A sound-absorbing member has a Helmholtz resonance structure including an inlet passage and a hollow portion connected to the outside through the inlet passage, wherein the sound-absorbing member includes a first layer and a second layer disposed on the first layer, the first layer includes a first main surface and a second main surface opposite to the first main surface, the second layer includes a third main surface facing the second main surface and a fourth main surface opposite to the third main surface, the first layer includes a first through-hole penetrating through the second main surface from the first main surface and defining the inlet passage, the second main surface includes a second main surface opening defining an end portion of the first through-hole and a second main surface flat portion, the third main surface includes a third main surface opening defining an end portion of the hollow portion and a third main surface flat portion, the second main surface opening has an opening area smaller than the opening area of the third main surface opening, and a first air layer is formed at least at a portion between the second main surface flat portion and the third main surface flat portion.

Vehicles such as automobiles include power sources such as engines. Such vehicles are machines that can be moved by the user's operation, and generate various vibrations and noises. Sounds transferred to the interior of the vehicle include not only sounds generated by the power source but also sounds such as road noise, tire pattern noise, and wind noise generated outside of the vehicle during driving. These sounds transferred to the interior of the vehicle make people feel unpleasant, so that soundproofing measures are taken using a sound insulator and/or a sound-absorbing member in or around an engine, engine room, interior, body, exhaust pipe, or the like.
Along with an improvement in automobile technology, new soundproofing measures are required for automobiles. For example, one of the measures to improve the fuel economy of automobiles includes lowering the center of gravity and the minimum ground clearance of an automobile. Lowering the center of gravity of the automobile can improve the vehicle stability and operability, and lowering the minimum ground clearance can reduce the air resistance. Yet, lowering the minimum ground clearance of the automobile increases the viscosity of air flowing between the vehicle and the ground during driving. In such a case, presumably, noise generated from the ground during driving, such as tire pattern noise (noise in the frequency range of 500 to 3000 Hz, also simply referred to as "pattern noise"), is less likely to reflect or diffuse around the area below the vehicle body, increasing the level of sound that enters the vehicle interior. Similar problems can also occur in the case of electric vehicles.
Thus, when the center of gravity and the minimum ground clearance of an automobile are lowered to improve the fuel economy of the automobile, noise that conventionally diffused to the outside of the automobile may be transferred to the driver and/or passenger(s) in the automobile. In particular, these noises are considered to easily enter from the bottom of a lower portion of the luggage compartment (underfloor space) in the back of the vehicle where the accommodation space is arranged. These noises include a noise in a frequency range of 500 to 2000 Hz which makes people feel unpleasant. Thus, a countermeasure is required.
Patent Literature 1 discloses a sound-absorbing member including multiple resonance chambers in flexible porous foam obtained by foam molding, wherein each resonance chamber includes an inlet passage that opens to one side of the flexible porous foam and a hollow portion formed in the back of the inlet passage and having a cross-sectional area larger than that of the inlet passage.
Patent Literature 2 discloses a sound absorption and insulation structure including a sound-absorbing member and a resin molded article having multiple independent blind cavities each having an opening in the front or back surface of the resin molded article, wherein the sound absorption and insulation structure has a specific resonant sound absorption peak frequency in the range of 100 Hz to 10 kHz.

Sound absorption member, vehicle component, and automobile


An inverter apparatus according to one embodiment includes switching elements and freewheel diodes which are connected to a direct-current power supply, a temperature detector provided near at least one of the switching elements, and a temperature estimation unit. The temperature estimation unit estimates temperatures of switching elements not provided with the temperature detector, based on an estimated-temperature increase value calculated by a loss model of the switching elements and freewheel diode and others, and a temperature of the switching element detected by the temperature detector.

An electric motor is used in a hybrid car in combination with an engine or in an electric car which is driven only by an electric motor. When the electric motor is driven, an inverter is used to obtain desired torque and frequency. The inverter is built in a car and is demanded to achieve high power at high integration density to ensure a passenger space.
Depending on driving environments of a car, an operation temperature of the inverter greatly changes. Particularly in a hybrid car, the inverter has a high temperature under influence of heat generation of an engine. Switching elements in the inverter have a risk that the temperature increases under influence of constant loss due to a current through the switching elements themselves and switching loss due to switching on/off, in addition to influence of such an environmental temperature, and a breakdown may occur when a certain temperature is exceeded.
To avoid breakdown of the switching elements, the temperatures of the switching elements need to be detected for protection. Since temperature detection can be performed with high accuracy by using an on-chip sensor in which a diode is assembled in an element, such a sensor is mounted on an inverter for a hybrid car. Since the on-chip sensor has a high electric potential, temperature information needs to be transferred to a micro-controller (hereinafter abbreviated as mi-con) through an insulating circuit. In an inverter on which at least six switching elements are mounted, a plurality of insulating circuits are required to detect temperatures of all the switching elements. A board area increases and may cause an inverter capacity to increase.
To solve problems as described above, a method can be considered in which temperature detection is performed only partially on several of the switching elements and temperatures of the other switching elements are estimated. There has been disclosed a method in which one or more switching element temperatures are detected and a temperature of a switching element having a maximum temperature is estimated from thermal transfer models of IGBT modules.
According to a conventional method, loss models of switching elements and thermal transfer models belong to a steady state. In transition to a state in which a current concentrates only on a part of the switching elements, e.g., when a motor is locked or rotates at a low frequency, a switching element which has a maximum temperature can not steadily be specified, and switching element temperatures can not accurately be estimated, either. In addition, thermal transfer models are constructed on the basis of estimated temperature values of switching elements existing around a switching element which is estimated to have the maximum temperature. Therefore, when a basing switching element temperature includes an error, an estimation error concerning the switching element temperature indicating the maximum temperature increases.
The embodiments have been made to solve problems as described above, and have an object of reducing the number of components forming an inverter apparatus and reducing a board space by accurately estimating temperatures of the other switching elements, based on a temperature detected from one switching element, whatever state an operation mode of the inverter is in.


A heterojunction bipolar transistor includes a tungsten layer formed on a base layer. An insulating sidewall is formed on the base layer and along a vertical wall of an emitter layer formed on the base layer. An end of the tungsten layer faces a base-emitter heterojunction through the sidewall.

The present invention generally relates to a heterojunction bipolar transistor and a method of producing the same. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a narrow band gap base type heterojunction bipolar transistor and a method of producing the same.
Recently, heterojunction bipolar transistors of two different types have been proposed, one of which is a wide band gap emitter type heterojunction bipolar transistor, and the other of which is a narrow band gap base type heterojunction bipolar transistor. In the wide band gap emitter type of heterojunction bipolar transistor, the emitter is formed of a material having a band gap wider than that of silicon. In the narrow band gap base type of heterojunction bipolar transistor, the base is formed of a material having a band gap narrower than that of silicon, such as silicon-germanium (SiGe). The present invention is directed to the latter type. Hereinafter, a heterojunction bipolar transistor is simply referred to as an HBT for the sake of simplicity.
FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of a conventional narrow band gap base type HBT having a SiGe base. The illustrated HBT includes an n-type silicon collector layer 1, a p-type silicon-germanium base layer 2, an n-type silicon emitter layer 3, an insulating layer 4 formed of silicon oxide (SiO.sub.2), a base electrode 2B and an emitter electrode 3E. A collector electrode to be formed on the collector layer 1 is omitted for convenience' sake. The base layer 2 is grown on the collector layer 1 by a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) process or a rapid thermal epitaxy process. Then the emitter layer 3 is grown on the base layer 2 in the same process as the base layer 2. A heterojunction is formed at an interface between the base layer 2 and the emitter layer 3. Since the base layer 2 is formed of SiGe, the band gap of the base layer 2 is narrower than that of the collector layer 1 formed of silicon, so that a high current transfer ratio (h.sub.FE) can be obtained. Additionally, an impurity can be contained in the base layer 2 at a high concentration so that the base resistance can be reduced and higher operational speed can be obtained. In addition to the above-mentioned reasons, the fact that the n-type emitter layer 3 does not contain a different type impurity (p-type impurity) contributes to an increase of the current transfer ratio (h.sub.FE) and makes it possible to operate at low temperatures.
In the layer structure shown in FIG. 1, the emitter layer 3 is electrically coupled to the base electrode 2B through a long length of the base layer 2. In addition, conventionally, the base layer 2 is as thin as 1000 angstroms. For these reasons, the base resistance is large, which prevents the HBT from operating at high speeds.
It is noted that Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 63-138773 discloses a wide band gap emitter type HBT and teaches that the base electrode is positioned as close to the base-emitter junction as possible in order to reduce the base resistance. The proposed layer structure is effective in the wide band gap emitter type. However, there is room for improvement in reduction of base resistance. Additionally, a process of producing the proposed layer structure is complex.

