An object of the invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display apparatus of high display quality by which a reflecting plate having excellent reflection characteristics can easily be manufactured with excellent reproducibility. A negative or positive photosensitive resin is applied to a substrate, asperities are formed in a first region of the applied photosensitive resin film by exposing the first region with various integrals of exposure amount so that the photosensitive resin in the first region is left in different film thicknesses and a concave is formed in a second region of the applied photosensitive resin film so that the photosensitive resin in the second region is left in a thickness smaller than those of the first region by exposing the second region with an integral of exposure amount different from those for the first region.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display apparatus which carry out display by reflecting externally incident light.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, application of liquid crystal display apparatuses to word processors, laptop personal computers, pocket televisions and the like has rapidly been progressing. Of the liquid crystal display apparatuses, reflective-type liquid crystal display apparatuses which carry out display by reflecting externally incident light are attracting attention because the reflective-type liquid crystal display apparatuses are low in power consumption, thin and capable of being reduced in weight since no backlight is necessary.
However, in the conventional reflective-type liquid crystal display apparatuses, the brightness and the contrast of the display are dependent on the use environment such as ambient brightness or the use condition. Therefore, at present, high expectations are placed on the realization of a reflective-type liquid crystal display apparatus that has excellent reflection characteristics, can easily be manufactured with excellent reproducibility and is high in display quality.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 6-75238 (1994) discloses a technology to form random and high-density asperities on a reflecting electrode in order to improve the display quality of the reflective-type liquid crystal display apparatus.
According to this, a resin layer for adding fine asperities to a reflecting electrode comprises a first photosensitive resin layer patterned with random asperities and a second photosensitive resin layer for making the asperities smoother, and in a mask for patterning the first photosensitive resin layer, circular light intercepting portions are randomly disposed and the total area of the light intercepting portions is not less than 40% of the area of the reflecting plate.
By increasing the randomness as described above, the interference due to the repetitive pattern is prevented and the reflecting light is prevented from being colored, and by increasing the density of the asperities, the area of the flat part is reduced to thereby reduce the regular reflection component.
Moreover, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 9-90426 (1997) discloses a technology to simultaneously expose an asperity forming pattern and contact holes using only one layer of a photosensitive resin in order to reduce the process of manufacturing a reflective-type liquid crystal display apparatus.
A method of manufacturing a reflective-type liquid crystal display apparatus described in this patent publication will briefly be described with reference to the drawings. In this regard, FIG. 22 illustrates a mask used in this reference (JP 9-90426).
In the reflective-type liquid crystal display apparatus described in the above-mentioned patent publication, the following are provided: an aluminum pixel electrode disposed on the reflecting substrate; a transparent electrode opposed thereto; a color filter substrate supporting the transparent electrode; liquid crystal sandwiched therebetween; and a polarizing plate 116 disposed above the phase difference plate 115.
A method of manufacturing the reflecting substrate of the reflective-type liquid crystal display apparatus described in the above-mentioned patent publication will be described.
First, a photosensitive resin is applied to the substrate.
Then, exposure is carried out using the photomask shown in FIG. 22 having a large light-blocking contact hole portion and in addition thereto, a plurality of smaller light blocking portions at asperity forming portions
Then, by development a resin configuration with respect to the mask pattern is formed.
Then, a thin film is formed as the reflecting electrode over the asperities defined in the resin.

Method of making LCD with asperities in insulation layer under reflective electrode


Provided are methods to detect of modulators of the Receptor for Advanced Glycated Endproducts (RAGE). The invention comprises a method for detection of RAGE modulators comprising: adsorbing a RAGE ligand onto a solid surface; adding a compound of interest and a protein comprising RAGE or fragment thereof, to the preadsorbed ligand; adding an antibody which binds to RAGE or fragment thereof and a secondary antibody which binds to the anti-RAGE antibody; measuring the secondary antibody bound to the anti-RAGE antibody; and comparing the amount of RAGE bound to the ligand in the presence of varying amounts of the compound of interest. In an embodiment, the fragment of RAGE is sRAGE. In one aspect, the invention use of compounds detected by the method for treatment of AGE-related syndromes including complications associated with diabetes, kidney failure, lupus nephritis or inflammatory lupus nephritis, amyloidoses, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, inflammation, and erectile dysfunction.

Incubation of proteins or lipids with aldose sugars results in nonenzymatic glycation and oxidation of amino groups on proteins to form Amadori adducts. Over time, the adducts undergo additional rearrangements, dehydrations, and cross-linking with other proteins to form complexes known as Advanced Glycosylation End Products (AGEs). Factors which promote formation of AGEs included delayed protein turnover (e.g. as in amyloidoses), accumulation of macromolecules having high lysine content, and high blood glucose levels (e.g. as in diabetes) (Hori et al., J. Biol. Chem. 270: 25752-761, (1995)). AGEs have been implicated in a variety of disorders including complications associated with diabetes and normal aging.
AGEs display specific and saturable binding to cell surface receptors on monocytes, macrophages, endothelial cells of the microvasculature, smooth muscle cells, mesengial cells, and neurons. The Receptor for Advanced Glycated Endproducts (RAGE) is a member of the immunoglobulin super family of cell surface molecules. The extracellular (N-terminal) domain of RAGE includes three immunoglobulin-type regions: one V (variable) type domain followed by two C-type (constant) domains (Neeper et al., J. Biol. Chem., 267:14998-15004 (1992); Schmidt et al., Circ. (Suppl.) 96#194 (1997)). A single transmembrane spanning domain and a short, highly charged cytosolic tail follow the extracellular domain. The N-terminal, extracellular domain can be isolated by proteolysis of RAGE to generate soluble RAGE (sRAGE) comprised of the V and C domains.
RAGE is expressed in most tissues, and in particular, is found in cortical neurons during embryogenesis (Hori et al., J. Biol. Chem., 270:25752-761 (1995)). Increased levels of RAGE are also found in aging tissues (Schleicher et al., J. Clin. Invest., 99 (3): 457-468 (1997)), and the diabetic retina, vasculature and kidney (Schmidt et al., Nature Med., 1:1002-1004 (1995)). Activation of RAGE in different tissues and organs leads to a number of pathophysiological consequences. RAGE has been implicated in a variety of conditions including: acute and chronic inflammation (Hofmann et al., Cell 97:889-901 (1999)) the development of diabetic late complications such as increased vascular permeability (Wautier et al., J. Clin. Invest., 97:238-243 1996, nephropathy (Teillet et al., J. Am. Soc. Nephrol., 11:1488-1497 (2000), atherosclerosis (Vlassara et. al., The Finnish Medical Society DUODECIM, Ann. Med., 28:419-426 (1996), and retinopathy (Hammes et al., Diabetologia, 42:603-607 (1999)). RAGE has also been implicated in Alzheimer's disease (Yan et al., Nature, 382:685-691 (1996)); erectile dysfunction; and in tumor invasion and metastasis (Taguchi et al., Nature, 405:354-357 (2000)).
In addition to AGEs, other compounds can bind to, and modulate RAGE. In normal development, RAGE interacts with amphoterin, a polypeptide which mediates neurite outgrowth in cultured embryonic neurons (Hori et al., 1995). RAGE has also been shown to interact with calgranulin-like ligands and β-amyloid (Yan et al., Nature, 389:689-695, (1997); Yan et al., Nature, 382:685-691 (1996); Yan et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 94:5296-5301 (1997)).
Binding of ligands such as AGEs, S100/calgranulin, β-amyloid, CML (Nε-Carboxymethyl lysine), and amphoterin to RAGE has been shown to modify expression of a variety of genes. For example, in many cell types interaction between RAGE and its ligands generates oxidative stress, which thereby results in activation of the free radical sensitive transcription factor NF-κB, and the activation of NF-κB regulated genes, such as the cytokines IL-1β, TNF-α, and the like. In addition, several other regulatory pathways, such as those involving p21ras, MAP kinases, ERK1 and ERK2, have been shown to be activated by binding of AGEs and other ligands to RAGE. In fact, transcription of RAGE itself is regulated at least in part by NF-κB. Thus, an ascending, and often detrimental, spiral is fueled by a positive feedback loop initiated by ligand binding. Antagonizing binding of physiological ligands to RAGE, therefore, is a logical target for down-regulation of the pathophysiological changes brought about by excessive concentrations of AGEs and other ligands for RAGE.
Thus, there is a need for the methods to discover compounds which modulate binding of physiological ligands to the RAGE receptor. The method should comprise an assay which is sensitive and yet highly specific. Preferably, the method should utilize RAGE, or the binding site of RAGE itself, thereby allowing the development of modulators which vary in structure and physiological effect. Ideally, the method should lend itself to high throughput, automative techniques suitable for large scale screening of multiple compounds.

Methods to identify compounds that modulate rage


A filter drum with a tubular filter belt is journaled for rotation on a pipe which serves to supply filtered coolant to spray nozzles located within the drum and operable to backwash the filter belt.

