A differential type voltage-controlled oscillator circuit including: a plurality of VCO cells each having one pair of switching elements, the switching elements having one terminal side connected to a voltage source via a load and another terminal side connected to a common current source via a common node, the switching elements being supplied with differential signals, the plurality of VCO cells outputting differential signals different in phase from the differential signals; and a vibration canceling section connecting the plurality of VCO cells such that vibration at each node is cancelled.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a voltage-controlled oscillator circuit and a PLL circuit, and particularly to a differential type voltage-controlled oscillator circuit and a PLL circuit including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In radio communications using portable telephones and the like, serial communications through various cables, systems for reproducing digitally recorded data from disk media (read channels), and the like, a PLL (Phase-Locked Loop) circuit is widely used to generate an oscillating signal with a high spectrum precision and generate a clock signal locked in frequency and phase to a data signal.
Recently, there has been a demand for increase in the speed of oscillating signals and clock signals, and there has been a desire for higher-performance PLL circuits.
One of indexes of performance called for of PLL circuits is the precision of an output signal. The precision of the output signal is decreased by thermal noise and various noises inherent in elements. Therefore suppression of this decrease is desired. As an index for evaluating this precision, indexes referred to as jitter performance and phase noise are widely used.
Main factors in jitter and phase noise include noise of a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) provided within a PLL circuit. The jitter performance of the PLL circuit can be improved by reducing the noise itself of the VCO.
VCOs are generally classified roughly into two types, that is, LCVCOs and ring VCOs according to the structures of the VOCs. LCVCOs generally have superior jitter performance. However, ring VCOs are widely used in applications where a jitter performance requirement is not so severe because of advantages of the ring VCO having a wide variable frequency range, being able to output a plurality of output signals different from each other in phase, and requiring no inductor, for example. Therefore improvement of the jitter performance of the ring VCO is desired to extend applications of the ring VCO.
Accordingly, description in the following will be made focusing on a differential type ring VCO.
FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a differential type ring VCO in related art.
The ring VCO 90 includes a cascade connection of same VCO cells C91, C92, . . . , C9(n−1), and C9n in N stages (N VCO cells). When the number N of stages is an even number, the ring VCO 90 also includes an inverting unit for inverting differential signal lines. This inverting unit is unnecessary when the number N of stages is an odd number.
The oscillation frequency (hereinafter f0) of the ring VCO is expressed by a delay time TD of the VCO cells and the number N of stages of the VCO cells as in Equation (1).f0=½N·TD   (1)
The output differential signals of adjacent VCO cells have a phase difference of π/N [rad] when N is an even number, and have a phase difference of 2π/N [rad] when N is an odd number.
The internal configuration of each VCO cell will next be described. However, since the internal configurations of the VCO cells C91, C92, . . . , C9(n−1), and C9n are similar to each other, the VCO cell C91 will be described as a representative.
FIG. 12 is a circuit diagram showing an equivalent circuit of the VCO cell shown in FIG. 11.
The VCO cell C91 includes loads R91 and R92, NMOS transistors M91 and M92, and a constant-current source I.
The NMOS transistors M91 and M92 form a differential pair (source-coupled pair). The drain of the NMOS transistor M91 is connected with the load R91. The drain of the NMOS transistor M92 is connected with the load R92. The gate of the NMOS transistor M91 is connected with an input terminal In+ to which a signal V+ is input. The gate of the NMOS transistor M92 is connected with an input terminal In− to which a signal V− is input.
An output terminal Out− is connected between the drain of the NMOS transistor M91 and the load R91. An output terminal Out+ is connected between the drain of the NMOS transistor M92 and the load R92.
The opposite sides of the loads R91 and R92 from the NMOS transistor M91 and the NMOS transistor M92 are each connected to a voltage source VDD.
The sources of the NMOS transistor M91 and the NMOS transistor M92 are connected to the constant-current source I for outputting a constant current Itail90 via a tail node (node) N90.
The NMOS transistors M91 and M92 generally have nonlinear characteristics. For example, the characteristics of an ideal NMOS transistor conform to a square equation expressed by Equation (2).IDS=K·(VGS−VT)   (2)
where IDS is a drain-to-source current of the NMOS transistor, K is a constant determined by the size of the NMOS transistor, VGS is a gate-to-source voltage, and VT is a threshold voltage. A common signal VC and an oscillating signal VD obtained by converting a signal V+ and a signal V− as a positive differential input signal and a negative differential input signal into a common component and a differential component are expressed by Equation (3).
                                          V            C                    =                                                    V                +                            +                              V                -                                      2                          ,                              V            D                    =                                                    V                +                                                          V                -                                      2                                              (        3        )
The voltage Vtail90 of the tail node N90 satisfies a relation of Equation (4) obtained from Equation (2) and Equation (3).
                              V                      tail                                                                          90                          =                              V            C                    -                      V            T                    -                                                                      I                                      tail                                                                                90                                                                    2                                    K                                            -                              V                D                2                                                                        (        4        )
As is understood from Equation (4), the voltage Vtail90 vibrates at a frequency twice that of the differential oscillating signal VD, that is, a frequency 2f0. Incidentally, the vibration of the voltage Vtail90 at the frequency 2f0 will hereinafter be referred to as the "2f0 vibration of the voltage Vtail". This is qualitatively understood as follows. When the differential signal VD90 (VD) vibrating in a sinusoidal manner becomes large while the common signal VC90 (VC) of the NMOS transistors M91 and M92 is fixed, the gate voltage of the NMOS transistor M91 increases, and the gate voltage of the NMOS transistor M92 decreases by an amount corresponding to the increase. However, because of the square characteristics of the NMOS transistors, a certain amount of increase in the gate-to-source voltages VGS90 (VGS) of the NMOS transistors M91 and M92 cause a greater current change than the same amount of decrease.
FIG. 13 is a graph showing the 2f0 vibration of the voltage at the tail node.
An overall current value is fixed at a constant value by the current source, and consequently an amount of change in the NMOS transistors M91 and M92 is adjusted by increase in the voltage Vtail90. The same is true for a case where the gate voltage of the NMOS transistor M92 increases. Hence, the voltage Vtail90 vibrates at a frequency twice the oscillation frequency.
However, the square characteristic of the NMOS transistor in a triode region (non-saturation region) in which a drain-to-source voltage VDS is lower than a voltage (VGS−VT) is expressed by Equation (5).IDS=K·{2·(VGS−VT)2·VDS−VDS2}  (5)
An amplification factor gm of the NMOS transistor decreases in the triode region. That is, the gradient of an output waveform becomes gentle.
FIG. 14 is a graph showing the output waveform resulting from the 2f0 vibration of the voltage at the tail node.
The above-described 2f0 vibration of the voltage Vtail distorts the output signal of the VCO cell C91. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, the voltage Vtail becomes highest when the signal V+ or the signal V− is smallest, the NMOS transistors M91 and M92 alternately enter the triode region, and the amplification factor gm, that is, the gradient of the output waveform is decreased. As a result, a frequency 2f0 component and other distortion components occur in the output signal of the VCO cell C91. Hence, a phase noise as a ratio between signal strength at a frequency f0 and signal strength at a frequency adjacent to the frequency f0 deteriorates. In addition, a component of the vibration of the frequency 2f0 causes harmonic distortion. Also, the amplitude of the output waveform is decreased.
It is known that a distorted oscillation waveform degrades the phase noise and jitter performance of the VCO due to the following causes (1) and (2) (see Non-Patent Document 1, for example).    (1) Due to a decrease in the peak-to-peak voltage of the output waveform, even when an amount of noise of a noise source is fixed, an amount of conversion of the noise source to phase noise increases.    (2) Due to asymmetry of the output waveform, an amount of conversion of various noise sources to phase noise increases, and in particular, effects of flicker (1/f) noise significantly increase.
In related art, it is known that the vibration of the voltage Vtail makes oscillating operation unstable (see Patent Document 1).
FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the configuration of another ring VCO in the past.
Incidentally, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same parts as in the ring VCO 90, and description thereof will be omitted.
In the ring VCO 91, an NMOS transistor is connected between each of tail nodes of VCO cells C91, C92, . . . , C9(n−1), and C9n and a ground (GND) terminal, and a replica cell Cr that has the same structure as the VCO cells C91, C92, . . . , C9(n−1), and C9n but is not supplied with signals is provided. Voltages at the tail nodes of all the VCO cells are controlled by an operational amplifier (not shown) so as to be equal to a reference tail node voltage of the replica cell.
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2001-326560
[Non-Patent Document 1]
"A general theory of phase noise in electrical oscillators," IEEE J. Solid-State Circuits, vol. 33, pp. 179-194, February 1998

