A method of diagnosis utilizing a diagnostic locator for detecting sources of electronic circuit malfunction caused by fractured solder connections or other kinetically locatable electronic circuit malfunctions comprises a diagnostic locator using kinetic energy at sonic frequencies which is discriminately applied to particular circuit areas to reveal mechanical intermittance on an accurate basis. The locator includes an elongated non-conductive test probe which is mounted within a housing at one end containing a transducer for kinetically activating the probe. An operator may adjust the kinetic energy being released at the probe tip for greater or lesser propagation upon electronic circuitry being diagnosed. This diagnosis of mechanically malfunctioning electronic circuitry is accomplished while monitoring the output of the circuitry in a conventional manner.

In electrical circuits, frequent causes of circuit malfunction are fractured solder connections, open foil etch on circuit boards and mechanical malfunction of components. The normal procedure for locating such malfunctions involves manually tapping around with a non-conductive instrument until the fault is localized. Such a procedure, however, is time consuming, tedious and often undefinitive. Furthermore, the low frequency tapping percussions spread beyond the immediate area, usually making it difficult to accurately pinpoint the cause of malfunction.
The present invention is designed to detect kinetically locatable circuit faults rapidly and with definitive accuracy. The present invention comprises a new diagnostic method utilizing a cost efficient device capable of producing concentrated localized applications of user calibrated kinetic energy at audible sonic frequencies. This energy at high frequencies is then discriminately applied to circuit areas such as printed circuit board or components to kinetically reveal mechanical intermittance. The location of intermittance is picked up by monitoring the circuit in a conventional manner for proper function.
The diagnostic locator of the present invention comprises a non-conductive test probe which is applied to circuitry and uses pinpoint kinetic energy at audible sonic frequencies to determine mechanical intermittance. The prior art, over which the invention is distinguishable, is discussed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,919,631 to Brown discloses a self-contained continuity checker having a probe connected to an amplifier which completes a circuit to indicating means. This is in contrast to the mechanical test probe of the present invention which applies energy to the area under test for kinetic test purposes.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,653,297 to Mohylowski discloses a testing device having a spring-backed probe which generates a spark as an indicator that a circuit break exists. Also of interest are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,020,402, 1,970,232 and 3,063,006. None of the foregoing patents disclose the use of a sonically vibrating probe to locate circuit faults.

Diagnostic locator for mechanically malfunctioning electronic circuitry


Described are track fitting assemblies having a main body with at least one plunger aperture, at least one button aperture intersecting the at least one plunger aperture, and at least one disengagement recess, at least one shear plunger assembly having a plunger, a shear pin, a plunger-spring, and a button comprising a recess, and a track with a pair of lips having at least one opening. The shear plunger assembly is configured to have a disengaged position, wherein the button is extended from the main body and the shear pin is positioned within the main body, and an engaged position, wherein the button is positioned substantially flush with the main body, the recess of the button is positioned substantially flush with the disengagement recess of the main body, and the shear pin is extended from the main body and within the at least one opening.

Many vehicle seats such as those on passenger aircraft, buses, trains, and the like are removably mounted in a track secured to the floor of the vehicle. The tracks typically include a channel along their entire length, where two lips partially enclose the upper side of the channel to form a slot. Semicircular cutout portions are uniformly spaced along the lips to create a series of larger circular openings in the slot. Typically, a track fitting assembly is used to couple the passenger seat to the track, where the track fitting body has studs that extend outwardly from the track fitting body. The studs are typically designed with a flared end attached to a narrower neck. The flared ends of the studs pass through the larger openings, and the track fitting assembly is moved along the track until the flared ends contact the underside of the slot lips. Bolts or wedge-type elements are commonly used to create a snug fit between the studs and the track lips to prevent seat rattle and unintended seat displacement.
In some instances, track fitting assemblies do not have sufficient load-carrying capacity and strength to sufficiently secure the passenger seat to the track to prevent seat rattle or to withstand forces that may be placed on the passenger seat. For example, crashes, turbulence, rapid deceleration, or other impacts may subject the passenger seat to longitudinal loads. In situations where the coupling between the track fitting and the track lacks sufficient strength, application of such loads may result in the passenger seat becoming misaligned or dislodged from the track, increasing the risk of injury or death to the passenger seat occupant. Accordingly, there is a need for a passenger seat track fitting assembly that provides sufficient load-carrying capacity and strength to prevent seat rattle in normal conditions and to transfer at least some of the load exerted on the passenger seat during a crash to the track.


A connection unit establishes a fluid connection between a patient and a ventilator. The connection unit includes a patient-side connection piece, a device-side connection piece, a port piece and a central piece, which provides a tube with a curved tube segment and is connected with a fluid-tight connection to the two connection pieces. The port piece includes a straight tube segment and a bent surface with a bent surface and with a passage opening. The port piece is inserted into a receiving opening of the central piece. The bent surface of the port piece forms a part of a wall of the curved tube segment. The straight tube segment of the port piece and the central piece provide a straight tube, which is interrupted by the passage opening. An additional device is insertable through the straight tube segment and through the passage opening into the provided tube.

Various such connection units have become known.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,922 describes a connection unit (adaptor), which is capable of connecting a patient to flexible tubing (exterior tubing). The L-shaped connection unit 44 has an opening, through which an additional device can be inserted.
US 2004/0 221 852 A1 shows a ventilator (respiratory apparatus 10) with a catheter (suction catheter 12), which can be inserted into the airways of a patient 18 in order to aspirate secretions. The catheter 12 can be inserted by means of an instrument introduction section 22 with a passageway 24.
How a catheter (suction catheter 12) of a catheter aspirating device 10 is inserted into the airways of a patient is also described in US 2010/0 147 296 A1. The catheter aspirating device 10 can be connected to a multiple-access manifold 20, through which the catheter 12 can be inserted. A port 30 of the manifold 20 can be connected to a port seal cartridge 40.
US 2013/0 296 653 A1 shows a system 100 for mechanical ventilation with a breathing mask 102, which can be placed on the head of a patient, as well as with an adapter 110, which can be coupled with the breathing mask 102. A bent assisted respiration source assembly 119 with a diverter 114 can be inserted into an insertion assembly 117 of the adapter 110. The insertion assembly 117 is connected detachably to a connection assembly 130 of the adapter 110. A valve 128, for example, a nonreturn valve (one-way valve) is installed in the assisted respiration source assembly 119.

Curved connection unit for connecting a patient to a medical device


A power switching apparatus includes: a pressure tank having tube-like openings in a shank portion and having an insulating gas sealed therein; a vacuum valve housed in the pressure tank and connected to the pressure tank at one end; bushing conductors penetrating through the openings of the pressure tank and electrically connected to the vacuum valve; and current transformers provided on an outside of the pressure tank and measuring a current flowing through the bushing conductors. Tube-like current transformer installation portions on which to install the current transformers are provided above the openings of the pressure tank and an outside diameter of the openings of the pressure tank is made larger than an outside diameter of the current transformer installation portions.

A gas insulated switching apparatus in the related art using dry air seals dry air in a pressure tank at a high gas pressure of about 0.4 to 0.5 MPa-g in order to maintain electrical insulation and ensures insulation by further covering a conductor with an insulator (for example, Patent Document 1).
Also, regarding a current transformer incorporated into the gas insulated switching apparatus, a supporting rib for a current transformer, which is a heavy load, is provided to the pressure tank and the current transformer is installed on this supporting rib (for example, Patent Document 2).


A convertible cooling module, especially for use in conjunction with a wide range of computer systems ranging from workstations to massively parallel processors is employable with both air and water cooling systems. In particular, a cooling module is convertible from a heat sink modality to an air cooling modality, and finally to a liquid cooling modality in response to either increased performance demands or an increase in the number of processors or circuit components employed. The conversion may be carried out in the field and provides a flexible and less costly upgradeability path for computer customers.

