A method for controlling a compressor of a turbocharger is disclosed. In one example, the method comprises varying a maximum permitted compressor outlet temperature based upon a function of compressor outlet temperature and operating time, and controlling the operation of the compressor so that the maximum permitted compressor outlet temperature is not exceeded. In this way a higher boost pressure can safely be used during the early life of the compressor but excessive coking of the compressor with a resultant loss of efficiency later in the life of the compressor is reduced.

It is known to use an exhaust driven turbocharger or supercharger to improve the torque and emission performance of a diesel engine. For highly boosted diesel engines, both supercharged and turbocharged, the outlet temperature (Tcomp_out) of a compressor of such a booster is often the limiting factor in determining the maximum permitted boost level. There are a number of factors that determine the limit Tcomp_out, such as the material used to manufacture the intake manifold of the engine, but often the lowest of these factors is related to compressor coking caused by engine blow-by gases passing through the compressor at high temperatures. Coking progressively reduces compressor efficiency leading to higher intake temperatures, increased pumping losses and higher turbocharger speeds.
Therefore it is known that, in order to prevent such coking, the maximum permitted Tcomp_out and hence boost pressure and maximum power is restricted below a level that could be achieved and Tcomp_out is becoming the constraint on maximum power and torque deliverable by the engine.
For example, JP2005/180362 discloses a method and apparatus in which an electronic control unit performs a program including a step of detecting discharged air temperature TC, a step of judging whether or not the discharged air temperature TC is higher than a predetermined temperature TC(1) and a step of lowering the discharged air temperature TC by reducing supercharging pressure when the discharged air temperature TC is higher than the predetermined temperature TC(1). The predetermined temperature TC(1) is a temperature lower than a temperature at which coking occurs in the turbocharger.
It is a disadvantage of such a method of control that, for the majority of passenger car users, the proportion of time spent operating at conditions where the maximum permitted compressor outlet temperature is relevant is very small. This is because the maximum permitted compressor outlet temperature Tcomp_out_limit is typically only relevant when operating the engine close to the maximum rated power of the engine at warm ambient temperatures. Therefore for these users a fixed Tcomp_out_limit is an unnecessary restraint on the available performance of the engine.
The inventors have recognized the issues with the above approach and herein offer a method to at least partly address them. In one embodiment, a method for controlling operation of a compressor arranged to supply boosted air to an engine comprises varying a maximum permitted compressor outlet temperature based upon a function of compressor outlet temperature and operating time, and controlling the operation of the compressor so that the maximum permitted compressor outlet temperature is not exceeded.
In one example, the maximum permitted compressor outlet temperature may be based on the amount of time the compressor has been operated at various temperatures above a threshold. Thus, the temperature the compressor may operate at is not restricted solely on a preset maximum temperature but instead fluctuates throughout the life of the compressor, in order to maximize the time the compressor may spend at relatively high operating temperatures, thus maximizing boost pressure and increasing engine efficiency.
The above advantages and other advantages, and features of the present description will be readily apparent from the following Detailed Description when taken alone or in connection with the accompanying drawings.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.

Method for controlling the operation of a compressor


A process for dry etching a silicon substrate, in which a mask exposing a region of the surface of the silicon substrate is formed, and the exposed region is dry etched. The dry etching is performed with a gas mixture including chlorine or a chlorine-containing gas, an oxygen-containing gas, and a fluorine-containing gas in which a ratio of a flow rate of oxygen gas to a flow rate of chlorine gas, O.sub.2 /Cl.sub.2, is selected to be from 0.6 to 3. The gas mixture may also contain a fluorine-containing gas and helium. Preferably, the gas mixture excludes carbon-containing gases. The dry etching process allows for an increased etch rate, as well as a high etch selectivity compared to that of SiO.sub.2 gas. The trench formed in the substrate by this process can be made of a larger depth with high reproducibility and good configuration. The sidewall profile angle of the trench is maintained slightly tapered, with a sidewall profile angle of approximately 90 degrees. Also, by mixing HBr gas into the gas mixture, it is possible to better control the formation of the trench. Thus, this process makes it possible to form, in a silicon substrate, a regularly configured and very deep trench with high accuracy and high etch rate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for forming in a silicon (Si) substrate a trench structure or deep-hole structure by dry etching. Particularly, the present invention relates to a technique which is useful when utilized in a field of manufacturing a product such as a Bi-CMOS semiconductor device having an isolation trench, a MOS capacitor device and so on that is made using Si material.
2. Related Arts
Conventionally, it is known to form a deep groove, i.e., trench, in a semiconductor device in order to perform insulation and isolation between elements. That is to say, each element formed on a silicon substrate is caused to be surrounded by a trench structure filled with a dielectric such as silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2) or polysilicon surrounded with SiO.sub.2, thereby being isolated from other elements. Herein, trench etching performed is a technique for selectively etching in only the depthwise direction to thereby form a trench structure or deep-hole structure having a high aspect ratio. In order to form these structures in the manufacturing process, it is required that the etch selectivity against a silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2) film which is a masking material be high, that the etch rate be uniform, and that the anisotropy of the etch be high.
As the above-mentioned trench etching technique there is known a dry etching technique which is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. HEI-6-163478. The dry etching technique described therein uses as an etching gas a mixed gas of bromine-containing gas (hereinafter referred to as "Br system gas"), oxygen-containing gas (hereinafter referred to as "O.sub.2 system gas"), silicon tetrafluoride (SiF.sub.4), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF.sub.6) or nitrogen trifluoride (NF.sub.3).
However, in the above-mentioned dry etching technique, there is the problem that the etch rate is low although the requirements of high anisotropy and high etch selectivity against SiO.sub.2 mask are satisfied.


A polyamide resin composition comprising: (a) 100 parts by weight of a polyamide; (b) from about 1 part to about 80 parts by weight of an aromatic polyamide fiber; (c) from about 3 parts to about 80 parts by weight of a polytetrafluoroethylene; and (d) from about 1 part to about 20 parts by weight of high-density polyethylene is disclosed. The polyamide resin composition can be molded into sliding members, like bearings, bushings and slide rails, that demonstrate excellent mechanical and physical properties, like low frictional force, low self-abrasion, and low abrasion to metals.

Polyamides have been employed as a useful resin for a considerable time. In particular, polytetramethyleneadipamide, hereinafter referred to as nylon 46, is a useful polyamide that demonstrates heat resistance, toughness and chemical resistance. These properties are important in compounds used as structural materials. Since nylon 46 also exhibits good self-lubricity in comparison to other resins, nylon 46 can be used in sliding members such as bearings, gears, and other mechanical parts requiring high abrasion resistance.
Recently, plastic sliding members have been used extensively in bearings that are severely abraded; in non-lubricated systems under heavy load; in bushings used at elevated temperatures; or in sliding members having a small wall thickness. The performance tolerances of plastic sliding members operating under such conditions have become more stringent.
In general, in applying a plastic to sliding members such as bearings, it is desirable to select a plastic that possesses suitable mechanical properties, such as rigidity, creep resistance, and resistance to heat at deformation temperatures and at continuous operating temperatures. In addition, the plastic should possess suitable sliding properties, such as a low dynamic friction coefficient, a high critical pressure velocity a small abrasion loss and a low tendency to abrade a metal in frictional contact with the plastic.
A polyamide resin, and in particular, nylon 46, demonstrates excellent mechanical properties and excellent heat resistance. However, nylon 46 has not demonstrated the suitable sliding properties, such as low friction and high abrasion resistance, that are required in sliding members. Therefore, in order to improve sliding properties of a polyamide resin, like nylon 46 for example, Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 62-185747 proposed a method of adding polytetrafluoroethylene and potassium titanate to nylon 46.
However, as equipment performance requirements have increased, downsizing and reduction in wall thickness of the sliding members also have increased. In particular, the demand for thin-walled sliding members has increased. Nylon 46 can exhibit improved sliding properties by the above-mentioned polytetrafluoroethylene and potassium titanate treatment, but the resin nevertheless exhibits poor fluidity in the molten state compared to other polyamides. Fluidity in the molten state is important because fluidity helps allow the downsizing and the wall-thickness reduction of the sliding member. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a polyamide resin composition that demonstrates excellent mechanical properties, and that also demonstrates a sufficient fluidity in the molten state.
In general, previous methods for imparting fluidity to the molten resin included adding a hydrocarbon, like a paraffin or a polyethylene wax; a metallic soap, like calcium stearate or lead stearate; a long-chain carboxylic acid, like stearic acid; an amide compound, like amidopalmitic acid or ethylenebisstearylamide; an ester compound like stearic acid monoglyceride or cetyl palmitate; an alcohol, like mannitol or stearyl alcohol; or a polymer, like a polyethylene, a polypropylene or a polyethylene oxide.
However, the addition of a low molecular weight compound, such as a hydrocarbon, a metallic soap, a long-chain carboxylic acid, an amide compound, an ester compound or an alcohol, adversely affects the surface appearance and mechanical properties of the polyamide. The addition of a polymer, such as polyethylene or polypropylene, leads to a phase separation due to a poor compatability between the polymer and the polyamide, and also adversely affects the mechanical properties and heat resistance of the polyamide. Furthermore, because the thermal decomposition temperature of polyethylene oxide is about 200.degree. C., polyethylene oxide cannot be added to a polyamide having a molding temperature of about 200.degree. C. or greater.

