A method and system for reducing test data volume in the testing of logic products such as integrated circuit chips. Test data loaded by a tester into the logic product to apply to portions of combinational logic circuitry therein in order to detect faults comprises “care” bits and “non-care” bits. The care bits target focal faults of interest in the logic circuitry being tested while the non-care bits do not. According to the invention, non-care bits in the test vector data are filled with repetitive background data to provide for a high degree of compressibility of the test vector data. A substantial portion of the care bits may also be set to a repetitive value and the original values later recovered.

The present invention relates to a method and system for compressing test data used in the testing of logic products such as integrated circuit chips and the like, to economize on the amount of computer memory, disk storage and time required to test such products.
In the testing of devices utilized in computers, such as combinational logic circuit chips and memory arrays, tester devices are used. To test, for example, a combinational logic circuit, a tester applies stimuli to inputs of the chip, and resulting output responses are observed in order to detect faults in an expected performance of the logic circuit. The detected faults may be used to debug the circuit design.
One method of applying test stimuli to a logic circuit includes placing "scan latches" before and after the combinational logic circuits to be tested. In this method, test data is clocked or scanned from a data input pin to a chain of input latches. The test data typically comprises 0s and 1s which may be arranged as a plurality of vectors. The test vector data comprises "care" bits and "non-care" bits. Care bits are bits which are set by test-generating software to target specific or "focal" faults in the logic being tested. Non-care bits are not targeted toward any particular focal fault. A chain of input latches loaded with test vector data may be referred to as a "scan chain."
According to the method, application of the test vectors to the combinational logic does not begin until all of the input latches are filled using scan chains. Once all the input latches are filled, the test vectors are released and applied to the combinational logic. The combinational logic processes the test vectors and captures the results in latches, and from there the results are scanned to a test output pin where faults may be detected. Advances in computer technology have permitted significant increases in the density with which logic circuits can be packed onto a chip, and accordingly, the number of functions and operations that a chip can perform has increased significantly. Attendant to the increased density and number of logic circuits on a chip, there is an increase in the number, complexity and size of test vectors which need to be applied by a tester to fully verify the chip's operation. Along with the increased volume of test vectors are associated costs in computer resources used in generating and storing the test vectors, and in tester memory and time needed to download test data to the tester.
In view of the foregoing, a method and system for efficiently handling test vector data which addresses the noted concerns is needed.

Method and system for reducing test data volume in the testing of logic products


The present invention pertains to a sustained release drug delivery system hich comprises a core of active ingredient, an enteric coating, a second coating of active ingredient and lastly a readily gastric-soluble protective coating. The sustained release dosage form of this invention is useful for pharmaceutically active ingredients that have limited aqueous solubility, especially phenytoin sodium, and other pH dependent soluble drugs.

