The invention provides a method for the removal or reduction of tooth enamel stains due to fluorosis. The method includes a step of treating a surface of an isolated stained tooth with an abrasive-free solution of hydrochloric acid, having a concentration of from about 6-12N, for a period of time sufficient to significantly reduce staining of the tooth, without removal enamel from the treated surface. Thereafter, any residual acid on the tooth surface is neutralized.

1. Field Of The Invention
This invention relates to a method for the cleansing of tooth enamel which is stained by fluorosis. More particularly, this invention relates to the application of acid solutions to the stained tooth enamel thereby removing or reducing the stain.
2. Description Of The Art
One of the serious dental cosmetic problems arises due to fluorosis. Fluorosis, or mottled enamel, is a form of enamel hypoplasia resulting from ingested fluorides during the tooth formation period. The severity of the enamel defects appears to be related to the amount of fluoride ingested so that, for example, when the fluoride level is lower than one part per million, there is little chemically significant mottling, and as fluoride levels go up, so too does the severity of mottling. There is a wide variation in the clinical appearance of teeth affected by fluorosis or mottling. The affected teeth are those that, during their formative periods, were subjected to abnormally high levels of fluoride. The enamel defects are invariably bilateral, involving similar teeth in all four quadrants. While there is no pain associated with fluorosis, the defects have been heretofore largely permanent and when severe may be disfiguring.
Although not all cases of fluorosis are disfiguring, nevertheless, visible changes occur even under mild fluorosis. The affected teeth demonstrate visible changes ranging from the presence of scattered, multiple, small-sized, flat, grey or white spots or flecks on the surface of the enamel in the case of mild fluorosis, through conditions wherein the entire or a major portion of the enamel appears chalky-white, unglazed or dull, and the presence of pitting which may be stained tan, brown or even black in the case of moderate fluorosis. In the case of severe fluorosis, the conditions which are exhibited by the affected teeth appear similar to those described above for moderate fluorosis although the degree of tooth deformity is increased. Disfigurement, in this instance, due to abnormal shape and size of crowns, together with severe pitting and staining, may be pronounced.
Current treatment methods are directed toward resolving the cosmetic effects of fluorosis. These treatments center on either the use of caps which cover the stained and disfigured teeth or the use of bleaching agents for treatment of individual teeth. Each of these techniques has its short comings. In the case of capping, there is the issue of great expense. In the case of bleaching, present procedures call for isolating the tooth to be treated and treating the tooth for up to several weeks. The bleaching technique has limited effectivity and is quite time consuming requiring several applications per affected tooth.
It would, therefore, be highly desirable to have a quick, inexpensive method or removing stains caused by fluorosis.

Method for treating teeth to remove fluorosis stains

Privada Alfaro Fracc. San Pedro, Irapauto, Gto.


A method for fabricating 3-D cross-point memory arrays, and more particularly to fabricating phase change memory (PCM) and resistive RAM (ReRAM or RRAM) 3-D memory arrays having a cell size footprint of 4F2. The method for forming a plurality of layers of memory cells using a limited number of photolithographic patterning steps is applicable to memory devices having single or multiple storage bits per cell, such as cells having anywhere from one to eight bits per cell or more. These bits are stacked three dimensionally and include memory cells based on phase change material, on resistive change material, on magnetic field alignment, on mechanical switching, and on other memory cells based on other information storage technologies.

Field of the Disclosure
Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the fabrication of 3-D cross-point memory arrays and more particularly, to the fabrication of phase change memory (PCM) and resistive RAM (ReRAM or RRAM) 3-D memory arrays.
Description of the Related Art
There is growing demand for memory devices having ever greater capacity. As advances continue to be made in the area of semiconductor memory devices, high capacity and low cost is increasingly important. Various methods have been proposed to satisfy such requirements, including three-dimensional array structures.
A three-dimensional memory array includes memory cell arrays that are formed on multiple semiconductor material layers. Small memory cells arranged in large arrays that are stacked three dimensionally is an approach to building density. Some techniques for fabricating three-dimensional memory arrays require that each layer be photolithographically patterned and etched increasing the cost of manufacturing. Memory cell designs having a footprint no larger than 4F2 are increasingly desired to provide high density.
Therefore, there is a need for method for fabricating a low cost, high capacity three-dimensional memory array.

Method for forming PCM and RRAM 3-D memory cells


A mobile, transportable, unipolar electrostatic chuck for clamping thin wafers is described, which avoids unintentional discharging of the package of Mobile Chuck and wafer during wet processing. Short circuits between the contact holes of the chuck and the clamped wafer can lead to the loss of clamping force. A pn-junction within the semiconductor substrate material electrode of the chuck is disclosed, which is using a diode effect to avoid the loss of charges. Dielectric protection layers of PTFE, Y2O3 or ferroelectric materials can be used to cover the open contacts of the chuck. This enables the application of Mobile Chucks also for wet etch-, photo- and cleaning processes. Mobile Chucks are made of semiconductor material and semiconductor manufacturing processes are applied. Those Mobile Chucks have nearly identical properties as the clamping substrate itself. This reduces the risk of cross-contamination, particle generation and the risk of mechanical stress due to different coefficients of thermal expansion.

Wafers are used in the Semiconductor and Solar industry. Typically they are round or have a stable, rectangular shape. Semiconductor wafers of 4″ up to 12″ are used with a standard thickness between 500 μm up to 875 μm. But there active elements, e.g. transistors have a pn-junctions depth of only 0, 1 to 5 μm. Thus, most of the material of the pure, often defect free wafers is used as an expensive carrier material to enable a reliable, stable mechanical handling and processing of the wafers within different production environments. Once those wafers become thin (after grinding they are less than 150 μm) they start to bow because of the gravity or other stress generating factors like grinding imperfections, crystal defects, thermal stress etc. For example a stress relieved (100) oriented 8″ Silicon wafer of 150 μm thickness, placed in a standard vertical wafer boat, shows a bow of about 2 mm from gravity stress only. Even a different bow behaviour in [110] and [100] directions occurs, because of there mechanical anisotropy of Young's Modulus (E) of about 1.7*E+11 Pa in [110] and 1.3*E+11 Pa in [100] directions. This variation can also course saddle like warpage. By the way, (111) wafers do not show this anisotropy in directions perpendicular to [111], the Young's Modulus value in those directions is constant at 1.7*E+11 Pa. With decreasing wafer thickness, warpage and bow increase significantly and can get unpredictable, so automated wafer handling becomes more and more challenging. Wafers with less than 100 μm even become foil-like with a transition from rigid to flexible, but they are also becoming even more brittle. So there is a need to protect those thin wafers against breakage and, if possible, keep them flat all time. The preferred solution is to clamp those thin wafers permanently on a mobile, electrostatic chuck.
Stationary electrostatic chucks are used to clamp wafers or other disk-shaped conducting or semi-conducting substrates, in particular as holding device in semiconductor processing equipments, for many years. The operating principle is described in detail in publications such as: Watanabe et. al.: Jpn. J. Appl. Phys., Vol. (32), 1993 864-871 and Mahmood Naim: Semi-conductor Manufacturing, August 2003, 94-106. Stationary electrostatic chucks are installed within many process tools and they are permanently connected to a power supply unit. Because those chucks have a fixed place within the tool, they can not be used in a mobile mode. By employing different materials for the dielectric insulation of the chucks, different leakage currents occur.
Chucks, which take advantage of the Johnsen-Rahbeck-effect, use a generated small current flow to increase the clamping force. The needed current is supplied from a permanently connected power unit. Technical solutions are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,174,583, U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,845, U.S. Pat. No. 5,909,355, U.S. Pat. No. 6,268,994 as well as EP 0768389. Those ceramic chucks, made by thick-layer-technologies, show a high voltage breakdown resistance, are able to withstand high temperatures and have good resistance against different chemical and plasma processes. Chucks, which allow only a very small leakage current based on the material selection, are called Coulomb-Chucks. Those chucks have a typical specific electrical resistance of the dielectric layer of more than 10E15 Ohm*cm. Especially the use of polyimide foils or PTFE can reach this demand, but also chucks made of high resistant Al2O3-ceramics or silicon carbide are in use (see also U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,153, EP 0 693 771, EP 0 948 042 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,483,690). Those chucks can work in a unipolar mode (mostly in conjunction with a plasma process) as well as in bipolar modes.
The methods for applying these principles to mobile, transportable electrostatic support carriers are described in detail in EP 1217655A1, US 2002/0110449A1, FR 2774807, U.S. Pat. No. 4,551,192 and WO/02 11184 A1, they represent the prior art. Mobile, transportable electrostatic chucks, so-called "Mobile Chucks", are used for mechanical holding of film-like materials. Those support carriers allow a safe manipulating of thin, brittle wafers on existing production equipment and the storage in or between production steps because the size and thickness of the clamped substrate on the mobile, transportable electrostatic chuck is similar of size, thickness and shape as a standard wafer. The practical application of this new manipulation method resulted in the development of first samples of mobile, transportable electrostatic chucks, in particular for the semiconductor industry; compare DE 20311625, DE 102004045447, DE 202005004589 and DE 102004041049. However, the first proposed Mobile Chucks made of ceramic or polyimide materials fulfilled only unsatisfactorily some of the technical and economic requirements as a high particle generation on the surface and a high complexity (cost) during there manufacturing process. All through the risk of breakage of a thin (<150 μm) and ultra thin (<50 μm) substrate is drastically reduced during many manipulation and process steps, there is still a problem with the clamping power in high humidity environments or during wet processes. Typically back side contacts for charging the Mobile Chucks are employed. Those back side contacts can be the root course for an unintentional discharging effect which reduces the clamping force and thus the clamped substrate can get lost. Processes which can be impacted seriously are: grinding, photolithography, wet etch and cleaning.
The most important feature of Mobile Chucks is that they are mobile. That means that they do not need a permanent power supply and for this reason they can be moved or transported inside or outside of process tools without limitations. Mobile Chucks are Coulomb-Chucks. The goal is to eliminate leakage currents or reduce them drastically. This means that the insulation effect of the dielectric layer must be very good in order to achieve a long lasting clamping effect. After charging, the energy is stored in a capacitor structure which is build up between the Mobile Chuck electrode/dielectric layer/wafer (substrate to be clamped). High leakage currents would quickly reduce the stored energy and this would only allow a short clamping time. In addition, a good insulation of the electrodes against humidity is desirable because unintentional discharging of the electrodes can happen due to the open contact area, which is accessible to the outside environment. Thus the risk is high that the clamping force between the thin wafer and the Mobile Chuck is reduced to early. The clamping force of Coulomb Chucks is proportional to the square of the applied clamping voltage (U), the dielectric constant (∈r) of the insulator layer and is indirectly proportional to the square of the thickness of the insulator layer (d). Thus, a strong electrostatic holding force is obtained by having a high clamping voltage (U ˜1000 V) with a high dielectric constant of the material (∈r>3.5) and a very small thickness of the insulation layer (d). Obviously, high clamping forces for Mobile Chucks can be achieved using thin film technologies.
The insulation of open contact areas of Mobile Chucks, which is accessible to the outside environment, has been discussed in some patents mentioned above. They propose special insulation layers, which are building up on top of the open contact area in order to insulate the electrode from the surrounding environment, process conditions like humidity or liquids. In particular protection layers from so called ductile insulation materials made of silicone or polyethylene-foils, on top deposited layers of electrically insulating semiconductor materials or mechanical- or electromagnetic switches are proposed to avoid unintentional discharging effects. Protection layers made of silicone or polyethylene-foils are typically 10 μm to 100 μm thick. This is a clear disadvantage because those kinds of layers have strong limitations during the semiconductor IC manufacturing process. Mechanical- or electromagnetic switches can be produced using methods known from micro-system-technology, but there integration as well as the additional deposition of semiconductor layers will generate high manufacturing costs. The use of Schottky diodes on top of the open contact areas are also not sufficient, because there breakdown voltage is relatively low and there leakage current is relatively high in comparison with pn-junction diodes.

