Method of producing a hydrocarbon composition in which a biomass raw-material is gasified to produce a raw syngas containing carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen, the hydrogen-to-carbon monoxide ratio being about 0.5 to 1.7. A part of the impurities is removed to produce a clean syngas which is fed into a Fischer-Tropsch reactor where a significant part of the carbon monoxide and hydrogen is converted to a hydrocarbon composition containing C4-C90 hydrocarbons. A hydrocarbon composition is recovered which mainly contains hydrocarbons which are solid or semisolid at ambient temperature and pressure and an off-gas of the Fischer-Tropsch reactor, including hydrocarbons which are gaseous at ambient temperature and pressure, is used for producing hydrogen gas. By introducing hydrogen into the clean syngas, the hydrogen to carbon monoxide ratio can be increased and by using off-gas-produced hydrogen, the capacity of the process is significantly improved.

In a Fischer-Tropsch reactor (in the following also abbreviated FT reactor), hydrogen and carbon monoxide are reacted in the presence of a transition metal catalyst, such as cobalt or iron, to form a composition containing a broad range of hydrocarbons.
Typically, the effluent of a Fischer-Tropsch reactor will comprise hydrocarbons which are liquid or solid or semi-solid at ambient temperature and pressure (the latter also called "waxes"). Such hydrocarbons can be processed to fuel class, for example diesel oil, hydrocarbon compositions, or alternatively the hydrocarbons can be converted to intermediate compositions from which fuel class hydrocarbons can be produced. In addition the reactor effluent will comprise hydrocarbons which are gaseous at ambient temperature and pressure. The latter kind of hydrocarbons is represented by methane and hydrocarbons of typically 2 to 4 carbon atoms.
A number of carbonaceous sources have been used as raw-materials for producing hydrogen and carbon monoxide containing synthesis gas (hereinafter referred as to syngas) which can be fed into the FT process. Originally, coal was used as the primary raw-material, but lately also natural gas has been taken into use in commercial processes. Even more recently various processes have been developed in which biological materials, such as plant oils, plant waxes and other plant products and plant parts or even oils and waxes of animal origin, are gasified and processed to produce a suitable feed. In a further alternative approach, viz. in the BTL process (biomass to liquid process), a biomass comprising whole plants is used as a raw-material. The BTL process allows for the utilization of forestry residues.
A BTL process can include the steps of biomass feed pre-treatment, biomass gasification, raw syngas cooling and filtering, raw gas purification, shift reaction for balancing H2/CO ratio, FT-process and FT product refining. For gasification of the biomass oxygen steam can be used (e.g. by blowing it into the gasification zone) for minimizing inerts in syngas.
In gasification, can be preferred to use steam or oxygen or combinations thereof blown into the gasification zone for fuel production by the FT process. A typical temperature range is about 700 to 950° C. At these conditions, biomass, such as lignocellulosic materials, will produce a gas containing carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen and water gas. It further contains some hydrocarbons and impurities, such as sulphur and trace metals.
Whereas a gasifier operated at the above conditions can produce a gas having a molar ratio of hydrogen to carbon monoxide of about 0.5 to 1.4 depending on feedstock, the Fischer-Tropsch reactor can require a higher molar ratio of about 2:1. Therefore, it can be desirable to increase said ratio in the gas produced in such a gasifier.
For this purpose, it is possible to carry out gasification at a higher temperature of, for example, 950° C. or more. Higher gasification temperatures decreases crease tarry side-products in raw syngas but may cause sintering problems for gasifier.
Another option to reduce tarry side products in raw syngas is to feed the gas into a catalytic reformer (see patent application FI20105201) wherein the gas is subjected to further thermal reactions which give a product mix containing an increased portion of carbon monoxide. The gaseous effluent of the reformer has to be freed from carbon dioxide, water and catalyst poisons before it can be used as a syngas for a FT reaction. Furthermore, the hydrogen-to-carbon monoxide ratio may need to be even further increased.
It is possible to achieve the latter goal by subjecting the gas to a water gas shift (WGS) reaction. In the shift reaction hydrogen is produced by reacting carbon monoxide with water to produce carbon dioxide and hydrogen.
The art is impaired by considerable problems. Thus, catalysts used in shift reactions are notoriously sensitive to impurities of the kind produced by gasification of biomass. Examples of such impurities include hydrosulphide (H2S), ammonia (NH3), hydrochloride (HCl), hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and particles which act as catalyst poisons and/or inhibitors for reactions. Small solid coke- and crystallized phosphor-containing particles are typically also present in the raw syngas.
Generally, impurities and particles will accumulate in any shift and hydrolysis catalyst bed reactors and cause problems in terms of corrosion and plugging and deactivation of the catalysts. The concentration of particles and impurities and other catalyst poisons in the inlet to the shift reactor therefore have to be strongly reduced, normally by extensive purification. The shift reaction will also have to be carried out at rather high temperature to limit catalyst poisoning.
As shift reactor catalyst there exists two different types of catalyst in the market, one for very low sulphur level gas shift, typically for less than one ppm hydrogen sulphide level for feed gas and an other for high sulphur level feeds, typically for 200 ppm hydrogen sulphide level in feed. Many biobased feedstock as wood residuals have sulphur level that yields to 50-200 ppm hydrogen sulphide level in syngas after gasification and reforming steps. These sulphur level syngas can be either purified to meet low sulphur level shift catalyst requirements or extra hydrogen sulphide can be added to shift gas feed to meet high sulphur level shift catalyst requirements.
For the above reasons, it is difficult economically to carry out an efficient shift reaction using raw syngas on an industrial scale.


An exemplary method of fabricating an integrated circuit can include depositing a reflective metal material layer over a layer of polysilicon, depositing an anti-reflective coating over the reflective metal material layer, trim etching the anti-reflective coating to form a pattern, etching the reflective metal material layer according to the pattern, and removing portions of the polysilicon layer using the pattern formed from the removed portions of anti-reflective coating.

The present specification relates generally to integrated circuits and methods of manufacturing integrated circuits. More particularly, the present specification relates to enhancing gate patterning properties with reflective hard mask.
Semiconductor devices or integrated circuits (ICs) can include millions of devices, such as, transistors. Ultra-large scale integrated (ULSI) circuits can include complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) field effect transistors (FET). Despite the ability of conventional systems and processes to fabricate millions of IC devices on an IC, there is still a need to decrease the size of IC device features, and, thus, increase the number of devices on an IC.
One limitation to achieving smaller sizes of IC device features is the capability of conventional lithography. Lithography is the process by which a pattern or image is transferred from one medium to another. Conventional IC lithography uses ultra-violet (UV) sensitive photoresist. Ultra-violet light is projected to the photoresist through a reticle or mask to create device patterns on an IC. Conventional IC lithographic processes are limited in their ability to print small features, such as contacts, trenches, polysilicon lines or gate structures.
Generally, conventional lithographic processes (e.g., projection lithography and EUV lithography) do not have sufficient resolution and accuracy to consistently fabricate small features of minimum size. Resolution can be adversely impacted by a number of phenomena including: diffraction of light, lens aberrations, mechanical stability, contamination, optical properties of resist material, resist contrast, resist swelling, thermal flow of resist, etc. As such, the critical dimensions of contacts, trenches, gates, and, thus, IC devices, are limited in how small they can be.
Another difficulty arising from the continuing small dimensions involved in the creation of gate structures is the tendency in the lithography process to experience resist erosion and pattern collapse during trim etch processes. During trim etch processes, a significant amount of the resist is normally etched away in a vertical direction, resulting in a substantial weakening and thinning of the photoresist. This significant reduction of the vertical dimension or thickness of the photoresist from its untrimmed vertical dimension can promote discontinuity thereof, resulting in the photoresist being incapable of providing effective masking in the fabrication of the gate. The resist thickness erosion occurs during etch processes. Exemplary trim processes are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,965,461 entitled CONTROLLED LINEWIDTH REDUCTION DURING GATE PATTERN FORMATION USING A SPIN-ON BARC.
Thus, there is a need to optimize gate patterning and generate a hard mask to control gate final sizes. Further, there is a need for a method of enhancing gate patterning properties with reflective hard mask. Yet further, there is a need to use imaging layers to define gate structures having small critical dimensions.
An exemplary embodiment is related to a method of fabricating an integrated circuit. This method can include depositing a reflective metal material layer over a layer of a polysilicon, depositing an anti-reflective coating over the reflective metal material layer, trim etching the anti-reflective coating to form a pattern, etching the reflective metal material layer according to the pattern, and removing portions of the polysilicon layer using the pattern formed from the removed portions of anti-reflective coating.
Another exemplary embodiment is related to a method of optimizing optical properties of gate patterning to control gate size in an integrated circuit fabrication process. The method can include providing a reflective metal layer over a gate material layer, providing a mask layer over the reflective metal layer, and patterning the gate material layer including selectively etching the mask layer and the reflective metal layer.
Another exemplary embodiment is related to a method of forming a gate in an integrated circuit. This method can include providing a gate material layer, providing a reflective metal layer over the gate material layer, providing an anti-reflective coating (ARC) layer over the reflective metal layer, providing a resist layer over the ARC layer, and patterning a gate structure in the gate material layer by selectively removing portions of the resist layer, ARC layer, and gate material layer.
Other principle features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following drawings, the detailed description, and the appended claims.