A sustained release dosage form may be defined as a preparation which releases a drug, in vivo, at a considerably slower rate than is the case from an equivalent dose of a conventional (non-sustained release) dosage form. The objective of employing a sustained release product is to obtain a satisfactory drug response while at the same time, reducing the frequency of administration. An example of a drug which is popularly used in a sustained release form is chlorpheniramine maleate. In conventional form, the drug may be given as 4 mg doses every four (4) hours or in sustained release form as 12 mg every twelve (12) hours.
Sustained release compositions for the sequential or timed release of medicaments are well known in the art. Generally, such compositions contain medicament particles, normally administered in divided doses two (2) or three (3) times daily, mixed with or covered by a coating material which is resistant to degradation or disintegration in the stomach and/or in the intestine for a selected period of time. Release of the medicament may occur by leeching, erosion, rupture, diffusion or similar actions depending upon the nature and thickness of the coating material.
It is known that different pharmaceutical preparations of the same active ingredient will result in different bioavailabilities of the active ingredient to the mammal. Bioavailability or biological availability may be defined as the percentage of the drug liberated from the dosage form administered that becomes available in the body for biological effect. Different formulations of the same drug can vary in bioavailability to a clinically relevant extent and variation may even occur between batches of the same product due to subtle variations in manufacturing procedures.
Many drugs that are usually administered in tablet or capsule form have a low solubility in biological fluids. For many drugs of low solubility, there is considerable evidence that the dissolution rate, partially or completely controls the rate of absorption. Bioavailability can also be affected by a number of factors such as the amounts and types of adjuvants used, the granulation process, compression forces (in tablet manufacturing), surface area available for dissolution and environmental factors such as agitation in the stomach and the presence of food. Due to these numerous factors, specific formulations play an important role in the preparation of prolonged action solid dosage forms.
Epilepsy is an ancient disease which affects about 1% of the global population. Despite the progress made in antiepileptic drug therapy, there are still many patients who continue to suffer from uncontrolled seizures and medication toxicity. At present, only four (4) major antiepileptic drugs are in use: phenobarbital, phenytoin sodium, carbamazepine and valporic acid.
Pharmacological activity, in general, and antiepileptic activity in particular, correlate better with a concentration of the drug in the blood (or in some other biophase) than with the administered dose. This phenomenon is due, in part, to variability in drug absorption and disposition between and within individuals, particularly when the drug is given orally. Optimizing drug therapy aims at achieving and maintaining therapeutic and safe drug concentrations in the patient's plasma. It would thus be advantageous that the patient receive a once- or twice-daily dosage regimen.
Phenytoin is 5,5-diphenyl-2,4-imidazolidinedione. It is a well-known pharmaceutical agent having anti-convulsant and antiepileptic activity. Due to phenytoin's poor solubility in water, phenytoin sodium, of empirical formula C.sub.15 H.sub.11 N.sub.2 NaO.sub.2, which is much more soluble, is employed in the preparation of injectable solutions of the drug and in solid enteral dosage forms.
While phenytoin is the antiepileptic drug of choice for most types of epileptic seizures, except for petit mal, therapeutic drug monitoring is required because of the difficulty in maintaining an effective therapeutic plasma level of between 10 and 20 .mu.g/ml. In addition to the problems of narrow therapeutic plasma levels, phenytoin has exhibited great variations in bioavailability following its oral administration to patients because of its poor water solubility.
With even the new approaches to phenytoin delivery (i.e., Parke-Davis' Dilantin.RTM. Kapseals.RTM., which are 100 mg extended phenytoin sodium capsules), it is still necessary for patients to take the drug several times a day to maintain an effective therapeutic plasma level without side effects. While many encapsulation techniques have been attempted, none have been found to be satisfactory. Karakasa et al., Biol. Pharm. Bull., 17(3) 432-436 (1994) in an article entitled "Sustained Release of Phenytoin Following the Oral Administration of Phenytoin Sodium/Ethylcellulose Microcapsules in Human Subjects and Rabbits", studied the release patterns of phenytoin as the sodium salt in combination with ethylcellulose. The phenytoin sodium microcapsules were prepared by mixing 80 weight % of the phenytoin sodium in a 10% (w/v) ethylcellulose solution in ethylacetate. The suspension was stirred and n-pentane was added dropwise until a phase separation occurred and the microcapsules were obtained. The microcapsules were collected on filter paper, dried and stored. Karakasa et al. point out that following the oral administration of phenytoin sodium, the salt might be easily transferred into free-phenytoin in the acidic fluids of the stomach. As free-phenytoin is practically insoluble in water, its absorption might be incomplete in the gastrointestinal tract. On the other hand, while passing through the stomach, the volume of water penetrating into the ethylcellulose microcapsules might be minimal. Thus, most of the phenytoin sodium in the microcapsules might not be converted into free-phenytoin. This reference fails to suggest a dosage form wherein a portion of the active ingredient is released in the stomach and the remaining portion is released in the intestines.
A review article by Boxenbaum in Drug Development & Industrial Pharmacy, 1982, 8(v), 1-25, entitled "Physiological and Phamacokinetic Factors Affecting Performance of Sustained Release Dosage Forms" actually suggests that sustained release formulations for drugs such as phenytoin are unnecessary. Boxenbaum points out that dosing schedules of once a day versus three times daily produce similar plasma curves. This results from both the slow absorption, disposition of the drug and the low solubility.
It is the inventor's position that slow release, delayed release, prolonged release or sustained release phenytoin is a desirable objective. Controlled release oral dosage forms of drugs with long half lives, such as phenytoin, have been previously disregarded for sustained release formulation since they produce little change in the blood concentration after multiple doses have been administered. The existence of such products can, however, be justified, on the basis of their ability to minimize toxicity and the occurrence of adverse reactions and as providing greater patient convenience and thus, better patient compliance.
Bialer in an article entitled, "Pharmacokinetic Evaluation of Sustained Release Formulations of Antiepileptic Drugs . . . Clinical Implications" in Clinical Pharmacokinetics 22(1): 11-21 1992, also suggests that phenytoin is not a suitable candidate for sustained release formulations. What Bialer and Boxenbaum have failed to realize is that through the novel use of the physical properties of phenytoin sodium and drugs like phenytoin sodium, one can prepare a sustained release formulation that is beneficial to the patient.
The dosage form according to this invention has an essentially unprotected layer of active ingredient that is immediately released into the gastric juices of the stomach and a second layer of active ingredient that is protected by an enteric coating. This second portion of the dose is made available subsequent to passage into the duodenum. The drug delivery system according to the present invention provides an unusually stable drug concentration profile in the plasma. Further, patients will benefit from such a formulation since many drugs. like phenytoin have narrow therapeutic windows which require multiple (3 or more) daily dosings.
Further, Irvin et al., in an article in Pharmaceutical Research, Vol. 8, No. 2, 1991, entitled "Computer-Aided Dosage Form Design. III. Feasibility Assessment for an Oral Prolonged-Release Phenytoin Product" have also emphasized that phenytoin is not an acceptable candidate for prolonged release dosage forms. They go on to note that dosage forms which traverse the stomach tend to be expelled before the release of the phenytoin is complete. These teachings again fail to realize that a novel dosage form, having protected and unprotected components, can be effectively used to prepare a sustained release formula for drugs with pH dependent solubilities.
Deasy, Critical Reviews in Therapeutic Drug Carrer Systems, 8(1): 39-89 (1991) in an article entitled "Microencapsulation of Drugs by Pan and Air Suspension Techniques" states that drugs such as phenytoin with half-lives greater than six (6) hours, tend to have inherent sustained release properties and benefit little from prolonged released preparations. The Deasy article goes on to comment that drugs such as phenytoin, with narrow ranges of therapeutic plasma levels, present special problems when being formulated as sustained release preparations. This reference also provides a good general discussion of microencapsulation dosage forms prepared by the pan and air suspension methodologies.
A paper by Bourgeois entitled "Important Pharmnacokinetic Properties of Antiepileptic Drugs" in Epilepsia, Vol. 36 (Supp. 5) 1995, discusses the important pharmnacokinetic properties of antiepileptic drugs. The author states that a drug's rate of absorption profile is described by its absorption constant (k.sub.abs). A high absorption constant results in early and high peak serum concentrations. A high (k.sub.abs) value also results in greater fluctuations in drug levels compared with the steadier concentrations resulting from lower (k.sub.abs) values. A lower absorption constant can often be produced by formulating an otherwise rapidly absorbed drug in a slow release preparation. However, enteric coated preparations do not alter a drug's (k.sub.abs) value; they merely delay absorption. Enteric coating is designed to prevent absorption in the acidic environment of the stomach. Consider for example, a patient who has received a single dose of enteric coated valproate. For the first few hours after dosing, serum measurements will fail to detect any drug in the blood. Not until the tablet reaches the alkaline environment of the duodenum does the serum concentration rapidly increase, ultimately achieving a profile similar to that of an uncoated preparation of valproate. Therefore, the enteric coating merely shifts the time concentration profile to the right.
In a publication in Clinical Pharmacy, Vol. 3, November-December 1984, entitled "Absorption characteristics of three phenytoin sodium products after administration of oral loading doses" by Goff et al., the absorption characteristics of three (3) phenytoin sodium products after administration of oral loading doses is evaluated. Goff et al. suggest that the administration of intravenous phenytoin has been associated with serious adverse effects, including cardiac arrhythmias and hypotension. The reported study was conducted to determine the effect of different phenytoin sodium preparations on the rate and extent of absorption following the administration of oral phenytoin loading doses. Goff et al. report that the absorption following oral administration of the phenytoin sodium solution was found to be erratic and highly variable among subjects. In the acid medium of the stomach, phenytoin sodium is rapidly changed to phenytoin acid with subsequent precipitation. The authors of this reference suggest that following the administration of the phenytoin sodium solution, the solubilizing agents were rapidly absorbed from the stomach and this could have resulted in the precipitation of the poorly soluble phenytoin acid in the stomach. A similar mechanism was proposed for the poor absorption of phenytoin following intra-muscular administration.
In an article by Yazici et al., entitled "Phenytoin Sodium microcapsules: Bench Scale Formula, Process Characterization and Release Kinetics" in Pharmaceutical Development and Technology, 1(2), 175-183 (1996), the preparation of phenytoin sodium microcapsules using ethylcellulose and methyl acrylic acid copolymers (Eudragit.RTM. S-100 and L-100) as coating materials is reported. The phenytoin sodium microcapsules were formulated by an organic phase separation and granule coating method. The optimum phenytoin sodium-to-ethylcellulose ratio of 1:2.3 was reported. The authors report that phenytoin sodium is a problem material as far as drug absorption is concerned as the rate determining step of phenytoin absorption is its release from dosage forms. The optimized experimental dosage forms were evaluated against sustained-action, commercially available capsules and found to give superimposable release characteristics. The authors fail to suggest that the dose of phenytoin sodium, in microcapsular form, be divided between the enteric coating. Neither the microcapsules nor the Yazici et al. method of production are at all similar to the presently claimed dosage form wherein the core comprise 25-75% of an effective amount of a therapeutic agent over the enteric coating and finally a coating of a low pH soluble protective coating.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,968,508 to Oren et al. relates to a matrix composition for sustained drug delivery which is comprised of an active agent, a hydrophilic polymer and an enteric polymer. The enteric polymer is impermeable to gastric fluids and aids in retarding drug release in regions of low pH, thus allowing lower levels of hydrophilic polymer to be employed. Oren et al. suggest that this approach is useful in sustaining the release of numerous active agents whose solubility declines as the pH is increased, a characteristic of weekly basic drugs. The Oren et al. sustained release matrix was prepared using conventional hydrogel technology. This patent does not suggest nor disclose the division of a given dose of active agent by an enteric coating. The enteric coating only releasing the remaining portion of the active after entry into the duodenum.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,994,260 to Kallstrand et al. relates to a pharmaceutical preparation for controlled release of a pharmaceutically active substance prepared by mixing, in an aqueous carrier, a pharmaceutically active substance encapsulated in a coating and 60-99% by weight of a release controlling substance selected from the group consisting of polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, polyhydroxyalchohols and mixtures thereof. This patent describes the use of Eudragit.RTM. E 100 and sucrose to make the dosage form. The Eudragit.RTM. E 100 is a polymer soluble in acid.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,836 to Muhammad et al. discloses a semi-enteric, sustained release pharmaceutical consisting of a biologically active composition layered on an inert core and an outer inert coating consisting of a water insoluble methacrylic acid polymer, a water soluble sugar alcohol, a food grade acid and a plasticizer characterized by a two-tiered solubility profile in the human digestive tract. The dosage forms of this reference initially dissolve in the stomach and thereafter completely dissolves and is absorbed in the intestine. This patent discloses the use of Eudragit.RTM. L30D as a major coating constituent. In this reference, the release characteristics of Eudragit.RTM. L30D polymer are modified so that a semi-enteric formulation is created. The dissolution characteristics of Eudragit.RTM. L30D are modified through the inclusion of a water soluble bulking agent such as a sugar alcohol.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,668 to Eichel et al. discloses a pharmaceutical preparation that contains multiple units of microparticles comprising a granular drug that is less soluble at low pH and more soluble at high pH. The granular drug is admixed with or surrounded by a pH controlled material which is formed from at least one polymer that is hydrophilic at low pH and hydrophobic at higher pH. The pH controlled material is in a ratio with the granular drug such that the resulting sustained release pharmaceutical preparation is independent of the pH environment. Eudragit.RTM. E 100 is disclosed as a polymer which is useful in the invention since it is pH controlled.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,131 to Amidon et al. discloses a drug delivery system for administering a drug in controlled pulse doses in a aqueous environment over a predetermined dosage period of time. A unitary body contains a plurality of subunits. Each of the subunits has a core portion which contains an individual dose of the drug. The core is surrounded by a respectively associated coating portion which is formed of selected first and second polymer materials. The water permeable polymers are disclosed as including cellulose acetate, Eudragit.RTM. RS and Eudragit.RTM. R30D. The drug delivery system of the '131 patent is disclosed as being useful with beta-adrenergic blockers and antiepileptic drugs such as phenytoin.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,686 to Eichel et al. discloses a dual walled coated medicament having a water soluble core drug, an inner wall microencapsular coating and an outer wall enteric coating. By enterically coating the microcapsules, the release of core drug into the stomach is greatly impeded and the delivery of the drug is substantially delayed until the coated microcapsules reach the intestine. The dual walled medicament of the '686 patent is claimed to release less than 10% per hour of said drug while in the stomach, but will slowly release said drug in the intestines to provide adequate levels for eight (8) or more hours without resulting in excessively high drug levels at any time.
From a review of the prior art, it is quite evident that a need still remains for a sustained release system for drugs with pH dependent solubilities, such as phenytoin sodium, which provide initial therapeutic levels of the drug, delays the delivery of another fraction of the drug to eliminate excess concentrations for about 1-5 hours and then, sustains the release of that delayed fraction to provide adequate blood plasma drug levels for 12 or more hours.

Sustained release pharmaceutical preparation

Cascade Development, Inc. a subsidiary of Cardinal Health, Inc.


