A method of analyzing relatively large soil samples for actinides by employing a separation process that includes cerium fluoride precipitation for removing the soil matrix and precipitates plutonium, americium, and curium with cerium and hydrofluoric acid followed by separating these actinides using chromatography cartridges.

The group of elements known as the actinides is the elements from actinium, atomic number 89, to lawrencium, atomic number 103. All the elements in this series can resemble actinium in their chemical and electronic properties so that they form a separate group of elements within the periodic table.
All actinides are metals and all are radioactive. They emit energy in the form of alpha particles, beta particles, or gamma rays and by emitting these particles or photons, the actinide atom loses protons and as a result becomes another element with a lower atomic number. The actinides undergo radioactive decay at different rates, that is, they have different half-lives. The elements with the higher atomic numbers generally have short half-lives and rapid radioactive decay. Some actinides with lower atomic numbers have half-lives that can be thousands or even millions of years.
The two actinides of most general interest are uranium and plutonium, uranium being a naturally occurring element whereas plutonium is a created element.
Environmental contamination by actinides is a major concern around facilities that engage in activities that use or produce actinides or facilities where nuclear stockpiles are maintained. The actinides such as uranium, neptunium, plutonium, and americium are major contributors to the long-term activity of nuclear waste which must be stored at remote sites. In order to determine the long-term safety of storage sites, testing of soil samples is of prime interest in evaluating the safety of such storage sites.
Of the actinides and their isotopes, plutonium is perhaps the most complex element in the periodic table because it may assume one of six different forms or phases, each with a different density and volume. Because of plutonium's behavior, it receives special concern for not only its handling but for its detection. A very large sample size is not needed to adequately measure uranium in soil due to its relatively high level compared to other actinides such as plutonium and americium; and, because of the difficulty of detecting plutonium; a larger soil sample is required.
However, in a large soil sample the amount of uranium that is present interferes with plutonium and americium detection methods. As a result, steps must be taken to prevent uranium interference in plutonium and americium chemical recoveries.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for detecting plutonium, americium, and curium isotopes in relatively large soil samples.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,881 to Terry T. McKibbon a process is described for analyzing human waste for actinides. Uranium accompanies the plutonium through the extraction process but is separated from the plutonium in the cerium fluoride precipitation step, the uranium staying in the filtrate. The uranium can be recovered by the addition of titanous chloride and more cerium carrier to the fluoride filtrate. The fractions are electrodeposited or carried by cerium fluoride on filter paper and analyzed by alpha spectrometry for isotope identification and quantification.
Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide an effective and simple method for analyzing samples for actinides by employing cerium fluoride precipitation.
The above and additional objects are achieved by this invention which is described below.

Analysis of large soil samples for actinides


Tapered valve guide and spring retainer assemblies are described for use in plunger pump housings that incorporate corresponding outwardly flared discharge and suction bores, as well as structural features for stress-relief. Plunger pumps so constructed are relatively resistant to fatigue failure because of stress reductions, and they may incorporate essentially any style of valves, including top and lower stem-guided valves and crow-foot-guided valves, in easily-maintained configurations. Besides forming a part of valve guide and spring retainer assemblies, side spacers may be shaped and dimensioned to improve volumetric efficiency of the pumps in which they are used. The present disclosure provides, for the first time, the use of tungsten carbide valve seats, which significantly increase durability and service life of a pump, especially when abrasive fluids are being pumped, as in various oilfield operations.

The statements in this background section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Engineers typically design high-pressure plunger pumps useful in oilfield operations in two sections; a (proximal) power section and a (distal) fluid section. The power section typically comprises a crankshaft, reduction gears, bearings, connecting rods, crossheads, crosshead extension rods, etc. Common fluid sections usually comprise a plunger pump housing (a.k.a. block) having a suction valve in a suction bore, a discharge valve in a discharge bore, a plunger in a plunger bore, and an access bore, as well as high-pressure seals, gaskets, retainers, and ancillary hardware.
Valve terminology can vary according to the industry (e.g., pipeline or oil field service) in which a valve is used. In some applications, the term "valve" means just the moving element or valve body. In the present application, the term "valve" may be used in a general sense as appropriate for the context and can include components other than the valve body, e.g., various valve guides, valve seats, and/or one or more valve springs and/or valve inserts (seals).
In FIG. 1 there is shown a cross-sectional schematic view of a typical fluid section of a plunger pump showing its connection to a power section by stay rods. A plurality of fluid sections similar to that illustrated in FIG. 1 may be combined, as suggested in the Triplex fluid section housing schematically illustrated in FIG. 2, such pumps having multiple fluid sections being well-known.
Each individual bore in a plunger pump housing is subject to fatigue due to alternating high and low pressures which occur with each stroke of the plunger cycle. Conventional plunger pump housings frequently fail due to fatigue cracks in one or more areas defined by the intersecting suction, plunger, access and discharge bores, as illustrated in FIG. 3. Towards reduction of fatigue cracking in high pressure plunger pump housings described above, Y-block housing designs exemplified by that shown schematically illustrated in FIG. 4A have been proposed. The Y-block design reduces stress concentrations in a plunger pump housing such as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 by increasing the angles of bore intersections above 90°. In the example illustrated in FIG. 4A, the bore intersection angles are approximately 120°. A more complete cross-sectional view of a Y-block plunger pump fluid section is schematically illustrated in FIG. 4B.
Although several variations of the Y-block design have been evaluated, few, if any, have become commercially successful for several reasons. One reason is that mechanics find field maintenance on Y-block fluid sections difficult. For example, replacement of plungers and/or plunger packing is significantly more complicated in Y-block designs than in the earlier designs represented by FIG. 1. In the earlier designs, provision is made to push the plunger distally through the plunger bore and out through an access bore (see, e.g., FIG. 3). This operation, which would leave the plunger packing easily accessible from the proximal end of the plunger bore, is not possible in a Y-block design. Thus, a Y-block configuration, while reducing stress in plunger pump housings relative to earlier designs, is associated with significant disadvantages, such as cracks as shown in FIG. 4A.
Advances in high pressure plunger pump housings that provide both improved internal access and superior stress reduction are expressed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,623,259, 6,544,012 and 6,382,940, which are incorporated herein by reference. One embodiment of a right angular plunger pump such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,623,259 (the '259 patent) is schematically illustrated in FIG. 5. It includes a right-angular plunger pump housing 12 comprising a suction bore 3, discharge bore 5, plunger bore 7, and access bore 9. Suction bore 3 and discharge bore 5 are each internally fitted with a valve that permits fluid flow in one direction only, such that when plunger 11 is withdrawn from housing 12 during normal pump operation, a reduced pressure zone is created substantially in the center of housing 12, enabling ambient pressure to cause suction valve 13 to open, thus admitting a fluid that is desired to be pumped to enter the interior of housing 12. Once a material that is desired to be pumped is present within housing 12 and plunger 11 is moved into housing 12 following its withdrawal during an operation cycle, pressure created by such action causes suction valve 13 to close upon its seat 15 whilst simultaneously causing discharge valve 17 to be moved from discharge valve seat 19, enabling material flow through discharge bore 5 and out of housing 12, during such normal operation of a plunger pump. The suction bore 3 and discharge bore 5 each include a portion having substantially-circular cross-sections for accommodating, e.g., a valve seat. Suction and discharge bores 3, 5 that accommodate valve seats 15, 19 are sometimes slightly conically-shaped to facilitate the secure and substantial leak-proof fitment of each valve seat within a bore of pump housing 12 (e.g., by press-fitting a valve seat that has an interference fit with the pump housing). Less commonly, the portions of suction and discharge bores intended to accommodate a valve seat are cylindrical instead of being slightly conical. Further, each bore (i.e., suction, discharge, access and plunger bores) comprises a transition area which interfaces with other bore transition areas.
The plunger bore 7 of the right-angular plunger pump housing of FIG. 5 comprises a plunger bore having a proximal packing area (i.e., an area relatively nearer the power section) and a distal transition area (i.e., an area relatively more distant from the power section). Between the packing and transition areas is a right circular cylindrical area for accommodating a plunger. The transition area of the plunger bore facilitates interfaces with analogous transition areas of other bores as noted above.
Each bore transition area of the right-angular pump housing of FIG. 5 has a stress-reducing feature comprising an elongated (e.g., elliptical or oblong) cross-section that is substantially perpendicular to each respective bore's longitudinal axis. Intersections of the bore transition areas are typically chamfered, the chamfers comprising additional stress-reducing features. Further, the long axis of each such elongated cross-section is substantially perpendicular to a plane that contains, or is parallel to, the longitudinal axes of the suction, discharge, access and plunger bores.
An elongated suction bore transition area, as described in the '259 patent, can simplify certain plunger pump housing structural features needed for installation of a suction valve. Specifically, the valve spring retainer of a suction valve installed in such a plunger pump housing does not require a retainer arm projecting from the housing. Nor do threads have to be cut in the housing to position the retainer that secures the suction valve seat. Benefits arising from the absence of a suction valve spring retainer arm include stress reduction in the plunger pump housing and simplified machining requirements. Further, the absence of threads associated with a suction valve seat retainer in the suction bore eliminates the stress-concentrating effects that would otherwise be associated with such threads, as shown in the Y-block of FIG. 4B, which denotes the high stress concentrations in the threads.
Threads can be eliminated from the suction bore if the suction valve seat is inserted via the access bore and the suction bore transition area and press-fit into place as described in the '259 patent. Following this, the suction valve body can also be inserted via the access bore and the suction bore transition area. Finally, a valve spring is inserted via the access bore and the suction bore transition area and held in place by a similarly-inserted oblong suction valve spring retainer, an example of which is described in the '259 patent. The '259 patent illustrates an oblong suction valve spring retainer having a guide hole (for a top-stem-guided valve body), as well as an oblong suction valve spring retainer without a guide hole (for a crow-foot-guided valve body). Both of these oblong suction valve spring retainer embodiments are secured in a pump housing of the '259 patent by clamping about an oblong lip, the lip being a structural feature of the housing (see FIG. 5 for a schematic illustration of oblong lip 266 in a right angular plunger pump housing).
The '259 patent also teaches means for mounting discharge valves in the fluid end of a high-pressure pump incorporating positive displacement pistons or plungers. For well service applications both suction and discharge valves typically incorporate a traditional full open seat design with each valve body having integral crow-foot guides. This design has been adapted for the high pressures and repetitive impact loading of the valve body and valve seat that are seen in well service. However, stem-guided valves with full open seats could also be considered for well service because they offer better flow characteristics than traditional crow-foot-guided valves. But in a full open seat configuration stem-guided valves may have guide stems on both sides of the valve body (i.e., "top" and "lower" guide stems) or only on one side of the valve body (e.g., as in top stem guided valves) to maintain proper alignment of the valve body with the valve seat during opening and closing. Conventional valve designs incorporating secure placement of guides for both top and lower valve guide stems have been associated with complex components and difficult maintenance. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,910,871 and 7,513,759 describe alternative methods and apparati related to valve stem guide and spring retainer assemblies and to plunger pump housings in which they are used. Such plunger pump housings can incorporate one or more of the stress-relief structural features described herein, plus one or more additional structural features associated with use of alternative valve stem guide and spring retainer assemblies in the housings. Such plunger pump housings do not, however, comprise an oblong lip (see, e.g., structure 266 in FIG. 5 as noted above) for securing a suction valve spring retainer. The absence of this oblong lip simplifies machining of the plunger pump housing, and the corresponding design results in reduced stress within the pump housing.
Available seats for plunger-type pumps used in hydraulic fracturing of sub-strata have been standardized by manufacturers and fracturing pump users to promote commonality, increase availability, and reduce costs of these highly expendable components. Standard high-pressure seat designs commonly used in the industry feature seats with a shoulder and a seat taper of 0.75 inches per foot on the diameter. This taper mates with a similar taper in the fluid end. This very "fast" taper is insufficient to retain the seat in a locked position and when the seat is subjected to very high valve loads. Due to such a fast taper, a shoulder is necessary on the seat to prevent the seat from sliding down the taper when the seat is subjected to very high valve loads. Thus, the seat shoulder is exposed to very high downward or axial loads, which results in the very high stresses in the fillet, as further discussed herein. Some pumps designed by Halliburton Inc. feature a taper of 1.5 inches per foot on the diameter of one or more of the bores. While the seats for the Halliburton pumps have no shoulder and the outside taper is continuous, the fluid ends for Halliburton pumps include a shoulder at the very bottom of the bore taper for the purpose of preventing the seat from sliding down the taper. This shoulder results in very high stresses at the fillet at the corner of the fluid end taper and bottom shoulder.