Low friction polyamide, polyethylene, P.T.F.E. resin


In a general aspect, a method of treating urinary incontinence can include slidably interfitting a first push tube into a first dilator tube disposed at an end of a sling assembly and slidably interfitting the first push tube onto an end of a shaft of a delivery device. The method can also include inserting the shaft transvaginally through a vaginal wall and removing the shaft to implant a portion of the sling assembly in periurethral tissue. The method can also include slidably interfitting a second push tube into a second dilator tube disposed at a second end of the sling assembly and slidably interfitting the second push tube onto the end of the shaft. The method can still further include inserting the shaft transvaginally through the vaginal wall and removing the shaft from the patient to implant a second portion of the sling assembly in periurethral tissue.

Anatomical tissues may become weakened or damaged by age, injury, or disease. This decrease in the structural integrity of anatomical tissues may have significant medical consequences. Even in the absence of tissue necrosis, weakening of an anatomical structure may impair one or more of the biological functions of the tissue. To help alleviate this impact on biological function, implantable, supportive slings have been developed. These slings can be implanted into a patient to provide support for the weakened or damaged tissue. The support provided by the sling mimics the natural position and structure of the tissue, and thereby helps decrease or eliminate impairment of biological function resulting from tissue weakening or damage. Although supportive slings have been used in numerous contexts to address the weakening of a variety of anatomical tissues, they have proven particularly useful for decreasing urinary incontinence resulting from weakening or damage to urethral, periurethral and/or bladder tissue.
Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) affects primarily women, but also men, and is generally caused by two conditions, intrinsic sphincter deficiency (ISD) and hypermobility. These conditions may occur independently or in combination. In ISD, the urinary sphincter valve, located within the urethra, fails to close properly (coapt), causing urine to leak out of the urethra during stressful activity. Hypermobility is a condition in which the pelvis floor is distended, weakened, or damaged, causing the bladder neck and proximal urethra to rotate and descend in response to increases in intra-abdominal pressure (e.g., due to sneezing, coughing, straining, etc.). As a result, the patient's response time becomes insufficient to promote urethral closure and, consequently, the patient suffers from urine leakage and/or flow, SUI has a variety of causes including, but not limited to, pregnancy, aging, infection, injury, congenital defect, and disease.
A popular treatment of SUI involves placement of implantable slings under the bladder neck or the mid-urethra to provide a urethral platform. Placement of the sling limits the endopelvis fascia drop. There are various methods for placing the sling. Slings can be affixed and stabilized using traditional bone anchoring approaches, as well as recently developed anchor-less methods. Additionally, a variety of implantation procedures, including various routes of administration, exist. These procedures provide physicians with a range of implantation options. Physicians can readily select amongst the various implantation procedures based on numerous patient-specific factors including, but not limited to, age, gender, overall health, location of tissue defect, the degree of tissue impairment, and the like. Furthermore, physicians can select from amongst numerous sling delivery devices that facilitate sling placement.
Despite the numerous advances in sling design, implantation methodologies, and delivery devices, no single method and/or device is appropriate for every situation. Accordingly, devices, systems, and methods that offer new approaches for sling implantation would be advantageous to the medical community.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Systems and methods employing a push tube for delivering a urethral sling


A pouch construction has a flexible stand-up pouch having first and second opposite panels and a bottom or base gusset. The flexible pouch has a seal perimeter surrounding an open interior. In a portion of the seal perimeter, there is provided a peel seal region. The flexible pouch construction has an unsealed region, along a perimeter edge, spaced from the interior of the pouch by the peel seal region. As a result, in the unsealed region, the pouch panels can be spread apart allowing a straw or similar member to be pushed between the panels, in the region of the peel seal, to open the pouch for access to a drink contained inside. Methods of constructing such arrangements, and preferred pouch blanks that can be filled to form such arrangements are described.

The present invention relates to flexible pouch constructions. The invention particularly concerns bottom gusseted pouch constructions arranged to: receive and contain fluids; and, to stand up when filled with fluids. Specifically of concern is providing preferred methods and features to facilitate dispensing of drinking fluids from pouch constructions.
Stand-up flexible pouch constructions containing drinking fluids, i.e. juices etc., have become popular consumer items, and a variety of such constructions are known. One type is a pouch construction sold under the trade designation Capri Sun and containing fruit drink. The Capri Sun products, and similar constructions, generally are pouches that comprise flexible front and back panels, sometimes with a flexible bottom or base gusset. In one of the panels, there is typically provided an aperture covered by frangible membrane. In use, one punches a sharpened straw through the aperture and into the pouch. The liquid is then dispensed through the straw to the drinker.
Pouch constructions which are used in this way are described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,873,656; 5,997,177 and 5,425,583, the complete disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
A second type of pouch construction for dispensing fluids such as drinks is described in U.S. utility patent application Ser. No. 09/661,643, filed Sep. 13, 2000 assigned to the Assignee of the present application, Kapak Corporation of Minneapolis, Minn. In this type of arrangement, a protuberance or tab is provided on the pouch, which can be torn off to allow access to the contained liquids. When used with a contained drink, typically one either tears off the tab to open a hole between the panels and drinks directly from the package; or, after the tab is torn off, inserts a drinking straw through the open hole. In U.S. design application Design Pat. No. 29/136,872 filed Feb. 8, 2001, also owned by Kapak Corporation, an arrangement using the principles of U.S. Ser. No. 09/661,643 is depicted. The complete disclosures of U.S. Ser. No. 09/661,643 and 29/136,872 are incorporated herein by reference.
A flexible pouch construction is provided. The flexible pouch construction includes first and second opposed panel sections and a bottom or base gusset, secured together to form a stand-up flexible pouch which can be used to contain liquid. The pouch generally has an outer perimeter edge, defined by the two panel sections and the base gusset. In general, a seal arrangement or region is provided along an outer perimeter portion, to secure the two panel pieces and the base gusset together defining a pouch construction open interior surrounded by seal. Preferably, in an upper region of the pouch construction, adjacent an outer or perimeter edge portion between the first and second opposed panel sections, an unsealed perimeter edge region or space is defined. A peel seal region is provided between the unsealed perimeter edge region and the interior volume of the pouch construction. The peel seal region can be forced open, under hand pressure, to obtain access to the interior of the pouch. Preferably, the peel seal is such that it can be opened by forcing a drinking straw between the two panel sections, in the region of the peel seal.
In preferred constructions, the seal material along the outer perimeter region, is configured to define the unsealed perimeter space in the form of a V construction, in some instances specifically a truncated V construction, with an apex region directed toward the pouch construction interior. Such an arrangement is convenient for insertion of a straw. In preferred arrangements, the unsealed V-shaped region projects inwardly from either a top edge of the pouch construction, or from an upper comer.
In selected embodiments, one of the panels, in the area of the unsealed perimeter space, includes an access notch therein, to facilitate manually spreading the panel sections apart in this region, and thus to facilitate opening of the pouch construction.
A preferred method of constructing such an arrangement in a form of a pouch containing liquid, is provided. In addition, preferred methods of using such a construction are provided.

Flexible stand-up pouch constructions for dispensing liquids


A method includes for determining a plurality of fields of a packet associated with a routing of the packet, wherein each field of the plurality of fields includes one or more bits. Arranging the bits of the plurality of fields into a plurality of ordered partitions of a search sequence, the search sequence being associated with a plurality of searches, wherein the searches are based on the bits included in one or more of the ordered partitions. Providing, to a routing table including routing information associated with the routing of the packet, one or more of the ordered partitions of the search sequence, wherein the routing table is structured based on the search sequence. Receiving, based on the plurality of searches, the routing information associated with the routing of the packet from the routing table. Routing the packet based on the routing information.

Networking has become an integral part of communications in today's world. In the transfer of data packets between two or more nodes across one more networks, it is likely that the packet may be received and processed by one or more intermediate devices, such as network routers and/or bridges. These intermediate network devices (and/or nodes) may have a limited amount of bandwidth and/or time to devote to the processing of each packet, as they may need to handle large volumes of packets. This being the case, any additional efficiency that may be introduced in the processing of the packets would be desirable. In example embodiments, a network router may receive a packet and determine how to forward or process the packet based on searching routing information in a database based on information included in the packet. The processing and/or transfer of the packet information from the packet to the database may be one area wherein greater efficiency may be introduced.


The present application discloses an improved wait time optimization system, and corresponding methods and computer-readable media. According to disclosed embodiments, the wait time optimization system generates a customized wait time period for a provider computing device that has arrived at a pickup location associated with a matched transportation request. Upon the expiration of the customized wait time period, the wait time optimization system selectively enables a cancellation option for the provider computing device that enables a user of the provider computing device to cancel the transportation request, thereby releasing the provider computing device for a new transportation request match.

