This invention relates to a water-in-oil type emulsion explosive comprising an aqueous oxidizer solution, an oily material, an emulsifier and hollow microspheres, in which the whole or a part of the oily material is replaced with a polymer which is oil-soluble and has a ladder structure in the molecule.

The present invention relates to a water-in-oil (W/O) type emulsion explosive which can be used for the industrial blasting for various purposes such as, for example, excavation of tunnels, quarrying and mining.
Many improvements and inventions have been made regarding the W/O type emulsion explosives ever since this type of explosive was disclosed for the first time in U.S. Pat. No. 3,161,551. The W/O type emulsion explosives in these inventions are basically of the composition comprising a mineral oil, wax or other hydrophobic carbonaceous fuel (oil) as continuous phase, an aqueous solution of oxidizers mainly composed of ammonium nitrate as discontinuous phase, and a W/O type emulsifier. By properly adding a sensitizer such as hollow microspheres to the composition, there can be obtained the W/O type emulsion explosive of various level of initiating sensitivity ranging from booster initiation to cap initiation. As is well known, these W/O type emulsion explosives, because of use of oily material as continuous phase, are excellent in water resistance and safety in comparison with the conventional explosives.
The W/O type emulsion explosives have the problem that they lack stability since the emulsion is formed by mixing two mutually, insoluble liquids into a homogeneous liquid mixture comprising fine droplets of one liquid in the other liquid with the aid of an emulsifier. Many inventions purposed to improve stability of this type of emulsion explosives have been made. A method for improving stability is to use a specific emulsifier as for instance proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) Nos. 58-120588 (1983) and 58-190890 (1983) and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,482,403 and 4,698,105. Use of a specific oil is another method for improving stability of said emulsion explosives, as for instance proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) Nos. 57-149893 (1982), 61-40892 (1986) and 61-40893 (1986) and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,386,977, 4,548,660 and 4,470,855.
Stability of the W/O type emulsion explosives was greatly improved by these inventions, and this type of explosives has come to be used widely. However, the W/O type emulsion explosives still have the problem that the sensitivity lowers with the lapse of time, and some of those W/O type emulsion explosives which have been kept in storage for 2 to 3 years fail to detonate in the hole due to insufficient sensitivity.


In an electric compressor, an inverter case of an inverter is externally attached to an end wall of a housing in an axial direction on the side of a suction port to a compression mechanism. An intake passage for leading fluid returned from the outside into the suction port is provided in the inverter case. The intake passage has a thermal binding portion for thermally binding the intake passage to the inverter. According to the above structure, an exclusive part in the housing is eliminated even though the inverter is installed in the electric compressor, and the inverter is cooled efficiently.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric compressor having a compression mechanism for sucking, compressing and discharging fluid, an electric motor for driving the compression mechanism, and a housing for containing the compression mechanism and the motor, in which the electric motor is driven by an inverter.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the electric compressor of this kind, an inverter, and a compression mechanism and an electric motor are installed separately from one another (refer to, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication Nos. 2000-291557 (patent document 1), 2002-070743 (patent document 2), 2002-174178 (patent document 3), 2002-180984 (patent document 4), 2002-188574 (patent document 5), 2002-285981 (patent document 6)). Electric compressors disclosed in the patent documents 1 to 5, except for an electric compressor shown in FIG. 3 of the patent document 3, are provided with a partition for dividing a housing into a compressor chamber and an inverter chamber in an axial direction. The compressor chamber contains a compression mechanism and an electric motor, and the inverter chamber contains an inverter. The compression mechanism sucks a returned refrigerant from space outside of the housing between the partition and the compression mechanism to compress it, and discharges the compressed refrigerant out of the housing, wherein the electric motor side is defined as a suction side, and the other side is defined as a discharge side. The inverter faces the suction side across the partition to exchange heat with the refrigerant sucked into the compression mechanism, so that the inverter is prevented from being heated by heating parts. In the electric compressor shown in FIG. 3 of the patent document 3, an inverter is externally provided around the middle of the housing on the suction side, in order to exchange heat with the refrigerant to be sucked. In an electric compressor disclosed in the patent document 6, an inverter is externally provided in the middle of a housing, which contains a compression mechanism and an electric motor, over a compression mechanism installation area and a part of an electric motor installation area. The high heating portion of the inverter is thermally combined with the inlet of the refrigerant sucked into the compression mechanism, so that the inverter is cooled.
A housing of an electric compressor with an inverter installed therein needs an exclusive part, as compared with an electric compressor an electric motor of which is not driven by an inverter, because the structure of them are partly different. Such an exclusive part increases manufacturing cost due to increase in the types of parts of the housing. Even if the inverter is externally provided around the middle of the housing, an inverter attachment portion is so formed in the housing as to flatly protrude on one side of a radial direction. Therefore, the electric compressors with and without the inverter need respective exclusive part, so that cost increases after all.
In the electric compressor with the inverter externally provided in the housing, the attachment portion makes the housing large on one side of the radial direction aside from the inverter itself. Thus, the electric compressor becomes large and heavy. Especially in FIG. 3 of the patent document 3, many fins, which extend to the vicinity of a cylindrical surface formed by a stator of the electric motor, are formed on the flat inner surface of the attachment portion, so that the electric compressor becomes heavier. In the inverter of the patent document 6, a switching device as a high heating portion is divided from a capacitor the heating value of which is lower. Only the switching device is thermally combined with the returned refrigerant, and hence the protrusion area of the attachment portion is smaller than the whole inverter. When both the switching device and the capacitor are thermally combined with the returned refrigerant, however, the protrusion area becomes as large as that shown in FIG. 3 of the patent document 3.
In the patent documents 1 to 6, the refrigerant is discharged outside from the compression mechanism without passing through an electric motor side. Consequently, it is difficult to isolate lubricating oil from the discharged refrigerant for the purpose of improving the performance of a refrigerating cycle, because the lubricating oil has to be isolated during the process of discharge to the outside. Thus, a full and large-scale isolation apparatus as disclosed in the patent document 6 is necessary, whereby the housing becomes large and heavy.
The electric compressor according to the patent documents 1 to 6 is hard to be installed in a small engine room. When the electric compressor is installed in an electric vehicle or a gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle, drive power obtained from batteries is not as high as that of a gasoline vehicle. Thus, miniaturization and weight reduction are the most important challenges for the electric compressor, but the ordinary one is hard to achieve them.
In the patent documents 1 to 5, the returned refrigerant sucked on the electric motor side is used for cooling the electric motor before being sucked to the compression mechanism. The returned refrigerant, however, hardly contains the lubricating oil, so that lubrication tends to be insufficient in portions, in which the lubricating oil is not mechanically supplied, such as the bearing of the end of a drive shaft on the electric motor side which is far from the compression mechanism. In the patent document 6, the midpoint of a passage for sucking the returned refrigerant into the compression mechanism is connected to the electric motor side. To cool the electric motor, used are a part of the sucked refrigerant stagnating in the electric motor side, and heat and refrigerant moving forward and backward in accordance with difference in pressure and temperature between the suction passage of the returned refrigerant and the electric motor side. The performance of cooling the electric motor is inferior, in addition to the insufficiency of lubrication as with the patent documents 1 to 5. These problems adversely affect the lifetime and performance of the electric compressor.


A moveable gutter for a bowling lane is disclosed. The gutter includes a bumper surface that functions as a bumper when said inner edge is raised from a lower position to a fixed upper position higher than the adjacent lane surface. One or more illumination sources may be disposed along the surface of the gutter and bumper surface. A portion of said bumper surface is approximately parallel with the surface of a bowling ball on the bowling lane when the upper surface is in the upper position.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure relates generally to a bumper apparatus for bowling lanes, and in particular, to a convertible gutter apparatus that functions both as a gutter in a lower position and a bumper in a upper position, and includes illumination sources disposed about the gutter and bumper surfaces.
2. The Prior Art
Background
Bowling is a popular game, attracting millions of participants to bowling alleys each year. To promote bowling to a wider audience, bowling alley operators desire to market bowling to children. However, children and other groups may have trouble throwing a bowling ball successfully down the alley, resulting in the frustration of having the ball fall into the gutter.
To prevent a bowling ball from falling into the gutter, bumpers may be installed to direct the ball back into the lane and ultimately to the pins. However, bumpers of the prior art often require personnel to manually install or raise the bumpers, or comprise upright gates that may be raised to function as bumpers. Such prior bumpers may not direct the ball back into the lane in a consistent and predictable manner, or may be unable to withstand the impact from a harder thrown ball.