The present invention relates to a method for separating liquid from a slurry of solid particles and liquid contained in a vessel in the presence of a gas, which comprises degasifying the slurry and passing the degasified slurry through a cross-flow filter, and separating the degasified slurry into the liquid and a concentrated slurry. The present invention further relates to a process for the preparation of heavy hydrocarbons, which process comprises contacting a synthesis gas in a reactor vessel with a slurry of solid catalyst particles and a liquid, thereby producing heavy hydrocarbons, and separating the liquid containing heavy hydrocarbons from the slurry by the said method.

Three-phase slurry reactors are well known to those skilled in the art. In operation, the said reactors typically comprise a slurry zone and a freeboard zone. In the slurry, present in the slurry zone, the solid catalyst particles are kept in suspension in the liquid. The liquid serves amongst others as a heat-transfer medium. One or more gaseous reactants bubble through the slurry. The freeboard zone, usually located above the slurry zone, contains primarily gaseous products and/or reactants and substantially no slurry.
The catalyst particles are typically kept in suspension by stirring or agitation by a mechanical device or, preferably, by an upward gas and/or liquid velocity.
The mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide is commonly referred to as synthesis gas. The preparation of heavy hydrocarbons from synthesis gas is commonly referred to as Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. The term heavy hydrocarbons as used herein refers to hydrocarbons which are in the liquid state under reaction conditions. In this respect, it will be appreciated by that the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis not only yields heavy hydrocarbons, but also hydrocarbons which are gaseous under reaction conditions and oxygenates.
In particular, the present invention relates to the separation from the slurry of heavy hydrocarbons produced by the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.
A number of ways have been proposed to separate liquid, in particular heavy hydrocarbons, from the slurry. Thus, European patent application publication No. 0 609 079 describes a slurry bubble column containing a slurry bed of catalyst particles suspended in a liquid. A filtration zone is located in the slurry bed, in particular close to the upper surface of the slurry bed. The filtration zone typically comprises a plurality of filter elements. The filter elements are typically of elongate cylindrical form and comprise a cylindrical filtering medium enclosing a filtrate collection zone.
European patent application publication No. 592 176 describes a filtration zone consisting of a tube sheet holding filter cartridges. The tube sheet defines the upper surface of the slurry bed.
International (PCT) application publication No. 94/16807 describes a filtration zone surrounding the slurry bed.
UK patent application publication No. 2 281 224 discloses a reactor containing a plurality of reaction tubes arranged to accommodate the slurry bed. The upper part of each tube contains a filter element to separate hydrocarbon product from slurry, and a top part of increased diameter, often referred to as a disengagement zone, to separate gas from the slurry.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,678 describes separation of catalyst from a slurry containing hydrocarbon product by passing the slurry through a high gradient magnetic field.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,324,335 describes a process for the preparation of hydrocarbons, using an iron-based catalyst. To avoid the continuous increase of slurry height in the reactor vessel, due to the production of heavy hydrocarbon waxes, wax is separated from the slurry using a cross-flow filter located outside the reactor vessel.
German patent No. 32 45 318 (DE-32 45 318) describes a process for separating a liquid product stream from a slurry, by cross-flow filtration, which is carried out at substantially reactor pressure, but outside the reactor. According to one embodiment, the slurry is cooled prior to filtration.
It has now been found that cross-flow filtration is considerably facilitated if the cross-flow filtration step is preceded by a degasification step, which step is preferably carried out in a device in which separation takes place in a centrifugal field, more preferably a hydrocyclone. Furthermore, in this way the control of the flow of filtrate through the cross-flow filter is considerably facilitated. In addition, it will be appreciated that the required filter area is less.

Method for separating liquid from a slurry


A fluoro sulfonated poly(phenylene) was rationally designed with an external hydrophobic shell and internal hydrophilic core in order to improve the durability and ion selectivity of a hydrocarbon membrane for vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs). The polymer was designed to prevent hydrophilic polymer chain aggregation by attaching acid moieties onto the polymer backbone, while functionalizing the external polymer shell with hydrophobic side chains to prevent excessive vanadium crossover associated with cation exchange membranes. As an example, the hydrophobic shell can be provided by pentafluorobenzoyl group functionalization of the pendent aryl groups on a Diels Alder poly(phenylene) backbone, while the internal polymer chain can contain sulfonic acid moieties to impart hydrophilic character.

Redox flow batteries (RFBs) are receiving increased attention for stationary large-scale applications, such as required to integrate renewable energy sources into the electrical grid, due to cost, reliability, and safety considerations. A primary advantage of RFBs is their large energy capacity, due to the ability to store the electrolytes in external electrolyte tanks. Vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) are feasible candidates for renewable energy storage since this technology can readily be scaled, and is relatively safe and reliable. See A. Parasuraman et al., Electrochim. Acta 101, 27 (2013). To improve the VRFB's performance and lower costs, development of inexpensive next generation components such as electrolytes, electrodes and separators have spurred significant interest. See Z. Yang et al., Chem. Rev. 111, 3577 (2011); C. Minke and T. Turek, J. Power Sources 376, 66 (2018); and M. Gencten and Y. Sahin, Int. J. Energy Res. 44, 7903 (2020). FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a VRFB. In addition to the positive and negative electrolyte tanks, the VRFB comprises positive and negative electrode chambers, an ion-selective membrane separating the chambers, and flowable electrolytes. Electrolytes on both anode and cathode sides (i.e., anolyte and catholyte) use vanadium species to minimize crossover contamination, thus maintaining high cell efficiency. The electrolyte tanks store vanadium ions in four different oxidation states, V2+, V3+, VO2+ (i.e., V4+), and VO2+ (i.e., V5+), such that there is a separate redox couple on each side. Sulfuric acid is typically used as the supporting electrolyte in an aqueous VRFB, although mixed acids are sometimes used to increase the solubility of the vanadium ions and, therefore, energy density of the battery. The anolyte and catholyte are fed through the separate half-cells within the battery via pumps and then returned to the storage tanks for recirculation. The ion-selective membrane separating the two half-cells preferably prevents mixing of the electrolytes, has low permeability to the reactive vanadium species, and is permeable for the supporting ions, such as protons. In addition to high ion selectivity and proton conductivity, the membrane should also be low cost and have high mechanical and chemical stability. During charging with the redox reaction, the catholyte is reduced to V2+ whilst the anolyte is oxidized to V5+. Recharging the battery moves electrons through external circuit from the positive to the negative side and causes hydrogen ions to diffuse through the membrane to the negative side. The same reactions occur in reverse during discharge. Similar electrochemical concepts and material needs apply to other flow and hybrid batteries technologies that are currently being developed.
The membrane separator plays a vital role in VRFB operations since it is responsible for ion transport to maintain charge neutrality and prevent anolyte/catholyte mixing which leads to self-discharge. The current state of the art membrane for VRFBs is perfluorinated sulfonic acid polymers (PFSA), such as Nafion, since they offer high proton conductivity, long term chemical stability and are a proven membrane technology in industry (e.g. chlor-alkali process). See P. Millet, 9—Chlor-alkali technology: fundamentals, processes and materials for diaphragms and membranes, in: A. Basile (Ed.) Handbook of Membrane Reactors, Woodhead Publishing, 2013, pp. 384-415. However, Nafion is not an ideal candidate for VRFBs since low cost is essential for grid scale energy storage in order to compete with fossil fuel generated electricity. The US DOE has targeted VRFB systems of <$100 kW/h and the high cost of Nafion ($500-700 m−2) has been shown to substantially impact the overall cost of VRFB systems. See Z. Yang et al., Chem. Rev. 111, 3577 (2011); M. F. Mathias et al., Electrochem. Soc. Interface 14, 24 (2005); and V. Viswanathan et al., J. Power Sources 247, 1040 (2014). Another concern of Nafion in VRFBs is the low transport selectivity between protons and vanadium ions. See B. Schwenzer et al., ChemSusChem 4, 1388 (2011). Ion transport is determined by the size and shape of the hydrophilic domain which is ultimately a consequence of the polymer structure. The structure of Nafion consists of a Teflon-like backbone with intervals of a flexible side chain that is capped with a fluorocarbon sulfonic acid. Although Nafion has been studied for several decades, the polymer morphology of Nafion is still under debate. See K.-D. Kreuer and G. Portale, Adv. Funct. Mater. 23, 5390 (2013). Recently, Kreuer has suggested that the flexible sulfonic acid groups are held together with water acting as "glue" keeping the oppositely charged polymers together and forming water channels that are "locally flat and narrow". See K.-D. Kreuer, Chem. Mater. 26, 361 (2014). This concept of a lamellar-type hydrophilic morphology of Nafion may also explain the poor proton/vanadium transport selectivity, since a lamellar type morphology may offer a relativity unobstructed ion transport pathway.

Ion-selective membrane for redox flow batteries

National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC


A method is provided for semiconductor ESD protection in a mixed voltage device using a cascaded gate driven NMOS clamp circuit. Use of a bias circuit allows for an external I/O signal to have a voltage higher than the internal circuit power supply voltage so that a proper trigger level is provided in reference to an external power supply reference. A cascaded gate NMOS clamp circuit dissipates charge from an ESD event from the higher external I/O signal level without interfering with the normal operation of the internal or “core” circuits.