In recent years, the popularity and usage of on-demand transportation matching systems have steadily increased. Indeed, the proliferation of web and mobile applications enable requesting devices to submit transportation requests via on-demand transportation matching systems and identify available provider devices that can provide transportation services from one geographic location to another. However, conventional transportation matching systems suffer from a number of disadvantages with respect to accuracy and efficiency of implementing computing systems.
For example, conventional transportation systems are often inefficient and inflexible, resulting in unnecessary cancellations and corresponding wasted system resources. For example, conventional transportation systems typically allow transportation providers to cancel pending transportation requests before transportation requestors are picked up. To illustrate, within conventional systems, a transportation provider may cancel a transportation request after waiting a static amount of time even when the transportation requestor is nearby and ready or nearly ready for pickup. Such an unnecessary cancellation leads to, among other things, the system having to process an additional transportation request from the requestor and having to match the provider to a new transportation request, not to mention the inconvenience experienced by requestors and providers alike.
The foregoing problems are compounded when transportation providers attempt to fraudulently collect cancellation fees without providing transportation services. As a result, the conventional systems are unable to efficiently position transportation providers. Furthermore, it can lead to a backlog of transportation requests, resulting in higher cancellation rates and slower average arrival times.
Additionally, even in situations where it is obvious that a requestor has no intention of meeting a transportation provider at a pickup location (e.g., if the requestor is moving away from the pickup location), conventional transportation systems still inflexibly require the transportation provider to wait a static amount of time before cancelling the transportation request. This inflexibility again causes results in an inefficient use of system resources and a poor user experience for transportation providers.
These along with additional problems and issues exist with regard to conventional transportation matching systems.

Optimizing provider computing device wait time periods associated with transportation requests


An oral sustained release composition for slightly soluble pharmaceutically active agents comprising a core, a wall around said core, and a bore through said wall connecting said core and the environment outside of said wall; wherein said core comprises a slightly soluble active agent, optionally a crystal habit modifier, at least two osmotic driving agents, at least two different (or two different grades of) hydroxyalkyl celluloses, and optionally lubricants, wetting agents, and carriers; said wall being substantially impermeable to said core components and permeable to water and gastro-intestinal fluids. The composition is most especially adapted for administering carbamazepine.

Oral osmotic systems have been known in the art for some time, being initially developed by Alza Corp. in the late 1970's. Since then there have been a number of variations on the general theme reported in both the patent and scientific literature. Of special significance to the present invention is U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,336 ('336), issued to Khanna on Aug. 15, 1989, which is incorporated in toto herein by reference. This patent discloses carbamazepine oral osmotic systems having a core of carbamazepine, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose as a crystal habit modifier for carbamazepine, mannitol as an osmotic driving agent, two different grades of hydroxyethyl cellulose (in a 1:1 weight ratio) as the core matrix polymers, lubricant and wetting agent; and a semipermeable wall with a bore connecting the core and the outer environment. The present invention is an improvement of the '336 invention with respect to carbamazepine and other slightly soluble agents. While the '336 disclosed examples can be prepared to deliver reasonable carbamazepine amounts over time in the desired fashion, the instant invention possesses a number of distinct advantages.
First, other '336 formulations than that described above require a two step manufacturing process utilizing two organic solvents to prepare the core. From a manufacturing cost and environmental standpoint, it would be highly desirable to reduce the processing steps and avoid the use of organic solvents as much as possible.
Secondly, with those other core formulations, end point detection in the granulation steps is difficult resulting in insufficient or excess solvents being used. Excessive solvent in the granulation results in an unsuitable pasty mass rather than a granulation acceptable for compression into cores.
While Example 4 of '336 has been found to be processable in a single granulation step, avoiding the cost disadvantages, and resulting in reducing the amount of organic solvent use, that formulation does not deliver carbamazepine as desired.

Oral osmotic system for slightly soluble active agents


The invention relates to a fuel feed unit (2) for a motor vehicle, comprising a volume flow reducing valve (13, 14) that is mounted in a pump fluid line (11, 12) leading to a suction jet pump (5, 6). Said volume flow reducing valve (13, 14) reduces the fuel volume flow supplied to the suction jet pump (5, 6) when the feed pressure of the fuel pump (4) increases, thereby avoiding unnecessary feed of fuel to the suction jet pump (5, 6).

The invention relates to a fuel feed unit for feeding fuel from a fuel tank, having a fuel pump drawing in fuel from a swirl pot, a suction jet pump feeding fuel from the fuel tank into the swirl pot, and a pump fluid line led to the suction jet pump from the delivery side of the fuel pump.
Such fuel feed units are commonly used in modern motor vehicles and are known in practice. The suction jet pumps are supplied with fuel by the fuel pump and feed fuel from the fuel tank into a swirl pot of the fuel feed unit, for example. In the known feed units fuel is delivered irrespective of whether fuel is present in the swirl pot.
The suction jet pump, particularly in demand-controlled feed units, in which the delivery capacity of the fuel pump is controlled as a function of the fuel demand of an internal combustion engine of the motor vehicle, is designed in such a way that it delivers sufficient fuel even in the event of a low delivery pressure of the fuel pump. This means, however, that in most operating states the suction jet pump receives an unnecessarily large amount of fuel as pump fluid, which requires the use of an especially high-performance pump unit.
DE 195 04 217 A1 discloses a fuel feed unit having a suction jet pump, in the pump fluid line of which a pressure valve is arranged, downstream of which is a separately arranged restrictor. The function of the pressure valve is to open the pump fluid line only once a specific is attained.
The object of the invention is to develop a fuel feed unit of the aforementioned type so that an unnecessary fuel feed to the suction jet pump is avoided, particularly in demand-controlled feed units.


Provided are methods of providing a portable alpha investment instrument. Some embodiments of such methods include allocating a first portion of a financial asset to a first asset class, allocating a second portion of the financial asset to a second asset class, establishing a swap transaction corresponding to the first portion of the financial asset, the swap transaction configured to define a minimum term corresponding to an asset status change, and transferring the first portion and the second portion of the financial asset responsive to the allocating.

The investment industry has generated a variety of investment solutions for improving returns to investors while reducing potential downside risks. One such solution includes strategies referred to as portable alpha solutions. A portable alpha solution is an investment technique that may combine two independent return streams. One of the return streams may be attributed to some type of market exposure (beta) and one of the return streams may be attributed to investment manager's deliberate exploitation of market inefficiency (alpha). Reference is now made to FIG. 1, which is a flow diagram illustrating conventional operations for providing a portable alpha fund. As illustrated a total portfolio return 14 may include a market return (beta) 10 and an excess return (alpha) 12. In this manner, an investor may realize gains that exceed market return by virtue of an investment manager's skills.
Reference is now made to FIG. 2, which is a flow diagram illustrating transactions corresponding to a conventional portable alpha fund. An investor 20 invests in the portable alpha fund 22. To acquire a beta return stream, the portable alpha fund 22 purchases exposure to a market index from a bank 24 or other financial institution. In exchange for receiving index returns from the bank 24, a portable alpha fund 22 pays the bank 24 an interest rate, such as the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), plus a spread, which may represent a profit source for the bank 24. The exposure to a market index purchased from the bank 24 may be leveraged such that only a fraction of the amount of exposure purchased is required for the purchase. For example, futures contracts and/or options on a market index may be purchased in lieu of or in addition to purchasing shares of an index fund. In this manner, the portable alpha fund 22 acquires a beta return stream. An alpha return stream may be acquired by the portable alpha fund 22 through a purchase of shares in a hedge fund 26. Conventional portable alpha strategies may experience limited effectiveness using conventional approaches.

Methods, systems and computer program products for providing low risk portable alpha investment instruments


The present invention provides a method for microelectronic positioning bioparticles, which utilizes dielectric and non-contact electrical force of cell themselves associated with multi-phase electrical signals to attain uniformity of distribution of the bioparticles and positioning thereof within micro-areas in a cell culture system. The obstacle of system geometrical structure is eliminated so as to simplify the system layout and programmably change cells' positions. The present method is suitable for treating cell array in a large quantity. The present method utilizes electrical control for the cells. The clamping of the cells can be removed at any time. It is very advantageous for collection and redistribution of cell products.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for positioning bioparticles, and more particularly to a method for controlling distribution and positions of the bioparticles with multi-phase electrical signals.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a vessel culture system, cells can obtain fresh nutrient supply from liquid medium; the way to make cells positioning and distribution uniformly becomes a major issue. Referring to FIG. 1, U.S. Pat. No. 6,653,124 discloses a vessel cell culture system. The vessel cell culture system has a plurality of individual arrayed cell culture rooms 1, and each cell culture room 1 has its own nutrient supply micro-channels 11. Although each cell culture room 1 disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,653,124 can control nurturing environment individually, but it still has problems about dead places from sluggish floating medium, unbalanced nutrient supply, and cell deformation from extruding.
Referring to FIG. 2, a method for fixing cells 22 onto a biochip 20 with soft lithography is disclosed by Park T. H., and others, in Biotechnol. Prog. 2003, 19, 243-253. First, a stencil 21 with a micro-hole array structure is placed on the biochip 21. After the cell suspension is fastened in the openings formed of the micro-hole array structure of the stencil 21, the stencil 21 is removed to form a cell micro-array chip. Although the method can precisely position a group of cells in the openings, but can not control the uniformity of distribution of the cells.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,795,457 discloses a way to use dielectrophoresis (DEP) theorem to catch cells. Referring to FIG. 3, AC signals are applied unto adjacent castled electrodes 31, 32, and then under different AC frequencies, two different dielectric cells 35, 36 are caught and separated to different regions. The method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,795,457 uses non-mechanical and non-contact force to position cells, but it can not confirm uniformity of the cell distribution. Furthermore, a method for catching cells with DEP theorem is disclosed by Ozkan M. and others, in Langmuir 2003, 19, 1532-1538. The method adds AC signals to upper and lower electrodes to catch cells and position the cells on electrode array. But this method also can not confirm uniformity of the cell distribution.

