There is provided a hot-plug signal detecting apparatus capable of surely detecting change of a hot plug signal without increasing load on a transmission processing unit. A hot plug signal from a sink device is inputted to an AD input terminal of a controller, the hot plug signal is subjected to AD conversion, and a high level or low level is determined from the digital value, and thus, a hot-plug detecting circuit is not necessary, which can simplify a circuit configuration. Moreover, if a period of the low level of the hot plug signal is shorter than Tout, a period of the low level is prolonged to Tout, which allows the transmission processing unit to surely detect the low level without shortening a cycle at which the hot plug signal is detected.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hot-plug signal detecting apparatus that detects a hot plug signal outputted from a sink device or a repeater device, and the source device and the repeater device that comprise the hot-plug signal detecting apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, an AV system made of a source device that supplies contents data such as video data and audio data, and a receiving device such as a sink device and a repeater device that receives the contents data has been spread. The source device is, for example, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) player, BD (Blue-ray Disc) player, HDDVD (High Definition DVD) player, CD player or the like. The sink device is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), PDP (Plasma Display Panel), projector or the like. The repeater device is, for example, an AV amplifier, AV receiver or the like. These devices comply with HDMI standards, and are mutually connected through an HDMI cable.
To explain a case where a PDP, which is a sink device, and a DVD player, which is a source device, are connected as an example, the DVD player includes a hot-plug signal detecting apparatus that detects a hot plug signal outputted from the PDP. When a setting change (for example, stand-by, switching of a selector, disconnection of an HDMI link or the like) is notified, the PDP inverts the hot plug signal from a high level to a low level, and then again inverts it to the high level. When the hot plug signal is inverted to the low level, the DVD player executes cutting processing of the HDMI link, and when it detects the inversion to the high level, realizes the change of the setting of the PDP, acquires various pieces of information (for example, EDID or the like) from the PDP, makes setting of the HDMI, and executes necessary processing such as establishment of the HDMI link.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a conventional hot-plug signal detecting apparatus of a DVD player. A transmission processing unit 41 converts video data and audio data read from a DVD disk by a drive not shown in the figure to data compliant with an HDMI standard (hereinafter, referred to as HDMI data), and transmits it to a PDP through a TMDS channel.
Furthermore, the transmission processing unit 41 is connected to a connector 44 through a hot-plug detecting circuit 43 and resistances R28, R29. When a hot plug signal outputted from the PDP is inverted from a high level to a low level, the hot-plug detecting circuit 43 detects that the hot plug signal has been inverted to the low level, and outputs the hot plug signal of the low level to a hot-plug input terminal HPDin of the transmission processing unit 41. The transmission processing unit 41 detects that the hot plug signal has been inverted to the low level based on the hot plug signal inputted to the HPDin, and executes necessary processing.
The high level of the hot plug signal is 2.0 to 5.3 V, the low level is lower than 2.0 V, and these voltage values differ depending on a sink device. In the transmission processing unit 41, a predetermined binary hot plug signal of the high level or low level needs to be inputted to the hot-plug input terminal HPDin so that the high level or the lower level of the hot plug signal can be detected. Therefore, necessary is the hot-plug detecting circuit 43 that detects whether the voltage of the hot plug signal is in a high level range or in a low level range and outputs the predetermined binary hot plug signal of the high level or low level to the transmission processing unit 41, in order that the transmission processing unit 41 can detect the high level or the low level whatever voltage of the hot plug signal is outputted from the connected sink device. The hot-plug detecting circuit 43, as shown in FIG. 6, is made of an inverter circuit.
The transmission processing unit 41 is made of an MPEG chip, and needs to execute various processings such as control of the drive, decoding processing of MPEG data read from the DVD disk, and communications with a controller 42, in addition to the processing of inverting the contents data to the HDMI data. Accordingly, the parallel execution of a plurality of processings largely increases load on the transmission processing unit 41. Therefore, for the purpose of reducing the load, an interval (cycle) at which the hot plug signal inputted to the hot-plug input terminal HPDin is detected is set to be large. For example, the cycle of detection of the hot plug signal is set to 200 ms. In this case, if the sink device outputs the hot plug signal of the low level having a period of 100 ms, the transmission processing unit 41 can fail in detecting that the hot plug signal has been inverted to the low level. If the change of the hot plug signal cannot be detected, there arise problems that the operation based on the HDMI standard cannot be precisely executed, so that the contents data cannot be transmitted between the sink device and the source device, that various settings cannot be reflected, and the like. Furthermore, if the transmission processing unit 41 detects the hot plug signal with a short cycle, the above-described problems can be solved, while the problem that the load on the transmission processing unit 41 is increased is posed.
Moreover, in the case where a PDP which is a sink device and an AV amplifier which is a repeater device are connected, the AV amplifier includes a hot-plug signal detecting apparatus that detects a hot plug signal outputted from the PDP to detect the hot plug signal as described above.

Hot-plug signal detecting apparatus, source device and repeater device


A ring of vanes for an aircraft turbine engine, the ring presenting an axial direction and a radial direction and including a first annular sheath presenting an inside surface and a second annular sheath presenting an inside surface facing the first inside surface of the first annular sheath, the first and second sheaths being coaxial and defining between them a flow passage for a gas stream. The ring further includes both partially annular acoustic treatment panels including resonant cavities and also vanes extending in the radial direction between the first and second sheaths. Each vane includes a radial airfoil with at least two attachment tabs at each radial end of the airfoil fastened to the first or second sheath, and the inside surface of at least one of the first and second annular sheaths and the corresponding attachment tabs are covered by acoustic treatment panels arranged between the airfoils.

The present invention relates to the general field of so-called "passive" acoustic treatment, and particularly, but not exclusively, in its application to aviation turbine engines.
The invention relates more particularly to a ring of vanes of an aircraft turbine engine, and more particularly to the acoustic treatment of the ring.
The use of passive acoustic treatment panels is frequent in the field of aviation for the purpose of reducing sound emissions from turbine engines. For example, for a turbojet of the two-spool bypass type, such panels may be arranged on the inside face of the nacelle of the turbojet, and also on the inside and outside faces of its primary cover.
A passive acoustic treatment panel is generally made up of a structure forming resonant cavities that is covered by a thin porous layer (also referred to as a perforated skin) acting as a passive wall and closed at its other end by a layer that is reflective from an acoustic point of view (also referred to as a solid skin).
In the context of general specifications concerning noise, which are becoming ever more constraining concerning reducing noise level, and in particular in the context of nacelles that are narrow and short where surface areas available for potential acoustic treatment are becoming smaller and smaller, it is difficult to satisfy the general specifications in conventional manner. Specifically, there is less room for installing the equipment, in particular acoustic panels, that is used for attenuating noise from the fan. Thus, the volume of the equipment becomes a major problem, as does integrating it, in particular installing acoustic panels in the secondary passage of the engine.
Furthermore, in a ring of vanes, also known as outlet guide vanes (OGV), the surfaces of the air flow passage are built up from auxiliary parts such as platforms mounted between the outlet guide vanes so as to be interposed close to the roots and close to the tips of those vanes. Generally, acoustic treatment panels are used immediately upstream and downstream from the rings of outlet guide vanes. The ring itself generally does not have acoustic treatment, thereby reducing the area of the acoustic treatment and also reducing the effectiveness of the acoustic treatment.
Such rigid platforms without acoustic treatment, and thus forming a zone of acoustic leakage, can also be excited by the secondary stream, thereby adding to design constraints.
The platforms forming the inner and outer shrouds of the ring and making up the surfaces of the air flow passage through the ring of outlet guide vanes generally include a large amount of ribbing in order to strengthen the platforms and reduce any risk of the integrity of the ring structure being degraded.
Rings of vanes for a turbojet are known that include sound attenuation panels with resonant cavities, the panels being inserted in recesses made in platform portions and in vane portions.
Nevertheless, those panels are capable of covering only a fraction of the surface of the shroud made up of the platforms of the vanes, which shroud may be thought of as an annular sheath. Specifically, in order to conserve the integrity of the structure of the ring, a recess can be made in only a portion of the platform.

Ring of turbojet vanes including an acoustic treatment structure


Microporous or open ultrafiltration poly (tetrafluoroethylene-co-perfluoro-(alkyl vinyl ether)) (PFA) or poly (tetrafluoroethylene-co-hexafluoropropylene) (FEP) film membrane or hollow fibers having open pores are formed from a melt blend of 10 to 35 weight percent of the PFA or FEP and a chlorotrifluoroethylene oligomer solvent. The melt blend is shaped and one or more surfaces of the shaped melt blend are coated with the solvent prior to phase separation of the melt blend. Coating the membrane with solvent during shaping results in membrane having larger pores on that membrane surface as compared to membranes not coated with solvent. The shaped melt blend is cooled to effect phase separation and crystallization of the PFA or FEP from the blend. The solvent is separated from the PFA or FEP by extraction and the porous PFA or FEP is heat set under restraint to prevent shrinkage. In one embodiment of this invention the dry film membrane recovered after extraction or the membrane wet with extraction liquid is stretched in the cross-web direction to below its breaking limit, dried, restrained and then heat-set.