Method of producing heterojunction bipolar transistor having narrow band gap base type


Automatic pear processing machine, performing the operations of singularizing the pears, picking them up from a container (2), peeling and coring them, and separating the edible parts, wherein the improvement consists, besides other things, in providing elements (14, 25, 26, 27, 20) allowing to immediately reject pears of irregular form, which would necessarily lead to waste material, and moreover, in providing holes (46, 53) of very small diameters, on the blades (44, 45) used for cutting the pears into segments. The holes (46, 43) of very small diameter, or xe2x80x9cmicroholesxe2x80x9d, allow to inject a fluid, so as to ensure the detachment of the core from both halves of the pears, and the detachment of these parts from the blades (44, 45).

The present invention relates to an automatic industrial machine suited to process pears, so that the latter may be conserved and/or utilised in order to prepare fruit-salads or other confectionery products, ice-creams, or other foods.
The Italian patent No. 1296742, corresponding to the application PCT/IT98/00286 which was filed on Oct. 16, 1998, (both to the same applicant A.B.L. s.r.l.), teaches that during automatic processing of pears, the latter must first be fed and oriented, and later on peeled, cored, and cut into segments.
It is well known that the pears, in order to be processed automatically, must be divided up into groups (xe2x80x9ccalibrationxe2x80x9d) with dimensions lying between a minimum and a maximum value. Moreover, it is known that notwithstanding this subdivision, any lot of pears to be processed inevitably includes a percentage of pears which, due to:
incorrect orientation,
shape irregularity,
different degree of ripening,
other unforeseeable effects,
is spoilt and therefore irremediably discarded, thereby obtaining at the end of the process, a percentage of edible product which depends on the variable percentage of product which becomes unusable. Furthermore, it is known that in the final step of the processing cycle, consisting in the removal (xe2x80x9cseed cellingxe2x80x9d) of the central core from the edible segments, a further product waste is generated, due to the difficulty in ensuring this removal; moreover, it is known that a further waste percentage is caused by an irregular and non uniform peeling.
A main objectxe2x80x94but not the only objectxe2x80x94of the present invention, is to separate from the other pears, by recovering them, all pears which do not correspond to a predefined size, which are irregular in shape, or which are not correctly oriented.
Another object of the present invention is to ensure the detachment that is the separation, of the core from the edible parts.
A further object is to ensure a concentric coring with respect to the woody and cartilaginous part of the pear, and a regular and uniform peeling as well.
Still a further object of the present invention is to allow also the processing of pears which are somewhat ripe and delicate, without spoiling them.
These and further objects are attained with a machine according to the present invention, comprising several processing stations, wherein in each of these stations there is performed a processing step following the preceding one, said steps including feeding, orientation, peeling, and final cutting into segments; the machine being characterised in that it comprises: a device suited to xe2x80x9creadxe2x80x9d the orientation and deformity of the pear, in order to stop the pear or, otherwise, allow continuation of its processing; a device which discharges pears which cannot be processed, onto a conveyor belt or into a hopper, so as to allow their recovery; a positioning device, for accurately positioning the pears before peeling; a pear feeder, which ensures the presence of a single, horizontally arranged pear, in a precise reference position; a rotary pneumatic distributor, suited to feed compressed air to air cylinders used to actuate a plurality of pear centering pliers; a device for coring and cutting the pear into segments, provided with holes of very small diameter, which allow to safely separate the core from the edible parts after the cutting operation has been performed; a cam, which imparts to a peeling mill a movement corresponding to the pear contour; a knockout device of the xe2x80x9ccarrotxe2x80x9d, which comprises the flower and stem of the pear, said device being actuated by compressed air during the expulsion, and giving rise to a negative pressure for the return to the starting position.


A time period for cleaning performed to remove a deposit formed within a chamber main body can be reduced. A plasma processing method including the cleaning of an inside of the chamber main body of a plasma processing apparatus is provided. The method includes etching including a main etching of etching an etching target film of a processing target object placed on a stage in a low temperature by generating plasma of a processing gas containing a fluorocarbon gas and/or a hydrofluorocarbon gas; carrying-out the processing target object from a chamber; and cleaning the inside of the chamber main body by generating plasma of a cleaning gas in a state that a temperature of an electrostatic chuck is set to be high.

In the manufacture of an electronic device such as a semiconductor device, an etching target film of a processing target object is etched by plasma etching. In the plasma etching, the processing target object is placed on an electrostatic chuck of a stage provided within a chamber main body of a plasma processing apparatus. Then, a processing gas is supplied into a chamber, and plasma is generated as the processing gas is excited.
The etching target film to be etched in the plasma etching may be, for example, a silicon oxide film, a silicon nitride film, or a multilayered film composed of these films. In the plasma etching of the etching target film such as the silicon oxide film, the silicon nitride film or the multilayered film of these films, a processing gas containing either or both of a fluorocarbon gas and a hydrofluorocarbon gas is used. For example, described in Patent Document 1 is a technique of etching a silicon oxide film by plasma of a processing gas containing a fluorocarbon gas.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. H10-116822
In the plasma etching of the etching target film such as the silicon oxide film, the silicon nitride film or the multilayered film of these films, if a temperature of the processing target object is low, an etching rate of the etching target film tends to be increased. Accordingly, the plasma etching may be performed in a state that the electrostatic chuck and the processing target object are set to a low temperature. If the plasma etching using the processing gas containing either or both of the fluorocarbon gas and the hydrofluorocarbon gas is performed, a deposit is formed within the chamber main body, e.g., on an inner wall surface of the chamber main body and the stage. Therefore, it is required to clean the inside of the chamber main body prior to performing the plasma etching on an etching target film of another processing target object after the plasma etching on the etching target film of the previous processing target object is finished. It is desirable that a cleaning time is short as a long cleaning time may cause a reduction of a throughput of a plasma processing in the plasma processing apparatus.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Plasma processing method including cleaning of inside of chamber main body of plasma processing apparatus


A wireless relay apparatus is provided. The wireless relay apparatus includes a telephone module configured to couple with a public switched telephone network (PSTN) to receive a telephone call, and a wireless module coupled to the telephone module to process the telephone call and configured to wirelessly connect to a mobile terminal such that the telephone call is forwarded to the mobile terminal over a short-range wireless link. Further, the wireless module is configured to operate in one of a transparent mode and a translation mode so as to exchange voice data with the mobile terminal.

The quality for indoor cellular communication is often poor due to signal attenuation by building walls and windows. Common solutions include increasing the outdoor base station output power in the downlink and increasing the number of base stations, or increasing output power of mobile terminals. However, these methods increase radiation and cause electromagnetic pollution.
Other solutions such as Femtocell have also been developed. A Femtocell is a small cellular base station typically designed for use in a home or small business. The Femtocell communicates with mobile terminals over the same cellular bandwidth on one side and communicates to operator's networks through land-line broadband IP connections on the other side. However, Femtocell base stations are often complex, difficult to manage, and expensive, and are also often not portable.
The disclosed methods and systems are directed to solve one or more problems set forth above and other problems.

Short-range wireless relay method and system

Shenzhen Cloud Communication Epoch Sci-Tech Ltd


On an inner peripheral surface defining a through hole of a first rotator, provided is a positioning member for bringing the center axis of a contact tip, housed in the through hole, into alignment with a rotational axis, or making the former axis proximate to the latter axis, by coming into contact with an outer peripheral surface of the contact tip.

The present disclosure relates to a rotary changer configured to replace a nozzle or contact tip attached to a tip end portion of the torch body of a welding torch for use in arc welding.
Rotary changer assemblies for replacing torch components automatically and efficiently have been known in the art. Examples of such torch components include cylindrical nozzles and contact tip bars attached to a tip end portion of a welding torch for use in arc welding. A rotary changer assembly of this type is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-192345.
The rotary changer assembly includes a plurality of changers, each having a recess that opens at the top. Each of those changers is designed to be driven in rotation on a vertically extending rotational axis by a drive motor and a gear meshing mechanism. To remove the torch component from the torch body, the torch component is inserted into the recess with the changer kept rotating, thereby getting the recess interlocked with the torch component and rotating the torch component along with the changer to allow the torch component to be removed from the torch body. Meanwhile, to attach the torch component to the torch body, the torch component is placed in the changer such that its tip end faces downward and the torch body is gradually moved downward with the changer kept rotating. In this manner, the torch component is attached onto the tip end portion of the torch body.
While the torch component is being attached onto, or removed from, the torch body, misalignment of the center axis of the torch component with the rotation center axis of the changer would possibly cause deformation or damage to the torch body or the torch component.
Thus, to avoid such a situation, the rotary changer assembly of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-192345 provides a guide plate over the changer. The guide plate has a tapered insertion hole with a downwardly decreasing diameter, which is arranged to face the top opening of the changer. The rotary changer assembly is designed to bring the center axis of the torch component into alignment with the rotation center axis of the changer, or at least make the former axis proximate to the latter, when the torch component is inserted into the insertion hole from over the changer.
Providing such a guide plate over the changer as is done in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-192345, however, would make the changer assembly bulky in the direction in which the rotation center axis of the changer extends.
The present disclosure provides a rotary changer having its size reduced in the direction in which the rotation center axis of its rotator, on/from which a torch component is going to be attached or removed, extends.