Microelectronic positioning for bioparticles

Industrial Technology Research Institute


A system is provided for forming a permanent crimped connection, through which light may be transmitted to and from a fiber-optic cable, by forcibly crimp fitting an adapter for fiber-optic devices, light sources, and light utilization devices, to an end fitting of the fiber-optic cable using a crimping tool. A portion of the end fitting is inserted into an a corresponding passage in the adapter and held in alignment for mating by the crimping tool. When the crimping tool is actuated, a cylindrical outer surface of the end fitting, having a larger diameter than a cylindrical inner surface of the adapter, is pushed into the adapter to create the crimped connection between the end fitting and the adapter.

Fiber-optic cables or fiber bundles are widely used for transmitting light over great distances with negligible loss of light intensity. The flexible nature of fiber-optic cables also allows them, and the light they transmit, to be routed around curves in a serpentine manner allowing full flexibility in medical applications. When attached to a light source on one end and a light utilization device on the other end, the fiber-optic cable is especially useful for permitting inspection within the body for various applications in sites that are otherwise inaccessible.
Light sources for medical use and optical instruments take many forms and are commonly customized for particular applications at a factory, wherein cables of commonly used lengths and diameters are permanently mated to fittings for a particular light source and light utilization device. Widespread utilization of fiber-optic technology has resulted in a proliferation of light sources and light utilization devices. Unless the factory is unusually responsive to consumer demand for customized devices, a product distributor is forced to stock an enormous selection of cables having all of the possible combinations of cable lengths, diameters and attachments. Obviously, this results in an undesirable or prohibitively large inventory.
To more adequately respond to customer needs and to provide greater utility, fiber-optic cables have been fitted with threaded ends and screw-on attachments, or a lug with snap-on/snap-off attachments similar to a socket wrench. Threaded and snap connections, however, have serious drawbacks in medical applications. Specifically, the threads of the screws or snap mechanism get dirty and must therefore be cleaned before mating, or proper connection of an attachment to the cable is precluded and a contamination source is then present. Furthermore, screw-on attachments are susceptible to loosening or separating from the cable unless a locking device is used, and snap connections completely disengage from the cable if pulled too hard. The separability of these ends promotes their loss or removal so that the system becomes inoperative.


A method of forming a fuse region in a semiconductor damascene process in which a specific layer is formed to prevent corrosion and re-connection of a severed part of the fuse region to prevent malfunction. A first conductive layer is formed over a substrate and an interlayer dielectric layer is deposited over the first conductive layer. A second conductive layer is buried in the interlayer dielectric layer by a dual damascene process to simultaneously form an interconnection and a fuse. The resultant structure is coated with a passivation layer. The fuse is cut to form a severed portion. A selective metal layer is deposited over the severed portion.

In general, as the semiconductor industry continuously progresses towards larger scale integrated circuits, the geometrical shape of device is continuously reduced, and circuit density increases to improve performance and reliability.
Because of this, thin layers of copper are used as a material for the metal interconnections in semiconductor devices. A copper wiring layer has a higher melting point than aluminum so that it presents higher resistance against electro-migration (EM), thereby improving the reliability of the semiconductor device. Copper has a low resistivity, allowing an increase the signal transmission speed. For these reasons copper wiring layers are used as interconnections suitable for an integrated circuit.
With closer spacing and higher speeds, parasitic capacitance between interconnections becomes a problem. When parasitic capacitance increases, the product of resistance and capacitance (RC) increases, which determines a time delay in circuit switching. Also, power consumption increases, and noise caused by mutual interference is generated, so that the device may be prevented from operating at high speed. Therefore, an insulating material having a low dielectric constant value (low-k), no more than 3, for example, a porous oxide, is used as an interlayer dielectric layer.
In fabricating interconnections using copper and low-k insulating material, the poor etchability of copper makes a dual damascene process a favorable solution. The dual damascene process has four methodological variations using 0.13 μm design rules, categorized as buried via, via first, trench first, and self aligned processes.
Increasing the speed of CMOS logic devices mainly depends on reducing gate delay time caused by reduction in a gate road. However, the speed of the device depends on RC delays caused by back end of line (BEOL) metallization in highly integrated devices.
In order to reduce the RC delay, low resistivity copper is used to form the metal interconnection (reducing resistance), and the interlayer dielectric layer is formed by using a low-k dielectric material (reducing capacitance), and then dual damascene process is adopted.
FIGS. 1A to 1E are sectional views illustrating a method of forming a related dual damascene pattern.
Referring to FIG. 1A, a first insulating layer 100 and a first conductive layer 102 is formed over a semiconductor substrate (not shown), which has undergone a conventional semiconductor manufacturing process. A second insulating layer 104 is deposited and the resultant structure is coated with a first photoresist 106 for a photolithography process. FSG or P—SiH4 oxide, for example, can be used as the second insulating layer 104.
In FIG. 1B, a first photoresist pattern, that is, a via hole photoresist pattern 106′ is formed over the resultant structure of FIG. 1A through a photolithography process. The second insulating layer 104 is etched using the via hole photoresist pattern 106′ as a mask to form a via hole 108.
Then, in FIG. 1C, after removing the via hole photoresist pattern 106 of FIG. 1B, the resultant structure is coated with a second photoresist (not shown) and a photolithography process is performed on the second photoresist to form a second photoresist pattern 110. Then, the second insulating layer 104 is etched using the second photoresist pattern 110 as a mask to form a trench 112.
In FIG. 1D, the second photoresist pattern 110 patterned over the resultant structure of FIG. 1C is removed and a second conductive layer 114 is deposited over the resultant structure to fill the via hole and the trench 112. Copper, including a barrier metal layer, can be applied as the second conductive layer 114.
Finally, in FIG. 1E, a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process is performed so to planarize the second conductive layer 114, leaving copper only in the via hole 108 and the trench 112 to form a via contact unit 116 and an interconnection unit 118.
According to a related dual damascene process, in order to reduce resistance, a copper interconnection is used. In particular, a low dielectric constant layer and the copper interconnection are combined to improve the performance of the device.
In a related semiconductor device, a repair fuse is provided to repair the interconnection. To keep the process simple, the metal layer used for the interconnection is shared with the fuse.
Therefore, in semiconductor devices that use copper interconnections, the copper may be used for the repair fuse as well as for the interconnection.
In devices where the repair fuse is formed of copper, it is possible to cut the repair fuse using laser light. After the cutting process, in order to test which memory cells are good, a bias voltage is applied to the cut part of the repair fuse.
Since the severed portion of the fuse is then exposed to the air, corrosion may be caused by moisture. The bias voltage and the insulated part caused by cutting can be connected. As a result, a device characteristic degrades so that semiconductor yield degrades.

Method of forming fuse region in semiconductor damascene process


Disclosed is a stabilizer block for stabilizing the position of a lamination book when being compressed between the platens of a lamination press. The stabilizer block includes a slide member that is slidably positioned within an outer housing so that the height of the stabilizer block reduces in response to pressure. A plurality of magnets are positioned within the stabilizer block to secure the stabilizer block to a carrier tray. In use, one or more stabilizer blocks are positioned around the periphery of the lamination book to act as walls that prevent the layers in the lamination book from undesirably moving when the lamination book is being pressed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stabilizer block used in the manufacture of laminated objects. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device used to stabilize the position of layers in a laminate structure when being compressed between the platens of a lamination press.
2. Description of the Related Art
A printed circuit board is an insulated board or panel upon which a plurality of interconnected electronic circuits are mounted. The manufacturing of both single layer and multi-layer circuit boards typically involves using a press to laminate together a plurality of thin layers of material, such as prepreg, copper and/or inner-layer circuit boards, between a pair of metallic plates. Typically, the plurality of layers are stacked atop each other and placed between a pair of protective plates or cauls to form a "lamination book". The lamination book is placed on a carrier tray which is positioned between the platens of a lamination press. The platens are then heated and moved toward one another to compress the lamination book therebetween at a high pressure, such as 100-800 psi.
Unfortunately, the are several difficulties associated with the process of compressing the lamination book within the lamination press. One such difficulty is that the layers in the book tend to move or shift as the platens apply pressure. As heat and pressure are applied, the prepreg melts and becomes less viscous, which often causes the layers to slide relative to one other. Such sliding may undesirably interfere with the correct alignment of the layers of the lamination book relative to the other layers. Additionally, abnormalities in the surfaces of the layers sometimes cause the pressure to be applied unevenly across the surface of the layers. This uneven pressure distribution may build and cause one or more of the layers to dangerously shoot out of the press as pressure is being applied.
In order to avoid such mishaps, the pressure and heat is often increased at a slow and gradual rate to thereby reduce the likelihood of the layers laterally shifting from their desired locations. The slow increase in pressure allows the layers to settle gradually and thus avoid shifting or movement. Unfortunately, a gradual increase in heat and pressure lowers the efficiency of the manufacturing process by increasing the amount of time required to manufacture the laminate structure.
To overcome this problem, some circuit board manufacturers use stabilizer blocks to prevent the layers in the lamination book from shifting during the pressing process. The stabilizer blocks typically comprise a set of blocks having abutment surfaces on one side. The stabilizer blocks are typically positioned on the carrier tray with the abutment surfaces of the blocks positioned around the perimeter of the lamination book to prevent the layers in the book from moving. The blocks are typically mounted with the abutment surface positioned adjacent an edge of the book on pins that are fixedly attached to a set of pin holes in the carrier tray. The coupling of the stabilizer blocks to the pins prevents the stabilizer blocks from moving relative to the carrier tray. However, the pins must be precisely positioned on the carrier tray or else the book may not fit correctly between the blocks once the blocks are mounted to the pins. Moreover, the book must also be precisely positioned relative to the stabilizer blocks. The requirement for such precise positioning of the book reduces manufacturing efficiency. Further, new pin holes may have to be drilled to accommodate different sized books.
Another disadvantage of current stabilizer blocks is that the abutment surfaces of the blocks are generally not configured to compress within the press. The abutment surfaces thus generally have a height that is less than the height of the lamination book so that the stabilizer block will not absorb forces from the platens as they are compressing the book. Because the abutment surface is shorter than the height of the lamination book, there is a likelihood that the uppermost layer in the lamination book might move laterally over the top of the stabilizer block as the book is being compressed.
There is therefore a need for an improved stabilizer block that secures the position of a lamination book during pressing. The stabilizer block should be configured to fit within a press and not interfere with the application of pressure onto the lamination book. Additionally, the stabilizer block should be capable of being easily and quickly positioned on a carrier tray around the perimeter of the lamination book and readily adjustable to accommodate different-sized books.