Moveable gutter for bowling lanes having illumination sources


Provided a method for preparing metallurgical-grade alumina by using fluidized-bed fly ash, comprising: a) removing iron by wet magnetic separation after crushing the fly ash; b) reacting the fly ash after magnetic separation with hydrochloric acid to obtain a hydrochloric leachate; c) passing the hydrochloric leachate through macro-porous cationic resin to deeply remove iron to obtain a refined aluminum chloride solution; d) concentrating and crystallizing the refined aluminum chloride solution to obtain an aluminum chloride crystal; and e) calcining the aluminum chloride crystal to obtain the metallurgical-grade alumina. The method is simple, the procedure is easy to be controlled, the extraction efficiency of alumina is high, the production coast is low, and the product quality is steady.

Fly ash is a waste discharged from the coal-fired power station. In China, the coal is used as one of the main energy sources and hundreds of millions tons of fly ash are discharged from power stations each year. The discharge of the fly ash not only occupies a large area of land, but also pollutes the environment seriously. How to handle and utilize the fly ash becomes a very important problem. The fly ash contains a number of components that can be utilized, for example, circulating fluidized-bed fly ash usually contains about 30 to 50 percent by weight of alumina. Nowadays, as the bauxite resources become gradually rare, it is an efficient way to extract valuable materials, such as alumina from the fly ash and provide a highly comprehensive utilization for the fly ash, which is of great social and economic benefits.
In light of different conditions of calcinations, the fly ash is classified into pulverized coal-fired boiler fly ash and circulating fluidized-bed fly ash. The pulverized coal-fired boiler fly ash is produced when coal is burned at very high temperatures (1400-1600° C.), wherein the component of alumina is in glassy state or present as mullite crystals or corundum crystals. While the combustion temperature of circulating fluidized-bed fly ash is much lower than that of traditional pulverized coal-fired boiler fly ash, only about 850° C. Different combustion temperatures make a substantial difference in phase composition between the pulverized coal-fired boiler fly ash and circulating fluidized-bed fly ash, that is, amorphous kaolinite enters into the main phase composition of the circulating fluidized-bed fly ash, in which silicon dioxide, alumina and ferric oxide possess excellent activity.
By now, methods used for extracting alumina from fly ash are basically divided into two categories, acid leaching method and alkali leaching method. Further, the alkali leaching method may be divided into limestone (soda-lime) sintering method and sodium carbonate sintering method.
The limestone (soda-lime) sintering process is such a method that the fly ash is mixed with limestone (soda-lime) and the mixture is calcined to be activated at a very high temperature (1320-1400° C.), thereby alumina and silicon dioxide contained in the fly ash react respectively with limestone (soda-lime) to form calcium aluminate and dicalcium silicate. The calcined ash was leached with sodium carbonate solution and filtered to remove unwanted substances, thus the calcium aluminate enters the solution in the form of sodium metaaluminate, from which, after desilicification and carbon precipitation (or seed precipitation) treatments, aluminum hydroxide is thereby obtained. Subsequently, the obtained aluminum hydroxide is calcined to obtain alumina product. Moreover, after the filtering treatment, the dicalcium silicate turns into silicium-calcium slag which may be employed as raw material for cement. In CN 101070173A, CN 101306826A, CN 101049935A, CN 101302021A, CN 101125656A, CN 101041449A, CN 1030217A, CN 1644506A, CN 101028936A, CN 1548374A, CN 101085679A, CN 1539735A, for example, the limestone (soda-lime) sintering method or improved limestone sintering method is employed respectively. The sintering raw material used for the limestone sintering method is cheap limestone, which relatively reduce the production cost of alumina. However, there are many disadvantages exist in this process. Firstly, large quantities of silicium-calcium slag is produced during the leaching process. About 8-10 tons of silicium-calcium slag is produced for every ton of alumina obtained. Such silicium-calcium slag is prone to be another discharge of waste which even requires more occupancies if the slag can not be consumed thoroughly by the building materials market. Further, the silicone dioxide is not utilized with a high value. Secondly, the energy consumption in the limestone sintering process is very high, since the fly ash is calcined in a very high temperature, and the requirements on its procedures and equipments are also high. Thirdly, the recovery efficiency of alkali is very low as large quantities of slag are produced during the alkali leaching process, which increases the production cost.
The sodium carbonate sintering method is such a method that the fly ash and sodium carbonate are calcined at a high temperature (750-1450° C.), during which, alumina and silicon dioxide contained in the fly ash are activated simultaneously, thus the calcined fly ash needs to be further acidized through carbonation reaction or reacting the calcined fly ash with sulfuric acid/hydrochloric acid to separate silicone and aluminum. Such method, as alkali leaching comes before acid leaching, is also referred to as acid-alkali combination method. For example, CN 101041450A, CN 101200298A, CN 101172634A, CN 101254933A have described the sodium carbonate sintering method. As compared with the limestone sintering method, less slag is produced in the sodium carbonate sintering method and silicone dioxide in the fly ash can be utilized with a high value. However, the energy consumption of the process is high and its procedures are complicated since the fly ash needs to be calcined in a very high temperature and the calcined ash needs to further act with acid in order to separate silicone and aluminum.
As described above, in both limestone sintering method and sodium carbonate sintering method, the fly ash needs to be activated by reacting with limestone/sodium carbonate at a very high temperature. Consequently, such methods are suitable for pulverized coal-fired boiler fly ash which has weak activity. Whereas, the circulating fluidized-bed fly ash can react with acid without activation due to its higher activity.
The acid leaching method is such a method that the fly ash react with acid solution directly to obtain aluminum-salt solution and the aluminum-salt is calcined, so as to be decomposed to prepare alumina For example, CN 1923695A, CN 1920067A, CN 101045543A, CN 101397146A, CN 1792802A, CN 1927716A have described that alumina is extracted from fly ash by use of the acid leaching method. The fly ash usually reacts with acid at a temperature lower than 300° C. As compared with the high calcination temperatures used for the limestone sintering method and sodium carbonate sintering method, the energy consumption of the acid leaching method decreases dramatically. Moreover, all silicone dioxides will be kept in the solid residues since it does not react with acid. Furthermore, some impurities, such as calcium and sodium, will not be introduced in the alumina product. As such, it is possible to obtain high purity alumina theoretically. However, one of the defects of the acid leaching method resides in that soluble impurities, such as iron, will enter the solution, resulting in that the obtained alumina contains quite a number of iron and the like which are difficult to be removed. One solution to this is to dissolve the alumina obtained via the acid leaching method by alkali, such that aluminum is turned into sodium metaaluminate and enters solution, while the impurities, such as iron, will precipitate in form of hydroxide, such that the iron is removed from the alumina product. Since acid dissolving and alkali dissolving are both necessary in such method, its processes are complicated and its production cost is increased.

Method for preparing metallurgical-grade alumina by using fluidized bed fly ash


Nonwoven webs with good barrier properties are disclosed. The nonwoven webs can be, for instance, meltspun webs such as meltblown webs and spunbonded webs. In accordance with the present invention, a hydrophobic agent is incorporated into the polymer that is used to produce the web for improving the barrier properties of the web. Hydrophobic agents that may be used in accordance with the present invention include polydimethyl siloxanes and guerbet esters.