Energetic nitramine containing cyclotriphosphazene which include 1,1,3,3,-tris-spiro(N,N'-dinitroethylenediamino)cyclotriphosphazene, 1,1-spiro(ethylenediamino)-3,3,5,5-bis-spiro(N,N'-dinitroethylenediamino)c yclotriphosphazene, 1,1,3,3-bis-spiro(N,N'-dinitroethylenediamino)-5,5-dichlorocyclotriphospha zene, 1,1,3,3-bis-spiro(N,N'-dinitroethylenediamino)-5,5-difluorocyclotriphospha zene, 1,1-spiro(N,N'-dinitroethylenediamino)-3,3,5,5-bis-spiro(ethylenediamino)c yclotriphosphazene, 1,1-spiro(ethylenediamino)-3,3-spiro(N,N'-dinitroethylenediamino)-5,5-dich lorocyclotriphosphazene, 1,1-spiro(ethylenediamino)-3,3-spiro(N,N'-dinitroethylenediamino)-5,5-difl uorocyclotriphosphazene, 1,1-spiro(N,N'-dinitroethylenediamino)-3,3,5,5-tetrachlorocyclotriphosphaz ene, and 1,1-spiro(N,N'-dinitroethylenediamino)-3,3,5,5-tetrafluorocyclotriphosphaz ene, which can be used in explosive compositions.

This invention relates to explosives and more particularly to energetic nitramine compounds for use in explosives.
Conventionally nitramine explosive compounds are carbon based. If some of the carbon can be replaced with heavier elements, higher density materials with higher detonation pressures and velocities may result. Additionally, such compounds might have reduced sensitivities. It would also be desirable to develop such compounds which also serve as energetic oxidizers.

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


The invention concerns a device for producing hot water comprising at least one burner (13) arranged to produce rapid combustion inside the combustion chamber. The combustion chamber consists of a sealed container (14) delimiting an internal volume separated from the water so as to allow dry combustion. Said container (14) is immersed in a water section (12) and it is extended by at least one smoke gas diffuser (15) diffusing the smoke gases above the water section within a mass of water showered by spraying means (10). A layer of nodules (11) can be interposed on the path of the smoke gases and the sprayed water so as to increase the thermal exchange generated, by direct contact between the smoke gases and the water spray, and by conduction between container (14) and water section (12). The invention enables to achieve excellent thermal efficiency levels while producing smoke gases with a reduced CO ratio.

Conventional devices for producing hot water comprise a (generally tubular) exchanger wherein the water to be heated circulates in order to transfer calories through an exchange wall. The main drawback of these exchange circuit devices lies in the poor heat transfer efficiency level.
A new type of device for producing hot water, referred to as direct contact device, has appeared in the past ten years, wherein the water to be heated is sprayed and flows through the combustion chamber so that the exchange occurs directly without any interposed exchange wall; this type of direct contact device is characterized in that the combustion chamber is wide open so as to allow direct contact between the flame and the sprayed water. In this new type of device, a layer of transfer nodules is most often arranged on the path of the smoke gases in order to ensure more complete heat transfer. An excellent transfer efficiency is thus obtained, that can be illustrated by the outlet temperature of the smoke gases which exceeds the temperature of the hot water obtained by a few degrees only (of the order of 5 to 10.degree. C.). External hot gases are sometimes recovered and used as an additional heat input.
These direct contact devices are described in particular in the following patents U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,708, U.S. Pat. No. 4,574,775, U.S. Pat. No. 5,293,861, EP-0,082,139. It can be noted that this recent hot water production technique by direct contact had already been proposed in a very ancient U.S. patent (U.S. Pat. No. 884,223 delivered on Apr. 7, 1908) which describes a gas ramp C arranged at the base of an open combustion chamber E above which the water to be heated trickles.
Direct contact devices such as those described for example in patents GB-2,129,916 and EP-0,387,983 allow to reach remarkable transfer efficiency levels but they have several drawbacks. The most serious one, which considerably limits the development thereof, lies in the very high carbon monoxide ratio observed in the smoke gases produced by this type of device. This ratio, generally of the order of 500 to 700 ppm, remains, in the best case, above 150 to 200 ppm, which exceeds the ratios authorized by most standards (housing: ratio below 100 ppm in France). Another drawback of these devices comes from the very high temperature of the walls delimiting the combustion chamber (temperature of the order of 800.degree. to 900.degree. close to that of the flame): these walls, situated in an air/sprayed water/steam atmosphere, undergo great corrosion stresses; they can be equipped with cooling circuits, but this considerably increases the complexity and the cost of the device.


This invention is related to a mechanism for use in a rocker recliner chair that reduces the complexity and links of typical linkage mechanisms. The rocker recliner chair includes a base, a rocker cam assembly mounted on the base, a seat, a footrest, a backrest and a pair of linkage mechanisms mounted on opposite sides of the chair. Each of the linkage mechanisms includes a recliner mechanism, a drive mechanism, and a footrest mechanism. The recliner mechanism is coupled to the base. The drive mechanism includes an ottoman drive bell crank and an ottoman drive link. The ottoman drive bell crank is coupled to a rear portion of the recliner mechanism. The ottoman drive link couples the ottoman drive bell crank to the footrest mechanism. The footrest mechanism is connected to the recliner mechanism by a footrest extension linkage. The footrest extension linkage serves to unlock the footrest mechanism thereby allowing the weight of the user, along with the drive mechanism, to move the chair from the chair position to the recliner position.

This invention relates to a recliner mechanism for a rocker recliner chair, and more particularly to a drive mechanism for a rocker recliner chair that is capable of moving the chair from a closed position to an open, reclined position, then to a fully reclined position.
Rocker recliners are generally well known in the furniture industry. Typically, rocker recliners are chairs with extendable footrests that allow the user to recline. Rocker recliner chairs usually contain a linkage mechanism comprised of a footrest mechanism, a recliner mechanism, and a drive mechanism. A rocker recliner chair typically has three positions in use: a closed, stowed position, an open, reclining position, and a fully-reclined position. The drive mechanism operates to move the footrest mechanism and the recliner mechanism between these three positions. When the footrest and recliner mechanisms are in the closed/stowed position, the chair is allowed to rock back-and-forth like a typical rocking chair. However, when the footrest and recliner mechanisms are in either the open, reclining position or the fully-reclined position, a portion of the drive mechanism contacts the base and prevents the chair from rocking back and forth. Currently, a number of different link configurations are used in the drive mechanism for moving the rocker recliner chair between the three positions. The linkage configurations that are currently in use involve complex mechanisms with an extremely high number of links and connections. The high number of links and connections results in a drive mechanism with a large number of moving parts. The high number of moving parts translates into greatly increased maintenance costs and production costs, namely; high machining costs, material costs, and assembly costs.
Thus, while rocker recliner linkage mechanisms are known, there remains a need for an improved drive mechanism for a rocker recliner that achieves the same function with a reduced number of moving parts and connections for ease of operation and decreased production costs.

Recliner drive mechanism for a rocker chair


A method including: forming a stack of resistive layers; prior to or subsequent to forming the stack of resistive layers, forming a conductive layer; applying a mask layer on the stack of resistive layers or the conductive layer; forming a first spacer on the mask layer; and etching away a first portion of the mask layer using the first spacer as a first mask to provide a remainder. The method further includes: forming a second spacer on the stack of the resistive layers or the conductive layer and the remainder of the mask layer; etching away a second portion of the remainder of the mask layer to form an island; and using the island as a second mask, etching the stack of the resistive layers to form a resistive element of a memory, and etching the conductive layer to form a conductive element of the memory.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent the work is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Random access memory (RAM) is a form of computer data storage in which data stored in a random access device can be accessed directly in any random order. There are various types of RAM including resistive random access memory (RRAM). FIGS. 1-2 show a resistive random access memory (RRAM) 10 that includes an array 12 of memory cells provided by resistive elements 14. The resistive elements 14 may be accessed by access devices 16. The access devices 16 may include, for example, complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) transistors, bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), diodes, etc. Each of the resistive elements 14 has a corresponding conductive element 18 (e.g., a via or a contact). Each resistive element 14 may be referred to as a stack and include a first (or bottom) electrode 20, a variable resistive layer 22, a gettering layer 24, and a second (or top) electrode 26. The variable resistive layers 22 may include, for example, a transitional metal oxide. The gettering layers 24 may include, for example, a reactive metal. The conductive elements 18 are implemented as conductive layers on the stacks 14. The conductive elements 18 may be disposed between (i) the access devices 16 and (ii) the stacks 14. Alternatively, the conductive elements 18 may be disposed on an opposite side of the stacks 14 as the access devices 16. Two or more of the conductive elements 18 may be connected to each other by upper level interconnections (a single interconnection 30 is shown).
Traditionally, the resistive elements 14 and the conductive elements 18 are patterned using miniaturization methods, such as electron-beam lithography or extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, which include the use of a photoresist. These methods employ low-throughput techniques, which include separately patterning the resistive elements 14 and conductive elements 18 using respective masks and etching processes. The methods result in element misalignment and element mismatching between the resistive elements 14 and the conductive elements 18.
Element misalignment refers to lateral misalignment between a conductive element and a resistive element, as shown by misalignment difference X in FIG. 1. Element mismatching refers to differences in shapes and edges of a conductive element and a corresponding resistive element. Due to the lithography techniques used, the resistive elements 14 and the conductive elements 18 have (i) rough and/or jagged edges, and (ii) contact surfaces with different shapes. For example, first contact surfaces 32 of the resistive elements 14 have a different shape than second contact surfaces 34 of the conductive elements 18. Thus, the first contact surfaces 32 do not match the second contact surfaces 34. The different shapes of the resistive elements 14 and the conductive elements 18 are represented in FIG. 1 by squares for the resistive elements 14 and by circles for the conductive elements 18. The actual shapes of the resistive elements 14 and the conductive elements 18 may be different and are typically irregular. The element misalignment and element mismatching increases resistances associated with the resistive elements 14 and the conductive elements 18 and can negatively affect performance of the RRAM 10.