A method of and an apparatus for etching an epoxy resin having a high backetching rate, in particular bores with printed circuit boards, with stable, strong, basic alkaline permanganate etching solution wherein the solution is stablized by electrochemical anodal oxidation, and permanganate and OH-ion concentration is controlled by measuring the same by using electrochemical and/or photometric measuring method with subsequent metering of the solution in accordance with deviation of a measurement value from a nominal value.

The invention relates to a method of etching an epoxy resin having a high backetching rate, in particular when etching bores with printed circuit boards, when using stable, strong, basic alkaline permanganate etching solution.
When manufacturing multilayer circuits, it is necessary to carry out a preliminary process to remove resin smears resulting from forming a bore. The removal of these smears should insure a reliable contact of conducting multilayers-copper inner layers with a chemically formed copper coating. The purification of the bore effected by removal of epoxide, with simultaneous roughening of the outer surface of the substrate, insures in addition a better adhesion which, with a deenergized metal coating or coating obtained by direct electrolysis. This is important above all because of the thermal load which the circuit board is exposed to during subsequent soldering.
It is known to carry out the above-mentioned preliminary process with alkaline potassium or sodium permanganate solutions, when, as a rule, before oxidation, conditioning with an organic solvent and/or a surface-active agent is carried out, which however requires significant treatment time. Because, in most cases, only small backetching rates are achieved, it has already been proposed to increase the backetching rates, for example, by:
using ultrasound; PA1 increase of the temperature; PA1 increase of the concentration of permanganate by using sodium permanganate; PA1 increase of OH-ion concentration.
This, however, results either in the damage of the base material or in a strong destabilization of the permanganate system.

Method of controlling epoxy resin etchant ion concentration


A new cultivar of chrysanthemum, ‘01-127-1’, characterized by it's early blooming habit with frost tolerant daisy-type inflorescences with light lavender ray florets and gold disk florets, its vigorous shrub-like growth habit after two years of growth, its tight cushion plant form attained without pinching, and its good garden performance and winter hardiness.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of garden chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×hybrida '01-127-1' and will be referred to hereinafter by its cultivar name, '01-127-1'. The new cultivar is commercially known as a garden-type chrysanthemum.
'01-127-1' was derived from an on going controlled breeding program that focuses on obtaining new cultivars of garden chrysanthemums in a range of flower colors that exhibit superior winter hardiness for northern climates, a large shrub-like habit in successive growth years that, and a tight cushion plant habit without the need for pruning or pinching. The breeding originally commenced with crosses utilizing Dendranthema weyrichii 'Pink Bomb' (not patented) and various cultivars of Dendranthema×grandiflora.
The new cultivar, '01-127-1' was created with a series of crosses and selections made over a period of tens years between 1990 and 2001 utilizing proprietary selections. '01-127-1' ultimately originated from a cross-pollination made in 2000 of proprietary seedling designated as '92-11-1' (not patented) as the female parent and the proprietary seedling designated as '00-48-30' (not patented) as the male parent. The new chrysanthemum was selected as a single plant within the progeny of the stated cross in 2001 by the inventor in St. Paul, Minn. '01-127-1' was selected as unique for its early-blooming, daisy-type inflorescences with light lavender ray florets and gold disk florets combined with the characteristics that fit the objectives of the breeding program.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished via stem cuttings in St. Paul, Minn. in 2001. The characteristics of this cultivar have been determined to be stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.


An actuator system for a vehicle is described that includes a first steering actuator, operated on a first on-board network of the vehicle, a first steering actuator control unit, operated on the first on-board network, for controlling the first steering actuator, and a second steering actuator, operated on a second on-board network of the vehicle that is designed to be redundant in relation to the first on-board network. In addition, the actuator system includes a brake actuator device, operated on the second on-board network of the vehicle, having a brake actuator and a brake actuator control unit for controlling the brake actuator. The brake actuator device includes in addition a second steering actuator control unit, operated on the second on-board network of the vehicle, for controlling the second steering actuator.

Modern vehicles have a large number of assistance systems that support the vehicle driver in particular driving situations, and are even capable of actively intervening in the guiding of the vehicle. A goal of present development in the automotive field is the development of autonomously driving vehicles, where the guiding of such a vehicle is to take place completely without a human driver. In order to enable such autonomous or self-sufficient driving, vehicle functions such as braking or steering must be designed so as to be fail-operational. Here, fail-operational means that the corresponding system continues to operate in case of error without going into an error state that would mean the complete failure of the respective function. In order to achieve this, the corresponding systems are designed to be redundant, the respective function, such as braking or steering, being carried out by at least two devices that are operated independently of one another. An independent operation of two electrical devices also requires that the two devices be operated on different on-board networks that are independent of one another. In order to design for example the steering function for fail-operational operation, two steering actuators connected to on-board networks that are independent of one another, each having their own control systems, are thus required.

