Enhancing situational awareness in operations management includes: generating a user interface incorporating multiple display interfaces; receiving event data for a plurality of events monitored by an operator viewing the multiple display interfaces; receiving context data for the plurality of events, wherein the context data is received from multiple sources; matching the plurality of the events with the context data; determining the events which the operator must handle as priority events; displaying the priority events; and reducing saliency of any events and tasks that are not associated with the priority events.

Situation awareness, or SA, is the perception of environmental elements with respect to time and/or space, the comprehension of their meaning, and the projection of their status after some variable has changed, such as time. It is also concerned with perception of the environment critical to decision-makers in complex, dynamic areas from aviation, air traffic control, power plant operations, military command and control, and emergency services such as fire fighting and policing; to more ordinary but nevertheless complex tasks such as driving an automobile or bicycle.
Situation awareness involves being aware of what is happening in the vicinity to understand how information, events, and one's own actions will impact goals and objectives, both immediately and in the near future. Lacking SA or having inadequate SA has been identified as one of the primary factors in accidents attributed to human error. Thus, SA is especially important in work domains where the information flow can be quite high and poor decisions may lead to serious consequences (e.g., piloting an airplane, functioning as a soldier, or treating critically ill or injured patients). Having complete, accurate and up-to-the-minute SA is essential where technological and situational complexity are a concern. SA has been recognized as a critical, yet often elusive, foundation for successful decision-making across a broad range of complex and dynamic systems, including aviation and air traffic control, emergency response and military command and control operations, and offshore oil and nuclear power plant management.
In the management of complex information technology (IT) operations, situational awareness is addressed by providing an operator with multiple displays featuring all network activities and their status. These displays are usually independent and consume a large amount of the operator's cognition to manage, leading to lower levels of situational awareness. This in turn produces a natural reluctance to change focus (only manage one incident at a time per operator), lengthy hand-offs of status between shift operators, lack of awareness of how an incident might interact with others and a tendency to ignore new incidents of higher priority, with a lengthening of response times for all incidents. FIG. 1 shows a simplified illustration of the state of the art in managing IT operations. A continuous flow of network events arrives in an event stream 110. This stream is catalogued into an event list 120. This event list 120 is what the IT operator 180 references in monitoring network operations using, for example, Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). SNMP is an Internet-standard protocol for managing devices on IP networks. SNMP is widely used as part of an operations interface/cockpit for monitoring networked devices. The operator 180 must perform multiple functions 130 with this information to generate new data which he/she inputs into information tools 140. These multiple functions include: placing the event in context, determining state, determining correlation of events, analysis of this correlation, and taking appropriate action.
FIG. 2 shows a high-level flowchart of operations control, according to the known art. FIG. 3 shows the steps taken to respond to an incident, according to the known art.