Method of enhancing gate patterning properties with reflective hard mask


An input apparatus, an information processing method, and an information processing apparatus are provided. The input apparatus includes a protection surface layer, and a sensing array through which an operation of a user on the protection surface layer can be determined. The information processing method can parse trigger information sent by the input apparatus for its corresponding parameter information and further switch the touchable keyboard to a first input mode or a second input mode according to the obtained parameter information. The information processing method and apparatus and the electronic device activate a keyboard to judge the demand of the user automatically in response to the trigger information entered by the user and further control switching of the input mode of the keyboard in response to the demand of the user.

A keyboard which is one of traditional input apparatus has emerged in an increasing number of forms and with an increasing number of functions in recent years along with the development of sciences and technologies.
A development trend for a keyboard of a notebook computer is its integration and miniaturization. In the prior art, there is such an ultra-thin keyboard that the thickness of the ultra-thin keyboard is greatly lowered as compared with a traditional keyboard, but the ultra-thin keyboard still fails to satisfy requirements of users today on integration and miniaturization of an electronic device. Moreover a notebook with a display screen that can be rotated by 360 degrees has emerged in the market, and this requires a keyboard of the notebook to have such characteristics as being well waterproof, dust-proof, easy to handle and capable of automatic recognition of a user demand, but the ultra-thin keyboard in the prior art is absent from these characteristics.

Input apparatus, information processing method, and information processing apparatus


A system and method for Automated Aerial Refueling (AAR) may combine unrelated capabilities to provide a high integrity solution to boom manipulation and insertion to couple with a receiver receptacle. Precise positioning systems on each aircraft coupled via data link provide a high integrity relative positioning solution generating a requisite integrity for positioning yet insufficient for boom insertion. High definition cameras onboard the tanker provide multi-wavelength remote vision digital images used to identify the boom fitting as well as the receptacle. Combined with boom position information from the tanker, the system determines pixel position inputs from stereo digital images to precisely identify the boom and receptacle and manipulate the boom to insert the boom fitting into the receptacle. Constant camera generated feedback and updated relative positioning alerts the system and disconnects the boom should the receiver aircraft stray outside the proper position.

Traditional aerial refueling methods may require a boom operator onboard the tanker aircraft to physically manipulate controls of a boom to "fly" the boom into a receptacle onboard a receiving aircraft. In some tankers, the boom operator may lie in a face down position and physically view the receiving aircraft through a window. In others, the boomer may sit at a station onboard the tanker and view a video of the receiving aircraft provided by one or more cameras located on the tail of the tanker.
In either case, the boomer must manually place the boom into the receiver's receptacle using a joystick or other interface to manipulate the tip of the boom in a three-dimensional arena to couple with the receptacle.
Humans may become fatigued. Visibility may often be reduced. Human perceptions may be inaccurate. Boomers may have inadequate experience for night or reduced visibility operations. Should the boomer erroneously strike the skin or body of a receiving aircraft, substantial damage may occur compromising mission success and aircraft integrity. Modern aircraft with stealth coating may be particularly susceptible to mission degrading damage from even the slightest boom strike.
Automated Aerial Refueling (AAR) may address a number of issues with current aerial refueling capabilities and provide a number of solutions to those issues. AAR has the potential to provide for life cycle cost savings to an operator by reducing both personnel and equipment required for a refueling evolution. AAR may also increase available fuel and cargo capacity.
Current positioning systems may provide a rudimentary level of positioning accuracy. However, these positioning systems may not support highly sophisticated and precise boom placement within a receiver receptacle. Some hybrid methods of relative navigation may provide a greater level of relative positioning but still lack a level of precision required for boom insertion into the receptacle.
Machine vision systems may provide accuracy, but are unable to provide integrity to ensure positive relative positioning between aircraft. Global Positioning Systems (GPS) based relative navigation may provide integrity at GPS carrier wavelength position accuracies (˜20 cm). However, neither system alone is sufficient to enable AAR, which requires high integrity due to proximity between aircraft, and high accuracy due to precise placement of the boom into the receptacle.
Therefore, a need remains for a system and related method which may overcome these limitations and provide a novel solution to AAR using high integrity relative positioning methods in cooperation with highly accurate machine vision systems.

Relative navigation and machine vision for automated aerial refueling system and method


A process or the preparation of a silver halide photographic emulsion is provided which comprises the addition of at least one pendant type spectral sensitizing dye containing as a substituent a compound having the effect of inhibiting fog at any time after the formation of silver halide grains, but before the completion of the chemical ripening process. In a preferred embodiment, the addition of said pendant type spectral sensitizing dyes is effected at any time after the formation of silver halide grains, but before former one second of the total time of the chemical ripening process. The pendant type spectral sensitizing dyes are compounds represented by the general formula (III) or (IV): ##STR1## wherein SSD represents a sensitizing dye portion; AF represents a compound portion containing a saturated or unsaturated 5- to 7-membered ring containing at least one nitrogen atom; L.sup.1 represents a divalent connecting group containing at least one of C, N, S and O; L.sup.2 has the same meaning at L.sup.1 and does not connect SSD and AF; l.sup.1, l.sup.2 and l.sup.3 each represents an integer 1 to 3, l.sup.2 being equal to l.sup.1 or l.sup.3 ; l.sup.4 represents an integer 0 to 3; and l.sup.5 represents an integer 0 or 1, with the proviso that when there is a plurality of L.sup.1 's, L.sup.2 's, SSD's or AF's, they may be the same or different and that when none of L.sup.2 's adjacent to l.sup.5 connect SSD and AF, l.sup.5 represents 0.