Reliability in semiconductor circuits is an important aspect of chip design, especially with the increasing complexity of the circuits and the increased density of the silicon on which the circuits reside. Connections to IC inputs, outputs, and power are susceptible to electrostatic discharge (ESD) events that can damage internal components. Fundamentally, an ESD event is a short discharge of electric energy caused by the sudden release of an electrostatic build-up of electrical charge. If ESD-induced currents flow suddenly and strongly through electronic components, the high currents can literally melt the carefully formed layers of an IC. A chip is particularly susceptible to ESD when it is not mounted into a larger circuit (e.g., mounted onto a printed circuit board). ESD protection is therefore particularly important in maintaining the reliability of semiconductor products, and commercial ICs are generally expected to sustain without damage an ESD event in excess of 2000 volts, which is often denoted as the human-body-model ESD voltage.
Semiconductor devices are becoming increasingly complex, and at the same time the devices' circuitry is becoming smaller and more crowded on the devices to accommodate the new and complex functions. The decreased size and spacing of the interconnections and internal circuit elements, along with the increasing use of multiple input voltage levels, increases the devices' susceptibility to ESD events occurring on the devices' power supply lines. An additional challenge is to protect the devices' internal circuitry from the ESD voltages and currents that are borne in by the ICs' address, data, and control lines.
Due to the difference of the voltage levels between them, the power lines and power pins of an IC are usually electrically isolated from each other, such that the internal power supplies are derived from the external supplies but are often of different voltages. Such isolation, however, may make for devices that are more susceptible to ESD damage in the devices' interface circuits, even though there may be suitable ESD protection circuits placed around the input and output pads of the IC. Examples of prior-art ESD control approaches are disclosed in the following references: N. Maene, et al., On Chip Electrostatic Discharge Protections for Inputs, Outputs, and Supplies of CMOS Circuits, 1992 PROC. EOS/ESD SYMP. 228; M. D. Ker and T. L. Yu, ESD Protection to Overcome Internal Gate-Oxide Damage on Digital-Analog Interface of Mixed-Mode CMOS IC's, 36 J. MICROELECTRONICS & RELIABILITY 1727 (1996); M. D. Ker, et al., Whole-Chip ESD Protection for CMOS VLSI/ULSI with Multiple Power Pins, PROC. IEEE INT'L INTEGRATED RELIABILITY WORKSHOP 124 (Oct. 16–19, 1994); M. D. Ker, Whole-Chip ESD Protection Scheme for CMOS Mixed-Mode IC's in Deep-Submicron CMOS Technology, PROC. IEEE CUSTOM INTEGRATED CIRCUITS CONF. 31, Santa Clara, Calif., USA, (May 5–8, 1997).
ESD protection circuits are generally more robust in their design than other circuits on a semiconductor device. An ESD circuit will typically redirect ESD voltage and current to an alternate path that is better able to conduct the ESD current and therefore withstand the stresses of the ESD event while protecting the other circuits. In general, ESD protection circuits are located near the device interconnect pads. There are many known configurations of ESD protection circuits. Specific novel implementations of gate-driven clamp circuits are discussed in this application. Some prior-art gate-driven clamp circuits are described in: U.S. Pat. No. 4,855,620 (C. Duvvury et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,365 (C. D. Lien); C. Duvvury et al., Dynamic Gate Coupling Of NMOS for Efficient Output ESD Protection, 1992 PROC. IRPS. 141; C. Duvvury et al., Achieving Uniform NMOS Device Power Distribution For Submicron ESD Reliability, 1992 TECH. DIG IEDM. 131; Ming-Dou Ker et al, EOS/ESD Reliability of Deep Sub-Micron NMOS Protection Devices, 1995 PROC. OF IRPS 284; S. Ramaswamy et al., Capacitor-Coupled ESD Protection Circuit for Deep-Submicron Low-Voltage CMOS ASIC, 4 IEEE TRANS. VLSI Sys. 307 (Sep. 1996); U.S. Pat. No. 5,631,793 (M. D. Ker et al.).
Clamp circuits work during ESD events to provide a current path from the input pad or power supply to the substrate bias voltage supply, VSS, which is normally ground, or to another circuit element that is equipped to absorb the ESD current. In a conventional power supply clamp circuit, the power supply line is routed to ground through a clamp transistors that is biased to be "off" during normal circuit operation. When a voltage in excess of the maximum allowed voltage on a power supply line is detected by the ESD protection circuit, the clamp transistor will turn "on," thereby shunting the induced ESD potential to ground. Coupled resistor-capacitor circuits ("RC circuits") may also be used at power supply inputs to absorb transient power spikes from ESD events. Examples of such circuits are further described in the following references: C. Duvvury et al., Dynamic Gate Coupling of NMOS for Efficient Output ESD Protection, 1992 PROC. OF IRPS 141; C. Duvvury et al., Achieving Uniform NMOS Device Power Distribution For Submicron ESD Reliability, 1992 TECH. DIG. 131; S. Ramaswamy et al., EOS/ESD Reliability of Deep Sub-Micron NMOS Protection Devices, 1995 PROC. IRPS. 284.
As mentioned above, chip designs sometimes support multiple power levels, with for example one power level provided for internal or core circuitry, and with another power level provided for external circuitry. In these circumstances, the external circuitry typically has a voltage level above the internal or core circuitry of the chip designs. For example, the semiconductor technology for one chip design may use 1.8 or 2.5 volts internally, which yields other advantages such as reduced component size and power conservation. The chip's external interface, however, may need to be compatible to a 3.3 volt external voltage, which requires that the chip's external interface accept and, depending on application, drive, 3.3 volt interfaces.
Multiple power-level designs, however, can pose ESD protection challenges, as is detailed by Ming-Dou Ker & Chien-Hui Chuang, Electrostatic Discharge Protection for Mixed-Voltage CMOS I/O Buffers, 37 IEEE J. SOLID-STATE CIRCUITS 1046 (2002). The present application describes an architecture that provides a robust ESD protection method without encountering the difficulties previously associated with the described mixed-voltage circuits.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


In the present invention, a provision of a method for manufacturing a color filter capable of forming a highly sophisticated pattern, to be formed easily at a low cost is desired. The present invention achieves the above mentioned object by providing a method for manufacturing a color filter comprising:                (1) forming a light shielding part on a transparent base material;        (2) forming a wettability changeable layer which the wettability changes by the function of a photocatalyst, on the surface of the transparent base material on the side with the light shielding part formed;        (3) placing the photocatalyst containing layer of the photocatalyst containing layer side substrate which is the photocatalyst containing layer containing a photocatalyst formed on the base member, and the wettability changeable layer with a gap of 200 μm or less, and irradiating an energy from a predetermined direction to form a pixel part forming part comprising a lyophilic area where the contact angle to a liquid is lowered compared with the state before the energy irradiation to the wettability changeable layer, in a pattern; and        (4) coloring the pixel part forming part by the ink jet method so as to form a pixel part.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a color filter suitable for a color liquid crystal display.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, accompanied by development of the personal computers, in particular, development of the portable personal computers, demand to the liquid crystal displays, particularly color liquid crystal displays tends to be increasing. However, since the color liquid crystal displays are expensive, cost down is highly requested. In particular, cost down to the color filters, which accounts for a large proportion in terms of the cost, is highly requested.
In general, such a color filter comprises coloring patterns of the three primary colors including red (R), green (G) and blue (B). The liquid crystal functions as a shutter by switching electrodes corresponding each pixel of R, G, and B on or off, thereby light pass through each pixel of R, G, and B so that the color display is carried out.
As the methods for manufacturing a color filter conventionally executed, for example, a dying method can be presented. In the dying method, a colored pattern is obtained by first forming a water soluble polymer material, as the dying material, on a glass substrate, patterning the same into a desired shape by a photolithography process, and then soaking the obtained pattern in a dye bath. By repeating the same for three times, R, G, and B color filter layers are formed.
Moreover, as another method, a pigment dispersion method can be presented. In the method, a single color pattern is obtained by first forming a pigment dispersed photo sensitive resin layer on a substrate, and patterning the same. By repeating this process for three times, R, G, and B color filter layers are formed.
As still another method, an electro deposition method, a method of dispersing a pigment in a thermosetting resin, printing three times for R, G, and B, and thermally curing the resin, or the like can be presented. However, in any method, the same process should be repeated for three times for coloring the three colors of R, G, and B, a problem of a high cost, and a problem of the yield deterioration due to the process repetition are involved.
Moreover, a method for manufacturing a pattern formed body, or the like, of forming a pattern using a wettability changeable substance by the function of a photocatalyst has been discussed by the present inventors. However, in the methods for manufacturing a pattern formed body by the function of a photocatalyst so far, since the photocatalyst is included in the pattern formed body to be manufactured, a problem of possibility of being influenced by the photocatalyst, depending on the kind of the pattern formed body, has been involved.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A method, an apparatus and a system for filtering data of a web page are described. According to embodiments of the invention, a data request message sent through a browser is received, a corresponding Application Programming Interface is invoked based on the data request message. The Application Programming Interface includes a HOOK function, and the data request message is filtered by using the HOOK function in the Application Programming Interface. Since almost all kinds of browsers may utilize Application Programming Interface(s) for requesting data, the solution has good compatibility, no specific plug-ins need to be developed for various browsers, no post-maintenance is required, the workload of development is small and the implementation is flexible.