Actuator system for self-driving vehicles


A mining apparatus for coal with an endless chain revolving around chain wheels. A main drive is provided for one of the chain wheels and an auxiliary drive is provided for the other chain wheel. A transmission stage of the auxiliary drive is a superposed transmission unit. A controllable superposed motor with a worm gear transmission unit acts on the superposed input of the superposed transmission unit. The worm gear transmission unit includes two drive worms which are offset relative to each other by 180.degree. and mesh with the superposed input of the superposed transmission unit. As a result, the supporting moment load and the torque load or power distribution are cut in half, so that the worm gear transmission unit is not susceptible to trouble.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mining apparatus for the mechanized breaking-down of mineral raw materials, particularly coal, in underground mining operations. The mining apparatus includes at least one revolving endless chain and chain wheels for the endless chain at the revolving ends of the chain. A main drive is provided for one of the chain wheels and an auxiliary drive is provided for the other chain wheel. The main drive and the auxiliary drive each have a transmission unit including main transmission stage, initial transmission stage, coupling and drive motor. The initial transmission stage of only one of the auxiliary drive or of the main drive is constructed as a superposed transmission unit. A superposed motor constructed as a controllable electric motor having a small power is connected to a superposed input of only this superposed transmission unit. An auxiliary transmission unit in the form of a worm gear transmission is arranged between the superposed transmission unit and the superposed motor.
2. Description of the Related Art
In mining apparatus of the above-described type it is desired that the drive motors of main drive and auxiliary drive run synchronously because only a synchronous running ensures a uniform load or maximum power of main drive and auxiliary drive. The above-described mining apparatus, or its drive control, is described and claimed in applicants' pending application Ser. No. 07/268,088 filed Nov. 7, 1988, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,307, and is used to avoid overloading of either the main drive or the auxiliary drive.
Thus, in accordance with this mining apparatus, only a unilateral control of either the auxiliary drive or of the main drive with the use of a single superposed transmission unit and a single superposed motor, i.e., an electric motor having small power, is necessary. Nevertheless, a synchronous running of the two drive motors is ensured. As a result, with respect to the two chain wheels, a uniform load of the two drive motors and, consequently, a uniform distribution of the load to the chain wheels or the endless chain are obtained. In the above-described mining apparatus, the rate of rotation of the motor can be increased or decreased during synchronization.
The above-described mining apparatus, or the drive system thereof, has been found very useful, however, further improvements are possible. This is because when the mining apparatus operates, inevitably impact and percussion-type loads occur which emanate from the mining device, for example, a coal planing device, and which are transmitted on the driven side into the controlled auxiliary drive (or the main drive). Such impact and percussion-type loads are eventually transmitted to the worm gear transmission unit and there must be absorbed by the drive worm which laterally meshes with the superposed transmission unit. In extreme cases, this may lead to damage of the worm gear transmission unit or of the drive worm thereof and may consequently lead to interruptions in the operation of the mining apparatus.
It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide a mining apparatus for the mechanized breaking-down of mineral raw materials, particularly coal, in underground mining operations, in which the above-described disadvantages are eliminated. In addition, it is to be safely avoided that damage occurs to the worm gear transmission unit or the drive worm thereof due to impact or percussion-type loads introduced at the driven side, so that the operation of the auxiliary transmission unit is completely trouble free.

Mining apparatus for mechinized breaking-down of mineral materials, particularly coal, in underground mining operations


A liquid ejecting apparatus including a liquid storage unit that stores a liquid; a tank having a liquid capacity greater than that of the liquid storage unit; a liquid supply unit supplying the liquid in the liquid storage unit to the tank; an agitation device that agitates the liquid accommodated in the tank; and a liquid ejection unit that ejects the liquid from the tank.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus in which liquid, such as ink, is supplied from a liquid storage unit to a liquid ejection unit.
2. Description of Related Art
Until now, an ink jet-type printer (hereinafter referred to as "printer") disclosed in JP-A-2000-211152 has been proposed as a liquid ejecting apparatus capable of supplying a liquid from a liquid storage unit for storing the liquid to a liquid ejection unit. The printer disclosed in JP-A-2000-211152 includes a recording head serving as a liquid ejecting unit for ejecting ink as the liquid onto a target such as recording paper, and a sub-tank for temporarily accommodating the ink to be supplied to the inside of the recording head. The inside of the sub-tank is supplied with the ink from an ink cartridge, which serves as a liquid storage unit, via an ink supply tube.
Recently, as the ink to be ejected onto the target, UV (Ultra Violet) ink which is cured by irradiation of ultraviolet rays has been used. A portion of the ink component may be easily settled in the ink cartridge which stores the high viscosity ink, such as UV ink. For this reason, a component ratio of the ink supplied to the recording head via the sub-tank from the ink cartridge may vary slightly whenever a process of supplying the ink from the ink cartridge side is performed. Accordingly, a variation occurs in the component ratio of the ink ejected from the recording head, and, as a result, it is difficult to constantly maintain the quality of a product (i.e., a target of printing completion) made by ejecting the ink onto the target.
In addition, if the ink is accommodated in the sub-tank for a long time, a portion of the ink component may be settled in the sub-tank. In a case where the ink is supplied to the recording head side from the sub-tank in this state, a variation may occur in the component ratio of the ink which is ejected from the recording head.


A method for controlling interference includes: dividing a control region in a time domain transmission unit to obtain first and second power regions, the transmission power of the first power region being higher than that of the second power region; dividing all current channels to obtain first and second channel groups; transmitting data carried by all the channels included in the second channel group by means of the first power region, and transmitting data carried by all the channels included in the first channel group by means of the second power region. The method can greatly reduce interference to a PDSCH of a small cell from a PDCCH of a macro base station when the macro base station and the small cell use different parameter sets on the same carrier in a heterogeneous network, without reducing the spectrum utilization rates of the macro base station and the small cell.

In Long-Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-Advanced) systems, the main role of cross-carrier scheduling is to provide Inter-Cell Interference Coordination (ICIC) support to a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) in a heterogeneous network.
In the heterogeneous network, as shown in FIG. 1, a macro base station and a small base station share two downlink carrier components (CCs), which are assumed to be a CC1 and a CC2. Both the two CCs of the small base station operate at a low transmission power, the CC1 of the macro base station operates at a high transmission power, and the CC2 of the macro base station operates at a low transmission power. When a range extension technology is used in the small base station, transmission performed by the macro base station on the CC1 within a range extension region has a great interference on the CC1 of the small base station, whereas transmission performed by the macro base station on the CC2 has a weaker interference on the small base station because of low transmission power. Therefore, on the small base station, cross-carrier scheduling data of the CC1 using the PDCCH of the CC2 can improve the reliability of downlink control signaling, and the macro base station may not transmit the PDCCH on the CC2, but may use the CC1 to perform cross-carrier scheduling of data transmission on the CC2.
This cross-carrier scheduling mode provides the ICIC between the PDCCHs, and interference cancellation between physical downlink shared channels (PDSCHs) can continue to adopt the Release 8 ICIC mechanism. If the terminal within a range extension region of the small base station needs to receive downlink data on some resource blocks, the macro base station may avoid high-power PDSCH transmission on these resource blocks.
A flexible extensible orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) numerology (parameter set) is introduced into a new radio (NR) to support different frequency bands/frequency categories and deployment modes. When slots corresponding to different numerologies contain an equal number of symbols, subcarrier spacing is inversely proportional to a slot length.
The NR supports a variety of different numerologies, and also supports carrier aggregation (CA) between the different numerologies. For the same CC, the macro base station and the small base station may have different numerology configurations for a carrier. That is, the slot length for the same carrier may vary at the macro base station and the small base station. The macro base station has a large coverage, and accordingly requires a long cyclic prefix (CP), but a large subcarrier spacing may increase the overhead of the CP. Therefore, generally, the subcarrier spacing of a CC configured on the macro base station is smaller than the subcarrier spacing of the same CC configured on the small base station. That is, for the same CC, the slot length of the macro base station is greater than that of the small base station, and the length of a control region of the macro base station is also greater than the length of a control region of the small base station.
If the macro base station and the small base station are both configured with the CC1 and the CC2, a transmission power of the macro base station is larger on the CC1. A PDCCH field of the macro base station is longer than that of the small base station, and consequently the PDCCH on the CC1 of the macro base station may generate strong interference to the PDCCH and a part of PDSCHs on the CC1 of the small base station. Using the cross-carrier scheduling method in the related technologies can only solve the problem of PDCCH interference between a macro base station and a small base station, and the ICIC mechanism in Release 8 is only applicable to the problem of interference between PDSCHs that can be dynamically scheduled. Therefore, the cross-carrier scheduling method in the related technologies cannot solve the problem of interference of the PDCCH of the macro base station to the PDSCH of the small base station.