Designing operations interface to enhance situational awareness


A method for forming a via through a dielectric layer within a microelectronics fabrication. There is first provided a substrate employed within a microelectronics fabrication. There is then formed over the substrate a low dielectric constant dielectric layer, where the low dielectric constant dielectric layer is formed from a silsesquioxane spin-on-glass (SOG) dielectric material. There is then formed over the low dielectric constant dielectric layer a patterned photoresist layer. There is then etched through use of a fluorine containing plasma etch method while employing the patterned photoresist layer as a photoresist etch mask layer the low dielectric constant dielectric layer to form a patterned low dielectric constant dielectric layer having a via formed therethrough. The fluorine containing plasma etch method employing a fluorine containing etchant gas composition which simultaneously forms a fluorocarbon polymer residue layer upon a sidewall of the via. There is then treated through use of a plasma treatment method the fluorocarbon polymer residue layer to form a plasma treated fluorocarbon polymer residue layer. The plasma treated fluorocarbon polymer residue layer is susceptible, in comparison with the fluorocarbon polymer residue layer, to being stripped from the sidewall of the via through an oxygen containing plasma stripping method employed in stripping from the microelectronics fabrication the patterned photoresist layer with attenuated lateral etching of the patterned low dielectric constant dielectric layer. Finally, there is then stripping through use of the oxygen containing plasma stripping method the patterned photoresist layer from over patterned low dielectric constant dielectric layer and the plasma treated fluorocarbon polymer residue layer from upon the sidewall of the via.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to dielectric layers formed within microelectronics fabrications. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods for forming vias through dielectric layers formed within microelectronics fabrications.
2. Description of the Related Art
Microelectronics fabrications are formed from microelectronics substrates over which are formed patterned microelectronics conductor layers which are separated by microelectronics dielectric layers.
As microelectronics integration levels have increased and microelectronics device and conductor element dimensions have decreased, it has become more common within the art of microelectronics fabrications to form interposed between the patterns of patterned microelectronics conductor layers within microelectronics fabrications low dielectric constant microelectronics dielectric layers. Low dielectric constant microelectronics dielectric layers within microelectronics fabrications are typically formed from low dielectric constant dielectric materials such as but not limited to silsesquioxane spin-on-glass (SOG) dielectric materials and organic polymer spin-on-polymer dielectric materials. Particularly prevalent in the art of microelectronics fabrication are low dielectric constant dielectric layers formed through spin coating and thermal curing of silsesquioxane spin-on-glass (SOG) dielectric materials.
Silsesquioxane spin-on-glass (SOG) dielectric materials are characterized by the general chemical formula R1--Si(OR2)3, where: (1) R1 may be any of several radicals, including but not limited to hydrogen radical and carbon bonded organic radicals, but not oxygen bonded radicals; and (2) R2 is typically, although not exclusively, a carbon bonded organic radical such as but not limited to a methyl radical (--CH3) and an ethyl radical (--C2H5). Such silsesquioxane spin-on-glass (SOG) dielectric materials are typically spin-coated and subsequently thermally cured at temperatures of from about 400 to about 500 degrees centigrade to form within microelectronics fabrications low dielectric constant dielectric layers.
Low dielectric constant dielectric layers formed from silsesquioxane spin-on-glass (SOG) dielectric materials are desirable interposed between the patterns of patterned microelectronics conductor layers within microelectronics fabrications since there is thus typically efficiently and manufacturably formed a microelectronics fabrication with enhanced microelectronics fabrication circuit speed, decreased patterned microelectronics conductor layer parasitic capacitance and decreased patterned microelectronics conductor layer cross-talk. While low dielectric constant dielectric layers formed from silsesquioxane spin-on-glass (SOG) dielectric materials within microelectronics fabrications are thus desirable within the art of microelectronics fabrication, low dielectric constant dielectric layers are not formed entirely without problems from silsesquioxane spin-on-glass (SOG) dielectric materials within microelectronics fabrications.
In particular, it is known in the art of microelectronics fabrication that when forming through a low dielectric constant dielectric layer formed from a silsesquioxane spin-on-glass (SOG) dielectric material a via through use of a conventional fluorine containing plasma etch method employing an etchant gas composition comprising a fluorine containing etchant gas, such as but not limited to a fluorocarbon fluorine containing etchant gas, there is typically formed upon a sidewall of the via formed through the low dielectric constant dielectric layer a fluorocarbon polymer residue layer which when subsequently simultaneously removed through an oxygen containing plasma stripping method along with a patterned photoresist layer employed in defining the via laterally etches the low dielectric constant dielectric layer exposed within the via to form a laterally etched via. A series of schematic cross-sectional diagrams illustrating the results of progressive stages in forming such a laterally etched via within such a low dielectric constant dielectric layer which in part defines the laterally etched via is shown within the schematic cross-sectional diagrams of FIG. 1 to FIG. 3.
Shown in FIG. 1 is a substrate 10 employed within a microelectronics fabrication, where the substrate 10 has formed thereupon a blanket low dielectric constant dielectric layer 12 formed from a silsesquioxane spin-on-glass (SOG) dielectric material. There is in turn formed upon the blanket low dielectric constant dielectric layer 12 a blanket silicon containing dielectric layer 14 which is typically formed of a silicon containing dielectric material such as but not limited to a silicon oxide dielectric material, a silicon nitride dielectric material or a silicon oxynitride dielectric material. Finally, there is formed upon the blanket silicon containing dielectric layer 14 a pair of patterned photoresist layers 16a and 16b.
Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a schematic cross-sectional diagram illustrating the results of further processing of the microelectronics fabrication whose schematic cross-sectional diagram is illustrated in FIG. 1. Shown in FIG. 2 is schematic cross-sectional diagram of a microelectronics fabrication otherwise equivalent to the microelectronics fabrication whose schematic cross-sectional diagram is illustrated in FIG. 1, but wherein the blanket silicon containing dielectric layer 14 and the blanket low dielectric constant dielectric layer 12 have been sequentially patterned through use of a fluorine containing etching plasma 18, while employing the patterned photoresist layers 16a and 16b as an etch mask, to form: (1) the corresponding patterned silicon containing dielectric layers 14a and 14b; and (2) the corresponding patterned low dielectric constant dielectric layers 12a and 12b, which in the aggregate define a via 15 accessing the substrate 10. Upon the sidewalls of the via 15 there is formed a pair of fluorocarbon polymer residue layers 20a and 20b.
The fluorocarbon polymer residue layers 20a and 20b typically derive from fluorine and carbon within a fluorocarbon etchant gas composition employed within the fluorine containing etching plasma 18, if a fluorocarbon etchant gas composition is employed therein, or in the alternative from fluorine within the fluorine containing etchant gas composition along with carbon which may be obtained through slight etching of the patterned photoresist layers 16a and 16b.
Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a schematic cross-sectional diagram illustrating the results of further processing of the microelectronics fabrication whose schematic cross-sectional diagram is illustrated in FIG. 2. Shown in FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional diagram of a microelectronics fabrication in-part otherwise equivalent to the microelectronics fabrication whose schematic cross-sectional diagram is illustrated in FIG. 2, but wherein the patterned photoresist layers 16a and 16b, and the fluorocarbon polymer residue layers 20a and 20b, have been stripped from the microelectronics fabrication through use of an oxygen containing stripping plasma 22 typically employing conventional oxygen containing stripping plasma conditions including a reactor chamber pressure of from about 10 to about 20 torr. In the process of stripping from the microelectronics fabrication whose schematic cross-sectional diagram is illustrated in FIG. 2 the patterned photoresist layers 16a and 16b, and the fluorocarbon polymer residue layers 20a and 20b, to form the microelectronics fabrication whose schematic cross-sectional diagram is illustrated in FIG. 3, there is simultaneously typically also laterally etched the patterned low dielectric constant dielectric layers 12a and 12b exposed within the via 15 sidewalls to form the laterally etched low dielectric constant dielectric layers 12a' and 12b' as illustrated in FIG. 3, which in conjunction with the patterned silicon containing dielectric layers 14a and 14b define a laterally etched via 15'.
Microelectronics fabrications analogous or equivalent to the microelectronics fabrication whose schematic cross-sectional diagram is illustrated in FIG. 3 are undesirable within the art of microelectronics fabrication since it is often difficult to subsequently form void free microelectronics layers, such as but not limited to void free patterned microelectronics conductor stud layers, within undercut vias such as the laterally etched via 15'. It is thus towards the goal of forming within a microelectronics fabrication through a fluorine containing plasma etch method a via through a low dielectric constant dielectric layer formed of a silsesquioxane spin-on-glass (SOG) dielectric material while attenuating lateral etching of the via when stripping from the microelectronics fabrication through an oxygen containing plasma stripping method a patterned photoresist layer employed in defining the via and a fluorocarbon polymer residue layer formed upon a sidewall of the via incident to the fluorine containing plasma etch method, that the present invention is generally directed.
Various novel plasma etch methods and materials have been disclosed in the art of microelectronics fabrication.
For example, Shinagawa et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,961,820, discloses an oxygen containing plasma stripping method for stripping from an integrated circuit microelectronics fabrication a photoresist layer employed in fabricating the integrated circuit microelectronics fabrication. The method employs a reactant gas composition comprising oxygen, water vapor or hydrogen and an additional gas in proportions such that: (1) a stripping rate of the photoresist layer is higher than observed with an otherwise equivalent reactant gas composition absent the additional gas; and (2) an activation energy of the photoresist layer stripping reaction is lower than an activation energy of the photoresist layer stripping reaction absent the additional gas.
In addition, Jolly et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,880, discloses: (1) a method for forming through an insulator layer within an integrated circuit microelectronics fabrication a via with tapered sidewalls, which via accesses a conductor layer within the integrated circuit microelectronics fabrication; and (2) the integrated circuit microelectronics fabrication having formed therein the insulator layer having formed therethrough the via with the tapered sidewalls, which via accesses the conductor layer within the integrated circuit microelectronics fabrication.
The method employs a protective layer formed over an insulator layer having a steep sided via formed therethrough, which steep sided via accesses the conductor layer, where the protective layer is additionally formed upon the steep sided via sidewalls and the conductor layer, and where the protective layer and part of the insulator layer are subsequently removed through a sputter etch method to form from the steep sided via the via with the tapered sidewalls.
Further, Jones et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,380,401, discloses a method for removing from aluminum containing bond pads within integrated circuit microelectronics fabrications aluminum/fluorine/oxide residues which otherwise impede formation of fully functional or reliable electrical connections to those aluminum containing bond pads. The method employs an argon plasma etching of the aluminun/fluorine/oxide residues, the argon plasma optionally employing a carrier gas such as carbon dioxide, or an inert gas such as helium, neon, krypton or xenon.
Yet further, Wu et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,432,073, discloses a method for forming within vias formed through spin-on-glass (SOG) dielectric layers within integrated circuit microelectronics fabrications patterned metal conductor interconnection layers which access lower lying patterned conductor layers within the integrated circuit microelectronics fabrications. The method employs an argon plasma etching of a residual polymer layer and a native oxide layer formed upon the lower lying patterned conductor layer, followed by degassing the spin-on-glass (SOG) layer exposed within the via sidewall prior to forming the patterned conductor metal interconnection layer within the via.
Finally, Mihara et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,803, discloses a method for oxygen plasma ashing with a uniform ashing rate a photoresist layer from upon a semiconductor substrate within an integrated circuit microelectronics fabrication ashed within a plasma reactor chamber. The method employs providing and maintaining a flow of a non-activated oxygen containing gas within the plasma reactor chamber before either generating a plasma within the plasma reactor chamber or ashing the photoresist layer within the plasma reactor chamber.
Desirable in the art of microelectronics fabrication are fluorine containing plasma etch methods through which a via may be formed through a low dielectric constant dielectric layer formed of a silsesquioxane spin-on-glass (SOG) dielectric material within a microelectronics fabrication with attenuated lateral etching of the via when stripping from the microelectronics fabrication through an oxygen containing plasma stripping method a patterned photoresist layer employed in defining the via and a fluorocarbon polymer residue layer formed upon the via sidewall incident to the fluorine containing plasma etch method. Particularly desirable within the art of integrated circuit microelectronics fabrication are fluorine containing plasma etch methods through which a via may be formed through a low dielectric constant dielectric layer formed of a silsesquioxane spin-on-glass (SOG) dielectric material within an integrated circuit microelectronics fabrication with attenuated lateral etching of the via when stripping from the integrated circuit microelectronics fabrication through an oxygen containing plasma stripping method a patterned photoresist layer employed in defining the via and a fluorocarbon polymer residue layer formed upon the via sidewall incident to the fluorine containing plasma etch method. It is towards these goals that the present invention is both generally and more specifically directed.