Resistive random access memory and method for controlling manufacturing of corresponding sub-resolution features of conductive and resistive elements


In an optical assembly having a light source which provides two optically different light components with essentially planar wavefronts on an optical axis, wherein the light components differ at least in their wavelength; in the case of an objective lens which projects the two optically different light components into a projection space; and in the case of an optical component which is arranged on the optical axis and has an plane through which the wavefronts of the two light components pass and in which at least two different areas of the optical component with different dispersion behaviors n(λ) abut against one another in the lateral direction with respect to the optical axis; the optical component causes phase shifts of the wavefronts of the two light components, wherein the phase shift of the wavefronts of the one light component differs by at least one quarter of the wavelength of that light component between the two different areas, and wherein the phase shift of the wavefronts of the other light component does not differ between the two different areas, such that an intensity distribution of the one light component in the projection space by interference with itself differs from an intensity distribution of the other light component in the projection space.

It is known in so-called STED fluorescence optical microscopy for a sample which has first of all been excited to fluoresce by means of excitation light to be deexcited again with deexcitation light down to a spatially tightly bounded area before the detection of fluorescence light which is emitted spontaneously from the sample. If this area is the null of an interference pattern of the deexcitation light and the intensity of the deexcitation light is high, it is possible to reduce the spatial dimensions of this area from which the spontaneously emitted fluorescence light can exclusively originate below the diffraction limit for the wavelength of the light being used. This results in a considerable increase in the spatial resolution for imaging of the sample by means of the spontaneously emitted fluorescence light.
The interference pattern of the deexcitation light is frequently produced with the aid of a phase filter or spatial light modulator, by means of which incident planar phase fronts of the deexcitation light are deliberately deformed. For example, the phase fronts can thus be delayed in a central area close to the optical axis, in comparison to the phase fronts in the periphery. During focusing of the deexcitation light, this results in an interference pattern with a null at the focus point, which null, in the direction of the optical axis, lies between two main maxima of the light intensity distribution and on the focal plane within a ring of weak intensity. Another doughnut-shaped interference pattern with a null line along the optical axis through the focus point can be achieved by providing the incident planar wavefronts of the deexcitation light with a phase delay which rises in a helical shape about the optical axis up to a wavelength of the deexcitation light.
In known STED microscopes, the deexcitation light whose phase fronts have been distorted in this way is combined with the excitation light and is directed into an objective lens which focuses both the excitation light and the deexcitation light into the respective sample and also receives fluorescence light coming from the sample (see for example the published German patent application DE 10 2005 020 003 A1). The fluorescence light from the sample can in this case pass back in a known manner essentially on the same path as that over which the excitation light previously passed. The excitation light can thus pass through a pinhole in order to image a point light source in the sample by means of the objective lens, and the fluorescence light from the sample can pass back through a conjugate pinhole, after separation of the excitation light by means of a wavelength-selective beam splitter, thus resulting in a so-called confocal arrangement. One advantage in this case is that all the changes to the optical assembly between the pinhole and the sample affects the excitation light and the fluorescence light in the same way. However, this involves major adjustment effort, in order to coaxially align the beam paths of the excitation light on the one hand and of the deexcitation light on the other hand accurately with respect to one another.
A similar problem occurs in RESOLFT fluorescence optical microscopy, in which the basic state of a fluorescent dye in a sample is first of all depopulated with depopulation light down to a spatially closely confined area before the sample is excited to fluoresce by means of excitation light, in order to detect fluorescence light from the sample. When the spatially closely confined area is the null of an interference pattern of the depopulation light, and the intensity of the depopulation light is high, it is possible to reduce the spatial dimensions of this area, from which the fluorescence light can exclusively originate, below the diffraction limit at the wavelength of the light being used. In this case, this also means a considerable increase in the spatial resolution for imaging of the sample by the fluorescence light. In RESOLFT fluorescence light microscopy, the depopulation light and the excitation light, which may be at the same wavelength, can be combined onto a common optical axis.
In addition to the already mentioned spatial light modulator, the described aberrations of planar wavefronts of the deexcitation light can be effected by phase filters (see for example DE 10 2006 011 556 A1), phase delay elements, e.g. deposited onto a plane-parallel glass plate, or can be produced by a stepped glass plate or a helical glass plate, which is referred to as a phase clock.
Although the use of so-called spatial light modulators is advantageous to the extent that fronts of any desired shape can in theory be generated; it is found, however, that the beam quality is adversely affected by spatial light modulators independently of the applied modulation of the phase shift.
In the case of optical components with phase delay elements and/or stepped or helical thickness, no adverse effect on the deexcitation light passing through can admittedly be expected, apart from the desired variation of the phase fronts, but these components are only suitable for deexcitation light in a narrow wavelength range.
This also applies to a phase filter which applies to linear phase ramps in opposite senses to the light passing through, and which is known from G.-H. Kim, J.-H. Jeon, K.-H. Ko, H.-J. Moon, J.-H. Lee and J.-S. Chang, "Optical vortices produced with a nonspiral phase plate", Appl. Opt. 36, 8614-8621 (1997).
EP 1 662 296 A1 describes an optical assembly having the features of the preamble of patent claim 1, in which the two light components have different polarization such that the wavefronts of the one light component are deformed by a spatial light modulator, while the wavefronts of the other light component pass through a spatial light modulator without being deformed. The beam paths of the two light components, for example of the excitation light and of the deexcitation light in the case of a STED fluorescence optical microscope, therefore need not be separated. The known adverse effects on the beam quality caused by a spatial light modulator occur in both light components in this case, however.
There is therefore still a requirement for an optical assembly in which, for example, the adjustment effort for the combination of the deexcitation light and of the excitation light in an STED fluorescence optical microscope or the depopulation light and the excitation light in an RESOLFT fluorescence optical microscope can be reduced considerably without any adverse effects on the beam quality.

Wavelength or polarization sensitive optical assembly and use thereof

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e.V.


An information article that includes a holographic film layer having at least some complementary or representative indicia formed in the holographic film layer, a first high-opacity blocking layer having at least one aperture formed by a void in the first high-opacity blocking layer, a second high-opacity blocking layer having at least one aperture formed by a void in the second high-opacity blocking layer, a first substantially clear laminate layer, wherein a primary indicia is populated on a top side of the clear laminate layer, wherein the primary indicia corresponds to or is represented by the complementary or representative indicia, wherein the complementary or representative indicia is laser ablated within the structure of the information article, and wherein the primary indicia is in close, tight, exact, or proximate registration with the complementary or representative indicia.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates generally to a multi-layered information article incorporating the LaserLoc technology of the present invention (a LaserLoc information article). More specifically, the present invention relates to a process for incorporating one or more variable or fixed types of ablated information within a multi-layered LaserLoc information article and a LaserLoc information article product.
2. Description of Related Art
It is important to be able to authenticate originally issued documents and to readily distinguish authentic documents from counterfeit documents. It is generally known to use various specialty papers, color change inks, or micro-printing in the creation of certain authentic documents.
Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles, or the like, which has been included in the present specification is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present disclosure as it existed before the priority date of each claim of this application.