A pharmaceutical formulation for a PKC modulatory peptide and a transport moiety comprising the aforementioned components and an anti-aggregant.

Protein kinase C ("PKC") is a key enzyme in signal transduction involved in a variety of cellular functions, including cell growth, regulation of gene expression, and ion channel activity. The PKC family of isozymes includes at least 10 different protein kinases that can be divided into at least three subfamilies based on their homology and sensitivity to activators. (See FIG. 1.) Each isozyme includes a number of homologous ("conserved" or "C") domains interspersed with isozyme-unique ("variable" or "V") domains. Members of the "classical" subfamily, α (SEQ ID NO:164), βI (SEQ ID NO:165), βII (SEQ ID NO:166) and γPKC (SEQ ID NO:167), contain four homologous domains (C1, C2, C3 and C4) and require calcium, phosphatidylserine, and diacylglycerol or phorbol esters for activation. Members of the "novel" subfamily, δ(SEQ ID NO:168), ε (SEQ ID NO:169), η (SEQ ID NO:170) and θPKC (SEQ ID NO:171), lack the C2 homologous domain and do not require calcium for activation. Finally, members of the "atypical" subfamily, ζ (SEQ ID NO:173) and λ/ιPKC (SEQ ID NO:172), lack both the C2 and one-half of the C1 homologous domains and are insensitive to diacylglycerol, phorbol esters and calcium.
Individual isozymes of PKC have been implicated in the mechanisms of various disease states, including the following: cancer (alpha and delta PKC); cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure (beta I and beta II PKC) nociception (gamma and epsilon PKC); ischemia including myocardial infarction (delta and epsilon PKC); immune response, particularly T-cell mediated (theta PKC); and fibroblast growth and memory (zeta PKC).


Disclosed is a magnetic contactor. The magnetic contactor includes a frame, a holder, a movable core, a bobbin, a fixed core coupled to a side of the bobbin and configured to absorb the movable core with a magnetic force, an elastic member provided between the holder and the bobbin, a b-contact switch configured to sense a closing completion time of the movable contact by using a mechanical mechanism relationship with the movable core, an electronic circuit part configured to receive a sensing signal from the b-contact switch and limit a current applied to the coil, and a switch manipulation member provided at one end of the movable core and configured to operate the b-contact switch.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a magnetic contactor that prevents an overcurrent from flowing in a coil by using a b-contact switch.
2. Background of the Disclosure
Generally, a magnetic contactor is a device that switches power (a current) flowing in a main circuit by using the electromagnet principle.
In the magnetic contactor, a closing operation is normally performed in only a case where when the magnetic contactor is closed, namely, when a movable contact of main power is moved to and contacts a fixed contact, a transient current flows in a coil, and then, when a closed state is maintained, namely, when a contacted state of the contact is maintained, a normal current flows in the coil. Therefore, the coil is not damaged by the rising of a temperature when the insertion is maintained.
As described above, in order to solve a problem such as a coil being damaged, a b-contact switch included in a product limits a current applied to the coil so that an overcurrent does not flow in the coil in a closing operation of the magnetic contactor.
FIG. 1A is a circuit diagram of an electronic circuit part applied to a magnetic contactor. In the electronic circuit part of the magnetic contactor, a plurality of electronic elements for controlling a current flowing a coil L are mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB).
The electronic circuit part includes a plurality of external power input terminals P1 and P2 which receive external power, a bridge diode B/D which is disposed between the external power input terminals P1 and P2 and the coil L, a b-contact switch SW which is disposed between the external power input terminals P1 and P2 and the bridge diode B/D, and a capacitor C that is connected to both ends of the b-contact switch SW.
In this case, the coil L is provided in a state of being wound around a bobbin that is an internal element of a product. When external power is alternating current (AC) power, the bridge diode B/D converts the AC power into direct current (DC) power.
To describe a flow path of the external power, the magnetic contactor is closed, and when the external power (an external current) is applied through the external power input terminals P1 and P2, the applied external current flows to the coil L through the b-contact switch SW having low impedance to drive the coil L. The b-contact switch SW is switched off simultaneously with the driving of the coil L, and thus, the applied external current flows to the coil L through the capacitor C having high impedance. Therefore, an overcurrent which is applied to the coil L when a closed state of the magnetic contactor is maintained is limited.
FIG. 1B is an exploded assembly view of a b-contact switch and a holder in a lower frame of a prior art magnetic contactor. In FIG. 1B, a holder 20 is movably equipped in an upper frame, and a bobbin is provided in a lower frame 12.
When external power is applied to a coil which is wound around the bobbin, a fixed core is changed to an electromagnet by a magnetic field which is generated around the coil, and thus, a movable core is absorbed into a fixed core by a magnetic force. At this time, the holder 20 coupled to an upper portion of the movable core is lowered, and presses a b-contact switch SW to switch off the b-contact switch SW.
However, in the prior art magnetic contactor, when a size of a product is large, the b-contact switch SW may be disposed at each of left and right sides (sides in a width direction) of the product. However, when a product is miniaturized, a free space in which the b-contact switch SW is provided is sufficient, and for this reason, it is difficult to miniaturize the product. Also, when the b-contact switch SW cannot be disposed at each of left and right sides of a product, it is difficult to implement a normal operation.


An arrangement for detecting quadrature phase errors introduced by a synchronous demodulator between the two quadrature channels, in-phase (I) and quadrature-phase (Q), of a synchronous demodulator, and for correcting for such detected quadrature phase errors without the need for high data sampling rates. During an initial test period, a periodic symmetrical test signal of known frequency is introduced into the synchronous demodulator. During the test period, the output of the synchronous demodulator is integrated over an integer multiple of periods to detect the quadrature phase error introduced by the synchronous demodulator, and an error signal is generated representative of the detected quadrature phase error. During a following period of operation of the synchronous demodulator, the in-phase (I) and quadrature-phase (Q) signals produced by the synchronous demodulator are applied to a quadrature phase error correction network, along with the generated quadrature phase error signal. The quadrature phase error correction network applies the quadrature phase error signal to at least one of the in-phase and quadrature-phase signals to minimize or eliminate the detected quadrature phase error between the in-phase and quadrature-phase signals.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an arrangement for the correction of quadrature phase errors normally introduced by a synchronous demodulator. More particularly, the subject invention pertains to a system and method for determining quadrature phase errors between the two quadrature channels of a synchronous demodulator and provides a digital technique for correcting detected phase errors, without the need for high data sampling rates.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In almost all prior art digital systems which use a synchronous demodulator, quadrature phase errors are introduced by the synchronous demodulator which generates In-Phase (I) and quadrature phase (Q) channel signals. In radar systems, a quadrature phase error is highly undesirable because of doppler processing and adaptive null forming.
In digital systems utilizing a synchronous demodulator, such as pulsed doppler and adaptive processing radar systems, it is desirable that any quadrature phase errors introduced by the synchronous demodulator be corrected. In a doppler radar system, quadrature phase errors can create doppler frequency target sidelobes. In an adaptive processing radar system, quadrature phase errors limit the amount of clutter and jamming interference cancellation which can be achieved. The present invention provides a technique for correcting these quadrature phase errors normally introduced by a synchronous demodulator without the need for high data sampling rates.
In a doppler radar system, a quadrature phase error typically creates a frequency echo that appears as a false target at some doppler frequency other than that of the target. This frequency is a function of the magnitude of the quadrature phase error and the original doppler frequency of the received signal. FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 illustrate this effect for a target having a doppler frequency of 369 Hz for a system having 0.5-deg., 5-deg. and 50-deg. quadrature phase errors, respectively. As can be seen from these Figures, a peak appears at the target frequency (369 Hz) and a high false target also appears at 282 Hz. This false target increases as the magnitude of the quadrature phase error increases. Thus, unless the quadrature phase error is eliminated or maintained at a sufficiently low level, false target reports commonly known as ghosts are generated.
In an adaptive processing radar system, quadrature phase errors can severely degrade system channel match, which limits the amount of clutter and jamming cancellation that can be achieved. Any channel equalization techniques that may be used, such as transversal filters or multi-taps incorporated into the adaptive processing architecture, can only correct the quadrature errors to a very limited degree. FIG. 9 illustrates the small improvement (i.e. 2-3 dB) that can be achieved with a 32 tap transversal filter for two channels mismatched with a 5-deg. quadrature phase error.
Digital sampling techniques, such as those proposed in A DIRECT QUADRATURE SAMPLING APPROACH, D. R. Miedaner et al., Adaptive Technology, Inc., Mar. 29, 1989, and Charles Radar of MIT Lincoln Lab, can be used to create in-phase and quadrature channels that are completely free of synchronous demodulator quadrature phase errors. The publication by Miedaner et al. presents a description of a digital sampling technique that derives quadrature signals directly without using synchronous demodulators. However, these techniques require A/D converters with very high sampling rates. For instance, if a 4 MHz IF bandwidth is used to obtain a 125 ft. range resolution, an A/D converter with a sampling rate of at least 16 MHz is required to eliminate aliasing. In addition, the dynamic range requirements of the radar system calls for an A/D converter with 12-14 bits. With present state of the art technology, 12-14 bits at 16 MHz results in a rather large electronic package, which makes it inappropriate for many applications.
The present invention provides an alternate approach that uses readily available A/D converters (e.g. 12 bits, sampled between 5 and 10 MHz), and consists of a digital correction technique which is able to measure and correct for quadrature phase errors to within 0.01 degrees.

