthermore, the present invention describes the versatility of using energy in systems involving inverters with a nominal input of 12 V in direct current and converts it to alternating current, which can supply energy to a wide range of electrical and electronic devices, such as will be described later in a detailed form.

Electronic circuit for harvesting energy from ultra-low power sources

CENTRO DE INVESTIGACION CIENTIFICA DE YUCATAN, A.C.


A method of assisting ignition of a dedicated exhaust gas recirculation (D-EGR) cylinder in a spark-ignited internal combustion engine. The spark igniter has an internal air passage that receives pressurized air and carries the pressurized air down to an exit port in the vicinity of the spark gap of the igniter.

In an internal combustion engine system having dedicated EGR (exhaust gas recirculation), one or more cylinders of the engine are segregated and dedicated to operate in a rich combustion mode. Because of the rich combustion, the exhaust gases from the dedicated cylinder(s) have increased levels of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Rich combustion products such as these are often termed "syngas" or "reformate".
Dedicated EGR engines use the reformate produced by the dedicated cylinder(s) in an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system. The hydrogen-rich reformate is ingested into the engine for subsequent combustion by the non-dedicated cylinders and optionally by the dedicated cylinder(s). The reformate is effective in increasing knock resistance and improving dilution tolerance and burn rate. This allows a higher compression ratio to be used with higher rates of EGR and reduced ignition energy, leading to higher efficiency and reduced fuel consumption.

Internal combustion engine having dedicated EGR cylinder(s) and air-assisted spark ignition


An example integrated circuit controller for a power converter includes a digital peak detector and a switching block. The digital peak detector is coupled to output a digital count signal representative of a peak input voltage of the power converter. The switching block is coupled to control switching of a power switch of the power converter to regulate an output of the power converter. The switching block is further coupled to control the switching of the power switch in response to the digital count signal.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present invention relates generally to power converters, and more specifically, the invention relates to control circuits that detect a peak input voltage.
2. Background
Many electrical devices such as cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDA's), laptops, etc. are powered by a source of DC power. Because power is generally delivered through a wall outlet as high-voltage AC power, a device, typically referred to as a power converter, is required to transform the high-voltage AC power to usable DC power for many electrical devices. The usable DC power may be provided by the power converter directly to the device or it may be used to charge a rechargeable battery that, in turn, provides energy to the device, but which requires charging once stored energy is drained. In operation, a power converter may use a controller to regulate output power delivered to an electrical device that may be generally referred to as a load. The controller regulates the transfer of energy to the load. In one instance a controller may control a power switch to turn on and off in response to feedback information from a sensor to transfer energy pulses to the output from the high-voltage AC power source.
The high-voltage AC power source typically includes a cyclic input voltage signal. For example, the usual waveform of an AC power source is that of a sine wave. The peak value of each cycle of the input voltage signal may be used for a variety of purposes, including to control the switching of the power switch. However, the peaks of the input voltage signal may vary with time. That is, the peak input voltage may increase or decrease from cycle to cycle.

Digital peak input voltage detector for a power converter controller


Method and device for measuring a folding angle of a sheet (6,25,26) in a folding machine, whereby a number of distances are measured in a plane (28) that crosses the sheet (6,25,26) and the element (4,24,7), whereby a distance profile (19) of the measured distances is determined, and whereby the folding angle (A) of the sheet (6,25,26) is determined as a function of the angle (B,B1,B2) between the sheet (6,25,26) and the element (4,24,7).