Non-woven fabric laminates are useful for a wide variety of applications. Such non-woven fabric laminates are useful for wipers, towels, industrial garments, medical garments, medical drapes and the like. In heavier basis weights, the laminates are used in recreational applications such as tents and as car covers.
Disposable fabric laminates have achieved especially widespread use in hospital operating rooms for drapes, gowns, towels, foot covers, sterilization wraps, and the like. Such medical fabric laminates are generally spunbond/meltblown/spunbond (SMS) laminates including non-woven outer layers of spunbond polymers and an interior barrier layer of meltblown polymers. Examples of SMS laminates are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,203 to Brock, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,029 to Brock, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,706 to Collier IV, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,885 to Timmons, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,688 to Timmons, et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,798 to Kobylivker, et al. which are all incorporated herein by reference.
Some fabric laminates, including the SMS fabric laminates, are substantially water impermeable, yet breathable allowing for water vapor transmission. For example, in an SMS laminate, the internal meltblown barrier layer is porous but still can inhibit the strikethrough of fluids or the penetration of bacteria from the outside of the fabric laminate to the inside. In order for the laminate to perform properly, it is necessary for the meltblown barrier layer to have a fiber size and a pore size distribution that assure breathability of the fabric while at the same time inhibiting strikethrough of fluids and bacteria.
In the past, those skilled in the art have attempted to design meltspun non-woven webs, such as meltblown webs, that have improved liquid repellency. For instance, in the past, fluoropolymers have been added to the polymer during formation of the web in order to improve the liquid barrier properties of the web. Such additives are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,932 to Perkins, et al and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,931 also to Perkins, et al which are both incorporated herein by reference. A need still remains, however, for methods and processes for improving the liquid repellency of meltspun webs. A need also exists for laminates containing the meltspun webs that inhibit the strikethrough of fluids.
In general, the present invention is directed to nonwoven webs made from thermoplastic polymers that have improved barrier properties, such as liquid repellency properties. The nonwoven Web can be, for instance, a meltspun web such as a meltblown web or a spunbond web. In accordance with the present invention, in order to improve the barrier properties of the web, a hydrophobic agent is incorporated into the polymer that is used to produce the web. The hydrophobic agent can be, for instance, a polydimethylsiloxane, a guerbet ester, or mixtures thereof.
The hydrophobic agent can be incorporated into the polymer in an amount less than about 10% by weight. For example, in one embodiment, the hydrophobic agent can be incorporated into the polymer in an amount from about 0.5% to about 3% by weight, and particularly in an amount of about 2% by weight.
Webs made according to the present invention exhibit improved liquid repellency properties as evidenced by hydrostatic head values, and improved blood strikethrough properties as exhibited by resistance to blood penetration values. The nonwoven webs can be used alone or can be combined into a laminate.
For example, in one embodiment of the present invention, a hydrophobic agent is combined with a polymer and formed into a meltblown web. The meltblown web is then used to form a spunbond/meltblown/spunbond laminate.
Laminates made according to the present invention can be used in many and diverse applications. For instance, the laminates can be used to form medical garments, drapes, gowns, towels, foot covers, sterilization wraps, and the like. Laminates made in accordance with the present invention can also be used to form various personal care articles, such as diapers, incontinence products, and feminine hygiene products.
Other objects, features, and aspects of the present invention are discussed in greater detail below.
As used herein the term xe2x80x9cmeltblown fibersxe2x80x9d means fibers of a polymeric material which are generally formed by extruding a molten thermoplastic material through a plurality of fine, usually circular, die capillaries as molten threads or filaments into converging high velocity, usually hot, gas (e.g. air) streams which attenuate the filaments of molten thermoplastic material to reduce their diameter. Thereafter, the meltblown fibers can be carried by the high velocity gas stream and are deposited on a collecting surface to form a web of randomly dispersed meltblown fibers. Such a process is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,241 to Butin, et al. which is incorporated herein by reference. Meltblown fibers may be continuous or discontinuous, are generally smaller than 10 microns in average diameter, and are generally tacky when deposited onto a collecting surface.
As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cneck-bonded laminatexe2x80x9d refers to an elastic member being bonded to a non-elastic member while the non-elastic member is extended in the machine direction creating a necked material. xe2x80x9cNeck-bonded laminatexe2x80x9d refers to a composite material having at least two layers in which one layer is a necked, non-elastic layer and the other layer is an elastic layer thereby creating a material that is elastic in the cross direction. Examples of neck-bonded laminates are such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,226,992, 4,981,747, 4,965,122, and 5,336,545, all to Morman, all of which are incorporated herein by reference thereto.
As used herein the term xe2x80x9cspunbond fibersxe2x80x9d refers to small diameter fibers of a molecularly oriented polymeric material. Spunbond fibers may be formed by extruding a molten thermoplastic material as filaments from a plurality of fine, usually circular capillaries of a spinneret with the diameter of the extruded filaments then being rapidly reduced as by, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,563 to Appel, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,692,618 to Dorschner, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,817 to Matsuki, et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,338,992 and 3,341,894 to Kinney, U.S. Pat. No. 3,502,763 to Hartman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,542,615 to Dobo, et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,400 to Pike, et al., which are all incorporated herein by reference. Spunbond fibers are generally not tacky when they are deposited onto a collecting surface and are generally continuous. Spunbond fibers are often about 10 microns or greater in diameter. However, fine fiber spunbond webs (having and average fiber diameter less than about 10 microns) may be achieved by various methods. The spunbond fibers can be monocomponent or multi-component fibers.
As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cstretch-bonded laminatexe2x80x9d refers to a composite material having at least two layers in which one layer is a non-elastic gatherable layer and the other layer is an elastic layer. The layers are joined together when the elastic layer is in an extended condition so that upon relaxing the layers, the gatherable layer is gathered. For example, one elastic member can be bonded to another member while the elastic member is extended at least about 25 percent of its relaxed length. Such a multilayer composite elastic material may be stretched until the non-elastic layer is fully extended. One type of stretch-bonded laminate is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,720,415 to Vander Wielen, et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. Other composite elastic materials are described and disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,789,699 to Keiffer, et al., 4,781,966 to Taylor, 4,657,802 to Morman, and 4,655,760 to Morman, et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference thereto.

Water repellant meltblown webs and laminates


A current reference circuit includes a proportional-to-absolute temperature (PTAT) current generator, a band-gap reference circuit and a current replication circuit. The PTAT generator generates a PTAT current. The band-gap reference circuit generates a reference voltage based on the PTAT current and generates a second current by cancelling a first current from the PTAT current. The first current has a zero temperature coefficient and the second current has a positive temperature coefficient. The current replication circuit replicates the first current based on the PTAT current and the second current.

Example embodiments relate to a current reference circuit, and more particularly to a current reference circuit which exhibits favorable temperature-dependency and voltage-dependency characteristics.
A bias circuit, commonly included among the analog circuitry of an integrated circuit, function to set an operating reference of the analog circuitry. For example, a current reference circuit, which functions as a constant current source, is used to set operational characteristics of an operational amplifier, such as direct current (DC) operational characteristic and alternating current (AC) operational characteristic.
A conventional current reference circuit may be substantially influenced by changes in temperature, voltage (e.g., power supply voltage) and manufacturing process variables. As such, additional circuitry is adopted in a conventional current reference circuit reduce influences such as temperature-dependency and voltage-dependency. This additional circuit can increase the size and power consumption of the current reference circuit.

Current reference circuit utilizing a current replication circuit


A composition including a first fiber derived from a first natural source, and a second fiber derived from a fruit, the second fiber being substantially free of surface active components. Surface active components may include oils, fatty acids, or other aliphatic and aromatic moieties that compromise edge wick performance. A process of manufacturing a paperboard product may include removing surface active components from fruit fiber to be included in manufacturing paper products to obtain a paper product with improved edge wicking properties.

Wood fiber has been used in the manufacture of paper and packaging since the mid 1800's. Although wood fiber continues to offer valued performance characteristics, its poor environmental profile has led to the search for alternative fibers to at least partially replace the wood fiber. Various non-wood fibers have been suggested, including sugar cane, bagasse, wheat and rice straws, bamboo, cotton stalks, banana leaves, fig leaves, reed, amur grass, and kenaf.
One potential source of non-wood fiber for use in paper materials is citrus fruit. Selected varieties of citrus fruit, including the sweet orange and the grapefruit, are processed commercially to provide juice and sections. About 45 to 60 percent of their weight remains post-processing, in the form of peel, rag, and seeds. The by-product volume is significant; Florida's citrus processing plants alone produce 5 million tons of wet citrus by-product annually. Citrus fruit therefore presents a potential non-wood fiber that could be useful in the manufacture of paper or packaging.
However, previous attempts to use citrus fiber in the production of paper products have resulted in materials with unacceptable properties for packaging commercial products. For example, paper or packaging materials including citrus fiber have historically exhibited levels of liquid uptake which result in a loss of packaging integrity or package failure. Liquid uptake at the cut edge of the material is a property known as "edge wicking," and is an unacceptable problem for food and beverage packaging due to moisture levels that generally accompany food and beverage goods. In addition, the undesirable properties associated with the use of non-wood fiber into paper products increases with the amount of non-wood fiber used as a substitute for wood fiber. As a result, paper products including citrus fiber have not been adopted for the packaging or storage of commercial liquid products.

System and methods for reducing edge wicking of a paperboard comprising fruit fiber and compositions produced thereby


In a memory cell, in a trench, a layer sequence comprising a first oxide layer, a nitride layer provided on the first oxide layer, and a second oxide layer, facing the gate electrode, and provided at the lateral trench walls, while the nitride layer is absent in a curved region of the trench bottom. In an alternative configuration, in each case at least one step is formed at the lateral walls of the trench, preferably below the source region or the drain region, respectively.