This invention relates in general to apparatus for filtering dirty liquid such as machine tool coolant which contains metal chips and particles. More specifically, the invention relates to filtering apparatus of the same general type as disclosed in Uchiyama U.S. Pat. No. 4,992,167.
In the apparatus disclosed in the Uchiyama patent, a rotatable drum with a filtering screen is supported within a reservoir and is partially immersed in a pool of dirty liquid. Liquid from that pool flows into the drum through the screen and is filtered by the screen. The filtered liquid flows axially out of the drum through outlet openings in one end wall of the drum and an adjacent end wall of the reservoir. Part of the filtered liquid is pumped to a pipe located within the drum and having spray nozzles for directing the filtered liquid against the screen in order to flush and clean the screen.
One end wall of the filter drum of the Uchiyama patent is fixed to a shaft which is driven in order to rotate the drum. The other end wall of the drum is formed in part by a large ring which is journaled to rotate within a large sleeve supported by a wall of the reservoir, the ring and the sleeve coacting to form the discharge openings for the filtered liquid. This arrangement for rotatably supporting the drum is rather complex and expensive and particularly when a screen-flushing pipe is located within the drum.

Filtering apparatus with rotatable filter drum


Gestural annotation is described, for example where sensors such as touch screens and/or cameras monitor document annotation events made by a user of a document reading and/or writing application. In various examples the document annotation events comprise gestures recognized from the sensor data by a gesture recognition component. For example, the gestures may be in-air gestures or touch screen gestures. In examples, a compressed record of the sensor data is computed using at least the recognized gestures, document state and timestamps. In some examples the compressed record of the sensor data is used to facilitate consumption of the annotation events in relation to the document by a second user. In some examples the sensor data comprises touch sensor data representing electronic ink; and in some examples the sensor data comprises audio data capturing speech of a user.

Gestural interactions play an important role in collaborative scenarios but are difficult to access when work is performed asynchronously. Human computer interaction has evolved with remote desktops and tablet computing devices in respect of computer displayed documents. Such devices enable users in a collaborative environment to work or discuss content virtually and remotely. However, with decentralized workplaces on the rise, many users working on the same document find it difficult to navigate through the document based on visual cues that arise from previous physical interaction between an entity and the document.
The embodiments described below are not limited to implementations which solve any or all of the disadvantages of existing gestural annotation systems.


An object of the present invention is to provide a chain that employs simple structures so as to establish contact surface pressures in accordance with various conditions of use, for the purpose of reducing frictional loss and preventing wear or damage to a chain guide member, as well as reducing order-related noise. The chain 100 is formed by inner links 101 and outer links 102 alternately and pivotably coupled together in a longitudinal direction of the chain. The plurality of inner plates 110 include an asymmetrical inner plate 110x having different edge shapes on upper and lower sides in a height direction of the chain.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a chain having a plurality of inner links having a plurality of inner plates in a width direction of the chain, and a plurality of outer links having a plurality of outer plates in the width direction of the chain, these inner and outer links being alternately and pivotably coupled together in the longitudinal direction of the chain.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bushing chains and roller chains and the like used in chain transmission mechanisms are known, which include a plurality of inner links having a plurality of inner plates in a width direction of the chain, and a plurality of outer links having a plurality of outer plates in the width direction of the chain, these inner and outer links being alternately and pivotably coupled together in the longitudinal direction of the chain. Chain transmission mechanisms having a chain guide member that makes sliding contact with the chain between sprockets are also known.
Generally, the outer plates and inner plates of bushing chains, roller chains and the like are both oval-shaped. These outer plates or inner plates make sliding contact with the chain guide member along the edges at one end in the height direction.
For example, in a known chain such as a chain shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2007-107583, inner plates (inner link plates 5) are larger in the height direction than the outer plates (outer link plates 2) so that only the inner plates (inner link plates 5) make sliding contact with the chain guide member, as a result of which the overall contact area in the chain is made smaller and frictional loss is reduced.
In the known chain such as the one shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2012-255523, inner plates (inner link plates 112) are formed elliptical to protrude outward at the center in the longitudinal direction of the chain so as to further reduce the area where they make sliding contact with the chain guide member, as a result of which the overall contact area in the chain is made smaller and frictional loss is reduced.


The subject of the present invention is seborrheic keratosis removal and prevention utilizing safe dependable effective biocompatible treatments with no scarring, bleeding, burning, freezing, shocking, and hypopigmentation or hyperpigmentation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides topical compositions and methods for the treatment, removal, elimination and prevention of seborrheic keratoses. More specifically, the present invention involves the use of high concentration hydrogen peroxide to treat the affliction.
2. Description of Related Art
Seborrheic keratoses are the most common benign lesions observed in humans. According to the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 1995–1996, about 45 million persons in the United States have seborrheic keratoses with the distribution being about equal between the sexes. Seborrheic keratoses were described as early as 1864 by Virchow and in 1869 by Neumann, who called them senile warts. Seborrheic keratoses have also been described as senile verruca, pigmented verruca, keratosis pigmentosa, basal cell papilloma and a long list of other names in the medical literature.
Seborrheic keratoses may take a variety of forms, including but not limited to: dermatosis papulosa nigra, stucco, acanthotic, hyperkeratotic, dermatolipoma, verrucous, melanoacanthotic, reticular, adenoid, and clonal.
In general, seborrheic keratoses begin as small, round or oval, brownish macules. The sites of predilection are the face, scalp, trunk, particularly the interscapular and sternal regions and the backs of the hands. In rare cases, seborrheic keratoses have also been reported in the ear canal and the penis. Seborrheic keratoses do not occur on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet.
All lesions of seborrheic keratosis, whether small or large, show a sharp line of demarcation between the pathologic changes seen in the tumor and the normal adjacent skin.
In a small seborrheic keratosis, the epidermis at the border shows an abrupt elevation to produce many finger-like upward projections, each of which contains a central core of connective tissue. These digitations are covered by a loose non-nucleated scale which dips down to fill all of the intervening crevices and which forms a thick plug in each of the follicles.
As the keratosis grows larger the digitations elongate and they show an irregular cellular hyperplasia to produce anastomoses in many directions. This acanthosis results in the production of filiform branches and large epidermal masses and many intervening passages which are filled by extensions from the surface scale. In most cases, the granular layer is intact and there are no nuclei in the scale, but occasionally there are a few islands of parakeratosis. The basal layer is unbroken and the entire tumor lies superficial to a base that is level with that of the adjacent normal skin.
Seborrheic keratoses may grow to become quite large as illustrated by the report of the giant pedunculated seborrheic keratosis by Dr. Rudolf L. Baer. The patient was reported at the Department of Dermatology at the New York University School of Medicine, in the May 1979 issue of the Archives of Dermatology. The brown-ish lesion developed on the right inguinal region of a 75 year old woman and was allowed to grow for 40 years because of the lack of a convenient treatment such as the present invention for seborrheic keratosis elimination. The seborrheic keratosis, over a period of many years, gradually became larger, and eventually formed a pendulous mass measuring 5.5×3.5 centimeters. Due to the lack of an effective topical treatment such as the present invention, Dr. Baer had to remove the seborrheic keratosis with a scalpel while the patient was under local anesthesia with lidocaine and stop the bleeding by electrodesiccation. Microscopic examination of the gargantuan seborrheic keratosis revealed epidermal hyperplasia with horn pseudocysts, interweaving of the rete, and nuclei of uniform size and shape.
If left untreated, as the vast majority of seborrheic keratoses are, squamous cell carcinoma may arise as reported by Dr. Rudolf L. Baer in the November 1981 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. For some years, due to the lack of an effective self-applied treatment, a 73-year-old patient had allowed a seborrheic keratosis to grow on the left side of his trunk. Some months before consulting Dr. Baer, part of the growth fell off and then recurred with distinctly more elevation than the remainder of the seborrheic keratosis. The seborrheic keratosis was described as a verrucous, keratotic, gray-brown-black, sharply defined lesion with somewhat scalloped edges. The seborrheic keratosis measured 60×27 millimeters and was elevated about 3 mm above the surrounding normal skin. Two different components were within the seborrheic keratosis, one somewhat lighter and less elevated, slightly verrucous area and the second a lighter gray-brown 19×18 millimeter cauliflower-like area, elevated 9 millimeters above the surrounding normal skin. Treatment with the present invention would have prevented the emergence of the squamous cell carcinoma and eliminated the necessity of the lesion being excised with a surrounding margin of normal skin.
Multiple seborrheic keratosis treatment is not readily accomplished by techniques available in conventional practice; therefore, many people suffering with large numbers of seborrheic keratoses go many years with no treatment. Such is the case reported by Dr. Robert W. Cashmore and Dr. Harold O. Perry in the July, 1985 issue of Geriatrics. A 55-year-old Caucasian man had many, many darkly pigmented seborrheic keratoses on his trunk for twenty years. During the twenty years, he was seen for various medical problems, including and anxiety-tension state and preoccupation with bodily functions. During this period, he was seen eight times by a dermatologist for reassurance to alleviate his concern about the multiple seborrheic keratoses. At his last visit, a 1×2 centimeter erythematous lesion was noted among the numerous keratoses on his right shoulder, and this was thought clinically to be a superficial basal cell carcinoma. This impression was confirmed by biopsy. The fact that the man was untreated for twenty years after being examined eight times by a dermatologist and then allowed to develop cancer clearly points to the urgent need for an effective, practical treatment such as the present invention.
Early medical treatment modalities of seborrheic keratoses do not differ appreciably from the treatment choices offered by the majority of present day, medical practitioners with the exception of laser usage for seborrheic keratosis removal, which also results in adverse side effects such as scarring, hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation.
The Jan. 30, 1915 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association includes a report titled "The Symptomatology and Treatment of Seborrheic Keratoses" by the prominent Kansas City, Mo. physician Richard L. Sutton. A form of cryogenic therapy is described by Dr. Sutton using Pusey's carbon dioxide snow and a 5 percent ammoniated mercurial ointment. For seborrheic keratoses that have become malignant, Dr. Sutton recommends radical excision. Radium and Roentgen rays are the treatment of choice on the face in the nasal and orbital regions. If Dr. Sutton would have had access to the present invention, his toxic methods utilizing mercury would not have been necessary.
High-frequency electrosurgery has provided dermatology and other areas of medicine with an efficient means of tissue destruction and hemostatis which has been used for seborrheic keratosis removal. When electrosurgery is used for seborrheic keratosis removal, little attention is given to risks of contamination. Indirect contamination can occur as a result of the aerosolization of blood droplets secondary to mechanical actions at the high-frequency electrosurgery site. Hepatitis B or human immunodeficiency disease might be spread through aerosolized microdroplets of blood and electrosurgical smoke.
Electrocoagulation incorporates the patient himself into the electrical circuit with the use of a dispersive electrode plate. This dispersive electrode plate allows the machine to deliver a larger amount of current to the patient. Electrocoagulation occurs when electrosurgical current is applied to the tissue with resistance (ohmic) heat production that cooks tissue. The cooked tissue produces aerosolized microdroplets of blood and electrosurgical smoke. The mechanical action of electrosurgical current entering tissue can give rise to very small blood droplets that can travel a great distance. These droplets get scattered all about the surgical field. Of further concern is the problem of the microdroplets that cannot be seen but may be inhaled or received through the conjunctival surfaces.
Electrodesiccation is the superficial dehydration of tissue as a result of the passage of high-frequency current which leads to scarring and hypopigmentation in some treatments of seborrheic keratosis removal.
Every medical practitioner and dermatologist who practices high-frequency electrosurgery should provide surgical masks and eye protection to everyone in the premises and sterilize all exposed surfaces.
The smoke generated by laser surgery is capable of carrying viable viral particles. Seborrheic keratosis elimination attempts with various lasers commonly used in dermatology such as the carbon dioxide, erbium:YAG, and ND:YAG have been so disappointing that the treatment often leaves a worse cosmetic result than the seborrheic keratosis consisted of.
Cryosurgery of seborrheic keratoses with liquid nitrogen and carbon dioxide has been found to cause dischromic patches due to freezing of the skin surrounding the margin of the lesion. Recovery of the patient takes up to three weeks versus no recovery time using the present invention.
Seborrheic keratoses are the leading cause of visits to dermatologists according to Henry H. Roenigk, Jr. M. D., a leading dermatologist with the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz. Dr. Roenigk generally discourages seborrheic keratosis treatment of any type unless trauma or malignancy of the seborrheic keratosis is present.
Medical practitioners such as dermatologists, plastic surgeons and general practitioners are extremely reluctant to treat facial seborrheic keratoses with current methods because of the high incidence of lawsuits due to unsatisfactory results such as scarring, hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation.
Twenty five dermatologists and medical doctors in metropolitan practice were surveyed as to seborrheic keratosis removal method, side effects, pricing, insurance reimbursement, and appointment lead time. Fifty-two percent of the dermatologists surveyed used the inject, cut, burn, and bandage method of seborrheic keratosis removal with no form of seborrheic keratosis prevention. All of the dermatologists and medical doctors surveyed reported scarring after their particular type of treatment. None of the dermatologists or medical doctors surveyed reported using any type of topical treatment, clearly pointing to the need for the present invention of seborrheic keratosis elimination.