In the field of silver halide photographic emulsions, spectral sensitization is a technique for extending the sensitivity range of silver halide grains from their inherent spectral absorption range to long wavelength range such as the visible light range and the infrared range. Spectral sensitization is therefore essential for the preparation of silver halide photographic materials. On the other hand, high sensitivity and high quality silver halide photographic materials are still highly desired. Furthermore, with the recent remarkable progress in many fields such as electronics, as represented by the development of various light sources such as LED, laser and CRT, silver halide photographic materials suited for these light sources are now desired. Thus, silver halide photographic materials suited for various systems are desired.
To prepare spectrally sensitized silver halide emulsions, a sensitizing dye is normally incorporated during the time following the completion of the chemical ripening of the silver halide emulsions, but before the coating thereof on a proper support. However, some kinds of silver halide grains or sensitizing dyes often undergo a sensitivity change during their storage after the addition of a sensitizing dye, but before coating or during the storage after coating. It has been desired to overcome this difficulty, and many approaches have been proposed. For example, methods disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,735,766, 3,628,960, 4,183,756 and 4,225,666 propose the addition of a sensitizing dye during the formation of silver halide grains before the completion of the grain formation process. Methods disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,442,201 (corresponding to JP-A-58-7629 (the term "JP-A" as used herein refers to a "published unexamined Japanese patent application")) and JP-A-59-9658, JP-A-59-48756 and JP-A-59-113920 propose the addition of a sensitizing dye before or during chemical ripening of silver halide grains. It is said that the use of these approaches enables not only an increase in photographic sensitivity but also an improvement in the adsorption of a sensitizing dye by silver halide grains, eliminating the desensitization which otherwise occurs during the storage of a silver halide emulsion in the solution state before coating. Thus, these approaches are often used.
However, even these approaches leave much to be desired. In these approaches, photographic desensitization occurring during the storage of a spectrally sensitized emulsion in the solution state before coating or during the storage of the emulsion after coating cannot be often substantially eliminated. Furthermore, it is often observed that fog is more developed than is the case where a sensitizing dye is incorporated after the completion of chemical ripening.
In order to inhibit fogging during storage of a silver halide photographic material or during chemical ripening or to prevent an increase in fogging during development, most silver halide photographic materials normally contain a so-called fog inhibitor (called an "emulsion stabilizer" for the former purpose or a "development inhibitor" for the prevention of fog during development). Like the spectral sensitization technique, this fog inhibition process is essential for the preparation of silver halide photographic materials.
If an effective amount of such a fog inhibitor is used to inhibit fog caused by the above mentioned approaches, a remarkable sensitivity drop or a remarkable desensitization increase during the storage of the materials occurs. This eliminates the disclosed advantages. Furthermore, the results are often poorer than is the case where a sensitizing dye is incorporated after chemical ripening. Thus, it has been difficult to use these approaches.
The adsorption of a sensitizing dye by silver halide grains is often competitive with the adsorption of a fog inhibitor by silver halide grains. Therefore, the sensitizing dye may be desorbed by the fog inhibitor, or the fog inhibitor may be in turn desorbed by the sensitizing dye. The former phenomenon causes a spectral sensitivity drop, and the latter causes a fog increase. This competition means that the photographically most desirable sensitizing dye and fog inhibitor cannot be freely selected.
In general, the adsorption of an ordinary cyanine dye by silver halide grains is mainly based on van der Waals forces. It has been observed that as the polarizability of the base decreases, these forces decrease. In particular, the adsorption decreases in the order of AgI, AgBr and AgCl. On the other hand, most fog inhibitors are adsorbed by silver halide grains more strongly to the extent that the solubility product (Ksp) of their silver salts or silver complexes is smaller than the solubility product of silver halide. Therefore, it is known that if the same fog inhibitor is used, it can be adsorbed more strongly by AgBr than by AgI and more strongly by AgCl than by AgBr. Accordingly, if a silver halide emulsion comprising a high surface Cl content is used, a fog inhibitor tends to desorb a cyanine dye. Therefore, even if the above mentioned techniques for the addition of a cyanine dye are used, desorption of a cyanine dye can be easily caused, resulting in a sensitivity drop. Furthermore, a sensitizing dye belonging to a so-called merocyanine dye or a complex cyanine dye is similarly competitive with a fog inhibitor for adsorption by silver halide grains.
It has been proposed that the captured quantity of light be increased to improve the sensitivity in the wavelength range of absorption of a sensitizing dye by a silver halide emulsion. In this respect, it is advantageous to use tablet grains having a large specific surface area as disclosed in JP-A-58-127921 and JP-A-58-113927. However, even with the use of these silver halide grains, as the percentage of adsorption of a sensitizing dye increases, the inherent sensitivity of the emulsion decreases. Even if the captured quantity of light is increased accordingly, the efficiency of sensitization by the sensitizing dye decreases. The resulting photographic sensitivity is not necessarily high enough. One of the reasons for this trouble is probably that the aggregates formed by the excessive aggregation of sensitizing dyes can easily serve as electron trapping centers. The above mentioned approaches which comprise the addition of a sensitizing dye before the completion of chemical ripening often make it easier to form excessive aggregates of sensitizing dyes on the surface of silver halide grains than do the approaches which comprise the addition of a sensitizing dye after the completion of chemical ripening.
Most of the high aspect ratio tabular grains have a (111) plane as the main plane. However, most sensitizing dyes are adsorbed more weakly by a (111) plane than the (100) plane of AgBr, AgBrCl or AgCl grains. Accordingly, if such silver halide grains having a (111) plane are used, desorption can be caused not only by a fog inhibitor but also by a coupler or its emulsion dispersion or a surface active agent as coating aid to be used in color light-sensitive materials. This can cause a photographic sensitivity drop during the storage of a spectrally sensitized emulsion in the solution state before coating or during the storage of the emulsion after coating.
As a result of intensive studies to change the adsorption of a sensitizing dye and a fog inhibitor by silver halide grains from competitive to cooperative relationship, the inventors have discovered a process to overcome these problems. In particular, the inventors found a process for the preparation of a silver halide photographic emulsion which provides a high spectral sensitivity without generation of fog and enables the remarkable elimination of a sensitivity drop of a spectrally sensitized emulsion during the storage in the solution state before coating and during the storage thereof after coating.

Process for the preparation of silver halide photographic emulsion


Disclosed are specialized flour for nutrition meals for diabetes and a preparation method and use thereof. The flour is based on cereal meal as a basic material and is added to a defatted soybean vegetable protein powder and a soybean tissue isolated dietary fiber power, wherein in the dry flour base, the content of protein is 20-26 weight %, the content of the dietary fiber is 4-10 weight %, the content of carbohydrate is no more than 65 weight %, and the content of fat is no more than 4% of the weight. The method comprises physically mixing the cereal meal, the defatted soybean vegetable protein powder and the soybean tissue isolated dietary fiber power under atmospheric pressure. Food and semi-finished products made from the flour are used for preventing and/or treating diabetes.

Diabetes dietary management is a basic method for preventing and treating diseases and has been written to the guidelines for prevention and treatment of by countries around the world. Because excessive dietary energy and excessive fat are not only a single cause leading to obesity and the like, but also superpose all other causes to increase contributing conditions. Moreover, diabetic complications are not only caused by hyperglycemia, but also caused by common pathology of all types of diabetes, for example, glycometabolism disorders result in the decrease and delay of the output of the carbohydrate energy and the energy loss through urine, so the protein and fat are required to instead of carbohydrates to sustain life, as well as the energy generated by delayed decomposition of blood glucose cannot consume synthetic fat, so that the fat anabolism and catabolism are increased, the blood lipids are elevated and the blood vessels are blocked; the increased protein consumption. and the reduced repair capacity of immunity and tissues will cause series of complications. Such situation can be corrected by limiting when the foods or nutrition are too much or supplementing when the foods or nutrition are too little. Meanwhile, all hypoglycemic agents can only help the body to improve their own glucose metabolism deficiencies, they cannot be safely and effectively used as the digestion and absorption rate vary with the carbohydrates, the amount and accompanying ingredients from different foods, causing varied and fluctuant blood glucose levels.
Therefore although exercise, hypoglycemic agents and the like are indispensable for the prevention and treatment of diabetes, they should combine with the dietary management. Otherwise, not only the blood glucose would be definitely out of control and the treatment will lead to metabolic disorders and aggravate the causes and complications. Since there is no alternative nutrition to sustain life, the body can only passively use the blood glucose, but this will occupy other different paths and their bioavailability. For example, the blood glucose can be decomposed, but the amount of the blood glucose can not controlled, thus too much blood glucose will synthesize the fat. The carbohydrate absorption can be inhibited, the metabolism in the periphery can be promoted, and the energy consumption of exercise can be increased, the insufficient blood glucose will cause metabolism disorders, so that the body needs to call more lipoproteins, on one hand to convert lipoproteins into the blood glucose by gluconeogenesis, on the other hand to burn the lipoproteins directly to provide energy. Otherwise, not only the blood glucose cannot be maintained in a stable level, but also human basic life activities such as respiration, heartbeat, body temperature and the like cannot be normally performed. However, this process has the same pathology with diabetes and the complications thereof which are directly caused by diet.
That is to say, the diabetes dietary management is mainly divided into two aspects: one is to reduce the content of saturated fat, ensuring the comprehensive nutrition management goal characterized by the basic needs of carbohydrate foods such as protein and starch, the aim of doing so is to correct metabolic disorders by limiting when the foods or nutrition are too much or supplementing when the foods or nutrition are too little, thus naturally improving the working efficiency of insulin, improving the blood glucose and blood lipids, relieving the burden of pancreas islet, saving the hypoglycemic agents, and naturally reducing complications; and the other is to stabilize and control the different carbohydrate foods and different accompanying ingredients thereof which will influence the changes of blood glucose, thereby steadily reducing the postprandial blood glucose levels, the aim of doing so is as follows: on one hand, more blood glucose are naturally metabolized through the residual pancreatic function of the patients and exercise and the like, and the hypoglycemic agents are directly saved; on the other hand, the changes of blood glucose in the course of intaking are also stabilized thereby ensuring hypoglycemic agents can be used safely and effectively.
However, it is not easy to implement the above two targets. Because the foods is often not a single substance, different components will mutually influence during matching process, and vary with various factors such as different processing methods, different edible parts and the like. Moreover, the nutritional distribution of natural foods is not reasonable. For example, high-protein foods such as meat, egg and milk are rich in saturated fat, coarse grain and other high-dietary fiber foods are rich in high-density starch and other carbohydrates, the protein is small in amount and poor in quality. Therefore, the human body demand needs to be calculated according to age, height, body weight, labor intensity and the like, the foods to be matched and the usage amount are calculated according to the nutrients contained in different foods and accompanying components thereof, the above calculating processes are complex and not easy to implement. That's because it is necessary to manage both the changing ingredients of foods and the effects of different food ingredients on blood glucose. More importantly, food usually contains both the ingredients the patients needs and the ingredients the patients does not need, so the selected food will affect the nutritional composition and the changes of blood glucose, moreover, the patients are required to change their habits. Therefore, for the patients who are non-medical staff, it is hard to study, operate, control the quality and change the habits; and for the medical staff, in fact it is not easy to explain.
Therefore, a lot of simple methods such as the dietary guide pyramid, the food exchange list and the like are developed, thus the calculations are avoided. However, since the defects of natural foods are not improved, simplify shall be at the expense of the loss of quality.
Therefore, although everyone knows a scientific diet, most methods are not correct. The more the patients are treated, the more the patients are, and the patients cannot be cured, the complications cannot be prevented. All hypoglycemic techniques can lead to the blood glucose being out of control. Because the fact that the disease prevention and etiological factors are ignored, the risk factors of complications are numerous, and only the blood glucose level is reached, and the hypoglycemic agents cannot be effectively used when blood glucose is too low due to the instability of blood glucose in the diet.
Moreover, in fact, as long as the dietary energy management is involved, almost all the results of disease prevention and control are the same. For example, currently in china, there are not only 1.139 billion diabetic patients, 1.9 billion pre-diabetic patients, but also 2 billion patients with hyperlipidemia and 3 billion patients with obesity at the same time, and more patients with diseases caused by diet independently or diet combined with other causes such as hypertension and other series of diseases. Other countries have no exception, and lipid-lowering technologies are associated with coronary heart disease which is one of the highest mortality rates in humans.
As there are no appropriate tools, no one can achieve a good result. Any technique which cannot be achieved or cannot guarantee the quality is an unsuccessful technology, but the patients still suffer from the disease as there is no way to avoid and there is no method can solve the problem of patient's diet.
People may not agree with the above opinion, they think there are already many diabetic foods such as sugar-free foods, blood glucose-lowering foods, foods rich in vitamins and minerals and the like. Yes, but most of these foods cannot help diabetic patients to manage dietary energy. For example, the sugar-free foods are just not added with sucrose, but they still contain starch and other carbohydrate foods and the contained protein is still in a small amount and in poor quality, the high-quality protein still needs to be eaten together with the accompanying saturated fat; the blood glucose-lowering foods are mainly the foods which can lower the blood glucose as the name suggested, however, the aim of the nutrition management of diabetes is to correct the metabolic disorders by limiting when the foods or nutrition are too much or supplementing when the foods or nutrition are too little; although vitamins, minerals and the like are parts of the contents of dietary management for diabetes, they cannot replace the energy management.
Therefore, National Center for Disease Control of China released a multi-sector census report on diabetes on 9 Jan. 2012, and the report clearly pointed out that Chinese generally lack the awareness of prevention and control of diabetes and the related knowledge and skills. Especially as the risk factors such as unreasonable dietary and the like exist, the biological factors such as overweight, obesity, hypertension, impaired glucose tolerance and the like increase rapidly, if such situation cannot be effectively controlled, the number of diabetic patients in China will continue to increase dramatically.
Actually, the reasons behind many diseases are that the current technologies are unable to adapt to food deficiencies, as a result, most people with normal pancreatic function need to lower the blood glucose levels; excessive exercise and the use of hypoglycemic agents aggravate metabolic disorders such as lipometabolism and proteometabolism and the like, and then aggravate the type 2 diabetes and risk factors of complications such as hyperlipidemia, hypertension, hypoimmunity and the decrease of the ability to repair human tissues and the like. Meanwhile, the blood glucose in the diet is not stable, the closer the blood glucose level and the normal level are, the higher the mortality is, that's why it is hard to avoiding death even if the patient is in a hospital and around with a doctor, the only thing is let hyperglycemia complications appear. However, most of these diseases can be cured, and most complications can be prevented.
Although the causes of diabetes are numerous, most diabetes are type 2 diabetes which are caused by increased lipid metabolisms and can be relieved, these patients always have normal pancreatic functions. Therefore, for the type 2 diabetics, pancreas islet cannot play hypoglycemic effect as the increased lipid metabolisms prevent the blood glucose from entering cell metabolism channels. Type 2 diabetics is completely different from type 1 diabetes which are caused by the reduction of insulin as the factor such as infection, immunity, trauma, the physical and chemical injury and the like directly impair the islet function. Nevertheless, most patients do not loss their pancreatic function completely.
Therefore, as long as the diet is scientifically managed, or under the premise of meeting the normal need of protein and carbohydrates, only the saturated fat is reduced, hypoglycemic effect will be naturally played, and most patients will be naturally cured, meanwhile the blood lipid and blood pressure will be naturally regressed, and the complications such as fatty plaques in the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular will be naturally prevented and reversed. Therefore, even if few patients have islet function failure, the hypoglycemic therapeutic agent still needs to be treated, the degree of resulting damage is very limited, and most complications will not occur. This is because the human body originally is a natural biological function system, when the risk factors of etiology and complications relieve, the self-ability of the human body naturally appears. It is completely different from the additional abilities obtained from medicines and the like.

