An internal burner combusting an oxy-fuel or air-fuel mixture, or a plasma heat source providing a supersonic flame jet which when expanded to atmospheric or lower pressure is characterized by a static temperature well above the melting point of a material in particle form being sprayed by the flame jet and the step of reducing the flame jet temperature after reaching supersonic velocity to a temperature below the melting point of the material prior to feeding of the material particles into the flame jet. The jet temperature reduction may be effected by injecting directly into the flame jet stream an amount of liquid or gas fluid which will reduce the flame jet temperature by the required amount. Alternatively, the supersonic flame jet may be passed through a concentric heat exchanger bearing a coolant medium such as water to absorb the necessary amount of heat from the flame jet to reduce the flame jet temperature to below the melting point of the material.

It is known from U.S. Pat. No. 2,861,900, issued Nov. 25, 1958, entitled "JET PLATING OF HIGH MELTING POINT MATERIALS", that particles can be heated to high temperatures by being entrained in the combusting mixture and in the jet flame with an appreciable temperature increase corresponding to the kinetic energy expended upon the impact of the high velocity particles upon the surface of the workpiece to be coated sufficient to ensure a firm mechanical bond with the surface of the workpiece.
In my U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,582, issued Jun. 9, 1992, entitled "MAXIMUM COMBUSTION ENERGY CONVERSION AIR FUEL INTERNAL BURNER" and in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,965 entitled "THERMAL SPRAY METHOD UTILIZING IN-TRANSIT POWDER PARTICLE TEMPERATURES BELOW THEIR MELTING POINT", unlike U.S. Pat. No. 2,861,900, the particles are fed into the jet stream downstream of the throat of an elongated expansion nozzle having a L/D ratio of least 3:1 to prevent clogging of the nozzle bore.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,965 there is particular emphasis on impact fusion, i.e. the method of producing a coating by impacting high-velocity solid (plastic) particles against the surface in which the released impact energy raises the particles to their melting point. In that application, it is noted that "impact fusion" is best carried out by injection of the powder being sprayed into a supersonic jet stream of a static temperature less than that of the melting point of the powder being sprayed. For example, operating an oxy-fuel internal burner at a combustion pressure of 300 psig produces a 6,700 ft/sec jet with a static temperature of 2,750.degree. F. For powdered materials of high melting point, the criterion for "impact fusion" is met. But, for a metal such as aluminum with a melting point of about 1,200.degree. F., particle melting limits the accelerating nozzle length to less than that required to reach maximum particle velocity. However, my U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,582 teaches in certain examples that combustion pressure increases may be achieved in a simple manner using compressed air and fuel oil in place of propane such that, for a combustion pressure of 1,200 psig, the supersonic jet stream reach fully expended velocities in the range of Mach 4.5 (7,400 ft/sec). Such leads to particle impact velocities on substrates of over 4,000 ft/sec, and the coatings on the substrate improve in quality nearly directly proportional to impact velocity.

Thermal spray method and apparatus for optimizing flame jet temperature


A digital filter combination for interpolating primary sample values of a sampled signal using an mth-order discrete-time filter and a kth-order continuous time interpolation filter, with m≧3 and k≧2, wherein the discrete-time filter forms n secondary sample values from at least m+1 primary sample values at equal time intervals, with n≧m, and the continuous-time interpolation filter forms from at least part of the n secondary sample values an interpolated value whose temporal position with respect to that of the primary sample values is predeterminable by a normalized interpolating instant dp=tin/T, where tin is the absolute interpolating instant, and T is the period of the primary sampling rate.

In discrete-time interpolation of sample values of a sampled signal, the sample values must represent a band-limited signal or be band-limited by an appropriate digital filter. By means of the interpolation, the sampling rate is to be changed by an arbitrary numerical ratio, for example, or an intermediate signal value is to be calculated while retaining the respective sampling rate. Such applications are in the processing of digital video and audio signals, particularly in digital television receivers, video recorders, audio reproduction equipment, or computer-based or television-set-based multimedia processing equipment.
In the simplest case, such an interpolation is a linear interpolation, which starts from adjacent given values of the sampling sequence. This simple interpolation has a disadvantage in that it suppresses signal frequencies equal to half the sampling rate. In the case of vido signals, this reduces the picture sharpness, and may even cause clearly visible picture disturbances if such suppression results in interferences in the case of periodic picture contents.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,542, issued Jul. 26, 1988, incorporated by reference herein, discloses an interpolator for digital signals which circumvents part of these disadvantages by being implemented as a digital filter combination which contains, in the direction of signal flow, a discrete-time third-order interpolation filter and a linear interpolation filter. The discrete-time interpolation filter forms, in addition to the existing sample values, an intermediate value exactly in the middle between two sampling instants. Through the discrete-time filter, the sampling rate is effectively doubled. In the case of the discrete-time filter described, the frequency response in the passband for higher frequencies can be changed by increasing or decreasing particular frequency components by means of a weighting factor. Using a delay chain consisting of three delay stages and a logical combination of the differently delayed sample values, the individual frequency components are formed, which may be weighted differently by means of multipliers and are finally combined. By linear interpolation, the interpolated value is then calculated from the two closest secondary sample values of the new sampling sequence at the desired interpolating instant. To perform the linear interpolation, only a subtracter, a multiplier, and an adder are needed in the example given, with the mixture ratio of the two sample values being controlled by the multiplier and an applied multiplication factor. The multiplication factor corresponds to an interpolating instant normalized to the secondary sampling rate.
The filter function of this filter combination, however, does not meet the increased requirements placed on digital interpolation. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improved digital filter for performing an arbitrary temporal interpolation of a sampled signal which permits improved picture reproduction, particularly with digitized video signals.

Digital filter combination for interpolation


A method for fabricating a nonvolatile memory device includes forming a first insulation layer and a first conductive layer on a substrate including a first region and a second region, forming a first isolation trench in the first region by etching the first conductive layer, the first insulation layer, and the substrate, forming a first isolation layer filled in the first isolation trench, forming a second insulation layer and a conductive capping layer, etching the capping layer and the second insulation layer, forming a second conductive layer, and forming first gate patterns by etching the second conductive layer, the capping layer, the second insulation layer, the first conductive layer, and the first insulation layer of the first region, and forming a second isolation trench in the second region by etching the second conductive layer, the first conductive layer, the first insulation layer, and the substrate.