Post via etch plasma treatment method for forming with attenuated lateral etching a residue free via through a silsesquioxane spin-on-glass (SOG) dielectric layer

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


The sample holder includes support having a thickness and an aperture through the thickness of the support. A tilt mechanism is connected to the support for controlled tilting of the support, and the aperture through the support is configured to have a diameter that increases in a direction through the thickness of the support. This arrangement enables a light beam to pass through the same given area of the sample, irrespective of whether the sample is held perpendicular to the beam or held at a tilted position relative to the beam. In one embodiment, the holder includes an efficient magnetic clamp mechanism for securing the sample to the holder. The holder compactly integrates with tilting mechanisms a sample rotation mechanism.

One important property of optical material is known as birefringence. Birefringence causes different linear polarizations of light to travel at different speeds through the material. These different polarizations are most often considered as two components of the polarized light, one component being orthogonal to the other.
Birefringence is an intrinsic property of many optical materials, and may also be induced by external forces applied to the material. The induced birefringence may be temporary, as when the material is stressed or oscillated, or the birefringence may be residual, as may happen when, for example, the material undergoes thermal stress during production of the material.
Retardation or retardance represents the integrated effect of birefringence acting along the path of a light beam that traverses a sample of the optical material. If the incident light beam is linearly polarized, the two orthogonal components of the polarized light will exit the sample with a phase difference, called the retardance. The fundamental unit of retardance is length, such as nanometers (nm). It is frequently convenient, however, to express retardance in units of phase angle (waves, radians, or degrees), which is proportional to the retardance (nm) divided by the wavelength of the light (nm).
The two orthogonal, polarized beam components mentioned above are parallel to two orthogonal axes associated with the optical material, which axes are referred to as the "fast axis" and the "slow axis." The fast axis is the axis of the material that aligns with the faster moving component of the polarized light through the sample. Therefore, a complete description of the retardance of a sample along a given optical path requires specifying both the magnitude of the retardance and the relative angular orientation of the fast (or slow) axis of the sample.
The need for precise measurement of birefringence properties has become increasingly important in a number of technical applications. For instance, it is important to specify linear birefringence in optical elements that are used in high-precision instruments employed in semiconductor and other industries.
Prior art birefringence measurement systems, including that described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,473,179, disclose methods and apparatus for measuring birefringence of a sample using a light beam that is directed through the sample at a normal (zero-degree) incidence angle relative to the surface of the sample. As a result, the determination of the sample's birefringence is "in-plane," meaning that the determination essentially represents the difference between the indices of refraction of two orthogonal axes in a plane of the sample, that plane being normal to the incident light beam.
The effect of birefringence on displayed visible light (such effects occurring, for example, when the light passes through an optical film or coating) may be to reduce contrast or alter colors. Also, with many materials, such as those used with liquid crystal display (LCD) panels, the extent or magnitude of birefringence is a function of the incident angle of the light under consideration. For example, increasing (from normal) the viewing angle of a LCD panel will increase the birefringence effect on the light emanating from the panel and, without compensation, reduce the perceived quality of the visible light by reducing contrast and/or altering colors.
Transparent polymer films have been developed for use with LCD panels for the purpose of compensating for the just-noted birefringence variations attributable to viewing angle. In short, these films possess birefringence characteristics that compensate for the birefringence of the LCD panel and thus provide a wide viewing angle without significant loss of contrast or color.
It is important to properly characterize the birefringence of such films, and other optical materials, in planes that are parallel to the normal (zero-degree) angle of incidence. This birefringence measure can be referred to as "vertical" or "out-of-plane" birefringence. One can consider the notion of in-plane and out-of-plane birefringence in terms of a Cartesian coordinate system. Accordingly, if the normal-incidence light is considered to travel in a direction parallel to the Z-axis of such a coordinate system, the in-plane birefringence occurs in the XY plane of the sample. Out-of-plane birefringence is in a plane perpendicular to the in-plane birefringence, thus occurring in the XZ or YZ plane.
Other applications (in additional to the birefringence compensation film example just discussed) may call for precise determination of out-of-plane birefringence. For example, certain isotropic crystals, such as calcium fluoride, may exhibit intrinsic birefringence when short-wavelength light (for example, 157 nm) propagates through the crystal. The intrinsic birefringence is greatest in planes that are parallel with the [110] axis of the crystal. Also, such crystals are often produced with an outer surface or "window" for receiving incident light normal to that surface but parallel to the [111] surfaces of the crystal. As a result, the just mentioned intrinsic birefringence present in the [110] axis of the crystal is out-of-plane birefringence relative to the light that is normal to the [110] surface.
One way to accomplish the out-of-plane birefringence measurement is to change the orientation of the light beam (using mirrors or other mechanisms) relative to the stationary sample so that the light beam is directed to be oblique to the sample surface and thus exits the sample with characteristics that provide information relating to the out-of-plane birefringence of the sample. On the other hand, it is also possible to move or tilt the sample relative to the beam, thereby also creating the oblique beam-to-sample-surface relationship.