As a result of the increasing miniaturization of electronic components generally and memory products in particular, it is becoming more and more important to complete the transition from planar to vertical structures in order to achieve larger packing densities in conjunction with geometries that are still manageable in terms of fabrication technology. In the case of NROM memories, it is conceivable to embody the oxide-nitride-oxide layer (ONO) with a U-shaped cross section (UMEM component), so that a larger channel length does not necessarily take up a larger chip area. In this case, the individual memory cells are formed as transistor structures in a trench in the semiconductor material. In the case of the transistor structures, an oxide-nitride-oxide layer sequence is present as storage medium in each case between a source region and the gate electrode and between a drain region and the gate electrode. Such a configuration of the memory cells is described in DE 100 39 441 A1.


A method for receiving uplink control information in a wireless communication system supporting carrier aggregation (CA), and a base station therefore are discussed. The method according to one embodiment includes transmitting downlink data through a first downlink component carrier (DL CC) or a second DL CC; receiving an acknowledgement/not-acknowledgement (ACK/NACK); and receiving periodic channel state information (CSI). If the ACK/NACK collides with the periodic CSI and the ACK/NACK corresponds to downlink data transmitted through only the first DL CC, both the ACK/NACK and the periodic CSI are received in the same subframe of a first uplink component carrier (UL CC). If the ACK/NACK collides with the periodic CSI and the ACK/NACK corresponds to downlink data transmitted through both the first DL CC and the second DL CC, the periodic CSI is not received and only the ACK/NACK is received in the same subframe of the first UL CC.

Field of the Disclosure
The present invention relates to wireless communications, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for transmitting uplink control information in a multi-carrier system.
Description of the Related Art
Standardization works of international mobile telecommunication (IMT)-advanced which is a next generation (i.e., post 3rd generation) mobile communication system are carried out in the international telecommunication union radio communication sector (ITU-R). The IMT-advanced aims at support of an Internet protocol (IP)-based multimedia service with a data transfer rate of 1 Gbps in a stationary or slowly moving state or 100 Mbps in a fast moving state.
3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) is a system standard satisfying requirements of the IMT-advanced, and prepares LTE-advanced (LTE-A) which is an improved version of long term evolution (LTE) based on orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA)/single carrier-frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) transmission. The LTE-A is one of promising candidates for the IMT-advanced.
Carrier aggregation (CA) is one of candidate techniques to be used in LTE-A. The CA is a technique capable of configuring a broadband by aggregating multiple narrowband component carriers (CCs). In a wireless communication system using the CA, multiple control information can be transmitted through one uplink CC. For example, when acknowledgement/not-acknowledgement (ACK/NACK) for data transmitted through each of multiple downlink CCs is transmitted through one uplink CC, there may be a case where multiple ACK/NACKs must be transmitted. That is, unlike the conventional single-carrier system, the multi-carrier system may occasionally have to transmit multiple control information.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method and apparatus for transmitting uplink control information in a multi-carrier system.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Uplink control information transmission method and apparatus in multicarrier system


A method is disclosed for depositing multiple seed layers for metallic interconnects over a substrate, the substrate includes a patterned insulating layer which comprises an opening surrounded by a field, said opening has sidewalls and top corners, and the method including: depositing a continuous seed layer over the sidewalls, using a first set of deposition parameters; and depositing another seed layer over the substrate, including inside the opening and over a portion of said field, using a second set of deposition parameters, wherein: the second set of deposition parameters includes one deposition parameter which is different from any parameters in the first set, or whose value is different in the first and second sets; the continuous seed layer has a thickness in a range from about 20 Å to not more than 250 Å over the field; and the combined seed layers leave sufficient room for electroplating inside the opening.

As is well known in the prior art, filling trenches and/or vias formed on a wafer by electroplating copper metal to form semiconductor device interconnects (often referred to as a "Damascene" or a "Dual Damascene" process) requires that a metallization layer (often referred to in the art as a seed layer or a base layer) be formed over the wafer surface. As is also well known in the prior art, the seed layer is required: (a) to provide a low-resistance electrical path (to enables uniform electroplating over the wafer surface); (b) to adhere well to the wafer surface (usually to an oxide-containing a dielectric film such as SiO2, SiOX, or SiOXNY); and (c) to be compatible with subsequent electroplating copper upon its surface.
As is well known, the requirement of providing a low-resistance electrical path is fulfilled by choosing the seed layer to be comprised of an adequately thick, low-resistivity material.
As is further well known, since copper has a rather poor adhesion to oxide surfaces, the requirement of adhering well to the wafer surface is typically fulfilled by disposing an intermediary barrier (or adhesion) metallic layer having a strong affinity for oxygen atoms under the seed layer. As is well known in the prior art, the barrier metallic layer is formed prior to the seed layer to provide good adhesion: (a) to the oxide surface underneath it (the barrier layer provides good adhesion to the oxide surface by sharing oxygen atoms) and (b) to the seed layer above it (the barrier metallic layer provides good adhesion to the seed layer by metal to metal bonds). The barrier layer is often also referred to as an "adhesion layer" or a "liner". In addition to providing good adhesion, the barrier layer also serves to mitigate copper out-diffusion directly into the device, or indirectly (through an insulating or a dielectric layer) into the device. As is well known in the prior art, the barrier layer is usually chosen from the refractory metals or their alloys, such as for example, Ta, TaNX, Cr, CrNX, Ti, TiNX, W, WNX, TaSiXNY, TiSiXNY, WSiXNY, and other alloys containing one or more of these materials.
As is still further well known, the requirement of being compatible with electroplating copper is fulfilled by choosing a seed layer that does not react spontaneously (i.e., by displacement) with copper electrolyte used during the electroplating. This is satisfied by requiring that the seed layer does not comprise a metal or alloy that is less noble than copper.
Typically, a seed layer comprises a copper layer that is deposited by a "dry" technique, such as by physical vapor deposition ("PVD"), including but not limited to sputtering, ion plating, or evaporation, or by chemical vapor deposition ("CVD"). However, the seed layer may also be deposited by a "wet" electroless plating process. In such cases, the copper seed layer thickness is typically in a range of about 300 Å to about 2,000 Å on the field (i.e., the top surface of the wafer outside trenches and via openings). In such cases, the barrier layer is typically deposited to a thickness of about 50 Å to about 500 Å (on the field) by either a PVD or a CVD technique.
The PVD techniques include, for example and without limitation, techniques such as evaporation, ion plating, and various sputtering techniques. Sputtering techniques include, for example and without limitation, techniques such as DC and/or RF plasma sputtering, bias sputtering, collimated sputtering, magnetron sputtering, Hollow Cathode Magnetron (HCM) sputtering, Self Ionized Plasma (SIP) sputtering, or Ionized Metal Plasma (IMP) sputtering. As is well known in the art, in general, due to their anisotropic and directional ("line of sight") nature, the PVD techniques produce non-conformal deposition. For a comprehensive description of sputtering techniques and their applications, see for example an article entitled "Sputter Deposition Processes" by R. Parsons, pp. 177-208 in Thin Film Processes II, edited by J. L. Vosen and W. Kern, Academic Press (1991).
However, some of the PVD techniques (such as ion plating) may produce, under certain conditions, a relatively more conformal deposition. For a comprehensive description of the ion plating technique and its applications, see for example an article entitled "The Cathodic Arc Plasma Deposition of Thin Films" by P. C. Johnson, pp. 209-285 in Thin Film Processes II, edited by J. L. Vosen and W. Kern, Academic Press (1991). The CVD techniques include, for example and without limitation, thermal CVD, Plasma Enhanced CVD ("PECVD"), Low Pressure CVD ("LPCVD"), High Pressure CVD ("HPCVD"), Atomic Layer CVD ("ALCVD"), and Metallo Organic CVD ("MOCVD").
Atomic Layer Deposition or Alternating Layer Deposition (ALD) is generally considered to be a CVD (ALCVD) technique, or a particular variant thereof. However, it is sometimes referred to as a class by its own. Similar to other CVD techniques, the ALD techniques include particular variants such as, for example, Thermal ALD, Low Pressure ALD (LPALD) and Radical Assisted or Plasma Enhanced ALD (PEALD). In general, the ALD techniques produce more conformal deposits, at lower deposition temperatures, than other CVD techniques. However, the ALD techniques are generally much slower than the other CVD techniques.
As defined herein, the term "ALD" refers to (and includes) all variants of the ALD techniques, such as, for example and without limitation, Thermal ALD or ALCVD, Low Pressure ALD (LPALD) and Radical Assisted or Plasma Enhanced ALD (PEALD). For a comprehensive description of CVD techniques and their applications, see for example an article entitled "Thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition" by K. F. Jensen and W. Kern, pp. 283-368 in Thin Film Processes II, edited by J. L. Vosen and W. Kern, Academic Press (1991). For example, one precursor used for CVD Cu is Cupraselect™, which precursor is sold by Schumacher, Inc. Another precursor is Cu(II) hexafluoroacetylacetonate. The latter can be reacted with hydrogen gas to obtain high purity copper. As is well known in the art, in general, due to their isotropic and non-directional nature, the CVD (and ALD) and the electroless techniques produce conformal deposition, with substantially uniform thickness over the entire surface, including over the field and the bottom and sidewall surfaces of the openings. However, under certain conditions, some of the CVD (and ALD) techniques (such as PECVD or PEALD) can be made to deposit less conformal or non-conformal layers.
Aspect ratio ("AR") is typically defined as a ratio between a vertical dimension, D (depth), of an opening and its smallest lateral dimension, W (width, or diameter): AR=D/W. Usually, in electroplating metals or alloys to fill patterns having high aspect ratio openings (for example, in an insulator or a dielectric), the electroplating rate inside openings is slower than the rate outside openings (i.e., on the field). Further, the higher the AR of the openings, the slower the electroplating rate is inside. This results in poor or incomplete filling (voids) of high AR openings, when compared with results achieved with low AR openings.
To overcome this problem in the prior art, commercial copper electrolytes contain additives that adsorb and locally inhibit (or suppress) growth outside the openings (i.e., on the field). Further, growth inhibition inside the openings is decreased from that achieved outside the openings due to slow replenishment of the additives inside the openings as compared with replenishment of the additives on the field. As a result, the deposition rate inside the openings is faster than outside, thereby facilitating void-free copper fill. Other well known reasons for voids in copper electrofill include discontinuous (or incomplete coverage of) seed layers inside the openings, and pinching-off of opening walls (for example, by overhangs of the top corners) prior to plating.
The openings may consist of vias, trenches, or patterned photoresist. As is well known, in damascene or dual damascene processes, an insulating or a dielectric layer is pattern-etched to form openings therein. Next, a barrier (or an adhesion) metallic layer and a seed layer are deposited over the insulating layer to metallize its field (the surface surrounding openings), as well as the sidewalls and bottom surfaces of the openings. Next, copper electroplating is performed over the entire metallized surface, including the top surface (the field) surrounding the openings, and inside the patterned openings. Finally, excess plated copper overlying the openings and the top surface (the field) of the insulating layer, as well as the barrier and seed layers on the field, are removed, for example, by a mechanical polishing or by a chemical mechanical polishing ("CMP") technique. The end result is copper filled openings (trenches and vias), including bottom and sidewall surfaces lined by the barrier and seed layers. In today's most advanced copper filling processes for trenches and vias, the openings have ARs as high as 7:1 (D=1.4 μm; W=0.2 μm). Future trenches and vias openings will likely require W=0.10-0.13 μm, or narrower, and AR=8:1-20:1, or larger.
As semiconductor device dimensions continue to shrink, there is an ever increasing demand for narrower interconnect cross-sections and, thus, smaller openings and larger aspect ratios (AR) during the copper electrofill. To ensure void-free copper filling, the seed layer inside the openings must completely cover the bottom and the sidewall surfaces inside the openings without discontinuities, or else there will be voids in the copper electrofill. On the other hand, the seed layer must not be so thick on the sidewalls that it pinches-off or seals the very narrow openings and should not overhang the top corners of the openings. It should leave enough room inside the small openings for a successive electrofilling step. In contrast to these requirements with respect to the openings, the seed layer must be sufficiently thick on the top surface (the field) to provide a low-resistive electrical path that facilitates uniform plating across the surface of the wafer. That is, the seed layer must be sufficiently thick (for example, a Cu seed layer thickness is preferably at least about 1,000 Å) on the field to avoid radial non-uniformity across the wafer caused by a voltage (or IR) drop between a contact at the edge of the wafer to the center of the wafer. Any voltage drop (and resulting non-uniformity therefrom) becomes more severe with increasing wafer size (200 mm to 300 mm), and as the resistance of the seed layer increases due to insufficient thickness and/or high resistivity. To ensure a sufficiently low-resistance seed layer, it is now common to deposit a copper seed layer to a thickness of about 1,000 Å to about 2,000 Å on the top surface (field) by a PVD technique. However, the typical conformal seed layer thickness of about 300 Å to about 800 Å (on the field), deposited by the CVD or electroless techniques, may not be sufficient.
Neither of these techniques satisfies all of the above-identified requirements. The non-conformal PVD techniques, while providing adequate thickness on the field, fail to provide continuous and complete sidewall and/or bottom coverage inside very narrow openings with large AR. They also result in substantial overhangs at the top corners of the openings. The conformal techniques (such as CVD, ALD, or electroless), on the other hand, while providing continuous and complete sidewalls and bottom coverage of the seed layer inside very narrow openings, pinch-off or seal the small openings when used at thicknesses required on the field for a low-resistance electrical path. As a result, typical conformal seed layers are too thin on the field and too thick inside the very narrow openings.
As one can readily appreciate from the above, a need exists in the art for a method and apparatus to produce a continuous seed layer on the sidewalls and bottom of the openings, while maintaining sufficient thickness on the field to facilitate good uniformity across the wafer and void-free copper electrochemical filling of very narrow openings having high aspect ratios.