The invention relates to a method and a device for measuring a folding angle of a sheet, and to a folding machine.
From EP -A 715 552 a method is known for optimizing the folding of a sheet between a punch and a die of a folding machine, to a desired folding angle. During the folding of the sheet, the folding angle of the sheet is measured and the movement of the folding punch is controlled by an adjustable controller as a function of the measured folding angle. The folding angle is measured by a tracer placed in a reference position. The tracer comprises a telescopic device which can be placed against a point on the underside of the sheet and a distance sensor for measuring the position of the telescopic device. The folding angle is determined as a function of the signal of the distance sensor. This method requires a calibration using at least one sample piece with a known folding angle to determine the relationship between the signal of the distance sensor and the folding angle. Furthermore, the tracer must be placed very precisely in the reference position.
From EP -A 470 263 a method is known in which the folding angle is measured by a vision system. This vision system comprises a plane light source and an image pickup device for picking up an intersection line pattern of light induced onto the surface of the sheet by the plane light source. The vision system is placed in a reference position in accordance with the co-ordinate axis of a co-ordinate plane. The folding angle of the sheet is calculated based on the positional relationships between the pick-up direction, the direction of the emitted light, the intersection line and the co-ordinate axis of the co-ordinate plane. This method requires a precise attachment of the vision system with respect to the sheet and a calibration using a sample piece of a known angle. Furthermore, this vision system has to be attached a well-defined distance away from the sheet, thereby enabling the emitted light to reach the focal point of the image pickup device. This can lead to the use of a non-standard support die or punch, with the vision system built in.
The aim of this invention is a method and a device for measuring a folding angle of a sheet without the need for a precise attachment or a precise positioning of the device according to the invention with respect to the sheet and/or the folding machine.
To this end, the method according to the invention comprises the measurement, on at least one side of an element, of a number of distances in a plane that crosses the sheet and the element; said distances comprising a number of distances between a measuring tool and different points on the sheet and a number of distances between a measuring tool and different points on the element; determining a distance profile of the measured distances; determining two straight lines based on values of the distance profile, and determining the angle between sheet and element from the angle between the two straight lines, so as to determine the folding angle of the sheet as a function of the thus determined angle between the sheet and the element.
The method according to the invention offers the advantage that the folding angle of the sheet can be determined irrespective of the position of the measuring tool relative to the sheet. This method further offers the advantage that the folding angle can be determined very accurately, even if the measured distances were not measured very accurately. Because of these advantages, the method according to the invention is very suitable for measuring a folding angle of a folding sheet in a folding machine.
In a preferred embodiment, the method comprises the measurement, on two sides of an element of a number of said distances in a respective plane that crosses the sheet and the element; determining, for each side of the element, a respective distance profile of the measured distances, determining, for each distance profile a set of two straight lines, based on values of the distance profile, and determining a respective angle between sheet and element from the angle between the straight lines of each set, so as to determine the folding angle of the sheet as a function of the two determined angles between the sheet and the element.
In a preferred embodiment, the method comprises the measurement of a number of said distances in a plane that crosses the sheet and the element perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the sheet and the element. This offers the advantage that no calibration is necessary in order to determine the angle between sheet and element.
Preferably, the folding angle is measured during the folding of the sheet between two elements in a folding machine.
In an embodiment, a distance profile of the measured distances is determined as a profile in a co-ordinate system with respect to the measuring tool.
In another embodiment, the two straight lines are determined statistically, based on values of the distance profile.
The device for measuring a folding angle of a sheet according to the invention comprises a measuring tool for measuring, on a side of an element, a number of distances in a plane that crosses the sheet and the element, said distances comprising a number of distances between the measuring tool and different points on the sheet and a number of distances between the measuring tool and different points on the element; means for determining a distance profile of the measured distances; means for determining two straight lines based on values of the distance profile and means for determining the angle between sheet and element from the angle between the two straight lines so as to determine the folding angle of the sheet as a function of the thus determined angle between the sheet and the element. A device according to the invention can be used to measure a folding angle of a sheet in a folding machine and will not impede the folding of the sheet in the folding machine, since all parts of the said device can be arranged far enough away from the support die and the punch. In a preferred embodiment, the device comprises means for mounting the measuring for measuring a number of distances in a plane that crosses the sheet and the element perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the sheet and the element.
In a preferred embodiment, the measuring tool comprises a scanner that is rotationally supported and comprises a means for controlling the rotational position of the scanner, in order to determine in each rotational position of the scanner the distance between the scanner and the sheet or the distance between the scanner and the element.
In a preferred embodiment, the element is an integral part of a folding machine. Preferably, the element consists of a support die for supporting the sheet in a folding machine.
The folding machine according to the invention comprises at least one device according to the invention, said device being mounted on a side of an element of the folding machine. Preferably, the folding machine comprises two devices according to the invention, said devices being mounted on different sides of an element of the folding machine. Preferably, the element consists of a support die for supporting the sheet in a folding machine.
A folding machine according to the invention offers the advantage that the folding angle of a sheet can be measured easily during the folding of the sheet, and that the folding machine can be equipped with a standard support die and a standard punch.

Method and device for measuring a folding angle of a sheet in a folding machine