A dump and fill low temperature chemical sanitizing warewasher includes a wash and rinse tank and a temperature sensor associated with the tank and configured to sense a water temperature within the tank. A controller is connected to the temperature sensor to receive the water temperature sensor. The controller is configured to initiate a low temperature drain and refill cycle prior to starting a wash cycle, if the controller determines that the water temperature is below a set point.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to warewashing machines and methods, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to low temperature chemical sanitizing type warewashing apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a typical low temperature chemical sanitizing type warewasher, a wash and rinse tank is filled with hot water at approximately 140° F. A rack of dishes is inserted in the washer and then the washer door is closed which actuates the wash cycle. A wash and rinse pump turns on to circulate the wash water from the tank to spray devices to wash the dishes. During the wash cycle detergent is pumped into the wash and rinse tank. After the wash cycle a solenoid drain valve opens to drain the wash and rinse tank. Wash water and food soil is dumped into a drain pan where it passes through a screen to an accumulator. Then, a fill valve opens and flushes the wash and rinse tank while the drain valve is open. The drain valve closes and the wash and rinse tank fills to an appropriate level and the fill valve closes. Sanitizer such as sodium hypochlorite and rinse additive are pumped into the wash and rinse tank. The wash and rinse pump again turns on and the dishes are rinsed. The wash and rinse pump then turns off and the cycle is complete. The rinse water is retained in the wash and rinse tank for use in the next wash cycle. The process is repeated for each successive rack of dishes or other tableware.
The typical low temperature chemical sanitizing warewasher machine does not include a heater in the wash and rinse tank. Thus if the machine is idle for an extended period of time the wash tank temperature will fall. If the operator does not manually drain and refill the tank before using the machine after an idle period, the machine will wash with water that is cooler than normal for proper operation. The typical outcome of this is a poor wash result from the warewasher.

Low temperature warewasher with temperature drain feature


In some examples, a system may determine a plurality of routes between a source location and a destination location. Further, the system may segment each route of the plurality of routes into multiple road segments. The system may determine a first field of view (FOV) for each road segment. In addition, the system may receive vehicle sensor configuration information for vehicle sensors on board a vehicle. The system may determine a second FOV for the vehicle sensors. Additionally, the system may select a route for the vehicle based at least on comparing the second FOV with the first FOV for a plurality of the road segments.

Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and semi-autonomous vehicle systems, self-driving systems, or otherwise autonomous driving (AD) systems are systems that automate or otherwise enhance vehicle control for improved safety, automated navigation, improved convenience, improved efficiency, and the like. Conventional navigation systems in traditional vehicles may typically provide one or more routing options for traveling from a source location to a destination location. Examples of factors considered by conventional navigation systems when determining routing options may include time to destination, traffic conditions, whether tolls are expected, road closures, and the like. Further, ADAS and AD system vehicles are typically equipped with multiple onboard sensors to continuously monitor 360 degrees around the vehicle, such as for recognizing obstacles and enabling navigation of the vehicle. However, when determining a route for a vehicle, current systems may not take into consideration sensor capabilities and overall vehicle safety for a route prior to selecting the route.

Vehicle routing using connected data analytics platform


A log debarker for debarking a lengthwise-moving log includes a pair of debarking subassemblies each including a pair of cylindrically concave, rotating cutter elements positioned angularly asymmetrically toward one side of the log and away from an opposite side thereof and a third subassembly including a cutter element positioned to debark said opposite side of the log. Each of the pair of debarking subassemblies includes a stationary support frame, a tilting head platform and a pivoting cutter assembly supporting the cutter elements linked to the support frame so as to pivot the cutter element about an axis normal to the log axis as the cutter assembly is tilted. The cutter elements are moved toward or away from one another to adapt to different log diameters and are pivoted about an axis normal to their axes of rotation. Pivoting the cutter element skews the rotational axis of the concave cutting surface to an oval of a reduced effective radius of concavity in a plane normal to the log axis to debark a smaller diameter log. The cutter elements in the pair are pivoted in opposite directions so as to nest within one another and are counterrotated to negate turning of the log during debarking.

This invention relates generally to machinery for removal of material from logs and more particularly to high speed log debarkers.
Debarkers are widely used in the forest products industry to remove bark from logs intended for many uses, including sawing into lumber, peeling for veneer, poles and posts, and for chipping. Most such apparatus are arranged to receive a whole log and to debark the entire length of the log in a single, parallel-type operation, essentially by rotating the log about its lengthwise axis in contact with a series of cutting elements disposed lengthwise along the log. Examples of this type of apparatus are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,498,786; 2,698,036; 2,611,401; 2,702,570; 3,267,976 and 4,444,234. This type of machine requires a very wide bed with many cutting elements to debark long logs. Alternatively, the logs must be limited in length. In either case, the debarking apparatus is very expensive and not readily portable.
The other type of debarker is arranged to feed a log lengthwise along a cutting element while rotating the log about its lengthwise axis, such as MORBARK Models 628 and 640. This type of debarker is less complex, not as expensive and log length is not a constraint as in the parallel-type debarkers referred to above. Its main drawback is that it is much slower. Examples of this type of debarker are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,373,243 and 4,540,031. A related type is the ring debarker, such as Nicholson Model A5 and Manitowoc Model 2202, which peels off the bark in a spiral fashion as the cutter head moves lengthwise along the log. Another type is the flail-type debarker, such as the Peterson Pacific Models 4800 and 5200, in which the log is moved lengthwise past two or four drums carrying whirling chains which flail the bark off a log.
As old growth forests no longer are available, and for economic reasons, it is becoming increasingly important to be able to use smaller diameter timber for many forest products applications. The main problem that results is that the yield of useful wood from smaller logs is less than in larger logs. It becomes necessary to cut and debark more smaller diameter trees to produce, for example, a given mass of wood chips than required for large diameter logs. Throughput of a debarker thus becomes a critical requirement.
At the same time, to reduce travel in hauling harvested logs to a debarker, it is preferable to be able to locate the debarker nearer the tree source and be able to move it when harvesting a distant stand of trees. The higher throughput ring-type debarkers are generally too big and complex to be readily disassembled and moved, and are too expensive to have many of them at dispersed locations. The latter, lengthwise-infeed type of debarker mentioned above is less expensive and more portable but not nearly as fast at debarking, so throughput for small-diameter logs is unsatisfactory.
Another concern, whichever type of debarker is used, is to be able to handle a wide range of log diameters. Conventional ring-type debarkers, commonly used in fixed installations in mills, are made to handle logs ranging in diameter from a maximum of 35 inches (90 cm.) down to 6 inches (15 cm.). They cannot debark smaller but usable logs or log ends which taper down to 3 inches (8 cm.) or less in diameter at their narrower end. These narrow logs must somehow be disposed of or discarded, presenting environmental concerns as well as wasting a substantial mass of fiber that would otherwise be useful at least as chips for pulp. A flail-type debarker, which can be portable, will handle a wide range of diameters but breaks up the smaller diameter ends, particularly if the wood is dry, again wasting much useful fiber. All available debarkers are very expensive--too much for low-value, small diameter logs that are not large enough to use as saw logs.
Accordingly, a need remains for a debarker that is more versatile, portable, and capable of high throughput but not prohibitively expensive.