Described herein is a pressure relief valve that vents contents from a rail tank car or similar container at two preset pressures. The lower preset pressure is attained whenever specific valve attachment devices melt well below the spontaneous combustion temperature of the contents of a rail tank car or similar container. When these attachment devices melt, formerly attached corresponding constant force spring assemblies disconnect from a spring plate. Without these operative attached spring assemblies there is less force to oppose the pressure from the contents of rail tank car or similar container. With less opposing force, the contents of the rail tank car or similar container escape from under a dislodged sealing disk before the rail tank car or similar container (i) over pressurizes and causes the tank shell to fail or (ii) the contents self-combust, and both of which events cause an explosion.

This invention relates to a pressure relief valve for rail tank cars and similar or analogous containers with high and variable internal pressures. More specifically this invention relates to a pressure relief valve that can be preset at two quantitatively different pressures so that volatile contents inside a rail tank car or other transportable or stationary container can be released into the environment under two different sets of physical conditions. The purpose of a pressure relief valve is to allow the contents of the tank to escape such that the pressure within a tank cannot rise to the point where the tank shell will rupture. Most specifically this invention relates to a pressure relieve valve with two groups of spring assemblies, and wherein (i) one group of spring assemblies contains mechanical attaching components (ii) that melt at a different temperature than that of the mechanical attaching components of the remaining spring assemblies and (iii) thereby allowing for two different preset pressures.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,225 (Williams) discloses (i) four constant force spring assemblies (ii) aligned in a square configuration along a spring plate and (iii) mechanically attached to this same spring plate. The spring assemblies are preset to a specific pressure (tension/force) (i) at which the internal pressure from liquid or gas within the rail tank car or other similar transportable or stationary container to which the pressure relief valve is attached (ii) will overcome the spring assembly force upon a sealing disk and (iii) dislodge the sealing disk vertically from the opening within the valve flange.
The first problem with the Williams valve is that it cannot                (i) be preset to dislodge the sealing disk at a lower predetermined pressure,        (ii) in addition to the standard operating pressure and temperature resulting from the total number of operatively connected constant force spring assemblies.
Instead, the devices that mechanically attach the spring assemblies to a spring plate, and thereby provide opposing force that retains a sealing disk upon the vent aperture of the valve, are made of metal that does not melt at the appropriate temperatures. Consequently, William's mechanical attaching devices only provide venting of the tank or container content at a higher pre-set pressure. They also do not provide adequate venting in conditions where the rail tank car or other transportable or stationary container is engulfed in a fire or when the rail tank car shell or other container shell ruptures.
The invention described herein solves this first problem with fusible mechanical attaching devices to operatively attach force generating spring assemblies to a spring plate. These fusible mechanical attaching devices include, but not exclusively (ii) bolts, screws, or other mechanical connecting devices (iii) that are made of materials such as, although not exclusively, rigid plastics, rigid solid nylon and other nylon blends. The invention operatively positions these fusible devices along the elevated walls of a spring plate in a pre-determined pattern with conventional bolts made of metal.
Consequently, in the current invention most constant force spring assemblies attach to the spring plate elevated walls by mechanical devices with a significantly lower melting temperature than those spring assemblies attaching with conventional metal attaching devices. When the temperature within or outside the rail tank car or other transportable or stationary container reaches a predetermined value, the fusible attaching devices melt. This melting mechanically disconnects corresponding constant force spring assemblies from the spring plate. The remaining two opposing constant force spring assemblies continue to operative connect the spring plate with metal attaching devices above this specific melting point.
More specifically, the centrally positioned constant force spring assembly in each opposing set of three spring assemblies attaches to the spring plate with metal attaching devices. The remaining attaching devices of the spring assemblies to the spring plate elevated walls are made of a rigid material with a melting temperature below the temperature that would cause the rail tank car or other transportable or stationary container to over-pressurize and explode in a high energy event. The two attaching devices that oppose each other and remain attached to corresponding spring assemblies and spring plat elevated walls are preferably made of steel or stainless steel. With only two operatively connected spring assemblies providing opposing force to the pressure from the heated rail tank car or similar container contents, the sealing disk dislodges at a lower pressure setting and the rail tank car or other transportable or stationary container content escapes prior to a potential explosion.
Another problem with the Williams valve occurs because the vertical rigid brackets of the William's pressure relief valve limits the number of constant force spring assemblies that can be placed within the valve enclosure. In contrast, the improved bracket design described herein allows for linear adjacent placement of additional spring assemblies along a spring drum and enclosed spring drum bolt; this additional length for operative placement of additional spring assemblies. These additional spring assemblies allow the dual set pressure valve to increase its potential opposing force to the contents of a rail tank car or similar transportable or stationary container.
More specifically, the linear distance of four inches between the Williams brackets limits the number of two inch wide spring assemblies that can be placed adjacent to his disclosed two spring assemblies. The current invention described herein solves this problem with design of a new vertical spring bracket. This new spring bracket design and structure accommodates up to three two inch wide spring assemblies adjacent to each other on opposing elevated walls of the spring plate of the valve. Furthermore, longer spring drums and spring drum bolts of the current invention assist in accommodating a total of ten spring assemblies (ii) while the Williams valves can only physically and structurally accommodate a maximum of eight spring assemblies.
In the current invention there are preferably ten spring assemblies, each of which is two inches in width. Each spring assembly is mounted upon two adjacent spring brackets with a partially stepped structure. In contrast, with the Williams valve design each spring bracket is straight vertically and linear in a uniform rectangular shape. This rectangular configuration allows only two spring assemblies between two adjoining brackets. However, in the current invention each spring bracket has a panel that is one-inch offset (i.e., the right bracket panel has a one inch offset to the right and the left bracket panel has a one-inch offset to the left) approximately one and one-half inches above the spring bracket end that attaches to the circular valve flange. This offset provides sufficient space for a third two inch wide spring assembly. Thus, each of two opposing sides of the valve can accommodate an additional two inch wide spring assembly with sufficient clearance for a wrench to attach the valve to a rail tank car or similar container mounting flange.