The present invention is generally directed to a cooling module which is especially useful for either air or water cooling of electronic circuit components, particularly those used in computer systems. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a flexible cooling system for a range of computer systems extending from workstation devices to massively parallel processing system complexes. Even more particularly, the apparatus of the present invention provides increased thermal flexibility and cooling upgradeability to computer installations at lower cost, with greater reliability and without the necessity of system down time.
It has been the trend in customer workstation installations to link a number of computer systems together. Typically, these can take the form of a Local Area Network (LAN) to facilitate cooperative work between the users and to ensure the maximum utilization of each computer system. Additionally, in some installations groups of workstations are being linked together to form loosely coupled parallel processing machines. In the limit, large numbers of workstation processors may be packaged together to form massively parallel supercomputer systems. It is therefore seen that one of the trends in the computer industry is the combination of sub-assemblies of electronic circuit boards into larger systems. Accordingly, it is seen that it is very desirable that these sub-assemblies be configured to facilitate their use in workstations, workstation clusters and also in massively parallel machines. However, the cooling requirements for these various systems are very different. Nonetheless, it would still be desirable to have a cooling methodology which extends across this whole range of computational devices, which is relatively inexpensive to implement and yet which provides flexible and field upgradeable systems.
One of the possibilities for cooling advanced processor circuit modules is the employment of arrays of parallel plates (fins) which may be employed as heat sinks. Heat generated in an electronic component is conducted into the plates and dissipated through the passage of a forced flow of ambient air within high aspect ratio flow channels between the fins. In future machines, as power levels per module increase, the combined heat dissipated by many machines in a confined work space, whether they are independent or part of a large LAN, could exceed the capacity of the room air conditioning system in which the systems are placed. In this case, it would be desirable if the installation could employ an alternative of a liquid cooling mechanism for these workstations using chilled water from a central Coolant Distribution Module (CDM). The option of air or water cooling for the sub-assemblies is also desirable for cooling massively parallel machines. In such cases, the cooling demands are often present from the point of initial system installation. However, as the number of processors is expanded, even in massively parallel machines, it is seen that it is desirable to have flexibility in terms of cooling capacity. While the total heat load generated from smaller machines may well be dissipated into the ambient atmosphere, and eventually controlled by means of a building air conditioning system, the heat load generated by a large machine, containing hundreds or even thousands of processor sub-assemblies packaged into a small volume, would almost certainly be too large (hundreds of kilowatts) to dissipate directly to the room air environment.
It is also noted that from a thermal perspective, thin plates used as heat sinks cannot be simultaneously optimized for both air and water (or other liquid or refrigerant) cooling. This limitation imposes additional constraints upon the design of any computer cooling system which is meant to span a range of system performance levels (workstations at the low end to massively parallel processors at the high end).

Convertible cooling module for air or water cooling of electronic circuit components

International Business Machines Corporation


A method of fabricating wafer level chip scale packages may involve forming a hole to penetrate through a chip pad of an IC chip. A base metal layer may be formed on a first face of a wafer to cover inner surfaces of the hole. An electrode metal layer may fill the hole and rise over the chip pad. A second face of the wafer may be grinded such that the electrode metal layer in the hole may be exposed through the second face. By electroplating, a plated bump may be formed on the electrode metal layer exposed through the second face. The base metal layer may be selectively removed to isolate adjacent electrode metal layers. The wafer may be sawed along scribe lanes to separate individual packages from the wafer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electronic packaging technology and, more particularly, to a fabrication method of wafer level chip scale packages available for a three-dimensional package stack.
2. Description of the Related Art
As in other sectors of the semiconductor industry, the electronic packaging industry may be driven by a demand for packages that may be smaller, faster, cheaper, more reliable, and more multi-functional, for example. A chip scale package (CSP), which may be referred to as a chip size package, has been developed to satisfy the industry's growing demand for a small, i.e., chip-sized, form factor that may be suitably implemented in small and advanced electronic end-applications. Additionally, a wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) has been introduced to realize cost-effective fabrication of CSPs on the wafer prior to singulation.
A three-dimensional package stack may employ the WLCSP as unit packages of the stack. The three-dimensional package stack may have electrical connections between upper and lower individual unit packages. Two conventional approaches for offering electrical connections to the WLCSP stack are discussed separately below.
According to one conventional approach, a semiconductor wafer may be thinned using a grinding technique, and then a hole may be formed that extends completely through the semiconductor wafer. A wiring plug may be formed in the hole, and a metal bump may be formed on the wiring plug. The metal bump may be connected to the wiring plug of an underlying semiconductor wafer, so that adjacent upper and lower packages may be electrically coupled to each other.
Although the conventional approach described above may generally provide acceptable results, it is not without shortcomings. For example, the wafer, which may be fabricated from silicon, may be inherently brittle. Thus, a relatively thin wafer (which may result after grinding) may not exhibit good reliability during fabrication and handling. Further, it may be difficult to form the wiring plug in the hole penetrating completely through the wafer. Moreover, the formation of the metal bump may require a complicated, lengthy and expensive process since the metal bump may be typically formed by photolithography and electroplating techniques.
According to another conventional approach, a hole may be partially formed in a relatively thick wafer, and a wiring plug may be formed in the hole. Then the wafer may be thinned using a grinding technique, and the ground face of the wafer may be selectively etched until the wiring plug is exposed. A protrusion may formed on an exposed portion of the wiring plug, and a solder ball may be formed to surround the protrusion.
This conventional approach may generally provide acceptable results, however, it is not without shortcomings. For example, the etching process as one of thinning techniques may be relatively complicated, lengthy and susceptible to delicate process conditions as compared to the mechanical grinding process. The etching process may also damage the wiring plug. Additionally, a process of forming the solder ball may be complicated and lengthy due to the presence of the protrusion, and because the solder balls may be individually positioned on the protrusions.

Fabrication method of wafer level chip scale packages


Provided are a refrigerator, and a method for correcting temperature measurement errors of an infrared sensor including: verifying that the infrared sensor is running in an operating state; obtaining a measured operating-state value acquired by the infrared sensor sensing the temperature of a preset zone; obtaining a correction constant corresponding to the infrared sensor, the correction constant being obtained by means of a comparison between the value measured by the infrared sensor in a correction state and a standard temperature value; using the correction constant to correct the measured value and thus obtain a corrected temperature value. Using the method, the impact of an absolute error of the infrared sensor on temperature measurement is reduced; thus the accuracy of temperature measurement is improved, such that measured values directly reflect the actual temperature of the items inside a preset zone, and an accurate basis for control is provided for subsequent associated control.

An existing refrigerator usually uses a temperature sensor arranged inside a compartment to measure a temperature around the setting position of the temperature sensor, and takes the temperature as a basis of refrigeration control.
However, when controlled in that way, the refrigerator starts refrigeration when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor is higher than a preset value. In practical use of the refrigerator, users usually need to store and fetch articles. In general, a temperature of an article just placed is relatively high, and it takes time for the temperature of the article to travel to the compartment by heat radiation. After the temperature of the article is transferred to the internal environment of the compartment, the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor will rise. Then, a cold source device such as a compressor and the like is started up to perform a refrigerating operation to the compartment. As such, the refrigeration control technology of the refrigerator in the prior art has a slow response speed and cannot meet the requirements of users with respect to the refrigeration effect of the refrigerator.

Refrigerator and temperature measurement error correcting method of infrared sensor


A binocular includes a pair of objective lenses, a pair of eyepieces for observing images formed by the pair of objective lenses, and a connection member arranged to integrally interconnect at least respective parts of the pair of objective lenses, wherein optical images being observed are stabilized by driving and decentering the connection member with respect to optical axes of the pair of objective lenses.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical apparatus for observing, with a pair of right and left ocular optical systems (eyepieces), images formed by a pair of right and left objective optical systems (objective lenses), and more particularly to an optical apparatus such as a binocular arranged to correct shaking of the observed images during the holding of the optical apparatus by correctively shifting on a focal plane the images formed by the pair of right and left objective optical systems.
2. Description of Related Art
Heretofore, there have been proposed binoculars of the kind arranged to be capable of correcting shaking of observed images caused by the vibration of holding hands, for example, as follows.
(i) Prism binoculars each arranged to correct shaking of observed images during the holding of the binocular by correctively rotating the whole or a part of an erecting optical system including a prism, a mirror or the like with respect to a fixed body part of the binocular in such a way as to shift focusing images (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Applications No. SHO 54-23554 and No. HEI 2-284113). PA1 (ii) A binocular in which a prism having a vertical-angle varying function is disposed closer to the object than the focal plane of each of objective lenses of the right and left lens barrels rotatably interconnected to each other, and the angle of reflection or the angle of refraction in such a prism is correctively varied so as to correct shaking of observed images during the holding of the binocular (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. HEI 7-84223).
Of the binoculars having the erecting optical system correctively rotated as mentioned in Paragraph (i) above, the binocular proposed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. SHO 54-23554 is arranged to integrally swing a pair of right and left prisms serving as the erecting optical system with respect to the fixed body part of the binocular. This arrangement, therefore, necessitates a large structure for supporting the prisms and is thus hardly suited for a compact binocular. Further, the binocular proposed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. HEI 2-284113 is arranged to use a part of a mirror serving as the erecting optical system in common for the right and left systems and to drive and decenter the part of the mirror. This arrangement has an advantage in that a pair of light fluxes passing through a pair of objective optical systems can be simultaneously deflected and controlled, but has a shortcoming in that there is required a prism exclusively used for adjustment of an interpupillary distance. Further, both of these binoculars necessitate inclusion of erecting optical systems such as prisms as indispensable components and, therefore, the arrangements of them cannot be applied to some binoculars having no erecting optical system, such as a Galilean binocular.
On the other hand, the binocular proposed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. HEI 7-84223 necessitates addition of a separate optical part (a prism having the vertical-angle varying function) for shifting a focusing image by bending the optical axis to each of the right and left optical systems constituting the binocular. The additional optical part has presented a problem in respect of cost and size. Besides, since the right and left lens barrels are rotatably interconnected, it is necessary to pay attention to the adjustment of right and left optical axes.


The present disclosure relates generally to methods and materials for use in detecting abnormalities of the number of whole chromosomes or chromosome regions (aneuploidy). It has particular utility for assessing the risk of aneuploidy of eggs (i.e., oocytes), fertilized eggs or embryos developed therefrom in the context of in vitro fertilization.