1. Field
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a method for fabricating a nonvolatile memory device, and more particularly, to a method for fabricating a nonvolatile memory device including a cell region and a peripheral circuit region having different pattern densities.
2. Description of the Related Art
A nonvolatile memory device represents a memory device that retains stored data even if the supply of power is interrupted, and for example, an NAND type flash memory device and the like have been extensively used.
A nonvolatile memory device includes a cell region and a peripheral circuit region. The cell region includes a plurality of memory cells in order to stores data. The peripheral circuit region includes a driving circuit, a voltage generation circuit and the like for the operation of the nonvolatile memory device, and various unit elements for the configuration of these circuits, for example, transistors, resistors and the like are formed therein. A method for fabricating the nonvolatile memory device will be described below.
FIGS. 1 to 4 are cross-sectional views illustrating a method for fabricating a conventional nonvolatile memory device.
Referring to FIG. 1, a cell region C and a peripheral circuit region P are defined in a substrate 100. The cell region C represents a region, where a plurality of memory cells are to be formed, and each memory cell includes a tunnel insulation layer, a floating gate, a charge blocking layer, and a control gate which are sequentially stacked on the substrate 100. A first peripheral circuit region P1 of the peripheral circuit region P represents a region where a peripheral circuit transistor is to be formed, and a gate (hereinafter, referred to as a peripheral circuit gate) of the peripheral circuit transistor is formed of substantially the same material layer as the floating gate and the control gate of the cell region C. That is, the peripheral circuit gate may include a floating gate and a control gate, which are directly coupled to each other, so that the floating gate and the control gate are electrically connected to each other. A second peripheral circuit region P2 of the peripheral circuit region P represents a region, where a resistor is to be formed, and the resistor is formed of substantially the same material layer as the floating gate of the cell region C.
A first insulation layer 110 for the tunnel insulation layer and a first conductive layer 120 for the floating gate are formed on the substrate 100.
Referring to FIG. 2, the first conductive layer 120, the first insulation layer 110, and the substrate 100 are etched using a mask pattern (not illustrated) that exposes an isolation region, so that isolation trenches and active regions A1 to A3 defined by the isolation trenches are formed in the cell region C, and the first and second peripheral circuit regions P1 and P2. The first conductive layer 120 and the first insulation layer 110 etched in the above process are indicated by reference numerals 120A and 110A, respectively.
An insulation layer is filled in the isolation trenches to form an isolation layer 130. In detail, the insulation layer with a sufficient thickness to fill the isolation trenches is formed, and a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process may be performed until the first conductive layer 120A is exposed, thereby forming the isolation layer 130.
Referring to FIG. 3, a mask pattern 140 covering the peripheral circuit region P is formed, and a part of the isolation layer 130 of the cell region C exposed by the mask pattern 140 is removed. A partially removed isolation layer 130 of the cell region C is indicated by reference numeral 130A. As a result of the above process, in the cell region C, the upper portion of the first conductive layer 120A protrudes from the isolation layer 130A. The reason for performing the above process is that a coupling ratio increases by increasing a contact area between the control gate and the floating gate.
Referring to FIG. 4, a second insulation layer 150 for a charge blocking layer is formed over the process resultant after the mask pattern 140 is removed, and the second insulation layer 150 has a region (hereinafter, referred to as an open region) 01 that exposes a part of the first conductive layer 120A of the first peripheral circuit region P1. The reason for forming the open region 01 is that the floating gate and the control gate of the peripheral circuit gate formed in the first peripheral circuit region P1 are prevented from being disconnected from each other by the second insulation layer 150, and the floating gate and the control gate are electrically connected to each other.
A second conductive layer 160 for a control gate is formed on the second insulation layer 150 having the open region 01.
Although not illustrated in the drawings, the first insulation layer 110A, the first conductive layer 120A, the second insulation layer 150, and the second conductive layer 160 of the cell region C are patterned, thereby forming the above-mentioned memory cells. Furthermore, the first conductive layer 120A, the second insulation layer 150 having the open region 01, and the second conductive layer 160 of the first peripheral circuit region P1 are patterned, thereby forming the above-mentioned peripheral circuit gate. Furthermore, the second conductive layer 160 of the second peripheral circuit region P2 is selectively etched, thereby forming the above-mentioned resistor formed only of the first conductive layer 120A.
However, the above-mentioned fabricating method has the following concerns.
First, in the process of FIG. 2, the isolation trench formation process and the process for forming the isolation layer 130 filled in the isolation trenches may be performed to the cell region C, the first peripheral circuit region P1, and the second peripheral circuit region P2, simultaneously. Here, the pattern density of the cell region C may be higher than that of the peripheral circuit region P. In other words, the active region A1 and the isolation layer 130 of the cell region C may be densely formed as compared with the active regions A2 and A3 and the isolation layer 130 of the peripheral circuit region P. Due to a loading effect caused by such pattern density difference, it may cause many differences between the cell region C and the peripheral circuit region P, for example, in an etching speed of the etching process performed in order to form the isolation trenches, in a filling thickness of the insulation layer filled in order to form the isolation layer 130, and in a CMP speed of the CMP process performed in order to form the isolation layer 130.
Furthermore, in the process of FIG. 3, in order to allow the first conductive layer 120A to protrude from the isolation layer 130A only in the cell region C, an additional process for forming the mask pattern 140 covering the peripheral circuit region P may be required. Since the mask pattern formation process passes through a series of steps such as photoresist coating, exposure, and development steps, the cost, time, and degree of difficulty in the total process may be increased as the number of the mask pattern formation processes may be increased.
In addition, after the isolation trenches are formed in the process of FIG. 2, an ion implantation process is further performed to the substrate 100 of the first peripheral circuit region P1 in order to improve a standby current of the peripheral circuit transistor. Such an ion implantation process is performed in the state that the mask pattern covering the cell region C and the second peripheral circuit region P2 has been formed. However, in the process for removing the mask pattern after the ion implantation process is performed, the first conductive layer 120A already formed in the cell region C may lean, which is called a leaning phenomenon. This is because the first conductive layer 120A already formed in the cell region C has a very small line width as compared with the peripheral circuit region P.
In this regard, a fabricating method of the nonvolatile memory device is being developed to address the above concerns.

Method for fabricating nonvolatile memory device


The invention provides an antimicrobial personal cleansing composition comprising: (i) an aqueous continuous phase including one or more anionic cleansing surfactants; (ii) a dispersed phase including dispersed particles of zinc pyrithione (ZPT); (iii) a structuring polymer for the aqueous continuous phase which is selected from crosslinked alkali-swellable acrylic emulsion (ASE) polymers; and (iv) from 3 to 20 wt % niacinamide based on the total weight of the composition, wherein the structuring polymer is selected from crosslinked copolymers of (meth)acrylic acid with one or more C1 to C5 alkyl esters of (meth)acrylic acid.

Zinc pyrithione (or ZPT) is an antimicrobial agent which is active against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, as well as fungi and yeasts. It is widely used in antimicrobial personal cleansing compositions such as anti-dandruff (AD) shampoos. Generally, dispersed particles of the ZPT are suspended in the shampoo, which is then applied to the hair to deposit the ZPT particles on the hair and scalp.
Maximizing ZPT delivery during cleansing is a difficult task since most personal cleansing compositions were designed to carry away particulates from the skin or hair. Accordingly, efforts have been made to increase the antimicrobial efficacy of ZPT, for example by enhancing its distribution and bioavailability on the scalp.
The incorporation of niacinamide has been identified as a potential way to increase the antimicrobial efficacy of ZPT in the context of an AD shampoo
However, the incorporation of niacinamide (especially at elevated levels) may impair product attributes such as viscosity and physical stability of the shampoo.
The present invention addresses this problem.

Antimicrobial personal cleansing compositions


Compositions and methods for inducing weight loss, fat loss, maintaining weight or fat loss, suppressing appetite, reducing calorie intake, reducing weight gain, decreasing feed efficiency, increasing metabolic inefficiency, increasing energy expenditure, increasing thermogenesis and/or resetting metabolic set are disclosed. The compositions have a therapeutically effective amount of a ketogenic supplement, e.g., a ketone diesters, such as R,S 1,3-butanediol diacetoacetate. Compositions of one or more beta-hydroxybutyrate, beta-hydroxybutyrate salt, and medium chain triglycerides are also disclosed.