Arrangement for correction of synchronous demodulator quadrature phase errors


Fiber Bragg gratings (FBG) seismic activity sensors coupled in sensor arrays provide increased sensitivity to seismic activities, lower strain values and an absence of EMI allowing detection of troop and vehicle movements based on ground vibrations generating seismic signals. The FBG sensor head features a spring-mass configuration with a head surface, fiber optic cable and the FBG sensor attached to a spring that stretches during the acceleration of the mass. Waves propagating inside the earth and along the ground arriving at the sensor locations cause movement of the seismic activity sensors embedded in the ground and this movement induces an acceleration-dependent change in the FBG gratings placed on the sensors. In multiple sensor configurations, the cable will be connected to the other sensors in the network. FBG sensors, sensor arrays and sensor methods are provided in several embodiments.

Troop and vehicle movements induce ground vibrations, with attendant weak seismic signals emanating from the location of such activity. These seismic signals are always produced at some level, and can be converted to valuable information for the detection and monitoring of movements within an area of interest when the monitoring technique is sufficiently sensitive. The prior art devices are unable to detect small seismic signals. The prior art devices are able to detect relatively large seismic signals from moving vehicles or perhaps large troop formations, but today's seismic detector cannot detect an individual enemy soldier or terrorist sneaking up on tiptoe to attack a perimeter guard. The prior art seismic detectors cannot detect small seismic signals because they generally lack adequate sensitivity. Prior art seismic detectors can adequately detect and measure seismic activity at strain values of about 10μ. Up until now, there is no available seismic detector that can detect and measure at the lower strain values of below 1.0 μ.
Another problem with prior art seismic detecting equipment has been the placement of the seismic sensor in such a way that the user is not observed or detected by the opposing forces. When prior art seismic sensors are placed in an array with a group of other sensors such an arrangement typically requires individual wire or wireless links between the detectors and a control station. Linking prior art detectors in this way suffers from a number of disadvantages, limitations and shortcomings including the equipment cost and a detectable signature, particularly when wireless links are used, along with difficulties caused by lack of adequate connector reliability. Thus, there has been a long-felt need for a seismic detector that can detect and measure at the lower strain values of about 1.0μ that does not suffer from the prior art's disadvantages, limitations and shortcomings of high equipment cost, detectable signature and lack of adequate connector reliability. Needless to say, if the seismic signals can be identified accurately in a remote and real-time mode, this would greatly aid intelligence gathering, battlefield monitoring and battle planning for military and law enforcement personnel, as well as numerous civilian activities such as earthquake detection and monitoring, subsurface geologic probing and mineral prospecting using controlled seismic events and precision monitoring systems.
The present invention answers the long-felt need for a seismic detector for lower strain values of about 0.5μ strain that does that does not suffer from the disadvantages, shortcomings and limitations of prior art arrangements by using multiple filter Bragg gratings seismic activity sensors in a simple, low-cost continuous fiber loop or strand. The first step of seismic monitoring is basic detection. To perform basic detection, a highly sensitive sensor is especially important to collect all the seismic waves efficiently. The fiber Bragg gratings seismic activity sensor and sensor array provide a number of advantages that are well suited for this purpose, and in general for military sensing and detection systems.

Seismic activity monitor based on optical fiber Bragg gratings

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army


A method and apparatus for forming rivet joints that allow pivotal motion of the parts interconnected by such joints with a desired amount of clearance. Parts to be riveted together are aligned with each other and held in place on a parts support anvil, and a rivet is placed into aligned holes. A rivet support anvil is positioned against the head of the rivet to establish an initial condition. The rivet support is adjusted a required amount with respect to the parts support anvil prior to formation of the second head on the opposite end of the rivet. The rivet is allowed to move a controlled amount prior to formation of the second head, to provide the desired amount of clearance.

The present invention is related to riveting and in particular to forming riveted pivot joints including a desired amount of clearance.
It is common in manufacturing to want a joint in which a rivet serves the dual purposes of both fixing two or more parts together and acting as a pivotal shaft, as in pliers joints, scissors joints, wire cutters, or various types of pinions. Rivet tension or clearance in such a joint is a factor in determining the amount of friction between two or more pivotally interconnected members. In a joint as in a tool such as pliers, it is usually desired to have two or more pivotal members in contact with one another, but not held so tightly together that friction interferes with their use, nor with so much clearance that the two parts of a tool feel loose or sloppy with respect to each other. In the case of scissors or wire cutters, such looseness may detract from the effectiveness of the tool in its primary cutting function. Such a tool with a loose or sloppy rivet joint is commonly perceived as having low quality.
In the past it has been difficult to rivet two parts such as pliers jaws or scissors together with the use of automatic machinery, and final adjustment of such joints has had to be done manually by skilled personnel. Some amount of success has been obtained by using shouldered rivets and then using accurately controlled time and pressure to form a rivet head. In order for controlling time and riveting pressure to be successful, the hardness of rivets must be accurately controlled, and as little pressure as possible must be used, in order to minimize the clamping pressure exerted by the tool forming a rivet head. Unless the parts being connected and the rivets being used are produced to very close tolerances, however, these methods have less than completely satisfactory results, and it is therefore expensive to make such rivet joints.
The most widely used method of controlling the amount of tension or clearance in rivet joints, particularly in tools whose parts pivot with respect to each other, is manual adjustment. Manual adjustment means that after a rivet joint has been formed by machinery, hand tools are used to tighten or loosen the joint as necessary. This often results in inconsistent quality of pivot joints or imperfections in the appearance of a rivet head.
One known method of assembling pliers is disclosed in Thomson U.S. Pat. No. 1,177,738, which teaches use of a spacer of fibrous material interposed between the bearing surfaces while a rivet is formed, and later removal of the spacer to provide the desired amount of clearance between bearing surfaces. This method has not found great acceptance in industry, perhaps because of the difficulty of removing the spacer from between the jaws of tools made using the method.
Christensen U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,194 discloses the use of a preloading clamping pressure to hold together the parts being fastened, before the formation of a rivet head. While this provides reliably tight rivet joints, it is not apparently intended to produce rivet joints including clearance to permit connected parts to pivot.
What is needed, therefore, is an improved method and apparatus for forming rivet joints having a very small, but accurately established, amount of clearance between the parts riveted together, so that the parts are pivotally movable with respect to one another, with neither excessive friction nor excessive clearance, and without the need for manual adjustment.

Method and apparatus for forming rivet joints


In a binding (19) for winding overhangs (20) of rotors (1) of electric machines, essentially comprising a plastic matrix with fibrous material embedded therein, the binding (19) is formed by winding a fiber tape (15) onto the winding overhang (20). The plastic matrix is composed of a thermoplastic. Furthermore, a method is described for applying the fiber tape to the winding overhang of an electric machine.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a binding for winding overhangs of rotors of electric machines in accordance with the preamble of the first claim. It likewise relates to a method of producing a binding in accordance with the preamble of the independent method claim.
2. Discussion of Background
Such bindings for winding overhangs of rotors of electric machines are known from "Herstellung der Wicklung elektrischer Maschinen" Production of the winding of electric machines!, edited by H. Sequenz, Springer Verlag, page 236 f. There, the windings of winding overhangs of the rotors of electric machines are retained by bindings made of steel wire or glass fibers impregnated with resin. A further mounting and supporting of winding overhangs, not described in that document, are cap rings. The wire bindings are formed from as far as possible only one layer of wire turns lying closely adjacent to one another. An insulating layer is placed between binding and winding. Bronze or nonmagnetic steel is used as winding wire material.
The thermosetting glass fiber bindings are composed of glass fiber tapes preimpregnated with resin, which are wound in multiple layers around the winding overhang. Advantages in terms of construction and production result from the use of thermosetting glass bindings. On the market, the widest possible range of glass fiber tapes with a thermosetting matrix can be obtained, for example glass fibers which are impregnated with a solvent-free resin. During the binding, operations are carried out with a pretension which is as high as possible, the maximum applicable pretension being dependent on the tensile strength of the glass fiber tape. The thermosetting binding material is heated so intensively by a heat source that the resin becomes liquid. As a result of the pretension, outer layers already penetrate into the lower layers during the binding, which results in a certain proportion of the pretension being lost before the resin has hardened. The pretension must be applied during the processing in such a way that the pretension remaining in the hardened material is sufficient to compensate for the centrifugal forces in the winding overhangs during operation. The advantages of glass bindings over wire bindings are, inter alia, the reduction in cost of the final product, special insulating layers are dispensed with, the specific elasticity is higher, lower loading by the centrifugal force as a result of lower weight, and so on.
However, the thickness of the binding needed is decisive as the selection criterion for the application of glass bindings or steel bindings for winding overhangs. Starting at a thickness of the thermosetting glass binding of over 8 mm, further turns of thermosetting fibrous material which are applied no longer have any effect on the strength of the glass binding. Therefore, when greater strength is needed, the glass bindings are replaced by steel bindings.