In normal female meiosis the precursor cells of the ova multiply and then reduce the number of chromosomes to one half set in each gamete in two specialised meiotic divisions.
Meiosis is initiated in the fetal ovary before birth during the early development of the female germ cells (primary oocytes), which will eventually form mature eggs (or oocytes, the terms are used interchangeably) in the adult female.
To reduce the number of chromosomes from the normal (euploid) 23 pairs of homologous chromosomes (one of each pair inherited from the father and one from the mother, so 46 in total) to 23 single chromosomes, there is one round of DNA replication in which each chromosome is duplicated into two sister chromatids followed by two specialised meiotic divisions, meiosis I and II.
Following replication, the two homologous chromosomes of each pair 'pair up' and a single bivalent chromosome forms in which all four sister chromatids are tightly bound together. This allows a limited number of breaks in the DNA strands of adjacent non-sister chromatids to 'crossover' and re-join the other chromatid, leading to non-recombinant (no exchange) and recombinant chromatids and generating genetic variation.
As the cell divides at the end of meiosis I, one homologous chromosome of each pair is pulled into the first polar body and the other into the secondary oocyte, which therefore now has 23 chromosomes each with two sister chromatids.
In meiosis II, following fertilisation of the oocyte by a sperm cell containing the paternal half set of chromosomes, the two sister chromatids of each chromosome finally separate and segregate into the second polar body and the fertilised oocyte (now a zygote). The zygote therefore inherits 23 single maternal chromatids (now 'chromosomes').
Aneuploidy is defined as an abnormal number of whole chromosomes or parts of chromosomes causing a genetic imbalance. The most frequent and clinically significant aneuploidies involve single chromosomes (strictly 'aneusomy') in which there are either three ('trison') or only one ('monosomy') instead of the normal pair of chromosomes per somatic cell.
Chromosome aneuploidy is a major cause of pregnancy loss and abnormal pregnancy with live births and increases exponentially with maternal age in the decade preceding menopause (Hassold and Hunt, 2001). Most autosomal aneuploidies and all autosomal monosomies are lethal, only a small number of trisomies are compatible with full term development often with severe congenital abnormalities.
A similar pattern of aneuploidy occurs in pregnancies following assisted conception using in vitro fertilisation (IVF) (Spandorfer et al., 2004). Furthermore, microarray based comparative genomic hybridisation (e.g., array CGH) analysis has shown that a majority of human oocytes in women of advanced maternal age (average age 40) are aneuploid, most with multiple aneuploidies (Handyside et al., 2012).
Currently, human oocytes can be tested for aneuploidy using whole genome amplification (WGA) of both the first and second polar bodies (PB1 and PB2, respectively) by microarray based comparative genomic hybridisation (array CGH). Array CGH is a methodology, which compares the amount of DNA hybridising to DNA probes spaced typically at 1 Mb intervals across the genome, i.e. across each chromosome, in test and control DNA labelled with green and red fluorochromes (24Sure™, BlueGnome Ltd; www.24Suretest.com), for example. With human oocytes, WGA products from the two polar bodies are labelled and hybridised and the signal intensities compared to control male and female DNA labelled in opposite fluorochromes.
The polar bodies are by-products of the two meiotic divisions, meiosis I and II, and since they do not form part of the embryo they can be removed with minimal effect using published methods well known to those skilled in the art. However, biopsying both polar bodies from each oocyte is labour intensive for clinics and multiple arrays are required to test each oocyte.
Other methods for detecting aneuploidy have been proposed as described herein.
For example, the presence or absence of each chromosome in polar bodies can be detected by multiplex PCR of panels of chromosome specific sequences (Advalytix, Beckman Coulter; www.advalytix.com/advalytix/). However amplification bias makes it difficult to accurately quantify the products, thereby limiting possible application for aneuploidy testing in polar bodies.
Limiting dilution into separate wells and digital PCR can be used to count the number of chromatids. However by virtue of the steps involved, this methodology can be technically challenging, and has not yet been extensively validated (for example, see publication WO2011/138750 of the MRC et al).
Thus it can be seen that novel, less complex, methods for assessing the risk of aneuploidy of eggs, fertilised eggs or embryos developed therefrom would provide a contribution to the art.


An apparatus and method are provided for processing ownership upgrade requests in relation to cached data. The apparatus has a plurality of processing units, at least some of which have associated cache storage. A coherent interconnect couples the plurality of master units with memory, the coherent interconnect having a snoop unit used to implement a cache coherency protocol when a request received by the coherent interconnect identifies a cacheable memory address within the memory. Contention management circuitry is provided to control contended access to a memory address by two or more processing units within the plurality of processing units. The coherent interconnect may receive, from a first processing unit having an associated cache storage, an ownership upgrade request specifying a target memory address, the ownership upgrade request indicating that a copy of data at the target memory address, as held in a shared state in the first processing unit's associated cache storage at a time the ownership upgrade request was issued, is required to have its state changed from the shared state to a unique state prior to the first processing circuitry performing a write operation to the data. The coherent interconnect is arranged to process the ownership upgrade request by referencing the snoop unit in order to determine whether the first processing unit's associated cache storage is identified as still holding a copy of the data at the target memory address at a time the ownership upgrade request is processed. In that event, a pass condition is identified for the ownership upgrade request independent of information held by the contention management circuitry for the target memory address.

The present technique relates to an apparatus and method for processing an ownership upgrade request for cached data, where the ownership upgrade request is issued in relation to a conditional store operation.
A system may include a plurality of processing units that are coupled to memory via an interconnect structure. Within such systems, a mechanism may be provided to enable one of the processing units to obtain exclusive access to a memory location. In particular, the instructions executed by a processing unit may include an exclusive sequence that employs a load instruction in order to read the value of a memory location, and subsequently employs a conditional store instruction that will conditionally write an updated value to the same memory location. Such a load instruction and associated conditional store instruction may be referred to as a load-link and store-conditional (LL/SC) pair of instructions. When executing an exclusive sequence having a LL/SC pair of instructions, the store instruction will only write to the memory location if it is determined that the processing unit does have exclusive access to that memory location at the time the write operation is to be performed, and otherwise the write operation will not be performed, and the exclusive sequence will fail. When the exclusive sequence fails, then the processing unit will need to repeat the exclusive sequence of instructions in order to seek to reperform the access and update of the memory location.
Contention management circuitry may be provided within the system to seek to control contended access to a memory location by two or more of the processing units, and in particular to take steps to avoid livelock situations arising when there is such contended access.
When an exclusive sequence of instructions is executed in relation to a memory location that is cacheable, then the loaded data will typically be stored within the processing unit's cache. The other processing units may also have local cache structures, and a cache coherency protocol can be employed within the system to seek to ensure that each processing device is able to access the most up-to-date version of the data being maintained within the system.
When during performance of the earlier-mentioned exclusive sequence a processing unit executes the conditional store instruction to seek to update the memory location, and it is determined that the copy of the relevant data as held in its local cache is not currently in the unique state (i.e. one or more other processing units may also be caching a local copy of that data), then the processing unit may issue an ownership upgrade request to the interconnect to seek permission to hold that data in the unique state in its local cache, so that it can then perform the write operation in the knowledge that it has exclusive access to the relevant memory location.
In existing systems, the contention management circuitry is referred to at that point, since the ownership upgrade request should fail if there is contended access for the memory location.
However, it has been observed that in current systems this approach can lead to the ownership upgrade request failing unnecessarily, resulting in the exclusive sequence needing to be retried, and a resultant increase in the number of transactions taking place in the interconnect.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved mechanism for processing ownership upgrade requests in relation to cached data.

Apparatus and method for processing an ownership upgrade request for cached data that is issued in relation to a conditional store operation