Greater than 70% of Americans are overweight or obese with the incidence continuing to rise. Obesity is directly or indirectly involved in at least 5-10 of the leading causes of death. Recently, conforming to a ketogenic diet and/or supplementing with ketogenic compounds has become popular for weight loss. However, sustained benefits of weight loss are only realized as long as weight loss is maintained; weight loss is distinctly different from weight loss maintenance.
Generally, nutritional, or therapeutic, ketosis is the physiological state of elevated blood ketone body levels (typically above 0.5 mmol/L) resulting from ketogenic diets, calorie restriction, therapeutic fasting and/or supplementation with ketogenic precursors. Ketone bodies represent alternative energy substrates for both peripheral tissues and the central nervous system. The two most abundant and physiologically significant ketone bodies are acetoacetate and β-hydroxybutyrate (βHB), while the third ketone body, acetone, is produced as a byproduct that the lungs breathe off. The carbohydrate restriction is typically necessary for the body to produce ketone levels in the therapeutic range 2-7 mM/L.
The body produces ketone bodies during nutritional or therapeutic ketosis in the range of 0.5-8 mmol/L. The metabolism of ketone bodies is associated with anticonvulsant effects, enhanced brain metabolism, neuroprotective, muscle sparing properties and improvement in cognitive and physical performance. Science-based improvements in efficiency of cellular metabolism, managed through ketone supplementation, could have beneficial impacts on physical, cognitive health, psychological health, warfighter resilience and a long-term impact on health with respect to the common avoidable diseases such as obesity, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes and cancer. Evidence suggests that the health benefits from calorie restriction, ketogenic diet, or dietary restriction may be due to the effect of ketones on gene expression (Shimazu et al. Suppression of oxidative stress by β-hydroxybutyrate, an endogenous histone deacetylase inhibitor. Science. 2013 Jan. 11; 339(6116):211-4), it's anti inflammatory effects by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome (Youm et al. 2015; The ketone metabolite β-hydroxybutyrate blocks NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated inflammatory disease. Nature Medicine) and binding HCAR2 (Rahman et al. 2014; The β-hydroxybutyrate receptor HCA2 activates a neuroprotective subset of macrophages. Nature Communications), and muscle sparring properties.
Under normal conditions of the standard American diet, the brain is almost exclusively dependent upon the metabolism of glucose to supply its metabolic energy. Though the brain is only 2% of bodyweight, it represents 25% of total glucose consumption. Ketones can replace glucose to supply most of the brain's metabolic energy needs (>50%) during periods of limited glucose availability resulting from starvation/fasting, caloric restriction or carbohydrate restriction as in ketogenic diets (Cahill, Jr., Fuel metabolism in starvation. Annu Rev Nutr 26: 1-22, 2006). During carbohydrate deprivation, glucose availability decreases causing a metabolic shift towards fatty acid beta-oxidation and the production of ketone bodies for energy homeostasis.
Dietary carbohydrates (carbs) include simple sugars, such as table sugar (sucrose) and complex carbohydrates (starch) found in foods like potatoes and pasta. Carbohydrate and sugar consumption have dramatically increased in the last two centuries in Western societies. When sugars and carbohydrates are consumed by humans, the pancreas secretes insulin, a hormone used to transport glucose into various body tissue, preferentially muscle and fat. The glucose is then used by the body as a fuel source. In most Western diets, glucose is the body's primary fuel source.
In periods of fasting, extreme exercise, and/or low carbohydrate consumption, glucose stores in the body are rapidly used and can become quickly depleted. Failure to replenish glucose stores as they become depleted causes the body to turn to an alternative method to generate energy by creating ketone bodies. Ketone bodies can be used by almost every cell of the body as a replacement fuel to satisfy the body's energy needs, including the needs of the brain. During a prolonged fast, for example, blood ketone levels will increase to as high as 2 or 3 mmol/L. It is conventionally understood and agreed that when blood ketones rise above 0.5 mmol/L, the heart, brain and peripheral tissues are using ketone bodies (beta hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate) as a primary fuel source. This condition is referred to as ketosis, or "nutritional ketosis." This is distinguished from, and should not be confused with, diabetic or alcoholic ketoacidosis, which is the runaway accumulation of ketone bodies and associated drop in blood pH. Diabetic ketoacidosis is associated with the absence of insulin as occurs in those suffering from type 1 diabetes. Ketoacidosis typically results in blood ketone levels in excess of 20 mmol/L in combination with metabolic derangement and electrolyte imbalance.
When in ketosis, the body essentially burns fat for fuel. This is accomplished because fat stores in the body are utilized to create the water-soluble ketone bodies beta-hydroxybutyrate (ßHB) and acetoacetate. These ketone bodies are then used by the body as a primary energy source.
The body enters a state of ketosis when it has no dietary source of glucose or sugar and its stores of glycogen have been depleted. This typically occurs during fasting, exercise, and/or pursuing a carbohydrate restricted ketogenic diet. Upon transitioning into ketosis, the body begins cleaving fats into fatty acids and glycerol and transforms the fatty acids into acetyl CoA molecules which are then eventually transformed into ketone bodies in the liver. In other words, during ketogenic metabolism in the liver, the body uses dietary and bodily fats as its primary energy source. Consequently, once in ketosis, one can easily induce loss of body fat by reducing dietary fat intake and adjusting carbohydrate intake low enough to sustain ketosis.
A ketogenic diet is one that is high in dietary fat and low in carbohydrates with moderate levels of protein (approximately 1-2 g/kg). The classical ketogenic diet consists of a strict regimen of 4 parts fat to 1 part protein+carbohydrate (with the carbohydrate being typically less than 25-50 g per day). It has been suggested that the ideal macronutrient ratio to maintain a ketogenic diet is 65-85 percent of calories from fats, 10-20 percent of calories from proteins, and 5 percent of calories from carbohydrates.
A significant advantage of pursuing weight loss through a ketogenic diet is that a ketogenic diet may result in loss of fat stores while maintaining and protecting muscle mass. Some studies have suggested that the muscle sparing properties of a ketogenic diet result in improvement in physical performance. Athletes who maintain nutritional ketosis maintain lower insulin levels and can better utilize fatty acids and ketones for fuel, effectively sparing blood glucose, which has the potential to optimize and prolongs physical and mental performance. This state is referred to as being "keto adapted." Keto adaptation occurs when the body adjusts to ketosis by building up the necessary fat-burning enzymes, fat oxidation is elevated, serum ketone levels are elevated, hormone levels are changed to accommodate ketosis, and the body is carrying less water.
Individuals on the standard American diet can expect to get peak fat oxidation while exercising from between 60 to 65 percent of their maximum oxygen consumption (VO2 max); higher exertion levels may deplete glycogen stores. Keto-adapted individuals draw proportionally more substrate from fats and ketones (sparing glycogen) and can shift the peak to much higher VO2 levels and thus sustain effort for an extended duration. Transitioning to a keto-adapted state (blood ketones >0.5 mmol/L) typically requires 1 or more weeks (depending on the person) with severe restriction of carbohydrates (<25 g/day) and moderate protein restriction (1 g/kg/day) with the balance of macronutrient from fat. A sustained physiological decrease in glucose and insulin are required for sustained hepatic ketogenesis, which is very difficult for most humans.
Vlahakos (U.S. Pat. No. 6,613,356) provides a weight-loss composition using n-butyrate ions from potassium butyrate or related compounds. Butyric acid stimulates receptors in the stomach that the stomach is full and food is stagnant in the stomach. Thus, consuming butyric acid precursors prior to eating reduces food consumption. Testing showed the compositions improved a patient's ability to withstand rigorous exercise, improved hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia, and reduced fatigue.
Another advantage to pursuing weight loss through a ketogenic diet is that being in ketosis reduces hunger. Indeed, hunger is the major barrier that is often cited for the inability to maintain a traditional calorie restricted diet.
Despite the many health advantages to pursuing a ketogenic diet and maintaining a state of nutritional ketosis, there remain significant barriers to pursuing and maintaining a ketogenic lifestyle. One of these barriers is the difficulty of transitioning into a ketogenic state. The fastest way to deplete glucose stores in the body is through fasting combined with exercise. This is physically and emotionally demanding and is an extreme challenge even for the most motivated and disciplined.
In addition, even if nutritional ketosis is obtained and significant weight loss is achieved, there is a major problem with weight loss maintenance, distinct from weight loss itself. It is now accepted within the field that weight loss is distinct from weight loss maintenance (Kraschnewski et al. Long-term weight loss maintenance in the United States. Int J Obes. 2010; Hall & Kahan. Maintenance of Lost Weight and Long-Term Management of Obesity. Med Clin North Am. 2018). While weight loss can be initially achieved, failure rates of weight loss maintenance in the United States are as high as 95% (Kraschnewski et al. Long-term weight loss maintenance in the United States. Int J Obes. 2010). Only 36.5% of overweight/obese US adults that lose 5% of their bodyweight are capable of maintaining that loss. The success rate drops further after greater degrees of weight loss; for example, only 4.4% of individuals maintain a 20% weight loss.
During initial weight loss, biological changes that attempt to reverse weight loss and inhibit weight loss maintenance accumulate (MacLean et al. Biology's response to dieting: the impetus for weight regain. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2011; Trexler et al. Metabolic adaptation to weight loss: implications for the athlete. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2014). Consequently, individuals who initially lose weight are set up to regain weight, not maintain weight loss. Biologically, when individuals lose weight they undergo a caloric restriction resulting in decreased bodyweight, fat mass, and fat free mass. This causes a decrease in the thermic effect of food and lowers basal metabolic rate. Additionally, leptin and insulin decrease, while ghrelin elevates, to induce hyperphagia, or the desire to overeat. Taken together, individuals who undergo weight loss have reduced energy expenditure, and increased feed and metabolic efficiency, which attempts to causes dieters to get back to their pre-dieting metabolic set-point. Connections have been made previously between ketogenic supplementation and weight loss, examples including US2016/0317487; EP0318357; Romsos D R, et al. Influence of dietary 1,3-butanediol on weight gain, blood, and liver metabolites and lipogenesis in the pig and chick. J Nutr. 1975 February; 105(2):161-70; Reuzel, P. G. J. et al. (1978) Report "Subchronic (13-week) feeding study with 1,3-butanediol in beagle dogs" No. R 5485 by Central Institute for Nutrition and Food Research, submitted to WHO, dated September 1978; and Scala, R. A. et al. (1967) Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol., 10, 160. However, the conventional art only attempts to induce weight loss and not necessarily maintain that weight loss—very different endeavors.
Accordingly, what is needed is a method and/or composition for inducing and maintaining weight loss. The compositions and methods disclosed herein address these and other needs.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Compositions and methods for weight loss maintenance


This invention relates to compounds of Formula I ##STR1## which are useful as antiatherosclerotic agents and inhibitors of cell proliferation for the treatment of proliferative diseases. In addition, various compounds of Formula I are useful inhibitors of platelet aggregation.