Seed layers for metallic interconnects and products


Provided are, among other things, systems, methods and techniques for manufacturing sheet material. In one representative embodiment, a sheet of fabric material is positioned across a patterning template that has a number of openings; and the sheet of fabric material and the patterning template are fed through an extrusion device in which extrusion material coats the fabric material and forces the fabric material into the openings in the patterning template, thereby producing a composite sheet material.

A variety of different kinds of materials exist. However, there is a constant need for new and better materials, particularly for materials that have specific advantages in specific contexts, as well as for improved processes for manufacturing such materials.
For instance, different kinds of materials have been used in the construction of shoe soles. However, many of such materials have shortcomings, such as high manufacturing costs, high costs for raw materials and/or poor suitability for particular environments. In addition to these considerations, when manufacturing shoes abroad it is often desirable to minimize import duties or reduce costs resulting from use of carbon credits, which sometimes can be accomplished by appropriately constructing a shoe's sole. For instance, in many cases if at least 50% of the ground-contacting portion of the bottom surface of a shoe is a natural material, the shoe can qualify for a significantly lower United States import duty. See, e.g., chapter 64 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of The United States.

Composite sheet materials and processes for manufacturing same


An apparatus and process for allocating carriers in a multi-carrier system is described. In one embodiment, the process comprises determining a location of a subscriber with respect to a base station, selecting carriers from a band of carriers to allocate to the subscriber according to the location of the subscriber with respect to the base station, and allocating selected carriers to the subscriber.

With high-speed wireless services increasingly in demand, there is a need for more throughput per bandwidth to accommodate more subscribers with higher data rates while retaining a guaranteed quality of service (QoS). In point-to-point communications, the achievable data rate between a transmitter and a receiver is constrained by the available bandwidth, propagation channel conditions, as well as the noise-plus-interference levels at the receiver. For wireless networks where a base-station communicates with multiple subscribers, the network capacity also depends on the way the spectral resource is partitioned and the channel conditions and noise-plus-interference levels of all subscribers. In current state-of-the-art, multiple-access protocols, e.g., time-division multiple access (TDMA), frequency-division multiple-access (FDMA), code-division multiple-access (CDMA), are used to distribute the available spectrum among subscribers according to subscribers' data rate requirements. Other critical limiting factors, such as the channel fading conditions, interference levels, and QoS requirements, are ignored in general.
Recently, there is an increasing interest in orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) based frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) wireless networks. One of the biggest advantages of an OFDM modem is the ability to allocate power and rate optimally among narrowband sub-carriers. OFDMA allows for multi-access capability to serve increasing number of subscribers. In OFDMA, one or a cluster OFDM sub-carriers defines a "traffic channel", and different subscribers access to the base-station simultaneously by using different traffic channels.
Existing approaches for wireless traffic channel assignment are subscriber-initiated and single-subscriber (point-to-point) in nature. Since the total throughput of a multiple-access network depends on the channel fading profiles, noise-plus-interference levels, and in the case of spatially separately transceivers, the spatial channel characteristics, of all active subscribers, distributed or subscriber-based channel loading approaches as fundamentally sub-optimum. Furthermore, subscriber-initiated loading algorithms are problematic when multiple transceivers are employed as the base-station, since the signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio (SINR) measured based on an omni-directional sounding signal does not reveal the actual quality of a particular traffic channel with spatial processing gain. In other words, a "bad" traffic channel measured at the subscriber based on the omni-directional sounding signal may very well be a "good" channel with proper spatial beamforming from the base-station. For these two reasons, innovative information exchange mechanisms and channel assignment and loading protocols that account for the (spatial) channel conditions of all accessing subscribers, as well as their QoS requirements, are highly desirable. Such "spatial-channel-and-QoS-aware" allocation schemes can considerably increase the spectral efficiency and hence data throughput in a given bandwidth. Thus, distributed approaches, i.e., subscriber-initiated assignment are thus fundamentally sub-optimum.
Linear Modulation Techniques, such as Quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) and multi-carrier configurations provide good spectral efficiency, however the modulated RF signal resulting from these methods have a fluctuating envelope. This puts stringent and conflicting requirements on the power amplifier (PA) used for transmitting communications. A fluctuating envelope of the modulating signal requires highly linear power amplification. But in order to achieve higher efficiency and improve uplink budget, power amplifiers have to operate close to compression and deliver maximum possible power. As a result, there is a trade off for power versus amount of nonlinear amplification a system can handle.
Furthermore, non-linearity in the PA generates intermodulation distortion (IMD) products. Most of the IMD products appear as interference to adjacent channels. This power is referred to Adjacent Channel Leakage Power Ratio (ACPR or ACLR) in wireless standards.
The ACPR is important to the FCC and wireless standards because of the co-existence with other users of the spectrum operating in adjacent and alternate channels. In band or channel distortion affects the performance of the licensee's own spectrum, which, in turn, affects the transmitter signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of other users in the same system.
RF link budget in a wireless communication system refers to balancing the available transmit power, antenna gain, propagation loss and determining maximum allowable distance at which received power meets a minimum detectable signal threshold. Several parameters influence the RF link budget. Two main factors, transmitter RF power available from the PA and receiver sensitivity, are under circuit designer's control. Base station design has relatively more degree of freedom than the Customer Equipment (CE). This results in the RF link budget being imbalanced in the uplink. This limitation is hard to overcome given the cost, size and battery life requirements of CE.