Method and device for controlling interference

BEIJING XIAOMI MOBILE SOFTWARE CO., LTD.

BEIJING UNIVERSITY OF POST AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS


In a memory card having editable audio information and image information recorded therein, a music unit for audio reproduction and a cell as the reproduction unit of less than the music unit are defined. In the memory card, cell information CI having a reproduction relationship between a music number and image information is recorded. In a case where audio information is reproduced in unit of music number #β including cell information CI#2 to CI#4, cell information CI#2 contains pointer information IPI#2 for specifying image information IMG—02.IOB to IMG—03.IOB to be displayed. In this manner, there is provided guideline information as to how the still image corresponding to the edited music is displayed after edit processing has been performed for recorded audio information (music).

The present invention relates to an improvement of an information storage medium capable of recording and/or reproducing memory card, disc (phase changed optical disc, magneto-optical disc, or magnetic disc, etc.) or the like.
In particular, the present invention relates to an improvement of a removable and portable information storage medium suitable for recording and/or reproducing digital image information in combination with digital audio information.
In addition, the present invention relates to a method for reproducing information recorded in the information storage medium.
Further, the present invention relates to a method for editing information recorded in the information storage medium.
As a removable and portable information storage medium for recording digital audio information, there exists:
(A) CD-DA (compact disc having digital audio recorded in a pit shape);
(B) CD-I (CD interactive) or video CD;
(C) DVD (digital versatile disc) video or DVD audio disc (phase changed recording);
(D) MD (disc utilizing magneto-optical recording); and
(E) solid audio (semiconductor memory card such as flash memory) or the like.
With respect to the shape of information storage medium, the above (A) to (D) has a disc shape. In these information storage mediums, convergent laser beam(s) is (are) emitted to a recording layer on a medium while the medium is being rotated, and a change in the reflection light is detected as a reproduction signal.
In contrast, the above (E) may have any size and/or shape, but roughly has a card shape. In the (E), digital audio information is recorded in a semiconductor memory (mainly flash memory) incorporated in the card shaped body so that audio information is recorded and/or reproduced via electrode terminals provided at a predetermined portion of the card surface.
The CD-DA in the above (A) is used exclusively for reproduction or playback. A user cannot add new audio information, and cannot edit audio information already recorded on an information storage medium. Further, this CD-DA has a format which does not support recording of still image information on the information storage medium.
In contrast, each of the CD-I or video CD of the above (B) and the DVD video or DVD audio of the above (C) has a format which enables to reproduce audio information, and at the same time, to display still image. However, since both of them are exclusive for reproduction only, it is impossible not only to add new audio information by a user, but also to edit the audio information already recorded on the information storage medium.
On the other hand, in MD of the above (D), new audio information can be recorded in the information storage medium by the user, and edit processings such as "combining music (Combine)", "dividing music (Divide)", and "Moving music (Move)" can also be performed.
However, MD does not have such a format that a still image can be displayed simultaneously during audio information reproduction.
Apart from package media of the above (A) to (C), in recent years, there becomes popular a system in which digital audio information compressed by MP3 (MPEG audio layer 3) or AAC (MPEG audio advanced audio coding) is distributed on the Internet, the compressed audio information is recorded in a memory card (mainly flash memory) of the above (E) on a receiving party, and the recorded memory card is reproduced while the user is carrying it.
In this case, the user can record new audio information in the memory card, and can edit recorded audio information. However, in this case as well, at present, it does not have such a format that a still image according to audio information can be recorded or edited.
As in CD-I, video CD or DVD audio, the market strongly desires introduction to an audio system capable of reproducing audio information, and at the same time, displaying still image information, and further, capable of recording or editing new audio information by a user.
In addition, in this system, edit functions of a grade such as "Combining music" or "Dividing music" are required.
However, after "Combining must" or "Dividing music" has been performed, in the case where audio information is reproduced in units of music, it is very difficult to determine a method for selecting still image information to be displayed simultaneously and a timing of displaying each item of the still image information.
For example, assume a case wherein music number #α and music number #β having the same reproduction time periods have been recorded, 20 still images are displayed during reproduction of music number #α while these images are changed within a short period of time, and only one still image is continuously displayed during reproduction of music number #β.
In the case where music number #α and music number #β are combined by editing to make music number #γ if the first 20 still images are displayed to be changed within a short period of time during reproduction of music number #γ, and only the last one image is continuously displayed for a long period of time, the user feel strange.
In addition, in the case where music number #θ is divided into music number #ι and music number #κ, there is a problem with how to set still images displayed in music number #ι and music number #κ, respectively.
There does not exist, including the aforementioned MD (by which editing after recording is possible), any format (or specification) which explicitly indicates the guidelines for an optimal method of displaying still images (or still pictures) after edit processing such as "Combining music" or "Dividing music" has been performed.

Medium for storing audio/image information and management system thereof


An apparatus and a method for transmission system are disclosed. According to an embodiment, a voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) detection apparatus, comprising: a signal processing circuit with 1-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) functionality configured to receive a forward coupled signal in a transmission line of an antenna system, receive a reverse coupled signal in the transmission line of the antenna system, detect the forward coupled signal and the reverse coupled signal, convert the forward detected signal and the reverse detected signal to an analog voltage signal mapped to a return loss value, convert by the 1-bit ADC the analog voltage signal into a digital pulse train and output the digital pulse train to a digital interface of a processing device or unit.

This section is intended to provide a background or context to the invention disclosed below. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived, implemented or described. Therefore, unless otherwise explicitly indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section. Abbreviations that may be found in the specification and/or the drawing figures are defined below at the end of the specification but prior to the claims.
In a wireless system, a transmitter is coupled to an antenna through a cable/connector system. Assuming an ideal transmission system, there will be no power reflected back from a load such as the antenna. That is, a transmission power in a "forward" signal is all applied through the cable/connector system to the antenna. Real transmission systems, however, have reflections due to, e.g., impedance mismatch somewhere in the cable/connector system or antenna. Wireless or cellular communication service providers or carriers can share an infrastructure such as feeding networks, antennas and the like at common sites. Accordingly, multiple wireless or cellular base stations each owned and maintained by different carriers can be served by the shared infrastructure. The shared infrastructure can be owned and maintained by one of the service providers or carriers or by a third party. The infrastructure owner may have no control over the power that may be applied by a carrier to the infrastructure owner's feeding networks and antennas. If a problem develops, the infrastructure owner may not be able to adjust a power level or turn off the power from a transmitter because of contractual requirements or for other reasons.
Additionally, a forward radio frequency (RF) power, a reflected RF power and a voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) functions built into many wireless systems may not be able to properly sense, calculate and control operation of the base station when these wireless systems are connected to the shared infrastructure because of insertion loss or the like. An impedance mismatch between a RF feed from a transmitter and an infrastructure equipment may be masked by the insertion loss of the infrastructure equipment which may render a VSWR alarm circuit of the wireless system ineffective. The insertion loss may cause the return loss measured by the wireless system to be lower than actuality, which may cause miscalculation of the VSWR and an inability of the wireless system to effectively sense defects in an air interface and to adjust its operating parameters accordingly and generate an alarm.
Wireless or cellular communication service providers or carriers need a way to monitor a condition of the antenna and its cable/connector system. A common indicator of this condition is the VSWR although there are many other equivalents including a reflection coefficient and the return loss. The return loss is a ratio of the forward (incident) power and the reflected power, converted to decibel (dB). A directional coupler, a bridge or a circulator may be used to separate the forward and reflected coupling signals and a detector may be used to quantify their respective amplitudes. While the forward coupled signal tends to be quite pure, the reverse coupled signal is returned from the antenna and may be accompanied by extraneous energy, which is "noise" insofar as a measurement is concerned.
This "noise" may be due to various factors such as other transmitters electrically combined with the desired transceiver or from co-sited transmitters coupling in through the antennas. Either way, a detector for detected the reflected power will report more power than the reflection itself is producing, which may result in a lower return loss and then cause a false alarm. For example, recent advances in complex modulations with a significant time domain component, multiple carriers and especially co-siting can make the task of monitoring the condition of the antenna and its cable/connector system more difficult than in the past.
Accurate measurement of the transmit power from the wireless system can also be important for various reasons, such as to prevent damage to equipment, electromagnetic interference (EMI) and the like. However, readings of the transmit power at the wireless system can also be erroneous because of high antenna cable loss and some of the same factors that affect VSWR.
However some existing solutions such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,865,145B2, 9,482,705B2, 9,560,541 and US20170310405 may have some problems which will be discussed thereafter. Therefore it would be beneficial to provide an improved solution for VSWR.