The invention is a process and device for performing successive drainage and imbibition phases of a first electrically-conducting fluid and a second fluid of lower density than the first fluid, in a porous sample (1) by means of a centrifuge. Each sample is placed in a main chamber (3) of an elongate vessel (2) fastened to the end of an arm of the centrifuge, together with a spacer (6) whose volume is so selected that, on the one hand, the interface between the two fluids does not come into contact with the sample in operation and, on the other hand, the volume of chamber (3) remaining free around the sample and the associated spacer is greater than, but preferably close to the pore volume of the sample, so as to maximize the displacement amplitude of the interface for a given variation of the volume of fluid displaced. A capacitive sonde (11) in an auxiliary cavity (4), connected to an outer measuring device, is used for measuring the displacements of the interface. The invention has applications of surveying of rocks taken from an underground reservoir.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process and to a device for measuring physical characteristics of a porous sample by centrifugal displacement of fluids.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is important to determine the wettability of rocks with regard to the water and to the oil which may be contained therein. The rock must therefore be subjected to a drainage process, i.e. displacement of the fluids intended to decrease the water saturation, followed by an imbibition process, this term being to a displacement of the fluids which increases the water saturation (Sw) of the rock. The capillary pressure at one point is defined as the difference Pc at equilibrium between the pressure Po of the oil and the pressure Pw of the water. This parameter makes sense only if the two fluids are in the continuous phase in the porous medium. For a water wet medium, only positive values make sense. On the other hand, if the medium has a mixed wettability, the fluids can remain in the continuous phase for the positive and for the negative capillary pressures (Pc) as well.
For an application of this type, a prior art complete capillary pressure measuring cycle must therefore comprise (FIG. 1):
a) positive primary drainage of an initially 100% water-saturated sample (curve 11), PA1 b) positive imbibition (curve 2'), PA1 c) negative imbibition (curve 3'), PA1 d) negative drainage (curve 4'), and PA1 e) positive secondary drainage (curve 5'). PA1 a) installation of each sample previously saturated with conducting fluid and of the associated spacer in the first chamber of a vessel, this spacer being placed at a further distance from the hub of the centrifugation assembly than the sample, PA1 b) injection of conducting fluid in a known amount into the first chamber on the side thereof occupied by the spacer, PA1 c) increasing the centrifugation speed in successive stages until a capillary equilibrium is reached for each stage, and PA1 d) acquisition of the signals coming from the sonde, representative of the position variation of the interface between the two fluids, and determination of the volumes of fluid displaced by the measuring and control system. PA1 a) installing each sample and the associated spacer in the chamber of a vessel containing a conducting fluid, so that the spacer is closer to the hub than the sample, PA1 b) injecting, in each vessel, a known amount of the other fluid, PA1 c) increasing the centrifugation speed in successive stages until a capillary equilibrium is reached for each stage, and PA1 d) acquiring the signals from the sonde, representative of the position variations of the interface between the two fluids, and determining the volumes of fluid displaced by means of the measuring and control system.
Knowledge of various parameters and notably of the wettability of rocks is useful notably when enhanced recovery is to be performed in a formation, by draining the effluents contained therein by injecting a fluid under pressure, and when the most suitable fluid (water or gas) for effluents displacement is to be determined by means of preliminary tests.
The invention also finds applications in civil engineering for field hydrology purposes in order to evaluate the degree of pollution for example, or in the building industry to test construction materials, notably in order to select waterproofing treatments for example.
French Patent 2,763,690 filed by the assignee describes a method allowing measurement of physical characteristics of saturated rocks by subjecting them to a progressive-speed centrifugation and by measuring the amount of fluid displaced as a function of the rotating speed. The sample saturated with a liquid A for example is placed in an elongate container or vessel containing another fluid B of different density. The vessel is fastened to the end of a rotating arm and a centrifugal force is applied thereto so as to study fluid displacements in the sample during at least two distinct phases. During a first drainage phase, the assembly is then subjected to a centrifugal force applied along the length of the vessel so as to exert an expulsion force thereon, which tends to cause part of first fluid B to flow out. At the same time, some of fluid A flows into the sample. The two fluids move inside the sample until a position of equilibrium is reached, where the force due to the capillary pressure in the pores compensates for the centrifugal force exerted.
It is well-known that the capillary pressure P.sub.C at a distance R from the fulcrum pin, when it is positive, is expressed by the following relation: EQU P.sub.C (R)=1/2.DELTA..rho..omega.2(R.sup.2.sub.max -R.sup.2) P.sub.C (R.sub.max)=0
where .omega. is the angular rotating speed, R.sub.max is the distance from the base of the sample bar S to the fulcrum pin, .DELTA..rho. is the difference between the respective densities of the two fluids.
For negative values, the capillary pressure P.sub.C at a distance R from the fulcrum pin is: EQU P.sub.C (R)=1/2.DELTA..rho..omega..sup.2 (R.sup.2 min-R.sup.2) P.sub.C (R.sub.min)=0.
During the re-imbibition phase (curve 2'), the speed is decreased in order to study the re-integration of the initial fluid therein. With this type of method, local saturations are calculated by means of an inversion program from the total amount of water expelled from the sample.
The capillary pressure in the sample can be deduced from the precise measurement of the amount of initial fluid extracted as a function of the centrifugal force exerted and from the variation of the average fluid saturation S.sub.m of the sample as a function of the centrifugal force exerted, which is obtained by acoustic detection for example.
With a fluid-saturated sample, it can be seen (FIG. 1) that the saturation during the centrifugal drainage phase, for a determined radius r, decreases (curve 1') as the rotating speed w increases until a minimum value Si is reached. During this drainage phase, the rotating speed is increased in successive stages until a speed of 3500 rpm is reached for example. The fluid saturation variations are measured during the deceleration phase. A hysteresis phenomenon and a return, according to another variation curve (curve 2'), to a relative maximum value Sm are observed during the phase of re-imbibition of the porous material.
A system allowing maintenance of the drained fluid in contact with the sample bar is preferably used so that, when the deceleration phase starts, the bar can be properly re-imbibed. To ensure this maintenance, the system stabilizes the interface level between the two fluids at a minimum level where it is level with the base of the bar, i.e. at the furthest distance from the fulcrum pin (R.sub.max), at least throughout the deceleration phase. Such a system is easy to implement but it requires a pump borne by the arm and capable of withstanding the high accelerations required for implementation of the system, typically about 3000 g.
Patent application EN.97/06,434 filed by the assignee also describes a centrifugal type device allowing to measure physical characteristics of a porous solid sample by means of successive drainage and imbibition phases, in the presence of a first electricity-conducting fluid (such as brine for example) and of a second fluid of lower density than the first fluid (such as oil for example). It includes a rotatably mobile equipment comprising an elongate container or vessel (preferably at least a pair of vessels) provided with an inner cavity for the sample, each vessel being mounted swivelling at the end of an arm driven in rotation so as to apply a centrifugal force thereon in the direction of elongation of the vessel. A hydraulic system allows forcing displacement of the fluids and a capacitive sonde placed in the vessel, in the direction of elongation thereof, is used in order to continuously follow the displacements of the interface between the two fluids in the vessel. It is externally connected to a measuring device by an electro-hydraulic rotating connector.
This device can detect variations of the brine level with very high accuracy but its implementation requires a relatively costly rotating electro-hydraulic connector if perfect sealing is to be maintained.

Process and device for measuring physical characteristics of a porous sample by centrifugal displacement of fluids


Disclosed herein is a beverage container holding apparatus that floats in water. More specifically, the beverage container holding apparatus is configured for being floated in water and being supported by a rigid support surface such as, for example, a countertop or table. Advantageously, such a beverage container holding apparatus is configured for limiting a potential for the beverage container holding apparatus to overturn and to exhibit floatation stability as a volume of liquid with in the beverage holding container changes such as through consumption thereof. Preferably, such a beverage container holding apparatus additionally serves to insulate the beverage container held therein.

It is well known that many recreational activities participated in within a body of water often also entail consumption of containerized beverages. Regardless of the specific activity, it is an inconvenience to a person to have to continually hold their containerized beverage while in the water. As such, beverage container holding apparatuses that float in water are useful during such activities are desirable and useful.

Floatable beverage container holding apparatus


A method for forming a vent port in a glass panel and a glass panel product manufactured using the same. The vent port has no protruding vent pipe, such that the vent port discharging gas from a sealed space to the outside is formed in either one of a pair of plate glasses separated in a thickness-direction to form the sealed space therebetween, produced by: forming an exhaust hole in either one of the plate glasses; vertically inserting a vent-pipe-type sealing material into the upper portion of the exhaust hole; discharging gas from a space between the plate glasses to the outside; heating the sealant member such that the sealing material is converted into fluid and the exhaust hole is closed by the sealing material having collapsed after being heated; and solidifying the sealing material remaining in the exhaust hole, ensuring good sealing properties without using a protruding vent pipe.