Specialized flour for nutrition meals for diabetes and preparation method and use thereof


Embodiments relate generally to computer-based image processing, and more particularly, to systems, apparatuses, integrated circuits, computer-readable media, and methods to facilitate operation of an image display system with a relatively high dynamic range by, for example, generating a rear modulator sub-image with color compensation techniques. The image display system can produce rear modulator drive levels that would enable a front modulator sub-image to be displayed without color errors arising for a certain color or colors when the image display system includes pixel mosaics.

High Dynamic Range (HDR) displays may be formed from the optical combination of a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) panel, and an array of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) disposed along an optical path so as to illuminate the LCD panel. Pixel intensities are typically not controlled independently of each other because each LED overlaps many LCD pixels, and contributes to the brightness of the image displayed. The intensities and dynamic ranges of images generated by HDR displays generally exceed those of conventional imaging techniques. Furthermore, techniques of three-dimensional color synthesis and field sequential color synthesis have been developed to enhance digital imagery for various display devices. Yet, many of the display devices have not been well-suited to the combination of such techniques with HDR imaging.
In view of the foregoing, there are continuing efforts to improve systems, apparatuses, integrated circuits, computer-readable media, and methods to operate HDR displays with improved effective high dynamic range for output images.

High dynamic range display with three dimensional and field sequential color synthesis control

Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation


Disclosed are systems and methods for deploying a distributed computing system. A domain controller manages a domain comprised of a plurality of computer objects each having an assigned system role. The described technique includes receiving a system configuration of a distributed directory-service-based system, wherein the system configuration specifies a path to a root organizational unit (OU) within the domain. The technique includes generating group policy objects based on system requirements for each system roles, creating an organizational unit (OU) for each system role, linking each group policy object for each system role to the corresponding created OU, and moving computer objects to an OU according to the system role. The described deployment technique is performed according to a distribution scheme generated based on a number of the system roles and computer objects of each system role.

Many modern computing services have distributed architectures that are comprised of separate applications or software that provide different functionality yet work together to provide software services to users. By way of example, a web application may have a multi-tier architecture that uses different software modules for performing presentation, control logic, and database functions. In another example, an enterprise computer network may be comprised of computer workstations, a directory service for authenticating users, and software management services that tracks and updates software installed on the different workstations. Distributed systems may also include multiple instances of the same application or software for redundancy purposes, or to scale the capabilities of the software service. For example, a multi-tier application may have a load balancer and multiple front-end servers for handling a larger throughput of client requests.
The deployment and management of distributed computing systems can be costly in large scale environments. Many computers have to be provisioned, configured, tested, and subsequently updated with the appropriate software packages, each software package having the correct configurations to communicate and function with other computing devices in the same environment. Therefore, it is desirable to simplify the deployment and service location problems for large-scale distributed systems, such as in a Microsoft Active Directory® environments.

Active directory organizational unit-based deployment of computing systems


A set of techniques are described for preventing the problem of voicemail tromboning. The techniques can be implemented with a service broker or other intermediate entity having a connection to a telecommunications network. The service broker can receive an incoming call from a switch in a home network of the subscriber. The service broker can then determine that a recipient device of the incoming call is roaming in a visited network. If it is determined that the subscriber is roaming, the service broker can contact a remote switch in the visited network and instruct the remote switch in the visited network to disable late call forwarding prior to relaying the incoming call message to the remote switch. The service broker can then be responsible for contacting the voicemail server in the home network of the subscriber so that the subscriber can still have access to voicemail.

Given the recent dramatic growth in wireless and cellular communications, more and more businesses and other entities are integrating themselves with mobile device technologies. In addition to standard voice features, modern cellular phones and similar devices provide countless other services, such as Internet access, electronic mail (email), short messaging service (SMS) texting, digital cameras, multimedia messaging service (MMS), Bluetooth, gaming, various web-based applications and the like. As a result, telecommunication carriers and network operators have been under increased pressure to provide more and more service offerings to their subscribers. Today's network operator wants to attract new customers while retaining existing ones, develop profitable new business models, improve returns and launch new services as quickly as possible.
Given all of this pervasiveness of mobile devices, users are quickly becoming used to taking their phones everywhere, including traveling to other countries and continents with different telecom networks and respective network operators. During such remote trips, the user's device is typically in a roaming mode, meaning that it is connected to wireless service in a location that is different from the home location where the service was originally registered. Roaming can ensure that the mobile device maintains connectivity to a network, however it often incurs additional charges for the user.
One problem that can arise in the context of wireless roaming is voicemail tromboning. Voicemail tromboning, sometimes also referred to as voicemail forwarding, can occur when a mobile phone that is in roaming mode receives an incoming call and allows it to go to voicemail, thereby forwarding the call back from the roaming network to a voicemail server back in the user's home network. In other words, this situation may cause two unnecessary international call-legs to occur when a mobile terminated call is forwarded back home while the subscriber is roaming. This extra hop of the incoming phone call can incur roaming fees, which is usually unexpected and is seen as unfair by many subscribers. For example, the subscriber may be roaming in a different country and get charged a substantial monetary amount twice (the first time for the call being delivered to the roaming handset device, and the second time for forwarding the call back to the subscriber's country to be handled by the voicemail server). In several countries, regulation has been enacted to prevent callers from being charged twice in such a manner. In light of this, a technique is desirable for preventing voicemail tromboning and similar problems caused by various forwarding of mobile calls, while still maintaining all connectivity and other services provided by the network operator.