This invention relates to a process for producing microporous or open ultrafiltration poly(tetrafluoroethylene-co-perfluoro (alkyl vinyl ether)) (PFA) or poly (tetrafluoroethylene-co-hexafluoropropylene) (FEP) membranes under conditions to control membrane surface porosity to improve membrane permeability and to the membrane so-produced.
Microporous and open ultrafiltration membranes include thin sheets and hollow fibers generally formed from synthetic thermoplastic materials and having a substantially continuous matrix structure containing open pores or conduits of small size. The mean pore size range for pores of "microporous and open ultrafiltration membranes" is not precisely defined in the art, but it is generally understood to extend from about 0.02 microns to about 10 microns. Microporous and open ultrafiltration membranes having open pores thereby imparting permeability are useful in fine filtration.
PFA and FEP polymers are desirable filtration membrane materials because of their excellent chemical and thermal stabilities. However, their inherent inert nature also renders them unamenable to be cast into membranes by conventional solution immersion casting processes. Currently microporous membranes using similarly inert materials are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,953,566; 3,962,153; 4,096,227; 4,110,392; 4,187,390; 4,248,924; 4,482,516 and 4,598,011. The process disclosed in these patents comprises stretching sintered poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) particles to create a pore structure characterized by nodes interconnected by fibrils. The pores are highly elongated in the stretch direction.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,623,670 and 4,702,836 disclose a process for forming microporous membranes from a fluoropolymer resin selected from the group consisting of ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer, ethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene copolymer and poly(chlorotrifluoroethylene). In this process, an inorganic filler is required in melt molding the polymer with a chlorotrifluoroethylene oligomer. The filler and oligomer are dissolved out of the polymer to form voids. The use of fillers in microporous membranes used in filtration is highly undesirable since all of the fillers cannot be removed by solvation and the fillers remaining may migrate into the filtrate and contaminate it. Although the three fluoropolymers disclosed by these patents have good chemical and thermal resistance, they are inferior in stabilities when compared to PFA and FEP.
A method for making a porous fluorinated polymer structure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,434,116. It involves forming a solvated or partially solvated polymer/solvent mixture. The polymer for which this is applicable comprises a copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoro vinyl ether with a sulfonyl fluoride (--SO.sub.2 F), sulfonate (--SO.sub.3 Z) or carboxylate (--COOZ) functional group wherein Z is a cation. The presence of the polar functional group greatly enhances the dissolution of this polymer. A variety of organic solvents have been reported. The method described is based on thermal phase separation of the polymer/solvent mixture and specified that the solvent (porogen) is a solid at room temperature and must crystallize after phase separation. The solvent is then removed from the blend in the solid state. No pore morphology or permeability data of the porous structure were given.
The use of stretching technique as a primary means to form microporous membranes has been described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,953,566; 3,962,153; 4,096,227; 4,110,392 4,187,390; 4,248,924; 4,482,516 and 4,598,011. The process disclosed in these patents comprises stretching sintered poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) particles to create a pore structure characterized by nodes interconnected by fibrils. No dissolution of polymer in solvent or thermal phase separation is involved in the membrane formation scheme.
The combination use of thermal phase separation from a melt blend (solution) and subsequent stretching (orientation) to form microporous membranes was described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,256. In this process, between 30 and 80% of a thermoplastic polymer is mixed with a solvent at an elevated temperature high enough to dissolve the polymer. Thereafter the mixture is cooled to effect crystallization of the polymer. A shaped article such as a film is formed during cooling. The film is subsequently stretched (either before or after solvent extraction) in at least one direction to produce the product. The product has a morphology characterized by a multiplicity of spaced, randomly dispersed non-uniform shaped, non-porous particles of the polymer. Adjacent particles throughout the material are separated from one another to provide micropores and which particles are connected to each other by a plurality of fibrils. No fluorocarbon polymers are included in the examples of crystallizable polymers. All the polymer/solvent systems disclosed are systems that exhibit solid (crystalline)/liquid phase separation behavior upon cooling from a one phase solution.
In applicants' prior application referred to above, a PFA or FEP melt blend film is extruded onto a quench medium device such as a quench roll. Both surfaces of this film are exposed to a short air gap distance before one side contacts the quench roll on which the entire film is subsequently quenched to effect phase separation. During the air gap residence period and part of the duration on the quench roll, it is believed that evaporation of the solvent from the surfaces of the film will occur before phase separation of the melt blend is completed. This is especially true of the film's surface that is not in direct contact with the quench roll surface during quenching because of its longer exposure period to ambient atmosphere at higher temperature. The evaporation is exacerbated by the very high temperature of the extrudate. The overall effect on the final resultant membrane is poor control of densification on the surfaces.
It would be desirable to provide a versatile process for producing microporous and open ultrafiltration membranes from PFA or FEP which permits control of the pore structure of one or both membrane surfaces and of the internal pore structure.

Process for producing fluorocarbon membranes and membrane product


A ratcheting driver configured to rotationally drive an item or work piece is provided. The driver includes a handle and pivotal pawls engageable with a driven gear and capable of ratcheting and driving in both rotational directions. The handle and pawls have mating matched surfaces for full and flush overlying contact therebetween. A cap that is rotatable relative to the handle and that has a web for pivoting the pawls out of engagement with the gear is also provided. In addition, a stop is included. The stop is configured to assure that only a correct direction of rotation of the cap is available when assembling. Also, a method of arranging the driver is provided.

Ratcheting drivers are currently available to those skilled in applying fasteners, and in performing like actions. Such drivers commonly include a handle and an actuator thereon. Such drivers also commonly include a driven gear and pawl assembly, all for maneuvering the actuator for selectively setting the assembly for rotational driving in either direction while allowing ratcheting in the direction opposite the driving direction.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Ratchet driver and method of making same


Systems, methods, and software are disclosed herein for enhancing entity classification operations for digital maps. In an implementation, an entity classification system associates tiles in a grid overlaying a map with discrete positioning records produced by devices operating in areas represented in the map. For each tile in an area of interest in the grid, the system produces a scalar description based on a subset of the discrete positioning records associated with the tile. The system then performs a binary classification of each tile as a type of entity (e.g. a road, business, or residence) based on the scalar description of the tile and the scalar descriptions of other tiles in the area of interest.

Digital maps have become indispensable tools of modern life that allow people to quickly and easily navigate to their destination, find places of interest, and otherwise explore their surroundings. While sometimes taken for granted, a great deal of advanced technology and manual effort are required to construct, curate, and maintain maps over time.
Specially equipped vehicles are utilized in some situations to travel the roads while recording street details. However, it is difficult to keep up with road changes just by driving every street, in addition to being a time consuming and expensive endeavor. Aerial imagery is utilized in other situations, but also has limits with respect to staying current and capturing the direction, speed, controls, and restrictions of a road.
Global Positioning System (GPS) traces have been used to overcome the challenges mentioned above, but come with limitations of their own. For example, multiple GPS points are needed to build a given trace, which limits the anonymity of such traces. The lack of anonymity influences users to limit their availability, which in turn reduces their effectiveness as a resource for inferring the presence roads and their details in a map.

Classifying entities in digital maps using discrete non-trace positioning data


An active switching rectifier circuit uses a MOSFET and applies a current based control to turn the MOSFET on and off. The MOSFET has its source and drain connected between an AC phase line and the DC output. A current detection and control circuit has an input current conductor coupled in series with the source-drain current of the MOSFET; it outputs a switching control signal based on the current in its input conductor and applies the signal to the gate of the MOSFET for on/off control. A Hall-effect switch may be used in the current detection and control circuit. The rectifier may also include a voltage supply circuit coupled to the AC source for supplying a floating DC voltage to the current detection and control circuit. The rectifier circuit can be adapted for various configurations including single-phase half-wave, center-tap dual-phase full-wave, single-phase full-wave, and three-phase full-wave.

Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a rectifier circuit, and in particular, it relates to an active switching rectifier circuit employing MOSFETs with current-based control.
Description of the Related Art
Conventional AC to DC rectifying circuits employ diodes by utilizing the diode's P-N junction single direction conductivity. When a relatively small current passes through the diode, the normal diode will have a 0.7V voltage drop across the diode (or about 0.3V for Schottky type diodes). The voltage drop can be up to 1.0V or higher when a relatively high current, such as 100 A or 200 A, passes through the diode. The power loss over the diode will be 100 W or 200 W or more in such situations. Thus, in high current rectifier applications, such as those encountered in alternators in automobiles and other applications, power loss can be significant. In high current rectifier applications, such as 150 A or higher in a 125 C. environment, the heat generated from diode power loss can greatly reduce the reliability and efficiency of the equipment.
MOSFETs (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors), in particular power MOSFETs, have been used in rectifier circuits due to their relatively small internal on resistance. For example, a chip made by Linear Technology, model number LT4320/LT4320-1, is intended to be used to control a diode bridge made of four N-channel MOSFETs. In another example, U.S. 20140129850 (assigned to Linear Technology) shows an active MOSFET bridge circuit; paragraph [0048] of that application describes that the MOSFETs are controlled by comparators or passive circuitry to turn on MOSFETs on and off by detecting the incoming voltage polarity. This type of MOSFET control circuits tend to be complex, and have the disadvantage that voltage detection may become unreliable in applications that involve dynamic inductive or capacitive load.