Method and apparatus for adaptive carrier allocation and power control in multi-carrier communication systems


A femoral implant for use as a component of an artificial knee having a thin, lightweight body with an articulating surface and an interior surface, the interior surface having one or more reinforcing members extending therefrom and extending across a substantial portion of said surface.

Nearly 400,000 total knee replacements are performed each year in the United States. This number is expected to grow to nearly 4 million by 2030. All knee replacements require removal of bone on both the tibia and femur. This is necessary in order to remove the damaged cartilage and bone as well as to accommodate the mass of the implant and provide for the proper spacing in the knee joint. The bone which is removed is replaced with a metallic, polymer, or ceramic implant.
Due to limitations in all known materials, the typical life of an implant is approximately 15 years. The lifespan of the implant is highly dependent on patient weight and physical activity. Failure of the implant causes significant pain, immobility, and possible infection. As the implant wears, small particles are released into the surrounding tissue which can cause irritation, possible infection, and loosening of the implant. When the implant fails, the patient must undergo a revision total knee surgery. A revision total knee surgery requires the removal of additional bone in order to properly affix the implant to the bones.
The need to remove bone in order to affix an implant limits the number of knee replacements a patient may receive. Typically after a patient has one revision knee replacement there is no longer a sufficient amount of bone to accommodate another revision surgery. Consequently, patients who need knee replacements must wait until their remaining lifespan is short enough to ensure that they do not outlive a single revision knee replacement. With a combined implant life of approximately 30 years, patients often either put up with the pain or significantly reduce their activity until they believe they have less than 30 years of remaining lifespan. This can have detrimental effects on their health, such as excessive weight gain and increased arthritis of the knee joint.


A liquid crystal lens, a manufacturing method thereof, an operation method thereof and a photoelectric device are provided. The lens comprises: a first electrode layer; a first transparent substrate; a second transparent substrate, provided to a lower surface of the first electrode layer and opposite to the first transparent substrate; a second electrode layer, provided to an upper surface of the first transparent substrate and comprising a first sub-electrode-layer and a second sub-electrode-layer which are separated from each other; and a liquid crystal layer provided between the second transparent substrate and the second electrode layer.

Embodiments of the disclosed technology relate to a liquid crystal lens, a manufacturing method of a liquid crystal lens, an operation method of a liquid crystal lens, and a photoelectric device.
Liquid crystal materials have electrical anisotropy and optical anisotropy properties, and the optical properties have electrical controllability. Therefore, the liquid crystal materials are often used to manufacture photoelectric devices.
Liquid crystal lens has many different configurations, such as liquid crystal having a variable focal length of a stack structure of liquid crystal layers, a dual-voltage-driven structure, or a three-electrode-based structure. The lens having variable focal length of a three-electrode-based structure comprises: an upper ITO (indium tin oxide) electrode, a lower ITO electrode, a middle aluminum (Al) electrode, and a liquid crystal layer provided between the upper ITO electrode and the middle Al electrode. The middle Al electrode comprises four sub-electrodes which have a same size. When the voltages respectively applied to the four sub-electrodes are equal to each other, a same phase shift occurs in the liquid crystal layer. In this case, the liquid crystal lens of a symmetrical type can be obtained, and the focus of the liquid crystal lens is located at the central axis of the Al electrode. When the voltages respectively applied to the four sub-electrodes are totally or partially different from each other, different phase shifts occur in the regions of the liquid crystal layer respectively corresponding to the four sub-electrodes. In this case, the liquid crystal lens deforms and becomes asymmetrical and the focus of incident light passing through the asymmetrical liquid crystal lens may be located at an upper side, a lower side, a right side or a left side of the central axis of the middle Al electrode; that is, deviation of the focus occurs in the lateral direction or longitudinal direction.
Therefore, the focus of the liquid crystal lens can be controlled to move in a same plane by controlling the voltages respectively applied to the four sub-electrodes. In addition, the voltage applied to the ITO electrode has a direct influence on the focal length of the liquid crystal lens, and the focal length can be adjusted by controlling the voltage on the ITO electrode.
However, in the case that the middle Al electrode is foliated of four sub-electrodes, more driven circuits are required, the structure of the liquid crystal lens becomes more complicated, and interference among electric fields becomes more significant.

Liquid crystal lens, operation method thereof and photoelectric device


The invention provides medical articles that include more than one biocompatibility-promoting function. In one aspect, the invention provides a medical articles that include a polymeric matrix including more than one biocompatible agent, wherein each biocompatible agent is provided at a distinct portion of the medical article surface. Methods of making medical articles, as well as methods of using the same, are also described.

Developments in medicine have enabled the use of many non-classical surgical techniques in the treatment of diseases and disorders. For example, significant advances in implantable medical devices have enabled a host of new treatment options for patients. Early implantable medical devices were limited to surgical grade metals and were primarily used for gross mechanical repairs such as bone securement or replacement. However, in the last two decades, implantation of temporary or permanent structural and functioning elements has become commonplace, and such devices have become more intricate and complex in their structure and function.
While beneficial for treating a variety of medical conditions, the placement of metal or polymeric devices in the body can give rise to numerous complications. Some of these complications include increased risk of infection, initiation of a foreign body response (which can result in inflammation and/or fibrous encapsulation), and initiation of a wound healing response (which can result in hyperplasia).
One approach to reducing potential complications has been to explore the types of materials used to fabricate implantable medical devices. For example, implantable medical devices can be fabricated from polymeric materials (such as polyurethane) that are believed to be less likely to initiate adverse effects within the body.
Another approach to reducing the potential harmful effects that can result from medical device implantation is to provide biocompatible agents at tissue or blood-contacting surfaces of the implanted device. For example, heparin can be provided at a surface of a device to reduce thrombogenicity. One benefit of providing biocompatible agents at the surface of a device is the avoidance of toxic concentrations of drugs that are sometimes necessary, when given systemically, to achieve therapeutic concentrations at the site where they are required.
The term "implantation site" refers to the site within a patient's body at which the implantable device is placed according to the invention. This can be compared to the term "treatment site," which can include the implantation site as well as the area of the body that is to receive treatment directly or indirectly from a device component. For example, in some instances, agents can migrate from the implantation site to areas surrounding the device itself, thereby treating a larger area than simply the implantation site. An example that illustrates this distinction can be seen in the use of drug-eluting stents (DES). These relatively recent devices can include bioactive agents that are eluted from the stent over time. Such eluted bioactive agents can provide treatment to the area of the body at the implantation site and beyond (the treatment site) as the agents migrate from the implantation site to areas surrounding the device itself.
Some treatments can require that a medical device, once implanted, reside in different physiological mileux within the body. In other words, once implanted, the device can come in contact with more than one distinct physiological environment. For example, one portion of the device may reside within a blood-contacting environment, while another portion of the device may reside within an extravascular environment, such as a tissue environment. The biocompatibility requirements for these different portions can be widely divergent.
On a separate subject, matrices that can be used for cell immobilization, tissue adherence, and controlled drug delivery in association with implantable devices have been described. See U.S. Pat. No. 6,007,833 (Chudzik et al., "Crosslinkable Macromers Bearing Initiator Groups"), U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,345 (Chudzik et al., "Crosslinkable Macromers Bearing Initiator Groups"), U.S. Pat. No. 6,410,044 (Chudzik et al., "Crosslinkable Macromers"), and U.S. Publication No. 2003/0031697 (Chudzik et al., "Crosslinkable Macromers").