Voltage-controlled oscillator circuit and PLL circuit


Disclosed is a process for making a preliminarily printed formed body, which is characterized in that a halftone separated rectangular printing plate is once made from a rectangular original, halftone dots of each halftone-separated image are developed on an annular plane by picture element units finer than the halftone dots to deform the shapes of the dots, an annular halftone dot image is formed based on the changes of the shapes of the halftone dots and a halftone printing plate for the annular halftone dot image is made, and this halftone printing plate is applied to a blank to be formed. According to this process undesirable formation of a striped pattern caused by the elongating flow of the blank in the height direction and the contracting flow of the blank in the circumferential direction is prevented and a strange feeling is not given to the printed image, and a faithful printed image can be reproduced.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for making a preliminarily printed formed body. More particularly, the present invention relates to a process for making a draw-formed printed body by draw-forming a preliminarily printed metal blank, in which a printed image manifested on the side wall portion of a can is formed as a halftone printed image which is excellent in the dimension, size, distribution and arrangement of halftone dots and the reproducibility of this halftone printed image is improved.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Draw-forming of a surface-treated steel sheet such as a tinplate or tin-free steel sheet or a metal sheet such as an aluminum sheet is widely adopted for the manufacture of a so-called seamless can (two-piece can) and a metal cap. Coating or printing of individual formed bodies after the forming operation requires a complicated operation, and therefore, coating or printing of a flat blank before the draw-forming is desirable.
In the draw-forming, a flat metal blank undergoes the plastic flow and is formed into a cup-shaped body. When the plastic flow of the portion of the flat blank, that will constitute the circumferential side wall portion of the formed body, is taken into consideration, it is confirmed that in this portion, elongation is caused in the direction corresponding to the height direction of the formed body, while contraction is caused in the circumferential direction.
In the preliminary printing of a flat blank for draw-forming, in view of the above-mentioned plastic flow of the blank, it is necessary that an original which is rectangular in the developed state should be converted to an annular printing plate. As means for effecting this conversion, there are known a handwriting method, an optical conversion method and a digital conversion method proposed by us (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 61-267763 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 61-267053).
According to the conventional halftone printing method for effecting this preliminary printing, an original image is inputted as a picture element signal into a plate-making computer, the inputted image is annularly developed by a deforming computer to form an annular image, the annular image is halftone-separated by an editing means to make a printing halftone plate, and a blank is printed by using this printing halftone plate.
However, in a formed body obtained by draw-forming a preliminarily printed metal blank, a striped pattern not found in the original print image is often formed at the upper part of the side wall portion, and even in the case where a simple original image is printed on the side wall portion of a can, the inherent impression of the halftone image is not found but a deformed image is observed, and a halftone printed picture having a good reproducibility cannot be obtained in the side wall portion of the can.
As the result of investigations made by us, it was found that in the draw forming of a preliminarily printed metal blank, at the upper part of the side wall portion, dots become continuous in the circumferential direction owing to the compression flow of the blank in the circumferential direction and spaces between dots in the height direction increase owing to the elongation flow of the blank in the height direction, and this deformation of the dots tends to result in formation of a striped pattern.

Process for making preliminarily printed formed body


A method and system for monitoring breathing movement of a subject is disclosed. A method and system for detecting and predictably estimating regular cycles of breathing movements is disclosed. Another disclosed aspect of the invention is directed to detect and report irregularity of breathing activity of an infant, such as cessation and non-periodicity, which suggests a likelihood of SIDS.

The present invention relates to medical methods and systems. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and system for monitoring breathing activity.
A serious concern for parents of a newborn is the possibility of death by Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). SIDS is commonly known as the sudden death of an infant under one year of age which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, including performance of a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene, and review of the clinical history. A SIDS death occurs quickly and is often associated with sleep, with no signs of suffering,
Although exact causes of SIDS are still unknown, mounting evidence suggests that some SIDS babies are born with brain abnormalities that make them vulnerable to sudden death during infancy. Studies of SIDS victims reveal that some SIDS infants have abnormalities in the "arcuate nucleus," a portion of the brain that is likely to be involved in controlling breathing during sleep. However, scientists believe that the abnormalities that are present at birth may not be sufficient to cause death. Other factors, such as lack of oxygen and excessive carbon dioxide intake, may also contribute to the occurrence of SIDS. During sleep, a baby can experience a lack of oxygen and excessive carbon dioxide levels when they re-inhale the exhaled air. Normally, an infant can sense such inadequate air intake, and his breathing movement can change accordingly to compensate for the insufficient oxygen and excess carbon dioxide. As such, certain types of irregularity in an infant's breathing activity can be an indicator of SIDS or the likelihood of SIDS.
Therefore, monitoring of an infant's breathing activity for breathing irregularities could help prevent or detect the possibility of SIDS. One approach to monitor the breathing activity is to attach to the body of the infant a battery-powered electronic device that can mechanically detect the breathing movement. Although such device can monitor the infant's breathing directly, the battery can render the device large and heavy, which encumbers the tiny infant. Additionally, difficulty of attachment can be expected under this approach.
Another approach to monitor an infant's breathing activity is to install a pressure sensitive pad underneath the mattress where the infant is sleeping. The pad monitors the baby's breathing activity by measuring body movement. However, because the pad is unable to directly monitor the breathing movement, accuracy of the generated breathing data can be affected.
In contrast to the above approaches, the present invention provides an improved system and method that can monitor breathing activity without creating encumbrances. With respect to infants, by continuously monitoring breathing movement during sleep and reporting detected irregularity, the present system and method can reduce the occurrence of SIDS.
In an embodiment, an optical-based system, comprising at least one camera, a marker, a computing device to compute the position of the marker, and a reporting device to transmit an alert signal, is employed to measure and record an infant's breathing movement and report detected irregularity. The system can produce breathing pattern by tracking the movement of the marker, which is placed in a particular location such that motion of the marker relates to the breathing movement of the infant. In one embodiment, the movement of multiple markers are tracked.
According to an embodiment, a method for identifying breathing pattern of an infant comprises the steps of first co-locating the marker with the infant, viewing the marker with at least one camera, producing image coordinates for the identified marker viewed by the camera, comparing the image coordinates with reference coordinates for the marker, and thereafter determining breathing motion of the infant. The computing device can analyze the breathing pattern and actuate the reporting device if irregularity is detected. Irregularity includes, but not limited to, lack of periodicity in the breathing pattern and cease of the breathing motion. Multiple markers associated with multiple infants or patients may be simultaneously monitored using the present system and method. In addition, the present approaches can be used to monitor any object, including adult patients and non-human creatures.
These and other aspects, objects, and advantages of the invention are described below in the detailed description, drawings, and claims.

Method and system for monitoring breathing activity of a subject

Varian Medical Systems Technologies, Inc.


A method and apparatus for sequencing determines possible next states for respective possible previous states based upon resources, selects one of the possible next states as an actual next state based upon an actual previous state, and communicates the actual next state as the actual previous state.

Logic analyzers in use today function by observing multiple channels' incoming digital data and performing a data storage function based upon bit patterns identified in the incoming data. The intelligence of the logic analyzer lies in its sequencer, which observes the incoming data signals, and produces signaling based upon the incoming data patterns. The signaling is typically a set of output signals that direct other areas of the logic analyzer to perform functions. A user is able to designate those functions performed and what input patterns cause the designated functions to be performed. The sequencer of the logic analyzer is a programmable state machine that makes decisions based upon patterns in the incoming data. One method of implementing a state machine is to provide a look up table (herein "LUT"). As such, the LUT accepts a current state of the sequencer and the incoming data as inputs that provides output indicating a new state of the sequencer and signaling destined to initiate performance of designated functions. Ideally, the sequencer operates at the speed of the incoming data. As data speeds and number of channels increase, however, it becomes more difficult to provide a sequencer fast enough to accommodate the incoming data.
One method for addressing the data speed challenge is to de-multiplex the incoming data to a more manageable speed for the LUT. For each de-multiplex factor, however, memory requirements to implement the sequencer increase geometrically and the solution quickly becomes prohibitively costly. Additionally, it takes more time to process de-multiplexed data through the sequencer and at some point, the benefits gained through de-multiplexing are lost due to increased processing time. Another method is to cascade the LUTs to reduce the memory requirements. Disadvantageously, however, each LUT and interconnecting logic must still operate at the speed of the incoming data. Incoming digital data speeds are currently at 2 GHz and increasing. Using current technology, cascaded LUTs are not able to operate at that speed.
There is a need, therefore, to provide a sequencer that can operate at speed for incoming digital data with an opportunity for improved speeds as technology progresses.


Automated detection of microseismic events is performed by a system and method that provides automated calculation of one or more statistical parameters for statistics-based detection of microseismic events of interest. An event detector to perform signal subspace-based detection may automatically, e.g. iteratively, be configured based on the one or more automatically calculated and/or estimated statistical parameters, which may include a signal subspace dimension, an effective embedding dimension, a detection threshold, and/or a false alarm rate. Some of the statistical parameters may be calculated based on custom-generated synthetic seismic data.

In passive seismic monitoring, seismic energy is generated by microseismic events resulting typically from shear-stress release on pre-existing geological structures (e.g., faults and fractures), for example due to production/injection induced local earth stress condition perturbations. The seismic energy can be recorded using sensors such as geophones or seismometers placed in a monitoring well and/or on the surface of the earth.
Microseismic events may be seen as small earthquakes. Hydraulic fracturing induced microseismic events typically have a Richter magnitude ML<−1. Production induced events typically have a Richter magnitude ML<3. Such seismic events are commonly recorded by receivers at distances of over 1 km from the origin of the events. This poses a challenge for event detection due to low signal-to-noise ratios.
Known methods for automated microseismic event detection include short-time-average/long-time-average (STA/LTA) detectors and correlation-type detectors. The STA/LTA detector calculates the energy ratio of short-time window to long-time window and declares the appearance of seismic events when the ratio exceeds a threshold. The correlation detector screens seismic events by calculating a correlation coefficient between the received signal and a template event known as the master event, assuming events that are to be detected have similar waveforms as the master event.
Simple STA/LTA detectors are broadly applicable, but have high false alarm rates when an aggressive threshold is set to detect smaller signals. Correlation detectors are highly sensitive, having high detection probability at low false alarm rates. However, they are applicable only to strictly repetitive sources confined to very compact source regions.
Event detection in a signal subspace has been suggested. (See, for example, D. B. Harris (2006): "Subspace detectors: Theory," Lawrence Livermore Natl. Lab. Rep. UCRL-TR-222758, 46 pp., Lawrence Livermore Natl. Lab., Livermore, Calif.) In these proposed methods, a single matching template in a correlation detection method is replaced with a suite (subspace) of basis vectors that are combined linearly to match occurrences of variable signals from a specific source region.