Mobile, transportable, electrostatic chuck for wafers made of semiconductor material


Buffer trees are detected in an inputted logic circuit and sets of driver gates included in the respective buffer trees are made (in Step 102). A set of gates relating to more than one buffer tree, i.e., a group of gates to be optimized, is detected (in Step 103). The groups of gates to be optimized are classified according to the symmetry in logic structure (in Step 104). Each group of gates to be optimized is extracted (in Step 105). The buffer trees are restructured so as to be in a symmetrical relation with each other (In Step 106). Through the above process, the buffer trees are optimized to be in a symmetrical relation of logic structure. Thus, the method of optimizing the logic circuit to ensure reduction in routing area, total length of interconnections and delay of the layout after placement is accomplished.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of optimizing a logic circuit for achieving optimal connection of driver gates, and more particularly to a method of optimizing a logic circuit to ensure reduction in total length of interconnections, delay and routing area of an LSI.
2. Description of the Background Art
A buffer tree refers to a logic circuit in which positive-logic and inverted-logic driver gates are connected like a tree shown in FIG. 13. In the buffer tree, an output signal from a gate is input to a plurality of other gates. Therefore, the buffer tree is added to the output of a gate in such a logic circuit as can not be driven by the driving capability of a single gate. Many logic circuits in data-bus system with a large bit width need the buffer tree.
Many logic circuits in data-bus system have symmetric circuit configurations. Effective utilization of this symmetric configuration allows a layout with a small routing area and high gate utilization. For higher gate utilization, it is needed to construct the buffer trees to be in a symmetrical relation.
A logic synthesis tool receives a logic description and automatically synthesizes a logic circuit in correspondence with the logic description. If the input logic description has a symmetry in logic structure, the synthesized logic circuit normally has a symmetry. The buffer tree, however, is a logic circuit to be added to honor the restrictions on the number of fanouts and driving capability and hence is unrelated to the logic structure of the whole circuit. The logic synthesis tool applies the buffer tree to the circuit without taking the symmetry in logic structure of the whole circuit into account. Therefore, some eventually-obtained logic circuit with the buffer tree loses the symmetry.
Discussion will be presented taking a logic circuit having symmetric logic structures shown in FIG. 14 as an example. Square blocks shown in FIG. 14 represent gates. Logic structures GX' (X=0, 1, 2, 3) are in a symmetrical relation with one another. Names in the blocks (SEL, FF) denote the kinds of gates. Names under the blocks (UX, FX) are gate names for distinguishing the gates. Solid lines represent interconnections which connect the gates. Names near the contacts between the interconnections and the blocks (A, B, S, Y of SEL and D, CL, Q of FF) denote pins of the gates. Arrowheads on the left and right sides represent input and output pins, and names near the arrowheads (clk, sel, a[X], b[X], y[X]) are input/output pin names.
Now discussed will be a case of addition of buffer trees in a balance-tree shape using two positive-logic driver gates BX to the input pins sel and clk of the logic circuit of FIG. 14. FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplary addition of buffer trees in a symmetrical relation. FIG. 16 illustrates an exemplary addition of buffer trees out of a symmetrical relation. The logic synthesis tool synthesizes either of the logic circuits of FIGS. 15 and 16 based on judgment that both logic circuits of FIGS. 15 and 16 output the same result. Names shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 correspond to those in FIG. 14.
A difference between the two logic circuits of FIGS. 15 and 16 is found after placement. FIGS. 17 and 18 illustrate layouts after placement of the logic circuits of FIGS. 15 and 16, respectively. The logic circuits shown herein are optimally placed by the Min-Cut method which is an ordinary method of placement algorithm. In the Min-Cut method, the placement is evaluated by the total number of interconnections crossing cut lines. Heavy lines of FIGS. 17 and 18 represent the cut lines. The number of interconnections crossing a cut line is shown on the underside or rightside of the cut line. The total number of interconnections crossing the cut lines in the logic circuit of FIG. 17 is thirty-two and that of FIG. 18 is thirty-four. The logic circuit of FIG. 17 has better placement result. Only the interconnections between the gates B0, B2 and the gates U1, U2 contribute to the difference between the two placement results. The interconnections between these gates do not cross the center cut line in a horizontal direction in FIG. 17, while those in FIG. 18 do. More interconnections crossing a cut line result in congested channels near the cut line, and that makes it difficult to compact the routing area by compaction function of a layout tool. As can be seen from FIGS. 17 and 18, the routing of FIG. 18 is more complicate and the total length of interconnections of FIG. 18 is longer. An increase in total length of interconnections results in an increase in delay.
Thus, since the logic synthesis tool performs addition of the buffer trees without taking the symmetry in logic structure into account, it may disadvantageously result in an increase in total length of interconnections, routing area and delay in the circuit after placement. One of the methods relating to restructuring of buffer trees is shown in "Routability-Driven Fanout Optimization" (Proc. of 30th DAC, pp. 230-235). In the logic synthesis using this method, placement of logic circuits is made before addition of buffer trees and optimization of the buffer trees is performed in accordance with the placement result. However, the buffer trees are not optimized so as to be in a symmetrical relation by this method.


In response to detected attempts to gain unauthorized access to user accounts of an online system, a security module of an online system applies an attack response policy to take actions in response to the attempts. Possible responses of the policy include reordering credential types requested by the online system during multi-factor authentication-enabled login, switching to a mode in which login requests are accepted but login is not permitted for the requesting user, and logging information about the login requests. Logged information may be applied to enhance the ability to prevent future unauthorized accesses, such as adding credential values to a list of common credential values and prohibiting users from associating those values with their accounts, or training a model based on the logged information to predict a probability that a given login request is unauthorized.

Malicious third parties may wish to gain unauthorized access to user accounts on a computer system, e.g., to steal user information. This is a particular risk in the case of online systems, in which the accounts may be accessed by users (including unauthorized users) from essentially any location over a computer network, either manually using a graphical user interface, in an automated manner by scripting interactions with a graphical user interface, or in an automated manner using an application programming interface (API).
It would be valuable for the online systems to be able to detect attempts to gain unauthorized access, and—once detected—to be able to prevent the present access and also to gain greater ability to prevent future unauthorized accesses.
The figures depict embodiments of the present invention for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the invention described herein.

Detecting and responding to attempts to gain unauthorized access to user accounts in an online system


A railway traction vehicle, in particular a locomotive, is provided for pulling at least one coupleable railway car, which may be a two-level car, having a car body with a car roof which defines a car height. The locomotive includes a vehicle body with a vehicle roof which defines a vehicle height. If the vehicle height is lower than the car height, a roof transition element is disposed on a rear-side end region of the vehicle body. Since the cross-sectional profile of the roof transition element expands from the front edge, which follows a contour line of the vehicle roof, to the rear edge, which follows a contour line of the car roof, the flow resistance in the transition region from the locomotive to the subsequent two-level car is reduced in a simple way, so that traction energy losses and vehicle noise can be reduced.