A browser is a client program for browsing Internet-based services. The browser may send various requests to an Internet server, which, in response to the requests, sends e.g., hypertext information and various multimedia data to the client. The browser then parses, displays and play, e.g., the hypertext information and the various multimedia data. The browser allows a user to browse various data provided by the Internet, e.g., a web page, a video, etc. During browsing, some unwelcomed advertisements, pop-up advertisements, etc., may be also provided together with the data requested by the user, thereby interfering with normal browsing operation of the user. The user may be annoyed by the unwelcomed webpage advertisements, pop-up advertisements, etc.
At present, the data of the web page is generally filtered by loading a plug-in in the browser, for intercepting e.g., advertisement. However, since different browsers have different characteristics, the same plug-in may not be applicable to various browsers. Therefore, various plug-ins need to be developed for the various browsers.

Method, apparatus and system for filtering data of web page

Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Company Limited


An internal combustion engine includes a valve timing change mechanism that changes the phase of an intake cam, and a lift amount change mechanism that changes lift amount by causing displacement of a control shaft. An electronic control unit performs a coordinated control in which the lift amount change mechanism is operated such that the position of the control shaft that is detected by a position detection sensor becomes the target position, and the valve timing change mechanism is operated according to a control state of the lift amount change mechanism. When a discrepancy between the actual position of the control shaft and the detected position thereof is estimated to be large, coordinated control is forbidden and the valve timing change mechanism is operated based on engine load.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control apparatus for an internal combustion engine that has a variable valve mechanism that varies valve characteristics of an air intake valve and particularly relates to a control apparatus and control method for an internal combustion engine having a lift amount change mechanism and a valve timing change mechanism as variable valve mechanisms.
2. Description of the Related Art
An internal combustion engine equipped with a variable valve mechanism that changes valve characteristics of an air intake valve according to engine operational state is being put into practical use. As this type of variable valve mechanism, a valve timing change mechanism is widely known that changes valve timing of an air intake valve that is opened and closed by a cam shaft by changing a rotation phase of the cam shaft relative to a crank shaft.
In recent years, a lift amount change mechanism has been proposed (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-263015 (JP-A-2001-263015)) that is made capable of continuous change of a maximum lift value and lift time by continuous change of the lift amount of the air intake valve. In this lift amount change mechanism, the lift amount becomes maximum when a movable part becomes positioned at a movable limit position at one side within a specified movable range. Then, by changing a position of the movable part in this movable range, the lift amount of the air intake valve is varied. The control apparatus of an internal combustion engine having this type of lift amount change mechanism detects the present lift amount based on an accumulated movement of the movable part from a base position that is set based on the movable limit position where the lift amount becomes largest.
The internal combustion engine having this type of lift amount change mechanism and the abovementioned valve timing change mechanism changes valve timing according to lift amount of the air intake valve set by the lift amount change mechanism (i.e., performs coordinated control of the lift amount change mechanism and the valve timing change mechanism). By this means, the valve timing and the lift amount of the air intake valve can be finely controlled according to the engine operational state, and improvement of output, fuel consumption, and exhaust properties is possible.
However, the control apparatus of an internal combustion engine having the above type of lift amount change mechanism sometimes becomes unable to recognize the lift amount when a sudden blackout (i.e. a so-called instantaneous interruption) of the electrical power supply occurs due to failed connection of the electrical power line for supplying electrical power to the control apparatus and the like and the accumulated movement of the movable part recorded in memory disappears. Moreover, when the displacement amount of the movable part has changed for some reason during engine stoppage during which electric power is not supplied to the control apparatus and displacement amount of the movable part is not monitored, a discrepancy arises between the lift amount understood by the control apparatus and the actual lift amount.
When a discrepancy arises between the lift amount understood by the control apparatus and the actual lift amount in this manner, and the control apparatus therefore becomes unable to accurately understand the actual lift amount, valve timing set based on the lift amount understood by the control apparatus becomes unsuitable for the engine operational state. This results in instability of the engine operational state, and there is concern that this may cause the occurrence of misfiring, knocking, and the like in some cases.
Specifically, when the valve timing of the air intake valve has been shifted to the advance side in a state where the lift amount of the air intake valve is extremely large as indicated in FIG. 14A, since air intake valve open time IVO becomes early, valve overlap becomes excessively great, and the internal EGR amount increases. This results in an insufficient supply of oxygen for combustion, combustion instability, and a greater risk of misfiring. Moreover, when the valve timing of the air intake valve is shifted to the delay side in a state where the lift amount of the air intake valve is extremely small as indicated in FIG. 14B, the valve open time IVO of the air intake valve is at or after the top dead center, and the valve close time IVC is in the vicinity of the bottom dead center. As a result, negative pressure in the combustion chamber at the valve open time of the air intake valve increases, the flow speed of air introduced to the combustion chamber increases at this time, and the air intake valve is closed and compression is started in the vicinity of the bottom dead center, which result in increase of temperature and pressure within the combustion chamber, and a greater risk of knocking.

Control apparatus and control method for internal combustion engine


An optical device includes a sub-mount 2 mounting first and second semiconductor lasers 1a, 1b and having an onboard part for the semiconductor lasers and an optical-path conversion mirror 7 integrated with each other, and a light receiving element 11 arranged on a light receiving element substrate to have first and second light receiving regions separated from each other by at least one parting line. In the optical device, one light gravity center of an optical spot, which is formed on the light receiving element 11 by homeward flux of light emitted from the first semiconductor laser 1a and reflected by an optical disc 55, and another light gravity center of an optical spot, which is formed on the light receiving element 11 by homeward flux of light emitted from the second semiconductor laser 1b and reflected by the optical disc 55 are together positioned on the parting line.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical device used in an optical pickup for recording and/or reproducing information against optical information recording media, such as optical discs.
2. Description of the Related Arts
In the optical discs as information recording media, conventionally, there are known CD (Compact Disc), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), BD" (Blu-ray Disc) for high density recording and so on. These optical discs are being required with large capacity and high density. With such requirements, it is contemplated that the optical pickup for reproducing and/or recording information from and to these optical discs is provided with a light source of short-wavelength and an improved numerical aperture of an objective lens. In addition, light receiving/emitting elements and optical components constituting an optical pickup are also required to have dimensions and mutual positional relationships of high accuracy.
With a wide variety of applications of optical discs, a recording/reproducing device is also required with improved portability and therefore, the optical pickup is required to satisfy not only high reliability but miniaturization and weight saving. Coping with these requirements, there is provided an optical device that includes, as constituents, a semiconductor laser (or laser unit) forming a light source of the optical pickup, a PDIC (Photo Detector IC) forming a substrate for a light receiving element, a hologram element having optical-path converting and optical-path dividing functions and also lens function and a mirror, all of which are collected to one body for integration. Also in this optical device, with the provision of an optical disc with large capacity and high density, respective components forming the optical pickup are also required to have dimensions and mutual positional relationships of high accuracy and also price-reduction.
In Japanese Patent Publication Laid-open No. 2005-056480, there is proposed an optical device where an optical-path conversion mirror, a sub-mount and a semiconductor laser are mounted in separated components on a PDIC, while the semiconductor laser is united with a light receiving element for integration.
In addition, in Japanese Patent Publication Laid-open No. 2000-196176, there is disclosed an optical device where a light receiving element substrate, an optical-path conversion mirror and a sub-mount are united with each other, while a semiconductor laser is mounted on a PDIC through the intermediary of no sub-mount.


Pulse proteins of reduced astringency are obtained by fractionating pulse protein products which are completely soluble and heat stable in aqueous media at acid pH value of less than about 4.4 into lower molecular weight, less astringent proteins and higher molecular weight, more astringent proteins.