Apparatus and method for transmission system


There is provided a method of culturing a stem cell on extracellular matrix extracted from support cells and in a stem cell culture medium comprising medium conditioned by the support cells.

A major obstacle for various approaches in regenerative medicine aimed at replacing lost organ functions is the shortage of available cell sources. The availability of such approaches is often limited by the shortage of donor tissue. Stem cells, including embryonic or bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells, are a potential cell source for regenerative medicine (1-4). Human embryonic stem (hES) cells are capable of indefinite self-renewal and are pluripotent; that is, these cells are able to differentiate into practically every type of cell found in the organism from which they are derived (17, 18). Human mesenchymal stem (hMS) cells are multi-potent and can differentiate into various cell lineages of mesenchymal tissues including, bone, cartilage, fat, tendon, muscle, adipocytes, chondrocytes, and osteocytes (19, 20). hES and hMS cells accordingly have tremendous potential to provide different cell types for use in a variety of medical and research purposes.
Techniques for in vitro differentiation of stem cells into particular cell lineages using specific proteins or chemical molecules have been well-studied. However, achieving a large population of differentiated functional cells remains a challenge.
To date, differentiation of stem cells in vitro has generally been limited to reliance on non-directed cell differentiation or inefficient methods for inducing differentiation that require the addition of various growth factors and supplements to the cell culture and that tend to produce a low percentage of desired differentiated cells (21, 40).
Similarly, achieving in vitro undifferentiated proliferation of hES cells suitable for clinical applications has been challenging. Traditional culture methods for proliferating human stem cells require the use of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) as a feeder layer, which could result in cross-contamination of the human stem cell population with animal components (22). Contamination of stem cells or their differentiated derivatives with animal components increases the likelihood of immune rejection during regenerative therapies (23, 24).

Method for extracellular matrix mediated differentiation and proliferation of stem cells

Agency for Science, Technology and Research


A laminated electronic component includes outer terminal electrodes including lower plating films including metal particles having an average size of 0.5 μm or less, the lower plating films being formed by directly plating an outer surface of an electronic component body such that the lower plating films are electrically connected to exposed portions of inner conductors. The outer terminal electrodes may further include upper plating films formed on the lower plating films, the upper plating films being defined by one or more layers. Metal particles defining the upper plating films may have an average size of 0.5 μm or less. The metal particles defining the lower plating films may be Cu particles.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a laminated electronic component and a method for manufacturing the laminated electronic component. In particular, the present invention relates to a laminated electronic component including an inner conductor and an outer terminal electrode connected to the inner conductor and formed at least by directly plating an outer surface of an electronic component body, and a method for manufacturing the laminated electronic component.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, the market of compact portable electronic devices such as cellular phones, notebook computers, digital cameras, and digital audio devices has been expanding. These portable electronic devices have been reduced in size and also improved in performance. Such portable electronic devices include a large number of laminated ceramic electronic components. There is a demand for laminated ceramic electronic components that have a reduced size and improved performance. For example, there is a demand for laminated ceramic capacitors that have a smaller size and a higher capacitance.
One technique for effectively obtaining a laminated ceramic capacitor that has a smaller size and a higher capacitance is to reduce the thickness of a ceramic layer. Recently, capacitors having a ceramic layer with a thickness of about 3 μm or less have been produced for commercial use. At present, an even thinner ceramic layer is being pursued. However, since a thinner ceramic layer results in a higher possibility of short circuiting between inner electrodes, it is difficult to produce laminated ceramic capacitors having sufficient quality.
Another technique for effectively producing a laminated ceramic capacitor that has a smaller size and a higher capacitance is to increase the effective area of inner electrodes. However, when laminated ceramic capacitors are produced in volume, side margins between inner electrodes and the side surfaces of a ceramic assembly and end margins between the inner electrodes and the end surfaces of the ceramic assembly are required to compensate for displacement occurring among laminated ceramic green sheets and displacement caused by cutting of the laminated ceramic green sheets. Thus, to increase the effective area of inner electrodes while maintaining the margins, the area of each ceramic layer must be increased. However, an increase in the area of each ceramic layer is restricted by set dimensional specifications of a product. Additionally, the thickness of outer terminal electrodes prevents an increase in the area of each ceramic layer.
Outer terminal electrodes of laminated ceramic capacitors have been formed by applying a conductive paste to the end surfaces of a ceramic assembly and firing the applied conductive paste. Typically, a conductive paste is applied by immersing an end surface of a ceramic assembly into a paste bath and removing the ceramic assembly from the paste bath. Unfortunately, this method tends to produce a thick application of the conductive paste in the central portions of the end surfaces of a ceramic assembly due to the viscosity of the conductive paste. As a result, outer terminal electrodes have thick portions (specifically, the thickness exceeds about 30 μm). Thus, the area of each ceramic layer has to be reduced in accordance with the increase in the thickness of the outer terminal electrodes.
To overcome this problem, a method has been proposed in which outer terminal electrodes are formed by direct plating. In this method, a plating film is deposited using the exposed portions of inner electrodes on an end surface of a ceramic assembly as nuclei. Growth of the plating film results in neighboring exposed portions of inner electrodes being connected to each other. Electrode films formed by this method are thinner and flatter than electrode films formed by existing electrode film formation methods using conductive pastes (see, for example, International Publication No. WO 2007/049456).
However, the formation of outer terminal electrodes by direct plating causes a problem. Specifically, when an outer terminal electrode is formed by directly plating an outer surface of an electronic component body (ceramic assembly) and the resultant plating film defining the outer terminal electrode is includes metal particles having a large average size, such as 1 μm or more, the number of gaps formed at grain boundaries, which channels for moisture to escape, is decreased. When the electronic component body is heat treated to remove moisture, hydrogen molecules, and hydrogen ion from the inside of the electronic component body, these substances tend to remain inside the electronic component body. Use of such an electronic component body results in decreased reliability. For example, the properties, such as insulation resistance, degrade with the passage of usage time.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Laminated electronic component and method for manufacturing the same


A game device issues a notification that the player is prompted to input a voice. After the notification is issued, voice data representing a voice signal, having a predetermined time length, which is inputted to a voice input element, is repeatedly acquired. Furthermore, each time the voice data is acquired, it is determined whether or not the acquired voice data satisfies a predetermined selecting condition. Thereafter, only voice data, which is determined to satisfy the selecting condition, is stored as selected voice data. The game device outputs, when a game image showing a game character speaking is displayed on the display, a sound effect representing a voice of the game character by using at least a portion of the selected voice data.

1. Field of the Technology
The technology presented herein relates to a game program and a game device. More particularly, the present technology relates to a game program and a game device, in which a recorded voice of a player is used as a speech voice.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventionally, in order to output a sound effect representing a speech voice, etc. of a character, for example, well-known is a technique in which a sound effect sounding as if a person spoke is outputted by using voice data previously prepared as a sound source. Patent document 1 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 10-320929) discloses a voice reproduction device capable of rearranging a reproduction in accordance with reproduced contents. In the voice reproduction device, voice information previously prepared is divided into pieces by specific sections, and control information is assigned to each piece of the divided voice information, thereby reproducing a voice so as to be changed in accordance with the reproduced contents.
Also, patent document 2 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-73068) discloses a synthesized voice output device capable of outputting a speech voice of a character or the like. In the synthesized voice output device, voice data corresponding to each of word characters is previously prepared as a sound source. When a voice is reproduced, two pieces of voice data to be continuously reproduced are overlapped with each other. Thus, it is possible to output a voice sounding as if a person spoke.
Now, let us assume a case where a sound effect (a speech voice) representing a fictional language, which is used in a game world and spoken by a character appearing in a game, is outputted. Note that it is understood that the sound effect in the above case allows a player feel as if the character spoke the fictional language. Thus, the sound effect preferably sounds like a meaningless word, not a word which has a meaning. As disclosed in patent document 2, in order to output such a meaningless word, a method of preparing the voice data corresponding to each of the word characters may be used. That is, the player is prompted to input the voice data corresponding to each of the word characters. With this method, however, the player is required to input a number of meaningless voices. Thus, this method is substantially troublesome for the player. As described above, patent document 1 discloses that various processes are performed on a sound source previously prepared, and then the sound source in which the various processes have been performed is reproduced, thereby changing a voice to be reproduced. However, patent document 1 does not disclose that a sound source is acquired from a voice inputted by the player, and a process of generating the sound source is executed.