The present invention is directed toward 2-amino-6-phenyl-4H-pyrano-4-ones which are pharmacologically active compounds. They have been shown to be inhibitors of cell proliferation in fibroblasts and therefore may be useful for the treatment or prevention of atherosclerosis as well as proliferative diseases. The compounds of the subject invention are further useful in the prevention or treatment of thrombotic diseases as they have been shown to inhibit ADP-induced platelet aggregation.
Atherosclerosis in mammals is a disease characterized by the deposition of atherosclerotic plaque on arterial walls. While atherosclerosis exhibits many varied forms and consequences, typical consequences of atherosclerotic diseases include angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, stroke and transient cerebral ischemic attacks. Other forms of atherosclerotic diseases include certain peripheral vascular diseases and other ischemias (e.g., bowel and renal).
Medical science now recognizes that certain forms of atherosclerosis may be preventable or reversible. Agents capable of preventing or reversing atherosclerosis are characterized as exhibiting antiatherosclerotic activity. Since serum lipids have a recognized association with atherogenesis, an important class of antiatherosclerotic agents are those with serum lipid-modifying effects. Serum lipids implicated in atherogenesis include serum cholesterol, serum triglycerides, and serum lipoproteins.
With respect to serum lipoproteins, at least three different classes of these substances have been characterized; high density lipoproteins (HDL's), low density lipoproteins (LDL's), and very low density lipoproteins (VLDL's). HDL's are often referred to as alphalipoproteins, while LDL's and VLDL's are referred to as betalipoproteins. The enhancement of HDL levels (hyperalphalipoproteinemic activity) is postulated to have direct antiatherosclerotic effects. See Eaton, R. P., J. Chron. Dis 31:131-135 (1978). In contrast, agents which reduce serum LDL's and serum VLDL's (hypobetalipoproteinemic agents) are also associated with antiatherogenic effects. See Haust, M. D., "Reaction Patterns of Intimal Mesenchyme to Injury and Repair in Atherosclerosis", Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 43:35-57 (1974), which postulates that serum LDL is a factor in atherosclerotic lesion formation.
Numerous animal models have been developed for assessing antiatherosclerotic activity. Principal among these are models for assessing hypolipoproteinemic activity in the rat and antiatherosclerotic activity in the Japanese quail. For a description of the operation of the hypobetalipoproteinemic rat model, refer to the known methods of Schurr, P. E., et al., "High Volume Screening Procedure for Lypobetalipoproteinemia Activity in Rats", Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 67: Atherosclerotic Drug Discovery, pp. 215-229, Plenum Press (1975). For a description of the Japanese quail model, see Day, C. E. et al., "Utility of a Selected Line (SEA) of the Japanese Quail (Corturnic Corturnix japonica) for the Discovery of New Anti-Atherosclerosis Drugs", Laboratory Animal Science 27:817-821 (1977).
While various compounds are known to have antiproliferative and antiplatelet activity the subject compounds are structurally unique. Chem. Ber., 109(11), 3497-3504 (1976) reports a 6-(dimethylamino)-2,3-diphenyl-4H-pyran-4-one which has a diphenyl substituted pyrone ring.

Antiatheroscleroic and antithrombotic 2-amino-6-phenyl-4H-pyran-4-ones


A coating blade adjustment system with a blade which on its one end is retained in a mounting and supported between this mounting and its working edge by one or several support elements. Between the support edge of the support element(s), in the area within or on the support elements, there is at least one measuring sensor provided for measuring the spacing of the blade from the measuring sensor for a precision adjustment.

The invention concerns a coating blade adjustment apparatus or system. Systems of this general type are known, e.g., from U.S. Pat. No. 3,301,214. The coating blade support is effected by support elements, or by a support element which is of a lath type design and, by grooves or incisions, fashioned to be deformable or bendable with relative ease. The local adjustment corresponding to the blade flexure adapted as locally required is effected by pull-thrust screws.
In operation, the blade is subject to very heavy wear which within a time span between about 2 and 6 hours becomes so significant that a blade exchange is necessary. Within this time, of course, the blade tension decreases as a result of the wear, so that an adjustment would be necessary. It is desired to provide an arrangement which enables an automatic, or at least accurately adapted adjustment. The problem underlying the invention is to provide such a system.


An object pose estimating and matching system is disclosed for estimating and matching the pose of an object highly accurately by establishing suitable weighting coefficients, against images of an object that has been captured under different conditions of pose, illumination. Pose candidate determining unit determines pose candidates for an object. Comparative image generating unit generates comparative images close to an input image depending on the pose candidates, based on the reference three-dimensional object models. Weighting coefficient converting unit determines a coordinate correspondence between the standard three-dimensional weighting coefficients and the reference three-dimensional object models, using the standard three-dimensional basic points and the reference three-dimensional basic points, and converts the standard three-dimensional weighting coefficients into two-dimensional weighting coefficients depending on the pose candidates. Weighted matching and pose selecting unit calculates weighted distance values or similarity degrees between said input image and the comparative images, using the two-dimensional weighting coefficients, and selects one of the comparative images whose distance value up to the object is the smallest or whose similarity degree with respect to the object is the greatest, thereby to estimate and match the pose of the object.

One example of conventional object pose estimating and matching system is disclosed in Shimada, et. al. "Method of constructing a dictionary for personal identification independent of face orientation" IEICE TRANSACTIONS D-II, Vol. J78-D-II, No. 11, pages 1639-1649, 1995 (hereinafter referred to as "first prior art"). As shown in FIG. 1, the object pose estimating and matching system according to the first prior art has image input unit 10, normalizer 15, matching and pose selecting unit 41, and pose-specific reference image storage unit 85.
The conventional object pose estimating and matching system thus constructed operates as follows: Pose-specific reference image storage unit 85 stores at least one pose-specific reference image captured of one or more objects under one or various pose conditions. Each pose-specific reference image is generated from one image or an average of images captured for each pose. Image input unit 10 is implemented by a camera or the like, and stores a captured input image in a memory (not shown). Input images may be read from a recorded file or acquired through a network. Normalizer 15 aligns an input image using feature points extracted from the object, and generates a normalized image. In the illustrated system, normalizer 15 aligns an input image by detecting, as feature points, the positions of characteristic parts, e.g., an eye and a mouth. The pose-specific reference image is also normalized and stored. Normalized images often use features obtained by a feature extracting process. Matching and pose selecting unit 41 calculates distance values (or similarity degrees) between the normalized image and the pose-specific reference images of respective objects obtained from pose-specific reference image storage unit 85, and selects one of the reference images whose distance value up to the object is the smallest (whose similarity degree is the largest), thereby estimating an optimum pose. The distance values are calculated by using the normalized correlation or Euclidean distance, for example. If an input image is matched against one object (one-to-one matching), then the minimum distance value is compared with a threshold value to determine whether the input image is the same as the object or the not. If one of a plurality of objects (reference images) which is closest to an input image is searched for (one-to-N matching), then one of the objects which has the smallest one of the minimum distance values determined up to the respective objects is extracted.
Another example of conventional object pose estimating and matching system is disclosed JP-2003-58896A (hereinafter referred to as "second prior art"). As shown in FIG. 2, the conventional object pose estimating and matching system according to the second prior art has image input unit 10, comparative image generator 20, pose candidate determining unit 30, matching and pose selecting unit 41, and reference three-dimensional object model storage unit 55.
The conventional object pose estimating and matching system thus constructed operates as follows: Reference three-dimensional object model storage unit 55 registers therein reference three-dimensional object models of respective objects (three-dimensional shapes and object surface textures of the objects). Pose candidate determining unit 30 determines at least one pose candidate. Comparative image generator 20 generates a comparative image having illuminating conditions close to those of the input image, based on the reference three-dimensional object models obtained from reference three-dimensional object model storage unit 55. Matching and pose selecting unit 41 calculates distance values (or similarity degrees) between the input image and the comparative images, and selects one of the comparative images (pose candidate) whose distance value up to the model (object) is the smallest, thereby estimating an optimum pose.
Still another example of conventional object matching system is disclosed in Guo, et. al. "Human face recognition based on spatially weighted Hausdorff distance" Pattern Recognition Letters, Vol. 24, pages 499-507, 2003 (hereinafter referred to as "third prior art"). As shown in FIG. 3, the conventional object matching system according to the third prior art has image input unit 10, normalizer 15, weighted matching unit 45, reference image storage unit 89, and weighting coefficient storage unit 99.
The conventional object matching system thus constructed operates as follows: Image input unit 10 and normalizer 15 operate in the same manner as the components denoted by the identical reference numerals according to the first prior art. Reference image storage unit 89 stores at least one reference image for each object. Weighting coefficient storage unit 99 stores weighting coefficients for pixels (or features) to be used for comparing a normalized image and reference images. Weighted matching unit 45 calculates distance values (or similarity degrees) between the normalized image and the reference images of respective objects obtained from reference image storage unit 89, and selects one of the reference images whose distance value is the smallest, thereby matching the input image. If the Euclidean distance, for example, is used for calculating the distances, then a weighted Euclidean distance is calculated according to D=Σrw(r){x(r)−m(r)}2 where x(r) represents the normalized image, m(r) the comparative image, and w(r) the weighting coefficient (r represents a pixel or feature index).
The conventional object matching systems described above have the following problems:
According to the first prior art and the second prior art, though a pose can be estimated and matched, the accuracy with which a pose is estimated and matched is lowered if a large local difference is developed between an input image and reference images or comparative images from the DB due to local deformations of the object and different image capturing conditions.
The reasons for the above problem are that when the object is deformed, even if the pose of the object is generally aligned with those of the reference images or comparative images, the object has a local area not aligned with the reference images or comparative images, resulting in different pixel values (or features) in the local area. Even when the object is not deformed and has aligned local areas, according to the first prior art, there is developed a local area having largely different pixel values if the input image and the reference images are captured under different conditions. For example, if the input image and the reference images are captured under different illuminating conditions, then shadows are produced in different areas. According to the second prior art, even if a comparative image is generated which is closest to an input image, they have different local areas because of observing errors in three-dimensional object measurement and a simplified process of generating comparative images.
The third prior art is problematic in that the matching accuracy is reduced if object poses and illuminating conditions in an input image and reference images are different from each other.
The reasons for the problem of the third prior art are that weighting coefficients are established for areas of an object, and if pose conditions are different, then the object has a misaligned area, making it impossible to perform proper weighted matching. Furthermore, when illuminating conditions are different, an area that is important for matching often changes. However, since the weighting coefficient remains the same, appropriate weighted matching cannot be performed.