Active switching rectifier employing MOSFET and current-based control using a hall-effect switch


The catalytic cracking of a hydrocarbon oil to provide a product of increased octane number and increased C.sub.5 + gasoline content is carried out employing a cracking catalyst composition containing both a large pore crystalline zeolite component and an MCM-22 zeolite component.

This invention relates to improvements in the catalytic cracking of hydrocarbon oils and, in particular, is directed to a process for the catalytic cracking of hydrocarbon oils to produce higher gasoline yields and increased gasoline octane number. The cracking catalyst used herein is a mixture of a large pore crystalline molecular sieve such as zeolite Y and a zeolite referred to herein as zeolite MCM-22.
Zeolitic materials, both natural and synthetic, have been demonstrated in the past to have catalytic properties for various types of hydrocarbon conversion. Certain zeolitic materials are ordered, porous crystalline aluminosilicates having a definite crystalline structure as determined by X-ray diffraction, within which there are a large number of smaller cavities which may be interconnected by a number of still smaller channels or pores. These cavities and pores are uniform in size within a specific zeolitic material. Since the dimensions of these pores are such as to accept adsorption molecules of certain dimensions while rejecting those of large dimensions, these materials nave come to be known as "molecular sieves" are utilized in a variety of ways to take advantage of these properties. Such molecular sieves, both natural and synthetic, include a wide variety of positive ion-containing crystalline silicates. These silicates can be described as a rigid three-dimensional framework of SiO.sub.4 and Periodic Table Group IIIA element oxide, e.g., AlO.sub.4, in which the tetrahedra are cross-linked by the sharing of oxygen atoms whereby the ratio of the total Group IIIA element, e.g., aluminum, and silicon atoms to oxygen atoms is 1:2. The electrovalence of the tetrahedra containing the Group IIIA element, e.g., aluminum, is balanced by the inclusion in the crystal of a cation, e.g., an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal cation. This can be expressed wherein the ratio of the Group IIIA element, e.g., aluminum, to the number of various cations, such as Ca/2, Sr/2, Na, K or Li, is equal to unity. One type of cation may be exchanged either entirely or partially with another type of cation utilizing ion exchange techniques in a conventional manner. By means of such cation exchange, it has been possible to vary the properties of a given silicate by suitable selection of the cation. The spaces between the tetrahedra are occupied by molecules of water prior to dehydration.
Prior art techniques have resulted in the formation of a great variety of synthetic zeolites. Many of these zeolites have come to be designated by letter or other convenient symbols, as illustrated by zeolite Z (U.S. Pat. No. 2,882,243); zeolite X (U.S. Pat. No. 2,882,244); zeolite Y (U.S. Pat. No. 3,130,007); zeolite ZK-5 (U.S. Pat. No. 3,247,195); zeolite ZK-4 (U.S. Pat. No. 3,314,752); zeolite ZSM-5 (U.S. Pat. No. 3,702,886); zeolite ZSM-11 (U.S. Pat. No. 3,709,979); zeolite ZSM-12 (U.S. Pat. No. 3,832,449); zeolite ZSM-20 (U.S. Pat. No. 3,972,983); zeolite ZSM-35 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,245); and zeolite ZSM-23 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,076,842), merely to name a few.
The SiO.sub.2 /Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 ratio of a given zeolite is often variable. For example, zeolite X can be synthesized with SiO.sub.2 /Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 ratios of from 2 to 3; zeolite Y, from 3 to about 6. In some zeolites, the upper limit of the SiO.sub.2 /Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 ratio is unbounded. ZSM-5 is one such example wherein the SiO.sub.2 /Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 ratio is at least 5 and up to the limits of present analytical measurement techniques. U.S. Pat. No. 3,941,871 (Re. 29,948) discloses a porous crystalline silicate made from a reaction mixture containing no deliberately added alumina in the recipe and exhibiting the X-ray diffraction pattern characteristic of ZSM-5. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,061,724, 4,073,865 and 4,104,294 describe crystalline silicates of varying alumina and metal content.
The catalytic cracking of hydrocarbon oils utilizing zeolites is a known process, practiced, for example, in fluid-bed catalytic cracking (FCC) units, moving bed or thermofor catalytic cracking (TCC) reactors and fixed bed crackers. Zeolites have been found to be particularly effective for the catalytic cracking of a gas oil to produce motor fuels and have been described and claimed in many patents including U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,140,249; 3,140,251; 3,140,252; 3,140,253; and, 3,271,418. It is also known in the prior art to incorporate the crystalline zeolite into a matrix for catalytic cracking and such disclosure appears in one or more of the above-identified U.S. patents.
It is also known that improved results can be obtained with regard to the catalytic cracking of gas oils if a zeolite having a pore size of less than about 7 Angstrom units, e.g., zeolite A, is included with a crystalline zeolite having a pore size greater than about 8 Angstrom units, e.g., rare earth-treated zeolite X or Y, either with or without a matrix. A disclosure of this type is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,769,202. Although the incorporation of a crystalline zeolite having a pore size of less than about 7 Angstrom units into a catalyst composite comprising a large pore size crystalline zeolite (pore size greater than about 8 Angstrom units) has indeed been very effective with respect to raising the octane number, it does so at the expense of overall gasoline yield.
Improved results in catalytic cracking with respect to both octane number and overall gasoline yield are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,758,403. The cracking catalyst comprises a large pore size crystalline zeolite (e.g., pore size greater than about 8 Angstrom units) such as zeolite Y in admixture with a smaller pore zeolite, e.g. ZSM-5, wherein the ratio of smaller pore zeolite to large pore size crystalline zeolite is in the range of 1:10 to 3:1. Effective cracking was achieved when the catalyst was used to obtain the inherent advantages realized in moving bed techniques such as the Thermofor Catalytic Cracking Process (TCC) as well as in fluidized cracking processes (FCC).
The use of zeolites such as ZSM-5 in conjunction with a zeolite cracking catalyst of the X or Y faujasite variety is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,894,931; 3,894,933; and, 3,894,934. The two former patents disclose the use of a ZSM-5 zeolite in amounts of about 5-10 wt. %; the latter patent discloses the weight ratio of ZSM-5 zeolite to large pore size crystalline zeolite within the range of 1:10 to 3:1.
The addition of a separate additive or composite catalyst comprising one or more members of a class of zeolites such as ZSM-5 has been found to be extremely efficient as an octane and total gasoline yield improver when used in very small amounts in conjunction with a conventional cracking catalyst. Thus, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,309,279; 4,309,280 and 4,368,114, it was found that only 0.1 to 0.5 wt. % of a ZSM-5 catalyst added to a conventional cracking catalyst under conventional cracking operations could increase octane by about 1-3 RON+O (Research Octane Number Without Lead).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,292 discloses a catalytic cracking process which employs a mixture of a faujasite-type zeolite as base cracking catalyst and zeolite Beta. Use of this catalyst mixture results in improved cracking activity, increased octane numbers of the product gasoline and increased gasoline plus alkylate precursor yields relative to the base catalyst alone.
A characteristic of the foregoing catalytic cracking processes, however, lies in their tendency to produce increased C.sub.3 and C.sub.4 olefins at the expense of C.sub.5 + gasoline yield. In those refineries having limited capacity for the conversion of such olefins to more valuable products, e.g., alkylate, it would be desirable to provide a catalytic cracking process which provides a product of increased octane while reducing the aforenoted diminution in C.sub.5 + gasoline yield.

Octane improvement in catalytic cracking and cracking catalyst composition therefor


A new cultivar of Agapanthus named ‘Senna’, characterized by its very tall strong peduncles that are purple-black in color and held erect, its free-flowering habit with umbels of violet blue flowers, and its longevity as a cut flower of 2 weeks.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Agapanthus africanus and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, 'Senna'. 'Senna' represents a new cultivar of lily-of-the-Nile, a perennial grown for landscape and cut flower use.
The new Agapanthus originated as the result of self-pollination of Agapanthus africanus 'Back in Black' (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,244), made by the Inventor, under controlled conditions in a field at his nursery in Hillegom, The Netherlands in 2004. Pollination was done under controlled conditions in which the flower heads were covered to prevent contamination from cross-pollination. 'Senna' was selected as unique from its parent and all other cultivars known to the Inventor in 2006.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished by the Inventor by division in 2006 in Hillegom, The Netherlands. Propagation by division and tissue culture has determined that the characteristics of this cultivar are stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.