Information article having populated and laser ablated indicia in registration


An automatic transmission excelling in transmission efficiency than the prior art is provided. The automatic transmission is equipped with an input shaft 2 and an output shaft 3 and a plurality of planetary gear mechanisms 5, 6. Any one element Sa of a plurality of the planetary gear mechanisms 5, 6 is coupled to the input shaft 2. One element Ca is coupled to the output shaft 3 via the first gear row G1. One element Rb is connected to the output shaft 3 via a second gear row G2 having a gear ratio different from that of the first gear row G1. Five or more engagement mechanisms C1 through C3, B1, B2 for coupling each element Ra and Cb, each element Sb, Cb with the input shaft 2, and each element Sb, Cb with the transmission case 1 releasably.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic transmission which transmits rotation of an input shaft to an output member via a plurality of planetary gear mechanisms arranged concentric to the input shaft and by carrying out gear changes in a plurality of gears.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, as this type of an automatic transmission, there is known a one from the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-240068 (FIG. 4) which uses three, that is, a first to third planetary gear mechanisms arranged concentric to the input shaft and five engagement mechanisms in order to carry out gear changes in six speeds in the forward direction.
In this type of automatic transmission, the first planetary gear mechanism and the second planetary gear mechanism are configured from a single pinion type. The third planetary gear mechanism is configured from a double pinion type. And, a sun gear of the first planetary gear mechanism is coupled to the input shaft.
A ring gear of each of the second planetary gear mechanism and the third planetary gear mechanism are configured from the same member. A pinion which is supported by a carrier of the second planetary gear mechanism is configured from one of a pair of pinions of the third planetary gear mechanism. The carrier of the second planetary gear mechanism and the carrier of the third planetary gear mechanism are coupled together. By coupling the ring gears together and the carriers together, the second and the third planetary gear mechanisms configure a compound planetary gear mechanism. The compound planetary gear mechanism is equipped with four, that is, a first to fourth rotational elements.
The first rotational element is configured from a sun gear of the third planetary gear mechanism. The second rotational element is configured from the ring gear of the second planetary gear mechanism which is common with the ring gear of the third planetary gear mechanism. The third rotational element is configured from the carrier of the second planetary gear mechanism and the carrier of the third planetary gear mechanism which are coupled together. The fourth rotational element is configured from the sun gear of the second planetary gear mechanism.
The first through fourth rotational elements are arranged in order with spaces corresponding to gear ratios in a velocity diagram therebetween. And, the first rotational element is coupled to a carrier of the first planetary gear mechanism, and the third rotational element is coupled to the output member.
Further, the automatic transmission is equipped with, as an engagement mechanism, a total of five engagement mechanisms, namely, two clutches, those are, a first clutch and a second clutch, and three brakes, those are, a first through third brakes. The first clutch couples the fourth rotational element and the input shaft releasably. The second clutch couples the second rotational element with the input shaft releasably. The first brake fixes the first rotational element to the transmission case releasably. The second brake fixes the second rotational element to the transmission case releasably. The third brake fixes the ring gear of the first planetary gear mechanism to the transmission case releasably.
With the above configuration, a first gear speed is established by engaging the first clutch and the second brake. A second gear speed is established by engaging the first clutch and the first brake. A third gear speed is established by engaging the first clutch and the third brake. A fourth gear speed is established by engaging the first clutch and the second clutch. A fifth gear speed is established by engaging the second clutch and the third brake. A sixth gear speed is established by engaging the second clutch and the first brake.


The present invention provides a sulfonate compound including a structure represented by a general formula (I) below.

In recent years, it has been revealed that various diseases are caused by increased generation of active oxygen species in a living body. Thus, dynamic analyses of active oxygen species in vivo are important in clarifying causes, states, and the like of diseases. In the analyses of active oxygen species, a bio-imaging method using a fluorescent probe plays a predominant role. As fluorescent probes used for detecting hydrogen peroxide, compounds such as dichlorofluorescin (which is the reduced form of dichlorofluorescein), dihydrorhodamine 123, and Amplex Red represented by the following formulas, for example, have been developed, and such compounds have been used for various purposes. The fluorescence mechanism of these compounds is based on an oxidation reaction caused by hydrogen peroxide in the presence of a peroxidase or a peroxidase-like enzyme.

However, not only hydrogen peroxide but also many kinds of active oxygen species serve as an oxidizing agent. Accordingly, it is considered that the above-described conventional fluorescent probes evaluate the total amount of oxidizing agents, including various oxygen species, generated in a living body rather than the amount of hydrogen peroxide generated in the same. Indeed, it has been reported that these probes respond to active oxygen species other than hydrogen peroxide (e.g., singlet oxygen, hydroxyl radicals, and peroxynitrite) and to various hemoproteins having oxidizing ability. Moreover, it has been pointed out that these probes might overestimate the amount of hydrogen peroxide because these probes generate hydrogen peroxide by being oxidized through air oxidation.
Also, there has been known a compound that generates a fluorescent compound not through a redox reaction but through a deprotection reaction caused by hydrogen peroxide. More specifically, acylated resorufin (a non-fluorescent compound) is transformed into resorufin as a fluorescent compound through a deprotection reaction caused by hydrogen peroxide (see Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2). However, such resorufin has a drawback in that it is subjected to a simple hydrolysis in a cell system so that it still cannot respond to hydrogen peroxide selectively.
Because of this, the development of a fluorescent probe that can respond to hydrogen peroxide with high selectivity has been demanded from the viewpoint of cytophysiology.    Non-Patent Document 1: H. Maeda, S. Matsu-ura, M. Nishida, T. Semba, Y Yamauchi, H. Ohmori, Chem. Pharm. Bull. 2001, 49, 294-298;    Non-Patent Document 2: H. Maeda, S. Matsu-ura, M. Nishida, Y Yamauchi, H. Ohmori, Chem. Pharm. Bull. 2002, 50, 169-174.

Sulfonate compound and fluorescent probe using the same

Abstract: In the formula (I), an atomic group A-O is an atomic group that forms a fluorescent compound upon cleavage of a covalent bond with a sulfonyl group. There may be one or plural atomic groups B—SO3— bound to an atomic group A. B is a ring substituted by one or plural electron-withdrawing groups. The electron-withdrawing group includes at least one selected from the group consisting of halogens, a carboxyl group, a carbamoyl group, a straight or branched alkylcarbamoyl group, a straight or branched alkanoyl group, a straight or branched alkoxycarbonyl group, a straight or branched alkyl halide group, and —NR3+ group (the three Rs each denote a hydrogen atom or a straight or branched alkyl group and may be the same or different). When there are plural Bs, the Bs may be the same or different.


An exhaust treatment device is provided for a power system. The exhaust treatment device has an inlet module, a filter module, an outlet module, and a clamping element. The filter has a housing with at least one submerged flange. At least one of the inlet and the outlet modules also have at least one submerged flange. The clamping element is configured to engage the at least one submerged flange of the filter module and the at least one submerged flange of the at least one of the inlet and the outlet modules to connect the filter module to the at least one of the inlet and outlet modules.

Internal combustion engines, including diesel engines, gasoline engines, gaseous fuel-powered engines, and other engines known in the art may exhaust a complex mixture of air pollutants. The air pollutants may be composed of gaseous compounds, which may include nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide, and solid particulate matter, which may include unburned carbon particulates called soot.
Due to increased awareness of the environment, exhaust emission standards have become more stringent, and the amount of gaseous compounds and particulates emitted from an engine may be regulated depending on the type of engine, size of engine, and/or class of engine. One method that has been implemented by engine manufacturers to comply with the regulation of emissions has been to remove the gaseous compounds and particulate matter from the exhaust flow of an engine using an exhaust treatment device. An exhaust treatment device may include a filter assembly designed to trap particulate matter, a catalyst, an inlet member to direct exhaust flow through the filter assembly, and an outlet member to direct the exhaust flow away from the filter assembly.
Various filter assemblies may be implemented to reduce the emission of gaseous compounds and/or particulate matter. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,576,045 (the '045 patent) issued to Liu et al. on Jun. 10, 2003, describes a particulate collection system that includes an inlet section, a plurality of intermediate sections having porous media and metal screens, and an outlet section. The inlet, intermediate, and outlet sections have protruding mating flanges secured to each other by bolts.
Although the particulate collection system of the '045 patent may remove particulates from an exhaust flow of an engine, it may be large, difficult to package, and have a limited flow area. In particular, the space on an engine or within a work machine is generally limited, and the mounting flanges of the particulate collection system of the '045 patent being externally located increases the overall diameter of the particulate collection system. Because of the increased diameter, the particulate collection system may be difficult to mount within the available space on the engine or work machine. In addition, because the mounting flanges consume available space on the engine or work machine, the internal flow area of the particulate collection system may be reduced to reserve clearance for the protruding mounting flanges. The reduction in flow area could result in efficiency losses of the engine connected to the particulate collection system.
The disclosed exhaust treatment device is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.

Exhaust treatment device having submerged connecting flanges


A mixer circuit configured to operate in a bypass or mixing mode, and which comprises a mixer core, and a mode select circuit. The mixer core includes first and second switches, each of which has an input, and first and second outputs. The mode select circuit is coupled to the mixer core and includes third and fourth switches, which are collectively configured to operate in either a first state corresponding to the bypass mode, or a second state corresponding to the mixing mode. The input of the first switch is configured to receive a signal at a first frequency, wherein the first and second switches are configured to switch between their respective first and second outputs at a second frequency, and wherein, responsive to the state of the third and fourth switches, the first output of the first switch, and the second output of the second switch are each configured to output a signal which is either (i) at the first frequency, or (ii) a mixing product of the first and second frequencies.