Object posture estimation/correlation system using weight information


The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or a method that facilitates managing an incoming data communication in connection with unified communications. A unified communications component can employ unified communications for a data communication with at least the following data communication modes: an email data communication mode, a voice data communication mode, and a voicemail data communication mode. A unified rules component can automatically redirect the data communication to a delegate for receipt based upon a universal rule, the universal rule is uniformly applicable to at least two of the email data communication mode, the voice data communication mode, or the voicemail data communication mode.

Computing and network technologies have transformed many aspects of everyday life. Computers have become household staples rather than luxuries, educational tools and/or entertainment centers, and provide individuals and corporations with tools to manage and forecast finances, control operations such as heating, cooling, lighting and security, and store records and images in a permanent and reliable medium. Networking technologies like the Internet provide individuals virtually unlimited access to remote systems, information and associated applications.
As computing and network technologies have evolved and have become more robust, secure and reliable, more consumers, wholesalers, retailers, entrepreneurs, educational institutions and the like are shifting paradigms and are employing the Internet to perform business rather traditional means. For example, today consumers can access their bank accounts on-line (e.g., via the Internet) and can perform an ever growing number of banking transactions such as balance inquiries, fund transfers, bill payments, and the like. In light of such technological advances and evolution, people in general tend to be more and more concerned about being connected and/or available for various communications such as cell phone calls, text messages, emails, instant messages, land line phone calls, voice mails, real-time communications, etc. With the rapid pace of today's society, being available and/or reachable on a constant basis is fitting for busy lifestyles albeit personal or business.
However, under circumstances when an individual is knowingly unavailable, incoming data communications can be forwarded and/or redirected. For instance, a business person who plans on being out of town can designate his/her assistant to handle incoming data communications such as a voice call or an email using separate and distinct rules or applications. Thus, an incoming voice call to the business person can be automatically directed to the assistant to allow such voice call to be handled rather than being transferred to a voice mail system considering human interaction is more pleasing than automated services. Forwarding, redirection, and/or delegation generally can be applied to voice and email data communications, but tremendous difficulty exists in utilizing such techniques in the realm of unified communications across various data communication modes. To this end, the delegation of various data communications associated with unified communications typically involve complicated server and application interaction that can be tedious and expensive to implement.


A semiconductor test fixture is described for sampling thin films on the surface of a semiconductor wafer in the process of manufacturing integrated circuits thereon. A first plate is provided for supporting the wafer. At least one test fluid reservoir, and usually three reservoirs having a projecting collar or flange around one end thereof an an O-ring under the collar. A second late having at least one opening therein for allowing the major portion of the at least one test fluid reservoir to pass through and with the collar of the reservoir supporting the second plate. A hand screw is associated with the first and second plates for tightening second plate against the collar of the reservoir and, in turn the O-ring of the collar against the wafer which is supported upon the first plate so as to allow a fluid to be contained in the reservoir without leakage.

(1) Field Of The Invention
This invention relates to a semiconductor wafer test fixture and to methods for analyzing ultratrace amount of impurities in thin films present on the surface of the semiconductor wafer.
(2) Description Of The Prior Art
The present means of chemically analyzing the chemical composition of thin films is destructive to the semiconductor wafer on which the thin films are located. A fixed area die is cut from the wafer, the thin films on the die is etched and this liquid transferred with extreme care to another vessel. The fluid is diluted and then the chemical nature of the thin film is determined with a chromatograph.
The book entitled "VLSI TECHNOLOGY" Second Edition by S. M. Sze Published by McGraw-Hill International Editions, New York, NY., 1988 in its Chapter 12.4 pages 548-554 describes the use of chromatography and preparation of samples therefor. The U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,886 describes a method where silicon oxide or nitride films on wafers are dissolved with hydrofluoric acid and the solution collected and then sent to be checked for impurities in atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Other patents U.S. Pat. No. 3,976,377 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,824,016 describe other testing methods for semiconductor wafers. None of these publications provide accurate, fast, and safe methods or fixtures that allow wafer to be reused, i.e., that there is no requirement for dicing of the wafer.

Thin film sampler for film composition quantitative analysis

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company


A cutting instrument for use in the complete removal of the annulus fibrosus of an intervertebral disc contains a curvature in the shaft. The curvature forms a guide that rests upon an intervertebral disc and guides the cutting head around the circumference of the intervertebral disc. The curvature of the shaft of the instrument conforms to the circumference of the intervertebral disc and prevents vessels and extra spinal tissue surrounding the intervertebral disc from being damaged particularly when cutting the posterior portion of the intervertebral disc where visibility is minimal. The cutting instruments contain blunt blade guards further minimizing any potential damage to tissue surrounding the intervertebral disc.