Statistics-based seismic event detection


The present publication discloses a method for coating pipes. The method comprises applying curable first polymer (e.g. epoxy) onto the surface of the pipe and partially curing the first polymer or leaving the first polymer uncured to in order to form a reactive first polymer layer. Thereafter, the pipe with the reactive first polymer layer is heated and a second polymer (e.g. polyolefin) is applied directly onto the heated reactive first polymer layer, whereby the two polymers react and form a protective coating on the pipe or pipe section. In particular, the heating can be carried out in two steps such that the first polymer stays reactive until the application of the second polymer.

Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a method for coating a pipe or a pipe section. In particular, the invention concerns coating steel pipes and field-joints of steel pipes. In the method, the pipe or pipe section is provided with a polymer coating for protecting the pipe or pipe section and in particular pipe joints. The polymer material is generally applied on the surface of the pipe or pipe section along at least a part of the periphery thereof.
Description of Related Art
Steel pipes coated with layers of polymers, such as polyethylene or polypropylene, have been used in oil and gas pipelines for a long time. These kinds of pipes are mechanically strong and have good corrosion resistance along the coated part of the pipe. They are generally welded together using the SAW technique (Submerged Arc Welding) to form a pipeline. To facilitate weld-joining of the pipes at the construction site, end portions of the pipe are usually left without coating at the factory. In practice, the pipes are often coated entirely and in a later stage the polymers are stripped or brushed off at the ends of the pipe. This is called cut-back area and the length is defined through the project specification, normally 150 mm on both pipe ends.
Field-welded pipe joints, i.e. girth welds formed at the construction sites, are sensitive to corrosion. For this reason, a coating layer has to be spread upon the girth weld and on the adjacent, uncoated portions of the pipes so as to completely cover the welded joint and to shield it from moisture and water in the ambience. Thus, the applied polymer layer overlaps with a factory coating of the pipes joined.
Field-joint coatings are conventionally most typically produced by injection moulding or by surface fused tape techniques. Also a number of other techniques such as epoxy-coating, PUR-coating, and coating by vulcanized tapes or shrinkable sleeves have been utilized. WO 2008/132279 discloses another method and apparatus for coating field-welded joints by applying polymer material in the form of a melt film or sheet on the surface of the pipe or pipe section from a moving die or nozzle. WO 01/32316 discloses another pipe coating apparatus for coating girth welds of pipelines, which is equipped with spray coating means.
For achieving a durable coating on the pipe, it is essential that the applied polymer layer is strong, internally of high quality and effectively bonded to the pipe. A vast number of different protective coating solutions (according to the field-joint coating standard ISO 21809-3) are considered durable in terms of sufficient protection. Powder epoxy is today used widely either as stand alone or together with a polyolefin coating. In such a case the steel pipe is heated up to desired application temperature normally using inductive heating, and the desired polymers are applied on to the surface. In one common method, the steel pipe is heated to 180-250° C. and powder epoxy is applied, fused and through cured onto the pipe.
A technique involving the combined use of epoxy powder and polyolefin has the potential to provide very durable and tight coatings. However, prior practical implementations of the technique suffer from certain disadvantages. This is because the conventionally used a steel temperature, higher than about 180° C., results in through curing of the epoxy in a short time. Thus, there needs to be an intermediate adhesive layer, e.g. polyolefin powder, application stage before the final topcoat is applied for achieving sufficient adhesion of the layers. Such approach is presented in EP 1316598, which discloses a method where an adhesive blend composition and a polyethylenic outer layer are coextruded on a through-cured epoxy layer, thus forming a three-layer final structure. However, in all these situations, the application method is unnecessarily complicated.
Thus, there is a need for improved pipe coating methods.

Method of coating pipes or pipe sections


According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a semiconductor memory device including a first power source which generates a first power supply voltage, a second power source which generates a second power supply voltage, a generation circuit which generates a third power supply voltage from the first power supply voltage, a switching circuit which selects one of the second power supply voltage and the third power supply voltage, and a fuse circuit connected to the switching circuit and equipped with a fuse element to carry out a fuse reading operation, wherein the third power supply voltage is supplied from the switching circuit to the fuse circuit during the fuse reading operation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a semiconductor memory device, a fuse element is provided to store redundancy address data when a defective memory cell is replaced by a redundant memory cell and the latter is then used, or control data for controlling the switch of voltage options for adjusting various voltage values used in an internal circuit.
Recently, there has been an increase in number of semiconductor memories which use storage elements similar in structure to memory cells for storing original data as such fuse elements. Especially, in the case of a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory, a normal nonvolatile memory cell is directly used as a fuse cell.
A conventional semiconductor memory device equipped with such a fuse element, e.g., a mixed memory, is driven by two power sources, i.e., a 1.5V power source compatible to a CMOS logic, and a 3V power source for guaranteeing an analog circuit necessary to operate the semiconductor memory device. Because of the configuration of the two power sources, there are two detection circuits of 1.5V and 3V regarding a power-on detection circuit for detecting a voltage. Accordingly, when a fuse reading operation (chip initializing operation) is carried out, a power supply voltage level is determined by both detection circuits. Then, the fuse reading operation is started to read redundancy information of a chip stored in the fuse cell or information such as voltage trimming data.
For detection levels of the 3V and 1.5V power-on detection circuits, they must be designed not to exceed the lower limit VCCmin of a power supply voltage specification regardless of variance of the circuits. Furthermore, power-on detection levels must be designed to be higher than the operation lower limits of all circuits. Furthermore, since the memory device operates with two power supplies, it needs to be designed so that the circuits operate without problems under all considerable conditions for turning ON power supplies regardless of the turning ON order of the 1.5V and 3V power sources. For example, when data is read from the fuse cell, according to minimum power supply specifications of 1.5V, a fuse reading operation must be guaranteed at 0.8V considering 1.35V of the specifications, 1.25V at testing time, and a variance of 0.8 to 1.2V at the power-on detection circuit. When power supply specifications of 3V are in the range of 2.7V to 3.6V, considering a case in which a power supply voltage of 3V reaches sufficiently high 3.6V, fuse cell reading operations must be guaranteed under conditions of 0.8V in the case of 1.5V, and 3.6V in the case of 3V.
In reality, however, level changing from 0.8V to 3.6V which is larger by four times or more is difficult to achieve, and current balance of a 0.8V driving MOS transistor and a 3.6V driving MOS transistor is very lopsided even if it is achieved. An operation speed of a level changing circuit is consequently reduced. As the power-on circuit of a variance of 0.8V to 1.2V presumed here is 1.0±0.2V, it is not so large for the variance of the detection circuit. Thus, even if the power-on circuit of a small variance can be realized, VCCmin of the level changing circuit cannot be guaranteed, necessitating to guarantee the VCCmin of the level changing circuit by a conventional large-variance power-on circuit varied in the same direction as that of a variance of a transistor of the level changing circuit. As a result, the small-variance power-on detection circuit for guaranteeing fuse reading and the conventional large-variance power-on circuit are used together to guarantee VCCmin, constituting redundant circuitry. While the level changing circuit can be guaranteed by the conventional power-on detection circuit, it is difficult to set a sufficiently high level as it is a circuit of a large variance. For a redundant circuit, a margin of a VCCmin guarantee of the level changing circuit is small, and reliability is not so high. Further, as the level changing circuit is a circuit of the current of the MOS transistor, and the lower limit of the power supply voltage is different from that of the fuse reading circuit or the power-on detection circuit, circuit designing is difficult and, especially for examination of the fuse reading circuit, circuit designing is more difficult as there are two kinds of power supply voltages.


Microspheres, typically sterile, inert, silica glass microspheres, are dispersed in a carrier suitable for use relative to the object to be imaged and analyzed. In the case of ophthalmic imaging, an ophthalmically-acceptable gel is used and the resulting composition is dispensed into a mammalian eye. The gel and microspheres dispersed therein coat and conform to the surface of the eye. The microspheres enhance reflectance from the eye which improves signal-to-noise ratio and improves imaging quality.

Light reflectance techniques are known for non-destructive analysis of object shapes, object and surface characteristics, responses of an object or surface to stimuli and the like. By way of example, interferometric techniques are known for analyzing damage to structural elements, such as beams. Similarly, microscopy and photography techniques of various types utilize transmission and reflectance of light from an object and are well known.
In the case of corneal integrity, it is known to use a dye, such as fluorescein to stain the cornea for visualizing abrasions, tears and the like in the cornea.
Further, it is well known to use reflection of incident light from the cornea as a tool for screening and diagnosis of a variety of corneal abnormalities and disorders, including but not limited to corneal dystrophies, keratoconus, strabismus and corneal integrity following chemical or heat burns or trauma to the eye. Further, reflection of simple light or laser light has been used in various interferometric and laser techniques for determining corneal thickness, shape and response to acoustic and other stimuli, such as is used in the determination of changes in intraocular pressure.
As with many other surfaces which may be analyzed using reflectance, it is problematic in such techniques that while the cornea does reflect some of the incident light, it is not an optimum surface for light reflectance techniques. Such techniques are therefore prone to significant noise issues which lead to poor signal-to-noise detection.
Where retro-reflection is utilized, such as in self-mixing laser techniques, the reliability and reproducibility of the results may be adversely affected by low reflectance from the cornea.
Clearly there is interest in improving the reflectivity of the cornea for improving signal-to-noise ratios in a variety of reflectance-based imaging techniques.