Field of the Invention:
The invention relates to a railway traction vehicle, in particular a locomotive, for pulling at least one coupleable railway car having a car body with a car roof defining a car height, the traction vehicle or locomotive including a vehicle body with a vehicle roof defining a vehicle height being lower than the car height.
Railway traction vehicles are electrically or diesel-electrically driven rail vehicles to which a train set, to be pulled, of railway cars, for example passenger or freight cars, is coupleable. While traction units are especially coordinated with the cross-sectional profile of the entire multiple unit set, with the versatile locomotives which can be used, a wide variety of combinations in respect of the train set to be pulled can occur. Depending on whether the coupled train set consists, for example, of single-level or two-level passenger cars, it is possible for scarcely any height difference or else more considerable height differences to occur between a vehicle height of the locomotive and a car height of the passenger cars. For a vehicle height of a locomotive of, for example, 4.2 m and a car height of a two-level car of, for example, 4.6 m, the height difference can be 0.4 m. Particularly at high traveling speeds, a large height difference by which a car height exceeds the vehicle height would have a disadvantageous effect on the aerodynamics and design of the traction vehicle and car combination.
In order to circumvent these disadvantages, the configuration known from multiple unit sets suggests adapting the cross-sectional profile of the vehicle body of a locomotive to the cross-sectional profile of the car body of the train set to be pulled during the designated operation of the locomotive. The provision of traction vehicles with different cross-sectional profiles of the vehicle bodies is highly complicated for the operator of a vehicle fleet.
Embodiments of this type are known, for example, from the documents EP 1 566 322 A1, EP 0 616 935 A1 and JP 11 321 640 A.

Railway traction vehicle with roof joint element


Devices, methods and systems based on integrated photonic crystal structures are disclosed. An integrated photonic crystal structure includes a photonic crystal structure and a defect member disposed adjacent the photonic crystal structure. The defect member includes a photoconductive material. The integrated photonic crystal structure is configured to receive an input light signal such that the input light signal is internally reflected within the photonic crystal structure and the defect member, such that the input light signal is absorbed by the photoconductive material in the defect member, and such that a property of the photoconductive material is changed to thereby output an output signal.

Photonic crystals (PCs) have become attractive optical materials for controlling and manipulating the flow of light. PCs are composed of periodic dielectric or metallic-dielectric structures in one-dimensional (1D), two-dimensional (2D), or three-dimensional (3D) directions, and affect the propagation of electromagnetic waves by defining allowed and forbidden photonic bands. The perfect photonic crystal is quite elegant and beautiful, but it becomes even more useful when a desired defect is introduced into the regular crystal structure. A photon-localized state can be created in the photonic band gap due to a structural defect in the PCs, and the electrical field around the defect can be confined and enhanced. If special materials are contained in the defect, PC structures can be developed as functional photonic devices. Selection from various types of PCs depends on specific applications.
In some cases of controlling light beams which are close to plane waves, a 1D PC (i.e., multilayer structure) is sufficient and preferable due to its simplicity in fabrication. 1D PCs have been used in various applications, such as low-threshold lasers, photodiodes and photodetectors, and optical biosensors. However, in some applications, an additional or separate light detector is required to measure a reflected light signal or an emitted signal, which makes 1D PC based systems complicated and hard to realize compact and integrated systems.

Integrated photonic crystal structures and their applications


A DC/DC voltage converter between a high-voltage electrical network and a low-voltage electrical network comprises a plurality of cells connected in parallel. Each cell comprises a chopper DC/DC converter and a single protection transistor connected in a high-voltage portion of the converter thereby enabling any of the cells to be taken out of service independently of the other cells while minimizing power consumption in normal operation.

Such a chopper converter may be a controlled two-port electrical circuit comprising a first pair of positive and negative terminals and a second pair of positive and negative terminals. The first and second negative terminals may be connected together by a first determined circuit branch. Similarly, the first and second positive terminals may be connected together by a second determined circuit branch which includes an inductor forming an energy reservoir. The converter may further comprise chopper means comprising at least one controlled switch which is switched OFF and ON with a determined duty ratio under the control of a management unit.
Such a circuit may be capable of delivering direct and/or quasi-direct electric current between the first pair of positive and negative terminals at a determined voltage, referred to as the "output" voltage, when a determined voltage, referred to as the "input" voltage, is applied between the second pair of positive and negative terminals, or vice versa.
The converter is said to be non-isolated in the sense that it comprises the first and second circuit branches respectively interconnecting the first and second negative terminals and the first and second positive terminals. Such a converter is contrasted with an isolated converter in which the first pair of terminals is isolated from the second pair of terminals.
In order to reduce the size of the components making up the converter, while delivering sufficient power to feed various items of equipment, it is known, in particular from document U.S. Pat. No. 6,275,958, to implement a multicellular converter comprising a series of cells connected in parallel. When a cell is faulty, it is also known from that document to isolate the faulty cell by means of two protection switches formed by metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistors disposed one on a high-voltage network side and the other on a low-voltage network side.
Those transistors operate as controlled switches which are ON in normal operation and which are OFF when malfunction is detected.
It follows that in normal operation, the components that are dedicated to the protection function give rise to static consumption of power which, depending on circumstances, can lie in the range 0.5% to 2.0% of the static consumption of the circuit as a whole.
Furthermore, the presence of those protection components leads to an increase in the size of the electrical circuit, to a lengthening and greater complexity in the manufacturing method, and finally to a significant increase in the cost of the circuit.

Multicellular DC/DC voltage converter with protection switches


A plurality of data banks operable independently from each other is controlled by a control circuit so that a set of received data signals are written into respective storage locations predetermined for respective data signals within respective data banks predetermined for respective data signals, wherein respective storage locations and respective data banks for respective received data signals are predetermined depending upon the arrival numbers of respective received data signals and a predetermined bank order, so that respective storage locations for two data signals received one after another belong to different data banks arranged according to the bank order. The data banks are controlled by the control circuit so that a set of data signals are read out according to the order of receipt of the set of data signals and from a timing before completion of the writing of the set under a condition that each data bank performs only one of write and read operations during a clock period.

The present invention relates to a data memory capable of reading and writing simultaneously in one memory cycle and capable of sequentially reading out written information in the order the data is received, i.e., such that the first written information is read first.
In the past, such data memories were formed, in many cases, of flip-flops (FF's) or latches including combinations of gates, or conventional memory cells (which allow one read or write operation in each memory cycle). The former is sufficiently fast but a huge number of gates are required to construct a large capacity data memory of such a kind. The conventional memory cells, on the other hand, need two memory cycles for writing and reading data. The speed of such memory cells is not compatible with the presently available pipelining techniques. On the other hand, it is difficult to obtain memory cells for a large capacity memory which can execute one memory cycle in one half of the pitch time of the pipeline data processor.


An apparatus for preventing the slinging of the slop, or slurry, which results from the use of liquids such as water during cutting, coring, or drilling operations on concrete and other strata. A shield fits around the cutting element and is positioned closely enough to a vacuum ring to effectively close off the area around the strata which is being cut or cored so as to contain the slop that is flung about by the cutting element. The vacuum ring is coupled to a wet/dry vacuum so that when a vacuum is applied into the area which is closed off around the strata which is being cut, the slop is suctioned into the vacuum ring and on through a hose into the vacuum.

The present invention relates to a shield for use during operations involving the coring or cutting of concrete or other materials. More particularly. the present invention relates to a shield for use in preventing the concrete cuttings from being thrown about during concrete cutting operations. One of the cutting operations that may be done is to cut or drill a hole in a slab. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,032 describes an apparatus and method for sampling the soil under a strata. As described in that patent, the first step in that method is to cut or drill a hole in a concrete slab. The hole is drilled with any of several commercially available concrete coring machines.
During this coring, operation, dust and small bits of concrete are cut and/or broken off from the strata and flung about by the coring bit. It is therefore desired for the protection of persons and property to prevent the small cuttings of concrete and dust from being thrown about. Further, sometimes water is used to cool the bit as it cuts such that the small bits of concrete are wetted and the result is a gray paste, or slurry, which is flung in all directions, including upwardly. This gray slurry is particularly persistent and difficult to remove from clothing and/or anything else which it contacts. Because the hole is often drilled inside a building. which can be a home, it is therefore highly desirable to prevent having this gray slurry be flung against walls, carpet, draperies, and other home furnishings.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for containing the concrete cuttings and dust or slurry which results from cutting operations. In a broader sense, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for preventing the forceful expulsion of the cuttings which result from the drilling or cutting of any strata, where the strata can be concrete, rock, caliche, clay, or any other material in which a cutting element such as a blade or bit is used. Further, it is an object of the present invention to prevent the forceful expulsion of the slurry of concrete cuttings and dust that results when a blade or bit is cooled and/or lubricated with a liquid in such cutting operations.


An improved method for shifting the pitches of a tone is disclosed. It comprises: (a) subjecting a digitized original waveform to a whitening process using an all-zero filter (AZF) to obtain a whitened waveform; (b) resampling the whitened waveform at a desired scaling ratio to obtain a scaled and whitened waveform; (c) subjecting the scaled and whitened waveform to a coloring process using an all-pole filter (APF) to obtain a synthesized waveform. In a preferred embodiment, the all-zero filter performs the transformation function of: ##EQU1## and the all-pole filter performs the transformation function of: ##EQU2## wherein the a.sub.i 's and b.sub.i 's are linear predictive coefficients. The whitened waveforms can be compressed and stored as wavetables, which can be subsequently retrieved and decompressed before resampling.