Intervertebral discs are found between the vertebral bodies which make up the spinal column. The intervertebral discs are fibrocartilaginous cushions that serve as spacers, shock absorbers and provide vertebral motion. The height of the disc maintains the distance of separation between the vertebral bodies, allowing for motion and room for spinal nerves to exit each spinal level with out being pinched or compressed. The disc serves as a shock absorber to protect the vertebrae, nerves and brain. The elasticity of the disc allows for vertebral motion. Intervertebral discs are composed of an annulus fibrosus and a nucleus pulposus. The annulus fibrosus encapsulates the inner nucleus pulposus portion of the disc. The annulus fibrosus is made up of concentric sheets of collagen fibers connected to the vertebral end plats. Both the annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus are composed of water, collagen and proteoglycans. Back pain is often caused by structural instability and dysfunction of the discs.
With the advent and increasing acceptance of artificial discs and the requirement for complete removal of an intervertebral disc or discectomy prior to insertion of an artificial disc, it will become increasingly important to be able to safely remove the entire intervertebral disc including the annulus fibrosus. Anterior discectomy is a dangerous procedure where the surgeon is operating very close to the spine and spinal tissue with instruments sharp enough to cut through the tough annulus fibrosus. Moreover, the disc is positioned between the vertebrae such that removal of the disc must be accomplished with minimal visibility when attempting to cut around the backside or posterior portion of the disc. The procedure of removing an entire disc will become a more frequent procedure, as replacement discs are now going through the approval process in the FDA and being introduced into the market.
Removal of the center portion, or nucleus pulposus, of the disc is known and has been used for several years to reduce back pain. Alternatively, fusion is used, which consists of removing portions of the problem disc and replacing it with a piece of bone taken from the patient's hip or a human cadaver. However, current surgical instrumentation, particularly, cutting instrumentation, are not adequate when performing complete removal of the disc, including removal of the annulus fibrosus of the disc. Currently available cutting instrumentation has a pointed sharp tip and can cause damage to vital blood vessels and the spinal tissue while removing the disc.
Several devices and instruments have been developed to be used in spinal surgery. U.S. Pat. No. 6,689,132 to Biscup (the '132 patent) discloses a spinal implant insertion tool. The tool facilitates in guiding and/or inserting one or more prosthetic implants into the intervertebral disc space. The insertion tool includes a body member and a curvilinear top portion connected to the body member. The top portion has a total angle of curvature of at least about 90% and a size and shape to enable over 50% of the top portion to be positioned within an outer perimeter of the intervertebral disc space. The tools can be provided in differently configured insertion tool set, which allows a surgeon to select the appropriate insertion tool that can be best used on a particular patient.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,599,291 to Foley et al. (the '291 patent) discloses methods and instruments for interbody surgical techniques, particularly methods and instruments for performing a surgical procedure in a disc space between adjacent vertebrae. The instruments include a distractor and a cutting instrument. The cutting instrument is positioned over the body portion and into the slots of the distractor so that the flanges are positioned between the cutting instrument and the adjacent tissue. This instrument provides for a number of cutters of increasing height to be used sequentially for removal of bony material from the vertebral endplates. Additionally, various shaped cutting edges can also be used, including flat cutting edges and rounded upper and lower cutting edges.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,228,022 to Friesem et al. (the '022 patent) discloses methods and instruments for spinal surgery, specifically, for preparing a disc space for implantation of a vertebral fusion or implant. The instrumentation includes a sleeve assembly with distraction fingers at one end to maintain distraction of a disc space. A switching sleeve having a pair of rotatable distractors is coupled within the outer sleeve, and the sleeves are placed over a dilator until the distractor heads are placed within the disc space. The dilator is withdrawn and the disc space distracted by rotating the distractors of the switching sleeve. The switching sleeve is uncoupled from the outer sleeve and the fingers of the outer sleeve are then inserted into the disc space. The switching sleeve and dilator are then removed and the outer sleeve defines a channel that allows insertion of implants at bilateral locations within the disc space without movement or manipulation of the outer sleeve.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,945 to Ray et al. (the '945 patent) discloses a spinal annulus cutter useful for cutting a multisided flap in an encapsulating ligament, such as an annulus of a disc, to provide access to an interior space. This instrument is not designed to be used in the removal of the entire disc, but rather is used in surgeries where the annulus is not removed. This surgical tool has the ability to pierce the annulus in such a way as to provide access to the discal area but allow for regenerative recover of the annular fibers afterwards, and prevent the damaging or destruction of the tightening or constraining ability of the annulus itself. The cutter is not designed to cut around the annulus.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,842 to Michelson (the '842 patent) discloses a spinal microknife. The knife was intended to simplify the procedure for performing an anterior cervical discectomy, while reducing the possibility of penetrating the dural sac or injuring the spinal cord. The microknife provides for an offset handle which allows unobstructed visualization of the cutting portion of the blade when operating on a cervical disc. The design of the blade tip has a smooth slightly biplanar convex bottom surface and a concave upper cutting surface, which will slip underneath the tissues to be cut, lifting the tissue onto the upper cutting portion of the blade which is perpendicular to the convex bottom surface. The tip of the knife is blunt to prevent puncturing. The knife is designed to allow for a safe way of cutting broadly across the posterior annulus or the posterior longitudinal ligament thus allowing full visualization of that space back there and the removal of any sequestered disc material under direct visualization.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,505 to Krause et al. (the '505 patent) discloses a powered arthroscopic surgical instrument, which includes a cutting implement disposed on the distal end of the inner tube. A region of the inner tube is flexible to enable the inner tube to accept the curvature imposed by the outer tube. The flexibility of the instrument allows the cutting tip to be manipulated into regions of the joint that cannot be reached by a straight instrument inserted through the same puncture.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,067,340 to LeNoir (the '340 patent) discloses a surgical instrument for meniscectomy. The instrument contains a pair of curved grooved guides of a shape corresponding to the periphery of the relatively inaccessible posterior portion of the meniscus. The cutting blade frame extends along the length of the grooved blade guide handles to the base of the two grooved guides and continues upward after being bent through an angle of approximately 100° with the cutting blade base mount. In operation, the flexible cutting blade advances along the grooves in the curved grooved guides and detaches the periphery of the meniscus near its base intra-articularly along a curved path corresponding to the shape of said curved grooved guides. This instrument is intended to replace both the Smillie and Lowe-Breck knives. The Smillie knives are a series of knives containing various angles which are used to perform a meniscectomy procedure on the knee.
One of the problems associated with the current surgical instruments that are used in the discectomy procedure is that they do not provide for the protection of other tissue structures near the intervertebral disc when the disc is being removed. Due to the great care that must be used in preventing any injury to tissue surrounding the intervertebral disc, such as the spinal cord, spinal tissue, nerve roots and iliac arteries and veins, safer cutting instruments are needed.
Additionally, there is a need for a surgical instrument that assists a surgeon in performing a discectomy, and specifically removing the annulus fibrosus, by following the curvature of the intervertebral disc as a guide. Such a cutting instrument would safely cut around the posterior portion of the disc where visibility is minimal, thus preventing injury to tissue surrounding the intervertebral disc. There is also a need for instruments that contains blunt blade guards to further prevent injury to surrounding tissue during the discectomy procedure and complete removal of the annulus fibrosus.
Alternatively, there is a need in the art for a set of cutting instruments for use in a discectomy procedure which when used sequentially, will safely cut around the tough annulus fibrosus of the intervertebral disc. Such instruments contain various curvatures that conform to various points around the circumference of the intervertebral disc.


An optical interface devices (OID) routes signals entering each of its ports to all other ports. The OID passively routes the optical signals and performs no conversion of the signals into the electrical domain. In addition to signal routing, the OID also performs bi-directional amplification of the optical signals to compensate for splitting losses, coupling losses, signal variations, and to provide additional gain. As a result, the power level of a signal entering one port is the same power level at which corresponding signals exit all other ports of the OID. The OID is useful in a number of network topologies, including but not limited to bus, point-to-point, star, ring, broken ring, hub, and a tree-like topology. The OID enables signal quality to be maintained throughout the network which is especially beneficial in the transmission of Radio Frequency and other analog signals.

Optical communication has many benefits over transmission of signals in an electrical domain. For one, the losses in an optical medium are much less than those incurred in an electrical medium. As a result, signals can travel greater distances through an optical fiber before any necessary regeneration. Another advantage is that optical signals are much less susceptible to electromagnetic radiation. An electrical medium, such as a coaxial cable, generates electromagnetic fields as the signals travel down the cable. These electromagnetic fields can induce noise in neighboring cables and cause interference with the signals traveling on such cables. In addition, noise can be induced upon the coaxial cable signals from the electromagnetic fields generated by the neighboring cables. For these and many other reasons, optical communication is often the preferred mode of communication.
In optical communication networks, as with electrical communication networks, the network needs some manner of adding and dropping signals at points throughout the network. One approach to adding and dropping signals onto an optical medium involves the use of regeneration devices. These regeneration devices convert the optical signals traveling along the optical medium into the electrical domain and route these electrical signals to terminal equipment. Any electrical signals that need to be added and forwarded on to the optical medium are added to the electrical signals that had been detected. A combination of these signals is then converted into optical signals and passed along the optical medium. Some drawbacks to this approach include the loss of signal quality in needing to convert the optical signals into electrical signals and then back to optical signals at each node or station throughout the network, the accompanying loss of speed and increase in latency, and the limitations in bandwidth associated with the electrical medium.
Rather than coupling signals in the electrical domain, a preferred device for coupling signals operates purely in the optical domain. By maintaining the signals in the optical domain, the coupling device can maintain signal quality, operate at higher speeds and at an increased bandwidth. U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,260, which is incorporated by reference, is an example of an optical interface device operating solely in the optical domain. This optical interface device is useful in routing optical signals traveling along either direction on an optical bus to a node and for directing signals from that node onto the bus in both directions. With such an optical interface device, signals that originate at any node within a network can be transmitted to every other node and, conversely, signals from all of the nodes are received at each node. This type of optical interface device is useful in an optical transport system described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,898,801, which is incorporated by reference.
While optical interface devices have many advantages over electrical interface devices, optical interface devices can still limit the performance of the network. For example, each time optical signals are diverted off of an optical bus to a node, the optical interface device necessarily reduces the optical signal level. Consequently, after a certain number of nodes, the remaining signal has such a low optical signal to noise level that the signal is underneath the noise floor and can no longer be detected. In addition to those losses due to splitting of the signal at each node, the optical interface device also introduces losses resulting from the imperfect coupling of light from an input optical fiber to the optical interface device, from the optical interface device to an exit optical fiber, and from the optical interface device to the terminal equipment. The optical interface device therefore introduces losses at each node, which causes the signal to vary at points throughout the network.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,898,801 describes a network having a number of optical interface devices that bi-directionally amplifies the optical signals. By amplifying the optical signals traveling along the optical bus, the number of nodes along the network can be greatly increased. The optical amplifier may comprise a fiber amplifier and, more particularly a rare earth doped fiber amplifier. The doped fiber amplifier is energized with an excitation light, typically at 980 nanometers. This fiber amplifier may be located between nodes along the bus and/or between the terminal equipment and the optical interface device.
As described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,898,801, the length of the rare earth doped fiber influences the amount of amplification provided by the fiber amplifier. By placing the fiber amplifiers between each node, the fiber amplifiers can compensate for losses incurred by splitting the signals at each node. Thus, a signal that originates at one end of the bus can travel along the bus, have a fraction of the signal diverted at each node, and then be amplified after incurring those losses. This approach to amplification, as mentioned above, greatly increases the number of nodes that may be in a network. This approach to amplification, however, is more challenging when the network topology is dynamic. For example, a network may have different amplification needs with an initial set of nodes than it would need later when nodes are added at other points within the network, are removed from the network, or are placed at different points within the network. The placement of fiber amplifiers at certain points may therefore not be optimal for a different configuration of nodes on the network. As a result, the signal level and quality of the signal may vary throughout the network. For certain types of signals, these variations may not affect performance of the network overall. On the other hand, for other types of signals, such as radio frequency (RF) signals and other analog signals, maintaining a consistent signal dynamic range and waveform quality throughout the network is imperative.