Storage medium storing game program and game device


There is provided a biological substance quantitation method of quantitating a biological substance in a sample stained with a staining reagent including a fluorescent particle encapsulating a fluorescent substance, based on a fluorescence of the fluorescent substance. The method includes inputting a fluorescent image representing expression of the biological substance in the sample by a fluorescent bright spot; and quantitating an expression amount of the biological substance based on a fluorescence of the fluorescent bright spot. The biological substance is a nucleoprotein expressed at a cell nucleus. The fluorescent particle binds to the biological substance through a primary antibody which is directed against the biological substance as an antigen.

In pathological diagnosis, specifying the kind and expression amount of protein overexpressing in a sample, such as tissue slice, is very important information for prognostic expectation and for determination of future treatment plan.
For example, the expression of Ki67 protein, which is a protein expressed in a cell nucleus during cell division, is evaluated in order to determine the proliferation and/or malignancy of various kinds of tumor.
According to the technique described in Patent Document 1, the risk of cancer relapse is determined from cells collected from a breast cancer patient, for example, on the basis of the number of cells in which Ki67 protein is expressed or the expression amount of Ki67 protein.

Biological substance quantitation method, pathological diagnosis support system, and recording medium storing computer readable program


An array antenna is formed of a plurality of antenna elements, each of which scans a beam in the direction of an angle .theta. to a boresight of the antenna and electrically varies the direction of a rotation angle .phi. of the beam. The antenna elements are disposed so that the optical path difference of radio waves transmitted or received by two adjacent antenna elements in the directions of a plurality of direction angles .phi. on the plane tilted for an angle .theta. to the boresight of the antenna is nearly a multiple of the wave length of the radio waves.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to beam scanning antennas used for radar antennas, mobile communication antennas, satellite broadcasting receiving antennas, satellite-installed-antennas, and so forth.
2. Description of the Related Art
In antennas used for radars, mobile communications, satellite broadcasting reception, and so forth, a function which freely scans a beam in a desired direction is important. For example, when a mobile communication is performed, a mobile station (for example, an automobile or an airplane) is usually moving. Thus, a beam radiated from the antenna of the mobile station is not always directed to a predetermined direction. In this case, the beam of the antenna should be tracked to the predetermined direction (namely, the direction of an objective station which receives and/or transmits radio waves). As a means for scanning the beam of an antenna, the following methods have been employed.
As a first method, a beam is scanned by a mechanical driving means. FIG. 103 shows the construction of an example of a mechanical driving means which scans a beam. The mechanical driving means for scanning the beam requires an elevation (vertical plane) driving member and an azimuth (horizontal plane) driving member. In the mechanical driving means, the beam scanning process does not adversely affect the electric characteristics (such as radiation directivity) of an antenna 1.
However, the construction of the driving mechanism becomes complicated. In addition, there is a problem on durability of the rotary joint used for the driving mechanism. In particular, in a mobile communication, a lower and flat antenna is required. Thus, the mechanical driving method is disadvantageous.
As a second method, an electrical beam-scanning method is known. FIG. 104 shows the construction of an example of an electrical beam-scanning method. As shown in the figure, a plurality of antenna elements 2 are electrically connected to corresponding phase shifters 3. In the receiving operation, signals received from the antenna elements are combined by a feeding circuit 4. In the transmitting operation, a signal is distributed to the antenna elements 2 by the feeding circuit 4. The exciting phases of the antenna elements are adjusted by the phase shifters so as to scan the beam in a desired direction. In this method, since all the antenna elements 2, the phase shifters 3, and the feeding circuit 4 are disposed on the same plane, the beam scanning antenna can be thinly formed.
However, in this method, since each antenna element requires a phase shifter, the size of the beam scanning antenna becomes large. In addition, the cost of the antenna increases. Moreover, to control the phases of the phase shifters 3, a control circuit is required. Thus, the construction of the antenna becomes complicated.

Beam scanning antennas with plurality of antenna elements for scanning beam direction


The present disclosure relates to novel and advantageous connector assemblies for use with a liner-based assembly. In one embodiment, a connector assembly for use with a liner-based assembly can include a pressure port, a dispense port, a headspace removal port, and a locking mechanism. The pressure port can be adapted for connection to a pressure source. The dispense port can be adapted for fluid communication with a source of material to be dispensed from the liner-based assembly. The headspace removal port may be configured for removing a gas from the liner-based assembly. The locking mechanism may be used for locking the connector to the liner-based assembly when contents therein are under pressure. In some embodiments, the dispense port and headspace removal port may be operably coupled providing a flow path for recirculation of the contents within a liner of the liner-based assembly.

Numerous manufacturing processes require the use of ultrapure liquids, such as acids, solvents, bases, photoresists, dopants, inorganic, organic, and biological solutions, pharmaceuticals, and radioactive chemicals. Such industries require that the number and size of particles in the ultrapure liquids be controlled to ensure purity. In particular, because ultrapure liquids are used in many aspects of the microelectronic manufacturing process, semiconductor manufacturers have established strict particle concentration specifications for process chemicals and chemical-handling equipment. Such specifications are needed because, should the liquids used during the manufacturing process contain high levels of particles or bubbles, the particles or bubbles may be deposited on solid surfaces of the silicon. This can, in turn, lead to product failure and reduced quality and reliability.
Storage and dispensing systems that are used to store, ship, and dispense the liquids described above, as well as other liquid-based contents, typically include a container of some kind, and/or a liner, a cap that may be used to seal and protect the contents of the storage system when the contents are not being dispensed, and a connector that may be used to dispense the contents from the container. The connector that is used during dispense is typically uniquely configured to provide a particular type of dispense. Accordingly, the connector that is used during dispense will have an effect on several aspects of the dispense, for example, whether the dispense is a pump or pressure dispense, what the flow rate of dispense may be, and/or how much residue may remain in a liner or container after dispense. In this regard, there is a need for a connector that increases the flow-rate during dispense and/or increases the total amount of material that may be dispensed.

Connectors for liner-based dispense containers


A mother board mounts a memory module via a plug-socket coupling, wherein the edge of the memory module has a plug member mounted on a socket member of the mother board. The mother board has a plurality of abutment members abutting the edge surface of the bottom edge of the memory module for which the plug is formed. The abutment members act as ground terminals for connecting the ground layer of the memory module to the ground layer of the mother board, and also act as heat radiation members.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device having a module board and, more particularly, to a semiconductor device having a module board mounting thereon a plurality of electric components and mounted on a mother board.
(b) Description of the Related Art
In conventional personal computers or servers, memory devices such as DRAM devices are directly mounted on a mother board. However, memory module boards are increasingly employed recently, wherein a printed circuit board mounting thereon one or a plurality of memory devices is separately prepared, and then mounted on a mother board via a plug-socket coupling.
FIG. 9 shows a conventional semiconductor device having such a memory module board. The semiconductor device 200 includes a mother board 20 having a socket member 40 of a U-shaped cross section, and a memory module board 10 having a plug member and mounted on the mother board 20 by using the plug-socket coupling. The socket member 40 includes a plurality of contact terminals 41 arranged in two rows corresponding to pad terminals provided on both surfaces of the memory module board 10, whereby the memory module board 10 is detachably mounted on the mother board 20.
In the memory module board 10, the amount of heat generated in the memory devices 12 is more and more increasing along with a higher read/write operation and a higher density of memory cells in the memory devices 12. The increased amount of heat raises the operating temperature within the memory devices 12 and sometimes causes a degradation of the performance or thermal destruction of the memory cells. For preventing such degradation of the performance or destruction of the memory cells, it is essential to effectively diffuse the heat generated in the memory cells and suppress the temperature rise of the memory cells.
Patent Publications JP-10(1998)-335546A and -2004-079940A describe a technique wherein a heat radiation member is provided on the memory module board to diffuse the heat through the surface of the memory module board.
A higher read/write operation and an increased density of the memory cells in the up-to-date memory module boards hinder the effective suppression of temperature rise of the memory devices in the memory module boards, even in the case of the memory module boards described in the above publications. Thus, it is desired to effectively diffuse the heat generated in the memory cells, to assure the stable performance of the semiconductor devices including the memory cells.

Semiconductor device having a module board


An image-forming apparatus includes: image-forming units arranged along a direction inclined at an acute angle relative to a horizontal direction, each of the image-forming units forming an image with developer; developer-containing units positioned above the image-forming units and arranged along the horizontal direction or along a direction inclined relative to the horizontal direction at an angle smaller than the acute angle; and developer conveyance paths that connect the image-forming units to respective developer-containing units, each developer conveyance path having a tubular passage that defines a space through which the developer contained in the developer-containing unit is conveyed to the image-forming unit, wherein the tubular passage of a developer conveyance path connected to an image-forming unit located at a position higher than that of another image-forming unit has a vertically extending portion shorter than that of the tubular passage of a developer conveyance path connected to the another image-forming unit.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an image-forming apparatus.
2. Related Art
An image-forming apparatus of an electrophotography type typically is equipped with four image-forming units for forming images of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), respectively. Each image-forming unit has a developing unit for developing an electrostatic latent image with developer. Each developing unit is supplied with developer of a respective color from a developer container, otherwise referred to as a toner cartridge, via a developer conveyance path.