A liquid crystal display includes first and second gate lines arranged in parallel to each other and sequentially transmitting a gate voltage, a data line crossing the first and second gate lines and transmitting a data voltage, a pixel electrode constituted by first and second sub-pixel electrodes and electrically disconnected from each other, a first switching element connected to the first gate line, the data line, and the first sub-pixel electrode, a second switching element connected to the first gate line, the data line, and the second sub-pixel electrode, a third switching element connected to the first sub-pixel electrode across a charge-sharing capacitor, and a fourth switching element connected to the second gate line and the second sub-pixel electrode and connected to the first sub-pixel electrode across the charge-sharing capacitor.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a display apparatus, and, more particularly, to a liquid crystal display.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display is one of the most widely used flat panel displays. Liquid crystal displays include two panels provided with field-generating electrodes such as pixel electrodes and a common electrode and a liquid crystal layer interposed therebetween. The liquid crystal display displays images by applying voltages to the field-generating electrodes to generate an electric field in the liquid crystal layer, which determines orientations of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer to adjust polarization of incident light.
A vertical alignment mode liquid crystal display, in which liquid crystal molecules are aligned such that the long axes of the liquid crystal molecules are perpendicular to the two panels (i.e., upper and lower panels) in the absence of an electric field, has become the focus of attention because of its high contrast ratio and wide reference viewing angle, which is defined as a viewing angle making the contrast ratio equal to 1:10 or as a limit angle for the inversion in luminance (brightness) between the grays.
In the vertical alignment mode liquid crystal display, the wide viewing angle can be achieved by forming cutouts in field-generating electrodes and forming protrusions on the field-generating electrodes. Since the cutouts and the protrusions can determine the tilt directions of the liquid crystal LC molecules, the tilt directions can be distributed into several directions by using the cutouts and the protrusions such that the reference viewing angle is widened.
The conventional vertical alignment mode liquid crystal display has relatively poor lateral visibility compared with front visibility. For example, a patterned VA (PVA) mode LCD having the cutouts shows an image that becomes bright as it goes far from the front, and, in the worst case, the luminance difference between high grays vanishes such that the images cannot be perceived.


A system includes an engine head that mounts to an engine block of a reciprocating engine, and the engine head includes an intake flow path, an exhaust flow path, a coolant flow path, and first and second sealing registers disposed on opposite sides of the coolant flow path. In addition, the first and second sealing registers are configured to receive a valve guide that supports a valve stem of an exhaust valve. Moreover, the first sealing register is disposed in a wall separating the exhaust flow path and the coolant flow path. Also, a first wall portion of the wall extends between the first sealing register and an exhaust valve seat configured to receive a valve head of the exhaust valve, and a second wall portion of the wall extends from the first sealing register away from the first wall portion.

The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to reciprocating engines, and, more particularly to exhaust valves of a reciprocating engine.
A reciprocating engine (e.g., a reciprocating internal combustion engine) combusts fuel with an oxidant (e.g., air) to generate hot combustion gases, which in turn drive a piston (e.g., a reciprocating piston) within a cylinder of a cylinder head. In particular, the hot combustion gases expand and exert a pressure against the piston that linearly moves the piston from a top portion to a bottom portion of the cylinder during an expansion stroke. The piston converts the pressure exerted by the combustion gases and the piston's linear motion into a rotating motion (e.g., via a connecting rod and a crankshaft coupled to the piston) that drives one or more loads (e.g., an electrical generator). The cylinder head also includes intake and exhaust valves, which open and close to control the intake of air and exhaust of combustion gases during operation of the reciprocating engine. Unfortunately, the exhaust valves are subject to considerable heat from the combustion process, and this heat can lead to degradation and coking of the lubricant used for the exhaust valves. Therefore, it would be desirable to improve the cooling and lubrication associated with the exhaust valves.

System for cooling exhaust valve of a reciprocating engine


Computer system, computer implemented method and computer program product for determining a recommended course of action to resolve an unlicensed software installation of a type of software in a computer of a company. A determination is made as to an amount or level of use of the type of software by the company during a predetermined period of time. A determination is made if the type of software is currently installed on another computer of the company. A determination is made if the software of the unlicensed software installation can be relocated to the other computer of the company and encompassed under another existing license for the other computer. Alternately, automatic evaluations are made of characteristics of the company's use of (a) the type of software which would permit removal of the type of software from all computers of the company, (b) the software installation which would permit removal of the software installation, and (c) the type of software which would permit relocation of the software from the unlicensed software installation to another computer of the company at which the software would be licensed.

Typically, software is licensed not sold. The license includes conditions and restrictions such as (a) a geographic location where (an unlimited number of copies of) the software can be installed, (b) a specific computer CPU serial number in which (an unlimited number of copies of) the software can be installed, (c) a total number of copies which the licensee can install in one or more computers located anywhere, (d) a type of computer (such as production, development, etc.) on which the software can be used, and (e) a maximum size computer (typically expressed in processing power) in which the software can be installed. Often times, one company has multiple licenses that authorize installation of the same type of software, and many copies of the software are installed on different computers of the company. It has proven difficult for many companies to effectively track their licenses and which software copies are licensed when the company is large and has many separate software licenses, software installations and computers. Often times, the result is that one or more software installations are not covered by an existing software license of the company. Usually this is inadvertent, but nevertheless improper. (Often times also, the company has excess software licenses.)
An IBM Tivoli License Manager program is a known software license management program, and is further described in a document entitled "Introducing IBM Tivoli License Manager" by Manoel, et al. which is available from ibm.com/redbooks. Chapter 2 of this document is hereby incorporated by reference as part of the present disclosure. Using this program, when a license is associated with specific installed software, an administrator enters into a database information about the license. To the extent applicable, this information includes maximum size of the computer processor on which the program can be installed, maximum number of copies of the program that can be installed (on any computer), expiration date, specific CPU serial number on which the program can be installed or executed, and geographic location of the processor for executing (an unlimited number of copies of) the program. The Tivoli License Manager program checks whether each installed software program complies with an existing license by applying the licenses to the installations based on a predetermined and set order of conditions. For example, the Tivoli License Manager may be preprogrammed to apply all licenses having one type of condition to the installations, and then determine which installations are not covered by this type of license. Then, the Tivoli License Manager may be preprogrammed to apply all licenses having another type of condition to the remaining installations, and then determine which installations are not covered by either type of license. Then, the Tivoli License Manager may be preprogrammed to apply all licenses having still another type of condition to the still remaining installations, and then determine which installations are not covered by any of the three license, etc. If the Tivoli License Manager has not associated any remaining installed software with a license after all the licenses have been applied, then it is possible that such remaining installed software is not covered under any existing software license. (If any licenses remain after all the software installations are associated with/covered by any of the previously applied licenses, then the Tivoli License Manager deems the remaining licenses as excessive or unnecessary, and they can be terminated to save the company money.)
Copending US Patent Application entitled "System, Method and Program Product To Identify Unutilized or Underutilized Software License", Ser. No. 11/157,397, filed by J. Marsnik, O. Nalamwar and T. Smalley on Jun. 21, 2005 discloses an improved program tool for identifying installed software which is not licensed as well as excess or under utilized licenses. According to this patent application, the improved program tool applies the software licenses in various orders to the software installations, where each order is based on a different prioritization of license conditions. For example, in one order, all licenses with a condition on geographic location are applied first, then all licenses with a condition on total number of copies are applied second, then all licenses with a condition on specific CPU are applied third, etc. In another order, all licenses with a condition on total number of copies are applied first, then all licenses with a condition on geographic location are applied second, then all licenses with a condition on specific CPU are applied third, etc. In still another order, all licenses with a condition on specific CPU are applied first, then all licenses with a condition on total number of copies are applied second, then all licenses with a condition on geographic location are applied third, etc. This patent application is hereby incorporated by reference as part of the present disclosure. After all the licenses are applied in the different orders to the software installations, if none of the licenses covers one or more software installations in any of the orders, then that software installation is not licensed. (Also, if less than all the licenses are needed to cover all the software installations in any of the orders, then the remaining licenses are unnecessary and can be terminated to save the company money.)
While the foregoing techniques are effective in identifying unlicensed software installations, they do not disclose a technique to determine what to do when such unlicensed software installations are identified, other than to simply decommission/delete the unlicensed software installation. This may not be in the best interest of the user/company.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to determine what to do when unlicensed software installations are identified, to serve the interest of the user/company.

System, method and program product to determine resolution when software installed on a computer is not properly licensed

International Business Machines Corporation


A working vehicle periphery monitoring system includes: a synthesis process unit that acquires image information output from a plurality of image capturing devices at a predetermined timing and synthesizes the acquired image information to generate synthesis image information; an updating information adding unit that adds updating information to the synthesis image information generated by the synthesis process unit; a synthesis image storage unit that stores the synthesis image information to which the updating information is added; and an updated state determining unit that acquires the synthesis image information to which the updating information IR is added from the synthesis image storage unit and detects that the synthesis image information is updated based on the updating information.

In a civil engineering work site or a quarry site of a mine, various working vehicles such as a dump truck and an excavator are operated. Particularly, a superjumbo working vehicle is used in a mine. Since such a working vehicle has a vehicle width and a vehicle length noticeably larger than those of a general vehicle, it is difficult for an operator to check and understand an environment in the periphery of the working vehicle by a side mirror and the like.
There is proposed a device which monitors a periphery of a vehicle as a technology for assisting a running operation by helping the driver or the operator to simply recognize the environment in the periphery of the vehicle. In such a periphery monitoring device, for example, the periphery of the vehicle is captured by a camera attached to the vehicle and the acquired images are synthesized so as to generate an overhead image showing the periphery of the vehicle (for example, see Patent Literature 1).