In music, a pitch is the position of a tone in the musical scale; it is by convention designated by a letter name and determined by the fundamental frequency of vibration of the source of the tone. An international conference held in 1939 set a standard for A above middle C of 440 cycles per second (440 Hz). The inverse of a fundamental frequency is the period corresponding to the waveform of that tone. Thus, by changing the period of a waveform, the pitch of a tone can be shifted. This is the so-called pitch shifting method to change music tones.
Recently, wavetable has become one of the most commonly used tools in synthesizing and providing high quality music sounds. One of the key elements of this technology involves methodologies which can provide best music sounds utilizing a minimum size of the wavetable. In applying the wavetable technology, only a small number of music tones are stored in digital forms for each music instrument in the wavetable, and other tones are synthesized via pitch shifts. Furthermore, in order to minimize the data storage requirement, the digital music tone data are typically compressed before storage.
Currently, the most common method providing pitch shifting involves a procedure which resamples the stored wavetable data at a different rate, coupled with an appropriate interpolation. Discussions of this procedure can be found, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,131,042; 5,296,643; and 5,477,003, the contents thereof are incorporated by reference. This resampling procedure alters the period of the original tone by lengthening or shortening the period, and causes the pitch thereof to be shifted as a result. The resampling procedure can be effectuated by either changing the input (resampling) or the output (playback) rate.
The conventional pitch-shifting method can be illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B. FIG. 1A shows the original waveform and sampling points x.sub.0, x.sub.1, x.sub.2, . . . , x.sub.10, etc. To increase the pitch by an octave (i.e., eight diatonic degrees), the fundamental frequency will be doubled, i.e., its period will be reduced by one-half. The conventional method accomplishes the pitch-shifting procedure by sampling the original waveform at twice the original speed, at x.sub.0, x.sub.2, x.sub.4, . . . , X.sub.10, etc., as shown in FIG. 1B. A new waveform is obtained after this resampling procedure which exhibits a period that is one-half of the period of the original waveform as shown in FIG. 1A. This procedure can be generalized for other arbitrary frequency ratios. For example, for a waveform with a fundamental frequency of F.sub.0 Hz, a new waveform with a different fundamental frequency of F'.sub.0 Hz can be synthesized by resampling the original waveform at a rate of F'.sub.0 /F.sub.0. In other words, a new waveform with a fundamental frequency of F'.sub.0 Hz can be synthesized by scaling the original waveform at a scaling ratio of F'.sub.0 /F.sub.0. When the scaling ratio is not an integer, linear interpolation technique is typically utilized during the resampling, so as to improve the accuracy thereof. FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the conventional scaling procedure utilizing linear interpolation. A source waveform (e.g., trp57) is processed through the resampler-interpolator to obtain a synthesized waveform (e.g., a00). The resampler-interpolator performs the function of "spectral scaling".
Because of its simplicity and ease of implementation, the resampling method discussed above has been widely utilized in the industry. However, it has been observed that the conventional resampling procedure, which involves a scaling of the sound period, also causes the spectral envelop of the original music tone to be distorted. In order to maintain high fidelity and reduce the amount of distortion, some high-end instruments have refrained from shifting pitches over a large range, However, this causes the size of the wavetable, thus the required memory storage space, to be substantially increased.
In an article entitled "An Efficient Method for Pitch Shifting Digitally Sampled Sound," by K. Lent, Computer Music Journal, vol. 13, No. 4, pp. 65-71 (1989), the content thereof is herein incorporated by reference, it was disclosed a technique by which the period of a waveform is changed by inserting some "samples" to, or cutting some samples from, the period of the original waveform. This method, in theory, will not change the envelop of the frequency spectrum, thus allowing the timbre of the sound to be maintained. However, the questions involving, for example, where to lengthen or shorten the period, how to maintain smoothness at places where such insertion or cutting had occurred, and how to provide an appropriate truncation window as well as determining the values when the period is lengthened, etc., require relatively complicated computations. Thus this method has remained largely an academic interest and may not be considered practical for industrial applications.

Pitch shift method with conserved timbre

Industrial Technology Research Institute


An engraving and marking device, usable in machine tools and the like, includes a supporting member provided with a coupling which is engaged by a spindle of a machine tool and supports a toolbit by means of an elastic support. The device is adapted to engrave and mark a piece being machined in a fully automatic manner.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an engraving and marking device particularly for machine tools and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various machines, such as for example punching machines, perforating machines, sawing machines, shears and others, are known which are used to machine at preset positions elongated, bodies such as beams, corner members, profiled members, tubular members, flat members and the like.
In particular, these machines are provided with devices suitable to feed or convey longitudinally the elongated bodies toward the position for machining, which is to be performed precisely at specific points of the bodies.
For this purpose, the conveyance devices are provided with a means which performs the function of measuring the stroke or the length of the conveyance of the elongated body at the end of which it is necessary to perform the intended machining.
Once all the required machining operations have been performed, the part is ready for marking, which is traditionally performed by hand.
Marking consists in providing markings and any other indication required for the subsequent installation of the part.
Machines are commercially available which are capable of performing certain limited engraving operations on the piece, such as marking machines, which are capable of stamping, for example, a code on a beam. However, a single marking machine is unable to engrave both on the web and on the legs of the beam and therefore cannot be used to perform complete marking operations.
Automatic devices are also known which are capable of producing point-by-point markings on pieces, but even these devices offer a very limited range of possibilities and cannot completely replace traditional manual marking,
US2004/0060180-A1 discloses a spring-loaded engraving tool-holder held in an endmill toolholder and placed into the spindle of a standard numerical control milling type machine.
The toolholder disclosed by US2004/0060180-A1 is able to produce a consistent mark even if the surface of the material is uneven or not parallel to the plane of motion of the machine.
However, if the hardness of the material varies in different locations on the surface, as may happen in some instances, namely on metal beams, girders or struts, the mark produced by such device will not be consistent because in the softer areas the toolbit is driven deeper into the softer surface.
The aim of the present invention is to provide a device that can be used in machine tools, for marking or engraving the piece being machined, which overcomes the prior art inconveniences.
An object of the invention is to provide a device that allows to engrave or draw in any portion of the piece with consistency.
A further object of the invention is to provide a device that can be used in any type of machine tool.
A further object is to provide a device that is capable of engraving and marking on any type of material.

Engraving and marking device particularly for machine tools and the like


An apparatus and process is provided for the deformation of the heat-softened end of a glass tube. In the formation of hollow articles such as, for example, vials from glass tubes, either large processing pauses occur or the formation elements have to be moved with high speed to the next tube being processed. To keep the processing pause short a forming roller is provided, which is shifted back and forth relative to the glass tube. Shifting of the forming roller takes place in such a manner that the forming roller, toward the end of the rolling, is at the starting position for forming the next glass tube.

The invention relates to a device for deformation of the end area of a glass tube for forming a mouth area of a vial and to a process for forming a vial and the use of the device in a vial machine.
Many devices for the production of hollow articles such as vials, ampules, etc, from glass tube are known. Since these articles are mass-produced, low-cost and fast production is necessary.
DE-PS 12 61 638 describes a known device of this type, in which a ring of receiving devices rotates workpieces in the form of glass tubes in a workpiece path past at least one processing station. The processing station contains swiveling arms which carry forming parts. The forming parts are swung into the workpiece path and can form the workpieces on a section of the workpiece path. The section is substantially greatly limited by the size and arrangement of the arms. To have the time available necessary for a forming process, the ring with the workpieces has to be stopped during the forming or is allowed to turn only very slowly. The forming process can be divided into several individual forming processes, as a result of which many processing stations for processing the same point on the vial become necessary. With this device the arm has to be swung back quickly to the starting position after forming to have more time available for forming. This leads to increased mechanical stress and correspondingly to increased wear.
To enlarge the section on which the forming takes place, in a device known from DE-PS 15 96 410 the forming rollers have been placed on a conveyor device, which for the period of forming moves at the angular speed of the ring along with the workpieces and parallel to the workpieces. In this arrangement, either the workpiece to be formed or the conveyor device is stationary. To form the next workpiece during the return of the conveyor device, several conveyor devices with forming rollers have to be used, and the conveyor devices can be connected to one another, e.g., by a chain, so that, while the first conveyor device returns, another conveyor device for forming moves beside the next workpiece. In this way, each conveyor device has a processing pause of at least 100% of the forming time of a vial. By tolerances of the individual conveyor devices and of the forming rollers vial types differing somewhat from one another result corresponding to the number of conveyor devices in this device.

Device and process for deformation of the heat-softened end of a glass tube


Methods and compositions useful for capturing proteins or peptides from a sample mixture and analyzing the captured proteins or peptides via high throughput electrospray ionization (ESI) or matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (HT MALDI MS) are provided. The methods and compositions are useful in large scale, simultaneous analyses of proteins and peptides present in a cell(s), tissue(s), or biological fluid(s).