Generally, when a vent port for discharging gas from a sealed space between a pair of plate glasses separated in a thickness direction is formed in either one of the pair of plate glasses, an exhaust hole is formed through the plate glass and a vent pipe is then vertically inserted into the exhaust hole.
Further, a sealant is interposed and heated to melt in a joining portion between a lower end of the vent pipe and an upper circumference of the exhaust hole on the plate glass, so that the sealant flows and is solidified to form a sealing member, thereby completing a vent port in the glass panel.
Then, decompression is performed by discharging gas from a space between the plate glasses through the vent port, followed by heating the glass pipe to close and seal a leading end of the glass pipe. Thus, the vent pipe inevitably protrudes from the surface of the glass panel.
FIGS. 1a to 1c are cross-sectional views of a conventional method for forming a vent port.
Referring to FIG. 1a, an exhaust hole 5, 6 is formed at one side of an upper plate glass 18.
Referring to FIG. 1b, a vent pipe 7 is inserted into an upper portion 6 of the exhaust hole and a sealant 8 is placed in a joining portion between the vent pipe 7 and the upper plate glass 18.
Referring to FIG. 1c, the sealant 8 is heated to melt and flow, and is then solidified to form a sealing member 19, thereby forming a vent port in the plate glass.
Then, gas is discharged from a space between the plate glasses through the vent port, and an upper portion of the vent port 7 is sealed.
FIGS. 2a and 2b are cross-sectional views of a conventional method of closing a vent port.
Referring to FIG. 2a, the top of the vent port 7 having the seal member 19 is covered with a cover 61 having an inlet for decompression.
Then, an upper portion of the vent pipe 7 is heated using a heater 62 while discharging gas from the space between the plate glasses 14, 18 through the inlet provided at one side of the cover 61.
Here, a sealant 15 is interposed between the plate glasses 14, 18 to block gas introduced from the outside while maintaining an interior space.
Referring to FIG. 2b, the upper portion of the vent pipe 7 is melted and closed.
The conventional method for forming and sealing the vent port on the plate glass has a problem of limiting processability when the plate glasses are subjected to post-processing, such as joining, multilayer processing, and the like, since a glass pipe used as a vent pipe protrudes from the surface of one of the sheets of plate glass.
Particularly, when the vent pipe is broken during a process of stacking or post-processing the plate glasses, vacuum or decompression in the space between the plate glasses is damaged. In order to prevent this problem, a protective cap may be further provided to the sealed upper portion of the vent port.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional protective cap for a vent port.
In FIG. 3, a protective cap 70 is provided to a protruding vent port including a sealing member 19 and a sealed glass pipe 7. In this case, the vent port can be protected from damage in post-processing, but there are limits in joining and multilayer processing.
In addition, for a conventional method for sealing the vent pipe, the glass pipe is heated to melting point. At this time, since the glass pipe must be heated above a softening point of general plate glass, the plate glass for the glass panel can disadvantageously be deformed.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a glass panel which undergoes deformation during a process of sealing a vent port.
Referring to FIG. 4, a protruding vent port is formed on a glass panel including a sealant 15 and spacers 16 between two plate glasses 14, 18. At this time, a sealing member 19 is formed to seal an interface between the vent pipe 7 of the protruding vent port and the upper plate glass 18, and the sealant is heated and melts at a temperature above the softening point of the plate glass, causing damage of the upper plate glass 18.
To solve such problems, a vent port for decompressing a space between plate glasses when manufacturing a glass panel must be formed as low as possible, and studies have been conducted to develop a technique for efficiently sealing the vent port without damaging the glass panel. However, attractive results have not been achieved in the art.

Method for forming a vent port in a glass panel, and glass panel product manufactured using the same


A steering system for motor vehicles, including a steering actuator which acts on the steered wheels, is electronically controlled based on a steering request and acts on the steered wheels via a steering gear, and an actuator device which transmits reactions to a steering shaft connected to the steering wheel. The steer-by-wire steering system has a holding brake which can be activated electrically and has two positions; a holding position and an open position. The holding brake is configured to block rotation of the steering shaft in the holding position when a predefined rotational angle of the steering shaft is exceeded, and to release rotation of the steering shaft in the open position.

The present invention relates to a steering system having the features of the preamble of claim 1.
Electromechanical power steering systems in motor vehicles support the steering force which is applied by the driver. The steering force which the driver specifies by means of a steering wheel is directed into a torsion bar which rotates in a force-dependent fashion. This torque is measured by a sensor which passes on said information to an electronic control unit. This in turn provides the electric servomotor with precise commands as to which additional torque is to be applied to the steering system.
In the case of Steer-by-wire steering systems there is no direct mechanical coupling between the steering wheel and the steering gear, and the wheels of the vehicle are moved directly with the aid of a servomotor. The maximum lock angle of the steering wheel is therefore no longer defined by means of mechanical stops in the steering gear. However, the maximum mechanical steering angle lock of the wheels is nevertheless limited in steer-by-wire systems. It is therefore necessary to indicate to the driver when a maximum steering lock is reached. In the simplest case, a mechanical steering stop can be used which limits the maximum lock angle of the steering wheel to a specific angle (or to a predefined number of rotations).
Such steering stops are known, for example, from documents DE 10 2008 045 195 A1 and DE 10 2013 014 138 B3. Both documents disclose a sliding block which is guided in a slotted link and which moves into a mechanical block position when a predefined maximum movement is reached.
A disadvantage of such systems is that variable coupling between the lock angle of the steering wheel and the corresponding steering angle lock of a wheel is not possible. It is therefore desirable, for example, that a specific lock angle brings about a different steering angle lock in the case of slow travel than in the case of fast travel. This makes variable end stops necessary. For this purpose, various approaches to a solution are known in the prior art, including mechanically variable end stops such as, for example, in DE102013014135B3 and JP2008285045A.
Thus, a need exists for a variable end stop for use in a steering system, which end stop is of simple design.

Steering system having a reluctance brake


A method for fabricating a semiconductor device includes forming a shared source/drain connection at a first planar level to connect a first source/drain contact structure disposed on a first source/drain region to a second source/drain contact structure disposed on a second source/drain region, and forming a shared gate connection to connect a first gate structure to a second gate structure. The shared gate connection is formed at a second planar level different from the first planar level to reduce parasitic capacitance between the shared source/drain connection and the shared gate connection.

The present invention generally relates to semiconductor devices, and more particularly to reducing parasitic capacitance within semiconductor devices.
Parasitic capacitance refers to unavoidable and generally unwanted capacitance that exists between electronic device components due to proximity of the device components. For example, parasitic capacitance can particularly be a problem in high frequency circuits, and can limit the operating frequency and bandwidth of the electronic device components and circuits.