This invention relates to nonferrous metallurgy, in particular to a device and method for electrolyte composition analysis based on differential thermal measurements for aluminum electrolysis control. The device is comprised of a metal body including a reference material and an electrolyte sample receptacle, temperature sensors immersed into the reference material and in an electrolyte sample, a system for registration, data processing, and visualization of obtained results. A method includes immersing a metal body into an electrolyte; filling a receptacles with the molten electrolyte; removing and cooling down the metal body having the filled receptacle above a crust on the molten electrolyte surface; drawing and analyzing differential-thermal curves based on which the liquidus temperature, electrolyte superheating and phase and blend compositions of electrolyte solid samples are determined taking into account all crystallizing phases the content of which in the electrolyte sample is no less than 3 wt %.

The known methods and devices (U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,772, C25C 3/20, published on 19 May 1998, RU Patent No. 2303246, G01K7/02, published on 20 Jul. 2007) are based on standardless measurement of electrolyte liquidus temperature which includes registration and analysis of an electrolyte cooling curve only in a certain temperature range. This makes it possible to determine the liquidus temperature and the electrolyte superheating value; however, it doesn't provide any insight into the composition of the electrolyte of interest, which is the main drawback of the standardless analysis.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,772, for example, describes a sensor from Heraeus Electro-Nice configured for electrolyte temperature and liquidus temperature measurement, A replaceable (disposable) sensing tip of this sensor consists of a metal dipper arranged inside a cardboard tube, and a thermocouple arranged inside the dipper. After pre-heating above the melt, a probe is immersed into an electrolyte and its temperature is measured. The electrolyte sample in the dipper is removed from the melt. When cooling down, a cooling curve of the electrolyte sample (from the electrolyte melt temperature to its liquidus temperature) is registered. The electrolyte liquidus temperature is determined from the abrupt change of the sample cooling curve slope. One of the drawbacks of the device is the fact that the tip cannot be reused. In addition, an increase in a number of melt components leads to a decrease in accuracy of a melt liquidus temperature determination and, accordingly, of electrolyte superheating value. The device is quite cumbersome, and in order to move it along the body, a trolley is typically used.
A device and a method described in RU Patent 2303246 are characterized by the use of a reusable electrolyte sampler. Prior to extracting a collected electrolyte sample, the sampler is heated up to the melt temperature. Sample cooling down to the liquidus temperature is performed on the electrolyte crust, and the electrolyte liquidus temperature is determined at the time of evolution of the maximum heat of crystallization as the greatest value of the second derivative of the electrolyte temperature from the range of smoothed values of electrolyte cooling curve. Once the liquidus temperature has been determined, the sampler is washed by oscillating movements in the electrolyte melt and is cleaned-up from the melt residues. One of the drawbacks of the device is the principle of melt liquidus temperature determination. The determination of electrolyte liquidus temperature at the time of evolution of the maximum heat of crystallization is associated with errors made during the transition to electrolyte systems where the electrolyte liquidus is defined by low concentrated phases and, correspondingly, low heat effect.
Electrolyte composition can be determined with devices described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,748, IPC G01N25/00, published on 24 Apr. 2001, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,942,381, C25C 3/20, published on 31 Mar. 2005.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,748 describes a method and a device for electrolyte composition analysis. The method allows determining the electrolyte cryolite ratio and the alumina concentration. The device comprises an open cup to collect an electrolyte sample and a closed receiving cup for the reference material, each of which is fitted with thermocouples. These cups are supported by a hollow metal cylinder and are separated from each other in space.
Based on the measurement results, the electrolyte temperature, liquidus temperature and electrolyte superheating are determined. In order to determine the cryolite ratio and the alumina concentration, a differential thermal curve is used. This electrolyte cryolite ratio is determined based on the arrangement and size of peaks on the differential thermal curve. Alumina content as a function of a peak area on the differential thermal curve at the temperature range 400-500° C. The device has a complex design, the drawback of which is a spatial separation of test and reference samples. In this case, their cooling down is performed under different thermal conditions leading to a significant decrease in measurement accuracy and, accordingly, in an accuracy of electrolyte composition analysis results.
A method and device according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,942,381 are the closest analogs of the claimed device and method in terms of its technical specs and effectiveness. The device for implementing the method according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,942,381 comprises a reusable one-piece metal body including a reference material and an electrolyte sample receptacle, as well as thermocouples immersed in the reference material and the electrolyte sample, a system for registration, data processing, and visualization of obtained results. The method for molten electrolyte composition analysis includes immersing the metal body into an electrolyte; filling the receptacle with the electrolyte melt; removing and cooling down the metal body with the filled receptacle; drawing and analyzing differential thermal curves to determine the liquidus temperature, superheating, and electrolyte composition. The method allows determining the industrial electrolyte cryolite ratio and the alumina concentration. The cryolite ratio and the alumina concentration are determined based on a peak area on a differential thermal curve in the temperature range 850-930° C. and 650-700° C. Alumina content as a function of a peak area on the differential thermal curve at the temperature range 800-900° C. Once the measurement is finished, the device is washed in the melt. The drawback of the device and the method is the use as a reference material the material of the device. To achieve the distinct peaks of electrolyte phase crystallization and, accordingly, the consistent and repeatable results of melt composition analysis, the heat exchange between an electrolyte sample and a reference material should be at the minimum. The negative effect of heat exchange is expressed by the fact that the heat effects of phase transformations in an electrolyte sample will be registered on the reference material cooling curve, as the result of which peak identification on the thermal and differential-thermal curves, as well as analysis of phase concentrations in an electrolyte, will be more difficult. This is especially important for low concentrated phases in an electrolyte because exactly these phases can represent the melt liquidus temperature. All mentioned above limits the scope of application of the device and method to cryolite-alumina melts with a cryolite ratio above 2 and constrains its usage in acidic, multicomponent (modified) electrolytes, as well as in melts having an alumina concentration close or equal to the saturation concentration.

Device and method for determining the composition of an electrolyte

United Company RUSAL Engineering and Technology Centre LLC


Provided are techniques for migrating data. Contents are sealed to one or more registers. In response to determining that secure backup is enabled, platform metrics are stored in a private store. An out-of-band request is received. A response to the out-of-band request is provided using the stored platform metrics.