A method for preparing high molecular weight highly thermal and oxidatively stable aryl polyimide compositions is provided which comprises reacting by application of heat, a mixture of bisphenol-A dianhydride, an aromatic diamine and a monoalkyl or dialkyl ester of a dicarboxylic acid or the corresponding anhydride.

The preparation by in situ polymerization of monomer reactants or polyimide matrix resins having thermal and oxidative stability and useful for preparing composites is well known. The in situ polymerization method is often referred to as the PMR method and the resulting resin as a PMR resin. In the PMR method, reinforcing fibers or fabric are impregnated with a solution containing a mixture of monomers dissolved in a low boiling alcoholic solvent. The monomers, essentially unreactive at ambient temperatures, polymerize in situ upon evaporation of the solvent and heating of the composite to a suitable reaction temperature. These highly processable polyimide resins are generally highly crosslinked addition-type resins which are suitable for use at temperatures in excess of 250.degree. C.
The preparation of a commonly used PMR polyimide resin is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,745,149. In such method a dialkyl ester of an aromatic tetracarboxylic acid or corresponding dianhydride, e.g. benzophenone dianhydride, an aromatic diamine and a monoalkyl ester of 5-norbornene-2,3-dicarboxylic acid or its corresponding anhydride, i.e. nadic anhydride, are dissolved in a low boiling point alcoholic solvent and the solution used to impregnate fibers. In situ polymerization of the monomer reactants to form the composite material occurs upon heating the impregnated fiber composite to an elevated temperature. The preparation of such PMR polyimide composites is also described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,197,339, 4,244,853 and 4,773,021. See also, Serafini, T. T., Status Review of PMR Polyimides, "Resins for Aerospace", ACS Symposium Series. May Ed., ACS Chapter 2, 15-24 (1980); Serafini, T. T., et al. "A Review of Processable High Temperature Resistant Addition-type Laminating Resins", Applied Polymer Symposium No. 22, 89-100, (1973); and Serafini, T. T., et al., "Thermally Stable Polyimides from Solutions of Monomeric Reactants", 16 J. Appl. Poly. Sci., 905 (1972).
There are, however, several shortcomings associated with such PMR polyimide resin formulations. In order to achieve workable resin flow during processing, relatively low molecular weight resins are necessarily utilized. The resulting cured material is highly crosslinked and tends to be somewhat brittle. Further, low formula molecular weight resins tend to be less thermally stable than the higher molecular weight versions.

Bisphenol-A dianhydride-based polyimide matrix resins and method of preparation


A system and method for sports betting that awards pay outs based upon the difference between the actual and predicted results (“Pay Per Point”). In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the Pay Per Point bettor may place any or all of three different bets: 1) spread-line bet, 2) event-total-line bet, 3) team-total-line bet. For the spread-line bet, the bettor collects a pay out based upon the difference between the actual score and predicted spread-line. For the event-total-line Bet, the bettor collects a pay out based upon the difference between the actual score and predicted spread-line.

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a system and method for betting on sporting events. In particular, this invention awards pay outs based upon the difference between the actual and predicted results.
2. Background Description of Sports Betting
Sports bettors ("bettors") place sports bets ("bets") on a sports figure, sports team, or group of figures and/or teams ("contestants") at a legal sports betting location ("house" or "sports book"). In particular, sports betting operates in the following manner:
The House. The house offers bettors an impartial and unbiased betting environment in which to place their wagers. In return for providing such neutral brokering services, the house charges a fee ("vig" or "vigorish") on all bets or, in some cases, just winning bets.
To remain impartial and unbiased, the house avoids financial interest in the outcome of the sporting event by matching equal amounts on opposing contestants ("balancing the books"). With balanced books, the house pays the winning bets with the losing bets ("covering") and generates profits by collecting vigs. For example, the house accepts bets of $1,100,000 on Team A and $1,100,000 on Team B. By charging a 10% vig on all winning bets, the house will collect $2,200,000 and pay out $2.1 million, with a profit of $100,000 from vigs.
As often happens in sporting events, however, bettors favor one contestant ("favorite") over another ("underdog") and, as a result, a greater sum is bet on the favorite ("unbalanced books"). With unbalanced books, the house loses its neutrality, as follows:                If the house allows unbalanced books and the favorite wins, the losing bets placed on the underdog will not cover the bets placed on the favorite. The house will then have to pay winning bets out of its own funds.        If the house allows unbalanced books and the underdog wins, the losing bets placed on the favorite will more than cover the bets placed on the underdog. The house will then have made a profit beyond the vigs.
Imbalanced books strip the house of its neutrality and diminish its ability to attract and serve bettors; the more imbalanced the books, the more diminished the abilities. In addition, imbalanced books also introduce undesirable fluctuations in revenues and profit. The house, therefore, avoids these risks by balancing the bets made on opposing contestants.
The Bets. To equalize betting on the favorite and underdog, the house uses several types of bets, "Spread-Line" "Money-Line," and "Event-Total-Line." These bets provide the house with the flexibility to attract betting on either favorite or underdog and, therefore, preserve neutrality, as follows:
Spread-Line Bet: The spread-line bet pays for selecting the contestant that wins or loses by a predetermined amount ("spread-line"). The favorite must win the contest by more than the spread. The underdog must lose by less than the spread-line or win the contest.
For example, the house sets the spread-line as New York −7 (favorite) at Miami +7 (underdog). The bettor bets on New York, the favorite. If New York wins by more than 7 points, the bettor wins the bet. If New York wins by less than 7 or Miami wins, the bettor loses the bet. And, if New York wins by exactly 7 points, the bet is returned to the bettor ("no action").
The spread-line bet lets the house adjust the handicap to affect the likelihood of winning. If more betting is required on the underdog, the house increases the spread-line, and, therefore, makes it easier for the underdog to win. For example, adjusting the spread-line to New York −10 at Miami +10 would attract more wagers on Miami.
Money-Line Bet: The money-line bet pays for selecting the actual winning contestant, with different pay outs for selecting the favorite or the underdog ("money-line"). A winning bet on the favorite returns less than 100%; a winning bet on the underdog returns greater than 100%.
For example, the house sets the money-line on New York −150 (favorite) at Miami +135 (underdog). To bet on New York, the bettor must wager $150 to win $100 (i.e. 66.67% return). To bet on Miami, the bettor must wager $100 to win $135 (i.e. 135% return).
The money-line bet lets the house adjust the odds to affect the pay outs for winning. If more betting is required on the underdog, the house increases the money-line, and therefore, makes it more rewarding to bet on the underdog. For example, adjusting the money-line to New York −200 at Miami +175 would attract more wagers on Miami.
Event-Total-Line Bet: The event-total-line bet pays if the contestants exceed ("over") or fail to attain ("under") a pre-determined score ("event-total-line"). To win an over bet, the contestants must combine to score more than the event-total-line. To win an under bet, the contestants must combine to score less than the event-total-line. The winner of the contest is irrelevant.
For example, the house sets the event-total-line to 45 on the New York-Miami game. The bettor bets on over. If the teams combine to score more than 45 points, the bettor wins the bet. If the teams combine to score less than 45 points, the bettor loses the bet. And, if the teams combine to score exactly 45 points, the game is considered no action.
The event-total-line bet allows the house to adjust the even-total-line to affect the likelihood of achieving the desired score. If more betting is required on the under bet, the house raises the event-total-line, and therefore, makes it easier to win the under bet. For example, increasing the event-total-line to 50 on the New York-Miami game would attract more under wagers.
By adjusting the spread-line, money-line, or event-total-line, the house avoids unbalanced books. Adjustments, however, are not retroactive to all bets; the bet is fixed at the time it is placed. For example, a money-line bet placed on the favorite at +140 stays at +140, even if the house raises the money-line to +180 at a later point.

System and method of betting on a sporting event which awards pay outs based on the difference between the actual and predicted results (“Pay Per Point”)


The present invention provides methods and compositions for the enrichment of target nucleic acids in a microarray system. In particular, the present invention provides methods and compositions for uniform enrichment of target nucleic acid molecules in a microarray format. The present invention also provides for intentionally non-uniform enrichment among target nucleic acid molecules.