Second dual preset pressure relief valve


A method and apparatus are described for providing an accurate and robust measurement of a lithographic characteristic or metrology parameter. The method includes providing a range or a plurality of values for each of a plurality of metrology parameters of a metrology target, providing a constraint for each of the plurality of metrology parameters, and calculating, by a processor to optimize/modify these parameters within the range of the plurality of values, resulting in a plurality of metrology target designs having metrology parameters meeting the constraints.

A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a substrate, usually onto a target portion of the substrate. A lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In that instance, a patterning device, which is alternatively referred to as a mask or a reticle, may be used to generate a circuit pattern to be formed on an individual layer of the IC. This pattern can be transferred onto a target portion (e.g., including part of, one, or several dies) on a substrate (e.g., a silicon wafer). Transfer of the pattern is typically via imaging onto a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist) provided on the substrate. In general, a single substrate will contain a network of adjacent target portions that are successively patterned. Known lithographic apparatus include so-called steppers, in which each target portion is irradiated by exposing an entire pattern onto the target portion at one time, and so-called scanners, in which each target portion is irradiated by scanning the pattern through a radiation beam in a given direction (the "scanning"-direction) while synchronously scanning the substrate parallel or anti parallel to this direction. It is also possible to transfer the pattern from the patterning device to the substrate by imprinting the pattern onto the substrate.
In lithographic processes, it is desirable to frequently make measurements of the structures created, e.g., for process control and verification. One or more parameters of the structures are typically measured or determined, for example the overlay error between successive layers formed in or on the substrate. There are various techniques for making measurements of the microscopic structures formed in a lithographic process. Various tools for making such measurements are known, including scanning electron microscopes, which are often used to measure critical dimension (CD), and specialized tools to measure overlay, the accuracy of alignment of two layers in a device. An example of such a tool is a scatterometer developed for use in the lithographic field. This device directs a beam of radiation onto a target on the surface of the substrate and measures one or more properties of the redirected radiation—e.g., intensity at a single angle of reflection as a function of wavelength; intensity at one or more wavelengths as a function of reflected angle; or polarization as a function of reflected angle—to obtain a "spectrum" from which a property of interest of the target can be determined. Determination of the property of interest may be performed by various techniques: e.g., reconstruction of the target structure by iterative approaches such as rigorous coupled wave analysis or finite element methods, library searches, and principal component analysis.

Method and apparatus for design of a metrology target


A suspension element is disposed inside of a rim. The upper end of the suspension element is connected to a first support member mounted to a vehicle body. The lower end of the suspension element is connected to a second support member rotatably connected to the disk on the wheel. The shock and vibration from the wheel in the vertical direction are damped and absorbed by the suspension element. Also, a spring mechanism and a flat bearing are disposed in the wheel. The spring mechanism is disposed between a rotating member rotatably supported on the vehicle body and the rim of the wheel. If the rotating member is fixed to a brake drum, braking torque is transmitted to the wheel through the spring mechanism. The flat bearing is disposed between the rim and the rotating member and prohibits the axial movement of the wheel relative to the vehicle body.

A normal suspension device for a wheel of a vehicle will be described with reference to an example of a driven wheel shown in FIG. 26 of Patent Document 1. A rotating drive train of the vehicle is coupled to an output shaft by a universal joint, etc. A tip end of the output shaft is fixed to a wheel disk. Further, a bearing member for rotatably supporting the output shaft is supported via a suspension element and a suspension arm that are disposed on a vehicle body and outside of the wheel.
With this configuration, it is necessary to provide space for disposing the suspension element and the suspension arm, and as a result vehicle design may be restricted, the width of the vehicle increased, and the passenger compartment made smaller.
To address these issues, the present applicant developed the wheel assembly of Patent Document 1. The example shown in FIGS. 1 2 will be used to explain the wheel assembly. A disk and a rim of the wheel are formed from independent components. The disk is coupled to a rotating drive train, and a plurality of short suspension elements is provided between an outer periphery of the disk and an inner periphery of the rim. The suspension elements are positioned at substantially equal distances in the circumferential direction.
According to the above configuration, rotation of the disk is transmitted to the rim and a tire attached to the rim via the plurality of suspension elements. Note that, the tire is sometimes subjected to shock and vibration generated by holes or bumps in the road surface. At these times, suspension elements that happen to be in a raised position soften and absorb the shock and vibration. Since the suspension elements are built into the wheel assembly, there is no need to provide space for disposing a suspension element outside of the wheel.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A 2002-370503 (FIGS. 1, 2, 26).


A deep isolation trench extending from the main surface of a substrate to a desired depth is formed on the substrate with an insulating film in buried in it to form a through isolation portion. Subsequently, after a MOSFET is formed on the main surface of the substrate, an interlayer insulating film is deposited on the main surface of the substrate. Then, a deep conduction trench extending from the upper surface of the interlayer insulating film to a depth within the thickness of the substrate is formed in a region surrounded by the through isolation portion. Subsequently, a conductive film is buried in the deep conduction trench to form through interconnect portion. Then, after the undersurface of the substrate is ground and polished to an extent not to expose the through isolation portion and the through interconnect portion, wet etching is performed to an extent to expose parts of the lower portion of each of the through isolation portion and the through interconnect portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device manufacturing method, a semiconductor device, and a wafer. More particularly, to a three-dimensional semiconductor device formed by laminating a plurality of semiconductor devices, a method of manufacturing such a three-dimensional semiconductor device and a wafer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a three-dimensional semiconductor integrated circuit device has been known having a structure in which two or more wafers are vertically laminated and are electrically connected therebetween with buried interconnect. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H11-261000 (hereinafter referred to as a patent document) discloses a method of manufacturing a three-dimensional semiconductor integrated circuit device. In this method, firstly, a trench (deep trench) is formed on one of wafers to be laminated. Then, after the inside of the trench is thermally oxidized, polysilicon is buried in that trench as a conductor to form buried interconnect. Then, the wafer is made thinner until the buried interconnect is exposed, and an undersurface bump is formed at the position of each of the buried interconnect on the undersurface of the wafer. Then, after laminating the undersurface bumps of the wafer and the top-surface bumps formed on the top surface of the other one of the wafers to be laminated, an insulating adhesive is injected between these two laminated wafers to manufacture a three-dimensional semiconductor integrated circuit device. According to this manufacturing method, undersurface bumps for connection have to be formed on the undersurface of one of two wafers to be laminated, and top-surface bumps for connection have to be formed on the top surface of the other wafer. After these bumps are connected together, an adhesive is injected between the two laminated wafers and hardened, thereby manufacturing a three-dimensional semiconductor integrated circuit device. Further lamination of layers can be achieved by repeating these processes described above.
Here, a process flow of laminating two wafers, upper and lower, is schematically shown in FIG. 1. For formation of an upper wafer, after the wafer is installed, isolation is performed through a normal process to form an element, such as a transistor. Before or after transistor formation, the above-described buried interconnect is formed. In that case, when an insulating film and the buried interconnect are formed at a high buried-interconnect forming temperature, which will affect transistor characteristics (for example, when a deep hole is formed through etching and, after the surface is oxidized, polysilicon is buried as the buried interconnect), a buried interconnect is formed before transistor formation. On the other hand, when the buried-interconnect forming temperature does not affect the transistor characteristics (for example, when a deep hole is formed through etching and, after an insulating film is deposited, a metal interconnect is buried), a buried interconnect is formed after transistor formation. Then, the following processes are sequentially performed: a multilayer interconnect process of connecting the elements, wafer thinning process, a process of forming an undersurface insulating film to prevent a short circuit between the buried interconnect or undersurface bumps later formed and a substrate (silicon), and a process of forming undersurface bumps for connecting buried interconnect of the upper wafer and the lower wafer.
Next, the other one (lower wafer) of the wafers to be laminated is formed by performing processes similar to those for the upper wafer described above until the multilayer interconnect process. That is, the processes are approximately similar to those for the upper wafer except the process of making the wafer thinner, the process of forming an undersurface insulating film, and the process of forming undersurface bumps. However, for the last wafer formed to be laminated, the process of forming a buried interconnect may be omitted. On the top surface of the lower wafer, bumps are formed for connection to the buried interconnect of the upper wafer. Then, position alignment is performed between the upper and lower wafers (alignment between the laminated wafers), the upper and lower wafers are attached together and, furthermore, an adhesive is injected between the wafers to increase mechanical strength of the device.
Meanwhile, when the technology disclosed in the above patent document is used, after a buried interconnect is formed, the wafer is made thinner until the buried interconnect is exposed, and bumps are formed at the position of the buried interconnect on the undersurface of the wafer. When making the wafer thinner, for allowing wafer handling, a glass plate serving as a supporting substrate is bonded on the main surface of the wafer with a adhesive sheet or its alternative, and then the undersurface of the wafer is grinded or polished by using, for example, a grinding device using a grinding stone or a CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) device using slurry for polishing, to make the wafer thinner. However, at the time of grinding the wafer, buried interconnect material or silicon ground by the grinding stone may cause the grinding stone to be clogged. Also, with a long grinding time, the temperature of the grinding stone is increased to cause the wafer to be burnt and cracked. As such, a problem arises in which the wafer to be made thinner is damaged. In recent years, the diameter of the wafer has been increased in view of, for example, increasing the number of chips obtainable from one wafer to enhance manufacturing yields. However, as the diameter of the wafer is increased, it has to take a sufficient amount of time to grind or polish the wafer accordingly. Moreover, in view of ensuring mechanical strength of the wafer, for example, the thickness of the wafer in manufacturing the wafer has to be thicker to some extent. This also increases the time to grind or polish the wafer. Therefore, the problem as described above becomes more significant.
Furthermore, in the technology disclosed in the above patent document, at the time of forming bumps on the undersurface of the wafer to be laminated, in order to insulate the substrate from the bumps, an insulating film is formed on the undersurface of the wafer through, for example, CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) or sputtering, after the wafer is made thinner. In this case, however, the processing temperature at the time of forming an insulating film on the undersurface of the wafer is important. That is, in this process, there is a problem in which the thin wafer may be cracked due to the buried interconnect material in the wafer or a film stress of the insulating film attached to the undersurface. Moreover, the insulating film is formed on the undersurface of the wafer in a state where, in view of keeping mechanical strength of the thin wafer, the glass supporting substrate used at the time of wafer thinning is kept attached to the main surface of the wafer. However, the temperature for attaching the insulating film formed on the undersurface of the wafer is higher than the allowable temperature limit of the adhesive sheet for bonding the wafer and the glass substrate. For this reason, a problem arises in which, in the process of forming an insulating film on the undersurface of the wafer, the bonding force of the adhesive sheet is decreased to cause the glass supporting substrate to fall off.
Still further, in the technology disclosed in the above patent document, contact holes have to be formed at positions where bumps are formed on the undersurface of the wafer for connecting the buried interconnects and the bumps. These contact holes are small, and alignment of a photomask for forming these holes is difficult. Moreover, to form bumps on the undersurface of the wafer, cumbersome processes are required, including a series of lithography processing, such as application of a resist, exposure, and development, and etching with a resist pattern formed through the lithography processing as a mask. This poses another problem of increasing the manufacturing time.