A platform may be described as the underlying hardware and/or software for a computing device. Platforms are rapidly converging toward more use of platform security, such as the use of a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) (http://www.trustedcomputinggroup.org) to encrypt disk content (i.e., data) of a full disk volume. A TPM may be described as a microcontroller that stores a storage root key and that is capable of encrypting and decrypting disk content. The TPM storage root key is a public/private key pair. Any data encrypted with the storage root key public key, may only be decrypted by the corresponding storage root key private key.
An operating system may use TPM to encrypt disk content, and this is referred to as in-band operating system security. For example, the Secure Startup Full-Volume Encryption (FVE) mode available from Microsoft Corporation in the Vista Windows® operating system uses TPM.
The disk volume may be divided into disk partitions. An in-band operating system encryption/decryption agent may encrypt and decrypt content on a disk partition with which the agent is associated. Out-of-band agents may be described as managing requests to and from a remote agent (e.g., at a remote computing device). Out-of-band agents are capable of performing tasks on any of the disk partitions. Out-of-band requests may be described as those that are managed by remote agents which use the capabilities of out-of-band agents. For example, if a user at a local computing device is playing a computer game, and an administrator at a remote computing device wants to know the temperature of the local computing device, a remote agent at the remote computing device may contact an out-of-band agent at the local computing device to determine the temperature. The user's game is not interrupted, and, typically, the user is not aware of the out-of-band request.
An operating system that uses TPM provides encryption that is at odds with an Out-Of-Band (OOB) disk backup strategy. In particular, conventional remote disk backup operations assume that disk content is stored in the clear (i.e., in an unencrypted manner). Thus, because disk content would ordinarily be opaque to agents other than the in-band operating system encryption/decryption agent, these other agents may not be able to read the encrypted disk content. Therefore, certain in-band operating system encryption/decryption technologies may moot some of the management advantages of existing out-of-band agents.
Thus, there is a need in the art for seamless data migration to enable out-of-band operations to be performed.

Abstract: Other embodiments are described and claimed.


A seat construction having a provision for storing a tank for a self-contained breathing apparatus. The seat includes an elongated cavity adapted to receive the tank and the rear of the cavity is enclosed by a seat back that includes a rear surface and a pair of side surfaces which extends forwardly from the rear surface. A pair of brackets are positioned in horizontally spaced relation and one end of each bracket is connected to the rear surface, while the opposite end of the bracket is connected to the respective side surface. The brackets carry generally flat supporting surfaces which are disposed to support the tank. A belt extends through slots in the brackets and the free ends of the belts are fastened together to secure the tank against the supporting surfaces.

Fire fighters are provided with self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), which includes an air cylinder that is strapped to the fire fighter's back when the fire fighter enters a burning or hazardous area. The SCBA is normally stored in the fire truck and, in some cases, the truck is provided with a post, column, or bracket and several SCBA are clamped to the post. With this arrangement, the fire fighter at the scene of the fire, must then unclamp the cylinder, remove the SCBA from this mounting device and then strap the SCBA to his body. This procedure can require a number of seconds which can be critical when dealing with the fire. In other cases, the backs of the seats in the fire truck are manufactured formed with elongated central cavities and the air cylinders of the SCBA are clamped, or otherwise secured in the cavities for storage.
The recent trend has been for the fire fighter to strap the SCBA to his body while the fire fighter is seated on the seat in the fire truck, with the SCBA stored in the cavity in the seat back. With this arrangement, precious seconds can be saved, due to the fact that the fire fighter does not have to remove the SCBA and strap the SCBA to his body at the scene of the fire.
Recently, the SCBA cylinders have been made from lightweight composite material and as a result of the weight reduction, the cylinders are constructed with a larger volume or size. Because of this, it has been found that when the fire fighter rises from the seat, with the SCBA strapped to his back, the top of the cylinder can catch on the head pad of the seat. By code or regulation, the seat must include a head pad to support the neck and head of the occupant, and the head pad must be located a specified distance above the seat base. Thus, the presence of the head pad can prevent the fire fighter from rising from the seat in the normal manner and the fire fighter must exert a conscious and somewhat awkward effort to move forwardly on the seat before rising.
In the past, the SCBA tank has typically been stored in the cavity in the seat by engaging the tank with a pair of C-shaped metal clips. The open end of each clip is bordered by a pair of flexible lips, and as the tank is pushed inwardly, the lips flex outwardly to enable the tank to be received within the clips. The lips then spring back to hold the tank in position.
The use of the metal C-shaped clips has certain disadvantages. For example, the clips are normally designed for a given tank diameter and thus will not accommodate tanks which have a significantly different diameter.
Further, the metal clips cause wear to the tank as the tank is inserted and withdrawn from the clips, and as the clips are metal, vibrational noise results as the fire truck travels to an emergency site. As a further disadvantage, metal clips do not positively lock the tank to the seat and if the fire truck should stop suddenly the tank could fly forwardly from the clips and result in a potential danger to personnel in the truck.

Seat construction having a mechanism for storing a tank


A slide-out mechanism for laterally moving a platform relative to a stationary floor fixed to a vehicle between a retracted position and an extended position which is easily assembled and adjusted. The mechanism includes a first member fixed relative to the platform, and a second member telescopically mounted to the first member for slidable movement between an extended position and retracted position. A rail shaft cage mounted to the first member has a pair of sides with a slot formed in each of the sides, and a rail shaft assembly having a rotatable shaft, wherein the shaft is supported by the slots. In one embodiment, the slide-out mechanism includes bearings having inner and outer races mounted on the shaft, and each bearing outer race is supported by the slot cradle. A portion of the slot and the outer race are polygonal shaped, and the bearing inner race is eccentrically mounted in the outer race, wherein rotating the outer race in the cradle changes the relation between the shaft and the first member. In still another embodiment, a flute tube is used to connect the rail shaft to a coupling shaft which rotatably drives a second rail shaft of a second rail shaft assembly. The second rail shaft assembly drives another second member parallel to the first second member. The flute tube simplifies synchronizing the parallel members of the slide-out mechanism.

Not Applicable
This invention relates to vehicles having expandable room sections, and more particularly to an improved actuator for moving a room slide out between extended and retracted positions relative to the vehicle.
In order to increase the available interior space of recreational vehicles or trailers, it is known to provide a room slide-out as part of the structure of the vehicle or trailer. A room slide out is a raised platform, which can be used as a sleeping platform and is enclosed on all but one side. During transit, the slide-out section is retracted and stored in the interior of the vehicle or trailer, with the exterior wall of the slide-out room section approximately flush with the exterior of the vehicle or trailer. To use the slide-out section, the vehicle is first parked and leveled. The slide-out room section is then slid outward from the vehicle to an extended position, increasing the interior space of the vehicle.
Prior art constructions include an inner rail which is movable relative to an outer rail. The slide-out room is fixed relative to the inner rail, and a mechanism drives the inner rail relative to the outer rail. In the prior art constructions, the mechanism for moving the slide-out section relative to the stationary room section is fixed to the vehicle body, and pushes the room slide-out away from the vehicle when extending the slide-out room, and pulls the slide-out section towards the vehicle when retracting the room. The mechanism includes a rail shaft, bearings, and possibly other components, such as rollers and a pinion which are assembled in a rail shaft cage which has been welded to an outer rail. Assembly of the mechanism in the rail shaft cage is awkward and difficult. Moreover, the shaft is fixed relative to the inner rail without a simple means for adjustment.
The present invention provides a slide-out mechanism for laterally moving a platform relative to a stationary floor fixed to a vehicle between a retracted position and an extended position which is easily assembled and adjusted. The mechanism includes a first member fixed relative to the platform, and a second member telescopically mounted to the first member for slidable movement between an extended position and retracted position. A rail shaft cage mounted to the first member has a pair of sides with a slot formed in each of the sides, and a rail shaft assembly having a rotatable shaft, wherein the shaft is supported by the slots.
In one aspect of the invention, at least one of the slide-out mechanism slots has a first portion with one end open to an edge of the cage side, and extending substantially parallel to the first member, and a second portion extending from the other end of the first portion, and extending away from the first member to form a cradle which receives and supports the shaft.
In another aspect of the invention, the slide-out mechanism includes bearings having inner and outer races mounted on the shaft, and each bearing outer race is received in one of the slots and supported by the rail cage sides.
In yet another aspect of the slide-out mechanism, at least a portion of the slot and outer race are polygonal shaped, and the bearing inner race is eccentrically mounted in the outer race, wherein rotating the outer race in the slot changes the relation between the shaft and the first member.
In still other aspects of the slide-out mechanism, a flute tube is used to connect the rail shaft to a coupling shaft which rotatably drives a second rail shaft of a second rail shaft assembly. The second rail shaft assembly drives another second member parallel to the first second member. The flute tube simplifies synchronizing the parallel members of the slide-out mechanism.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which there is shown by way of illustration a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Room slide out actuator with slotted rail shaft cage