Binding for winding overhangs of rotors of electric machines, and method of producing bindings for winding overhangs


A tamponade for nasal cavities or sinus cavities for tamponading a cavity of the nasal tract in the region of an ostium leading to the cavity with uniform force, comprising a thin-walled balloon which is made from a soft foil-like, only slightly expandable, smoothly folding polyurethane material, with a wall thickness in the range of 5 to 50 μm, which is already completely shaped with the required tamponade dimensions or greater at the time of production, and can therefore be expanded without application of filling pressure, and said balloon occupies the respective, generally irregular-shaped cavity and the ostium of same when in the filled condition, through the development of forces that are as uniform as possible on the structures exposed to the balloon in such a way that a distal segment of the balloon is located inside the cavity where a tamponade is to be applied, a proximal segment of the balloon is located upstream of the cavity and a transostial segment of the balloon extends through the ostium and connects the distal segment of the balloon to the proximal segment of the balloon, wherein the transostial segment of the balloon is tapered relative to the proximal and distal segments of the balloon in the deployed state of the balloon, and the nasal cavity or sinus cavity tamponade is anchored in the transition region and reliably secured in position.

During the surgical treatment or surgical opening of partially or completely closed access openings (ostia) into the sinus cavities (paranasal sinus), it is common for the enlarged ostium to reclose during the subsequent wound healing process. The stenosis of the ostium that develops post-operatively from the formation of granulation and scar tissue can be so pronounced that any benefit from the surgical widening is largely or even entirely lost after just a few weeks.
In order to prevent the recurrence of a stenosis that accompanies wound healing, many surgeons insert tamponading bodies into the surgically enlarged transition from the main nasal cavity to the adjacent sinus cavity. The majority of tamponading elements today consist of fingerstall-like sheaths, into which a small, elastically deformable, sponge-like element is inserted to conform to the surrounding smooth-walled sheath of the fingerstall against the wound area with moderate pressure.
The insertion of a gauze-like strip, with which the ostium itself and the region upstream and downstream of the ostium are filled is likewise established in clinical practice.
The problem with these techniques remains primarily the pain associated with the removal of the tamponading material and the bleeding that often accompanies the removal. With dwell times of up to a week and beyond, the tamponade material can be subject to significant encrustation and anchorage with the wound area, which tear open the wound area with the tamponade is moved and can thereby, in turn, lead to the excessive regeneration or granulation of tissue.
In recent years, tamponade systems based on inflatable balloon bodies have been offered for the post-operative tamponading of the nasal cavity and the sinus cavities. They generally consist of pre-formed balloon components resting on a tube- or pipe-like shaft body. The balloons are usually manufactured of silicone or PVC, are configured with appropriately thick walls and, in the case of silicone, often include the option of a certain elastic expansion of the sheath body when filling pressure is applied. The supporting shaft usually consists of relatively rigid material and permits the surgeon to guide the tamponade. In corresponding balloon tamponades for treating the sinus cavities, the tamponading balloon component narrow in some cases in a waist-like manner in the vicinity of the segment to be placed within the ostium in order to sufficiently secure the balloon body that is to fill the sinus. Additionally, balloon tamponades are known which are equipped with special net-like coverings consisting of cellulose-like materials, which have a localized hemostatic effect.
Problematic in the devices described is primarily the insufficient ability of the balloon to rest flat against the individual shape of the sinus or its respective surface. In particular, the known tamponade techniques do not provide sufficient continuous flat nestling of the balloon sheath material against the wound surfaces in the vicinity of the ostium itself, which are critical to the success of the tamponade.
The way in which the balloon sheath conforms to the respective wound surface is relevant in particular when the prominent structures protruding into the space that is to be tamponaded lead to pressure spikes, which stop the local blood flow and can thereby interrupt and slow the wound healing process. Owing to the inhomogeneous development of forces on the adjacent tissue, as described, conventional balloon tamponades do not allow the surgeon to exercise sufficient control over the various effective tamponade pressures.
A further essential problem with the conventional tamponading of sinus cavity ostia often consists in the complete blockage of free nasal breathing by the patient.
Furthermore, in the majority of tamponades it is not possible to establish adequate ventilation of the tamponaded sinus cavity or the possibility of intermittently rinsing the sinus cavity.

Tamponade for nasal cavities or sinus cavities


A system and computer-executed method automatically generate a sequence diagram from Class-Responsibility-Collaborator (CRC) information. The CRC information identifies objects, responsibility information for each object, and collaborator information for each object, and the CRC information corresponds with each activity in an activity diagram. The method includes storing, in a storage device, the objects and corresponding class types of the objects according to the CRC information and associating, by a processor, each of the objects with one or more other objects according to the collaborator information of the CRC information. The method also includes determining, by the processor, messages from each of the objects to associated objects according to the responsibility information, and the processor automatically generating the sequence diagram including the objects and the messages among the objects.

The development of a software system, to process well log data obtained in a downhole environment, for example, typically entails multiple software programmers developing multiple elements that must eventually be integrated together. Thus, tools that allow modeling and top-level visualization of systems are employed in software design. For example, Unified Modeling Language (UML) provides a common design language to model computer applications. UML provides several types of diagrams that facilitate ease of understanding of an application under development. System requirements can be decomposed into a model that includes diagrams depicting system behavior. Major behavioral aspects are decomposed into "Use Cases" to help analyze system functionality. Sequence diagrams are a UML notation and one way in which to capture behavior within each Use Case. However, because sequence diagrams are cumbersome to generate and maintain, they tend to become out-of-date as a software development project progresses and, therefore, less useful in validating a design. Accordingly, a system and method to efficiently construct and maintain sequence diagrams and class diagrams would be appreciated in the software development industry.

Method and system to automatically generate use case sequence diagrams and class diagrams


A new and distinct variety of feijoa plant denominated as ‘kakariki’ is described and which is characterized as to novelty by producing a fruit which is ripe for harvesting under the ecological conditions prevailing near Nelson, New Zealand at least as early 28 March.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of feijoa 'Acca sellowiana' and more specifically to a feijoa variety which produces fruit which are ripe for harvesting in the very early season, that is, from at least as early as about 28 Mar. 2008 under the ecological conditions prevailing near Nelson, New Zealand.
It has long been recognized that it would be desirable to provide a feijoa variety that bears a crop earlier in the season then those varieties that it is most closely similar to, and under the ecological conditions prevailing near Nelson, New Zealand. In this regard, several well known and popular feijoa varieties are harvested in both the early and late seasons near Nelson, New Zealand. However, their respective fruit sizes are relatively small, on average, when compared to the large fruit size produced by the present variety of feijoa. More specifically, the variety of feijoa identified by the varietal name 'Opal Star' (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,825) is characterized by producing a relatively small sized fruit (about 85 grams) during the late season, that is, from about 16 May 2008 under the ecological conditions prevailing near Nelson, New Zealand. Still further, the variety 'Apollo' (unpatented), produces an average sized fruit weighing about 100 grams and which is ripe for harvesting about 18 Apr. 2008 under the same ecological conditions. Still further, the unpatented variety 'Triumph' produces a small fruit (about 85 grams) and which is ripe for harvesting about 23 May 2008 under the same ecological conditions. Yet further, the variety 'Unique' (unpatented) also produces a small fruit (about 85 grams), and which is ripe in the early season for harvesting, that is, on or about 18 Apr. 2008 under the ecological conditions prevailing near Nelson, New Zealand. Moreover, the present variety is similar in some respects to the feijoa variety 'Kaiteri' (U.S. Plant patent pending, Ser. No. 12/322,988), and which is ripe for harvesting in the very early season, that is, on or after about 4 Apr. 2008, under the ecological conditions prevailing near Nelson, New Zealand. Still further, the new variety is somewhat similar to the variety named 'Anatoki' (U.S. Plant patent pending, Ser. No. 12/378,015), and which produces a relatively large sized fruit (about 100 grams) in the very early season, that being on or after 11 Apr. 2008 under the current ecological conditions prevailing near Nelson, New Zealand. In contrast, the present variety of feijoa is distinguished therefrom and characterized as to novelty by producing a large fruit (greater than about 125 grams) in the very early season, that being as early as 28 Mar. 2008 under the ecological conditions prevailing near Nelson, New Zealand. In view of its early harvesting date, and large size, the present variety provides a degree of commercial and consumer appeal not present with respect to other known varieties.