The advent of nucleic acid microarray technology makes it possible to build an array of millions of nucleic acid sequences in a very small area, for example on a microscope slide (e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,375,903 and 5,143,854). Initially, such arrays were created by spotting pre-synthesized DNA sequences onto slides. However, the construction of maskless array synthesizers (MAS) as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,903 now allows for the in situ synthesis of oligonucleotide sequences directly on the slide itself.
Using a MAS instrument, the selection of oligonucleotide sequences to be constructed on the microarray is under software control such that it is now possible to create individually customized arrays based on the particular needs of an investigator. In general, MAS-based oligonucleotide microarray synthesis technology allows for the parallel synthesis of over 4 million unique oligonucleotide features in a very small area of a standard microscope slide. With the availability of the entire genomes of hundreds of organisms, for which a reference sequence has generally been deposited into a public database, microarrays have been used to perform sequence analysis on nucleic acids isolated from a myriad of organisms.
Nucleic acid microarray technology has been applied to many areas of research and diagnostics, such as gene expression and discovery, mutation detection, allelic and evolutionary sequence comparison, genome mapping, drug discovery, and more. Many applications require searching for genetic variants and mutations across the entire human genome; variants and mutations that, for example, may underlie human diseases. In the case of complex diseases, these searches generally result in a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) or set of SNPs associated with one or more diseases. Identifying such SNPs has proven to be an arduous, time consuming, and costly task wherein resequencing large regions of genomic DNA, usually greater than 100 kilobases (Kb) from affected individuals and/or tissue samples is frequently required to find a single base change or identify all sequence variants.
The genome is typically too complex to be studied as a whole, and techniques must be used to reduce the complexity of the genome. To address this problem, one solution is to reduce certain types of abundant sequences from a DNA sample, as found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,013,440. Alternatives employ methods and compositions for enriching genomic sequences as described, for example, in Albert et al. (2007, Nat. Meth., 4:903-5, Epub 2007 Oct. 14) and Okou et al. (2007, Nat. Meth. 4:907-9, Epub 2007 Oct. 14). Albert et al. disclose an alternative that is both cost-effective and rapid in effectively reducing the complexity of a genomic sample in a user defined way to allow for further processing and analysis.
However, it is equally important to be able to enrich target sequences uniformly over the targeted region(s). If enrichment is not uniform, for example, some target sequences will be captured disproportionately compared to other target sequences thereby negating downstream applications that are dependent on approximately uniform distribution of targeted sequences. Hodges et al. (2007, Nat. Meth. 39:1522-1527, Epub 2007 Nov. 4) noted that a critical parameter in microarray capture was the introduction of biased target capture which greatly affects sequence coverage depth. However, Hodges offered no path forward, other than to say that probe redistribution to compensate for biased capture would necessarily introduce other types of biases that would lead to problems with downstream applications, for example sequencing applications.
As such, what are needed are methods and compositions to provide uniform capture, and hence representation, of captured targets during capture and enrichment of targeted sequences in a microarray format. Conversely, an investigator might also require a conscience non-uniformity of capture, for example if an investigator envisions targeting exons over intergenic regions. Such methods would provide maximum data utility to investigators in their endeavors to understand and identify, for example, causes of disease and associated therapeutic treatments.

Methods and systems for uniform enrichment of genomic regions


A system for interfacing a universal print driver with a print device after the universal print driver is deployed. The system includes a universal print driver interfaced with a network and at least one associated print device. A repository stores a set of device compatibility packs (DCPs) for each of the at least one associated print device interfaced with the universal print driver. The universal print driver is adapted to search the repository for a DCP if the associated print device is unsupported by the print driver.

The present application is directed toward a universal print driver for producing printouts from multiple print devices that can each be made compatible with the print driver after the print driver is deployed in a customer environment. The present application further relates to a method for installing and updating device-specific data files onto the universal print driver for supporting new print devices interfaced with the print driver after the print driver was initially installed.
A print driver is a software program that formats a document into a print-compatible language. The print driver is generally in communication with a destination print device through a network. The print driver receives a document in a first format and sends the document to the networked print device in a second, printer-ready format. More specifically, the print driver converts the data that is to be printed into a format that is specific to the print device. A decomposer then uses the data that is included in a print data stream to generate raster data, which eventually gets printed.
A traditional print driver is connected to a single device per printer object or print queue. A universal print driver, however, is a single printer driver that is compatible with multiple print devices. A first conventional type of universal print driver is referred to as a Global Print Driver ("X-GPD"), which can successfully print with full functionality to multiple devices. This type of universal driver is in communication with the print queue and becomes the driver for the print device that is connected with a client. Another conventional type of universal print driver is referred to as a Mobile Express Driver ("X-MED"). This type of universal print driver becomes the driver for the specific print device that is selected from a set of devices by the user, at the time that the print instruction is provided for the print job, for rendering a printout of a document.
However, these conventional types of universal print drivers provide the user with only the most basic functionalities of print devices that are interfaced with the network after the original version of the printer driver was installed. When a print instruction is received for producing a printout using a print device that is not yet supported by the conventional universal print driver, the print driver cannot access the advanced features of the unsupported device without being re-installed. Accordingly, the print device cannot use its full set of capabilities for producing the printout unless the print driver is upgraded on a server that is in communication with the print driver.
As mentioned, one aspect of conventional universal print drivers is that a new version of the print driver must be re-installed each instance when a print device is not supported by the original installation of the print driver. One drawback to the re-installment process is that Windows Hardware Qualifications Lab ("WHQL") certification restrictions require that upgrades to the conventional drivers be made through the server. Therefore, print drivers cannot update their capabilities without affecting all connected print queues.
There is henceforth needed a universal print driver that is adapted for effectively acquiring a device specific data file for the unsupported print device without having to undergo a re-installation process.

Method and apparatus to provide enhanced printing for newly launched devices in a universal printer driver


A display includes a backlight comprising light sources. The light sources are divided into sections. The display also includes a transmissive display panel positioned adjacent to the backlight, a diffuser positioned between the backlight and the transmissive display panel, and a control circuit coupled to the backlight and the transmissive display panel. The control circuit synchronizes light output by the backlight with a transmittance of the transmissive display panel.

Most of today's high brightness liquid crystal display ("LCD") devices use fluorescent lamp backlights. Although less flexible than light emitting diode ("LED") backlights, the fluorescent lamp backlights have higher efficiency and, therefore, require less cooling than their LED backlight counterparts.
FIG. 1 illustrates a standard LCD 100 that utilizes LED backlighting. LCD 100 includes a LED backlight panel 102 composed of different colored LEDs 104. Typically, LEDs 104 are arranged in an alternating red, green, and blue pattern. LCD 100 also includes a diffuser 106 situated between backlight panel 102 and LCD panel 108.
LED backlight panel 102 creates a light source 110 with a relatively structured intensity, ILED (x,y). Diffuser 106 transforms light source 110 emitted from LED backlight panel into light source 112 with a substantially uniform intensity, I0. Diffuser 106 allows both light and dark areas of a video to be equally illuminated on the backside of LCD panel 108. To create viewable video, LCD panel 108 changes the transmittance of each individual LCD pixel in LCD panel 108 based on an input signal to produce a video 114 with a varied intensity, ILED (x,y). Accordingly, the intensity of the video intensity ILCD (t,x,y) seen by a user of LCD 100 at a certain time corresponds to the desired video.
In LCD 100 that includes LED backlight panel 102, diffuser 106 and LCD panel 108, the desired video's intensity would be governed by the equation:ILCD(t, x, y)=I0T0LCD(t, x, y)
Where:
ILCD(t,x,y) is the intensity of the video signal at a time t,
I0 is the uniform intensity from diffuser 106, and
T0LCD(t,x,y) is the transmittance of LCD panel 108 at time t.
In most video displayed on an LCD whether text, still images, or moving pictures, the different parts of the screen will have vastly different intensity levels depending on the video. Thus, in order to produce the different intensity levels, the LED backlight produces a high intensity light source to match the brightest portion of the video. Then, the intensity of the light source is reduced by changing the transmittance of the LCD panel for portions of the video that require a less intense illumination. Accordingly, the LED backlight must be supplied with high power constantly in order to produce the high intensity output to match the brightest portion of the video.
For example, if LCD 100 is displaying a video of a sunrise, LED backlight 102 would produce a uniform light source for the brightest portion of the video, i.e. the sun. Then, to create darker portions of the video, the transmittance of LCD panel 108 at locations other than the sun would be reduced. According to this method, the backlight must be powered at the intensity of the brightest portion of the video, even if the brightest portion makes up only a small amount of the entire video.