Communications service broker for preventing voicemail tromboning in the telecommunications network


In image processing for embedding additional information in an image, degradation of image quality due to consecution of the same code is suppressed. Hence, determination whether or not the same code consecutively appears in additional information is performed, an embedding condition for embedding a code in an image controlled based on the code consecution, and the additional information is embedded in the image in accordance with the embedding condition.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image processing for embedding additional information in an image.
2. Description of the Related Art
Techniques for embedding information related to an image in image information are being actively studied. In recent years, a so-called digital watermarking techniques has been standardized. With this technique, upon distribution of image information of a photograph, a picture or the like via, e.g., the Internet, additional information such as an author name and an authorized/unauthorized state is embedded in the image information such that the additional information cannot be visually discriminated.
Further, in a method using density patterning, additional information is embedded by utilizing a code book where an output pattern is set in correspondence with luminance. That is, an output pattern corresponding to a code to be embedded is recorded in the code book for a particular luminance. This code book is used for determining an output pattern corresponding to a code to be embedded, and additional information is embedded in an image region.
Further, in a method using ordered dithering, dither matrices A and B are utilized, and a threshold value matrix is changed in correspondence with additional binary information. In the matrix B, adjacent row components in the matrix A are exchanged. A matrix is selected in correspondence with additional information to be embedded, and an image for release and an image for verification are generated. When the image for release and the image for verification are overlapped with each other, the embedded additional information can be extracted.
Further, in a method utilizing ordered dithering, additional information is embedded by utilizing a deviation of correlation in an arbitrary-sized dither matrix. A coefficient of a low-correlation dither matrix is changed in correspondence with a code to be embedded. At this time, an image is divided into blocks by dither matrix size, and a code is embedded in a block. The block where the code is embedded is held as a private key.
Further, in a method utilizing pixel substitution, additional information is embedded by substituting the additional information with bits on a particular bit plane. The bit plane where embedding processing has been performed and the pixel positions are held as a private key. Further, the image information and the additional information may be exchanged not in the pixel position but in a bit stream. Further, the result of an exclusive OR between the additional information and a shift register series may be embedded.
Further, as a method utilizing pixel substitution, the patchwork method is known. In this method, an image is divided into blocks of an arbitrary size, and a variance value for correlation among arbitrary pixels in a block is shifted in correspondence with additional information.
Further, in a method utilizing frequency transformation, additional information is embedded in a high frequency component of image data that has been transformed to frequency component data by discrete Fourier transformation. The position where the additional information has been embedded is held as a private key.
Further, in a method for embedding additional information in a JPEG image, a transformation coefficient in a discrete cosine transformation is manipulated. A particular coefficient value in each divided block is changed in correspondence with the additional information, thereby the additional information can be embedded.
Further, in a method for embedding additional information in a color image, additional information is embedded only in a particular color plane among RGB colors. By utilizing the above-described density pattern method, the pixel substitution method, or the like, the additional information is embedded in a particular plane.
Further, as an application of digital watermarking, forgery prevention or forgery tracking is known. By utilizing the technique, unauthorized duplication (forgery) of bank notes, stamps, marketable securities and the like in accordance with the availability of high-quality image output devices such as a copier and a printer can be prevented. That is, additional information is embedded in an image so as to specify a serial number or the like of an image output device from an image printed on a paper sheet.
Further, in a method utilizing error diffusion, additional information is embedded by periodically changing a quantization threshold value when performing error diffusion processing, in correspondence with additional information to be embedded, thereby forming a modulated periodic pattern in an image. Further, in a method utilizing a particular ink color for embedding additional information, a pattern corresponding to the additional information is embedded in a particular ink color plane, and thereby the additional information is embedded in a print image. Note that image information processed for a digital watermark using the above-described density pattern method, pixel substitution method, or frequency transformation method may be output.
Regarding these various digital watermark embedding methods, to solve problems such as robustness improvement upon extraction of additional information and improvement of the quality of an image including additional embedded information, the following methods are proposed.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-101760 discloses, upon embedding additional information in an image region, selecting a method for embedding the additional information based on spatial coordinates of a print medium, in consideration of printing differences due to precision of a printing device. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-101760 discloses selecting a method for extracting the additional information based on the spatial coordinates upon reading an original, in consideration of differences in the precision of an extractor.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-301932 discloses, upon performing image formation by repeating printing via repetitive main scanning and subscanning of a print head of a printer and a print medium, embedding additional information in a part of the main scanning processing, and not embedding the additional information in another part of the main scanning processing. By this arrangement, degradation of performance of additional information extraction due to partial image overlap in a subscanning direction can be prevented.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-354227 discloses analyzing an image in which additional information is to be embedded by region, and based on the analysis result, changing the amount of additional information to be embedded by region, in correspondence with a visual digital watermark recognition level.
However, in the technique of changing the method for embedding based on the spatial coordinates of the print medium, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-101760, when the same code is consecutively embedded, pattern consecution occurs and the image quality is degraded.
Further, in the technique of embedding the additional information only in a particular part of the main scanning processing, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-301932, when the same code is consecutively embedded in a particular part of the main scanning processing, pattern consecution occurs and the image quality is degraded.
Further, in the technique of analyzing and changing the embedding processing by image region disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-354227, when the same code is consecutively embedded, pattern consecution occurs and the image quality is degraded.
Note that in methods other than the above-described digital watermark embedding methods for embedding a particular pattern in an image region, when additional information in which the same code consecutively appears is embedded, the same embedding processing is repeated. This causes low frequency noise and degrades image quality.

Image processing apparatus and image processing method


The invention relates to a method of driving an electrowetting display which includes a plurality of electrowetting elements, the display comprising at least one first fluid and a second fluid immiscible with each other, each of the electrowetting elements comprising at least one surface area. In a first, relatively low voltage, driving state of an electrowetting element the second fluid tends to cover the at least one surface area, and in a second, relatively high voltage, driving state of an electrowetting element the first fluid tends to cover the at least one surface area. The method comprises: providing a voltage booster circuit to generate a voltage signal to be applied across one or more selected ones of the plurality of electrowetting elements; and during driving of the one or more selected elements in the second driving state, selectively switching the voltage booster circuit on and off such that the voltage booster circuit is operative only some of the time and the voltage signal includes a voltage ripple variation. The invention further relates to electrowetting display apparatus adapted to perform the method of the invention.

A recently developed type of electro-optic display is an electrowetting display, as described amongst others in international patent applications WO 2003/071346 and WO 2005/098797.
A disadvantage of the known electrowetting display is the relatively high driving voltages which are required to drive the electrowetting elements of the display. The voltage across the electrowetting elements Vew is in the region of 30V, which if using a conventional battery, at say 3V, requires boosting using a DC-DC booster. A disadvantage of the switching scheme shown is that the power requirements of the DC-DC booster circuit are relatively high. Given the use of such displays in portable electronic devices such as clocks, cellular telephones, etc, power saving is an important desideratum.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,879,135 describes a DC-DC booster circuit. The DC-DC booster circuit includes a number of voltage multiplying stages which have the same circuit structure, and which are controlled in a switched manner using a high frequency clock frequency, at a predetermined switching frequency.
United States Patent Publication US 2005/0195182 describes a driver circuit for driving scan lines of an LCD active matrix panel. The document describes varying a switching frequency of a DC-DC booster circuit. The boost operation clock signal is synchronised with a predetermined edge of a frame synchronisation signal.
It would be desirable to provide an improved way of driving an electrowetting display apparatus.


The present invention includes meat fabrication systems and methods. The system according to one embodiment includes a conveyor (104) for advancing meat cuts, a cutting assembly (106) defining a cutting path (136) that intersects the conveyor (104), and at least one guide (160, 162, 163) that orientates the meat cuts on the conveyor relative to the cutting path such that the chine bones of the meat cut are separated from the remaining portions of the meat cuts as the meat cuts are advanced through the cutting path (136) by the conveyor (104).