Optical interface devices having balanced amplification


A small form-factor keyboard or keypad for key structures is provided in which individual key structures have a contact surface on which there is a center reference and a peak. The center reference and the peak or offset, so that an offset distance between the center reference and the peak is greater than or equal to zero. The offset distance for at least two or more key structures in the plurality of key structures may different. The difference in the offset distance may be based on a position of the individual key structures relative to a first reference line.

Over the last several years, the growth of cell phones and messaging devices has increased the need for keypads that are small and tightly spaced. In particular, QWERTY keypads have become smaller with greater key switch density. With decreasing overall size, there has been greater focus on efforts to make individual keys more usable to a user. For example, keyboard design considers how readily the user can select or click ("clickability") individual key structures of keyboard. The clickability may be affected by various factors, such as the individual key structure size and shape, as well as the spacing between key structures and the tactile response of individual key structures.
With the growth of small form factor devices, such as cell phones and wireless messages, there have been several designs and schemes for providing smaller functional keypads, particularly with respect to keypads that provide character entry. For example, keyboard layouts have been designed using button structures and individual key orientations that reduce the overall surface area of the keypad. Such designs have often focused on QWERTY keyboard layouts, which normally require at least 26-30 individual keys.

Small form-factor keyboard using keys with offset peaks and pitch variations


A method for protecting a coating on a surface of a component is provided. The method includes a coating step for coating at least a portion of the component with a ceramic slurry. A projecting step is used for projecting a pattern of light onto the component with a lithographic process to expose and solidify a ceramic layer. A removing step is used for removing unexposed portions of the ceramic slurry from the component. A heating step heats the component to sinter the ceramic layer. The ceramic layer is formed with multiple fracture planes.

The present disclosure relates to thermal barrier coatings, and more particularly to lithographically applied layers, patterns, stress elements or sacrificial layers on the thermal barrier coating.
Hot section components of gas turbine engines are often protected by a thermal barrier coating (TBC), which reduces the temperature of the underlying component substrate and thereby prolongs the service life of the component. Ceramic materials and particularly yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) are widely used as TBC materials because of their high temperature capability, low thermal conductivity, and relative ease of deposition by plasma spraying, flame spraying and physical vapor deposition (PVD) techniques. Plasma spraying processes such as air plasma spraying (APS) yield noncolumnar coatings characterized by a degree of inhomogeneity and porosity, and have the advantages of relatively low equipment costs and ease of application. TBC's employed in the highest temperature regions of gas turbine engines are often deposited by PVD, particularly electron-beam PVD (EBPVD), which yields a strain-tolerant columnar grain structure.
To be effective, a TBC should strongly adhere to the component and remain adherent throughout many heating and cooling cycles. The latter requirement is particularly demanding due to the different coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) between ceramic materials and the substrates they protect, which are typically superalloys, though ceramic matrix composite (CMC) materials are also used. An oxidation-resistant bond coat is often employed to promote adhesion and extend the service life of a TBC, as well as protect the underlying substrate from damage by oxidation and hot corrosion attack. Bond coats used on superalloy substrates are typically in the form of an overlay coating such as MCrAlX (where M is iron, cobalt and/or nickel, and X is yttrium or another rare earth element), or a diffusion aluminide coating. During the deposition of the ceramic TBC and subsequent exposures to high temperatures, such as during engine operation, these bond coats form a tightly adherent and thin alumina (Al2O3) layer or scale that adheres the TBC to the bond coat.
The service life of a TBC system is typically limited by a spallation event driven by bond coat oxidation, increased interfacial stresses and the resulting thermal fatigue, or by foreign object damage (FOD). FOD typically occurs during turbine operation and the TBC impacts caused by the foreign objects can, and often, damage the thermal barrier coatings. As the TBC wears away or is knocked off, the performance and lifetime of the turbine components incorporating the TBC may be reduced.

Protection and enhancement of thermal barrier coating by lithography


To reduce complexity and corresponding run time, quantum computation is used for rendering a volume. The quantum computation may search for voxels along a ray or the minimum or maximum. The quantum computation may orient (e.g., rotate) data for more efficient searching for the maximum or minimum. Due to the superposition in quantum computing, the efficiency in volume rendering medical images is increased as compared to traditional binary approaches.

The present embodiments relate to rendering in medical imaging. For three-dimensional visualization, different rendering approaches provide different information to assist the physician in diagnosis or treatment. Two common approaches are the volume rendering technique (VRT) mode and the maximum intensity projection (MIP) mode.
In traditional volume rendering (e.g., VRT by ray cast or other object-oriented techniques), each pixel of the final image is sampled along the viewing direction as a direct function of collected samples within the viewing volume. In VRT, each image sample on the viewing direction of one pixel is classified as a color sample then composited to the final image.
In MIP, the sample with the maximum or minimum value along a view ray is assigned to one pixel of the final image. Maximum intensity projection is typically run as a ray casting algorithm, where for each pixel of the display device, a ray is cast into the volumetric data, and the maximum value along the ray is selected. MIP is commonly used in angiography to extract vascular structures from medical computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) datasets. Minimum intensity Projection (MinIP) may be used to extract the low-intensity structures from volume data. The lowest data value encountered along each viewing ray is determined. MinIP is often used for examining lungs or airways.
MIP and MinIP are complementary methods from an algorithmic point of view. By reversing the maximum and minimum, these algorithms are mirror symmetric. MIP and MinIP are intrinsically computationally expensive because the algorithm must visit all voxels along each viewing ray to find the maximum or minimum value. Common volume rendering acceleration techniques such as space leaping and early ray termination cannot be applied. Although some optimization can be used to speed up MIP or MinIP, the overall complexity for rendering a MIP or MinIP is still O(N) where N is the number of voxels in the volume. The run time for each ray is bounded by the volume dimensions and therefore is O(N).

Volume rendering from three-dimensional medical data using quantum computing


A system and method for locating magnetic material. In one embodiment the system includes a magnetic probe; a power module in electrical communication with the magnetic probe to supply current to the magnetic probe; a sense module in electrical communication with the magnetic probe to receive signals from the magnetic probe; and a computer in electrical communication with the power module and the sense module. The computer generates a waveform that controls the supply of current from the power module and receives a signal from the sense module that indicates the presence of magnetic material. The magnetic probe is constructed from a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion of substantially 10−6/° C. or less and a Young's modulus of substantially 50 GPa or greater. In one embodiment magnetic nanoparticles are injected into a breast and the lymph nodes collecting the particles are detected with the probe and deemed sentinel nodes.

Approximately 1.25 million new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed each year. In a majority of these cases, there is an urgent need for surgery to remove the tumor and to excise the sentinel lymph nodes and inspect them histologically to determine whether the cancer has spread to other sites in the body. The sentinel lymph nodes are the first nodes to receive lymphatic drainage from the tumor. They are called this because they reliably alert the clinician to any cancer spread. A sentinel lymph node biopsy is a standard of care in breast cancer operations today.
Locating sentinel nodes during surgery is difficult. One method for locating the sentinel node is to inject a dark blue dye into the lymphatic system in the breast. The dye then disperses throughout the breast lymphatic system and the surgeon removes any colored nodes. This method is recognized as being error-prone.
An improved method involves injecting a radioactive dye into the lymph nodes. In a similar manner, the dye drains through the lymphatic system and the surgeon then uses a radiation detector to help locate the sentinel nodes. However, the use of radioisotopes presents a significant, and an expensive, logistical burden, because of the need to allocate the time and resources of a nuclear medicine radiologist in addition to the surgeon for what is otherwise a routine operation. Further many patients are reluctant to receive a radioactive injection. These factors become a significant barrier to the widespread adoption of the use of radioisotopes to locate the sentinel nodes.
The present invention overcomes these issues.