A high vacuum hot press for producing a multi-layer board. The high vacuum hot press includes a pair of heat insulating members each comprising a heat insulating material and a thin metallic cover defining an evacuated hermetic space accommodating therein the heat insulating material. The heat insulating members are arranged on respective surfaces, facing each other on a pair of bolsters. A pair of hot plates are placed on the heat insulating members, respectively. A multi-layer workpiece is disposed between the hot plates in a sealed space in a sealing unit. The multi-layer work includes wafers and an adhesive base material. The sealed space is evacuated to a high vacuum by an evacuating unit, and the multi-layer workpiece is heated by a heating unit under a high vacuum. The high vacuum hot press is further provided with a bonding unit which shifts the bolsters relative to each other to open and close the sealing unit and to bond the wafers of the multi-layer workpiece to each others for producing the multi-layer board.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high vacuum hot press for heating and pressing a multi-layer workpiece including boards such as, for example, printed wiring boards, ceramic boards and covered boards, and an adhesive, so as to produce a multi-layer board, such as a multi-layer printed wiring board and, more particularly, to a high vacuum hot press which is suitable for fabricating multi-layer boards in a relatively short time and at a high accuracy.
2. Prior Art
In the fabrication of high density multi-layer boards by hot presses, a higher finishing accuracy and warp and twist resistance have been required for the boards. To meet and satisfy this requirement, a typical attempt is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication 62-156931 in which a pair of hot plates heat a multi-layer workpiece, whereas, a pair of bolsters press the workpiece through the respective hot plates. A heat insulating material is interposed between each pair of the hot plates and the corresponding bolster for uniform heating of the workpiece to remove thermal strains therefrom.


In one embodiment, a WCD is described. The WCD includes a support structure configured to be worn by a patient and a processor coupled to the support structure. The WCD also includes an energy storage module configured to store an electrical charge and in communication with the processor. The WCD also includes a discharge circuit coupled to the energy storage module, the discharge circuit in communication with the processor and configured to discharge the stored electrical charge through a body of the patient. The processor is configured to detect an event at the WCD, classify the detected event, and determine an alarm onset time of the detected event based at least in part on the event classification. The processor is further configured to issue the alarm after the alarm onset time.

Heart arrhythmias may reduce blood flow to various parts of the body. In some instances, arrhythmias result in a Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) where a person's heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. If this occurs, blood may stop flowing to the brain and other vital organs. SCA can lead to death very quickly, sometimes within minutes, unless action is quickly taken.
Some people have an increased risk of SCA. This includes people who have had a heart attack, a prior SCA episode, among other risk factors. Frequently, these people are recommended for an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator ("ICD"). The ICD is a small electronic device connected to the heart that continuously monitors the person's electrocardiogram ("ECG"). If or when the ICD detects certain types of heart arrhythmias or abnormalities, the ICD delivers an electric pulse or shock to the patient's heart.
A patient may have a period of time between being recommended for an ICD and receiving one. In the interim timeframe, a patient may be suited with a Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillator ("WCD") system. A WCD system is worn by the patient and includes, among other components, a defibrillator and one or more external electrodes. When a patient wears a WCD system, the WCD may monitor several patient parameters, including the patient's ECG. If a potentially life-threatening arrhythmia is detected, then the defibrillator may be activated and primed to deliver an appropriate electric shock through the patient's body which also shocks the heart.
When a patient is given a WCD, the patient typically must interact with the system to ensure the system is functioning properly, to receive input and stats from the WCD, and to provide feedback when needed. The WCD may provide alerts or status indicators to the patient.