In conventional meat processing operations, cuts of meat removed from the rib and loin of a slaughtered animal, including beef, pork and lamb, may be fabricated into various bone-in and boneless meat products. An important step in this fabrication process is the separation of the animals' vertebral column (or "chine") from these cuts of meat. This separation step (commonly referred to as "chining") is performed to enable workers to subsequently remove dorsal spinous processes, transverse processes, and ribs to provide meat products.
FIGS. 1a and 1b illustrate perspective views of two meat cuts 10 that include chine bones 12, rib bones 14, a spinal groove 16, and a meat product 18. In FIG. 1a, the meat product 18 is a rib cut of beef. In FIG. 1b, the meat product 18 is a loin cut of beef. Lines 20 and 21 indicate exemplary cut lines along which the chine bones 12 can be separated from the meat product 18. The exact position of the cut line can vary depending on the source animal (e.g., bovine, porcine, poultry, etc.), the size and shape of the meat cut 10, and the desired meat product 18. For certain bone-in meat cuts for example, it may be desirable to establish a cut line that intersects the spinal groove 16, such as shown with line 21.
Traditionally, the chine bones 12 have been separated from the meat product 18 using a manually operated band-saw or similar device. Accordingly, the chining process is difficult, time consuming, labor intensive and potentially presents worker safety challenges. Moreover, the chining process is highly variable due to variations in the type, size, shape and anatomy of the meat cuts (referred to herein as meat cut "characteristics"). These variations present a challenge to preparing consistent meat cuts with the lowest possible yield loss.
Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods of separating chine bones from meat cuts that overcome one or more of the challenges described above.


The present invention discloses a system for identifying, associating, searching and presenting documents based on relation combination, which builds a computer system-based knowledge management system in a professional field and improves the learning efficiency and utilization of professional knowledge. The technical solution includes finding a series of documents having an inter-document logical relationship with a group of specific keywords from massive documents in a keyword search manner, and naming a relation graph among the specific series of documents with a group of keywords strongly correlated therewith; combining, into one set, a plurality of inter-document relation graphs of which the names have a group of like term keywords and which have specific logical relationships among one another, and naming the same with the group of like term keywords in a certain logic order. On this basis, the inter-document relation graphs mentioned above are presented from multiple perspectives and in multiple layers by means of graphicalization and a set sequence based on a specific logical relationship in a manner complying with the logic of human brain thinking process.

Professionals acquire, learn and study documents via many existing systems for searching and presenting documents. They obtain effective information from various documents with different creation dates and authors (independent authors or co-authors), serving as a basis of reference for conducting certain behaviour. It is possible that a certain knowledge which is eventually needed may just account for no more than 5% of the queried documents, and these knowledge may be scattered in several documents which are not seemingly correlated.
The applicant has recognized that there is a need to find, for those professionals, accurate information meeting their requirements in their fields of interest. That is, it is very time-consuming to extract a solution for corresponding information from massive documents. In addition, there are very few people who are capable of providing similar services for those professionals.
Therefore, the applicant has recognized that there is a need to provide a better system and method for identifying, associating, searching and presenting documents.

System for identifying, associating, searching and presenting documents based on relation combination


A method for performing a remote procedure call between an application processor and a digital signal processor within a computing device. The computing device may compile interface description language data to generate stub software that executes on the application processor and skel software that executes on the digital signal processor. When an application executing on the application processor invokes a remote procedure call, the application processor may pack argument data within stack memory and transmit an interrupt to the digital signal processor, which may map the physical memory addresses of the argument data into local address space such that no copies of the argument data is made. The digital signal processor may execute skel software that unpacks the argument data and executes a service related to the remote procedure call.

Modern computing devices may employ multiple processing units to execute various applications, such as media and games apps, as well as provide many services, including cellular telephony and data network communications. For example, a smartphone computing device may have a primary processor (or application processor) for performing operating system routines, a processor for handling incoming cellular modem data, and a graphics processor for rendering video data. A computing device may include a digital signal processor (DSP) that may act as a co-processor of an application processor, typically receiving instructions and workloads from the application processor. The digital signal processor may also share pre-allocated memory with the application processor that may be used with various software applications executing on the application processor, such as applications involving audio (or voice) data. Such audio applications may include codec protocols, digital signal to analog data conversions, and noise/echo cancellations within audio samples/streams.
As programmable computing units, digital signal processors have significant computational capabilities with high computing rates (e.g., millions of instructions per second) with relatively low power consumption rates. However, digital signal processors may be underused by computing device applications due to limitations in inter-processor communications that make utilizing the digital signal processor difficult for application developers. Since digital signal processors typically employ a different operating system than conventional processors, digital signal processors may not share the same function sets/calls as the computing device's application processor. Thus, applications written to execute on the application processor would require special operations in order to call functions that would execute on the digital signal processor. For example, digital signal processor programming may involve highly complicated assembly code programming to manage memory accesses, whereas a median application executing on an application processor may be based in a high-level, object-oriented programming language.
Currently, digital signal processors may be used efficiently by applications that perform large workloads (e.g., audio and voice data operations). However, data transport latencies may be too high to allow for efficient use in other contexts. For example, it may be inefficient to use a digital signal processor to perform small computations when each computation takes a few hundred microseconds. Additionally, memory management between an application processor and a digital signal processor may require different technologies. For example, network style protocols may be used by an application processor to access services on a digital signal processor; however such operations may require extensive out-of-band memory management operations and resources. Due to the different standards and costly latencies, applications programmers generally do not fully utilize digital signal processor resources to provide computational support for applications. Thus, the digital signal processor remains a powerful but underutilized resource in mobile computing devices.


A composite forming fabric, comprising in combination a paper side layer having a paper side surface, a machine side layer and paper side layer intrinsic warp binder yarns. Each of the paper side layer and the machine side layer are woven together in a repeating pattern, and the two layers together are woven in at least 6 sheds, and up to at least 36 sheds can be used. All of the paper side layer warp yarns are provided by pairs of intrinsic warp binder yarns. The paper side layer weave pattern provides an unbroken warp path in the paper side surface including at least two segments, occupied in turn by each intrinsic binder yarn; the segments are separated by at least one paper side layer weft. Within each segment, each intrinsic binder yarn also interlaces once with a machine side layer weft, at the same point as a machine side layer warp interlaces with the same weft. The weave path occupied by each member of a pair of intrinsic warp binder yarns can be the same or different. The segment lengths can be the same or different, and the machine side layer interlacing points can be regularly or irregularly spaced apart. The fabrics as woven and before heat setting conveniently have a warp fill of from about 100% to about 125%. After heat setting, the fabrics typically have a warp fill from about 110% to about 140%, an open area of about 35% or more in the paper side face of the paper side layer, and an air permeability that is typically from about 3,500 to about 8,200 m.sup.3 /m.sup.2 /hr. The fabrics are thus particularly suitable for the formation of paper products having very low micro density differences, which provides enhanced printability.