A resist composition including a base material component whose solubility in a developing solution changes by the action of an acid and an acid generator component which generates an acid upon exposure. The acid generator component includes an acid generator that includes a compound containing nitrogen atoms having proton acceptor properties and sites capable of generating an acid upon exposure in the same molecule, the number of the sites being larger than the number of the nitrogen atoms.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a compound which is useful for acid generation in a resist composition, a resist composition containing the compound, and a method for forming a resist pattern using the resist composition.
2. Description of the Related Art
In lithography techniques, for example, a resist film composed of a resist material is formed on a substrate, and the resist film is subjected to selective exposure with radial rays such as light or electron beams through a mask having a predetermined pattern formed thereon, followed by development, thereby forming a resist pattern having a predetermined shape on the resist film.
A resist material in which the exposed portions become soluble in a developing solution is called a positive type, and a resist material in which the exposed portions become insoluble in a developing solution is called a negative type.
In recent years, in the production of semiconductor elements and liquid crystal display elements, advances in lithography techniques have led to rapid progress in the field of pattern miniaturization.
In general, these miniaturization techniques involve shortening the wavelength (increasing the energy) of the exposure light source. Specifically, ultraviolet rays typified by g-line and i-line have hitherto been used. But, nowadays KrF excimer lasers and ArF excimer lasers are starting to be introduced in mass production. In addition, investigations are also being conducted on lithography techniques using an exposure light source having a wavelength shorter (energy higher) than these excimer lasers, such as electron beams, EUV (extreme ultraviolet radiation), and X rays.
Resist materials are required to have lithography properties such as sensitivity to these exposure light sources and resolution capable of reproducing patterns of minute dimensions.
As a resist material that satisfies these requirements, a chemically amplified resist composition containing a base material component whose solubility in a developing solution changes by the action of an acid and an acid generator component which generates an acid upon exposure, has hitherto been used. For example, in the case where the developing solution is an alkali developing solution (alkali developing process), a positive-type chemically amplified resist composition containing a resin component (base resin) whose solubility in an alkali developing solution changes by the action of an acid and an acid generator component is generally used. If a resist film formed using such a resist composition is selectively exposed at the time of forming a resist pattern, in exposed areas, an acid is generated from the acid generator component, and the polarity of the base resin increases by the action of the generated acid, thereby making the exposed areas soluble in the alkali developing solution. Accordingly, a positive-type pattern in which unexposed areas remain as a pattern is formed upon alkali development. On the other hand, in the case of applying a solvent developing process using a developing solution containing an organic solvent (organic developing solution), when the polarity of the base resin increases, the solubility in the organic developing solution is relatively decreased. Therefore, unexposed areas of the resist film are dissolved in and removed by the organic developing solution, whereby a negative-type resist pattern in which exposed areas remain as a pattern is formed. In this way, the solvent developing process for forming a negative-type resist pattern is sometimes called a negative-type developing process (see, for example, JP-A-2009-025723).
Currently, for example, resins having a structural unit derived from a (meth)acrylic ester in a main chain thereof (acrylic resins) are generally used as a base resin for resist compositions to be used for ArF excimer laser lithography in view of the fact that they are excellent in transparency in the vicinity of 193 nm (see, for example, JP-A-2003-241385).
In addition, as acid generators which are used in a chemically amplified resist composition, various types have been proposed up to date. For example, onium salt-based acid generators, oxime sulfonate-based acid generators, diazomethane-based acid generators, nitrobenzylsulfonate-based acid generators, iminosulfonate-based acid generators, and disulfone-based acid generators are known. In recent years, base resins containing a constituent unit having an acid generator function are also used (see, for example, JP-A-2006-045311).

Resist composition, method for forming resist pattern, and compound


A method and system for enhanced bus arbitration in a multiprocessor system having multiprocessors coupled to a system memory via a common wide bus. The common wide bus is subdivided into multiple sub-buses which may be accessed individually or in groups by a selected processor, or individual sub-buses may be accessed by multiple processors simultaneously. In response to one or more pending transactions, each processor outputs a request to bus arbitration logic for a number of sub-buses. A maximum number of sub-buses is specified for each processor and the processors are prioritized. Each time a bus request is received from a processor, the number of requested sub-buses is granted, if that number is equal to or less than the specified maximum number of sub-buses for that processor. If the requested number of sub-buses is greater than the specified maximum number of sub-buses for that processor the requested number is granted if no other processor has issued a bus request.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to an improved multiprocessor data processing system and, in particular, to an improved method and system for arbitration of bus access in a multiprocessor system. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and system for arbitration of simultaneous variable-width bus access by multiple processors in a multiprocessing system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A multiprocessing system is a computing system which employs two or more connected processing units which execute programs simultaneously. The objective of such systems is increased speed or computing power by the carrying out of multiple processes simultaneously within a single system.
In such systems, a number of substantially equal processors are often coupled together over a common bus to a system memory or other I/O devices. Sharing of the bus or the provision of multiple bus units is required in order to use most efficiently multiple processor assets.
In such systems, it is desirable to access data over the system bus with a minimum delay. Large data transfers may require large bandwidth on the system bus while other processes may need only a small amount of data. For example, an instruction cache miss may require quick access to a large amount of data or instruction stalls may result. Alternatively, a "test and set" operation may only require a byte or two of data.
The fact that processors may need to access either large or small amounts of data and the disparity in bus sizes between processors and selected peripheral devices has led to some development in variable-width buses. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,300,811 discloses an integrated circuit device which can vary the effective bit width of a data bus by means of software instructions. Thus, a microprocessor is provided which may access the external data bus utilizing a width of 8 bits, 16 bits, 32 bits, etc., by dynamic bus sizing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,408,628 discloses a solid-state data recorder which employs a solid-state memory to record data in the form of data words of variable length which may be transmitted from the memory on a flexible-width data bus. Bus lines are selected from among the total number of bus lines in accordance with the mapped-out memory locations in order to transfer the variable-length data words to and from the memory in order to minimize loss of usable recording space in the memory.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,507 discloses a multiple-width data bus for a microsequencer bus controller system so that data may be transferred either as full words or half words in order to permit the processor to communicate with subsystems which may have different word sizes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,009 also discloses a dynamic-sizing bus controller which may be utilized with a host device having a host bus of a predetermined physical bus width and a slave device having a slave bus of a variable one of multiple possible logical bus widths. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,528 discloses a data processor having bus-sizing function which permits data access to occur based upon the variable size of the data to be transferred.
While many of these systems disclose a technique whereby the width of a bus may be dynamically altered, none of these systems is directed to the concept of addressing the variable data access requirements of multiple processors in a multiprocessor system.
It thus should be apparent that a need exists for a system whereby bus arbitration between multiple processors in a multiprocessor system may be utilized to effectively and efficiently access data within the system by utilizing all or a portion of a common wide bus.

Method and system for bus arbitration in a multiprocessor system utilizing simultaneous variable-width bus access

International Business Machines Corporation


Method and system for issuing public key infrastructure (PKI) certificates in a peer-to-peer wireless communication network, comprising generating, at a first certificate authority (CA) node in the peer-to-peer communication network, a PKI certificate based on public key information received from an applicant node in the peer-to-peer wireless communication network; and transmitting the PKI certificate generated by the first CA node to the applicant node using the peer-to-peer wireless communication network.

Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication enables a vehicle to communicate with surrounding entities such as, among other things, other vehicles, cell towers, access points, roadway infrastructure elements, smart grid elements, and pedestrians. V2X communication may, for example, include device-to-device communication such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-grid (V2G), and vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P), as well as device-to-network (V2N) communication such as cellular network based C-V2X communication, and wireless local area network (WLAN) based communication. Different protocols have been, or are being, developed to support V2X communication, including, for example, the WLAN based IEEE 802.11p protocol released in 2012, the V2X protocol defined as Long-Term Evolution (LTE) V2X in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) releases 14 and 15, and the V2X protocols being developed under release 15.
The information provided and received by entities within a V2X network may, in some applications, impact the actions of traffic control systems and individual vehicle control systems, and may also be relied on by entities such as insurance companies and governments. Given the potential safety, financial, legal and regulatory impact of information exchanged within a V2X network, preserving the integrity of the information is of great importance. In this regard, V2X communication may incorporate traditional data integrity safeguards such as the use public key infrastructure (PKI) certificates.
Typically, PKI certificates are issued by a centralized certificate issuing entity. In the case where a vehicle has on-line access to such a centralized certificate issuing entity, for example through a cellular network connection, such certificates can be issued and renewed using conventional protocols. However, in some cases, a vehicle may be off-line relative to the centralized certificate issuing entity, meaning that the vehicle does not have access to the centralized certificate issuing entity at the time that the vehicle requires a PKI certificate. Such a situation may, for example, occur if the vehicle is not within range of a cellular network, if the cellular network is denying access to the vehicle due to network capacity issues or other reasons, if a communication breakdown occurs between the cellular network and the certificate issuing entity, or if the certificate issuing entity has experienced a temporary failure or is currently unavailable for other reasons.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method and system that facilitates the issuance of PKI certificates to an entity, such as a vehicle, that does not have access to a centralized certificate issuing entity at the time that the vehicle requires one or more PKI certificates.

Issuing offline PKI certificates in distributed V2X network