An in vitro assay was designed to measure the activity of the alphavirus non-structural protein 2 (nsP2), which is the viral protease and is required for viral replication. By taking advantage of fluorescence-resonance energy transfer between two proteins, a protease cleavage assay was generated. This was utilized for high-throughput screening of 40,000 small molecules. Inhibitors were validated using cell-based assays to measure alphavirus infection and cytotoxicity. Certain compounds were then characterized for anti-viral efficacy in various cell lines in numerous assays. Compounds were tested against Chikungunya virus, Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis virus, Rift Valley Fever virus, and Zika virus. Three compounds (compounds I, II, and III) showed pan-alphavirus anti-viral efficacy at concentrations that did not result in cell toxicity. An additional compound, structure IV, showed broad spectrum inhibition of all viruses tested. Pharmaceutical preparations and methods of treatment including these compounds are provided herein.

Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are distributed worldwide and are important causes of human disease resulting in considerable human morbidity and mortality. Historically arboviral disease outbreaks occurred in tropical regions such as Africa, South America, and Asian countries, but in the past few decades, arboviral diseases have expanded into new regions in the world. West Nile virus underwent a dramatic geographic expansion into the Americas in 1999 resulting in the largest epidemic of arboviral encephalitis ever documented in the United States. Today, CHIKV has undergone a similar radical geographic emergence into the Americas. Traditionally, CHIKV epidemics have shown cyclical trends, with inter-epidemic periods ranging from 4 to 30 years. Since 2004, CHIKV has expanded its geographical range, causing sustained epidemics of unprecedented magnitude in Asia and Africa. In December 2013, the first autochthonous CHIKV cases were confirmed on the Caribbean island of St. Martin. Since then, CHIKV has continued to spread to neighboring countries, and it is probable that in the near future CHIKV will spread and remain endemic in the United States. As of 2016, there have been over 1.7 million suspected CHIKV infections in the Americas. In the United States, it is classified as a category C biodefense priority pathogen due to the ability to engineer this pathogen for mass dissemination causing high morbidity and mortality rates with nearly worldwide distribution. At present, there are no licensed vaccines or treatment options to combat CHIKV infection, and research in the development of therapeutics has been limited. Thus, there is a pressing need to identify and develop new therapeutic avenues.
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a re-emerging alphavirus, that causes acute illness characterized by rapidly onset fever and severe arthralgia, and in many cases develops into a debilitating, chronic arthritis. There are no approved vaccines or treatment options available to combat CHIKV infection. The alphavirus nonstructural protein 2 (nsP2) is an attractive anti-viral target, since it participates in proteolytic processing of the nonstructural polyprotein into functional proteins, and is required for viral replication.
If identified, small molecules have the benefit of being cell penetrating, more suitable for oral delivery, and easier to manufacture than protein or other large molecule treatments.

Small molecule inhibitors for treatment of alpha viruses

National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC


An acrylic rubber composition comprising 0.05 to 3.0 parts by weight of a fluorine-containing compound having a melting point of 30 to 100° C., based on 100 parts by weight of acrylic rubber. The acrylic rubber composition that can improve the dispersibility of a processing aid in the compound and the rubber compound handling properties during open roll operation without using a silicone-based processing aid, which causes bleeding of vulcanizates, and that satisfies the various characteristics, such as dimensional stability and heat resistance, of vulcanizates.

Acrylic rubber has excellent heat resistance; however, the raw material price is relatively high. In addition, this rubber has high adhesion, and the compound preparation processability up to the molding process or the releasability during molding is poor, resulting in high processing costs. There are problems in work safety due to these processability.
Various improvement efforts have been made so far to reduce the product costs. As such an improvement method, selection to reduce the raw material costs is considered so that instant results can be obtained; however, it is difficult to reduce the costs with satisfactory raw material quality, and this is often not suitable for ensuring the quality of functional rubber parts.
On the other hand, there is a method for improving processability in order to reduce the processing costs in the production process. In particular, shortening the vulcanization time in the molding process, high releasability, and reduction of burring directly affect the productivity of products; thus, improvement effects for cost reduction are expected. Such an improvement can be achieved by introducing equipment; however, it is not easy because the equipment cost has a great influence on the production cost, and it is often the case that an improvement is achieved by the compounding composition of the rubber compound.
As a method for improving by means of the compounding composition, for example, there is a method of selecting an amine vulcanized acrylic rubber polymer, which is said to have good processability; however, it is difficult to fully exhibit processability for the unique production process in rubber part manufacturers, and a method for improving by adding a processing aid is required. Although there are various processing aids used for such methods, they have different improvement effects. Therefore, it has been difficult to fully satisfy some of the required processability.
In addition, silicone-based processing aids have a high effect of improving processability and are preferably used (Patent Document 1 etc.); however, depending on the use environment of the product, such silicone-based processing aids may be used in or near electronic components, and the contamination thereof cause a problem. Since non-silicone products are often required recently, it may be difficult to easily use silicone-based processing aids.
However, non-silicone processing aids that have been used so far tend to have lower improvement effects, compared with contribution to processability obtained from incompatibility when silicone is used as a processing aid, and to the dimensional stability and heat resistance of vulcanizates due to the heat resistance that can withstand secondary vulcanization. This is because general-purpose non-silicone processing aids have low incompatibility, and the amount thereof added to the compound increases. In addition, such non-silicone processing aids also have poor heat resistance and are thus likely to volatilize due to secondary vulcanization, and it is difficult to satisfy the dimensional stability and various characteristics of vulcanizates.