In composite forming fabrics that include two essentially separate woven structures, the paper side layer is typically a single layer woven structure which provides, amongst other things, a minimum of fabric mark to, and adequate drainage of liquid from, the incipient paper web. The paper side layer should also provide maximum support for the fibers and other paper forming solids in the paper slurry. The machine side layer is also typically a single layer woven structure, which should be tough and durable, provide a measure of dimensional stability to the composite forming fabric so as to minimize fabric stretching and narrowing, and sufficiently stiff to minimize curling at the fabric edges. It is also known to use double layer woven structures for either or both of the paper and machine side layers.
The two layers of a composite forming fabric are interconnected by means of either additional binder yarns, or intrinsic binder yarns. The chosen yarns may be either warp or weft yarns. The paths of the yarns are arranged so that the selected yarns pass through both layers, thereby interconnecting them into a single composite fabric. Examples of prior art composite forming fabrics woven using intrinsic binder warp or weft yarns are described by Osterberg, U.S. Pat. No. 4,501,303; Bugge, U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,412; Chiu, U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,805, U.S. Pat. No. 5,219,004 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,379,808; Givin, U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,448; Wilson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,929 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,042; Ward et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,250; Vohringer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,326; Johansson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,585; Hawes, U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,405; Wright, U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,475; and Seabrook et al, EP 0 794 283. A major difference between intrinsic binder yarns and additional binder yarns is that additional binder yarns do not contribute significantly to the fundamental weave structure of the paper side surface of the paper side layer, and serve mainly to bind the two layers together. Additional binder yarns have been generally preferred over intrinsic binder yarns for commercial manufacture of composite forming fabrics because they were thought to be less likely to cause discontinuities, such as dimples, in the surface of paper side layer. Examples of prior art fabrics woven using additional binder yarns are described by Johansson et al., CA 1,115,177; Borel, U.S. Pat. No. 4,515,853; Vohringer, DE 3,742,101 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,945,952; Fitzka et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,372; Taipale, U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,642; Huhtiniemi, U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,117; and Barreto, U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,567.
In composite forming fabrics where intrinsic warp binder yarns from the machine side layer have been used to interconnect the paper and machine side layers, the prior art has generally advocated modifying the path of the selected machine side layer warps so as to bring these yarns up to the paper side layer to interlace with it at selected weft knuckles. A known disadvantage associated with this practice is that the area immediately adjacent these tie locations tends to become pulled down into the fabric structure, well below the plane of the adjacent knuckles, causing a deviation in the paper side surface of the paper side layer, commonly referred to as a "dimple". These dimples frequently create a pronounced unevenness in the paper side surface of the fabric, which can result in an unacceptable mark in any paper formed on the fabric.
In comparison, intrinsic weft binder yarns have been found to cause less paper side surface dimpling, and hence have been a preferred method of interconnecting the layers of composite forming fabrics. However, there are a number of problems associated with their use.
First, intrinsic weft binder yarns have been found to cause variations in the cross-machine direction mesh uniformity of the paper side surface of the paper side layer in certain weave patterns. This can create an unacceptable level of marking in some grades of paper.
Second, fabrics woven using intrinsic weft binder yarns are known to be susceptible to lateral contraction, or narrowing, when in use. Lateral contraction may be defined as the degree to which a fabric narrows when machine direction (or longitudinal) tension is applied. If the fabric narrows excessively under this tension, particularly at driven rolls in the forming section, the resulting width changes will cause the fabric to buckle or form ridges. Generally, single layer fabrics, and composite fabrics having additional or intrinsic weft binder yarns, exhibit much higher degrees of lateral contraction than either double layer, or extra-support double layer, fabrics of comparable mesh.
Third, composite forming fabrics containing intrinsic weft binder yarns are less efficient to weave than comparable intrinsic warp binder designs, because a greater number of weft yarns is required to provide a reliable interconnection between the paper side layer and the machine side layer. Comparable fabrics whose designs utilize intrinsic warp binder yarns require fewer weft yarns per unit length, since none of the weft yarns is utilized to interconnect the paper and machine side layers. For example, a fabric containing intrinsic warp binder yarns whose paper side layer is woven so as to provide 31.5 weft yarns/cm, and 15.75 weft yarns/cm on its machine side layer (resulting in a 2:1 ratio of the paper side layer to machine side layer weft yarn count), has a total weft yarn count of 47.25 yarns/cm. A comparable intrinsic weft binder yarn fabric, woven at 31.5 weft yarns/cm in its paper side layer and which employs additional weft yarns to interconnect the layers, has a total weft yarn count of between 55 to 63 weft yarns/cm, depending on the paper side layer to machine side layer weft yarn ratio, because additional weft yarns must be provided so as to tie the two layers together. A comparable fabric utilizing intrinsic warp binder yarns requires up to 25% fewer weft yarns to weave each unit length.
Fourth, a fabric utilizing intrinsic warp binder yarns will generally have a lower caliper (and thus be thinner and provide a lower void volume) than a comparable fabric of similar specification utilizing intrinsic weft binder yarns. Because there are fewer weft yarns per unit length, those remaining do not contribute as much to the thickness of the fabric.
A benefit provided by composite fabrics utilizing intrinsic warp binder yarns is their increased resistance to delamination, when compared to a composite fabric utilizing either additional or intrinsic weft binder yarns. Delamination, which is the catastrophic separation of the machine and paper side layers, is generally caused by one of two mechanisms. The first is abrasion of the binder yarn where it is exposed on the machine side of the fabric as it passes in sliding contact over the various stationary elements in the forming section. In composite fabrics utilizing intrinsic warp binder yarns, it is possible to recess the warp binder yarns relative to the wear plane of the fabric to a greater degree (e.g. by as much as 0.05-0.076 mm) further away from the wear plane than is possible in a comparable fabric utilizing intrinsic weft binder yarns. This means that more machine side layer warp and weft yarn material must be abraded away from the running side of a fabric utilizing intrinsic warp binder yarns before the tie strands are broken, and the two layers delaminate, than in a comparable fabric utilizing intrinsic weft binder yarns.
The second delamination mechanism, which is encountered more rarely than the first, is that of internal abrasion of the binder yarns between the machine and paper side layers as they flex or shift relative to one another. The presence of abrasive fillers in the stock, such as clay, titanium dioxide and calcium carbonate greatly exacerbates the rate of this type of abrasion. Composite forming fabrics whose paper and machine layers are well interlaced so as to prevent or reduce relative movement of these layers (such as in the fabrics of the present invention utilizing intrinsic warp binder yarns) will experience less internal abrasion than comparable fabrics utilizing intrinsic weft binder yarns. They are therefore less susceptible to delamination by internal abrasion.
Accordingly, the present invention seeks to provide a composite forming fabric whose construction is intended at least to ameliorate the aforementioned problems of the prior art.
The present invention further seeks to provide a composite forming fabric having reduced susceptibility to cross-machine direction variations in the paper side layer mesh uniformity than comparable fabrics of the prior art.
Additionally, this invention seeks to provide a composite forming fabric that is resistant to lateral contraction.
This invention also seeks to provide a composite forming fabric that is more efficient to weave than comparable fabrics utilizing intrinsic weft binder yarns to interconnect the paper and machine side layer woven structures.
Furthermore, this invention seeks to provide a composite forming fabric that is less susceptible to dimpling of the paper side surface.
In a preferred embodiment, this invention seeks to provide a composite forming fabric having a lower void volume than a comparable forming fabric utilizing intrinsic weft binder yarns.
This invention additionally seeks to provide a composite forming fabric that is resistant to delamination.


Disclosed is a gain boosting technique for use with millimeter-wave cascode amplifiers. The exemplary technique may be implemented using a 0.18 μm SiGe process (FT=140 GHz). It has also been shown that the technique is effective for CMOS processes with comparable FT. An exemplary gain-enhanced cascode stage was measured to have higher than 9 dB gain with a 1-dB bandwidth above 6 GHz with a DC power consumption of 13 mW. In addition, one cascode stage without gain boosting may be cascaded with two gain-boosted cascode amplifier stages to implement a three-stage LNA. The measured stable gain is higher than 24 dB at 60 GHz with a 3-dB bandwidth of 3.1 GHz for 25 mW of DC power consumption. It is believed that this is the first 60 GHz LNA with a higher than 20 dB gain using a 0.18 μm SiGe process.

The present invention relates generally to millimeter-wave cascode amplifiers, and more particularly, to a gain boosting technique for use with millimeter-wave cascode amplifiers.
The increasing demand for short range, low-cost and high data rate networking solutions drives the research for silicon-based implementation of millimeter-wave (MMW) front end in 59-64 GHz world-wide license-free frequency band. Such applications target multi-gigabit wireless data transfer between hard disks, storage devices, MP3 players, high definition television receivers, and the like. Historically, III-V semiconductors (GaAs, InP) were used to implement millimeter-wave integrated circuits. See K. Lai, et al., "A high performance and low DC power V-band MIMIC LNA using 0.1 μm InGaAs/InAlAs/InP HEMT technology," IEEE Microwave and Guided Wave Letters, Vol. 3, No. 12, pp. 447-449, December 1993; S. E. Gunnarsson, et al., "Highly Integrated 60 GHz Transmitter and Receiver MMICs in a GaAs pHEMT Technology" IEEE Journal of Solid State Circuits, Vol. 40, No. 11, pp. 2174-2186, November 2005; and K. Niahikawa, et al., "Compact LNA and VCO 3-D MM1Cs using commercial GaAs PHEMT technology for V-band single-chip TRX MMIC," IEEE International Microwave Symposium, pp. 1717-1720, June 2002, Seattle, Wash.
However, silicon-based technologies always have an edge over them in terms of cost and integration. The introduction of silicon-germanium (SiGe) heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBT), such as those disclosed by J. D. Cressler, in "SiGe HBT technology: a new contender for Si-based RE and microwave circuit applications," IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory & Tech., Vol. 46, No. 5, pp. 572-589, May 1998, further enhanced the potential of silicon. 60 GHz transceiver circuits using 200 GHz FT 0.12 μm SiGe BiCMOS processes have been demonstrated. See S. K. Reynolds, "A 60 GHz superheterodyne downconversion mixer in silicon-germanium bipolar technology," IEEE Journal of Solid Stale Circuits, Vol. 39, No. 11, pp. 2065-2068, November 2004 and B. A. Floyd, et al., "SiGe bipolar transceiver circuits operating at 60 GHz," IEEE Journal of Solid Slate Circuits, Vol. 40, No. 1, pp. 156-167, January 2005.
0.13 μm CMOS has also been used to implement 60 GHz front ends. See C. H. Doan, et al., "Millimeter-Wave CMOS Design," IEEE Journal of Solid State Circuits, Vol. 40, No. 1, pp. 144-155, January 2005 and C. M. Lo, et al., "A Miniature V-band 3-Stage Cascode LNA in 0.13 μm CMOS," IEEE Solid Slate Circuits Conference, pp. 322-323, February 2006, San Francisco, Calif.
However, realization of such blocks using 0.18 μm technology has remained a challenge and needs innovative design techniques. There have been examples of 60 GHz transmitter building blocks such as those disclosed by C. H. Wang, et al., in "A 60 GHz Transmitter with Integrated Antenna in 0.18 μm SiGe BiCMOS Technology," IEEE Solid Stale Circuits Conference, pp. 186-187, February 2006, San Francisco, Calif., for example, using 0.18 μm SiGe BiCMOS process. However, this disclosure focuses on the most critical building block of the receiver, i.e., low noise amplifier development using 0.18 μm SiGe process. It would be desirable to have a simple gain enhancement technique for the millimeter-wave amplifiers to minimize the design complexity.