A memory includes input/output paths and electrical leads. Each of the input/output paths are coupled to separate electrical leads. The memory is configured to operate in a test architecture and an operating architecture. In the test architecture, logic enables a greatest number of input/output paths. In the operating architecture, the memory enables the same or fewer input/output paths. The method of selecting a configuration includes establishing an operating and a test architecture and testing the memory in its greater input/output configuration.

Integrated circuits are small electronic circuits used to perform specific functions, such as storing instructions and data. Electronic circuits fabricated in silicon are interconnected by thin conducting materials, which are insulated from other circuits. Some chips are assembled into packages having leads that facilitate their connections to other devices.
Integrated memories can have many configurations. Possible memory configurations include a 16M×4, an 8M×8, a 14M×16, etc. In a ×4 ('by four') configuration, four input/output pins are wired to four external electrical leads. In a ×8 ('by eight') configuration, eight input/output pins are wired to eight external leads. These configurations can determine the performance, speed, and test times of a memory.
The speed of a by eight memory generally can be tested faster than a by four memory. The four additional input/output lines of the by eight configuration enables storage cells to be accessed faster than its by four counter part. Differences in test times can require customized test designs. Because test times are closely tied to production volume and because integrated memories can have many configurations, it can be difficult to process varieties of integrated memories cost effectively.

Integrated circuit in a maximum input/output configuration


A method, apparatus and computer-usable medium for displaying multiple elements in a graphical editor, wherein the multiple elements overlap and share a common space in the graphical editor; invoking a visual affordance that opens a zoom window; and displaying the visual affordance and the zoom window in an area in the graphical editor where the multiple elements overlap, wherein the zoom window displays a visual representation that is modified to show overlapping multiple elements.

The present invention relates in general to the field of computers and similar technologies, and in particular to software utilized in this field.
An Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is computer software used to help computer programmers develop code. IDEs normally include a source code editor (either a text or modeling-language-based editor in a first window of a User Interface—"UI"), a compiler and/or interpreter (underlying software not shown in the UI), build-automation tools (including modeling languages) and a debugger (in a second window in the UI). The UI often includes a class browser, an object inspector and a class hierarchy (tree) diagram for use with object oriented software development.
Visual editors are the tool of choice for designing application UI's. Such visual editors utilize modeling-language-based editors as described above. UI elements are added to the editor and are manipulated by selecting a visual element (which is modeling-language-based) and changing its properties.
For visual editing tasks in which content is multi-layered in nature (e.g., table oriented content), visualization and selection of individual elements in the content containment hierarchy becomes increasingly difficult as the complexity of the containment hierarchy increases. For example, in most What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get (WYSIWYG) visual editors, the visualizations of container objects are usually small, often only a few pixels tall. These visualizations are this small because this is how the object will be displayed at runtime, or, if they are not displayed at all at runtime, because of limited real estate on the screen during the code editing process. Oftentimes, there are multiple levels of containers (e.g., tables within tables), wherein there is very little space between containers. That is, the containers may have a little as one pixel between them, or they may actually be on top of each other (no pixels between them). Therefore, the hotspot for selecting one container versus another may only be a matter of one or a few pixels. For example, consider the IDE window 100a shown in FIG. 1a
View 100a, shown in FIG. 1a, depicts a Table A as a 3×3 table. The top left cell of Table A contains a Table B, which is visually obscured in a visual display by Table A. Table B, as shown in view 100b of FIG. 1b, is a 2×2 table. The top left cell of Table B contains Table C, which is also a 2×2 table, but which is obscured by Table B (and Table A). Trying to select the top left cell of Table A versus the top left cell of Table B, for example, is very difficult. As depicted, the very top left corner of view 100a contains borders for each table, as well as the top row of each table, as well as the top left cell of each table. Thus, there is no way to distinguish between the borders of the table, the row or the cell, because they appear to be the same. Furthermore, at runtime in and IDE environment, only one border is visible. Nonetheless, during development, a particular (single) table, row or cell you may need to be selected, but cannot due to the obscuring problem just stated. Furthermore, many "What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get" (WYSIWYG) editors will not display any visual representation of some containers (in order to adhere to WYSIWYG display), making their visual selection even more difficult (as shown, for example, FIG. 2a discussed below).
Similar issues exist for non-IDE environments, including visual editors used in engineering, business software and productivity applications to create presentations, diagrams, models and engineering blueprints. Such non-IDE environments include software applications such as PowerPoint®, Visio®, workflow editors, architecture design software and Computer Aided Design (CAD) software.

Enhanced visualization and selection of multi-layered elements in a containment hierarchy

International Business Machines Corporation


Methods and compositions are provided for inhibiting the polymerization of a vinyl aromatic monomer, such as styrene monomer, during elevated temperature processing or distillation thereof or during storage or shipment of polymer containing product. The compositions include a combination of a hydroxybenzyl alcohol (1) and a dehydration catalyst (2). The combination is added to a vinyl aromatic monomer. Typically, the hydroxybenzyl alcohol is dehydrated in the styrene solution by the use of a strong acid catalyst acting as the dehydration catalyst, and the resultant reaction product is a quinone methide styrene inhibitor.

Common industrial methods for producing styrene typically include separation and purification processes such as distillation to remove unwanted impurities. Unfortunately, purification processes carried out at elevated temperatures result in an increased rate of undesired polymerization. Distillation is generally carried out under vacuum to minimize loss of monomer.
Furthermore, it is well known that styrene monomers readily polymerize when heated. Heat polymerization is rapid. In fact, polymerization increases with increasing temperature. This polymerization is undesirable during many stages of the manufacturing, processing, handling, storage and use of styrene monomers, as it results not only in the loss of desired monomer end-product, but also in the uses of production efficiency caused by polymer formation and/or agglomeration of polymer on process equipment.
To minimize this problem, free radical inhibitors consisting of nitrated phenol-based retarders have been used to inhibit the polymerization. These reagents are typically added prior to the distillation. However, these nitrated phenol-based retarders can be toxic. Thus, there exists a strong need for a green inhibitor that provides an effective means of preventing polymerization.

Methods and compositions for styrene inhibition via in situ generation of quinone methides


A flexible line trimmer with a vibration dampening support handle includes a rotary power source and a rotatable trimmer head, both of which are connected by a drive shaft enclosed in a rigid housing. A flexible line trimmer has a vibration dampening rear support handle assembly and a front control handle. The rear handle assembly is resiliently coupled to the drive shaft housing and to the power source housing.

Flexible line trimmers that utilize a spinning trimmer head to flail a short piece of flexible line next to the ground to cut vegetation are well known in the prior art. Flexible line trimmers assume many configurations, depending in part on whether they are powered by an electric motor or a two stroke internal combustion engine. Electric trimmers usually have an electric motor mounted next to the trimmer head on one end of a rigid tube, and at the other end of the shaft, a rear handle for manually gripping. Midway on the shaft is a forward handle. Internal combustion engines, because they tend to be larger and heavier than electric motors, are usually mounted at the end of a rigid tube opposite the spinning trimmer head. This provides better balance and thus comfort of use and control. A flexible drive shaft inside the tube couples the engine output to the trimmer head. Either a rear handle is mounted to the front or rear of an engine housing, or simple grip circumscribing the tube in front of the engine is provided for holding the trimmer in the rear. In some cases, heavy duty trimmers with comparatively large engines are carried on a harness worn by the operator.
The engine, shaft and spinning head create a significant amount of vibration during operation. The vibrational forces are transmitted to the handles of the trimmer and then to the hands of its operator, causing discomfort and possible injury to the operator.
Attempts to reduce transmission of vibration to the operator have been made. Generally, these attempts focus on isolating the front hand grip since the drive shaft carries a great deal of vibrational energy from the trimmer head, the engine and the drive shaft. Although there are many different designs, resilient bushings are typically inserted between the hand grip and the handle or between the handle and the tube to isolate the hand and dampen transmission vibration. Where the hand grip is provided directly on the drive shaft, it is made of a resilient material or has a resilient structure for dampening. Open loop handle configurations have also been used which render the overall handle somewhat flexible.
Vibration isolating and dampening structures do not appear to be generally used to isolate rear handles that are mounted to housings of engines. Engine housings inherently provide some isolation and dampening. So long as the handle is not attached to the drive shaft, there is some dampening. Some other types of portable lawn and garden equipment have used resilient couplings for the rear handle. However, unlike most other types of lawn and garden equipment, a rear handle on a trimmer is required not only to support the weight of the trimmer, but also to support torquing forces applied to the handle by foreaft tilting of the trimmer and twisting of the trimmer, especially where the trimmer is not well balanced.