Reducing parasitic capacitance within semiconductor devices

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A wagering game is played with symbol indicia having an order or rank. A player places a first wager to play in an underlying game. The player receives at least or exactly two indicia which are positioned among three possible orientations by the player. There is one indicia each, in any of three indicia positions defining a player's hand. The player places the two indicia, leaving one indicia position unfilled. A third indicia is provided to the player in the unfilled indicia position. The first wager is resolved at least in part based on whether the third indicia forms a sequence of order or ranks among the three indicia provided to the player. There may be a similar dealer hand against which the player hand is compared. Playing cards are preferred indicia.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of gaming, the field of playing card game play, and particularly playing card wagering systems based on hands having poker ranks of cards without necessarily requiring poker ranks of hands.
2. Background of the Art
As a leisure time activity, poker and other card games have been popular for many years. The capital requirements for playing poker and other table card games are very low. All that are needed are one or more decks of cards, a playing surface and a few participants. Five card poker is a game that most people know how to play and many games have been developed using the same basic priority or rank order of winning poker hands: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair and high card(s) in hand.
For some time, it had been difficult to adapt the rules of poker into a casino table game in which each player plays against the house, rather than against other players. Although club-type games with players wagering against each other have been popular, it was desirable for a game to be played where the house received a more direct payback from the game. In a conventional poker game, a number of players (greater than one) are each dealt a poker hand by one player (or the house dealer who does not play in the game) who acts as the dealer. The player with the highest ranking hand based on the established priority ranking of poker hands wins. Each player in turn deals a hand as the game continues. It is usually essential to have wagering steps in the game to maintain the interest and excitement of the game. In the absence of wagering, there is little to commend the play of poker.
Many places, both within and without the United States, have legalized gaming. Poker is one of the games of chance offered in both casinos and card rooms. In a conventional card room poker game, the house provides a dealer, the playing cards, the table and chairs, but the house does not play a hand. The house collects a nominal percentage of each player's bet ("the rake") that compensates the house for providing the facilities to the players. Alternatively, the house may charge each player a set amount per hand or for a specified length of time of play. Each player is competing not against the house, but against all the other players with the highest hand winning the total of all the wagers made on that hand.
Many people do not like to play card room poker because each player is competing against his fellow players, not against the house. Many people would rather attempt to win money from an impersonal source, the house or the casino, rather than from their fellow players with whom they may be acquainted. Card room poker also tends to not offer any bonus payments for particularly good hands, although bonuses are sometimes paid for highest hands in tournaments or for specific combinations of hands at poker tables (e.g., a losing hand of at least a full house). While a Royal Flush is a rare occurrence and generates a thrill for any poker player, the player collects the same total payout that he would have collected if the hand was won with a Three-of-a-Kind.
In the past fifteen years, a number of card games have been disclosed to provide poker-type card games as house-banked casino table games. These games have focused on a number of elements in providing excitement and staying power for the games. The games must be quickly understood by players. The rules must be simple and clear. The resolution of wagers by the dealer must be easily accomplished. The reading of hands by a dealer must not be complex. In addition, the games must provide a high enough hit frequency to appeal to players, yet allow the house to retain a profitable portion of the wagers. These needs have limited the number of games that have been designed and successfully introduced into the casino gaming market.
Among the successful games are Let It Ride Bonus® poker, Three Card Poker® game and Caribbean Stud® poker. These games have each achieved a high level of commercial success with different formats and attributes.
Let It Ride® stud poker is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,081. The Bonus version of the game is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,424. In this game, the player makes a wager in three parts, three cards are dealt to each player (there may be only a single player), and two common cards are dealt face down in front of the dealer. The player examines his/her three cards, evaluates the likelihood of a ranked hand (e.g., at least a pair of tens) being achieved with those three cards and the as yet unseen common cards. The player, based on judgment of that likelihood, may elect to withdraw the first of the three-part wager or keep the wager at risk. Upon the player making that decision, and withdrawing or allowing the first wager to remain at risk, a first of the common cards is turned face up. The player then can make another decision with regard to the play of the hand and whether there is a changed potential for a ranked hand. A second portion of the three-part wager is then withdrawn or allowed to remain at risk. After this decision, the last common card is exposed, and the rank of each player's hand, including the common cards, is evaluated. Payments are made to each player based on only the rank of hand achieved and the number of wagers left on the table from the original three-part wager. As noted, at least one wager must remain, as only two parts can have been withdrawn. Wagers are paid off at rates (or odds), for example, of 1:1 for pairs of at least 10's, 2:1 for two pairs, 3:1 for three-of-a-kind, 5:1 for straights, 7:1 for flushes, 12:1 for full houses, 50:1 for four-of-a-kind, 250:1 for straight flushes, and 1000:1 for Royal Flushes. The specific payout odds can be varied and often casinos choose payout tables that help them achieve a desired percentage hold. Side bonus wagers may also be placed in which ranked hands over three-of-a-kind receive fixed or progressive bonuses, such as $25,000 for a Royal Flush. The bonus payouts and hand combinations are typically displayed on a payout table on the table surface. The winning bonus combinations are typically a higher-ranking subset of the winning base game outcomes.
The Three Card Poker® game (e.g., as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,774) deals three cards to each player and three cards to the dealer, all face down. Initially one or two optional wagers may be made by the player. One such wager is for the "Pair Plus" bonus bet, a bet on achieving a winning combination included in a payout table. Another wager is the game ante on which the player competes against the dealer. The Pair Plus bet in one example of the invention is a wager that the three card hand will have a rank of at least one pair or more. The hand is paid off in multiples of the bet depending upon the rank of the hand, with up to 40:1 or more paid out for three-of-a-kind. In the ante wager, if the player wants to compete against the dealer's hand (after viewing the rank of the player's hand), an additional wager equal to one or two times the ante must be placed by the player. House rules typically dictate that the amount of the Bet is 2.times the amount of the Ante. The dealer's hand is then exposed. If the dealer does not have a hand of at least a certain qualifying rank (e.g., at least Queen high), the dealer's hand is not in play. If the player has not made the additional wager, the ante is collected by the dealer at some point in the play of the game. If the player has made the additional wager, the ante is paid off to the player if the dealer's hand is not as high a rank as the player's hand. If the dealer's hand has qualified, and the dealer's hand is higher than the player's hand, then the ante and the additional wager are collected by the house. If the dealer's hand qualifies (e.g., at least Queen high) and is lower than the player's hand rank, both the ante and additional wager are paid off, with multiples payable to the ante wager for certain high ranking hands (e.g., straights, flushes, straight flushes, three-of-a-kind, etc.). The ranking of the various poker hands is different in the three card game than in five card poker games.
Potter et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,494,295 and 5,697,614 describe a casino table card game and apparatus in which a player may select any number of predetermined hand ranking rules to apply to the play of a hand. A player is dealt an initial, partial hand, and the player then elects from that initial hand which set(s) of predetermined hand ranking rules apply to the hand. In a preferred game, the dealer receives two separate bank hands, one that utilizes the hand ranks of standard poker and one that utilizes the hand ranks of low-ball poker. Once each player has received four of his five cards, each player decides which of the dealer's two hands to play against, with the option of playing against both (as in selecting both ways in a Hi-Low poker game). Then each player receives his or her fifth, and last, card. At this point, the "bank" hands are exposed and each player's hand is compared to the specific "bank" hand, or hands, that they played against, winners are determined, and wagers are settled.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,444 describes a method of playing a stud poker game in a player-versus-dealer gaming table environment. A player places an "ante" wager whereupon he and the dealer receive a three-card portion of a five-card poker hand with two of the dealer's three cards face up. The player may then compare his partial three-card poker hand with the dealer's two up cards and exercise his option of either "surrendering" the original "ante" wager or placing an additional "challenge" wager to receive the remainder of his five-card poker hand. After he and the dealer have received their entire five-card poker hand, an ordinary showdown takes place. If the player's poker hand beats the dealer's, then the house pays even money on the original "ante" wager and on the challenge wager. In a preferred embodiment, the player must have at least an ace high hand to prevail. In a further enhancement, the player may also place an optional "side" wager at the time that the "ante" wager is made in order to receive a fixed or return for forming certain hands and, in particular, for spelling a word such as "VEGAS" using letters carried by particular cards in an otherwise standard 52-card deck. The "side" wager is paid to the house, along with the "ante" wager, in the event of a surrender.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,101 describes a poker game in which a player tries to form a five card poker hand that has the highest poker hand ranking. In the house banked version, all players play against the house and not against each other. The game is played with a standard fifty-two card deck. The game consists of a dealer and from one to seven players. Each player makes a bet and a portion of each bet may be allocated to a progressive jackpot. The dealer deals five cards to each player. The dealer then deals six cards as the community cards which are arranged face down in three rows in a triangle pattern on the gaming table layout. The players may discard from none to five unwanted cards. The dealer turns up the community cards and pre-designated groups of cards from the community cards are used for each player to make a complete five card poker hand. The dealer determines the best hand each player has made according to poker hand rankings. All winning hands will be paid by the dealer according to the odds listed in the pay table. When the progressive jackpot payout is used, the dealer examines the six community cards to determine if one of the predetermined card arrangements has occurred. Any winning payouts from the progressive jackpot are distributed to the players at the table. The method may also be played as a player banked game or as a pot game.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,448 describes a casino table poker game where a dealer deals three cards to each player. The dealer then deals eight cards as the community cards which are arranged in groups of two each on the gaming table layout. The card layout is in the format of a directional compass with two cards each at the North position, East position, South position and West position, respectively. At the North position, both cards are face down. At the East and West positions, one card is face down and one card is face up. At the South position, both cards are face up. Each player determines which one of the four two-card groups the player wishes to use to comprise his five card. The player identifies this selection by moving his wager to the corresponding compass location on the player's betting spot on the gaming table layout in front of the player. The dealer turns up the remaining community cards and the dealer determines the best hand each player has made according to poker hand rankings. All winning hands will be paid according to the odds listed in the pay table.
The game known as Acey-Deucey is a popular poker game played against a community pot. Players ante money and decide how much to wager against the pot. Two cards are dealt to a player. A third card is dealt which must have a value between the first two cards dealt. If the third card has the intermediate value, the player wins the amount wagered and removes that amount from the pot. In a table setting, the game of Acey-Deucey usually continues until the pot is emptied.


According to one embodiment, a communication unit is configured to wirelessly transmit and receive signals via at least one of a first physical link and a second physical link. A power consumption for wireless transmission and reception of the signals via the first physical link is lower than that a power consumption for wireless transmission and reception of the signals via the second physical link. A first link control module establishes the first physical link between the communication unit and an external device. A remote control module transmits to the external device a playback request signal via the first physical link. A second link control module establishes the second physical link between the communication unit and the external device, after the playback request signal is transmitted. A data transfer module transfers the digital content data between the communication unit and the external device via the second physical link.

In recent years, various wireless communication techniques have been developed with the aim of taking the place of cables that connect electronic devices. Examples of these wireless communication techniques include Bluetooth® or other various close proximity wireless communication systems.
In Bluetooth® Audio/video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) is stipulated. The AVRCP is used in order to remote-control playback of content data (audio or video). The AVRCP can enhance the operability relating to playback of content data.
In the meantime, in general, portable devices, such as a music player and a wireless headset, require low cost and low power consumption.
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2005-223443 discloses an apparatus which wirelessly transmits video/audio data. This apparatus includes a broad-band communication module which uses a band of 2.4 GHz or 5.2 GHz, and a narrow-band communication module which uses a band of 400 MHz or 1.2 GHz. The broad-band communication module is used in order to wirelessly transmit video/audio data. On the other hand, the narrow-band communication module is used in order to turn on/off the broad-band communication module.
In this apparatus, however, no consideration is given to the structure for executing remote control. Thus, there is a demand for realizing a novel technique for reducing power consumption for wireless communication, without degrading operability.


An additional cover provides a cabinet with protection from fluidic ingress. The additional cover includes first and second portions having first and second main sections, respectively, and first and second flanges, respectively, and first and second sidewalls extending between corresponding sidelong edges of at least the first and second main sections. The first and second portions and the first and second sidewalls are arranged to define a flow passage with an inlet at an upper end thereof and an outlet at a lower end thereof. The first and second flanges are provided at the inlet and outlet, respectively, to prevent fluid flow through the flow passage.

The following description relates to waterproof covers and, more specifically, to a waterproof cover for an electrical cabinet that meets NEMA4 standard requirements.
The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) is a US manufacturing organization which actively promotes standardized product specifications for electrical apparatuses. While NEMA does not actually test products, it establishes the performance criteria for enclosures intended for specific environments. NEMA standards describe each type of enclosure in general and functional terms and specifically omits reference to construction details. In other words, NEMA specifies what an enclosure must do, not how to manufacture it. As an example, NEMA4 enclosures are used in many applications where an occasional washdown occurs or where machine tool cutter coolant is used. They also serve in applications where a pressurized stream of water will be used. NEMA4 enclosures are gasketed and the door is clamped for maximum sealing.
Electrical cabinets might be able to meet certain requirements but cannot NEMA4 satisfy NEA4 requirements if they are unable to prevent water ingress from spraying. This is particularly true for covers of IP55 fan filters. The covers often lack lower filtering assemblies and thus allow for the ingress of water that is sprayed onto the covers.