Millimeter-wave cascode amplifier gain boosting technique


An application for generating a property set associated with a constitutive model of a material includes a first program module adapted to receive test data associated with the material and to extract loading conditions from the test data. A material model driver is adapted to receive the loading conditions and a property set and operable in response to the loading conditions and the property set to generate a model response for the material. A numerical optimization module is adapted to receive the test data and the model response and operable in response to the test data and the model response to generate the property set.

Information about materials is essential in component and system design. For example, components and systems designed in automotive, aerospace, and microelectronics applications require many different types of materials. Component and systems designers need to have information about the materials in order to select one or more materials that will provide the required performance.
A designer may select a material for use in a component based on one or more design requirements. The designer typically has an in-depth understanding of materials, and is capable of making an appropriate material selection based on the design requirements.
Simulation-Based Engineering
Computer-based physical models are often used in component and systems design to investigate design performance. A physical model requires a geometric representation, a definition of physical loads, a mathematical model of the material response, and model parameters that represent a specific material in the model. The execution of the physical model requires a simulation code which processes the above data and produces a physical simulation of a real event. For example, a physical model of an automobile can be processed in a simulation code to simulate a collision. Physical models are very useful tools in component and systems design as, in most cases, they can be produced more quickly and economically then an actual prototype.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional simulation-based design of a component. In this simulation-based design, H-11 tool steel, which is a specific type of steel, is used within the context of a Power Law Hardening (PLH) material model.
The simulation-based design begins with a finite element model 104 of the component. The finite element model 104 is one form of a physical model of a component. In a finite element model, the geometry usually originates from a computer aided design (CAD) model.
Next, the finite element model 104 is discretized into regular-shaped elements, called the discretized finite element model 108. The discretized finite element model 108 is represented by one or more mathematical equations.
Next, a simulation code, called a finite element analysis (FEA) code 112, is used to solve the mathematical equations of the discretized finite element model 108. The FEA code 112 is provided with applied loads, boundary conditions and model parameters. The FEA code 112 produces a simulation of the component in response to applied loads, boundary conditions and model parameters. The graph 116 is the simulation result produced by the FEA code 112. The parameters, A and n, shown are specific model parameters that represent H-11 tool steel within the context of a Power Law Hardening (PLH) material model. Using this physical model, a designer can iterate on design details, such as, for example, component geometry or material selection, until the design produces desirable results.
The application of physical models to system and component design is referred to herein as simulation-based engineering. In addition to finite element models, there are many other types of physical models including 'meshless' models that are based on a solid model geometry. The common characteristic of these physical models is that they mathematically represent material response.
The physical models used in simulation-based engineering processes are valuable information assets throughout a product's lifecycle. After a product has been placed in service, a need may arise to reconsider the materials used in the product. There may be a need for a redesign due to an upgrade or modernization of the product or a change in design requirements. There may also be a need for a redesign due to a significant finding investigation. For example, a specific model of a vehicle may be subjected to an investigation following a series of accidents. The investigation may reveal defects associated with one or more components in that vehicle. The entire vehicle model-line may be recalled, and redesign of one or more components may be necessary.
In the above scenario, the original design intent is necessary to determine why a specific material was used in a component. The original design intent is considered a valuable information asset during redesign. Without knowledge of why a designer originally selected the material, it is difficult to select a replacement that will fulfill the new requirements. If the information about the original design intent is lost, the designer will lack important information necessary for a suitable redesign.
The difficulty in identifying material specifications becomes an issue when a component or a system becomes the subject of a modeling study. It may take a considerable amount of time to identify all of the materials in a component or a system.
Constitutive Models
The mathematical model of a material response is referred to as a constitutive model. A constitutive model is a mathematical representation of an ideal material response mode. The constitutive model approximates physical observations of a real material's response over a suitably restricted range. In general, a constitutive model is specific to particular class of material. For example, a plasticity model such as the Power Law Hardening (PLH) model mathematically represents large deformation response beyond the yield strength of a material. Although the PLH model is not specific to any material, in general it produces a good match to the response of metals.
A model parameter is a numeric constant associated with a constitutive model. A constitutive model may include one or more model parameters. A property set is a complete set of model parameters required to numerically model the response of a particular material. The property set for a particular species of material is generally obtained through some estimation process that requires test data.
The constitutive models used in physical models have been developed over time and are based on classical theories of material modeling. A significant number of constitutive models exist and are well documented in literature, and are usually in the form of complex mathematical theories. New constitutive models continue to be developed to address specific needs in component and system design.
A numerical implementation of a constitutive model must be created for it to be integrated into a simulation code. The numerical implementation of a constitutive model is an approximation of a mathematical theory. This is necessary because a constitutive model often requires a numerical approximation of complex mathematical theory, such as an integral equation with no exact solution. Most simulation codes contain a library of constitutive models to handle a wide variety of materials and load conditions.
In order to develop a numerical implementation of a constitutive model, a predicted material response is compared to the response of a constitutive model. The constitutive model's equations are adjusted until the model produces a good match to test data for a variety of materials and load conditions.
Material Model Driver
A material model driver (MMD) is a specialized computer code that can drive the numerical implementation of a constitutive model over a user prescribed load path. When implemented in a simulation code, a numerical implementation of a constitutive model can simulate the model response for a complex three-dimensional geometry. The finite element model illustrated in FIG. 1 is composed of many elements or cells that represent such a complex geometry. For the purposes of validating model performance, it is useful to be able to drive the model in a single cell. This removes geometry complexities and allows the constitutive modeler to focus on the model response over a well-defined load. The MMD is specific to a constitutive model and is usually a simplified version of the three-dimensional model contained in the simulation code. The MMD is generally used in the initial stages of modeling and numerical implementation. It is also used in subsequent parameter estimation algorithms.
Materials Characterization Tests
Materials characterization tests are specialized tests performed to produce the material response represented by the constitutive model. These tests are performed on a material sample of specific shape and under loads within the load-range of interest. The material response as a function of the applied load is measured and recorded. One or more types of materials characterization tests may be necessary for characterizing a given material in the context of a given constitutive model. The materials characterization tests are required to perform parameter estimations for a given material and a given model.
An example of a materials characterization test is a 'uniaxial tensile test' performed to characterize the elastic-plastic response of a metal. A small cylindrical sample of the metal is strain-loaded in an axial direction until it breaks. A one-dimensional load-displacement response is recorded in a stress-versus-strain plot. Within the context of several plasticity models, this test is sufficient for characterizing the material response of a given metal with a continuously increasing load. If the designer wants to simulate a cyclical load or a reverse load, then a materials characterization test that produces this response is needed.
Parameter Estimation
A parameter estimation is the process of calculating a property set for a given material species in the context of a constitutive model given a set of materials characterization tests performed on that material. The end product of this process is a property set that can be used in a physical model to represent a particular type of material in the context of the constitutive model.
The parameter estimation process is typically an iterative one. The loads applied during the tests are applied to the model and the model response is compared to the test response. The parameters are changed until the model response closely matches that of the test data. A variety of numerical optimization methods have been developed that automate the parameter estimation process.
The constitutive models, materials characterization test data, parameter estimation processes, model parameters and property sets representing specific materials are all valuable information assets of simulation-based engineering. Efficient management and preservation of these assets is essential, as their generation typically requires a considerable investment in material testing, material model development and physical simulations. At present there is a need for an application that provides efficient management and preservation of these assets. There is a need for an application that provides a single point of access for designers and analysts to retrieve validated constitutive models, model parameters, materials characterization test data and other assets discussed above. There is a need for an application that provides information to ensure traceability back to test data. There is a need for a collaborative application to support end-to-end data acquisition process. There are is a need for an application to capture and reproduce the parameter estimation process for developed models. There is a need for an application that compares model property sets to material characterization tests, providing greater confidence in their use. There is a need for an application that allows exploratory development of new constitutive models.

Application for managing model-based material properties for simulation-based engineering