Flexible line trimmer having an anti-vibration handle


A semiconductor component includes a substrate, a molded package, and a semiconductor chip. The semiconductor chip is suspended on the molding compound above the substrate in the molded package in such a way that a cavity mechanically decouples the semiconductor chip from the substrate. The cavity extends along an underside facing the substrate.

The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor component and to a corresponding production method.
Although applicable to any semiconductor components, the present disclosure and the problem which it is intended to solve will be explained with reference to a micromechanical pressure sensor.
DE 10 2006 026 881 A1 discloses a mounting concept for an absolute pressure sensor in open cavity full mold technology. In this mounting concept, a chip is fastened on a lead frame, wire-bonded and injection molded around with a molding compound in such a way that the sensor chip partly protrudes from the molding compound. The sensor membrane lies in the part around which injection molding is not carried out.
Conventionally, micromechanical sensor devices are packaged in molded housings made of plastic. On the one hand, so-called leaded housings are used in this case, which comprise curved contact feet for contacting the next plane and fully encapsulate the chip or chips. On the other hand, there are so-called overmolded leadless housings, which are distinguished by the lack of contact limbs. The contacting of the next plane is in this case carried out via contact surfaces on the lower side of the package. The basic system of these molded package variants generally consists of a substrate (Cu, FR4), an adhesive, the silicon chip or chips and the molding compound.
Another package variant consists of expensive premold housings. These are prefabricated injection-molded base housings which are closed with a cover after positioning and contacting of the semiconductor chips. The premold housings constitute a low-stress form of package since there is no direct contact between the assembly partners silicon and molding compound. Furthermore, the cavity existing inside the package, together with an opening in the package, are advantageous and expedient for the media accesses, such as are required for example for pressure sensors, IR sensors and microphones.
With respect to the cost aspect, attempts have been made to produce media accesses and cavities in full mold packages (fully encapsulated) as well. In a first concept, the so-called film mold method is used. In this case, the media access is produced by means of the shape of the molding tool. A projecting tool structure is placed directly on the semiconductor chip and prevents overmolding in this region, for example in the region of a pressure sensor membrane. For tolerance compensation, the molding tool is coated with an ETFE film (ETFE=ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene). The latter is highly deformable and lies geometrically accurately over the tool surface. In this method, there is a direct dependency between the sensor layout and the tool structures. The tool must cover the active membrane structures, but without covering pad surfaces or wire bonds. It is therefore necessary to comply with certain design rules. Furthermore, depending on the layout, full placement of the tool on the active structures, for example membranes, may also be necessary and lead to mechanical stresses. With this method, it is not possible to produce undercuts in the cavities.
Another concept is based on the use of a laminate-based substrate in conjunction with contacting by means of flipchip and underfill technology. The mechanical and electrical contact of the sensor with the substrate is in this case established by solder balls or studbumps and an underfill. The pressure sensor membrane remains uncovered and receives the media access through an opening in the substrate. Above all, however, the point of the underfill proves critical. In order not to cover the membrane with the underfill, the breaking capillary effect on the edge of a substrate opening is employed. The size and edge shape of the opening are therefore indirectly coupled with the flow path of the underfill (and vice versa) and therefore the function of the sensor membrane. Furthermore, the underfill in the meniscus formed is drawn toward the membrane and therefore takes up unused sensor surface area.
FIGS. 9a,b are cross-sectional views of an exemplary semiconductor component in the form of a micromechanical pressure sensor arrangement, FIG. 9b representing a detail enlargement of the region A of FIG. 9.
In FIGS. 9a,b, reference SUB denotes a circuit board substrate, onto which an analysis chip 3 and a micromechanical pressure sensor chip 5 are applied by means of solder balls LK. Underneath the micromechanical pressure sensor chip 5, an underfill U is provided, which serves for mechanical stabilization. The two chips 3, 5 are packed in a molded package 8 consisting of molding compound or pressing compound. The membrane region M of the pressure sensor chip 5 is kept free of underfill U, because an opening L is provided in the substrate at the corresponding position. As can be seen from FIG. 9b, the underfill U forms a meniscus MIN between the edge on the opening L and the micromechanical pressure sensor chip 5, which leads to an increased space requirement.

Semiconductor component and corresponding production method


A demand response (DR) method or a demand response (DR) system determines priority of each household appliance in response to a quality status of each household appliance, and variably controls a DR level of each household appliance according to the priority of each household appliance, to guarantee the quality of the household appliance and minimize power consumption.

1. Field
Embodiments relate to a demand response method for reducing power consumption during peak power rates so as to reduce electricity bills, and a system for the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, it is necessary for a power system to balance demand and supply. This requirement of the power system is important to rational utilization of limited energy resources.
For the aforementioned purposes, demand management is a focus of attention, and a great deal of research is focused upon development of demand management formats for demand response (DR).
Demand response (DR) is a system for intelligently managing energy consumption depending upon variation in power rates. That is, demand response (DR) means the adjustment of power consumption in response to power rates so as to reduce electricity bills. As a result, power consumption during peak rate periods can be greatly reduced. Consumers can reduce power consumption during a specific time interval of high power rates even if the consumers are inconvenienced during the specific time interval. For example, the consumer may temporarily stop an air-conditioner so as to reduce power consumption when power rates are high.
Recently, many developers are conducting intensive research into an improved demand response (DR) system which changes a DR level predetermined to each household appliance to differentially limit functions of household appliances in response to power rate level information, thereby adjusting power consumption of each household appliance. In more detail, the improved DR system increases the DR level in proportion to power rates so as to further limit functions of the household appliances, thereby reducing power consumption. The DR system reduces power consumption instead of reducing a quality of household appliance, resulting in economization of power rates.
However, the conventional DR system changes a DR level of the household appliance in response to power rates without considering the quality of the household appliance. That is, the conventional DR system increases the DR level when power rates are high and reduces the DR level when power rates are low. As a result, the quality of the household appliance may be deteriorated.

Demand response method and demand response system


A method is disclosed and apparatus is described whereby plain text is modified before it is input to a binary key generator (encryptor). According to the invention, a plain text bit may be modified by a current modifying bit, which in turn, is based on a prior modifying bit, a prior plain text bit, and a prior ciphered text bit. The only data path provided to the transmitter is the encrypted key generator cipher text output. As a result, the only feed-foward path of the plain text to the channel is through the key generator, and thus the fault-immune physical barrier between the plain text and the cipher information inherent with the key generator is maintained. The invention provides a way of utilizing conventional binary key generators to digitally encrypt for radio transmission multilevel sub-band coded speech.

Binary encryption devices for encrypting digital information, or key generators, are known. As is known, such key generators are typically used to encode plain text, such as a user's digitally coded speech, and to transmit the resulting ciphered text over a channel. Internally, a typical key generator generates a synchronized psuedo random stream of bits based on a key which are individually combined with the input plain text bits. Often this is done with an EXCLUSIVE OR gate. The resulting bit stream is output as ciphered text. Means of synchronizing these devices are well known and are not addressed in this specification.
Also known are various types of information coding. One of these used for efficiently coding speech for transmission over radio is multilevel sub-band coding (MSBC). In addition to various data overhead, MSBC produces output having n-bit samples whose magnitudes are algorithmically obtained from original speech input and maintain a proportionally to some characteristic (e.g. voltage, energy, etc.) of the processed speech. In an MSBC word, the individual bits are ordered in a monotonically increasing fashion, the least significant bit coming first, the most significant bit coming last. The most desirable approach to providing digitally secure encryption of these samples (while maintaining MSBC's advantageous spectral efficiency, robustness to radio channel impairments, and speech quality) is to perform sample masking on each individual MSBC word. Therefore, encrypting these samples requires adding a pseudo random n-bit vector in a modulo 2.sup.n -1 fashion.
Currently available key generators for digital encryption are designed for the encryption of binary data only. These key generators are not capable of performing the necessary modulo addition of the random data with the MSBC plain text information.
Several techniques have previously been suggested. One approach is to feed the ciphered output of the key generator (using a fixed input value as the plain text input) as well as the MSBC plain text samples to an additional external adder circuit whose output would then be transmitted on the channel. The problem with this approach is that the external adder circuit contains both plain and cipher text information and provides the path of data to the transmitter. This results in an arrangement being viewed as somewhat "less secure" than having the key generator, which has specially designed output latches and fault detection circuitry provide an exclusive barrier between the plain text and the channel.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a means to perform sample masked encryption using a binary encryptor that would permit the binary key generator output alone to provide the transmitter data.