Composition and methods for enhancing surface reflectance


A transmembrane water channel protein is isolated in highly purified form from human erythrocytes. An identical protein is also found in kidney tubules. cDNA encoding this protein has been isolated and its amino acid sequence determined. cDNA encoding a transmembrane water channel protein has also been obtained from salivary gland, and an identical protein is found in lacrimal gland, cornea, and lung tissue. The amino acid sequence of the protein has been deduced from the cDNA, and the protein has been designated Aquaporin-5. Using the nucleic acid or protein sequence provided herein, the protein may be produced by recombinant DNA techniques. Expression of the protein may be determined by either immunoassay or in situ hybridization assay.

Cell membranes regulate the passage of materials into and out of a cell, a function which makes it possible to maintain the structural and functional integrity of the cell. It has long been recognized that the basic structure of cell membranes consist of a lipid bilayer having proteins embedded throughout. Proteins contribute to the structural strength of the membrane, act as enzymes to promote chemical reactions, act as carriers for the transport of substances through the membrane and provide breaks in the lipid bilayer so as to form pores through the membrane. Membranes of various cell types differ in biological function largely due to the different kinds of proteins embedded in the lipid bilayer.
Proteins may be embedded in the outer (exofacial) surface of the lipid bilayer, or in the inner (endofacial) surface of the lipid bilayer. Other proteins pass through the lipid bilayer and are exposed on both the inner (i.e., intracellular or cytoplasmic) surface and the outer (i.e., extracellular) surface of the membrane. Still other proteins are more loosely bound to one surface of the membrane or both, depending on the membrane. A number of protein enzymes are either dissolved in the cell membrane or are adherent to it. Many of these enzymes are present on the intracellular surface of the membrane and function at the boundary between the inner surface of the membrane and the cytoplasm to catalyze chemical reactions.
Proteins which penetrate the lipid bilayer, extending all the way through the membrane from one surface to the other, may provide direct watery passages through the interstices of the protein molecules. Such proteins act as carriers, ferrying molecules through the membrane.
Some proteins, as well as some lipids, have carbohydrates attached to their extracellular surface. The carbohydrates may be involved in the recognition and adhesion processes between, for example, cells and cells, cells and antibodies, and cells and viruses.
The human erythrocyte membrane is an accessible, pure membrane source which has provided much information upon which general understandings of membrane structure are based. The erythrocyte membrane is composed of membrane proteins which penetrate the lipid bilayer and a complex of cytoskeletal proteins known as the "membrane skeleton". Integral membrane proteins, which penetrate the lipid bilayer, are known to play roles in transport and structure. The membrane skeleton, which is located just below the intracellular surface of the lipid bilayer, provides shape and reversible deformability of the erythrocyte.
Some protein linkages between the membrane skeleton and the lipid bilayer have been identified. Ankyrin is well understood to provide major linkage between spectrin in the membrane skeleton and a site on the intracellular surface, i.e., the cytoplasmic domain, of the anion transporter channel protein (Bennett et al., 1979, Nature 280:468-473; Hargreaves et al., 1980, J. Biol. Chem. 255:11965-11972; Tyler et al., 1980 J. Biol. Chem. 255:7034-7039).
Other skeleton to bilayer linkages have been identified but are less well understood. Glycophorin C is associated with the membrane skeleton protein 4.1, but the specific linkage remains to be elucidated (Reid et al., 1987, Blood 69:1068-1072). Glycophorin A has been shown to relay stimuli from the extracellular surface of the membrane to the membrane skeleton (Anderson et al., 1981, Nature 292:158-160; Chasis et al., 1985, J. Clin. Invest. 75:1919-1926). Protein 4.1 has been shown to associate with the cytoplasmic domains of glycophorin A (Anderson et al., 1984, Nature 307:655-658; Anderson et al., 1985, Nature 318:295-298), the anion transporter (Pasternack et al., 1985, J. Biol. Chem. 260:3676-3683) and phosphatidylserine in the lipid bilayer (Cohen et al., 1988, Biochemistry 27:617-619; Ribicki et al., 1984, Blood 64:30, abstr.). The Rh polypeptide is an integral membrane protein which was found to be associated with the membrane skeleton (Gahmberg et al., 1984, J. Immunol. 133:334-337; Ridgwell et al., 1984, FEBS Lett. 174:7-10). It has been shown that the Rh protein can be extracted from membrane skeletons with high detergent concentrations (Bloy et al., 1987, Blood 69:1491-1497) and lacks an identifiable cytoplasmic domain (Agre et al., 1987, J. Biol. Chem. 262:17497-17503). The lack of a cytoplasmic domain suggests that the Rh polypeptide linkage with the membrane skeleton results from a side-by-side association with another skeleton-linked integral membrane protein. Various erythrocyte integral protein blood group antigens have also been identified (Rosse et al., 1989, In: Red Blood Cell Membranes (Agre et al., eds.) pp. 299-3234, Marcel Dekker Inc., New York).
It is known that mammalian red cell plasma membranes contain a water-selective channel which confers the cells with the ability to rapidly swell or shrink in response to small changes in extracellular osmolality (Macey (1984) Amer. J. Physiol. 246:C195-C203; Solomon et al., 1984, Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 414:79-124), and the physiological behavior of the water channel has been extensively studied. Red cell water channels are constitutively active but can be inhibited by submillimolar concentrations of mercural compounds, such as HgCl.sub.2. It has been calculated that in the order of 250,000 water channels exist in each red cell (Solomon et al., 1984, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 414: 79-124 ), and red cell water channels are physiologically very similar to the water channel identified in proximal convoluted renal tubules.
Production of Saliva and Tears
The molecular pathways through which salivary and lacrimal glands secrete water are not yet explained (reviewed by Nauntofte, 1992, Am. J. Physiol., 263:G823-G837), and none of the known members of the Aquaporin family exist at these locations nor in large airway epithelium (Nielsen et al, 1993b, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 90:7275-7279 Li et al., 1994, Pflugers Arch, in press). Therefore, other Aquaporins may be involved in several important clinical settings. For example, patients with Sjogren's syndrome suffer from the lack of normal tear and saliva secretion due to autoimmune destruction of lacrimal and salivary glands, yet the target antigen in the glandular epithelia is not known (Fox and Saito, 1994, Arthritis Rheum., 37:771-772). Although patients with head and neck cancer may be cured of their malignancies, they often suffer from inanition and aspiration pneumonias due to the inability to secrete saliva after local radiotherapy (Vokes et al., 1993, N. Engl. J. Med., 328:184-194). Dryness of eyes is a common and unexplained aging phenomenon which can lead to loss of vision in some individuals (Greiner and Kenyon, 1994, in Principles and Practice of Ophthalmology-Basic Sciences, Albert, et al., eds) Chap. 52, W. B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia, Pa.). Evaporation of water from the large airways is thought to precipitate asthma (McFadden and Gilbert, 1994, N. Engl. J. Med., 330:1362-1367).
In view of the importance of the production (or lack thereof) of saliva, pulmonary secretions, or tears, as described above, therapeutic intervention to restore the ability to produce these secretions is an important goal. However, because the mechanism by which saliva, pulmonary secretions, and tears are produced is not known, such intervention is not currently possible. Thus, a need exists for a system in which the production of tears, pulmonary secretions, and/or saliva can be studied, and ultimately a need exists for therapeutic agents to initiate or enhance secretion.
Neither the DNA sequence nor the amino acid sequence of the water channel protein has previously been determined. Knowledge of the DNA sequence and protein function would provide the art with a means of developing reagents specifically targeted to enhance or inhibit protein function. Such agents would be both diagnostically and therapeutically useful.

Isolation, cloning and expression of transmembrane water channel Aquaporin 5 (AQP5)


Protective projections (26D) which are provided on cylinder mounting brackets (26) of a cargo handling tool (21) are arranged to project toward a vehicle body (2) from behind the cargo handling tool (21). When the vehicle body (2) is driven in reverse direction with a boom (12) in a folded position on the side of the ground, the protective projections (26D) are collided against obstacles (A) on the ground prior to a rod (27C) of a fork cylinder (27) if the lower side (2A) of the vehicle body (2) has passed over and clear of the obstacles (A). Thus, the protective projections (26D) function to protect the fork cylinder rod (27C) of the fork cylinder (27) against direct collision against obstacles (A) on the ground.

Generally, lift trucks are well known as an automotive working machine which is resorted to freight shipping (cargo handling) jobs from ground to higher position. The lift trucks of this sort are largely constituted by an automotive vehicle body provided of front and rear wheels, a boom liftably provided on the vehicle body for derricking motions, a working tool like a cargo handling tool rotatably supported at a fore end of the boom, and a tool operating cylinder located between the cargo handling tool and the boom for turning the cargo handling tool in upward and downward directions relative to the boom (e.g., as known from Japanese Patent 2,559,831 and International Publication WO 89/00972).
In the case of a lift truck of this sort, the boom is lowered into a flatly folded position on the side of the ground at the time of loading freight goods onto a fork of the cargo handling tool, and then turned upward to lift and transfer the freight goods to a higher level from the ground. At this time, the tool operating cylinder which is provided between the boom and the working tool functions to turn the cargo handling tool according to the elevation angle of the boom to maintain the fork of the cargo handling tool constantly in a horizontal posture for transferring the freight goods in a stabilized state.
By the way, the tool operating cylinder which is used on the above-described lift truck is normally constituted by a tube which is attached to the boom on the side of its bottom end, a piston which is slidably fitted in the tube, and a rod which is attached to the piston at its base end and connected to a cargo handling tool at its fore end which is projected out of the tube. When the boom is lowered into a flatly folded position on the side of the ground, the fore end of the tool operating cylinder is projected downward toward the ground surface from the lower side of the vehicle body.
Therefore, when the vehicle is on a rocky ground and driven in reverse direction with the boom in the flatly folded position, it is very likely for the rod of the working cylinder which is projected downward from the lower side of the vehicle body to be directly collided against a rock or similar obstacle on the ground surface even if the lower side of the vehicle has passed clear of the rock. The collision against such a rock can result in fracture of the working cylinder.
On the other hand, as to other automotive working machines by the prior art, there has been known a hydraulic excavator which is provided with an excavating bucket along with a bucket operating hydraulic cylinder, and in which a tubular or pipe-like cover is employed as a protector and arranged to enshroud a rod portion which is projected out of a tube of the hydraulic cylinder (e.g., as known from Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-82414).
The protector cover in the just-mentioned prior art is a tubular shape and larger in diameter than the hydraulic cylinder tube. One longitudinal end of the cover tube is attached to the fore end of the rod which is projected out of the hydraulic cylinder tube. Accordingly, the outer peripheral side of the hydraulic cylinder rod is constantly enclosed in the cover tube to prevent collisions of sand and soil against the hydraulic cylinder rod.
However, in the case of the prior art cover tube for a hydraulic cylinder, as mentioned above, one longitudinal end of the cover tube is attached to the fore end of the hydraulic cylinder rod. Therefore, when sand and soil comes into colliding contact with the cover tube, the impacts of collision are transmitted to the hydraulic cylinder rod to cause deformations and damages to the rod.
Further, in the case of the cover tube just mentioned, the cover is formed in a tubular shape to enclose the hydraulic cylinder tube and rod from the outer peripheral side thereof. Therefore, sand and soil tend to deposit between the cover and the hydraulic cylinder rod to hamper smooth operations of the hydraulic cylinder.

Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.


Two hitherto unreported novel hemiterpene glycosides were isolated in substantially pure form from the root of Ilex pubescens. The chemical structures and some properties of these hemiterpenes have been elucidated. These hemiterpene glycosides possess anti-platelet aggregation activity more potent than those of salvianolic acid B and aspirin and may be used in pharmaceutical compositions in humans and mammals in need of such treatment.

References which are cited in the present disclosure are not necessarily prior art and therefore their citation does not constitute an admission that such references are prior art in any jurisdiction. All references cited are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
The dried root of the plant Ilex pubescens Hook. Et Arn. is known as "Mao-Dong-Qing" and is commonly used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and hypercholestaemia. Previous chemical investigations have reported isolation of triterpene saponins1-6 and simple phenolics, i.e. 3,4-dihydroxyacetophenone, hydroquinone, scopoletin, esculetin, homovanillic acid, vomifoliol and glaberide from the roots and leaves of this plant7.
Pharmacological researchers have demonstrated that extracts of "Mao-Dong-Qing" could not only enlarge blood vessels, but also improve mini-circulation, lower blood pressure, inhibit platelet aggregation, prevent thrombus, reduce cardiac ischemia, decline the excitation of the cardiac conduction system and enhance the ability of anoxia resistance of body8. However, the exact compounds contributing to these effects have not been fully identified.
In regard to the inhibitory effect of "Mao-Dong-Qing" on anti-platelet activation and aggregation, it was reported that ilexonin A, a semisynthesized succinate of pentacyclic triterpene which is the aglycone of the saponins in "Mao-Dong-Qing", could significantly inhibit platelet aggregation induced either by ADP (adenosine diphosphate) or AA (arachidonic acid) both in vivo and in vitro, and block 5-HT (5-hydroxytryptamine, serotonin) release by the platelets9. Other triterpenoids with antithrombotic activity isolated from Ilex pubescens have also been reported (Han et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,125)17.
Despite these findings, the anti-platelet activity of Ilex pubescens extract has not been elucidated and may also be due to other hitherto unidentified compounds as well. It is therefore an object of the present invention to further isolate and identify biologically-active compounds from Ilex pubescens.

Hemiterpene glycosides with anti-platelet aggregation activities from


A lead frame includes a die pad having a surface, a first lead post, a first lead, a second lead post, and a second lead. The first lead post has a surface coplanar with the surface of the die pad and is in a first plane. The first lead is coupled to the first lead post. The second lead post is in a second plane different from the first plane. The second lead is coupled to the second lead post.

In semiconductor packages, heat may be generated by the semiconductor die. For high power semiconductor packages, the heat generated by the semiconductor die may be very high, thus requiring the heat be transferred out of the semiconductor package into the environment through a heat sink. Typical semiconductor packages include one die pad (e.g., heatsink) for heat dissipation. Therefore, the semiconductor package may accommodate just one semiconductor die. By accommodating just one semiconductor die, the semiconductor package design and/or electrical configuration may be limited.
For these and other reasons, a need exists for the present disclosure.

Lead frames including lead posts in different planes


A peroxidase-activating oral care composition, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, includes a non-enzymatic, water-soluble hydrogen peroxide precursor and a pH-adjusting agent capable of producing a selected pH in an aqueous solution. The composition facilitates the rapid release of hydrogen peroxide and results in the activation of a peroxidase enzyme in an oral cavity A process for manufacturing the oral care composition including obtaining the precursor, dispersing it in a non-hygroscopic material so as to coat or encapsulate it, obtaining and associating the coated or encapsulated particles with a pH-adjusting agent, and formulating the particles into an oral care composition is provided in another embodiment. In addition, a method for activating a peroxidase system in an oral cavity of an animal, including selecting a non-enzymatic water soluble hydrogen peroxide precursor, mixing the precursor with a pH-adjusting agent, and administering the precursor and pH-adjusting agent in a suitable formulation to the oral cavity, is provided in a further embodiment of the invention.

A number of naturally occurring antimicrobial systems rely upon the ability of certain oxidizing agents to disrupt metabolic processes of bacteria, fungi and viruses. Examples of such oxidizing agents include hypothiocyanite (OSCN-/ HOSCN), hypochlorite (OCl- .backslash.HOCl), and hypoiodite (OI-.backslash.HOI). These agents are known to inhibit glycolysis, penetrate prokaryotic cell walls, and generally disrupt a wide variety of processes crucial to the survival of lower organisms at concentrations greater than or equal to about 100 micromoles per liter. The oxidizing agents are formed from the detoxification of hydrogen peroxide by mammalian peroxidase systems, such as those found in saliva, cervical fluid, lachrymal fluid, and leukocytes. Examples of such peroxidase system enzymes are myeloperoxidase, lactoperoxidase, and salivary peroxidase.
Attempts to exploit these natural antimicrobial systems have been directed to both the oral care field and the gastrointestinal tract. U.S. Pat No. 4,150,113 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,178,362 (Hoogendorn, et al.) describe dentifrice compositions containing glucose oxidase that react with plaque and salivary glucose to produce low levels of hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide production by such systems is, however, highly irregular due to the non-uniform distribution and unpredictable availability of substrate, namely glucose, in the oral cavity.
U.S. Pat No. 4,269,822, U.S. Pat No. 4,564,519 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,578,265 (Pellico, et al.) further describe dentifrice compositions containing an oxidoreductase enzyme and its specific substrate in an aqueous solution for the purpose of producing hydrogen peroxide or other antimicrobial oxidizing compounds such as hypothiocyanite ion. A more predictable amount of hydrogen peroxide (and subsequently hypothiocyanite ions) is produced by the compositions of Pellico et al., compared with those of the Hoogendorn references. The differences between the two compositions reflect the availability of glucose in the oral cavity as substrate for glucose oxidase.
There are, however, a number of disadvantages associated with the compositions of Pellico et al. These include: the limited rate of enzymatically-produced hydrogen peroxide that in turn produces the hypothiocyanite ion. The short duration of oral contact time, namely during toothbrushing, means that insufficient amounts of hypothiocyanite is available to effectively eliminate microbes in the oral cavity. In addition, the references utilize glucose oxidase as the oxidoreductase enzyme that in turn relies upon the availability of a sufficient concentration of glucose in solution to produce hydrogen peroxide. However, the glucose itself is a microbial substrate and is potentially cariogenic when present in an oral care product.
U.S. Pat No. 4,564,519 describes a chewable dentifrice, such as a chewing gum or lozenge, which contains a dual enzyme system for producing hypothiocyanite ions upon being chewed or otherwise activated by the moisture in saliva. Such compositions suffer from similar drawbacks to those mentioned immediately above namely a slow rate of enzymatically-produced hydrogen peroxidase as well as a reliance on a cariogenic compound.
Other solid or chewable compositions capable of producing hydrogen peroxide or other oxidizing agents upon activation with moisture are taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,320,116, U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,948, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,929,466. These compositions are foodstuffs intended for consumption by livestock in order to limit the growth of harmful bacterial within the animal's gastrointestinal tract. These references describe the use of various enzymatic and non-enzymatic sources for hydrogen peroxide, where the enzymatic sources are glucose oxidase/glucose and the non-enzymatic sources are sodium perborate, sodium percarbonate, and calcium peroxide. However, it is known that sodium percarbonate and potassium percarbonate have extremely alkaline pH and are thus of little use in activating the peroxidase enzymes until exposed to the acidic environment within the gastrointestinal tract. Thus, the foodstuff compositions described in the reference cannot be used as a therapeutic or otherwise peroxidase-activating effect in the oral cavity.
It would thus be advantageous to provide substantially non-cariogenic compositions capable of rapidly producing hydrogen peroxide in conditions that are suitable for peroxidase enzyme activation in the oral cavity.
It would also be advantageous to provide compositions capable of rapidly producing antimicrobial hypohalite ions within the limited contact time available in most oral hygiene procedures.
It would also be advantageous to provide compositions capable of rapidly producing antimicrobial hypohalite ions upon contact with saliva within the limited contact time available in most oral hygiene procedures.