A method for preservation of a microorganism capable of microbial production of a polyunsaturated fatty acid or a compound comprising a polyunsaturated fatty acid as a constituent fatty acid, which method comprises: (a) forming spores in a spore-forming medium at pH 4-7 containing a nutrient source comprising an inorganic salt and a saccharide; (b) suspending the spores obtained in (a) in sterilized water, or sterilized water containing a surfactant and/or an inorganic salt to prepare a spore suspension, and adding a cryoprotectant at 5-15% to prepare a cryopreserving spore suspension; and (c) preserving the cryopreserving spore suspension obtained in (b) at between −100° C. and −20° C.

Biosynthesis of polyunsaturated fatty acids (hereinafter abbreviated as "PUFA") in humans occurs for two representative series, the ω3 and ω6 series (where ω represents the number of the carbon atom having the first double bond, counting from the methyl group end of the fatty acid), and in the case of ω6 fatty acids, for example, linoleic acid (18:2 ω6) is converted to γ-linolenic acid (18:3 ω6), dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (20:3 ω6), arachidonic acid (20:4 ω6) and 4,7,10,13,16-docosapentaenoic acid (22:5 ω6), by repeated desaturation and carbon chain elongation.
Similarly, in the case of ω3 fatty acids, α-linolenic acid (18:3 ω3) is converted to eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5 ω3), 7,10,13,16,19-docosapentaenoic acid (22:5 ω3) and 4,7,10,13,16,19-docosapentaenoic acid (22:6 ω3), by repeated desaturation and carbon chain lengthening. The ω3 PUFAs eicosapentaenoic acid (hereinafter, "EPA") and docosapentaenoic acid (hereinafter, "DHA") in particular are known to have numerous physiological functions including prophylactic effects against adult diseases such as atherosclerosis and thrombosis or anticancer effects, as well as learning reinforcement effects, and various attempts have been made to utilize them in pharmaceuticals and specific health foods. However, the physiological functions of PUFAs other than ω3 types (such as ω6 and ω9) have recently also been the subject of attention.
Arachidonic acid constitutes approximately 10% of the fatty acid components of vital organs such as the blood and liver (for example, the fatty acid compositional ratio of the phospholipids in human blood is 11% arachidonic acid, 1% eicosapentaenoic acid, 3% docosapentaenoic acid), and as a major structural component of cell membranes, it contributes to modulating membrane fluidity and performs various metabolic functions in the body, while also playing an important role as a direct precursor of prostaglandins. Recently the roles of arachidonic acid as a nursing infant nutrient and as a constituent fatty acid of endogenous cannabinoids which exhibit neurergic effects (2-arachidonoyl monoglycerol and anandamide) have been noted. Normally, ingestion of linoleic acid-rich foods leads to their conversion to arachidonic acid, but since the functions of the enzymes involved in its biosynthesis are reduced in patients with adult diseases or preliminary conditions as well as in infants and the elderly, such individuals tend to be deficient in arachidonic acid; it has therefore been desirable to provide means for its direct ingestion in the form of a constituent fatty acid of fats or oils (triglycerides).
Although fish oils are abundant sources of ω3 PUFAs such as EPA and DHA, ω6 PUFAs such as γ-linolenic acid, dihomo-γ-linolenic acid, arachidonic acid and 4,7,10,13,16-docosapentaenoic acid (22:5 ω6) are virtually unobtainable from traditional fat or oil sources, and therefore fats and oils comprising PUFAs as constituent fatty acids (hereinafter referred to as "PUFA-containing fats and oils") obtained by fermentation of microorganisms are most commonly used at the current time. For example, methods have been proposed for obtaining fats and oils comprising arachidonic acid as a constituent fatty acid (hereinafter referred to as "arachidonic acid-containing fats and oils") by culturing of various microorganisms capable of producing arachidonic acid-containing fats and oils.
It is known that fats and oils having a high proportion of arachidonic acid constituting the fatty acid portion (hereinafter referred to as "arachidonic acid-rich fats and oils") can be obtained by using microorganisms belonging to the genus Mortierella
(Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication SHO No. 63-44891, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication SHO No. 63-12290). In recent years, one of the essential uses of arachidonic acid is in the field of nursing infant nutrition, for example, and specifically the use of arachidonic acid-containing fats and oils obtained by fermentation in modified milk has been introduced. New effects of arachidonic acid-containing fats and oils have also been demonstrated (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-48831: Composition with prophylactic or ameliorative effect on symptoms and conditions associated with brain function impairment), and these are expected to be in high demand in the future.
Fats and oils obtained by culturing of Mortierella microorganisms largely consist of triglycerides (approximately 70% or greater) and phospholipids. The edible fats and oils are in the form of triglycerides, and for the purpose of the use described above, the original fats and oils produced by the cells (fats and oils obtained by extraction from cells, known as "crude oils") are extracted from the cell biomass produced by culturing of the microorganisms, and then the crude oils are subjected to edible fat/oil refining steps (degumming, deoxidation, deodorization, decolorizing) to obtain refined fats and oils minus the phospholipids.
Since PUFA-containing fats and oils obtained by culturing of Mortierella microorganisms accumulate in hyphae, culturing must be carried out to a higher concentration to increase the yield of the PUFA-containing fats and oils per culture, for increased economy of the fat/oil production. The PUFA-containing fat and oil yield per culture is the product of the cell concentration and the PUFA-containing fat/oil content per cell, and it is therefore necessary to increase both the cell concentration and the PUFA-containing fat/oil content per cell. The cell concentration can be increased by raising the concentration of the medium nitrogen source, which is normally converted to cell components.
The PUFA-containing fat/oil content per cell can only be increased by satisfactorily controlling the cell morphology and by carrying out the culturing with an adequate oxygen supply. Methods reported for controlling the cell morphology include optimization of the medium salt composition (Japanese Domestic Re-publication No. 98/029558), while methods of supplying oxygen include pressurized culturing methods and oxygen enriched aerobic culturing methods (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication HEI No. 06-153970). However, since these methods are affected by slight differences in the culturing conditions, it is not easy to ensure reproducibility of culturing and as a result, stable production output has not been possible to achieve.    Patent document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication SHO No. 63-44891    Patent document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication SHO No. 63-12290    Patent document 3: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-48831    Patent document 4: Japanese Domestic Re-publication No. 98/029558    Patent document 5: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication HEI No. 06-153970


An apparatus and method for detecting fluorescence of an unknown target material. An energy source arranged to excite both the target material and the reference material at approximately the excitation wavelength. A reference detector and a target detector are optically arranged to be responsive to light emitted from the reference material and the target material, respectively, at approximately the fluorescing wavelength. A reference measurement means generates a reference output in response to the reference detector in order to determine the amount of fluorescence generated by the reference material. A target measurement means generates a target output in response to the target detector means in order to determine the amount of fluorescence generated by the target material. Reference calibration means varies the electrical voltage supplied to the energy source and calibrates the reference output. Target calibration means calibrates the target output in response to a known target material.