The inception of the now completed Human Genome Project has spurred an explosion in genomic research. DNA expression arrays, and other genomic tools were created to take advantage of the wealth of information promised, and currently provided by a completely sequenced human genome. As a result, genomics has come to dominate the biological landscape. Genomics, however, has its limits. Now more than ever, it is becoming clear that gene sequence alone cannot predict the fate or behavior of protein products. Though high throughput transcriptional profiling on DNA chips or microarrays can be used to determine when, where, and how much RNA is transcribed, there is rarely a relationship between RNA transcription and protein expression.1,2,3 Post transcriptional modifications such as phosphorylation, and mRNA and peptide degradation can alter the function and concentration of a protein and are invisible to transcriptional profiling.
This gap between genomics and cellular behavior impedes elucidation of protein function as well as the identification of novel drug targets. Research in the post genomic era, then, will require a bridge between genomics and cellular behavior. Proteomics, which goal is to study the protein products of the genome, promises to be this bridge. By taking advantage of newly developed analytical tools, proteomics strives to study the dynamic, protein equivalent of the genome, the proteome. In so doing, proteomics would provide fundamental information on the molecular workings of the cell, as well the ability to observe the effect that specific diseases or drug treatments have on protein cascades.4 Indeed, the potential ability of proteomics to provide information about proteins on a global scale is tremendous for pharmaceutical research, as over 75% of the predicted proteins in multicellular organisms have no known cellular function5 and as many as 4,000 protein drug targets are predicted.6
Fundamental to proteomics are the abilities to both separate and identify proteins. Currently separation is achieved via several methods, the most popular being two dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE).7 Separation by 2-DE is on the basis of charge (isoelectric focusing) and size (PAGE). Gels are stained by a variety of methods, including Coomassie blue stain, silver stain, fluorescent dyes, and radio labels. Once the gel is stained, proteins are easily located and excised from the gel. Currently, the most effective method for protein identification is by mass spectrometry (MS). The sensitivity of mass spectrometry, coupled with recently developed ionization methods, allows for accurate protein characterization and identification. Indeed, advancements in mass spectrometry are responsible for the growth of proteomics as a field.
The now inseparable relationship between mass spectrometry and proteomics can be traced to two technological breakthroughs in the late 1980's: electrospray ionization (ESI) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI).8,9,10 In contrast to previous ionization methods, both ESI and MALDI are "soft" ionization methods, capable of generating ions from proteins and peptides without significant fragmentation. So soft are ESI and MALDI as ionization methods, that under certain conditions even non-covalent interactions are undisturbed, allowing for the analysis of large multi-protein complexes.11 ESI is easily coupled to liquid phase chromatographic and electrophoric techniques, a quality for which the method quickly gained popularity. Due to this, and the method's tendency to produce multiple charged ions allowing detection outside the nominal m/z range of simple instruments, ESI soon became the method of choice for analysis of proteins in the liquid phase.12,13
Ions produced via MALDI are, in contrast, largely singly charged, providing mass spectra that are easily interpreted. Furthermore, the time-of flight (TOF) mass analyzer to which MALDI is most often coupled is robust, simple, sensitive, and capable of detecting proteins as large as 100,000 mass units (amu).14,15 Both methods are now established as state of the art analytical tools in proteomics, finding applications in protein identification by mass mapping, and single peptide fragmentation, as well as the identification and characterization of post-translation modifications such as protein phosphorylation.13 Perhaps the most popular of these applications is protein identification by mass mapping, in which proteins, once separated by 2-DE or HPLC, are digested by a sequence-specific proteolytic enzyme such as trypsin. Upon digestion by such an enzyme, a specific protein will produce a unique set of polypeptide sequences, which upon detection and analysis by MS, yields a polypeptide mass-map. This mass-map, which is unique, can be used to identify the protein. Peptide mass-mapping has been used in the proteomic analysis of Haemophilus influenzae as well as several strains of yeast used in the brewing industry.16 Mass spectrometry is also used for protein sequencing, replacing Edman sequencing. Mass spectrometry allows for the analysis of subfemtomole quantities and is not restricted by N-terminal modifications, both problems associated with the Edman-based method.17
Neither ESI nor MALDI, however, are without limitations. Due to the attomolar sensitivity of both ESI and MALDI, and the small volume of MS samples, cleanliness of biological samples is perhaps the greatest limitation for proteomic MS.18,19 This limitation is particularly noticeable in proteomics as protein samples obtained from 2-DE gel digestion contain salts, ionic detergents and involatile solvents that can greatly reduce signal intensity and resolving power.20 The importance of sample cleaning and preparation is in fact so great that the literature abounds with novel sample prep protocols, particularly for the more popular MALDI method.21,22,23
Furthermore, the emergence of products specifically targeted at sample preparation for proteomic MS highlights the significance of this step. Millipore (Bedford, Mass.) has introduced the ZipTiP™, a 10 μl pipette tip packed with a polymer stabilized expanded bed (PSEB) of C18 reverse phase chromatographic media. When a protein or peptide sample is introduced into the pipette, peptides are captured by the C18 media via hydrohobic interactions. The sample can then be washed of impurities and subsequently eluted.19 Sample cleaning with ZipTiP™ technology has been shown to significantly improve the signal-to noise ratio of peptide mass maps obtained from MALDI-TOF.22
Sample cleaning has also been achieved by assembling reverse-phase media directly onto the MALDI probe. A stainless steel MALDI probe is coated with gold, and then self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are created by taking advantage of gold-thiol chemistry. At present, both C18 and ionic reverse phase media have been created.23,24 Although both of these methods achieve sample cleaning and improve spectrum quality, they nonetheless fail to do so in high throughput fashion. Proteomics is a high throughput field and the need to individually purify and analyze samples with MS is severely limiting.7 With this in mind, Bruker (Bremen, Germany) has designed the Anchor Chip, a MALDI target with 384 individual hydrophilic anchors. The Anchor Chip is stainless steel with a hydrohobic coating that allows for protein and peptide capture. Samples are spotted with a water insoluble matrix such as α-cyano 4-hydroxycinnamic acid (HCCA), and then washed. Samples are then re-dissolved and allowed to crystallize, whereupon they shrink to the hydrophilic anchor.25 Despite allowing for high throughput in sample preparation and MS analysis, the anchor chip is cost prohibitive, and requires stringent washing prior to re-use. Furthermore, the presence of 384 liquid targets on a flat surface increases the possibility of cross-contamination.
In order to eliminate the bottle-neck of proteomic sample preparation, a high throughput tool is required. Ideally, this tool should be both inexpensive and disposable. Most importantly, the tool should reduce sample cross-contamination. The present invention overcomes problems in the art by providing such a tool.

Peptide or protein-capturing surfaces for high throughput MALDI mass spectrometry


The electronic device according to the present invention has a device body capable of attaching a second device thereto by a screw member, and comprises a chassis provided to the device body, a mounting seat made of resin for attaching the second device, and a metal plate, the mounting seat is provided to the chassis and provided with a female screw formed therein in which the screw member is to be threaded as well as a closing part defining a bottom surface of the female screw and a back surface of the mounting seat, and the metal plate is fixed to the mounting seat to support the closing part by supporting a back surface thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic device capable of attaching a second device such as a tripod.
2. Description of Related Art
Digital cameras conventionally have structures capable of attaching a tripod. In particular, a digital camera has a tripod mounting seat having a female screw formed therein, and a male screw (a screw member) projecting from the tripod is threaded into the female screw of the tripod mounting seat to attach the tripod to the digital camera, thereby holding the digital camera in a predetermined position.
In conventional digital cameras, tripod mounting seats made of resin have been used. Also, in order to prevent water, dust or the like from entering inside the digital camera through the female screw, the tripod mounting seat is concave and the female screw is formed on an inner peripheral surface of the tripod mounting seat. Therefore, in the case where a thickness between a bottom surface of the female screw and a back surface of the tripod mounting seat (hereinafter referred to as "thickness") is small, it is possible to have a problem when the male screw is threaded into the female screw of the tripod mounting seat. The problem is such that when a further screwing power is applied to the male screw of the tripod after the male screw reaches the bottom surface of the female screw, the male screw penetrates the bottom surface of the female screw. If the bottom surface of the female screw is penetrated, water, dust or the like may enter inside the digital camera through the female screw, resulting in a breakdown of the digital camera.
In view of this, in a conventional digital camera, as shown in FIG. 10, in order to prevent the bottom surface of the female screw from being penetrated, a thickness L9 between a bottom surface 92 of the female screw 91 and a back surface 93 of a tripod mounting seat 9 is large. In particular, the thickness L9 is at least 2 mm.
However, a thick tripod mounting seat prevents downsizing of a digital camera. A die casting tripod mounting seat may be adopted for realizing both downsizing of the digital camera and enhancing strength of the bottom surface. However, the adopting of a die casting tripod mounting seat results in an increase in the manufacturing cost of the camera. Such a problem may arise not only in a digital camera, but also any electronic devices capable of attaching a second device such as a tripod by a screw member.