A skin test applicator has a applicator handle (21) and separately storable test elements (13). A complimentary snap-fit attachment structure (33, 43) is provided on the applicator handle and test elements to permit the applicator handle to operatively pick up and hold one or more test elements from a suitable sterile storage tray. The skin test applicator reduces storage requirements and the amount of refuse that must be discarded immediately following the administration of a skin test for the diagnosis of an allergic response or other diagnostic test.

The present invention relates to devices for performing skin tests for an allergic response or for other diagnostic responses; it more particularly relates to an improved skin test applicator system which can be efficiently stored and which has reusable parts.
Skin tests are a widely used diagnostic tool for clinical allergy evaluations and, indeed, is a standard clinical method for demonstrating whether or not the patient has allergen-specific antibodies associated with allergic disease. The skin test generally involves applying a drop of a desired allergenic extract to the skin by either prick or puncture technique using a skin testing device.
One well-known approach to skin testing is to simultaneously apply different antigens to multiple sites on the skin. Such multiple skin tests are widely performed by a skin test applicator disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,556,080 to Gary L. Hein, which discloses a plastic applicator consisting of a plurality of multiple pressure puncture heads integrally connected by relatively flexible arms to a relatively rigid handle. The entire applicator of the Hein patent is intended to be disposable due to the sterile requirements for skin testing.
The unitary skin test applicator disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,556,080 has a number of disadvantages. First, a single use of the applicator exhausts the entire applicator, including the handle, which must be thrown away, whereas the only non-sterile parts of concern on the applicator are the pressure heads and skin puncturing scarifying points on the applicator. Secondly, the applicator is relatively bulky requiring shipment and storage in a sealed, bacteriostatic, individualized container which itself is relatively bulky. Therefore, where adequate storage space is not available, stocking large quantities of these applicators as is normally required by an allergist, can be an on-going problem.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the unitary applicator disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,556,080 by providing a multiple test applicator wherein the test elements carrying the spaced-apart skin puncturing pressure heads are separately storable elements and are the only portion of the applicator that are intended to be disposable.


A method and structure for equipping a cache with information to enable the processor to track and report whether a given speculative access causes prefetches and/or pollutions of the cache. Two types of events are tracked in one of two different ways: first by counting/tracking prefetch operations, either globally or on a per instruction address basis and then by counting/tracking cache pollutions, either globally or on a per instruction address basis.

In the most general case, speculative memory accesses are accesses made to the memory system by the processor that do not directly contribute to program output but are made in an attempt to speed up processor performance.
Speculative memory accesses are made for various purposes and are of many varieties including, but not limited to: prefetch memory accesses; wrong-path memory accesses; various memory accesses made while the processor is in a speculative state such as speculatively executing ahead for pre-fetching, also known as scouting, and/or any other memory accesses performed in an attempt to prefetch data from the memory system to the on-chip memory cache before the data is actually needed by the processor.
A problem with speculative memory accesses arises when a speculative access is made to a cache line that will not be used since, when this occurs, the speculative access then installs a cache line into the cache which forces another cache line to be removed from the cache. In a set-associative cache, this, in turn, changes the replacement ordering of other cache lines in the set and has significant detrimental effect on the system performance.
In particular, when a processor accesses a cache, if the cache line needed is not already present in the cache, the cache line is fetched from a lower level memory and then inserted into the cache. This process typically takes multiple clock cycles. The data is inserted at a specific cache line in the cache and any data already in that cache line is displaced out of the cache, back into a lower level memory directly, or by a reordering of another cache line within the cache.
If, as is often the case in modern system architectures, the cache is set-associative, then this displacement of the data in the cache line used for the speculative access causes a modification to the order in which the other cache lines will be displaced, once again causing a reordering and cache line displacement. If the speculative data is subsequently accessed, then the speculative memory access was a useful prefetch and the reordering is justified. However, if the data in one of the displaced cache lines is subsequently accessed, but is no longer in the cache due to displacement by the speculative access, then the speculative access is said to have caused a pollution. Significantly, a single speculative access may cause multiple pollution events in set-associative caches. Consequently, the disruption and detrimental effects of a single speculative access can be quite significant
As the speed/frequency of processors increases, the disparity between processor speeds and memory system speeds continues to grow. As a result, speculative memory access has come to play an increasingly critical role in ensuring program performance and allowing systems to take advantage of processor potential. Consequently, the problems created by speculative accesses to cache lines that will not be used is becoming more and more significant and can no longer be overlooked or accepted.
What is needed is a method and apparatus for tracking speculative accesses that cause prefetches and/or pollutions.

Method and structure for monitoring pollution and prefetches due to speculative accesses


A radar sensor having a frame, a housing arranged at the frame, a transmission and reception unit for high frequency signals arranged within the housing, wherein a radiation direction of the high frequency signals irradiated by the transmission and reception unit is rotatable about an axis of rotation. The radiation direction of the high frequency signals irradiated by the transmission and reception unit is substantially orthogonally oriented toward the axis of rotation, and the housing is supported at the frame rotatably about a pivot axis.

Radar sensors are apparatus known from the prior art for high frequency assisted location and distance measurement on the basis of electromagnetic waves in the high frequency range, in particular at 5-500 GHz. For this purpose, radar sensors comprise a high frequency transmitter for irradiating so-called primary signals and a receiver for high frequency signals that detects the echoes reflected by spaced apart objects as so-called secondary signals. The receiver and the transmitter are here frequently configured as a combined transmission and reception unit. Depending on the radar method, the primary signals are signal pulses or a continuous wave signal that is optionally frequency modulated. Time-resolved information on the relative location, i.e. distance and viewing angle, with respect to the objects reflecting the primary signals can in particular be determined from the reflected secondary signals.
Radar sensors are today used for process monitoring and process control in a plurality of industrial applications, for example in heavy industry, in particular in mining, in agriculture, or in the handling of goods at ports and logistics centers. In comparison with competing processes based on laser signals or ultrasound signals, radar technology is in particular suitable for field deployment under rough conditions since the longwave high frequency signals used only insignificantly interact with potentially interfering objects such as grains of dust or raindrops.
Radar sensors typically comprise a housing, in which the sensitive electronic components, in particular the transmission and reception unit, are arranged in a protected manner, and a frame supporting the housing.
A radar sensor known from the prior art for monitoring a field of view measuring up to 360° works on the basis of primary signals whose radiation direction rotates about a fixed axis of rotation, wherein a field of view to be monitored is swept over by 360° during a full revolution. The irradiation of the primary signals here typically takes place radially to the axis of rotation. With respect to the axis of rotation as the vertical direction, the irradiated primary signal therefore sweeps over a horizontal angle of up to 360° with an unchangeable zenith angle of 90°. In practice, the finite beam divergence of the primary signal results in a beam expansion as the distance from the transmitter increases, whereby the spatial resolution and angular resolution of the radar measurement are impaired.
The limited solid angle of the monitored field of view that makes the use of a plurality of differently positioned radar sensors necessary is a disadvantage with such radar sensors of the prior art.