Working vehicle periphery monitoring system and working vehicle


An RF-power device includes a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of active regions arranged in an array. Each active region includes one or more RF-power transistors. The active regions are interspersed with inactive regions for reducing mutual heating of the RF-power transistors in separate active regions. The devices also includes at least one impedance matching component located in one of the inactive regions of the substrate.

This invention relates to a radio frequency (RF) power device.
It is known to provide RF power devices such as RF-LDMOS transistors and GaN-HEMT in an array on a semiconductor substrate.
Power devices of this kind generate a large amount of heat, which can lead to self heating and mutual heating between the devices in the array. This heating can lead to performance degradation or even transistor damage.
In an attempt to mitigate mutual heating of different transistors in the array, the transistors in known array designs are spaced apart by a given distance or pitch. The pitch used in practical devices is known to be 50-150 μm, whereas the size of the transistors themselves may be much smaller (e.g. 3-15 μm). The space in between the transistors represents a large amount dead space on the substrate in which the RF power device is provided.
Power transistors typically have a low input and output impedance. Accordingly, for certain applications, these power transistors are coupled to impedance matching circuits. These impedance matching circuits typically comprise components such as inductors and capacitors.


A wheelchair includes a standard foldable frame for supporting a seat with a first and second drive wheel driven by drive levers. Each wheel has a transmission providing for three forward speeds and a reverse speed, as well as a neutral position. The transmissions for the two wheels may be constructed of identical parts with the wheels being caused to rotate in opposite directions from the driving lever merely by reversing the direction of the pawls within the transmissions. The ratchet drive surfaces are provided with pawl engaging surfaces which may be driven in either of two directions. The wheelchair does not require any bulky equipment and the hub containing the transmission may be the size of a bicycle hub. The transmissions in both wheels are shifted by a single control. The wheelchair is provided with disk brakes.

Much work has been done in the field of wheelchairs. However, there is still a need for a wheelchair which may be conveniently powered by a manual means other than the user's hands directly on the wheels of the wheelchair. There is also a need for a wheelchair which may be substantially similar to foldable wheelchairs which may be conveniently folded for transport of the wheelchair in a vehicle or the like and readily unfolded for use.
Further, there is a need for a wheelchair which does not comprise bulky components which detract from the useability of the wheelchair.
There is also a need for a wheelchair which may be driven in a forward direction in multiple speeds or powered torque levels. There is further a need for a wheelchair which may be driven in forward or reverse or in which either one or both of the wheels may be easily put into a neutral or freewheeling condition.
Further, there is a need for a wheelchair which may be economically manufactured.


The present invention relates to novel vaccines against Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections, based on recombinant capsid-display adenovirus vectors. Described are capsid modified replication deficient adenovirus particles encoding and displaying multiple HPV L2 antigenic fragments, via a minor capsid protein IX, and their use for eliciting an immune response in order to provide protection against infections from multiple HPV types.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is known cause of cervical cancer in woman but it can also cause penile, anal, vulvar, vaginal and orophanryngial cancers (Forman et al. 2012, Vaccine). Two prophylactic L1 protein virus-like particles (VLPs) based vaccines have been shown to prevent infection with the high risk cancerogenic HPV 16 and 18 types (Schiller et al. 2012, Vaccine). One of these also provides protection against HPV 6 and 11 types (Schiller et al. 2012, Vaccine).
Although these vaccines are highly effective at preventing HPV 16 and 18 infections, which cause approximately 70% of the cervical cancer cases worldwide, 13 other HPV types are known to be cancerogenic as well. In descending order of importance, genotypes HPV 45, HPV 31, HPV 33, HPV 52, HPV 58, HPV 35, HPV 56, HPV 51, HPV 39, HPV 68, HPV 73 and HPV 82 cause the remaining 30% of the worldwide reported cervical cancer cases (Hanna Seitz, 2014)). To ensure protection against the less prevalent HPV types, a nine-valent L1 VLP based vaccine has been developed which in addition to the HPV 6, 11, 16 and 18, also aims at providing protection against the HPV types 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58 (Munoz et al., 2004; Smith et al., 2007). Despite the effective prevention against infections from the mentioned genotypes, L1 VLP based vaccines offer limited cross-protection and they are also very expensive to manufacture. This prevents their global implementation, in particular in the developing world where ˜80% of the HPV cases occur (Parkin & Bray, 2006; Schiller & Lowy, 2012). Hence, there is a need for immunogenic vaccines that are (cross-) protective against many HPV types.


A process for the production of foam cushions from different fluid reaction mixtures comprising introducing a first and at least one other reaction mixture into a mold cavity and leaving the mixtures to react to form a cushion having zones of differing elasticity or rigidity characterized in that the reaction mixtures are not introduced into the mold cavity until they have started to cream up and are already viscous.

The present invention relates to a process for the production of foam cushions from different fluid reaction mixtures. The resultant cushion consists of at least two foams differing correspondingly in elasticity or rigidity. Preferred are those reaction mixtures leading to polyurethane foams. In the process, a first and at least one other reaction mixture are introduced into a mold cavity and left to react to form a cushion having zones of different elasticity or rigidity before the cushion is removed from the mold.
The production of molded parts, and in particular cushions, by foaming in molds is becoming more widely used over the previously employed method of cutting. The foaming-in-the-mold method is relatively simple and can be carried out almost loss free. When this process of foaming in the mold is employed, the cushions are either subsequently covered with a textile cover or the cover is directly back-foamed in a vacuum mold.
Various processes have been proposed for the production of molded parts composed of zones of differing rigidity.
According to EP-Bl-68 820 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,574), a second foam mixture is directly introduced on a first foam mixture at a time corresponding to a volumetric expansion of the first mixture of 100% to 2,300% so that one or more relatively rigid zones are formed within a relatively flexible foam. For this procedure, it is necessary to wait for the first reaction mixture to attain the necessary volumetric expansion before the second reaction mixture may be introduced. This has the undesirable effect of increasing the length of the foaming cycle in the mold. Moreover, the main aim of covering the more rigid zones with a layer of flexible foam to increase the seating comfort is difficult to achieve because the expansion of the flexible layer is limited to only small thicknesses in certain zones. Difficulties are also encountered in making these coverings sufficiently reproducible.
According to another process (U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,697), a more rigid foam formulation is introduced into the mold and allowed to start foaming. A flexible foam formulation is introduced when the first mixture has expanded to 10 to 80% of its full volume. This second mixture penetrates the first mixture when it is introduced and causes the first mixture to float upwards. Both mixtures then undergo reaction to produce a polyurethane foam product which has zones of differing density. This process has the disadvantage that penetration of the first reaction mixture introduced and the flow of second reaction mixture under the first mixture take place in an irregular fashion so that the properties of the molded parts (particularly the indentation hardness) obtained are not sufficiently reproducible.
None of these known processes suggest how, in the production of highly contoured cushions such as seating cushions with raised sideparts, it is possible to prevent the reaction mixture in the region of the flat central part of the seat from flowing down into the parts of the mold cavity which are to form the side parts. In practice, this problem has been solved by placing barriers at the bottom of the mold cavity to limit the flow of the reaction mixture which is to form the flat central part of the seat, so that cushions with zones of differing hardness can be obtained in a reproducible manner. Barriers of this kind naturally increase the cost of the mold and leave grooves (so called "pipes") in the part of the cushion in which they are placed. These grooves are in many cases covered up to some extent by providing beading in the form of piping on the cover in these positions. The grooves are, however, weak points which form the starting points for cracks when subjected to excessive loads.
The problem therefore arose of providing a process by which foam cushions of the type defined above may be produced more reproducibly and more simply, and in particular with shorter operating cycles, and which would also be able to withstand exceptional loads.

Process for the production of foam cushions from different fluid reaction mixtures


A combined connector includes a first housing that has a first terminal receiving chamber for receiving a first terminal and a second housing that is stacked on the first housing and has a second terminal receiving chamber for receiving a second terminal. The first housing includes a retaining projection which projects and inserts into the second terminal receiving chamber to retain the second terminal in the second terminal receiving chamber and a terminal retaining portion which retains the first terminal received in the first terminal receiving chamber and is disposed so as to contact with the second housing in a state that the first housing and the second housing are stacked together.