WCD system alert issuance and resolution


A high transconductance voltage reference cell produces a large change in output current for a very small change in input voltage near a settable equilibrium point, which can be made equal to two bandgap voltages, or to non-integer multiples of the bandgap voltage without the use of a resistive divider. A first and second pair of bipolar transistors, at least one of which have unequal emitter areas, are arranged in a crossed-quad configuration, with a first resistor interposed between one of the first pair and second pair transistors and a second resistor interposed between one of the second pairs' emitters and a common point. For input voltages below the equilibrium point, most of the current through the cell flows down one side of the quad. The voltage drop across the first resistor increases with input voltage, and causes the cell current to be abruptly switched from one side of the quad to the other at the equilibrium point. This large change in current induced by a small change in input voltage provides the cell's high transconductance. The cell can be made to exhibit a lower g.sub.m or some hysteresis by adjusting the relationship between the resistor values. The equilibrium point is dictated by the emitter area ratios between the quad's transistors, which cause the cell to carry a proportional-to-absolute-temperature (PTAT) current at the equilibrium point. The PTAT current can be made to compensate the quad to provide a temperature invariant equilibrium point.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of bandgap voltage reference cells, and particularly to bandgap reference cells having a high transconductance.
2. Description of the Related Art
A basic bandgap voltage reference cell is shown in FIG. 1. Two bipolar transistors Q.sub.a and Q.sub.b are driven by the output of an operational amplifier 14, with their collectors connected to the op amp's non-inverting and inverting inputs, respectively, and to a supply voltage V+ through respective resistors 16 and 18. A resistor R.sub.a is connected between the transistors' respective emitters, and a "tail" resistor R.sub.b is connected between the emitter of Q.sub.b and circuit common.
Q.sub.a is fabricated with an emitter area larger than that of Q.sub.b (by a ratio of 8-to-1 in FIG. 1). The op amp adjusts the transistors' base voltage until the voltages at its inverting and non-inverting inputs are equal. This occurs when the two collector currents match, which in this example happens when the emitter current densities are in the ratio of 8-to-1. This arrangement produces a voltage across R.sub.b that is proportional-to-absolute temperature (PTAT), which can be used to compensate the complementary-to-absolute-voltage (CTAT) characteristic of the base-emitter voltage of Q.sub.b. Setting OUT equal to the bandgap voltage of silicon provides the proper compensation, and thereby produces a temperature invariant output voltage.
The transconductance g.sub.m of the circuit of FIG. 1 is defined as the change in the difference in the transistors' collector currents divided by the change in their base-emitter voltage. Because the difference in collector currents cannot exceed the change in current through R.sub.b, the transconductance is capped at 1/R.sub.b, but because a perturbation causes both collector currents to change in the same direction, the maximum attainable g.sub.m is actually less than 1/R.sub.b. This bandgap reference cell and its characteristics are discussed in detail in A. Paul Brokaw's "A Simple Three-Terminal IC Bandgap Reference", IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Vol. SC-9, No. 6(1974).
Another bandgap reference cell is shown in FIG. 2, made from two transistors pairs connected in a "crossed-quad" configuration. A first pair of transistors Q.sub.c and Q.sub.d are connected in series with a second pair of transistors Q.sub.e and Q.sub.f, respectively, with the bases of Q.sub.e and Q.sub.f connected to the collectors of Q.sub.f and Q.sub.e, respectively. Transistors Q.sub.c and Q.sub.d have unequal emitter areas, as do transistors Q.sub.e and Q.sub.f. A resistor R.sub.c is connected between the emitters of Q.sub.e and Q.sub.f, and a tail resistor R.sub.d is connected between the emitter of Q.sub.f and circuit common. The collectors of Q.sub.c and Q.sub.d are connected to the inputs of an amplifier 20. The amplifier's output drives a pass transistor Q.sub.f to produce a regulated output OUT, which is fed back to Q.sub.c 's and Q.sub.d 's common bases. A PTAT voltage appears at the junction between R.sub.c and R.sub.d ; when the resistors are properly chosen, the PTAT voltage compensates for the base-emitter voltages of Q.sub.f and Q.sub.d to produce a temperature invariant voltage equal to twice the bandgap voltage at OUT. Achieving an output voltage greater that is a non-integer multiple of the bandgap voltage is typically provided by adding a voltage divider 22 between OUT and the common base connection, as shown in FIG. 2. The divider imposes a voltage drop between the output and the common base connection, but assuming that amplifier 20 has sufficient gain, it will continue to balance the collector currents and the output will be stabilized at a higher voltage.
The transconductance of the circuit of FIG. 2 is somewhat better than that of FIG. 1. When the cell is at equilibrium (i.e., when the collector currents are balanced), a PTAT current flows in R.sub.c which is determined solely by the emitter area ratios and the value of R.sub.c ; i.e., essentially independent of the current on the right side of the crossed-quad. With the left side current fixed, when the cell's output is disturbed, nearly all of the resulting change in current goes through the right side of the cell (Q.sub.d and Q.sub.f), with the current through the left side (Q.sub.c and Q.sub.e) essentially unchanged. Thus, all of the change in current goes through R.sub.d, and the cell's transconductance closely approaches 1/R.sub.d.
Because of the relatively low transconductance of the bandgap cells in FIGS. 1 and 2, the voltage applied to the common bases (of Q.sub.a and Q.sub.b in FIG. 1; Q.sub.c and Q.sub.d in FIG. 2) must depart substantially from the voltage which balances the currents if a large difference in collector currents is needed. This is usually accommodated by connecting a high gain amplifier across the collectors, to provide a differential-to-single ended conversion as well as the voltage gain necessary to return to equilibrium; this function is represented by amplifier 20 FIG. 2.
Disadvantages are found in the circuits of FIGS. 1 and 2, particularly when low power consumption is important, as with a battery-powered regulator. The power consumed by amplifier 20 will hasten the discharge of a battery used to provide the circuit's supply voltage, as will the energy lost in resistive divider 22. Use of a resistive divider 22 is also troublesome if the regulator is employed, for example, as a battery charger, with a battery to be charged connected to OUT. When the regulator is inactive or unable to provide the necessary charging current, the presence of a divider actually provides a discharge path for the battery, shortening its life.

High transconductance voltage reference cell


A data management method, a memory controller and an embedded memory storage apparatus are provided. The embedded memory storage apparatus has a plurality of physical blocks and each of the physical blocks has fast physical pages and slow physical pages. The method includes detecting a status of a state indication unit. The method further includes automatically reading data stored in the embedded memory storage apparatus, using the fast and slow physical pages of the embedded memory storage apparatus to re-store the data and marking status of the state indication unit as a second status when the status of the state indication unit is a first status. Accordingly, the storage space of the embedded memory storage apparatus can be efficiently used.

Technology Field
The present invention is related to a data management method, and more particularly, to a data management method for an embedded memory storage apparatus, and a memory controller and an embedded memory storage apparatus using the same.
Description of Related Art
Digital cameras, cell phones, and MP3 players have undergone rapid growth in recent years, so that consumer demand for storage media have also rapid increased. A rewritable non-volatile memory is one of the most adaptable memories for such electronic products due to its characteristics such as data non-volatility, low power consumption, small volume, non-mechanical structure, and high read-and-write speed. An embedded multi media card (eMMC) broadly applied in cell phones is a storage device that uses a flash memory as its storage medium. Therefore, the flash memory industry has become a very important part of the electronic industry in recent years.
In general, an eMMC applied in an electronic product is used to record an image file, e.g. an operating system, of the electronic product. Especially, for the facility of mass production, the image file is pre-recoded into the eMMC in advance, and then the eMMC having the pre-stored image file is soldered on a circuit board of an electronic product.
In a flash memory module, data is identified according to electric charges stored in memory cells. However, in some special circumstances to memory, e.g. when soldering, the high temperature will affect the electric charges stored in the memory cells (e.g. leakage of electricity). Thus, an error may occur accordingly in the data which is pre-stored in the eMMC.
Nothing herein should be construed as an admission of knowledge in the prior art of any portion of the present invention. Furthermore, citation or identification of any document in this application is not an admission that such document is available as prior art to the present invention, or that any reference forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art.

Data management method, memory controller and embedded memory storage apparatus using the same


A method, system, and circuit design product for setting the common-mode voltage level of a charge pump to yield low duty cycle distortion from a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO). Differential charge pumps utilize common-mode feedback (CMF) networks to control the common-mode voltage level. A replica circuit of a current starved delay cell from a VCO replaces the unity gain buffering circuit within a common-mode feedback circuit. Inserting the current starved delay cell replica circuit permits adequate negative feedback compensation, while allowing a phase locked loop (PLL) to operate with a wide bandwidth. As a result of utilizing the replica circuit of a current starved delay cell from a VCO, the common-mode voltage level is optimally centered to interface with the VCO, thereby minimizing duty cycle distortion.

1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to phase locked loops and in particular to differential charge pumps in phase-locked loop circuits.
2. Description of the Related Art
When phase locked loops (PLLs) are required to produce multiple output phases, the duty cycle distortion should remain low for the outputs. Commonly, PLLs implement differential charge pumps that provide adequate noise immunity and exhibit the least sensitivity to supply voltage movement. Such differential designs incorporate the use of negative feedback to set and/or control the common-mode voltage level delivered to the voltage control oscillator (VCO) input. Certain types of VCOs, such as current starved delay VCOs, require a differential voltage interface with a tightly controlled common-mode voltage level for proper operation and low duty cycle distortion.
Often, the low pass filter (LPF) which connects to the charge pump's output also serves as the compensation network for the common mode feedback loop. However, the LPF has difficulty satisfying the stability requirements of the charge pump's common-mode feedback loop, while allowing the global PLL loop bandwidth to be high. The complications derive from multiple 'poles' residing in the charge pump common mode feedback loop. These poles originate from the LPF and the common-mode buffering circuits.
Buffering circuits utilized in PLLs present 'poles' to the charge pump's common mode feedback. When the LPF is the compensation network for the charge pump's common-mode feedback, a wide bandwidth PLL's low pass filter presents stability problems. The stability problems are a result of the additional buffer poles. Charge pumps require common-mode feedback networks to control the common-mode voltage level. Without optimizing the common-mode voltage level, the VCO output may not yield the desired duty cycle duty cycle.

Common-mode feedback method using a current starved replica biasing

International Business Machines Corporation


A gas spectrometer is provided for the monitoring of the maintenance of desired calibration conditions. The inventive method and apparatus is particularly apt for use in respiratory gas spectrometers. Monitoring may be achieved by first establishing calibration condition values obtained by passing radiation beams through a reference gas chamber and purged, sample gas chambers upon initial calibration. Subsequently, e.g. after the spectrometer has been utilized in the field, corresponding test condition values are obtained by passing radiation beams through the same reference gas chamber and purged, sample gas chambers. Comparisons utilizing the calibrated condition values and test condition values can be made to monitor calibration variances (e.g. variances, in optical pathway conditions and depletion of the radiation source(s) utilized in the gas spectrometer).

There are many industrial and medical applications which utilize gas spectrometers to monitor the presence and concentration of one or more predefined components in a gas sample. In this regard, light of a known spectral content may be directed on an optical pathway through a gas sample and the intensity of the transmitted light may be detected at a number of different center-wavelengths. By utilizing known light absorption characteristics of the predefined gas components at the center-wavelengths, the detected light intensities provide a basis to determine, via statistical processing, the concentrations of the predefined components.
As will be appreciated, it is important that initial calibration conditions within a spectrometer be maintained in order to accurately relate measured light intensities to gas component concentrations in use. This is particularly true in respiratory gas spectrometers used to measure the concentration of oxygen, CO.sub.2 and/or one or more anesthetic agents such as nitrous oxide, halothane, enflurane, sevoflurane, desflurane and isoflurane in a respiratory gas stream. In such applications, a separate sample stream is typically drawn from a patient respiratory gas assembly and directed into a gas sample chamber that is positioned on the optical pathway between the light source and detector. If there are variations along the optical pathway utilized in the respiratory gas spectrometer which have arisen since calibration (e.g. contamination of the gas sample chamber), such variations may lead to an inaccurate concentration determination.
Further, in order to provide a highly robust respiratory gas spectrometer, it is important that the transmitted radiation from the gas sample chamber yield a sufficiently high signal-to-noise ratio at the detector. This is particularly important when an array of detector elements are simultaneously illuminated by the transmitted radiation. By way of primary concern, the signal-to-noise ratio may unacceptably decrease as the radiation source employed in the spectrometer ages.