A dispenser is formed of a flexible plastic pouch which has a removable flap providing an opening adjacent the bottom of the pouch, and a transversely disposed thermoplastic band adjacent the flap opening for reinforcing the pouch at the opening. A plurality of stacked reclosable ended, opened, separate plastic bags are disposed in a folded stack within the pouch. The folded plastic bags abut the reinforcing band adjacent the bottom of the pouch. A portion of one outermost plastic bag reclosable end is disposed in the pouch opening, so that the user by the thumb and then the forefinger pulls the one plastic bag end portion causing the one plastic bag to slide over the adjacent plastic bag and through the opening without tearing the pouch. After removal of the one bag, the next adjacent bag is then similarly positioned for removal. The removed plastic bag is immediately ready for filling. The dispenser of the present invention avoids undue manipulation to remove and eliminates the need to open the bag. Suitable uses include dispensing cigar bags and deli bags.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a dispenser for plastic bags.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In the art directed to dispensers for plastic bags, such constructions were generally constructed of rigid box-like containers wherein the plastic bags were separably inter-connected within the box. Such dispensers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,712,684 to Boeckman, 4,805,800 to Nocek et al and 5,109,978 to Cawley. One attempt to make the plastic bags more readily removable from a box is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,276 to Herrington. In Herrington the plastic bags had to first be individually folded on parallel fold lines formed in each bag and then assembled and stacked within the box. In another rigid walled construction bag dispenser, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,423 to Ngugen, separated stacked bags were mounted on a roller bar.
Another prior art approach was where there was no container or dispenser, and instead the plastic bags were detachably attached on a header with the user having to pull and separate the bag from the header usually at a perforated line, and open the bag during or after removal. Such prior art constructions are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,221,927 to Lowry, 4,290,467 to Schmidt, 4,846,586 to Bruno, 5,255,883 to Greenfield et al, 5,309,698 to Huseman and 5,419,437 to Huseman.
It was known in the plastic bag art to provide pin holes in the bag walls to assist in separation of the bags removed from the stacks, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,235 to Pierce et al. Gussetted bags were provided with reinforcing bonds to prevent stress tears as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,812,055 to Prader.
One attempt to provide a dispenser for plastic bags is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,216,863 to Seymour-Smith. The Seymour-Smith construction required that the bags be in a flat unfolded unstacked disposition.
These prior art dispenser constructions were not suitable for readily dispensing stacked bags without damage to a thin flexible dispenser. The art desired a readily manufactured and assembled low cost flexible construction bag dispenser which could store and readily dispense a folded stack of pre-opened bags without damage to the flexible dispenser. The present invention achieves these prior art goals.


Embodiments of the invention include a method for performing diagnostics of a selective catalytic reduction (“SCR”) device in an exhaust gas treatment system of an internal combustion engine. The method includes monitoring an amount of sulfur in the SCR device of the exhaust treatment system and monitoring, by an SCR diagnostics module, an efficiency of the SCR device and indicating when the efficiency of the SCR device falls below an efficiency diagnostics threshold. Based on determining that the amount of sulfur in the SCR device is above a first threshold, the method includes disabling an operation of the SCR diagnostics module.

Exhaust gas emitted from an internal combustion engine, particularly a diesel engine, is a heterogeneous mixture that contains gaseous emissions such as, but not limited to, carbon monoxide ("CO"), unburned hydrocarbons ("HC") and oxides of nitrogen ("NOx") as well as condensed phase materials (liquids and solids) that constitute particulate matter ("PM"). Catalyst compositions, typically disposed on catalyst supports or substrates, are provided in an engine exhaust system as part of an aftertreatment system to convert certain, or all of these exhaust constituents into non-regulated exhaust gas components.
One type of exhaust treatment technology for reducing CO and HC emissions is an oxidation catalyst ("OC") device. The OC device includes a flow-through substrate and a catalyst compound applied to the substrate. One type of exhaust treatment technology for reducing NOx emissions is a selective catalytic reduction ("SCR") device that may be positioned downstream of the OC device. The SCR device includes a flow-through substrate, having a SCR catalyst compound applied to the substrate.
During operation of the engine, the components of the after treatment system are exposed to sulfur from the fuel as well as the engine oil that are consumed by the engine. Over time as the sulfur accumulates, this affects the performance of the SCR catalyst as well as the oxidation catalyst. The sulfur is released from the catalysts of the OC device and the SCR device at relatively high temperatures (e.g., typically about 500° C. or greater), resulting in desulfurization.
Currently, an SCR efficiency diagnostic unit monitors the efficiency of the SCR device and indicates a failure of the SCR device if the efficiency of the SCR device falls below a threshold value. However, during normal operation of the SCR device high levels of sulfur in the SCR device may cause the SCR efficiency diagnostic unit to falsely indicate a failure of the SCR device. Accordingly, it is desirable to operate the SCR efficiency diagnostic unit to prevent false indications of a failure of the SCR device.

Exhaust gas treatment system including an enhanced SCR diagnostic unit


A signal processing circuit includes a delaying unit that is configured to carry out delay processing on the basis of periodicity information synchronized with the periodicity of a periodic noise included in an input signal and a filter unit that is configured to receive the input signal and has a notch characteristic at a frequency f. The frequency f satisfies f=N/T, where N represents an integer equal to or greater than one and T represents a delaying time applied by the delaying unit.

The present invention relates to a signal processing circuit, a method of processing a signal, an audio signal processing circuit, an imaging apparatus, a method of processing an audio signal with an imaging apparatus, a recording apparatus, a method of recording, a playing apparatus, and a method of playing, all capable of reducing periodic noise having a variable period and/or noise level.
An imaging apparatus, such as a portable video camera, generates various noises while capturing an image. An example of a noise generated inside the imaging apparatus is a periodic noise generated at a predetermined period at a frequency of about 150 Hz caused by, for example, the rotation of a rotary drum in case where the recording medium is a magnetic tape.
When a microphone included in the imaging apparatus picks up sound and records the sound on a recording medium, in addition to the target sound, noise generated inside the imaging apparatus is picked up, reducing the quality of the recorded sound. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-176113 describes a technology for reducing periodic noise by using a synchronous adaptive filter that is configured to adaptively change the filter coefficient in response to the periodic noise.

Circuit and apparatus having a delay unit for reducing periodic noise


The invention provides an apparatus and method for testing the tendency of a paper to curl. The paper is cut from a paper making machine and rapidly humidified to standard TAPPI conditions, and is thereafter run through an apparatus having a substantially vertically oriented nip. The paper is measured for curl, all data are tabulated and fed back into a data acquisition or paper machine control system.

In a typical laser-based printing/copying process, a photoconductive member is charged to a substantially uniform potential so as to sensitize the surface thereof. The charged portion of the photoconductive member is exposed to a light image of the original document being reproduced. Exposure of the charged photoconductive member selectively dissipates the charges thereon in the irradiated areas. This records a latent image on the photoconductive member corresponding to the informational areas contained within the original document.
One approach to the fixing of toner images onto a support has been to pass the support bearing the toner images between a pair of opposed roller members, at least one of which is internally heated. During operation of a fixing system of this type, the support member to which the toner images are electrostatically adhered is moved through the nip formed between the rolls and thereby heated under pressure. A large quantity of heat is applied to the toner and the copy sheet bearing the toner image. This heat evaporates much of the moisture contained in the sheet. The quantity of heat applied to the front and to the back sides of the sheet is often not equal.
One problem associated with moisture loss in paper is paper curl. Deformation of the paper generally occurs due to a change of physical properties in the z-direction of paper. This may occur through the following event: as sheets pass through an image fixing system, moisture is driven out and the sheet temperature is elevated. After image fixing, a sheet typically rests in a collection area exposed to its ambient surroundings, where its moisture content will reach equilibrium with the environment through absorption of moisture across the full face of at least one side of the paper sheet. However, if the copy sheet becomes part of a large compiled set, both sides of all of the papers in the compilation (except for the top sheet) will effectively be sealed off from ambient moisture. The only route available to the papers for moisture re-absorption is through the edges of the sheets, leaving the moisture content of the central portions of the sheets relatively unchanged. This uneven pattern of moisture re-absorption results in edge stresses that lead to paper curl along the edges of the paper.
Further, contact with moisture can cause curl prior to image fixing. Thus, in addition to being cosmetically unsightly, the curl creates a handling problem, in that pages with a wave pattern along their edges are more difficult to feed to secondary paper handling machines. It is especially important to papers which are used in automatic sheet-fed printing operations such as xerography. Excessive curl can cause the paper transport mechanism to jam, thereby creating operator frustration, lost time and service expense. Therefore, curl is an important mechanical property of non-woven webs such as paper which manufacturers seek to minimize, and there is a continuing need for a measuring device to predict the curl performance of webs which will be used in sheet-fed machines.
Moreover, in sheet-fed apparatuses, curl behavior is further influenced by the heat conductivity of the paper, moisture evaporation from the paper, and the other heating conditions. Thus, curl behavior is influenced by different types of paper as well as different apparatuses used with the same type of paper, resulting in the general unpredictability of the tendency of a paper to curl.
Generally, two types of curl may be generated in paper manufacture as a result of moistening or drying a paper sheet. Total (simplex) curl is when a paper curls in one direction, such as a sheet of paper rolled into a cylindrical tube. Diagonal curl results from a twist of paper, such that one portion of the paper rotates axially in one direction, while another portion of the paper rotates axially in a different, generally opposite direction.
Current curl tests for prediction of curl tendency are problematic. One procedure involves running multiple sheets through a specified (Xerox 5388) photo copier, hanging a preset number of sheets by the long edge and matching the resulting bend to a pattern of curves on a reference template. This test, however, requires the use of specific, expensive equipment and is costly and time consuming. It also requires that papers be sheeted prior to testing, delaying results.
Hot plate curl is another method currently in use. It involves placing cut samples on a heated hotplate and manually measuring the corners of the sample as they curl away from the heat. This method is time intensive and has very poor (r^2 0.30) correlation to end use as well as poor reproducibility.
Other tests do not account for the ability of gravity to alter the curl of a paper, resulting in errant data. For example, other mechanisms, such as a computer controlled hot-roll fusing apparatus, are able to test for a variety of paper parameters by mimicking the environment of a typical consumer printer, yet the nips are horizontal and have too high nip pressure, resulting in gravitational and mechanical effects on the test samples.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a test for the tendency of a paper to curl from which information can be achieved quickly and possible corrective feedback is rapid, has a low level of variability, and accounts for the effect of gravity on a tendency to curl for a variety of paper samples.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Test to measure curling tendency of paper in laser printers