This invention relates to a combined connector, and more particularly to a combined connector including a plurality of stacked housings each having terminal receiving chambers.
For example, a joint connector shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 has been proposed as a combined connector of the type described above (see, for example, JP-A-6-181078). FIG. 9 is an exploded, perspective view of the related joint connector, and FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the joint connector taken along the line I-I of FIG. 9.
As shown in these Figures, the joint connector comprises three male connectors (housings) 51, 52 and 53 stacked together. Terminal receiving chambers are formed in each of the male connectors 51, 52 and 53, and female terminals 71, 72, 73 each fixedly secured to an end portion of a wire 61, 62, 63 are inserted and fitted respectively in the terminal receiving chambers of each male connector. The female terminals 71, 72, 73 are retained within the respective terminal receiving chambers by terminal retaining lances 81, 82, 83 for withdrawal prevention purposes.
A pair of retaining projections 93 and a pair of projection insertion holes 103 for connection to the male connector 52 are provided at a side wall of the male connector 53 facing the male connector 52, the retaining projections 93 being disposed adjacent to the projection insertion holes 103. On the other hand, retaining projection 92a are formed on a side wall of the male connector 52 facing the male connector 53, and are so arranged as to be opposed respectively to the projection insertion holes 103 in the male connector 53. Also, projection insertion holes 102 are formed in this side wall of the male connector 52, and are disposed adjacent to the retaining projections 92a, and are so arranged as to be opposed respectively to the retaining projections 93 of the male connector 53.
A pair of retaining projections 92b for connection to the male connector 51 are formed on a side wall of the male connector 52 facing the male connector 51, and are disposed adjacent to each other. Projection insertion holes 101 are formed in a side wall of the male connector 51 facing the male connector 52, and are so arranged as to be opposed respectively to the retaining projections 92b of the male connector 52. Constricted portions of the female terminals 71, 72 and 73 are disposed in registry with the projection insertion holes 101, 102 and 103, respectively, and the female terminals 71, 72 and 73 are retained respectively by the retaining projections 92b, 93 and 92a in a double manner.
However, in the above joint connector, the retaining projections 92b and 93 project upward (in the drawings) in a stacking direction Y1, while the retaining projections 92a project downward (in the drawings) in the stacking direction Y1. Therefore, the retaining projections 92a, 92b and 93 can be arranged on a common plane in the stacking direction Y1. In other words, the retaining projections 92b and 93 are offset with respect to the retaining projections 92b in a longitudinal direction Y3 of the female terminals 71, 72 and 73.
Therefore, when the constricted portions of the female terminals 71, 72 and 73 are disposed in registry with the projection insertion holes 101, 102 and 103 into which the respective retaining projections 92b, 93 and 92a are inserted, the distal ends of the female terminals 71 and 72 are offset with respect to the distal ends of the female terminals 73. In FIG. 10, the distal ends of the female terminals 73 are disposed rearwardly of the distal ends of the female terminals 71 and 72 in the longitudinal direction Y3. Therefore, mating male terminals to be fitted respectively into the female terminals 73 need to be made longer than mating male terminals to be fitted respectively into the female terminals 71 and 72. Namely, it has been necessary to prepare the male terminals for exclusive use for connection to the female terminals 73, and this is undesirable from the viewpoint of the cost.
JP-A-2004-335305 discloses a joint connector in which mating male terminals for fitting respectively into female terminals in male connectors have the same length. In this joint connector, however, the female terminals in an uppermost one of the stacked male connectors are not retained in a double manner, and it is feared that the female terminals in the uppermost male connector are withdrawn therefrom.


Disclosed is a method of forming memory devices employing halogen ion implantation and diffusion processes. In one illustrative embodiment, the method includes forming a plurality of word line structures above a semiconducting substrate, each of the word line structures comprising a gate insulation layer, performing an LDD ion implantation process to form LDD doped regions in the substrate between the word line structures, performing a halogen ion implantation process to implant atoms of halogen into the semiconducting substrate between the word line structures, and performing at least one anneal process to cause at least some of the atoms of halogen to diffuse into the gate insulation layers on adjacent word line structures.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally directed to the field of manufacturing integrated circuit devices, and, more particularly, to a method of forming memory devices by performing halogen ion implantation and diffusion processes
2. Description of the Related Art
Manufacturing integrated circuit devices is a very competitive and complex undertaking. Customers frequently demand that such integrated circuit devices exhibit increased performance capabilities as successive generations of products are produced. This is particularly true in the field of manufacturing memory devices, such as flash memory devices.
Flash memory devices are in widespread use in modern electronic devices, e.g., PDAs, cell phones, etc. A typical flash memory device comprises a so-called tunnel oxide layer, a floating gate, an inter-gate or inter-poly layer 26 (e.g., an ONO (oxide-nitride-oxide) stack), and a control gate. Such devices are well known in the art.
In operation, a voltage is applied to the control gate and to the source region of the flash memory device. Such voltage causes electrons to tunnel through the tunnel oxide layer and become trapped in the floating gate. The presence or absence of this trapped charge can be detected and represents a bit of information, i.e., a "1" or a "0". To delete this charge, a different voltage is applied to the control gate and a drain region of the memory device. During this process, the electrons trapped in the floating gate tunnel back through the tunnel oxide layer, thereby depleting the charge on the floating gate.
Flash memory cells are subjected to thousands of programming and erase operations during normal operations. The effectiveness and speed of such programming and erase cycles can degrade over time, e.g., after a flash memory cell has been subjected to 10,000 or more program and erase cycles. Such degradation may be due, at least in part, to charges being trapped in the so-called tunnel oxide layer of a typical flash memory device.
Flash memory devices may have a well-known NAND configuration in which the memory cells are connected in series. Such NAND architecture employs one or more select gate structures that are used to control access to the memory cells. Typically, the LDD implant regions adjacent the select gate structures and the word line structures in the cell array are formed at the same time using the same implant process. However, such a process flow is undesirable from a performance optimization viewpoint. More specifically, all other things being equal, it would be desirable for the LDD regions in the cell area to be relatively shallow to thereby reduce short channel effects on the cell devices. In contrast, the doped regions for the select gate structure would preferably be relatively deep to reduce adverse effects such as gate induced drain leakage (GIDL).
The present invention is directed to a device and various methods that may solve, or at least reduce, some or all of the aforementioned problems.

Method of forming memory devices by performing halogen ion implantation and diffusion processes


A method and device for detecting a body temperature, electronic apparatus and storage medium are provided, which relate to the field of infrared temperature measurement. The method includes: performing face recognition on an optical static image, to determine at least one face image in the optical static image and coordinates of the face image; performing coordinate transformation on a thermal imaging static image and/or the optical static image, to determine thermal imaging information of the face image, wherein the optical static image and the thermal imaging static image include a same image acquisition target with a same face; and determining a body temperature corresponding to the face image, according to the thermal imaging information of the face image. in the embodiment of the present application, efficiency of body temperature detection in public places can be improved and cross infection can be prevented.

At present, in the case where temperatures of a large number of people is required to be measured in a public place, a device such as a forehead thermometer is generally used to detect individuals one by one. Thus, this method has a low detection efficiency, and contact with the detection device may cause cross infection.

Method and device for detecting body temperature, electronic apparatus and storage medium

Baidu Online Network Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd.


A powertrain includes: an engine provided with a plurality of cylinders; a first motor generator coupled to an output shaft of the engine; and an ECU for controlling them. When misfire in the engine is detected, the output shaft of the engine is rotated by driving the first motor generator with ignition and supply of fuel to the engine being suspended.

An internal combustion engine provided with a plurality of cylinders has been known. Generally, in each of the cylinders of the internal combustion engine, an intake valve, an exhaust valve, and a piston are provided. Generally, when the piston is moved down with the intake valve opened and the exhaust valve closed, air enters via the intake valve (intake stroke). When the piston is moved up with the intake valve and the exhaust valve closed, the air is compressed (compression stroke). When an air-fuel mixture is ignited using an ignition plug or the like, the air-fuel mixture is combusted and expanded. As a result, the piston is moved down (combustion stroke or expansion stroke). Thereafter, the exhaust valve is opened and the piston is moved up, thereby exhausting exhaust gas (exhaust stroke). In a general four-stroke internal combustion engine, the above-described four strokes are repeated for every 720° in crank angle.
The combustion state in each of the cylinders can be changed depending on a state of the air and the fuel. For example, when temperature is low, when humidity is high, or the like, the combustion state can be deteriorated. When the combustion state is thus deteriorated, misfire can occur. When the misfire occurs in the four-stroke engine, rotational speed (angular speed) of the crankshaft can be greatly fluctuated in the interval of 720° in crank angle. As a result, vibration can be transferred to the vehicle body. Such vibration makes an occupant of the vehicle feel unpleasant. Hence, the misfire needs to be detected for an appropriate countermeasure when the misfire occurs.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2001-41097 discloses a malfunction diagnosis device for a hybrid vehicle. The malfunction diagnosis device determines whether or not misfire occurs in an engine, based on torque of an engine output shaft or a state of fluctuation of rotational speed. Further, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2001-41097 discloses to suppress the misfire in the engine by increasing an amount of fuel injection to increase fuel pressure, advancing ignition timing, and the like.