A golf ball and tee set includes cooperative first and second jaw legs arranged to secure a golf ball and tee member, wherein an outer sleeve is cooperative with a support post, wherein displacement of the sleeve relative to the support post effects closure of the first and second jaw legs to provide for cooperative conical recesses and bores to secure the golf tee, with the golf ball secured between the legs positioned over the golf tee. A modification of the invention is arranged to include a golf ball cleaning structure mounted to the sleeve to provide for pre-cleaning of the golf ball prior to use.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to golf apparatus, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved golf tee set apparatus wherein the same is arranged for the ease of directing a golf ball and tee into an underlying turf.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Golf ball set structure is indicated and exemplified by the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,714,250 and 4,949,961.
The instant invention attempts to overcome deficiencies of the prior art by providing for a compact, readily operative construction arranged for ease of use as well as effectiveness in construction and in this respect, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.


A computer-implemented method for predicting the impact of security-policy changes on users may include (1) identifying at least one end-user computing system that may potentially be regulated using a security policy, (2) predicting, prior to activating the security policy on the end-user computing system, how activating the security policy may impact at least one user of the end-user computing system by monitoring at least one behavior of the user on the end-user computing system and by determining how activating the security policy on the end-user computing system may have impacted the behavior, and (3) notifying, based at least in part on predicting how activating the security policy may impact the user, an administrator of the end-user computing system with information that indicates how activating the security policy may impact future user behavior. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

In the electronic information age, people may share, access, and disseminate high volumes of information. The ease of disseminating information electronically is empowering. At the same time, workforces have become increasingly mobile, and the ubiquity of high-speed Internet access and mobile computing systems (e.g., smartphones, tablets, and laptops) means that "the office" may be anywhere. As a consequence, it has become more difficult than ever for organizations to secure their sensitive data and IT infrastructure. Organizations are therefore increasingly looking to mobile-security solutions to better protect their mobile computing systems.
Conventional mobile-security systems may allow a mobile-security administrator to protect sensitive data and IT infrastructure by enforcing various security policies (e.g., data-loss-prevention policies, access-control policies, and endpoint-compliance policies) on mobile computing systems. Unfortunately, when a mobile-security administrator deploys new and/or modified security policies to mobile computing systems, the mobile-security administrator may risk causing unexpected and significant disruptions to workforce productivity and workflow when the new and/or modified security policies are activated and enforced. Accordingly, the instant disclosure addresses a need for additional and improved systems and methods for predicting the impact of security-policy changes on users.

Systems and methods for predicting the impact of security-policy changes on users


An inkjet recording device according to an aspect of the invention comprises: an ejection head configured to eject ink on a recording medium; a conveying unit configured to convey the recording medium on a conveying path, the conveying path including a first conveying path positioned where the ejection head forms an image on the recording medium and extending along a first direction; an attaching unit configured to attach a second recording medium having an adherable part adherable to the recording medium such that a part of the second recording medium projects from an end portion of the recording medium with respect to a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The ejection head is configured to record an image on the second recording medium in a position outside the recording medium with respect to the second direction.

An inkjet recording device can form (print) images on a plurality of recording papers by ejecting ink from an ejection head, and recording papers on which images are formed are sequentially stacked in a sheet discharging tray. In recent years, the inkjet recording device is connectable to a plurality of personal computers. Therefore, different documents may be printed in response to requests from the users. In this case, recording papers, on which the different documents are individually printed, are stacked in the sheet discharging tray. When an inkjet recording device has a FAX function in addition to recording papers on which documents from personal computers are printed, recording papers, on which documents received through the FAX function are printed, are also stacked in the sheet discharging tray.
When the recording papers (printed matters) on which the plurality of documents are individually printed are stacked in a stack in this way, some time is taken for the individual users to sort out the stacked recording papers to pick up their own desired recording paper or papers therefrom. To cope with this, there have been proposed in which paper pieces such as printed tags are attached to recording papers so as to facilitate the sorting out of the respective documents in the stack of recording papers stacked in the sheet discharging tray (see JP-A-10-87148 and JP-A-2006-21449).
According to the invention disclosed in JP-A-10-87148, however, since an ejection head for forming images on recording papers and an ejection head for performing printing on tags are provided separately, it is difficult to meet demands for reduction in size of a main body of a printer and production cost of the printer.
JP-A-2006-21449 discloses a laser printer including a photosensitive drum, in which images are formed both on recording papers and paper pieces which are attached thereto. However, since the printer is the laser printer, the position to attach paper pieces to recording papers needs to be positioned at an upstream side in a conveying direction of recording papers relative to an image forming position where the photosensitive drum is provided. In reality, according to the configuration disclosed in JP-A-2006-21449, the position where paper pieces are attached to recording papers is set to a position which is largely spaced away from the photosensitive drum and towards the upstream side. Since a recording paper needs to travel to the photosensitive drum with a paper piece attached thereto, the paper piece may be separated from the recording paper halfway to the photosensitive drum.


Disclosed is a technique for fault isolation. A first error check is performed on a block of data in storage to determine whether the block of data was corrupted after the block of data was transferred from memory to the storage. When the first error check indicates that the block of data was corrupted, a second error check is performed using the block of data in the memory to determine whether the block of data was corrupted before being transferred from the memory. When the second error check indicates that the block of data was corrupted before being transferred from the memory, it is determined that the block of data was corrupted before being stored in the memory. When the second error check indicates that the block of data was corrupted after being transferred from the memory, it is determined that the block of data was corrupted by at least one of the memory or a formatter that performed the transfer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to data corruption detection and fault isolation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Disaster recovery systems typically address two types of failures, a sudden catastrophic failure at a single point in time or data loss over a period of time. In the second type of gradual disaster, updates to volumes on data storage may be lost. To assist in recovery of data updates, a copy of data may be provided at a remote location. Such dual or shadow copies are typically made as an application system is writing new data to a primary storage device at a primary storage subsystem. The copies are stored in a secondary storage device at a secondary storage subsystem.
During the transfer of data from the primary storage subsystem to the secondary storage subsystem, it is possible for the data being transferred to become corrupted by errors in hardware, in microcode, or in interconnection links between the primary and secondary subsystems.
It is important to detect data corruption as early as possible and to determine where the data corruption took place. For example, in some systems, detecting an error while removing data from cache (e.g., during a destage) at either the primary or secondary subsystem will suspend the primary and secondary storage subsystems, and the data will no longer be in memory in a channel adapter at the primary or secondary subsystem to aid in detecting where the error was introduced.
Some systems solve this problem by calculating and checking a longitudinal redundancy check (LRC) value over data on both the primary and secondary storage subsystems. LRC may be described as an error checking technique that generates a longitudinal parity byte from a specified string or block of bytes (e.g., 512 bytes) on a longitudinal track. At the primary storage subsystem, the generated parity byte is sent with the string or block of bytes to the secondary storage subsystem. When the string or block of bytes are received, the receiving computer regenerates the parity byte and compares the regenerated parity byte to the transmitted parity byte. If the parity bytes do not match, an error is detected. The secondary storage subsystem notifies the primary storage subsystem that an error was detected, and the primary storage subsystem resends the data. Unfortunately, an LRC may be defeated by multiple bit errors and may not detect improperly aligned and/or truncated data transfers.
Also, when conventional systems use LRC to detect data corruption on the secondary storage subsystem, the conventional systems do not isolate where the data corruption originated.
Thus, there is a need in the art for improved data corruption detection and fault isolation.

Method, system, and program for data corruption detection and fault isolation

Abstract: Additionally disclosed is a technique in which a block of data is transferred from a memory at a first control unit to a memory at a second control unit. At the first control unit, when a second error check at the second control unit indicates that the block of data was corrupted before being transferred from the memory, a third error check is performed on the block of data in memory at the first control unit. When the third error check indicates that the block of data was corrupted, it is determined that the block of data was corrupted at the first control unit. When the third error check indicates that the block of data was not corrupted, it is determined that the block of data was corrupted during transfer from the first control unit to the second control unit.

International Business Machines Corporation


The present invention provides a dielectric material for temperature compensation of Chemical Formula 1 and a method of preparing the same.(Ba1-a-b-3c/2SraMgbLac)(Ti1-xSnx)O3   Chemical Formula 1