The present invention relates generally to mixer circuits, and in particular to a mixer circuit which can operate in either a bypass mode or mixing mode while retaining a high level of even order mixer product suppression.
Communication systems which transmit and receive signals often employ one or more mixing circuits to translate signals at a one frequency to another frequency. As known to the practitioner, the mixing circuits usually include two input ports for receiving two signals, typically identified as RF and LO signals, and an output port for providing a signal at the mixing product of the two input signals. As is well known, the mixing product of the two signals, typically referred to as the IF signal, may be expressed as:IF=|MfRF±NfLO|
As can be seen, signals at multiple frequencies are produced during the mixing process, one of which is most often desired, e.g., a downconverted signal at frequency RF-LO. The presence of remaining signals at frequencies within the operational band of the mixer's output, conventionally referred to as "interferers," can be problematic, as they can interfere with the proper operation of the communication system. Accordingly, the elimination of unwanted interferers is an important design criterion in most systems.
Several mixer architectures are known in the art as providing rejection of at least some of the potentially interfering signals. For example, doubly balanced mixers are known in the art as providing excellent rejection of even order mixing products, a characteristic which makes the architecture ideal in a variety of communication systems.
FIG. 1A illustrates a simplified switch diagram of a doubly balanced mixer as known in the art. The mixer 100 includes RF and IF ports 110 and 130, respectively, each of which is shown differentially, but may be single-ended in another embodiment. The differential RF signal 110 is supplied to the input of SPDT switches 122, the states of which are switched at a rate determined by an LO signal 125 supplied thereto. The outputs of the switches 122 are coupled to differential IF ports 130 operable to provide the differential IF signal 130.
FIG. 1B illustrates the doubly balanced mixer of FIG. 1A as a Gilbert cell multiplier or mixer circuit known in the art. The mixer circuit includes two cross-coupled differential transistor pairs 122 whose base terminals are coupled to the LO source 125, collector terminals are coupled to the IF loads 130, and emitter terminals are coupled to buffer transistors 117. Responsive to the differential RF signal applied at terminals 110a and 110b, a voltage difference is established across resistor 115, resulting in the corresponding modulation of the quiescently-supplied current driving the transistor pairs 122 that comprise the mixer core. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that illustrated mixer circuit is only exemplary, and numerous variations of the circuit are also widely used.
While doubly balanced mixers provide a high level of even order mixing product suppression, circuit imperfections lead to degradation in that suppression. For example, a relatively low impedance parasitic 112 (e.g., capacitance) can load the emitter nodes of the mixers, the impedance operating to convert the rectified LO voltage into a common mode even order LO interferer current. The LO interferer can then pass through the mixer core and to the output loads.
Reduced mixer even-order suppression can be especially problematic when the mixer is integrated with other circuitry. FIG. 2 illustrates one example of such an instance where multiple mixers are supplied by a single VCO. Each mixer is configured to operate in either a mixing mode, whereby the synthesized signal 205 and input signals 210a and 210b are provided to respective mixers 220a and 220b to produce respective mixed signals 230a and 230b, or in a bypass mode, whereby the synthesized signal 205 is not supplied to the mixer 220c and the input signal 210c is routed such that it bypasses the mixer 220c.
In such a system, the LO even order mixer interferers can couple to the VCO via substrate leakage, indirect conductor leakage (ground, power or logic lines), magnetic or electrostatic coupling, or other such means. Within the VCO, the even order interferers may cause spurs in the VCO output, or may combine with odd order harmonics of the desired signal to produce an interfering signal at the desired frequency of oscillation. In the latter case, the interfering signal will produce a phase offset in the VCO-generated output. If that coupling should change, a phase step will be introduced into the system which the PLL will attempt to correct for. If the phase step is large enough, the consequence can be a disruption of the digital demodulation process.
What is therefore needed is a new mixer circuit operable in either a bypass mode or mixing mode, and which can maintain a substantially constant level of LO even order interference independent of its operation in either the bypass or mixing mode.

Mixer circuit with bypass and mixing modes having constant even order generation and method of operation


A method for fabricating a high quality freestanding nonpolar and semipolar nitride substrate with increased surface area, comprising stacking multiple films by growing the films one on top of each other with different and non-orthogonal growth directions.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a technique for the production of large area, high quality freestanding (FS) nonpolar and semipolar nitride substrates.
2. Description of the Related Art
The usefulness of gallium nitride (GaN), and its ternary and quaternary compounds incorporating aluminum and indium (AlGaN, InGaN, AlInGaN), has been well established for fabrication of visible and ultraviolet optoelectronic devices and high-power electronic devices. These compounds are referred to herein as Group III nitrides, or III-nitrides, or just nitrides, or by (Al,Ga,In)N, or by Al(1-x-y)InyGaxN where 0≦x≦1 and 0≦y≦1. These devices are typically grown epitaxially using growth techniques including molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), and hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE).
GaN and its alloys are most stable in the hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure, in which the structure is described by two (or three) equivalent basal plane axes that are rotated 120° with respect to each other (the a-axes), all of which are perpendicular to a unique c-axis. Group III and nitrogen atoms occupy alternating c-planes along the crystal's c-axis. The symmetry elements included in the wurtzite structure dictate that III-nitrides possess a bulk spontaneous polarization along this c-axis, and the wurtzite structure exhibits inherent piezoelectric polarization.
Current nitride technology for electronic and optoelectronic devices employs nitride films grown along the polar c-direction. However, conventional c-plane quantum well structures in III-nitride based optoelectronic and electronic devices suffer from the undesirable quantum-confined Stark effect (QCSE), due to the existence of strong piezoelectric and spontaneous polarizations. The strong built-in electric fields along the c-direction cause spatial separation of electrons and holes that in turn give rise to restricted carrier recombination efficiency, reduced oscillator strength, and red-shifted emission.
One approach to eliminating the spontaneous and piezoelectric polarization effects in GaN optoelectronic devices is to grow the devices on nonpolar planes of the crystal. Such planes contain equal numbers of Ga and N atoms and are charge-neutral. Furthermore, subsequent nonpolar layers are equivalent to one another so the bulk crystal will not be polarized along the growth direction. Two such families of symmetry-equivalent nonpolar planes in GaN are the {11-20} family, known collectively as a-planes, and the {10-10} family, known collectively as m-planes. Unfortunately, in spite of advances made by researchers in nitride community, heteroepitaxial growth of high quality nonpolar and semipolar GaN and high performance device fabrication remain challenging and have not yet been widely adopted in the III-nitride industry. On the other hand, despite the success in high performance devices homoepitaxially grown on high quality nonpolar and semipolar freestanding (FS) GaN substrates, the narrow substrate area makes it challenging to widely adopt into the III-nitride industry.
The other cause of polarization is piezoelectric polarization. This occurs when the material experiences a compressive or tensile strain, as can occur when (Al, In, Ga, B)N layers of dissimilar composition (and therefore different lattice constants) are grown in a nitride heterostructure. For example, a thin AlGaN layer on a GaN template will have in-plane tensile strain, and a thin InGaN layer on a GaN template will have in-plane compressive strain, both due to lattice matching to the GaN. Therefore, for an InGaN quantum well on GaN, the piezoelectric polarization will point in the opposite direction than that of the spontaneous polarization of the InGaN and GaN. For an AlGaN layer lattice matched to GaN, the piezoelectric polarization will point in the same direction as that of the spontaneous polarization of the AlGaN and GaN.
The advantage of using nonpolar or semipolar planes over c-plane nitrides is that the total polarization will be zero (nonpolar) or reduced (semipolar). There may even be zero polarization for specific alloy compositions on specific planes, for example, semipolar planes. The present invention satisfies the need for enhanced area nonpolar and semipolar substrates.

Method for increasing the area of non-polar and semi-polar nitride substrates

The Regents of the University of California


A resource sharing method for a resource sharing system for a plurality of edge peers that individually store a resource and a plurality of super peers that manage the plurality of edge peers or resource information including a name of the resource that includes at least one key word is provided. In the resource sharing system, the super peers distribute and manage resource information of the edge peers according to a key word. Therefore, if a resource is requested using part of a name of a resource desired by a certain edge peer, the super peer searches for resources including the resource desired by the edge peer. Therefore, a user of an edge peer may acquire a desired resource even using part of a name of a desired resource.

1. Field
One or more embodiments within the following description relate to a resource sharing method and system, and more particularly, to a resource sharing system including a plurality of edge peers that can individually store a resource and a plurality of super peers that manage the edge peers and a resource sharing method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
As wired and wireless Internet technologies develop, resource sharing systems using the Internet have been appearing more frequently. Such resource sharing systems are utilizing peer-to-peer (P2P) as networking technology for sharing resources. The P2P includes a plurality of peers that are connected to each other via a network and can individually store resources. In the P2P, peers share the resources such as hardware, software and contents via the network.
P2P schemes include a hybrid P2P scheme and a pure P2P scheme. In the hybrid P2P scheme, peers are connected individually to a single central server and share resources through the central server. In the pure P2P scheme, peers are connected directly to each other to share resources.
However, the hybrid P2P scheme has a problem in that, since a load is concentrated on a central server, it is impossible to share the resources when the central server is or becomes inoperative. The pure P2P scheme has a problem in that it takes a long time to share resources since a request and a transmission of the resources are performed according to a tree format sequencing, with all transmissions of resources only being performed according to the tree format, e.g., up or down different branchings.
In order to resolve the above problems, a distributed hybrid P2P scheme has been developed. In the distributed hybrid P2P network, peers include edge peers that provide or receive resources and super peers that manage the edge peers. That is, in the distributed hybrid P2P scheme, the edge peers are connected individually to super peers connected to each other, and the edge peers share resources through at least one super peer.
However, a definite name of a corresponding resource is necessary to search for a desired resource in a distributed hybrid P2P scheme. That is, a super peer merely searches for a resource that has the same name as a search word. For this reason, if a certain edge peer requests a resource using part of a name of a desired resource, a super peer searches for a resource totally different from the resource desired by the edge peer. Therefore, a user cannot easily search for a desired resource in such a resource sharing system.

Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation Yonsei University


Spectroscopic apparatus and methods incorporating a gas sensor configured to detect low concentration gases, including gases that are hazardous volatiles are provided. Low concentration gases can comprise gases where detection of concentrations on the order of parts-per-million (ppm), and in many embodiments part-per-billion (ppb) is required. The gas may be a species, such as, for example hydrogen sulfide (H2S) that may be produced in drilling and/or volcanic eruptions. The spectroscopic apparatus and methods are configured to operate in particular atmospheres where gas detection can be challenging, such as in ambient air and/or in space where various contaminants may be present. The spectroscopic apparatus and methods may incorporate a long path length detector, such as, for example, a cavity-enhanced absorption spectrometer. The methods and apparatus further incorporate a wavelength modulation technique to improve the signal-to-noise ratio.

Many industries, including oil and mining, certain manufacturing, waste treatment and disposal, as well as emergency services, rely on various gas detection systems to protect their workforce and infrastructure from exposure to toxic, corrosive, combustible, or flammable volatiles in the field. Exposure to even trace (few parts per million or less) amounts of airborne substances such as ammonia (NH3), arsine (AsH3), carbon monoxide (CO), chlorine (Cl2), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), phosphine (PH3), and sulfur dioxide (SO2) can be very harmful to human health and, in some instances, can corrode valuable equipment. Therefore, a practical gas detector must possess exquisite sensitivity and selectivity for the relevant detrimental substances.
Currently, there exist multiple approaches to gas detection. The working mechanisms of conventional sensors, which can be packaged into portable or fixed devices, rely on semiconducting elements, oxidative/catalytic chemistries, or optical/spectroscopic measurements. While most of these detectors demonstrate very high analyte sensitivities in controlled environments, operation in complex multi-component ambient air mixtures, that include overwhelming amounts of non-essential yet spectroscopically active species, often challenges even the most sophisticated systems. In addition, some sensing schemes are affected by high water vapor content in the air (humidity) and variations in atmospheric pressure, while others have dangerously slow response times. Consequently, a highly sensitive, specific, fast, and reliable gas detection system, which functions under ambient conditions, is highly sought after for safeguarding workers within the affected industries, and for environmentally threatened populations.

Method and apparatus for the spectroscopic detection of low concentrations of hydrogen sulfide gas


The present invention relates to a composition which is for preventing or treating caffeine abuse and includes evodiamine or Evodia officinalis extract. More specifically, the present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition which has an effect of preventing or alleviating somnipathy and central nervous system excitation caused by caffeine. In addition, the present invention relates to a caffeine abuse treatment method and a health functional food composition including Evodia officinalis extract or evodiamine.

According to westernized eating habits and a busy lifestyle, modern people are consuming various types of beverages, and in the selection criteria of food, the westernization tendency has increased, and thus, particularly, the consumption of caffeine-rich favorite beverages is increasing day by day. As a result, various caffeine-containing processed foods are being developed, and due to the increase in the use of coffee shops or fast-food restaurants, the consumption of caffeinated foods is increasing for all ages. A study on the coffee consumption market has reported that one person consumes 0.8 cup of coffee daily, and the number of yearly consumed cups is 300 cups. In addition, many teens drink coffee containing caffeine, and considering beverages and chocolates containing excessive caffeine, there may be a risk of overdosing of caffeine. Caffeine, a type of favorite food, has been widely used in society, and is contained in cola, chocolate, etc., which are popular with children or teens, as well as coffee or tea, and also in non-prescription medicines such as a headache medicine, a cold medicine, a diuretic and an anorectic agent as well as food and beverages.
Caffeine is widely contained in coffee, tea, beverages, medicines, etc., and its main component is 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine, which is a bitter nitrogen-containing alkaloid compound, derived from purine and uric acid. Caffeine is an odorless white needle-like crystal that is sublimated at 176 well dissolved in hot water and has a distinctive bitter taste. In addition, caffeine is known to be present in leaves and fruits of about 60 types of plants, and is mainly extracted from seeds of coffee trees (Coffee arabica). In addition, caffeine is also extracted from leaves of tea trees (Camellia sinensis (L) O. Kuntze), fruits of cacao trees (Theobroma cacao), fruits of kola trees (Cola acuminata), and leaves of mate trees (Ilex paraguayensis).
Caffeine, a type of central nervous system stimulant for stimulating the central nervous system and the sympathetic nervous system, affects organs of the body, for example, the integumentary system, bone marrow, and the spinal cord. Experimental studies on the physical effects of caffeine have revealed the effects of absorption in the body, and it is known that a blood concentration of a stress hormone such as adrenaline, noradrenaline or cortisol is generally increased, thereby increasing blood pressure. Caffeine has an effect of stimulating the central nervous system and thus is widely used as a stimulant for overcoming drowsiness. As the sleeping disorder and the stimulating effect have been known to the public, highly caffeinated beverages have become popular and thus widely used. However, long-term intake has a serious effect on normal sleep and a stimulated state, and it has been reported that caffeine overdose can bring about risks of indigestion, palpitations, excitation, headaches, insomnia, hyperacidic gastritis, diuresis, mineral deficiency, etc.
Particularly, highly caffeinated beverages currently popular among teens are misunderstood as "drugs for studying for exams" and many teens are drinking these beverages in the test period. However, highly caffeinated beverages only have an effect of stimulating the central nervous system to temporarily shake off sleepiness, and there is no evidence that these beverages can help in improving grades. Like this, while there is a lack of good understanding about highly caffeinated beverages, in Korea, there are no special legal provisions for protecting teens and children from drinking of the highly caffeinated beverages, and there is a problem of no legal restrictions on the sale of highly caffeinated beverages based on their harmfulness. Moreover, to date, no specific preventive and therapeutic agents for improving caffeine abuse have been suggested yet.
Meanwhile, evodiamine is a type of indole alkaloid having a molecular formula of C19H17N3O and a molecular weight of 303.36 and is a compound contained in the fruits of plants in the family Rutaceae such as Tetradium daniellii. Evodiamine is biosynthesized from tryptophan and anthranyl acid, has a yellow plate-like crystal and is well dissolved in acetone. It has been reported that evodiamine is a natural substance isolated form a plant, which hardly has cytotoxicity in a living organism and can prevent skin aging (Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-2016-0085581) and treat inflammation induced by obesity (Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-2014-0086213).
It also has been reported that evodiamine increases body heat production, and is effective in inhibiting an appetite due to its effect on a catecholamine level, but the effect of evodiamine on a disease caused by caffeine abuse has not been elucidated.
Under this background, the inventors confirmed an effect of preventing or improving somnipathy and central nervous system stimulation due to caffeine induction in mice using evodiamine, and thus the present invention was completed.

Composition for preventing or treating diseases caused by caffeine abuse including Evodia officinalis extract or evodiamine as active ingredient

Research and Business Foundation Sungkyunkwan University


A method for radar-based gauging of the level of a substance in a tank (13) having at least one interfering structure, e.g. a beam (16a); an agitator (16b) or a tank side wall (16c), comprises transmitting a microwave signal in a predetermined polarization state (LHCP) towards the surface (14) of the substance and the at least one interfering structure; detecting, separately in two different polarization states (LHCP, RHCP), microwave signals (32, 33, 34) as reflected against the surface of the substance and against the at least one interfering structure; distinguishing based on signal strengths of the microwave signals detected separately in the two different polarization states, the detected microwave signal (32), which has been reflected against the surface of the substance; and calculating based on a propagation time of the distinguished microwave signal the level of the substance in the tank.