Powertrain, method for controlling powertrain, and device for controlling powertrain


A group N Lactococcus which produces two or more bacteriocins from different Lactococcus are described. Lactococcus lactis subspecies lactis 18922 with DNA encoding two bacteriocins from different Lactococcus is particularly disclosed for use in foods to inhibit Lactobacillus casei and other food contaminants. Bacteriocin containing compositions, bacterial mixtures and method of use in foods are also described.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to Lactococcus which produce at least two bacteriocins and to compositions incorporating the bacteriocins. In particular, the present invention relates to Lactococcus which contain DNA transferred from a donor Lactococcus which provides a bacteriocin along with a bacteriocin from a recipient Lactococcus strain.
(2) Prior Art
The genus Lactococcus includes dairy lactic streptococci that belong to the Lancefield serological group N. The species involved are Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris, and citrate-fermenting Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis (Schleifer, K. H., FEMS Microbiol. Rev. 46(3):201-203 (1987)). The aforementioned species are traditionally used in dairy fermentations and are "generally regarded as safe" (GRAS) by the United States Department of Agriculture.
Certain strains of group N Lactococcus spp. produce proteinaceous antagonistic substances against closely related bacteria called bacteriocins (Klaenhammer, T. R., Biochimie 60(3):337-349 (1988)). Most of these bacteriocins have a narrow spectrum of activity either antagonistic to other strains within the species or to certain strains in closely related species. Nisin, a bacteriocin produced by certain strains of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, however, has a wider spectrum of activity affecting other Gram-positive bacteria including the spore-forming Clostridia and Bacillus spp. (Delves-Broughton., Food Technol. 44(11):100-112, 117 (1990)).
Because of the traditional use of the dairy lactococci in various food fermentations (Gilliland, S. E., Bacterial Starter Cultures for Foods. CRC Press Inc., Boca Raton, Fla. pages 5 to 23, (1985)), their GRAS status and their non-pathogenicity, bacteriocins produced by these bacteria can be safely used in food systems (either produced in situ in the food system by adding the live cultures or added to food systems as cell-free purified or semi-purified or crude preparations) to extend the shelf life or to provide a margin of safety against potential food-borne pathogens. The utility of such bacteriocin-producing strains could be particularly increased if the bacteriocin-producing potential of the strains is broadened by introducing into such strains genetic information for different types of bacteriocins from closely related strains or species.
A transfer of genetic information can be achieved by conjugation, transformation (including electrotransformation), and transduction. The problem is generally, that the bacteriocins are antagonistic to the recipient Lactococcus and the recipients are either killed or the transfer does not take place.

Multiple bacteriocin producing lactococcus and compositions

Quest International Flavors & Good Ingredients Company, division of Indopco, Inc.


An intelligent automatic recognition toolbar search method and system is provided. The method comprises the steps of: installing a toolbar in a user client's web browser or application program; recognizing a query term entered in the search window of the toolbar and registering information about search sites that search for the information on the query term; registering the search site as the basic search site; when the user client enters a query term in the search window and performs a search on the entered query term, performing the search on the entered query term using the query term of the basic search site and storing the search results; displaying the search results: and when the registered search site is displayed and a query term is entered in the search window in the web browser, extracting and searching for the query term entered in the search window of the search site as a query term of the toolbar.

In General, as the examples of a search method using a toolbar, there are included the following three search methods. First, a toolbar service has been used in which there exists a search window providing the same search result as that in a search service of each search service provider to the Internet users.
Also, second, some of professional search service providers produces and freely distribute their own separate search toolbars so that when a user downloads a relevant program and installs the downloaded program on a computer, a search tool is inserted on a web browser so as to allow the user to use a search service in which a web page provided by a relevant service provider is always opened.
In addition, third, a search method has been proposed in which a vast amount of information and a number of categories are simultaneously displayed as search results provided by a toolbar provider like search results provided on a general website.
The above-mentioned conventional prior arts encounter the following problems.
The problem of the firstly mentioned toolbar service resides in that since a search result after the search is displayed on a web page, a web page being used currently and the search result cannot be compared with each other simultaneously, or only a search result of a relevant search site is used.
The secondly mentioned search toolbar entails a problem in that a web page being opened must be hidden or closed in order to use the search information of a website providing a relevant program (i.e., search toolbar). That is, since a web page including the search information of a search service provider providing the program (i.e., search toolbar) is displayed, a user suffers from an inconvenience of not being able to compare the existing web page being displayed with the search result while viewing them together.
Further, the thirdly mentioned search toolbar involves a problem in that since a user easily does not select desired information due to a vast amount of information and a number of categories displayed on the web page on which the search result is displayed, he or she suffers from an inconvenience of having to viewing most of the displayed contents of a relevant website so as to select a desired search result after the search.
The information search has become merely a service in which a search engine providing information is provided focused on an unspecific majority of people due to the fact that the amount of search data is very enormous, and news, sites, web documents, image and the like are simultaneously displayed. Like this, the above-mentioned problems are involved when a user utilizes a toolbar search service very important in using the Internet,

Intelligent automatic recognition toolbar search method and system


A narrow directional stereo microphone includes a narrow directional mid unit disposed such that the directional axis thereof aligns to the major axis of a microphone body, and a unidirectional right unit and a unidirectional left unit disposed symmetrically with respect to the major axis such that directional axes of the right and left units are perpendicular to the major axis, wherein signals output from the mid unit are sent to one of a diaphragm and a fixed electrode of the right unit and to one of a diaphragm and a fixed electrode of the left unit, and right channel signals are output from the other of the diaphragm and the fixed electrode of the right unit, and left channel signals are output from the other of the diaphragm and the fixed electrode of the left unit.

One of the stereo recording systems is a mid-side (MS) stereo recording system. The MS stereo recording system includes two microphones, i.e., a mid microphone (hereinafter, its output signal is referred to as "signal M") and a side microphone (hereinafter, its output signal is referred to as "signal S"). The mid microphone has unidirectionality or narrow directionality, and is disposed so as to face the center of a sound source. The side microphone has a bidirectionality, and is disposed perpendicularly to the direction of the sound source. The sum M+S of and the difference M−S between the signals M and S are calculated, and converted to stereo signals for right and left channels, respectively, and the stereo signals are then output. The mid and side microphone units are accommodated in one microphone casing into an MS stereo microphone.
FIG. 12 illustrates a typical conventional MS stereo microphone. In FIG. 12, a mid microphone unit 20 and a side microphone unit 30 are capacitor microphone units. The mid microphone unit 20 includes a diaphragm 201 and a fixed electrode 202 opposed to each other at an appropriate space so as to define a capacitor. The side microphone unit 30 also includes a diaphragm 301 and a fixed electrode 302 defining a capacitor. The mid microphone unit 20 is disposed to face the front in a microphone casing (not shown). The side microphone unit 30 is disposed sideways in the microphone casing, namely, disposed perpendicularly to a sound collection axis of the mid microphone unit 20. The mid microphone unit 20 has unidirectionality or narrow directionality. The side microphone unit 30 has bidirectionality.
The diaphragms 201 and 301 of the mid and side microphone units 20 and 30, respectively, are connected to ground GND. In the mid and side microphone units 20 and 30, the diaphragms 201 and 301 vibrate upon receiving sound waves, and their distances from the fixed electrodes 202 and 302 vary, leading to variations in capacitance. Such variations in capacitance are output from the fixed electrodes 202 and 302 as sound signals. The sound signals output from the fixed electrode 202 of the mid microphone unit 20 are converted to low-impedance signals by an impedance conversion circuit mainly including an FET 40. The impedance conversion circuit further includes a bias circuit 10 and a load resistance 41. A DC supply voltage VDD is applied to the drain of the FET 40.
In this circuit configuration, the sound signals, which are output from the mid microphone unit 20 and subjected to impedance conversion, are sent to a buffer amplifier mainly including a transistor 45 through a coupling capacitor 42. Signals output from the buffer amplifier are sent to a positive terminal of each of primary windings of matrix transformers 70 and 80 through a coupling capacitor 48. The DC supply voltage VDD is divided by resistive dividers 43 and 44, and such a divided voltage is applied to the base of the transistor 45. The DC supply voltage VDD is applied to the collector of the transistor 45 through a resistance 46. The emitter of the transistor 45 is connected to the ground GND through a resistance 47. A positive terminal of a secondary winging of the matrix transformer 70 is connected to an output terminal L of a left channel. A negative terminal of the secondary winging is connected to the ground GND.
A circuit for the side microphone unit 30 also includes an impedance conversion circuit mainly including an FET 60 and a buffer amplifier mainly including a transistor 65, as in the circuit for the mid microphone unit 20. The collector of the transistor 65 defining the buffer amplifier outputs negative-phase signals −S from the side microphone unit 30. The emitter of the transistor 65 outputs positive-phase signals +S from the side microphone unit 30. The circuit further includes a bias circuit 50 of the impedance conversion circuit, a load resistance 61, a coupling capacitor 62 between the impedance conversion circuit and the buffer amplifier, resistive dividers 63 and 64, a resistance 66 connected between a DC power supply and the collector of the transistor 65, and a resistance 67 connected between the emitter of the transistor 65 and the ground GND. The negative-phase signals −S from the microphone unit 30 are output from the collector of the transistor 65, and then sent to a negative terminal of the primary winding of the matrix transformer 70 through a coupling capacitor 68. The positive-phase signals +S from the microphone unit 30 are output from the emitter of the transistor 65, and then sent to a negative terminal of the primary winding of the matrix transformer 80 through a coupling capacitor 69. A positive terminal of a secondary winging of the matrix transformer 80 is connected to an output terminal R of a right channel. A negative terminal of the secondary winging of the matrix transformer 80 is connected to the ground GND.
The sound signals from the mid microphone unit 20 and the side microphone unit 30 are subjected to impedance conversion, and then converted to the signals M+S and the signals M−S through the buffer amplifiers and the matrix transformers 70 and 80, and then output as left channel signals and right channel signals, respectively. This is described in further detail. On the side of the mid microphone unit 20, the signal M is output from the buffer amplifier mainly including the transistor 45. Among the sound signals from the side microphone unit 30, the signal −S is output from the collector of the transistor 65 as a main component of the buffer amplifier, and the signal +S is output from the emitter of the transistor 65. Thus, the positive terminal of the primary winding of the matrix transformer 70 receives the signal M, and the negative terminal thereof receives the signal −S, and thus the positive terminal of the secondary winding of the matrix transformer 70 outputs the signal M+S, as a left channel signal from the output terminal L. In addition, the positive terminal of the primary winding of the matrix transformer 80 receives the signal M, and the negative terminal thereof receives the signal +S, and thus the positive terminal of the secondary winding of the matrix transformer 80 outputs the signal M−S, as a right channel signal from the output terminal R.
In this way, the conventional MS stereo microphone, which includes a unidirectional or narrow directional microphone unit for the mid microphone unit and a bidirectional microphone unit for the side microphone unit, can output stereo sound signals separated for left and right channels through electroacoustic conversion. The disadvantage of the conventional MS stereo microphone, however, is use of the bidirectional microphone unit. To achieve bidirectionality of a capacitor microphone unit, fixed electrodes must be oppositely disposed on two sides of a diaphragm while acoustic resistances must be symmetrically disposed on the two sides, in order to adjust the value of each acoustic resistance. In addition, in the conventional MS stereo microphone, such a symmetric layout of the acoustic resistances sandwiching the diaphragm does not always provide the bidirectionality unless an optimum design is found for the bidirectionality. Furthermore, the bidirectional microphone unit is expensive compared with the unidirectional microphone unit. In addition, the conventional MS stereo microphone must have a matrix circuit for obtaining a sum signal and a difference signal of the signals M and S, so that cost inevitably increases. In the example shown in FIG. 12, the matrix transformers 70 and 80 function as matrix circuits. Instead, each matrix circuit may include an active element such as a transistor. In each case, the matrix circuit causes an increase in cost.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-174136 (W-A-2006-174136) describes an MS stereo microphone. This stereo microphone includes a unidirectional mid unit and a bidirectional side unit facing perpendicularly to each other. A fixed electrode of the mid unit is electrically connected to a diaphragm of the side unit, and a first fixed-electrode of the side unit is connected to the gate of a first FET, and a second fixed-electrode of the side unit is connected to the gate of a second FET. Furthermore, in the stereo microphone described in JP-A-2006-174136, a diaphragm of the mid unit and sources of the first and second FETs are connected to ground, and drains of the first and second FETs provide stereo output.
The microphone described in JP-A-2006-174136 does not require the above-described matrix circuit, but must include a bidirectional microphone unit as a side unit, causing an increase in cost.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H05-219590 (JP-A-H05-219590) describes a stereo microphone, similar to a MS stereo microphone, which includes a unidirectional or bidirectional mid unit, a unidirectional left-side-unit, and a unidirectional right-side-unit. The mid unit is disposed such that the directional axis thereof aligns to the major axis of a microphone body. The left and right side units are disposed symmetrically with respect to the major axis such that the directional axes thereof are orthogonal to the major axis. A signal output from the mid unit and a signal output from the left side unit are added by an adder, and the added signal is output as a left side signal. The signal output from the mid unit and a signal output from the right side unit are added by another adder, and the added signal is output as a right side signal.
The stereo microphone described in JP-A-H05-219590 does not require a bidirectional microphone unit, but must include the adders, resulting in an increase in cost.