In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/103,528 filed May 9, 2011 (US Patent Publication No. 2011-027497 published Nov. 10, 2011), Ser. No. 13/289,264 filed Nov. 4, 2011 (US Patent Publication No. 2012-0135117 published May 31, 2012), Ser. No. 13/556,357 filed Jul. 24, 2012 (US Patent Publication No. 2013-0189408 published Jul. 25, 2013) and Ser. No. 13/642,003 filed Jan. 7, 2013 (US Patent Publication No. 2013-0129901 published May 23, 2013), assigned to the assignee hereof and the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, there is described the provision of a novel pulse protein product having a protein content of at least about 60 wt % (N×6.25) on a dry weight basis, preferably a pulse protein isolate having a protein content of at least about 90 wt % (N×6.25) d.b. The pulse protein product has a unique combination of properties, namely:                completely soluble in aqueous media at acid pH values of less than about 4.4        heat stable in aqueous media at acid pH values of less than about 4.4        does not require stabilizers or other additives to maintain the protein product in solution        is low in phytic acid        requires no enzymes in the production thereof
This novel pulse protein product is prepared by a method which comprises:                extracting a pulse protein source with an aqueous calcium salt solution, preferably an aqueous calcium chloride solution, to cause solubilization of pulse protein from the protein source and to form an aqueous pulse protein solution,        (b) separating the aqueous pulse protein solution from residual pulse protein source,        (c) optionally diluting the aqueous pulse protein solution,        (d) adjusting the pH of the aqueous pulse protein solution to a pH of about 1.5 to about 4.4, preferably about 2 to about 4, to produce an acidified pulse protein solution,        (e) optionally clarifying the acidified pulse protein solution if it is not already clear,        (f) alternatively from steps (b) to (e), optionally, diluting and then adjusting the pH of the combined aqueous pulse protein solution and residual pulse protein source to a pH of about 1.5 to about 4.4, preferably about 2 to about 4, then separating the acidified, preferably clear, pulse protein solution from residual pulse protein source,        (g) optionally concentrating the aqueous pulse protein solution while maintaining the ionic strength substantially constant by a selective membrane technique,        (h) optionally diafiltering the optionally concentrated pulse protein solution, and        (i) optionally drying the optionally concentrated and optionally diafiltered pulse protein solution.
The pulse protein product preferably is an isolate having a protein content of at least about 90 wt %, preferably at least about 100 wt % (N×6.25) d.b.
In certain acidic beverages, particularly those having a pH at the low end of the acceptable pH range for acidic beverages, the novel pulse protein product tends to induce an undesirable astringent sensation in the mouth.

Production of pulse protein product with reduced astringency


A dimension display device displays the dimension of a machined member to be measured by means of a bar graph. The dimension display device includes a bar graph display part which is composed of a large number of display elements, and a plurality of scale display parts disposed in parallel to the bar graph display part for displaying in a numeric value a scale with respect to the bar graph display part. The plurality of scale display parts are able to shift the numeric value of the scale for display according to different types of members to be measured. That is, if the center value of the tolerance of the member to be measured is set, then the scale display parts shift the numeric value of the scale such that the center value of the tolerance is moved to the center of the bar graph display part, so that the bar graph display part can be used effectively.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dimension display device and, in particular, to a dimension display device which displays on a column gage (which is also referred to as a bar graph gage) whether the dimension of a work machined is within a tolerance set by a design dimension (a difference between the allowable maximum and minimum values of the design dimension).
2. Description of the Related Art
In a bar graph gage according to the prior art, the zero point of the scale thereof is always fixed and displayed in the center of the bar graph and thus, it cannot be moved to any other points. In the prior art bar graph gage, when the values of the tolerances of a member to be measured exist above and below with the zero point as a center, for example, when the values of the tolerances are .+-.a, no problem arises because the tolerances can be displayed equally above and below the zero point of the scale with such zero point as a center. However, the actual values of the tolerances are not always equal plus and minus values relative to the design dimension. That is, they are not always .+-.a. In other words, the tolerance values a, b with respect to the design dimension, in most cases, are different from each other. For example, according to the JIS(Japanese Industrial Standard), in the G7 standard of a hole of 130 mm, one tolerance a thereof is equal to +0.054 and the other tolerance b thereof is equal to +0.014. In FIG. 11, there is shown an explanatory view in which such tolerances are displayed on a column gage. In this figure, when the central point A of the scale is zero and the whole length of the column gage is cut into four equal sections to provide four equally-spaced cutting points B, C, D and E. Then the central point A, [0], displays the design dimension (in this embodiment, 130 mm), [30] at the B point displays a distance [0.030 mm] from the A point, and [60] at the C point displays a distance [0.060 mm] from the A point. Numerals shown on the right side of the column gage are provided for display when the resolution of the column gage is switched.
Here, if the above-mentioned tolerance values a, b are applied to the scale in FIG. 11, then in the scale of the column gage shown left in FIG. 11 there is obtained a tolerance range shown by an arrow line in FIG. 11. In the column gage left-side scale of FIG. 11, there is left only a small display range above the upper tolerance value a, while there can be provided a wide display range below the lower tolerance value b. In view of this, in order to make it possible to provide sufficient display in both directions, the resolution of the column gage must be unavoidably lowered as shown in the right-side scale in FIG. 11. However, in such display, the magnification of the display is lowered with the result that it is difficult to see whether the tolerance values are within the allowed tolerance range.

Digital display device for displaying measuring data


A controller obtains service information, and determines at least one forwarding device based on the service information. The controller generates an instruction list based on the service information and network function information of the at least one forwarding device, where the network function information is used to indicate a network function of the at least one forwarding device, and the instruction list includes a control instruction generated by the controller for the at least one forwarding device. The controller sends the corresponding control instruction in the instruction list to the at least one forwarding device, where the control instruction is used to instruct the at least one forwarding device to perform corresponding processing on a service packet of a service corresponding to the service information.

With development of network technologies, there is an increasing quantity of data service types, and the data service types have different network transmission requirements. How to transmit a transmission packet corresponding to each data service type with high quality is most researched in the field of the network technologies.
Currently, to meet different network transmission requirements of different data service types, a segment routing technology emerges. A controller obtains a network topology and a segment identifier (SID), then calculates a forwarding path of a packet, and transmits, to an ingress node, a group of explicit paths represented by SIDs, that is, a segment routing list (segment list). The ingress node encapsulates the group of explicit paths represented by the SIDs into the packet. Then, each node performs corresponding processing on the packet based on the segment list during segment routing.
However, after the controller generates the group of explicit paths represented by the SIDs for the packet, the ingress node encapsulates the explicit paths into the packet. Because the explicit path is a fixed path for processing the packet and is encapsulated into the packet, packet processing flexibility is relatively low when the packet is processed based on the explicit path.

Packet processing method, controller, and forwarding device


The present disclosure relates generally to the field of medical devices. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a tissue traction device for endoscopic procedures such as tissue dissection. For example, a tissue traction device may include first and second attachment members pivotably attached by first and second swivels to opposite ends of a stretchable traction band comprising a compliant or semi-compliant material.

A component of accurately and efficiently performing an endoscopic tissue resection/dissection procedure is the ability to maintain traction as the boundaries of the target tissue are dissected. Traction systems that are associated with and/or provided by an endoscopic cap tend to obstruct a physician's view of the target tissue and/or interfere with accessory tools extending alongside or through the endoscope. These complications may directly contribute to increased procedure time, complexity and risk of perforation or bleeding.
A variety of advantageous medical outcomes may therefore be realized by the tissue retraction devices and related methods of use of the present disclosure.

Tissue retraction bands and methods of use thereof


Methods and apparatus for resolving incompatible network configurations are described herein. A mobile device having peripheral devices connected thereto receives a request from a peripheral device, determines whether the address configuration protocol associated with the peripheral device is compatible with the network to which the mobile device is connected, and if not compatible, the mobile device translates the address configuration protocol of the peripheral device to one compatible with the network.

1. Field
This application relates generally to communication, and more specifically to techniques for managing IPv6 addresses between incompatible network configurations.
2. Background
In an Internet Protocol (IP) network, a host communicates with another host via a router. In IP terminology, a "node" is a device that implements IP, a "router" is a node that forwards IP packets not explicitly addressed to itself, and a "host" is a node that is not a router. As used herein, "IP" generically refers to all versions of the Internet Protocol. A host may have one or multiple interfaces to a link. In IP terminology, a "link" is a communication facility or medium over which nodes can communicate at a link layer (which is the layer immediately below IP), and an "interface" is a node's attachment to a link. An interface may be viewed as a network communication port. Each interface is associated with one or more IP addresses that uniquely identify that interface.
Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) is a version of Internet Protocol that is slated to replace the widely used Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4). IPv6 resolves some of the key limitations of IPv4. For example, IPv4 utilizes a 32-bit address that was originally thought to provide an ample number of addresses to uniquely identify machines connected to the Internet. However, the explosive growth of the Internet has created a real risk of running out of IPv4 addresses. IPv6 ameliorates this concern by utilizing a 128-bit address.
IPv6 also provides other improvements over IPv4. For example, IPv6 supports "stateless address autoconfiguration", which is a process whereby a host can automatically configure its own IPv6 address(es). Stateless address configuration can avoid the need to manually configure each host before connection to a network, eliminate the need for a dedicated server to administer and assign addresses to hosts on the network, and facilitate renumbering of addresses for hosts on the network.
The stateless address autoconfiguration in IPv6 allows for nodes to generate multiple addresses, such as "privacy addresses," as defined in RFC 3041. Addresses are formed by generating a random Interface ID (IID) and associating it with the network prefix of the current access router. When on a broadcast network it is necessary to validate that there is no other node using the newly generated IID. This procedure is called Duplicate Address Detection (DAD). This process of generating and validating addresses can however differ depending upon the type of network connection present. In broadcast networks utilizing stateless address autoconfiguration, two ICMPv6 (Internet Control Message Protocol version 6) packets are defined to facilitate this process, a neighbor solicitation (NS) and a neighbor advertisement (NA). Utilizing these two messages, the DAD process mentioned previously may be performed for standard IPv6 broadcast links. These messages are however insufficient, when connecting devices using incompatible network configurations.
Often external devices rely on mobiles for their network connectivity. Unfortunately there can be issues associated with interfacing some devices with networks that support different address configuration protocols. It would be desirable to have a method for addressing incompatible network configurations.