An essentially glutamine-free medium comprising a whole-cell glutamine biosensor, comprising a glutamine auxotrophic E. coli and a Lux reporter gene, for detecting glutamine in an analyte. The medium is useful in methods to detecting, screening, identifying and selecting nitrogen-fixing microbes and in methods of determining the nitrogen state of plants, plant products and soil.

Nitrogen is one of the pillars of worldwide agricultural production. Many have argued that improving the efficiency with which fertilizer nitrogen is used in world agriculture is essential to the long-term sustainability of the planet.
The amino acid glutamine (Gln) is a critical intermediate in nitrogen metabolism across all life. In plants, nitrogen fertilizer is assimilated into Gln (12, 39) and subsequently glutamate; together, these amino acids serve as nitrogen donors for various reactions, including the biosynthesis of other amino acids (34, 39). These amino acids further regulate uptake and assimilation of soil nitrate and ammonium (13, 25, 29, 40, 61). Gln, as well as asparagine, are important forms of nitrogen used for long-distance transport in the plant, including from root to shoot (49). In fact, the application of nitrogen fertilizer to the roots of maize (Zea mays L.) plants can generate a large increase in the levels of Gln and other amino acids within 30-120 min in the root and shoot, respectively (34). Gln is thus a key indicator of nitrogen status in plants. Unfortunately, only indirect or delayed assays currently exist to quantify plant nitrogen status, in spite of the importance of nitrogen as the most limiting soil nutrient in global agriculture (55).
Free Gln is primarily quantified using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-based analysis of tissue extracts (1, 38, 43, 47). There has been limited use of biosensors for Gln quantification. The Gln-binding protein (QBP) (32), originating from the periplasmic space of bacteria, has been used to construct reagentless sensors for Gln for use with aqueous extracts (14, 15). For cell biology applications, a Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) QBP-based biosensor has been engineered in transgenic Arabidopsis plants to monitor Gln uptake by root tips under a fluorescent microscope (63). This biosensor achieves millimolar sensitivity with superb sub-cellular resolution and good specificity for Gln, but requires the creation of transgenic plants which may be less suited for high throughput applications, including determination of plant nitrogen status.
Microbial whole cell biosensors have been used as inexpensive tools to quantify analytes from biological extracts into which they are co-inoculated (18, 50). They have also been used to visualize analytes in intact tissues of non-transgenic organisms. For example, the leakage of sucrose, tryptophan or iron can be sensed in plants using nearby microbial biosensor cells and then imaged (27, 33).
A subset of microbial biosensors have been based on auxotrophs expressing a constitutive reporter (e.g. green fluorescent protein, GFP, lux). An auxotroph is an organism that cannot grow in the absence of a particular metabolite. The use of amino acid auxotrophs for the quantification of bioavailable essential amino acids such as lysine in human and animal foodstuffs originated decades ago (6, 7, 18, 26, 48, 60). A Gln auxotroph of Escherichia coli has been generated by down-regulation of the gene encoding glutamine synthetase (GlnA) (36).
Most of the currently available methods for glutamine measurement have the disadvantages of being expensive, time consuming and requiring some level of technical expertise. Furthermore, conventional methods are indirect or delayed. It is therefore desirable to provide compositions, media, and methods for detecting glutamine that mitigate at least one of the problems or disadvantages of the prior art.

Media comprising a glutamine biosensor and methods of use thereof


Apparatus and method for detecting a dissolved gaseous impurity in an aqueous environment, comprises a tube for isolating liquid surface, or a sampler for obtaining a liquid sample from the aqueous environment, a vacuum pump located to exert a vacuum, leaving the surface to evaporate into the vacuum; and a holding compartment for holding evaporated gas which may then be analyzed using electrochemical or spectroscopic methods. The apparatus is useful for detecting levels of ammonia in fish ponds or indeed any impurity that may be dissolved in the water.

The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to monitoring of substance concentration in solutions, more particularly but not exclusively to contaminants dissolved in water, and particularly relating to aquaculture and contaminants such as ammonia in fish ponds.
The need to produce greater amounts of food sources due to the growing population in the world is among the driving forces behind the intensification of the agriculture and aquaculture production systems. Currently there are a number of methods utilized to culture fish, ranging from extensive production ponds in which the density of the fish is around or below one fish per 1 m3 and depends on natural means to maintain the water quality, to systems which are capable of recycling the water and producing about 100 times more fish per 1 m3. The improvements in this field raise the need for close monitoring of the quality of the water used in the production systems. One of the factors of utmost importance in aquaculture is the level of ammonia (NH3) concentrations in the pool water.
Ammonia is considered highly toxic to fish and even low concentrations of 0.06 ppm are enough to create chronic stress for the fish which leads to gills and kidney tissue damage, while concentrations of 0.6 ppm are already considered lethal for some fish species, and some species may be sensitive to concentrations as low as 0.1 ppm. Ammonia appears in the water as an end process of de-amination of proteins. It can be either a product of the fish metabolites, or may come from unconsumed food in the water. Since fish foods typically contain high protein levels (up to 60% protein), the possibility that ammonia levels may become toxic is of constant concern. The levels of ammonia in the water can change rapidly and are dependent on many factors that exist in the water. Plants, algae and bacteria consume ammonia as an energy source and therefore can reduce its level in the water. There are a-biotic factors that influence the toxicity, such as pH levels, temperature, alkalinity and salinity. In order to maintain fish health and growth, it is imperative to monitor ammonia levels on a daily basis.
Existing devices that monitor ammonia levels can be divided into wet systems which measure ammonia dissolved in liquid and dry systems which monitor the ammonia in the gas phase. Most of the test systems to measure Ammonia in water are based on chemical reactions. Many of them count the total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) in the water as the level of NH4+ molecules, and then calculate the NH3 concentrations using the pH level and temperature charts NH3 (aq)+H2O(I)↔NH4+(aq)+OH−(aq). These systems, which are easy to use, do not take into account changes that occur during the day, such as for example: algae activity during daylight, and are therefore limited in their scope. Most of these systems are based on colorimetric results which are subjective, and can be influenced by the background color of the pond's water. There are other systems that can monitor ammonia levels in real time utilizing the electric charge of the NH4+ molecule, and calculating the ammonia level based on the pH levels and temperature. But these systems tend to produce false results when other soluble ions are present in the pond water.

Real time monitoring of substance concentration, particularly of ammonia, in fish ponds and like environments

The State of Israel, Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO) (Volcani Center)


In an electronic device including a processor interface and a processor interconnected to the processor interface by a bus, activity on the bus is monitored and in response to inactivity, the processor interface is placed in a lower power consumption mode. While in the lower power consumption mode, processor requests to the processor interface are inhibited.

Many mobile computing devices, such as laptops, personal digital assistants, cellular telephones, and the like, attempt to provide long lasting performance through the conservation of battery life. One way of extending battery life is to temporarily reduce the power that is consumed by such devices. The total amount of power that a device consumes is determined by the individual power demands of device components. For example, the central processing unit (CPU), high speed bus interface, and low speed bus interface all have individual power demands.
Techniques for reducing power consumption of electronic devices include resource hibernation. Resource hibernation allows particular components of an electronic device to be powered down, placed into a "sleep mode" or otherwise placed in a lower power consumption mode during periods of inactivity. The Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) specification [see e.g. ADVANCED CONFIGURATION AND POWER INTERFACE SPECIFICATION Revision 3.0a, Dec. 30, 2005, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference] for example, defines a number of different device power states that may be used to reduce the overall power consumed.
A number of processor power states are defined by the ACPI specification (for example, C0, C1, C2, and C3). Each power state corresponds to a particular level of power consumption. In general, for a given power state, along with a greater savings in power there is associated a greater latency period for entering and exiting the power state.
The C0 power state is an active power state in which the processor is in working mode and executes instructions. The C1 power state is a halt state that puts the processor in a non-executing state, offering greater power conservation than the C0 state. The C2 and C3 power states are "sleep" states with further improved power savings. For example, in the C2 and C3 power states, significant portions of the high speed bus interface (often also referred to as "northbridge"), may be powered down to save power.
It is possible to power down significant portions of the high speed bus interface while the processor is in a C2 or C3 power state because the high speed bus interface does not need to handle any new processor requests while the processor is its "sleep" state. Furthermore, control signals signal when the processor is transitioning from its sleep state to enter an active state, giving the high speed bus interface sufficient time to power up to process new processor requests.
While more advanced power saving states such as C2 and C3 provide greater power savings, there is a high latency involved in entering and exiting these states. Processors will only be placed in a C2 or C3 state if the processor has been idle for a sufficiently long period of time (e.g. in the order of hundreds of microseconds, which, for a typical 5 ns processor bus clock, is in the order of hundreds of thousands of clock cycles). Thus, the high speed bus interface generally remains in a high power consumption mode during shorter periods of processor idle time that are not long enough to trigger entrance into sleep states such as C2 and C3.
In view of the foregoing, there remains a need for methods that lower the power consumption associated with processor data buses and chipsets.

Reduction of power consumption by throttling processor requests