Method and apparatus for monitoring maintenance of calibration condition in respiratory gas spectrometer


A retention cable arrangement for retaining a cargo closure assembly in association with a storage compartment of a vehicle includes a cargo lid door having at least one hinge for pivotally connecting the cargo door to the vehicle. A retention cable is connected to the at least one hinge and to the cargo door distal to the at least one hinge.

The present disclosure relates generally to an anchor or retention cable assembly for retaining a cargo lid door or closure to a vehicle and, more particularly, to a cargo lid anchor or retention cable assembly provided on a cargo lid of a built-in storage compartment in the floor of a sport utility or pickup truck type vehicle. In one embodiment, the cargo lid anchor cable assembly has a cable connected to the closure which is substantially co-planar thereto for retaining the closure in the event of failure of a hinged connection between the closure and the vehicle.
Various types of storage compartments and enclosures have previously been devised for meeting the requirements of particular applications. For example, previous solutions to storage problems in vehicles include trunks, cargo beds, cargo areas, etc. Pickup trucks typically provide a relatively large open storage area for the vehicle size and are thus often the vehicle of choice for people who must haul considerable amounts of cargo. Hence, pickup trucks are relatively popular with construction workers, farmers and others who require vehicles with cargo carrying capabilities. However, a significant disadvantage to previous pickup trucks is that they provide relatively little storage space that is securable and protectable, and also conveniently located.
Various solutions have heretofore been proposed to compensate for insufficient storage space in pickup trucks. For example, tool boxes are available for mounting transversely across the beds of pickup trucks for access from either side. Shells and caps, typically installed as after-market items, are also available which form enclosures over the pickup truck beds. However, all of these solutions have disadvantages, which include expense, inconvenience, customized installation, and functional and space compromises. Additionally, any mounted accessories, as described above, can result in a potential danger in that component parts can become dislodged. Dislodging of the component parts can occur as the result of normal wear and tear and/or due to a violent crash which can separate one component from another (i.e. separating a lid from a box or compartment mounted to or within the open bed of a pickup truck).
Typical connections between a door and an associated storage box can include a chain or tether therebetween. The chain acts as a stop to the range of rotation or travel thereby limiting the amount of rotation the lid can enjoy relative to the box. The chains in these mounting arrangements are insufficient and not adapted to retain the lid should the hinges between the lid and box become separated. The chains, as described, are typically on one side and thus, are not capable of restricting a wide range of motion (travel) imparted to the lid, particularly during a violent crash or other high stress situations.
The storage system of the exemplary embodiment addresses the problems of limited storage in pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, which tend to have relatively limited enclosed storage space. Heretofore there has not been available a vehicle storage system particularly suitable for pickup trucks or sport utility vehicles with the advantages and features of a cargo lid retention mechanism as hereinafter described.


A display apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a matrix-type liquid crystal panel and a switching liquid crystal panel, the matrix-type liquid crystal panel and the switching liquid crystal panel assembled together. In the display apparatus, a polarity of a voltage applied on an electrode pair of the switching liquid crystal panel is inverted once in substantially one vertical period or in one or more vertical period. With this arrangement, it is possible to reduce a number of bright line or dark line. This attains display quality improvement and power consumption reduction.

A display apparatus having a structure in which a liquid crystal panel is provided is conventionally well known as one type of matrix-type display apparatus. One example of such a display apparatus is one having a structure in which a dot-matrix-type display apparatus (for example, M-row/N-column active matrix liquid crystal panel) is assembled together with a liquid crystal panel for switching two-dimensional (2-D) display and three-dimensional (3-D) display (hereinafter, this kind of liquid crystal panel is referred to as a switching liquid crystal panel), and being able to electrically switching the two-dimensional display and the three-dimensional display (e.g. see Publication of Japanese Patent Application, Tokukaihei, publication No. 3-119889 (published on May 22, 1991).
FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrates cross sections of a panel section of the liquid crystal display apparatus for dual-display of two-dimensional and three-dimensional images. FIG. 12 illustrates the cross section of the panel section when the three-dimensional image is displayed. FIG. 13 illustrates the cross section of the panel section when the two-dimensional image is displayed. As illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13, the liquid crystal display apparatus for dual-display of the two-dimensional image and the three-dimensional image is provided with a dot-matrix type liquid crystal panel 101 and a switching liquid crystal panel 102 assembled together.
The dot-matrix liquid crystal panel 101 is provided with a polarizer 111, a counter electrode 112, a liquid crystal layer 113, a pixel electrode 114, and a polarizer 115, which are arranged in lamination. The pixel electrode 114 is provided with an active element (not illustrated). The active element is turned ON/OFF in accordance with a scanning signal inputted from a scanning electrode control circuit (not illustrated). When the active element is ON, a video signal is inputted from a video signal control circuit (not illustrated) into the pixel electrode 114. In other words, the dot-matrix type liquid crystal panel 101 serves as display image generating means for generating a displayed screen in accordance with image data.
The switching liquid crystal panel 102 is provided with a patterned retardation film 121, an upper electrode 122, a liquid crystal layer 123, a lower electrode 124, and a polarizer 125, which are arranged in lamination. According to whether or not a voltage is applied on the liquid crystal layer 123, the switching liquid crystal panel 102 switches over whether a parallax barrier is present or absent (i.e. whether the parallax barrier is effectuated or not).
The upper electrode 122 and the lower electrode 124 are connected with a power source circuit (not illustrated) for applying a driving voltage on these electrodes. In accordance with whether the two-dimensional image or the three-dimensional image is to be displayed, the power source circuit switches over whether it supplies the voltage or not. For instance, the voltage applications switches over the display to the two-dimensional image display. On the other hand, when no voltage application is made, the display is switched over to the three-dimensional image display. In accordance with whether or not the voltage is applied on the upper electrode 122 and the lower electrode 124, the polarization state of light passing through the liquid crystal layer 123 is switched over.
The patterned retardation film 121 has two types of regions 121A and 121B, which are in a stripe shape and in alternative arrangement. The two types of regions 121A and 121B have different polarization states. The light having passed through the liquid crystal layer 123 enters the patterned retardation film 121. The regions 121A and 121B of the patterned retardation film 121 have different rubbing directions. In other words, their slow axes are in different directions. Therefore, light having passed through the region 121A and light having passed through the region 121B have different polarization state. For instance, it is designed that a polarization axis of the light having passed through the region 121A and that of the light having passed through the region 121B make 90 degrees.
The polarization states of the light having passed through the regions 121A and 121B depend on the polarization state of the light incident on the patterned retardation film 121, that is, the polarization state of the light having passed through the liquid crystal layer 123. The light having passed through the patterned retardation film 121 enter the polarizer 115 of the dot-matrix type liquid crystal panel 101.
When the image is displayed as a three-dimensional image, that is, when no voltage is applied on the liquid crystal layer 123, an optical axis of the light having passed through the region 121A is parallel with a transmission axis of the polarizer 115, but an optical axis of the light having passed through the region 121B is perpendicular to the transmission axis of the polarizer 115.
In other words, as illustrated in FIG. 12, the patterned retardation film 121, working together with the polarizer 115, causes optical effect thereby effectuating functions of a parallax barrier. The regions 121A of the patterned retardation film 121 servers as a transmission region, while the region 121B serves as a blocking region.
Light having passed through the region 121A and the polarizer 115 and traveling toward a right eye (i.e. in a right-eye direction) passes through that part of the liquid crystal layer 113 on which the voltage is applied by a pixel electrode 114R that is for displaying in accordance with image data for the right eye (hereinafter, this image data is referred to as right-eye image data). On the other hand, light having passed through the region 121A and the polarizer 115 and traveling toward a left eye (i.e. in a left-eye direction) passes through that part of the liquid crystal layer 113 on which the voltage is applied by a pixel electrode 114L that is for displaying in accordance with image data for the left eye (hereinafter, this image data is referred to as left-eye image data). The left-eye image data and the right-eye image data are for images which are to be viewed from different observation positions. The display image displayed in accordance with the right-eye image data is viewed with the right eye while the display image displayed in accordance with the left-eye image data is viewed with the left eye. In this way, the display image is recognized as a three-dimensional image.
On the other hand, when the image is displayed as a two-dimensional image, that is, when the voltage is applied on the liquid crystal layer 123, light having passed through the region 121A and light having passed through the region 121B are such that the optical axes thereof are symmetrically tilted from the transmission axis of the polarizer 115.
That is, both of the light having passed through the regions 121A and the regions 121B pass through the polarizer with the same transmittance, thereby not effectuating the function of the parallax barrier. Thus, the image from all the pixels are viewed with the both right and left eyes, thereby allowing the display of the two-dimensional image.
Whether the parallax barrier is effectuated or not is switched over by whether or not applying the voltage on the liquid crystal layer 123 of the switching liquid crystal panel 102, thereby switching over between the two-dimensional image display and the three-dimensional image display.
The liquid crystal display apparatus for dual-use in displaying the two-dimensional image and the three-dimensional image is arranged such that the voltages to be applied on the liquid crystal layers 113 and the 123 of the dot-matrix type liquid crystal panel 101 and the switching liquid crystal panel 102 are inverted in polarity in order to prevent deterioration of display quality. Control circuits respectively controls timing of the polarity inversion of the dot-matrix type liquid crystal panel 101 and the switching liquid crystal panel 102.
Further, a power source circuit for generating the voltage to be supplied to the dot-matrix type liquid crystal panel 101 has a different configuration from that of a power source circuit for generating the voltage to be supplied to the switching liquid crystal panel 102.
In the conventional arrangements, however, no attention is paid to a cycle of the timing of the polarity inversion of the switching liquid crystal panel 102. Thus, the timing of the polarity inversion is not in synchronism with a vertical cycle of the dot-matrix type liquid crystal panel 101. Moreover, in some cases, the polarity inversion cycle is extremely shorter than the vertical cycle of the dot-matrix type liquid crystal panel 101.
The inventors of the present invention noted the significance of the timing of the polarity inversion of the switching liquid crystal panel 102, and a problem associated with the timing of the polarity inversion: the timing may cause display quality deterioration. This problem is explained below.
A position of a polarity inversion point of the switching liquid crystal panel 102 with respect to a vertical display starting point is changed if the timing of the polarity inversion of the switching liquid crystal panel 102 is not in synchronism with the vertical cycle of the dot-matrix type liquid crystal panel 101.
Moreover, the polarity of the switching liquid crystal panel 102 is inverted in plural times within an effective display period of the dot-matrix type liquid crystal panel 101, if the polarity inversion cycle of the switching liquid crystal panel 102 is extremely shorter than the vertical cycle.
FIG. 14 illustrates waveforms of the voltage applied on the dot-matrix type liquid crystal panel 101 and the switching liquid crystal panel 102 in the conventional arrangement. In FIG. 14, the upper waveform represents the vertical display start signal of the dot-matrix type liquid crystal panel 101. The middle waveform is a waveform of the voltage applied on the pixel electrode 114 of the dot-matrix type liquid crystal panel 101. The lower waveform is a waveform of the voltage applied on the switching liquid crystal panel 102.
As illustrated in FIG. 14, one vertical period has the effective display period and blanking period: the voltage is applied on the pixel electrodes on 1 to N lines (i.e. 1 to N rows) in the effective display period; and the blanking period is a rest of the one vertical period. In FIG. 14, the polarity of the switching liquid crystal panel 102 is inverted four times in the effective display period.
Moreover, it can be understood from FIG. 14 that the polarity inversion of the switching liquid crystal panel 102 in accordance with the vertical display start signal occurs at different points in respective vertical periods.
The inventors of the present inventions found out that, due to capacity coupling occurred between the upper electrode 122 of the switching liquid crystal panel 102 and pixel electrode 114 of the dot-matrix type liquid crystal panel 101, an video signal to be inputted in the pixel electrode 114 is fluctuated in accordance with the inversion of the voltage applied on the switching liquid crystal panel 102, the fluctuation taking place at the timing of polarity inversion of the voltage applied on the switching liquid crystal panel 102.
FIG. 15 illustrates a waveform of the video signal when the voltage applied on the switching liquid crystal panel 102 is inverted.
As illustrated in FIG. 15, at a timing a at which the voltage applied on the switching liquid crystal panel 102 (i.e. the voltage between the upper electrode 122 and the lower electrode 124) is inverted from the negative polarity to the positive polarity, the video signal is shifted toward a positive direction. On the other hand, as a timing b at which the voltage is inverted from the positive polarity to the negative polarity, the video signal is shifted toward a negative direction.
Therefore, a pixel electrode whose active element is ON at the timing a is excessively charged when the video signal is a signal shifted to the positive direction. On the other hand, this pixel electrode is not sufficiently charged when the video signal is a signal shifted to the negative direction. Moreover, a pixel electrode whose active element is ON at the timing b is not sufficiently charged when the video signal is a signal shifted to the positive direction. On the other hand, this pixel electrode is excessively charged when the video signal is a signal shifted to the negative direction.
The excess charging on the pixel electrode causes a dark line on the displayed screen. Moreover, the insufficient charging on the pixel electrode causes a bright line on the displayed screen.
Therefore, if the polarity of the switching liquid crystal panel 102 is inverted in plural times within one effective display period as described above, a plurality of bright lines or dark lines appear, causing display deterioration. Further, in case where the polarity inversion point of the inversion carried out in accordance with the vertical display start signal is changed per vertical period, the bright line or the dark line flows on the screen.
The inventors of the present invention found the problem associated with the polarity inversion of the voltage applied on another liquid crystal panel in the display apparatus configured by assembling a matrix-type liquid crystal panel with the another display panel. The problem is that the polarity inversion causes fluctuation in the voltage applied on the pixel electrode, thereby causing a severe deterioration of display quality.