An LC tuned circuit that includes an inductor has been mainly used as a driving circuit in a piezoelectric ultrasonic wave sensor. However, electrostatic capacity change of the piezoelectric sensor based on a temperature needs to be compensated to maintain a driving waveform and driving efficiency in the LC tuned driving circuit, when the LC tuned driving circuit is used in a wide temperature range of about −40° C. to about 80° C., for example, in an ultrasonic wave sensor for a vehicle parking aid.
A temperature coefficient of capacitance (TCC) indicates a temperature compensation rate of an electrostatic capacity temperature compensation material to a reference temperature of 25° C. and is provided as follows:TCC (ppm/° C.)=106X(CT-C25/C25)/(T−25)
wherein, T indicates a temperature in Celsius (° C.), and each CT or C25 indicates electrostatic capacity at each temperature of T or about 25° C.
A piezoelectric material used for the piezoelectric ultrasonic wave sensor typically includes a lead zirconium titanate (or PZT)-5-based soft piezoelectric material having a large piezoelectric constant and a small aging of frequency. However, the PZT-5-based soft piezoelectric material may have a substantially high TCC ranging from about 2,500 and about 4,000 ppm/° C. at a temperature of about −40 to about 25° C. and about 25 to about 80° C. and also, substantially high relative permittivity of about 2,000 or more.
A piezoelectric device for the ultrasonic wave sensor may be mostly adhered to a material such as aluminum, a polymer plastic, and the like, using an adherent such as epoxy and the like. Thus, such piezoelectric device may have much greater TCC due to change in hardness which depends on a temperature of the adherent. For example, the TCC depending on temperature characteristics of an adherent may be in a range of about 6,000 to about 10,000 ppm/° C. The piezoelectric device may be coupled in parallel with a temperature compensation device in the ultrasonic wave sensor. Accordingly, an electrostatic capacity compensation device may have a range of an electrostatic capacity that is appropriately selected by considering a compensation rate to minimize a transmitting wave-type vibration decrease characteristics and maintain reception sensitivity of the ultrasonic wave sensor. Therefore, the compensation device may have electrostatic capacity in a range of about 30% to about 70% of the electrostatic capacity of the piezoelectric device.
A temperature compensation device in an ultrasonic wave sensor for a vehicle has been developed continuously. In one example, such temperature compensation device may be internally built in a sensor structure and a wire may be directly soldered thereon. Since the ultrasonic wave sensor needs a driving voltage of about 400 to about 600 V/mm increasing electrostatic capacity by decreasing a thickness may be limited when relative permittivity is small with consideration to an insulation internal pressure, a separation distance of consecutive surfaces for insulation, and the like. In addition, when the electrostatic capacity is increased by decreasing the thickness, the temperature compensation device may have substantially low strength and become difficult to handle and further to manufacture into an integrated body with the ultrasonic wave sensor.
Accordingly, to down-size, and easily handle or manufacture the temperature compensation device or obtain an effective temperature compensation of the piezoelectric ultrasonic wave sensor in a wide range of temperature, the dielectric material having a temperature compensation rate of about −5,000 to about −30,000 ppm/° C. and relative permittivity of greater than or equal to about 1000 may be required.
Currently used dielectric materials for temperature compensation for a common circuit may include a calcium titanate (CaTiO3)-zirconium titanate (ZrTiO3)-strontium titanate (SrTiO3) based material but has a temperature compensation rate of about −5,000 to about −6,000 ppm/° C. at maximum and relative permittivity of about 200 to about 800. In some examples, a barium titanate (BaTiO3)-calcium zirconate (CaZrO3)-zinc oxide (ZnO)- silicate (SiO3) based material having a temperature coefficient of capacitance (TCC) of about −5,000 to about −15,000 ppm/° C. has been developed but relative permittivity thereof may be about 700 to about 1,100. In other example, a lead oxide (Pb3O4)-strontium oxide (SrO)- calcium oxide (CaO)-titanium oxide (TiO2)-bismuth oxide (Bi2O3)-magnesium oxide (MgO) based material having a temperature coefficient of capacitance (TCC) of about −2,500 ppm/° C. and relative permittivity of less than or equal to about 500 has been developed. However, such materials may include toxic lead (Pb). In another example, a calcium titanate (CaTiO3)-lead titanate (PbTiO3)-lanthanum oxide (La2O3)-titanium oxide (TiO2) based material having a temperature coefficient of capacitance of about −8,700 ppm/° C. has been reported, However, relative permittivity thereof may be less than or equal to about 1,000 and Pb may be included as well.
The above information disclosed in this section is merely for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Dielectric material for temperature compensation and method of preparing the same

Abstract: In the above Chemical Formula 1, a is 0≦a<0.20; b is 0<b <0.05; c is 0<c<0.01; and x is 0<x<0.20 as defined in the detailed description.


A blood collection device is disclosed which includes a blood collection tube assembly and a collection container assembly. The collection tube assembly comprises a link of flexible tubing having a venipuncture needle carried on a first end and an outlet carried on a second end. A flow control valve is carried near the outlet end and blocks a central passage of the collection tube in a closed position. The collection container assembly includes an expandable plastic tube which may be expanded by an exterior spring to cause a slight vacuum in the container and assist the blood withdrawal tube. A transfer tube communicates with the interior of the collection container and includes a blunt needle on an inlet end. The blunt needle engages the flow control valve to open the valve and open and allow blood to flow outwardly after the venipuncture needle has been inserted into a vein. The collection tube may be left in the vein while the collection chamber is removed and replaced without the fear of blood spillage since the flow control valve will return to the closed position once the blunt needle is withdrawn.

The invention relates to a device for collecting blood from a human body in a spill-proof manner so as to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
In the present era of blood-borne infectious diseases such as Hepatitis and AIDS, the health care industry has become rightfully concerned with unwanted spillage of a patient's blood. This concern has lead to the institution of universal precautions to guard workers against accidental contamination by a patient's blood. These diseases can be spread by a very small inoculum of blood, such as the amount in the hollow portion of a hypodermic needle. The currently available systems for collecting blood specimens for laboratory analysis are subject to some blood spillage. The health care workers are exposed to this blood during the time the specimen is being drawn, during the clean-up, and probably for some time afterwards if the clean-up is not thorough. The problems with the typical needle and syringe method of blood collection are obvious, particularly, if more than one syringe of blood is needed. The most popular method, the Vacutainer.TM., tends to allow blood to drip from the end of the collection needle while the tubes are being changed. A covered needle has been proposed, but it has not been particularly effective. Both the needle holder and the specimen tubes usually become contaminated with the patient's blood. In addition, the tubes are made of glass and easily break during centrifugation and shipping.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,439 issued to McDonald discloses a blood collection device for taking a sample of blood from a patient and dispensing a predetermined volumetric sample for analysis. A blood collection needle is in fluid communication with the interior of an expandable container which assists in drawing the blood. The device does not address the problem of blood spillage. There is no practical way to shut off the flow of blood from the needle when it is in a vein except by plugging the end of the needle with a collection chamber. Changing the collection chamber on the device could cause an unacceptable amount of blood spillage. It would not be practical to make the blood collection chamber large enough to draw all of the required blood at one time. It is not uncommon to draw 50 to 75 ml or more of blood for a series of tests. Blood flow is frequently too slow to allow one to collect both the clotted and anticoagulated specimens without changing the collection chamber.
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a blood collection device which prevents blood spillage during use.
Another object of the invention is to provide a blood collection device wherein multiple specimens of blood may be taken in multiple containers using a single venipuncture needle without blood spillage.


This invention relates to a method for the preparation of a series of cloning vectors and such cloning vectors prepared therefrom. The method consists in the step of digestion of pRL1 derivative with a restriction enzyme BamHI and digesting the pIJ4026 by BglII and electroeluting the ermE gene. The linear DNA having pRL1 derivative is ligated with ermE gene and then transformed into E. coli GM2163. The transformants are screened for the presence of concatamers and that concatamers of pRL50 and pRL80 DNAs being isolated from E. coli. The transformants are selected under appropriate antibiotic selection pressure.

It is known that several species and strains of the genus Amycolatopsis synthesize compounds which are produced on an industrial scale. They make a variety of extracellular enzymes such as amylases, cellulases and proteases as well as secondary metabolites such as antibiotics and other pharmacologically active molecules. As a result, there has been an increasing interest in developing gene cloning methods for these organisms.
A. mediterranei and A. orientalis are known to produce rifamycins (Margalith and Pagani Appl. Microbiol 9:325-334, 1961) and vancomycins (Barna and Williams, Annu. Rev. Microbiol. 38:339-357, 1984) respectively. A recently introduced glycopeptide antibiotic Balhimycin which exhibits antibacterial activity against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains has been isolated from Amycolatopsis sp. Y-86 21022DSM 5908 (Nadkarni et al. Antibiotics 47:334-341 1994). In addition, species of Amycolatopsis alongwith other closely related genera of the order Actinomycetales form the third major group of bacteria in terms of scales of antibiotic production.
Methods of gene cloning have been developed for several species of Streptomyces (Khosla et al. Molecular Microbiol. 6:3237-3239, 1992; Lal et al. CRC Critical Rev. Microbiol. 22 220-1257, 1996; Hopwood et al. Laboratory Manual, John Innes Foundation Norwich, 1985). Although A. mediterranei belongs to the same order (Actinomycetales) to which Streptomyces belongs, recombinant DNA techniques were not available for Amycolatopsis until recently. This was mainly due to the lack of any plasmid, suitable for vector development in Amycolatopsis. Furthermore, standard transformation procedures as used in Streptomyces. spp. are not applicable to these organisms and conjugation was the only technique for the introduction of DNA into these organisms (Schupp et al. J. Bacteriol. 121:128-136, 1975).
Several scientific groups have attempted to develop suitable cloning vectors for these organisms (Madon et al. Mol. Genet. 209:257-264 1987; Moretti et al. Plasmid 1:126-133 1985; Schupp and Divers, FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 36:159-162, 1986; Lal et al. CRC Critical Rev. Microbiol. 21:19-30, 1995) but this did not meet with any success. For instance, an indigenous plasmid pMEA100 (27.7 kb) was isolated from A. mediterranei LBG A3136 which could not be developed into a suitable cloning vector as it integrates into the chromosome (Zhu et al. Plasmid, 24:132-142, 1990). Although conjugative plasmid pMEA300 was subsequently isolated from A. methanolica NCIB 11946 (Vrijbloed et al. J. Bacteriol. 176:7086-7090, 1994; Vrijbloed et al. J. Bacteriol. 177:6666-6669, 1995) this plasmid also could not be suitably modified into a versatile cloning vector as it occurred both in the free and integrated states. For these reasons studies on genetic manipulations of A. mediterranei and related species remained hampered for quite sometime. We succeeded in the development of a preliminary cloning vector pRL1 (10.4 kb) for A. mediterranei (Lal et al. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 57:665-671, 1991). The preliminary cloning vector pRL1 was constructed by cloning a 5.1 kb fragment of pA387 (29.6 kb), an indigenous plasmid of A. orientalis DSM 43387 into E. coli vector pDM10. pRL1 could be transformed into A. mediterranei and A. orientalis only by electroporation.
A disadvantage, inspite of the preliminary success in developing cloning vector pRL1 was that this vector required further improvements in terms of reduction in its size (pRL1 has a size of 10.4 kb). A further disadvantage was that the vector needed the addition of suitable selectable marker genes (which could be suitably expressed in different species and strains of Amycolatopsis) to make it an ideal cloning vector. In fact this was a very serious bottleneck in development of cloning vector for Amycolatopsis as many selectable marker genes have not yet become available for this group of organisms. Commonly available antibiotic resistance markers such as thiostrepton, hyromycin, viomycin, gentamycin etc. are not expressed suitably in Amycolatopsis, thus making them unsuitable for use. Not only this, even the kanamycin or neomycin resistance gene (km/neo) of pRL1 which functions effectively in E. coli was found not to be very suitable for selection of transformants in Amycolatopsis since different species or strains of Amycolatopsis were intrinsically resistant to kanamycin/neomycin. When transformants were selected under neomycin pressure, several mutant colonies appeared among transformants.
Another disadvantage was that the method of transformation through electroporation which we had developed in 1991 (Lal et al. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 57,665-671, 1991) did not give transformation efficiency as high as required for a vector to be used for gene cloning. However, Kumar et al. (1994) (Kumar et al. Appl. Environ. Microbiol 60:4086-4093, 1994) used pRL1 cloning vector developed by us (Lal et al. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 57:665-671, 1991) or derivatives derived from pRL1 to transform Nocardia lactamdurans (cephamycin producer) and reported an efficient method of transformation (based on the treatment of filaments with MgCl.sub.2 and CsCl as developed by Madon and Hutter (1991) (Madon and Hutter, J. Bacteriol. 173:6325-6331, 1991). In this method they transformed N. lactamdurans by direct treatment of mycelia with polyethylene glycol 1000 and CsCl. However, this method also did not work when tried in several strains of A. mediterranei and A. orientalis. Moreover the above method as reported by Kumar et al. (1994) is very cumbersome and time consuming.
Although Kumar et al. 1994 (Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 60 4086-4093 1994) also succeeded in introducing two markers: .alpha.-amylase genes of Streptomyces griseus and apramycin resistance gene of Streptomyces griesofuscus in pRL1 derivatives, these vectors again could not be used in A. mediterranei and A. orientalis for cloning as they lacked several features generally found in an ideal cloning vector.