Method and apparatus for intertechnology IPv6 address configuration


In one embodiment, transmitting, from a first computing device, a private-home-network-discovery message that comprises a first identifier corresponding to a private-home-networking system, receiving, at the first computing device, one or more content-response messages from a second computing device that collectively comprise a second identifier corresponding to the second computing device, a third identifier corresponding to the private-home-networking system, and information corresponding to content stored on the second computing device, and storing, at the first computing device, the second and third identifiers and the information received in the one or more content response messages for access by one or more applications hosted on the first computing device, one of the applications being associated with administering the private-home-networking system.

As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to these users is an information handling system. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may vary with respect to the type of information handled; the methods for handling the information; the methods for processing, storing or communicating the information; the amount of information processed, stored, or communicated; and the speed and efficiency with which the information is processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include or comprise a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
The information handling system may include one or more operating systems. An operating system serves many functions, such as controlling access to hardware resources and controlling the execution of application software. Operating systems also provide resources and services to support application software. These resources and services may include a file system, a centralized configuration database (such as the registry found in Microsoft Windows operating systems), a directory service, a graphical user interface, a networking stack, device drivers, and device management software. In some instances, services may be provided by other application software running on the information handling system, such as a database server.
Some information handling systems are designed to interact with other information handling systems over a computer network connection. In particular, certain information handling systems may be designed to monitor, configure, and adjust the features, functionality, and software of other information handling systems by communicating with those information handling systems over a network connection. For example, one information handling system might be configured to manage the installation and updating of software on several other information handling systems.
In the context of the present disclosure, the term "network appliance" may refer to any device, such as an information handling system, which may include a combination of hardware, firmware, and/or software, that is capable of performing a set of operations or functions in connection with or over a computer network. The actual set of operations or functions a specific network appliance is capable of performing often depends on the hardware, firmware, and/or software included in that appliance. In the very least, however, a network appliance should be capable of being connected to a computer network.
Today, many consumer households are using multiple systems to purchase, store, and share their digital media. It is not uncommon to find multiple music players and music stores in use by different family members of the same household. For example, one family member may use iTunes® to purchase and listen to music while another family member may use Amazon.com®. The same may be said for all types of content, such as games, pictures, eBooks, movies, and television shows. Not only is it difficult for users to keep track of their digital media across the many devices that they use, it is also not easy for a user to view, play, or share their digital media across these devices.
There are continuous efforts to improve the quality of the content management across various computing devices connected over a network. Developers strive to improve content management by reducing processing time and increasing network efficiency.


A retrofit folded towel dispensing module for use with a wall mounted, folded towel dispenser designed to dispense a folded towel having a predetermined footprint, the folded towel dispensing module enabling the dispenser to dispense folded towels having a different footprint. The module has a frame including a top member, a pair of extensible side members attached to the top member, and a dispensing platform having a dispensing orifice therethrough. The dispensing platform is pivotally attached to the extensible side members. The frame supports a stack of folded towels within the wall mounted, folded towel dispenser. The extensible side members allow the frame to be vertically adjustable within the wall mounted, folded towel dispenser to accommodate differing stack heights of a plurality of different wall mounted, folded towel dispensers.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to folded towel dispensers, and more particularly to retrofit module inserts for existing folded towel dispensers to allow such dispensers to dispense folded towels of different footprints.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
There are a variety of folded towel dispensers known in the prior art. It is typical of such dispensers that they are designed to dispense stacks of folded towels having a particular footprint, the footprint being the planar width and the depth of an individual folded towel in its folded configuration. Many of the existing folded towel dispensers are designed to dispense a particular fold configuration, such as C-fold or interleaved Z-fold. Further, existing towel dispensers are designed to accommodate different maximum stack heights.
There are also varieties of paper towel dispensers which have been designed to dispense more than one type of towel. This is desirable for a number of reasons, one being that it enables towel users to have greater flexibility in purchasing from different companies having different towel products to obtain a more competitive price. One such dispenser is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,341,067 to Bastian. That particular dispenser is capable of dispensing both C-fold and multi-fold towels without the necessity of any dispenser-converting members or interchangeable parts. In particular, such dispenser includes a dispensing platform having a stepped shelf adapted to receive folded towels having two different footprints. The width of each towel would be the same and only the depth would vary.
Also known in the prior art are adapter plates and devices designed to be used in conjunction with existing folded towel cabinets to assist in the dispensing of towels therefrom. In some instances, these adapter plates and devices are intended to allow the dispenser to dispense various types of towels and fold configurations. One such adapter plate is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,115,998 to Joyce, et al. In that particular adapter plate system, the adapter plate is pivotally supported. There is a towel pack holder which first must be mounted within the dispenser. The adapter plate is then supported from the towel pack holder by means of a hook configuration. This allows the adapter plate to be placed in two different positions, one of the positions accommodating the dispensing of single-fold towel packs and roll towel packs, and a second position accommodating the dispensing of multi-fold towel packs.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,028,047 to Tuft teaches another dispenser which is adapted to dispense a plurality of folded sheets of various fold configurations. This is accomplished through the provision of a plurality of bottom adapter members for a dispenser receptacle which are interchangeable with one another and which are removably engagable with a swing mounted receptacle bin in the dispenser.
Typically, the adapters in the retrofit devices of the prior art are designed such that they are intended for installation into a specific dispenser. The ability to use a particular adapter or retrofit device in a dispenser for which it was not specifically designed is generally left to chance. It is also typical that some towel dispensing cabinets are designed to be recessed into bathroom walls. There are a number of cabinet manufacturers, and it is practice of such cabinet manufacturers to produce a wide variety of cabinets in varying heights, widths and depths. As there is no industry standard for cabinet manufacturers to follow, there are differences between cabinets of different manufacturers. Further, there may even be differences within the same model dispenser from one manufacturer. None of the prior art adapter devices allows for an adjustable stack height such that the adapter device is designed to fit in a plurality of towel cabinets without altering the physical profile of the original cabinet, and further, without any appreciable loss of stack height capacity.


A driver assistance system uses a wireless authentication functionality to perform authentication using key information through wireless communication between a portable terminal that obtains the key information required to operate a vehicle through network communication and an authentication device arranged in the vehicle. The authentication device actuates the vehicle through an electronic key system of the vehicle when the authentication is accomplished. A determination unit of the driver assistance system receives operation information based on a vehicle operation performed by a driver who is driving the vehicle, performs an abnormality determination that checks whether the vehicle operation is abnormal from the operation information, and performs a predetermined action when the vehicle operation is determined as being abnormal. The determination unit uses the wireless authentication functionality to execute at least part of a series of processes of the abnormality determination and the predetermined action.

A known driver assistance system monitors the state of a driver who is driving the vehicle and assists the driver in accordance with the state of the driver. Patent Document 1 discloses technology that is used to assist a driver when the alertness of the driver declines. The driver assistance system monitors vehicle operations performed by the driver to detect a decline in the alertness of the driver.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2014-44707

Driver assistance system and driver assistance method

KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOKAI RIKA DENKI SEISAKUSHO


A garage door operator has a microcomputer based control which is programmed to measure door position from full open position by counting motor revolutions and to determine motor speed and deceleration for each revolution. The program learns the open and closed position limits as well as force sensitivity limits for up and down operation with minimal user input. During normal door operation the closed limit and the sensitivity limits are adaptively adjusted to accommodate changes in conditions. The lowest up and down motor speeds in each operation are stored for comparison with motor speeds in the next like operation for obstruction detection. Motor deceleration is also monitored for obstruction detection. For a more sensitive obstruction detection during closing, the motor speed is mapped for each revolution for the last several inches of closing. The map is stored after each successful closing operation and the corresponding speeds in the next closing are compared point-by point with the mapped speeds to detect slow down due to touching an obstruction.