There are many environments where the sterilization of articles is of critical importance. Hospitals and medical offices must sterilize certain equipment before that equipment can be utilized with surgical procedures or in sterile environments. Also food service environments must take care that their utensils and equipment are sterilized in order to prevent subsequent possible infection of later users.
Commonly the equipment, instruments or materials that are to be sterilized may be subjected to the necessary parameters to achieve sterilization including the interrelated parameters of time, temperature, steam, dry heat, chemicals such as ethylene oxide gas or radiation dosage. The sterilization process is designed to kill living organisms which might otherwise contaminate the goods being sterilized. Steam sterilization ranges from 121-132 degrees Centigrade with exposure times of three minutes at 132 degrees Centigrade to 30 minutes at 121 degrees Centigrade. Ethylene oxide sterilization ranges from 30 to 65 degrees Centigrade with exposure times of one hour to four hours. Dry heat sterilization typically is two hours at 180 degrees Centigrade.
Since it is critical in many environments that the sterilization be complete, frequently sterilization monitors are utilized. Typically, a small vial, or other container, is inserted into the sterilization unit in order to check upon the completeness of the sterilization process. The vial typically will contain living organisms that are provided nourishment and an environment for rapid growth after being subjected to the sterilization process.
The vial can then be checked for growth of the organism after a incubation period. The incubation allows any organism surviving the sterilization process to grow to a detectable level. Survival of the organism indicates an inadequate sterilization process.
In order to properly detect living organisms, typically a substrate material is added to the vial for the living organisms to react with causing the substrate to change color.
Typically, the reading or analysis of the color change has been done manually with observation by the human eye. However, in one sterilization monitor process, a potentially luminescent substrate material is added to the vial for the living organisms to react with. After allowing for a suitable reaction period, the vial is subjected to a fluorescent light, typically an ultraviolet wavelength light, which excites the invisible to the naked eye fluorescence to appear as visible light. The appearance of visible light in the vial when subjected to an exciting fluorescent light would indicate inadequate sterilization, due at least in part to a shortened time period required for the growth of the living organisms, more automated fluorescence detectors are to be utilized.
Further to more rapidly determine the completeness of the sterilization process, it is desired that fluorescence from the luminescent substrate in the vial be measured at a very low threshold, approximately 0.1 picowatt.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,073,488, Matner, Foltz and Woodson, Rapid Method For Determining Efficacy Of A Sterilization Cycle And Rapid Read-out Biological Indicator, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, discloses a method of developing the fluorescing indicator used in a fluorescence detection apparatus.
Unfortunately, the ultraviolet light source typically used tends to be very unstable due in part to variances in the gas ionization at one or more of the cathodes located at each end of the ultraviolet light source. Further, localized heat variations and emission fluctuations cause the output of the ultraviolet light source (lamp) to contain many independently varying harmonics of the power line frequency. The overall crest-to-trough ratio fluctuates similarly. The use of DC coupled amplifiers with low pass filtering to remove these fluctuations is unacceptable because the DC drift would be well in excess of the signal level being measured.
Prior art fluorescence detectors sometimes utilize dual channels to attempt to adjust for these fluctuations. However, a further problem exists when dual channels are utilized or when the target measurement is taken at a different time from the reference. Since, the signal being measured is so small, minor variations in components between dual channels, even with costly matched components, and between different times of measurement can result in a complete "swamping" of the signal to be measured. The result can easily be an inaccurate measurement. In order to compensate for the inherent inaccuracies in measurement, the "growth" period must be expanded (or not reduced) in order to ensure that living organisms, if present, will be detected.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,684, Landa, discloses an apparatus for rapidly conducting fluorescence measurements. The electronics of the apparatus utilizes dual channels. One channel detects the fluorescence of the sample. The other channel detects the fluorescence of a reference. The "background" reference fluorescence is subtracted from the signal sample in order to account for the background. However, in order for the reference to be effectively canceled, the dual channels must be exactly matched.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,668,868, Noller, discloses a fluorescence detector for performing fluoroimmunoassays of biological specimens. The light energy from the sample is used to excite a photovoltaic cell. Temperature compensation is provided by a second photovoltaic cell from which light excitation is eliminated. A push button calibrator also used to provide a bias voltage from the voltaic cell with zero input signal which is memorized. A significant disadvantage of the system of Noller is the lack of a reference value. Since fluctuations in the intensity of stimulating radiation may greatly affect the amount of visible light output apparently perceived can vary greatly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,030,832, Williams et al, Apparatus For Detecting Fluorescence Of A Luminescent Material, assigned to the assignee of the present invention discloses the construction and operation of an electronic instrument for go/no-go measurement of a fluorescing sterilization monitor. An electronic circuit follows the power fluctuation of the excitation light source and thus follows the variations of the light output. Calibration of this system is manual.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,297, Hardenbrook et al, Apparatus For Detecting Fluorescence Of A Luminescent Material, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, is a continuation-in-part of the Williams '297 patent and discloses a single channel detector circuit.

Method and apparatus for detecting fluorescence

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company


One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for configuring a storage environment. In particular, the storage environment may be configured with a symmetric frontend and an asymmetric backend. That is, an owner storage controller may be granted read/write access to a storage device owned by the owner storage controller, while a non-owner storage controller may be granted merely read access. In this way, the owner storage controller may execute, log, and/or commit a write command to the storage device, while the non-owner storage controller may merely execute, but not log and/or commit, a write command. Write buffers, log memories, and/or file system metadata may be synchronized between the owner storage controller and the non-owner storage controller, such that the non-owner storage controller may efficiently take ownership of the storage device in response to a failure of the owner storage controller.

A storage environment may comprise one or more storage controllers configured to provide storage functionality related to organization and accessibility of data stored on storage devices. In one example of providing accessibility, a storage controller may be configured to operate according to a client/server model, such that the storage controller may provide clients with access to data stored within storage devices associated with the storage controller. In one example of providing organization, a storage controller may be configured to create data structures (e.g., a virtual volume), replicate data, and/or perform other functionality associated with a storage device associated with the storage controller.
In one example of a conventional storage environment, one or more storage controllers may be configured to operate independent of one another. That is, a storage controller may be permitted access to storage devices owned by the storage controller, but may be denied access to storage devices not owned by the storage controller. For example, a first storage controller may be configured to provide storage functionality relating to a first storage device and a second storage device owned by the first storage controller. A second storage controller may be configured to provide storage functionality relating to a third storage device owned by the second storage controller. The first storage controller may not have permission to access the third storage device, and the second storage controller may not have permission to access the first and second storage devices. For example, the first storage controller may receive a write command associated with the third storage device from a client. Because the first storage controller may not have permission to access the third storage device, the first storage controller may forward the write command to the second storage controller for execution and/or commitment to the third storage device owned by the second storage controller.
The conventional storage environment may be configured to provide failure recovery for the one or more storage controllers. For example, responsive to the second storage controller failing, the first storage controller may initiate a takeover procedure of the third storage device. The first storage controller may restore an image of the failed second storage controller so that the first storage controller comprises updated information associated with the third storage device (e.g., updated information corresponding to dirty data of the failed second storage controller not yet committed to the third storage device). In this way, first storage controller may provide storage functionality associated with the third storage device previously owned by the failed second storage controller. Unfortunately, the takeover process (e.g., image restoration) may be time consuming, which may result in extended periods of unavailability for the third storage device.

Storage environment with symmetric frontend and asymmetric backend


A method for production of a multi-layer carbon brush including at least two electrically-conducting functional layers made from carbon material and at least one insulation layer made from an electrically-insulating material, running between consecutive functional layers. According to the invention, the corresponding multi-layer carbon brushes and the layers with desired thickness can be produced by applying the carbon material and the electrically-insulating material in a mold in a sequence corresponding to the layer sequence of the multi-layer carbon brush for production in powder form, then pressed and finally heat-treated.

The invention relates to a method for producing a multi-layer carbon brush consisting of at least two first electrically conductive functional layers made of carbon material and at least one insulating layer made of electrically insulating material, running between successive first functional layers.
A multi-layer carbon brush of the aforementioned type is described in DE 199 13 599 A1.
Multi-layer carbon brushes, which consist of carbon bars and insulating layers extending between them, are frequently used for smaller reversible motors such as those found in washing machines. The insulating layer can consist of a film, an insulating adhesive, synthetic resin or one or more powder resins. Due to the higher transverse resistance the current flowing between the two disks of a commutator covered by the carbon brush is reduced, thus improving commutation.
The familiar multi-layer carbon brushes of the type described above are generally produced by aligning initially heat-treated carbon plates with each other in such a manner that allows a film to be inserted between them. The products are then layers together. This method can thereby allow one zone to have a higher copper content than the other.
As described in DE 44 30 745 a carbon brush referred to as a multi-layer sliding contact is comprised of layers each consisting of a conductive powder. To produce the multi-layer sliding contact, two conductive powders are simultaneously poured into a mold in which a heat treatment process is performed following compression. Not only does this method allow the formation of layers through the simultaneous addition of powder to a mold, but it also facilitates the formation of additional layers through the successive placement of electrically conductive powder into the mold.
DE-C-835 428 describes a highly-polished hard coal molded body as an applied arts object and a method for its production. To accomplish this, carbon is added to a mold, pressed, and then pre-sintered before being machined in order to coat or impregnate the body with oil-containing pastes prior to final sintering.
DE-C-636 540 describes a method for producing multi-layer carbon brushes. Finished carbon layers are first smoothed. Tescous resin with an insulating material is then placed between the two finished carbon layers. The carbon layers are then clamped into a special pressing tool to facilitate drying in a furnace.
A method for producing a laminated material made of carbon is described in DE 33 07 090 A1. To achieve the desired end product, films made of thermoplastic resin are placed through pressing and heat-treatment between carbon layers such as carbon felt layers that can be stacked on top of each other, and the stack is then subjected to the desired pressure and temperature levels.
DE 199 02 938 A1 relates to a carbon brush that is composed of sections having different material compositions. In this case, the carbon brush is produced through a pressing process.
A method for producing a laminated material made of carbon is disclosed in DE 33 07 090 A1. To achieve the desired end product, films made of thermoplastic resin may be arranged by means of pressing and heat-treating between carbon layers such as carbon felt layers that can be stacked on top of each other, and the stack is then subjected to the desired pressure and temperature levels.
DE 199 02 938 A1 relates to a carbon brush that is composed of sections having different material compositions. In this case, the carbon brush is produced through a pressing process.
Vrom EP 1 128 496 A1 we know of a starter carbon brush that consists of a first layer made of a material with low resistance and a peripheral layer made of a material with high resistance, which extending from the running surface of the carbon brush ends at a distance to the opposing rear surface. The first and second layers are produced simultaneously in one mold by filling powder into said mold and then performing a pressing step before finally sintering them.

Method for production of a multi-layer carbon brush