Method of driving display apparatus and display apparatus


The methods of manufacture of a drug delivery composition. In some aspects, the methods include providing an organic phase, a biologically active ingredient, and an aqueous phase with a desirable pH (e.g., a pH at which the active ingredient has increased solubility in the aqueous phase compared to at neutral pH). After mixing of one or more of the aforementioned components, the resultant mixture is processed to provide the desired drug delivery composition.

One of the key challenges to treating diseases, such as neoplastic diseases, is exposing the targeted tissue to a sufficiently high drug concentration. Numerous novel drug delivery strategies have been developed with the rapid advances of nanotechnology. For example, a nano-sized drug delivery system can address some of the known disadvantages of drugs, such as low bioavailability, poor solubility, and high cytotoxic side effects. Those of skill in the art have been attracted to the use of polymeric nanoparticles to deliver therapeutics for myriad reasons, including controlling drug release, structural design for targeting, and a functional design for delivery. However, a significant disadvantage of using nanoparticles for drug delivery is the manufacturing process often leads to relatively low yields and poor loading efficiency.
Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are known to be key enzymes in cancer development and progression through their modulation of chromatin structure and the expression and post-translational modification of numerous proteins. Aggressive dedifferentiated tumors, like glioblastoma, frequently overexpress HDACs, while HDAC inhibition can lead to cell cycle arrest, promote cellular differentiation, and induce apoptosis. Although multiple HDAC inhibitors, such as quisinostat, are of interest in oncology due to their potent in vitro efficacy, their failure in the clinic as monotherapies against solid tumors has been attributed to poor delivery. For example, some investigators report that the use of conventional nanoparticle-manufacturing processes results in only 1-2% drug loading of some histone deacetylase inhibitors, such as quisinostat.
With that difficulty in mind, the inventors of the systems and methods of drug delivery described herein sought to create new processes for drug delivery systems, compositions, and methodologies. The inventors were motivated to improve HDACi such as quisinostat loading onto polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) such as poly(D, L-lactide)-b-methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) NPs.

Drug delivery composition and method of fabrication


The present invention relates to a method for preparing a catalyst for glycerin dehydration, a catalyst for glycerin dehydration prepared thereby, and a method for preparing acrolein. More particularly, the catalyst for glycerin dehydration prepared by the preparation method is able to minimize by-product formation to improve acrolein selectivity and to maintain high catalytic activity during the reaction.

Acrolein is a simple unsaturated aldehyde compound including an incomplete reactive group and having high reactivity, and the main uses thereof are as an intermediate in the synthesis of numerous compounds. In particular, acrolein has been widely used as an intermediate in the synthesis of acrylic acid and its esters, superabsorbent polymers, animal feed supplements, food supplements, etc.
Conventionally, acrolein has been prepared by a selective gas-phase oxidation reaction with atmospheric oxygen using a starting material, propylene, which is obtained from the processing of petroleum. However, as reduction in fossil fuels and environmental problems such as the greenhouse effect gradually emerge, many studies have been conducted on a synthetic method of producing acrolein using renewable non-fossil fuel based raw materials.
Accordingly, a natural product, glycerin, obtained as a by-product of biodiesel production, has gained much interest as a raw material for acrolein synthesis. In particular, as the production of biodiesel increases, the glycerin market is expanding, and due to reduction of glycerin price, industrial applications thereof have been studied.
For example, there is known a method of obtaining acrolein by dehydration of glycerin in the presence of a catalyst, and the method is known to be performed by using an acidic catalyst such as zeolite, phosphorus oxide, and tungstophosphoric acid (H3PW12O4).
However, since the catalysts which were previously used to prepare acrolein from glycerin produce by-products such as hydroxy acetone, hydroxy propanone, propane aldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetone, and polycondensation products of glycerin, there is a limitation in the use of the catalysts for the production of acrolein with high purity. Further, there is a problem that when the catalyst is supported on a carrier, the catalytic activity is rapidly reduced.
Accordingly, there is a demand to develop a method for preparing a catalyst for glycerin dehydration, which is able to minimize by-product formation to improve selectivity and purity of acrolein and conversion ratio and reaction yield of glycerin, and to maintain high catalytic activity even though supported on a carrier.

Method for preparing catalyst for glycerin dehydration, and method for preparing acrolein