A drug delivery system in the form of homo-component, bi-component or multi-component fibers wherein one of more of the components comprise a drug compounded with a polymer carrier. These fibers are packed to form a tablet directly, or are chopped and placed in a capsule.

The solubility behavior of a drug is a key determinant of its bioavailability. Solubility presents a challenge to the development of a suitable formulation for drugs. With the recent advent of high throughput screening of potential therapeutic agents, the number of poorly soluble drug candidates has risen sharply and the formulation of poorly soluble compounds now presents one of the most frequent and greatest challenges to formulation scientists in the pharmaceutical industry.
The production of drug delivery systems by melt extrusion of a polymer/active ingredient mixture is known in the art. In general, such processes Examples of such drug delivery systems are generally described in the U.S. patents set forth in Table 1.
TABLE 1U.S. Pat. No.TitleYearU.S. Pat. No. 5456923Method of manufacturing solid dispersion1995U.S. Pat. No. 5665369Fast-dispensing solid PVP-containing crop1997protection formulation and processU.S. Pat. No. 5939099Solid active extrusion compound prepara-1999tions containing low-substituted hydroxy-propylcelluloseU.S. Pat. No. 5958452Extruded orally administrable opioidformulations1999U.S. Pat. No. 6051253Production of solid drug forms2000U.S. Pat. No. 6120802Method of producing multi-layer medica-2000ments in solid form for oral or rectaladministration
In general, the basic ingredients of a drug delivery system comprise (1) one or more pharmaceutically active ingredients (polymers); (2) one or more polymer binders; and (3) pharmaceutically acceptable ancillaries, plasticizers, and the like. Generally, active ingredients do not decompose at extrusion temperatures. Pharmaceutical auxiliaries may include plasticizers, fillers, lubricants, flow regulators, colorant, stabilizers, and the like, and are typically not affected by the process conditions. However, polymer carrier or binder components are preferably thermally stable so that they are not decomposed at extrusion temperatures. If such carriers or binder components are melt-extruded, they are preferably thermoplastic.
In general, the formulation of the polymer or the polymer mixture controls the active ingredient profile required by the end user. Examples of the manipulation of polymer carriers to control active ingredient profiles and release rates are set forth in, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,369 to Wedlock (crop protection formulation, where rapid release is critical; PVP is used as a polymer binder); U.S. Pat. No. 5,939,099 to Grabowski (mixture of thermoplastic water soluble polymer and water insoluble, swellable, non-thermoplastic polymer L-HPC used to control the active ingredient release rate; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,958,452 to Oshlack (mixture of hydrophobic polymer and hydrophobic fusible carrier used in an orally administrable opioid formulation, where hydrophobic fusible carrier slows down the release of the active agents).
In general, the process for creating drug delivery systems to which the present invention relate comprises (1) a preparation step, wherein the ingredients of the drug mixture are mixed and melting or softened; (2) an extrusion step and, optionally, a (3) cooling or shaping step.
During the first preparation step, a common challenge is obtaining a homogeneous dispersion of the active ingredients in polymer binders. U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,592 to Nakamichi et al. describes the use of a twin-screw extruder to improve the process to obtain solid dispersion. "Solid dispersion" or "solid solution" generally refers to a mixture in which the active ingredient is present in the form of a molecular dispersion in the polymer. The twin-screw extruder consists of a metering feeder unit, a barrel, screws, exit dies, etc. Such extruders enhance the mixing process by creating high shear forces, transport capacity and compounding effects. Hence, the production of a solid dispersion can be obtained at lower temperature allowing the use of thermally sensitive ingredients. In addition, such extruders generate lower heats of friction than single screw extruders.
After preparation, drug mixtures are extruded through a suitable die. The mixture is melted or softened at the extrusion temperature. The shape of the die depends on the desired shape of drug formulation. Coextrusion dies may be used for multiple-layer drug production as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 6,120,802 to Breitenbach.
The extruded drug mixture strand is solidified by cooling. The solid drug can be formed through a shaping process before or after the components are solidified. After cooling, the strand can be cut or divided into multiparticulates of desired size and divided into unit doses (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,939,099). U.S. Pat. No. 6,051,253 to Zettler describes direct solid drug formation by splitting a drug mixture strand and then rounding-off the end of the strand before the extrudate is solidified. U.S. Pat. No. 6,120,802 to Breitenbach describes a one-step direct shaping process such that the extrudate is cut into the final tablet shape immediately after the extrusion, with the cutter/shaper being located downstream of the extruder die.

Fiber-based nano drug delivery systems (NDDS)


The present disclosure provides a light bulb apparatus for changing a color temperature of a luminaire using an encoded alternating current (AC) power signal transmitted from a lighting control system to the luminaire electrically coupled to the light bulb apparatus, wherein the color temperature is encoded with a cut phase of the AC power signal.

Customizing and automating home lighting control devices is often epitomized by the installation of unsightly lighting switches that are inundated with light switches confusingly mapped to respective fixtures. Automated home lighting control systems can also include large, complex, expensive central hubs that require expert or skilled technicians for installation and/or operation. Smart light bulbs and/or Wi-Fi enabled lightbulbs introduced into any of these contexts or even in simpler ones can disadvantageously be limited by the light switch that it is associated with and/or the lighting fixture itself. For example, if a light switch associated with a smart light bulb is switched off the smart light bulb becomes inoperable.
Customizing the lighting can include varying features of the lighting such as the color or color temperature of light emitted. However, controlling such lightbulbs can require wireless communication with individual light bulbs. Such communications and control warrant increasingly complex hardware to implement the control.

Intelligent lighting control system phase cutting apparatuses, systems, and methods