The invention relates generally to level gauging, and more specifically the invention relates to a method and an apparatus for radar-based level gauging.
Radar-based methods are extensively used for level gauging, i.e. measuring a distance from the top of a tank to a surface of a liquid or some kind of granular solid stored in the tank, by means of transmitting microwaves towards the surface of the liquid or the granular solid, receiving the microwaves as reflected against the surface of the liquid or solid, i.e. the surface echo, and calculating the level of the liquid or solid in the tank from the propagation time of the transmitted and reflected microwaves.
One very general problem in this respect is that the tank includes typically various structures, such as beams, support beams, pipes, agitators, tank walls, etc. Such structures may also reflect microwaves, and such echoes can interfere with the microwaves reflected from the surface of the liquid or solid, the level of which being gauged. An interfering echo having a signal strength considerably lower than the signal strength of the surface echo will cause measuring errors if the structures creating the interfering echoes is close to, i.e. within a few tenths of a meter from, the surface. If the interfering echo is stronger than the echo from the surface the interfering echo may falsely be selected as the surface echo. Various echo logic methods have been applied to decrease this risk, but nevertheless this is a large problem in many tank environments.
The selection of correct microwaves is thus extremely important and any possibility of distinguishing microwave signals reflected from the surface of the liquid or solid from microwaves reflected from other structures is very useful.
Typically, prior art radar level gauges typically select the strongest echo.
The ideal case is to use an antenna with a rather narrow lobe located in the tank where no disturbing echoes are close to the antenna lobe. In this case the surface echo may be the strongest one even after some degradations due to turbulence, foam etc. For smaller tanks various tank structures may approach the antenna beam, not at least since the antenna has to be smaller. Furthermore when the echo from the surface is close to a disturbing echo there is a risk for a large measuring error.
A main object of the invention is thus to provide a method and an apparatus for radar-based level gauging, wherein detected microwaves as reflected from the surface of the liquid or solid can be distinguished from detected microwaves as reflected from other disturbing structures.
In this respect there is a particular object of the invention to provide such a method and such an apparatus, which are very useful in tanks having a large number of disturbing structures and in tanks where the radar-based level gauging equipment has to be mounted in region where disturbing structures do occur.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such a method and such an apparatus, which provide for level gauging also of highly turbulent surfaces, where the reflected microwaves are weak.
A still further object of the invention is to provide such a method and such an apparatus, which are reliable, efficient, accurate, and precise.
These objects, among others, are attained by methods and apparatuses as claimed in the appended claims.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for radar-based gauging of the level of a substance, e.g. a liquid or a granular solid, in a tank having one or several interfering structures, such as e.g. a beam, a support beam, an agitator, or a tank side wall. The method comprises to transmit a microwave signal in a predetermined polarization state, e.g. left hand circular polarization, towards a surface of the liquid or granular solid and the interfering structure(s). Microwave signals as reflected against the surface of the liquid or granular solid and against the interfering structure(s) are detected temporally resolved and separately in at least two different polarization states, e.g. left and right hand circular polarizations. Then, the detected microwave signal, which has been reflected against the surface of the liquid or granular solid, is distinguished based on signal strengths of the microwave signals detected temporally resolved and separately in the two different polarization states. Finally, the level of the liquid or granular solid in the tank is calculated based on a propagation time of the distinguished microwave signal.
The inventor of the present invention has noted that the detected microwave signal, which has been reflected against the surface of the liquid or granular solid, is distinguishable by means having notably different signal strength in the two different polarization states. This is true as long as the surface is calm. In contrast thereto, the detected microwave signal(s), which has been reflected against the surface of the interfering structure(s), has (have) typically similar signal strength(s) in the two different polarization states. For the microwave signal any two preferably orthogonal polarizations will cover all different possible combinations. In the signal processing, however, more than two different signals may be formed and used.
By detecting the microwave echoes in two separate polarizations a further processing can be performed not only limited to the detection and rejection of disturbing echoes, but also for enabling a decrease of the influence of disturbing echoes close to the surface echo. For each echo a linear combination of the signals in the two received polarizations can be found, where the echo is very weak, while other echoes are less or much less reduced. This enables in many cases a substantial improvement of the signal-to-disturbance ratio assuming that different linear combinations are used for different disturbing echoes. Using prior art equipment large measuring errors cannot be avoided if the disturbing echo is close to the surface echo and of comparable strength.
Further, a time variation of the signal strengths may be recorded to distinguish a microwave signal reflected against a turbulent surface from microwave signals reflected against fixed interfering structures. The time variation for the echo from a turbulent surface can in stochastic sense in most cases be described as Raleigh distributed. This can be used as one distinctive feature to separate the echo from the turbulent surface from the much more steady echo from a fixed disturbing echo. In one embodiment of the invention the polarization diversity is combined with the time variation measurement to obtain a selection criteria, which is usable, both for calm and turbulent surfaces.
Transceiver apparatuses capable of producing polarized microwave radiation and of receiving reflected microwave radiation in two different polarization states separately include preferably any of a power divider, particularly a Wilkinson power divider, a directional coupler, a ferrite circulator, or multiple antennas.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a radar-based level gauge apparatus for performing the method according to the first aspect of the invention.
By means of the present invention a very robust routine for distinguishing detected microwave signals, which have been reflected against the surface of the substance gauged, may be implemented. As compared to prior art devices the invention provides for measurement in more disturbing environments, i.e. where more interfering echoes do occur, with higher accuracy. For instance, microwave signals reflected at the surface of the substance, may be distinguished despite being weaker to much weaker than a microwave signal as reflected against an interfering structure.
The radar-based level gauges are used to measure levels in tanks, which for the purpose of the present invention include not only large containers but also processing apparatuses such as, for example, reactors, centrifuges, mixers, hoppers, graders, or heat-treatment furnaces and similar devices, which are used in e.g. food chemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, biochemistry, gene chemistry and petrochemistry.

Method and apparatus for radar-based level gauging


Systems and methods for modifying rheology of a cement slurry are described. Systems and methods may include a composition including at least one of: one or more polycarboxylate ethers (PCEs); one or more functionalized polyacrylamide co-polymers; and one or more polysaccharide biopolymers (BP).

Achieving optimal rheological behavior in cement slurries is imperative to well completion operations as well as whenever else the use of cement is called for in drilling or hardening. An effective cement system provides isolation between subterranean zones. To effectively utilize cement in a well operation, the cement slurry, upon mixing with water and necessary additives, fillers, etc., must exhibit fluid behavior that allows it to be pumped efficiently downhole without hardening, settling, or damaging equipment and be placed in the desired location where it will set into a hardened material.
Because the cement slurry is a suspension, the settling of solids is one problem often encountered with cement formulations. Settling may result in packing off in equipment lines at the surface and may result in a non-uniform cement composition when in a static position after placement downhole. Settling problems are often caused by the cement slurry having a low viscosity that cannot adequately suspend solids. To counter settling, viscosifiers or suspension aids are often mixed into slurry formulations as additives. Such additives, however, must be carefully formulated and subsequently added to the cement slurry so as not to reach a viscosity too high for working operations. In addition, such additives should not overly adversely affect the strength of the final product or inhibit the chemical reaction in a manner that cannot be controlled or predicted.
In addition to settling, another problem arises when pre-mature hydration events occur that lead to gelation of cement slurries. Gelation increases the slurry viscosity, rendering the slurry far less workable and less fit for pumping and placement. To prevent slurry gelation, cement retarders are often added to the slurry formula to suppress hydration reactions that lead to gels. Cement hydration retarders, however, impose a significant influence on set time and, therefore, must be carefully formulated. Dispersing additives may also be added to mitigate gel formation through a mechanism resulting in the repulsion of cement particles and preventing aggregation within the cement slurry. Dispersants must also be added with care to avoid over-dispersion, which can re-introduce the aforementioned issue of solids settling.
When both settling of solids and gelation occur, the slurry may become unrecoverable even by addition of powerful dispersants. Concurrent settling and gelation in a slurry gives rise to a material that cannot be used operationally, and is likely to damage equipment if trapped in deposition lines and/or pumps. There is, therefore, a need to develop the means to combat settling and gelation to obtain optimal cement slurry rheology.


A multijoint manipulator apparatus includes a tubular-member, linear-motion-transmission-members, a drive-unit, a position-detector, a tension-detector, an operation-unit, and a movement-degree-calculation-unit. The linear-members are inserted in the tubular-member, one end and the other end of each of the linear-members being fixed to the vicinity of a joint of the tubular-member and the drive-unit, respectively. The drive-unit moves the linear-members. The position-detector and the tension-detector detect positions and tension of the linear-members, respectively. A desired position/posture of a point of interest is input to the operation-unit. The calculation-unit calculates a current position/posture of the point, a weighting factor serving to give priority to and move the linear-members the tension of which is relatively low among the linear-members, and movement degrees of the linear-members to move the point to the desired position/posture, and causes the drive-unit to pull the linear-members.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multijoint manipulator which flexes joints by pulling wires, and an endoscope system having the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A manipulator in which rods are joined by flexible joints is generally known as one arm-type robot. Various functional parts are attached to the distal end of such a manipulator in use depending on the purpose. A functional part can be, for example, a holder for holding an article. Inside the manipulator, wires coupled on one end to the joints are provided for flexing motion. As at least two wires are required for one joint, at least the number of wires twice the number of joints is required.
According to a configuration known as a technique for reducing the manipulator in weight, wires are wound and hung around a pulley so that the wires interfere with one another, thereby reducing the number of wires. Control of such a manipulator that uses wires requires a joint torque control system and a wire tension control system and is complex. For example, a technique that performs the following control is disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 6-31662. According to this technique, a desired position for the displacement of the wires is first calculated from a target position of the distal end of the manipulator to be moved. Actual displacement of the wires is also measured. The desired position for the displacement of the wires is then compared with the actual displacement, and tension to be applied to the wires is found on the basis of the comparison to drive and control the manipulator.

Multijoint manipulator and endoscope system having the same