A golf club spine finder comprising a shaft holding member which comprises a bottom wall and a vertical member. The vertical member comprises a plurality of extended members, each extended member further comprising extended member apertures. A gripping member functions to secure the shaft holding member in a substantially upright position. A golf club shaft is then removably inserted through the extended member apertures of the shaft holding member, the golf club shaft comprising a traditional grip end and club head end. An indicator handle comprises at least one aperture further comprising roller bearings therein and a display. The golf club shaft is removably inserted through the indicator handle substantially near the club head end of the golf club shaft. The indicator handle functions to measure the flexure of the golf club shaft at differing angles when depressed downwardly as the golf club shaft is rotated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is a device designed to locate the spine, or strong side, of a golf club shaft. The device, in its preferred mode, comprises an indicator handle, a support structure, and the usage of a traditional vice means. A golf club shaft is held in place at one end by the vice, and extends through the support structure, which is equipped with roller bearings that function to allow the shaft to rotate on a vertical axis. The distal end of the shaft extends through the indicator handle, which is equipped with roller bearings as well. When tension is placed upon the distal end of the shaft in such a way as to bend the naturally flexing shaft downwardly, the indicator handle allows the user to locate the strongest and weakest points of the shaft. By using this information when affixing the club head onto the shaft in a precise manner, the device will increase the overall performance of the golf club.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous innovations for golf club devices have been provided in the prior art that are described as follows. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they differ from the present invention as hereinafter contrasted. The following is a summary of those prior art patents most relevant to the invention at hand, as well a description outlining the differences between the present invention and the prior art.
Patent #4,682,504, "Device For Measuring a Stiffness of a Golf Club Shaft," by Kobayashi, represents the closest prior art patent to the present invention. This patent describes a device for measuring a stiffness of a golf-club shaft comprises a clamp for holding one end of a golf-club shaft so that the golf-club shaft extends in a substantially horizontal position. A pointer member having a tip end and a root portion is detachably attached at the root portion thereof to the other end of the golf-club shaft held by the clamp so that the pointer member extends in a substantially horizontal position perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the golf-club shaft. A counterweight is detachably attached to the tip end of the pointer member and applies a predetermined flexure and torsion load to the golf-club shaft through the pointer member. A vertical displacement measuring instrument is provided to measure the amount of vertical displacement of the tip end of the pointer member produced by torsion and flexure of the golf-club shaft when the predetermined load of the counterweight is applied to the golf-club shaft through the pointer member.
This prior art patent, however, differs from the present invention in significant respects. Firstly, the Kobayashi patent teaches the usage of a device that keeps the shaft of a golf club stationary while flexure of the club head end can be measured. This is accomplished by a clamping means, including the usage of bolts, securing the grip end of a golf club shaft in a horizontal position. Thus, unlike the present invention, the shaft can not be rotated about and flexure can not be measured at more than one angle selected.
Moreover, in the Kobayashi patent, flexure is measured by securing the grip end of the shaft in a housing and allowing the club head, already affixed on the shaft, to weigh down the distal end of the golf club when the club is fixed in its horizontal position. A vertical ruler-type piece then allows the user to calculate the curvature of the shaft. This secured-grip-end embodiment also allows the Kobayashi invention to measure the level of torsion of the club, or stress caused when one end of the club is twisted in one direction while the other is held motionless.
The present invention, in contrast, is aimed at production of golf clubs in the most effective manner possible. By using the present invention, unlike that of Kobayashi, one can determine the flexure of the shaft when the shaft is bent at any angle of rotation, prior to the club head being secured thereon. Therefore, the user of the present invention can locate the strongest and weakest points of the shaft and affix the club head to the shaft accordingly.
Finally, the present invention may be produced with either an analog or digital pressure indicator on the indicator handle for accurate reading of the curvature of the spine. In addition, the present invention can be produced to include a handle means removably attachable to the shaft for steady and convenient rotation of the shaft during operation.
Additional patents retrieved in a comprehensive search included. #3,992,933, Electromechanical Moment-Independent Deflection Sensor, #5,429,008, Method and Apparatus for Measuring Figure of Deflection of Golf Club Shaft, #4,558,863, Golf Club Shaft, #5,379,641, Method for Measuring the Deflection in the Shaft of a Golf Club for Controlling the Dynamic Loft Angle of a Club, #4,517,843, Material and Component Testing Machine, and #4,958,834, Golf Club Assembly.


A method for manufacturing a low-density steel wooden golf head solves the difficulty in reducing the thickness of a conventional wooden golf head. The method includes placing a shell mold having a crucible portion and a cavity portion in communication with the crucible portion on a rotary table, placing a metal ingot into the crucible portion, followed by melting the metal ingot in molten metal in a vacuum environment, rotating the rotary table to cause the molten metal to flow into the cavity portion under a centrifugal force, gradually slowing down the rotary table after the molten metal cools and solidifies, destroying the shell mold to obtain a casting including a cast product portion, and separating the cast product portion from the casting to obtain a casting product of a wooden golf head having a density of 6.5-7.6 g/cm3 and a minimum thickness of 0.4-0.6 mm.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method for manufacturing a wooden golf head and, more particularly, to a method for manufacturing a low-density steel golf head with a reduced thickness.
2. Description of the Related Art
Early wooden golf heads are made of stainless or carbon steel. In order to increase the performance of the wooden golf heads, several new steel-type casting materials have been continuously developed in recent years and have been used to manufacture wooden golf heads. For example, steel-type alloys containing aluminum (Al), silicon (Si), or manganese (Mn) generally have a low density below 7.6 g/cm3. Therefore, such steel-type alloys are suitable for manufacturing the wooden golf heads, which decrease the total weight of the wooden golf heads and improve the hitting effect of the wooden golf heads.
Current wooden golf heads are manufactured by using a high frequency induction furnace to rapidly melt the casting materials in the atmosphere, followed by removing the slag and gases in the molten metal by slagging and refinery. Static gravity pouring is then carried out. However, the casting materials for the low-density wooden golf heads include active metals, such as aluminum or manganese that are apt to react with oxygen in the air. Thus, rigorous oxidation easily occurs during the procedures of smelting of the casting materials, increasing difficulties in melting and easily causing oxidative fire cracks due to reaction with air during the pouring process. As a result, appearance defects, such as sesame dot defects and black bean defects, are apt to be formed on the cast products of the wooden golf heads. In worse situations, the reactive gas forms a large number of slag holes or blowholes in the cast products of the wooden golf heads and, thus, adversely affects the tensile strength of the wooden golf heads.
Furthermore, rigorous oxidation also reduces the flowability of the molten metal in the shell mold, leading to a reduced yield rate of the cast products of the wooden golf heads due to insufficient pouring or resulting in gaps in the cast products of the wooden golf heads due to cold shut. The tensile strength of the cast products of the wooden golf heads is also adversely affected.
Therefore, the thickness of the wooden golf heads manufactured by static gravity pouring in the atmosphere should be thick enough to improve the yield rate, and the forced shaping cast products are easily destroyed due to the inadequate structural strength. That is to say, the average thickness of the entire integrally shaped wooden golf heads is relatively thick, and therefore, the wooden golf heads manufactured with low-density casting materials still have a relative high weight.
On the other hand, on the wooden golf heads manufactured by static gravity pouring, additional casting materials are needed to elevate the pressing effect of the molten metal and to improve the yield rate of the wooden golf heads. However, the additional casting materials and the energy used for melting the additional casting materials result in the increased manufacturing cost.
In light of this, it is necessary to improve the conventional method for manufacturing a steel golf head.

Method for manufacturing a low-density steel wooden golf head


To provide an ink jet yellow ink having a favorable color tone and capable of providing an image excellent in humidity resistance. The ink jet yellow ink of the present invention is an ink jet yellow ink to be used in combination with an ink jet light-color ink comprising at least a coloring material and a water-soluble organic solvent, wherein the coloring material of the ink jet yellow ink is a compound represented by the following General Formula (I) or a salt thereof, and wherein the ink jet light-color ink satisfies a specific condition;

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet yellow ink, an ink jet light-color ink, an ink set, an ink jet recording method, an ink cartridge, a recording unit, and an ink jet recording apparatus each of which is capable of providing an image excellent in humidity resistance.
2. Relates Background Art
An ink jet recording method is a recording method involving applying small ink droplets to any one of recording media such as plain paper and glossy media to form an image, and has become rapidly widespread owing to a reduction in its cost and an improvement in its recording rate. With the rapid spread of a digital camera in addition to an improvement in quality of an image recorded by the method, the method has been generally used as a method of outputting a photographic image comparable to silver halide photographs.
In recent years, the storage stability of an image has been requested for an ink jet recording method. In particular, humidity resistance which is the stability of an image in an environment having a high humidity is an important element in terms of storage stability of the image, so investigation has been made into ink capable of proving an image excellent in humidity resistance. For example, there has been proposed light-color ink out of inks having a color in the same family and different from each other in a tone, the light-color ink containing a hydrophilic and low-volatile organic solvent prepared by mixing a hydrophilic and low-volatile organic solvent having a vapor pressure of 1 Pa or less and a hydrophilic and low-volatile organic solvent having a vapor pressure of 1 to 10 Pa (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-319560).
Meanwhile, there has been proposed a technique for synthesizing a novel coloring material which: is excellent in humidity resistance, light resistance, and water resistance; is suitable for ink jet recording; and provides a good hue and good visibility (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-321627).