It is known to provide garage door openers or operators with upper and lower position limits, and with sensitivity or torque limits. Generally manual adjustment or selection is provided to allow the user or the installer of the door operator to set position limits which coincide with the fully open and fully closed positions of the door, and to set sensitivity limits which permit sufficient torque to move the door throughout its complete range in both opening and closing direction, but not enough torque to damage the door. A given model of operator may be intended for use on light doors, which might be damaged by too much torque, as well as heavy doors. It is important to match the operator to the door by the sensitivity setting to achieve proper operation and no damage due to the door.
The sensitivity setting and the position limits are also used in obstruction detection for stopping the door to prevent damage to the obstruction. By using the maximum sensitivity which is consistent with proper door operation the damage to an obstruction can be minimized. It is a requirement that an obstruction detection feature be utilized during door movement except in the last inch prior to the closed position. Thus the closed position limit is useful in identifying the door position above which obstruction detection is armed.
It is also known, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,433 to Schindler, to use a microprocessor control for a garage door operator and to use that control to establish limits by a learning method. That is, by manipulating switch inputs to the controller, the installer or user can place the control in a program mode and run through a door operation procedure which causes the controller to determine the position limits and up and down force limits. The position limits are constant values throughout operation of the opener. If any changes of position limits are required, they are accomplished by repeating the program or learn mode. The force limits have an offset in addition to the learned force which is large enough to accommodate changes in force due to temperature or other variations. Each of the up and down force limits is a single value which is applied over the travel range of the door, irrespective of local force requirement at particular door positions.
The practice of setting force limits with offsets large enough to anticipate changing conditions results in low sensitivity to the detection of obstructions. It is preferred that such an offset be small to attain high sensitivity. Thus another method of accommodating changes in door opening and closing force is desired. The effective floor position may change as a result of heaving due to frost or by a build-up of ice on the floor, for example. It is thus desirable to automatically change the closed limit position to reflect the actual end of door travel, and to accomplish such a change in limit without manually entering the program mode.
It is also desirable to provide a high sensitivity range at the lower portion of door closing travel. This lower range of travel is the most likely place to encounter obstructions, especially small children and toys, and a higher sensitivity in that region will minimize the risk of harmful impact.

Door opener control with adaptive limits and method therefor


A liquid fuel pressurization and control system is disclosed which utilizes either a helical flow pump, or a helical flow pump followed by a gear pump, to pressurize liquid fuel to precisely the pressure level required by a turbogenerator's combustor injectors. This eliminates the need to overpressurize the fuel then regulate the fuel pressure down using a flow control valve or a pressure control valve. The shaft torque and shaft speed of the pump are controlled by the turbogenerator's power controller so as to assure that the turbogenerator's speed is precisely controlled (e.g. within ten (10) rpm out of one hundred thousand (100,000) rpm), and that its turbine exhaust temperature is precisely controlled (e.g. within two (2) degrees Fahrenheit out of twelve hundred (1200) degrees Fahrenheit) over the full range of turbogenerator electrical output power. The system also provides cool, high pressure air to assist atomization of the liquid fuel in the injectors utilizing a variable speed helical flow compressor. The system also adjusts the relative fuel flow through the multiple fuel injectors to aid flame stability at low turbogenerator speeds and low output power levels.

In a turbogenerator generating electricity and operating on a liquid fuel, it is necessary to increase the pressure of and atomize or vaporize the liquid fuel to be provided to the turbogenerator combustor. In addition, it is also desirable to increase the pressure of some of the turbogenerator compressor discharge air which is nominally supplied to the turbogenerator combustor and use this additionally compressed air to assist liquid fuel atomization in special fuel/air injectors used in the combustor. In order to have complete combustion, without the generation of undesirable combustion products such as COx and NOx, it is critical that the liquid fuel be completely atomized or vaporized when it enters the turbogenerator combustor. Further, if not fully atomized, the liquid fuel can leave varnish on any metal surfaces that it comes into contact with. The increased pressure liquid fuel and the increased pressure turbogenerator compressor discharge air (air assist air) can work together to accomplish complete atomization.
In addition, if the liquid fuel is at too high a temperature, the fuel injectors which deliver the liquid fuel to the turbogenerator can become vapor locked which will disrupt the continued flow of the liquid fuel to the combustor. It is, therefore, essential that the temperature of the liquid fuel be maintained below the temperature at which vapor lock can occur. Means to cool the liquid fuel may be required.
In a conventional turbogenerator operating on a liquid fuel, the speed of the turbogenerator is normally controlled by the interaction of liquid fuel flow rate and the load of the turbogenerator electrical output. Besides requiring a separate liquid fuel control and/or metering valve to regulate the liquid fuel flow rate, such a system requires a turbogenerator speed sensor, requires a turbogenerator turbine exhaust temperature sensor, is dependent upon turbogenerator load, would not be self-damping, and has certain inherent instabilities.
Further, in the operation of a turbogenerator, it has been difficult to sustain low power output operation. Inherently, the turbogenerator is designed for a continuous, steady-state, full power operation. When a low power output is required to be sustained, the fuel system does not inherently have the capability to adequately deal with this type of operation without some special measures being taken.
A new type of fuel pump and a new type of compressor to supply air assistance for fuel/air injectors appears to be warranted. Centrifugal pumps and compressors are potential candidates for both liquid fuel pressurization and control and for air compression used for fuel/air atomizing injectors. However, centrifugal pumps and compressors operate best (with high efficiencies) when they have a high throughput flow rate and a low pressure rise relative to their tip speed. These operating conditions are characterized as high specific-speed conditions. Under these conditions, a centrifugal compressor can operate with an efficiency on the order of seventy-eight percent (78%). But the flow rate and pressure rise requirements for fuel pressurization and air assist compression for the liquid fuel pressurization and control system are for low specific-speed compressors (low throughput flow rate and high pressure rise relative to the compressor's tip speed). A centrifugal pump and compressor operating under these conditions would have an efficiency of less than twenty percent (20%). Under these conditions it would require a very large number of centrifugal compressors in series (e.g. ten (10)) to produce the same pressure rise for a given tip speed as could one (1) helical flow compressor.
A helical flow compressor is a high-speed rotating machine that accomplishes compression by imparting a velocity head to each fluid particle as it passes through the machine's impeller blades and then converting that velocity head into a pressure head in a stator channel that functions as a vaneless diffuser. While in this respect a helical flow compressor has some characteristics in common with a centrifugal compressor, the primary flow in a helical flow compressor is peripheral and asymmetrical, while in a centrifugal compressor, the primary flow is radial and symmetrical. The fluid particles passing through a helical flow compressor travel around the periphery of the helical flow compressor impeller within a generally horseshoe shaped stator channel. Within this channel, the fluid particles travel along helical streamlines, the centerline of the helix coinciding with the center of the curved stator channel. This flow pattern causes each fluid particle to pass through the impeller blades or buckets many times while the fluid particles are traveling through the helical flow compressor, each time acquiring kinetic energy. After each pass through the impeller blades, the fluid particles reenter the adjacent stator channel where they convert their kinetic energy into potential energy and a resulting peripheral pressure gradient in the stator channel. The multiple passes through the impeller blades (regenerative flow pattern) allows a helical flow compressor to produce discharge heads of up to fifteen (15) times those produced by a centrifugal compressor operating at equal tip speeds. A helical flow compressor operating at low specific-speed and at its best flow can have efficiencies of about fifty-five percent (55%) with curved blades and can have efficiencies of about thirty-eight percent (38%) with straight radial blades.
A helical flow pump has the same basic design as a helical flow compressor.
Among the advantages of a helical flow pump or compressor or a helical flow turbine are:
(a) simple, reliable design with only one rotating assembly;
(b) stable, surge-free operation over a wide range of operating conditions (i.e. from fill flow to no flow);
(c) long life (e.g., 40,000 hours) limited mainly by their bearings;
(d) freedom from wear product and oil contamination since there are no rubbing or lubricated surfaces utilized;
(e) fewer stages required when compared to a centrifugal compressor; and
(f) higher operating efficiencies when compared to a very low specific-speed (high head pressure, low impeller speed, low flow) centrifugal compressor.
The flow in a helical flow pump or compressor can be visualized as two fluid streams which first merge and then divide as they pass through the pump or compressor. One fluid stream travels within the impeller buckets and endlessly circles the pump or compressor. The second fluid stream enters the pump or compressor radially through the inlet port and then moves into the horseshoe shaped stator channel which is adjacent to the impeller buckets. Here the fluids in the two streams merge and mix. The stator channel and impeller bucket streams continue to exchange fluid while the stator channel fluid stream is drawn around the pump or compressor by the impeller motion. When the stator channel fluid stream has traveled around most of the compressor periphery, its further circular travel is blocked by the stripper plate. The stator channel fluid stream then turns radially outward and exits from the compressor through the discharge port. The remaining impeller bucket fluid stream passes through the stripper plate within the buckets and merges with the fluid just entering the compressor/turbine.
The fluid in the impeller buckets of a helical flow pump or compressor travels around the compressor at a peripheral velocity which is essentially equal to the impeller blade velocity. It thus experiences a strong centrifugal force which tends to drive it radially outward, out of the buckets. The fluid in the adjacent stator channel travels at an average peripheral velocity of between five (5) and eighty (80) percent of the impeller blade velocity, depending upon the pump or compressor discharge flow. It thus experiences a centrifugal force which is much less than that experienced by the fluid in the impeller buckets. Since these two centrifugal forces oppose each other and are unequal, the fluid occupying the impeller buckets and the stator channel is driven into a circulating or regenerative flow, The fluid in the impeller buckets is driven radially outward and "upward" into the stator channel. The fluid in the stator channel is displaced and forced radially inward and "downward" into the impeller bucket.
While the fluid in either a helical flow pump or compressor is traveling regeneratively, it is also traveling peripherally around the stator-impeller channel. Thus, each fluid particle passing through a helical flow pump or compressor travels along a helical streamline, the centerline of the helix coinciding with the center of the generally horseshoe shaped stator-impeller channel.

Liquid fuel pressurization and control method