Cloning vector and a process for the preparation thereof

Department of Zoology, University of Delhi


A method for gasifying carbonaceous materials to fuel gases comprises the formation of an ultra-superheated steam (USS) composition substantially containing water vapor, carbon dioxide and highly reactive free radicals thereof, at a temperature of about 2400° F. (1316° C.) to about 5000° F. (2760° C.). The USS composition comprising a high temperature clear, colorless flame is contacted with a carbonaceous material for rapid gasification/reforming thereof. The need for significant superstoichiometric steam addition for temperature control. Methods for controlling a gasification/reforming system to enhance efficiency are described. A USS burner for a fluidized bed gasification/reforming reactor, and methods of construction, are described.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to gasification of carbonaceous materials to useful fuel gases and other products. More particularly, the invention pertains to methods and apparatus for generating a highly reactive gasifying agent and uses thereof in thermal gasification processes.
2. State of the Art
Thermal gasification using superheated steam is a well-known art. In a typical thermal gasification process, a carbonaceous material such as coal, cellulosic waste, or other carbon-containing material is reacted with steam or a hot gas at temperatures greater than about 1400° F. (760° C.), to produce a combustible fuel gas largely composed of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2). Also, carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapor (H2O) are generally present in substantial quantities. Methanation, which increases exponentially with pressure and decreases with increasing reactor temperature, also occurs to produce hydrocarbons e.g. methane. Small amounts of other gases such as ethane and ethylene may also be produced. The gasification conditions are controlled to yield a product gas for use as a fuel or as a feedstock for making other hydrocarbon fuels, ammonia, methanol, hydrazine, and other chemical species.
The well-known chemical reactions which occur in thermal gasification of carbonaceous materials include the following endothermic equations:C+H2OH2+CO−56,520 BTU/lb-mol carbon  (1)C+2H2O2H2+CO2−38,830 BTU/lb-mol carbon  (2)
The actual composition of the product gas is influenced by many factors, including the quantities and composition of incoming feed materials, gasification temperature, pressure, and reactor residence time.
Thus, starting with a set of chemical component input and gasification conditions, the actual composition of the product gas is calculated by consideration of reaction rates, chemical equilibria, mass balances, and thermal balances. In some systems, catalysts are utilized to change the reaction rates and shift the composition of the product gas, i.e. syngas.
A major concern in developing workable processes for gasifying materials such as coal and biosolids is the high thermal energy requirement for driving the endothermic reactions.
In most gasification processes, substantial heat must be provided to satisfy the highly endothermic chemical reactions. This heat is typically provided by either (a) partially combusting the incoming carbonaceous material, (b) exothermically reacting a material such as calcined lime with carbon dioxide, and/or (c) by providing heat from an outside source, e.g. hot char circulation, addition of excess steam, etc.
In some gasification systems, mixtures of air and steam are used as the gasifying agent, and some or all of the required heat is provided by oxidation of a portion of the carbonaceous feed material within the gasification reactor. In such systems, heating of the inert nitrogen gas in the air wastes energy, and the produced gas will contain a substantial fraction of free nitrogen, resulting in a low heating value.
Gasification with a mixture of steam and pure or enhanced oxygen gas has been promoted, but full development has been hindered because (a) a large portion of the carbonaceous material is combusted to non-fuels (CO2 and water), and (b) the resulting product gas contains a low ratio of hydrogen gas to the total of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. The primary industrial need is for gases with higher H2:CO ratios, because hydrogen is used for hydrogenation, a common chemical engineering practice, and shows great potential for use in fuel cells. Hydrogen has a high value in the chemical industries, and its oxidation byproduct is water, a non-pollutant.
Steam-only gasification has been investigated and used commercially since about 1950-1960. It is usually desirable to maintain a steam:carbon ratio which is close to a value at which the carbon is fully reacted by reactions (1) and (2) above, with minimal excess steam. More particularly, the conversion of carbon to CO should be maximized, as in reaction (1). Thus, an extraneous heat source is usually provided to supply the necessary heating requirements. The product gas typically has a higher H2:CO ratio than when gasifying with a mixture of steam and air or oxygen. However, because of the limited heat in the steam, the problems associated with steam-only gasification include low achievable reaction temperatures i.e. typically less than about 1500° F. (815° C.), where long residence times and high energy consumption prevail. To operate at higher temperatures, complex heat transfer systems are utilized in order to avoid intermingling of combustion gases with the gasification products. Such systems entail high capital and operating costs, and are generally considered to be uneconomic.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,004,896 of Soo, it is proposed to operate a thermal gasification system with a large quantity of excess steam, i.e. 2-10 times that required for full gasification of the carbon. In Soo, the thermal requirements of gasification are provided by copious quantities of steam. However, the quantities of H2 and CO produced per pound of steam are low.
The use of high temperature superheated steam for gasification processes has been proposed. In a system configuration described in Emerging Technology Bulletin No. EPA/540/F-93/XXX entitled SPOUTED BED REACTOR, dated August 1993, by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, streams of methane and pure oxygen are fed to a burner, with the hot flame injected into a stream of low temperature steam which is passed into a primary gasification reactor. The gasification temperature is partially maintained by oxidation of portions of the feed material and gases leaving the reactor. The injected steam supplies only a portion of the heat required to maintain the low gasification temperature.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,959,401 of Albright et al. describes an apparatus for cracking gaseous and liquid hydrocarbon feedstocks to other chemicals, using a hot gas. It is stated that a hot gas temperature up to 3000° C. (5432° F.) may be used. The source of the hot gas and its composition is not indicated. Furthermore, the sole purpose of the hot gas is to supply heat for the endothermic cracking reactions. The hot gas does not react to become part of the product. The purpose of the apparatus is cracking, and gasification of carbonaceous materials to CO and H2 is not in view.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,013,428 of Babbitt, an oxygen blown system for gasifying powdered coal is described. A fuel is pre-burned with oxygen to form a mixture of steam and CO2 to which a small amount of water is added. The combustion temperature is indicated to be about 4722° F., and the gas is contacted with the powdered coal to produce a product gas. Each of fuel, oxygen and steam is separately introduced into the pre-burner.
Babbitt also describes a process in which the pre-burner is fed separate streams of fuel, air and steam, creating a gasifying agent containing CO2, steam and inert nitrogen at a temperature of about 3770° F. The presence of nitrogen is detrimental to energy efficiency and results in a product gas of lower heating value.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,672,410 to Mattox and U.S. Pat. No. 2,671,723 to Jahnig et al., a mixture of oxygen and steam is introduced into a gasifier vessel. The mixture is passed through a porous distribution plate into a bed of gasifier feed material, a portion of which is combusted by the oxygen to generate heat for endothermic gasification.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,631,921 and 2,681,273 to Odell, a mixture of steam and oxygen is passed through a porous distribution plate into a stationary bed of gasifier feed material, or a bed or catalyst or packing solids with high surface area. The batch process is started by initially combusting a fuel below the bed to ignite the bed, then blasting with air until the bed reaches and maintains gasification temperatures.
In U.S. Statutory Invention Registration (SIR) number H1325 to Doering et al., a coal gasification process is described in which oxygen and steam are added to a stream of coal and recycled flyash. The mixture is introduced into a gasifier reactor, where partial combustion occurs.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,508 to Dummersdorf et al. discloses a gasification process in which a portion of the synthesis gas from a secondary reformer is cooled and passed through a multistage gas separation plant to separate CO from the other components. The CO is used for other processes, while the remaining other components are returned to the gas stream downstream from where the gas was drawn off, to be treated in a CO conversion stage with the rest of the raw synthesis gas.

Generation of an ultra-superheated steam composition and gasification therewith