Ink jet yellow ink, ink jet light-color ink, ink set, ink jet recording method, ink cartridge, recording unit, and ink jet recording apparatus

Abstract: wherein M's each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal, an alkali earth metal, a cation of organic amine or an ammonium ion, and n's each independently represent 1 or 2; andY≦2.8X+10.  Expression (1)


A symmetric multiprocessor includes with a hierarchical ring-based interconnection network is disclosed. The symmetric processor includes a plurality of buses comprised on the symmetric multiprocessor, wherein each of the buses are configured in a circular topology. The symmetric multiprocessor also includes a plurality of multi-processing nodes interconnected by the buses to make a hierarchical ring-based interconnection network for conveying commands between the multi-processing nodes. The interconnection network includes a command network configured to transport commands based on command tokens, wherein the tokens dictate a destination of the command, a partial response network configured to transport partial responses generated by the multi-processing nodes, and a combined response network configured to combine the partial responses generated by the multi-processing nodes using combined response tokens.

The present disclosure relates to computer technology, and more specifically, to a hierarchical ring-based interconnection network of symmetric multi-processing (SMP) nodes used to deliver data throughout a symmetric multiprocessor.
Modern symmetric multiprocessors connect a large number of processing cores using an interconnection network to convey commands and responses between the processing cores. Interconnection networks can be categorized according to their topology, routing strategy, and switching technique. The network topology, the way in which the components are interconnected, is a major determining factor in the overhead cost of message passing. Accordingly, network designs attempt to minimize both the number of messages required and the distances over which they must travel.

Hierarchical ring-based interconnection network for symmetric multiprocessors

International Business Machines Corporation


Disclosed is an evaporative fuel purging apparatus used for an internal combustion engine. A canister having an absorbing agent for absorbing an evaporative fuel generated in a fuel tank of the internal combustion engine is provided. A drain control valve is provided on a drain port for opening the canister to the atmospheric air, and which is adapted to open and close the drain port. A purge control valve is provided on a purge passage communicating the canister to a part of an intake system, and which is adapted to purge the evaporative fuel absorbed into the canister through opening and closing the purge passage. A diagnostic device diagnoses the presence or absence of leakage in a purge system which is sealed up by closing the drain control valve and the purge control valve after pressure-reduction treatment. In the above apparatus, the drain control valve is opened after termination of the diagnosis by the diagnostic device, to open the canister to the atmospheric air through the drain port, and after an elapse of a specified time, the purge is started by opening the purge control valve. With this construction, it is possible to prevent the rapid change in the air-fuel ratio in re-starting the purge after termination of the diagnosis for the purge system, and hence to improve the stabilization of the emission and the drivability.

In an evaporative fuel purging apparatuses used for an internal combustion engine in which an evaporative fuel generated in an fuel tank is absorbed by an absorbing agent of a canister; the evaporative fuel thus absorbed is released from the absorbing agent with the intake of the air; and the evaporative fuel is supplied (purged) to an intake system through an purging passage, abnormalities of the purging system can be diagnosed by such a process as follows.
After the pressure-reduction treatment for the purge system, both a drain shut-off valve provided on a drain port for sucking the atmospheric air in a canister and a purge cut valve provided in a purge passage are closed to form an enclosed space, and thereby the abnormality diagnosis for the purge system is performed by checking the leak down. Namely, when there occurs a leakage due to gaps generated in the piping connections, valves, seals or the like in the closed purge system, the tank internal pressure is greatly increased, which is diagnosed to be abnormal.
After termination of such an abnormality diagnosis for the purge system described above, if the purge cut valve is opened while closing the drain shut-off valve or simultaneously opening the same to perform the purge control of the evaporative fuel again, the fuel vapor with high concentration, which has remained during leak down check in the canister and the purge tube which are pressure-reduced in a state where the evaporative fuel is liable to be generated, is purged in the intake system at a stretch. This causes the rapid change in the air-fuel ratio, thereby bringing the deterioration in the emission and drivability.
Taking the above circumstances into consideration, the present invention is made, and its object is to provide an evaporative fuel control unit used for an internal combustion engine capable of preventing the rapid change in the air-fuel ratio after abnormality diagnosis for the purge system, thereby securing the stabilization of the emission and the drivability.

Evaporative fuel control unit for internal combustion engine


An assay system having a channel bounded by first and second reflective surfaces adapted to accommodate a fluid material therebetween and defining a plurality of regions in an array between those surfaces with each region defining a resonant cavity and adapted to receive a capturing material on a surface thereof whereby a source of radiation illuminates each region to provide a standing wave of radiation of within the cavity indicative of binding of said capturing agent to material under investigation, a binding thereof being detected in response to radiation from each cavity indicative of a change in the standing wave pattern.

In bio-research, ecological testing, medical testing, drug testing and bio-weapon and hazards detections there is a need for rapid, simultaneous and real time detection of various agents. Typically the agents are provided in a fluid to a test structure, generally an array of some form in which capturing materials of diverse types capable of binding to one or more of the materials undergoing test and provided in the fluid medium. The binding is a result of an affinity that molecules or bio-molecules have for each other and includes the affinities of DNA, RNA, proteins, small molecules and other molecules. DNA arrays and protein arrays, commonly called DNA or protein chips, are two technologies used for bio-molecule affinity sensing in such fields as genomics and proteomics.
The array of capturing materials is created in a known pattern such that by correlation of the binding response of the capturing material to the fluid born molecules under test, it is possible by detecting the level of binding at each array element to determine what materials under test are present. In one case of DNA or RNA testing, various sequences of the DNA or RNA molecule are affixed to corresponding locations in the array. DNA or RNA in the fluid being tested will tend to bind where the sequences therein strongly match the sequences attached to the various array sites.
Test methods known to date fail to provide high throughput, real time operations or to avoid difficult labeling processes, or to avoid capturing material incompatibility with metal sensor surface, requiring cumbersome linking chemistry that may adversely affect binding properties.
Among the techniques previously used which fail to provide all of these requirements in combination are fluorescent tagging. Fluorescent tagging procedures suffer from a number of problems including the difficulty of tagging and the possibility of tagging altering the binding properties. Moreover tagging procedures are difficult to monitor continuously in real time. Among other techniques surface plasmon resonance is popular. This technique, however, requires the affixation of molecules to a metal surface, particularly gold, which has the above mentioned incompatibility problem. Other techniques include waveguide techniques and acoustic detection techniques. Neither of these accommodates a high throughput, requiring a large number of array elements.
Finally, another known technique, reflectometric interference spectroscopy, suffers from the complication of using multiple fiber probes, which greatly hinders its ability to become high throughput.


The invention provides an electroslag welding flux that is especially useful for welding copper-nickel alloys. The electroslag flux contains by weight percent 50 to 95 fluoride compound, 0 to 45 oxide compound, 1 to 25 rare earth-containing material, 1 to 45 potassium-containing material and 0 to 25 metallic. Advantageously, the flux contains by weight percent 60 to 90 fluoride compound, 5 to 40 oxide compound, 2 to 20 rare earth material, 1 to 20 metallic, 2 to 35 potassium-containing material, 0 to 15 carbonate and 0 to 35 binder. Most advantageously, the flux contains by weight percent 65 to 90 fluoride compound, 5 to 35 oxide compound, 2 to 15 rare earth-containing material, 1 to 15 metallic, 3 to 35 potassium-containing material, 0 to 5 carbonate and 1 to 35 binder.

Electroslag welding uses electrical current to produce a molten slag pool from a powdered flux. The molten slag pool melts a filler metal as it is fed into the molten slag. The electrical resistivity of the molten slag provides sufficient heat to continuously melt the filler metal as it is fed into the molten slag pool. During electroslag welding, the molten slag "floats" on the metal to provide a barrier that limits oxidation of the molten filler metal.
Electroslag welding has been used for several years to deposit high quality weld metal at high deposition rates. Materials such as low-carbon steels, medium-carbon steel, low alloy steel, stainless steels and nickel-based alloys have been welded by electroslag welding techniques. Electroslag welding has provided an effective method of coating ship propeller shafts with Monel.RTM. nickel-copper alloys and Inconel.RTM. nickel-chromium alloys. (Monel and Inconel are registered trademarks of the Inco family of companies.) However, as far as known, no one to date has developed a technique for crack free electroslag welding of copper-base alloys such as 70Cu-30Ni. Due to high thermal conductivity and slag removal problems, copper-base alloys are particularly difficult to electroslag weld.
It is an object of this invention to provide a flux useful for electroslag welding of copper-nickel alloys.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an electroslag welding flux useful for both copper-nickel and nickel-chromium alloys.