This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus for antenna switching for simultaneous communication. An can include a plurality of antennas including a first antenna and a second antenna. The apparatus can further includes a plurality of receive circuits including a first receive circuit. The apparatus can further include a controller configured to determine one or more performance characteristics of the first antenna at a first time. The controller is further configured to determine a difference between the one or more performance characteristics of the first antenna at the first time and one or more performance characteristics of the first antenna at an earlier time. The controller is further configured to selectively switch the first receive circuit from receiving wireless communications via the first antenna to receive wireless communications via the second antenna if the difference is larger than a threshold. Other aspects, embodiments, and features are also claimed and described.

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice and data. Typical wireless communication systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power, and the like). Examples of such multiple-access systems may include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, and the like. The systems can also conform to specifications such as third generation partnership project (3GPP), 3GPP2, 3GPP long-term evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced (LTE-A), etc.
Some wireless multiple-access communication systems may simultaneously support communication for multiple mobile devices. Each mobile device may communicate with one or more base stations via transmissions on forward and reverse links. The forward link (or downlink) refers to the communication link from base stations to mobile devices, and the reverse link (or uplink) refers to the communication link from mobile devices to base stations.
In some scenarios, when a user attempts to originate a call or receives call, one antenna of two or more antennas of a mobile may have blockage (e.g., due to hand restriction, etc.), based on a device specific architecture. When blockage occurs, it is possible that a second antenna of the mobile has comparatively low blockage and hence routing a connection through the second antenna may provide a comparatively better/faster chance to reach a network entity.

Devices, methods, and systems for antenna switching based on look-back


A chain tensioner including a housing having a cylinder chamber, a rod member in the form of a threaded shaft inserted in the cylinder chamber for tensioning a chain, a tension adjusting spring for biasing the rod member outwardly of the housing, a hydraulic damper for damping axial dynamic load applied to the rod member from the chain by utilizing as a damping medium a hydraulic oil supplied into a closed end of the cylinder chamber through an oil supply passage formed in the housing and a check valve, and a thread engagement arrangement for preventing the rod member from retracting under an axial static load applied to the rod member. The chain tensioner can prevent the entry of air in the pressure chamber of the hydraulic damper when the engine is started in a cold environment or restarted.

This invention relates to a chain tensioner for keeping constant the tension in a chain such as a camshaft drive chain.
FIG. 9 shows a conventional chain tensioner of this type. It includes a plunger 62 and a tension adjusting spring 63 both mounted in a cylinder chamber 61 formed in a housing 60. The spring 63 biases the plunger 62 outwardly to press it against a chain 64.
Behind the plunger 62 is a pressure chamber 65 to which an oil supply passage 66 opens. A check valve 67 is provided near the oil supply passage 66. When the plunger 62 moves outward so that the pressure in the pressure chamber 65 drops, the check valve 67 opens and simultaneously an oil supply pump is activated to supply hydraulic oil through the oil supply passage 66 into the pressure chamber 65.
When the tension in the chain 64 increases and the plunger 62 is pushed into the housing 60, the hydraulic oil sealed in the pressure chamber 65 serves as a damper, damping the movement of the plunger 62. As the chain 64 slackens, the tension adjusting spring 63 pushes out the plunger 62 quickly to increase the tension in the chain 64. The plunger 62 can smoothly move following fluctuating tension in the chain 64, thus keeping the tension in the chain at a constant level at all times.
In the case of a camshaft drive chain, its tension may increase when the engine is stopped according to the positions of the cams on the camshafts when they are stopped. The chain 64 thus urges the plunger 62 into the housing 60, increasing the oil pressure in the pressure chamber 65. The oil in the chamber 65 thus gradually leaks through a gap present between the sliding surfaces of the plunger 62 and the cylinder chamber 61, thus keeping the plunger 62 retracted.
When the engine is restarted in this state and the chain 64 slackens, the plunger 62 will move a long distance outwardly. Since the engine has just been started, the oil supply pump is not sufficiently warmed up and cannot discharge a sufficient amount of oil into the pressure chamber 65. Thus, air may find its way into the pressure chamber, impairing the damping performance of the chain tensioner.
Also, immediately after the engine has been started, the oil is high in viscosity and low in fluidity. This also is a potential cause of the above problem.
In order to solve this problem, Unexamined Japanese Utility Model Publication 64-25557 proposes to provide the housing with pivotable ratchet pawls to prevent the plunger from being pushed into the housing when the engine is cut, by bringing the ratchet pawls provided on the housing into engagement with a rack provided on the outer periphery of the plunger. But this arrangement has the problem of durability because a load from the chain concentrates on the portion where the rack engages the ratchet pawl. Also, if the teeth on the racks are arranged at a small pitch, the backlash will disappear, causing the chain to be overstretched. If the pitch is large, the backlash will grow large. The chain will thus flap violently when the engine is started until the hydraulic damper is activated.
An object of this invention is to provide a durable, high-quality chain tensioner which has means for preventing air from entering hydraulic oil in the pressure chamber when the fluidity of hydraulic oil is low such as when the engine is started in a cold environment, and which produces less noise.


A process for preparing polyhydroxycarboxylic acid by conducting a dehydration condensation of a hydroxycarboxylic acid or an oligomer thereof in a reaction mixture containing an organic solvent substantially in the absence of water and the polyhydroxycarboxylic acid thus obtained. The process provides polyhydroxycarboxylic acid having excellent properties and processability.

1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a polyhydroxycarboxylic acid which is a useful biodegradable polymer as a substitute for medical materials or general purpose resins and a process for preparing the polyhydroxycarboxylic acid directly from hydroxycarboxylic acid by dehydration condensation. Hydroxycarboxylic acid, particularly lactic acid, is widely distributed in the natural world and is harmless to animals, plants, men and beasts. Polylactic acid which is a polymer of the lactic acid can be hydrolyzed with relative ease in the presence of water and is also hydrolyzed and absorbed in vivo. Thus polylactic acid has attracted attention as a polymer which can be applied to the above uses.
2) Description of the Related Art
Polylactic acid or polyglycolic acid which is a polyhydroxycarboxylic acid has been generally prepared by ring opening polymerization of lactide or glycolide which is a cyclic dimer of lactic acid or glycolic acid.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,703,316 has disclosed a preparation process of poly-D,L-lactic acid. D,L-lactic acid is initially converted to an oligomer, lactide is isolated at 200.degree..about.250.degree. C. under reduced pressure and successively recrystallized a few times from ethyl acetate. Racemi-lactide thus obtained has a melting point of 120.degree. C. or above and can be converted to poly-D,L-lactic acid by ring-opening polymerization. Poly-D,L-lactic acid obtained has an inherent viscosity (.eta.) of 0.45 dl/g or more and can be processed into a tough film or monofilament. It has also been described that the polymer obtained by direct condensation of lactic acid is brittle and cannot be stretched.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,758,987 has described a preparation process of poly-L-lactic acid having an inherent viscosity (.eta.) of 0.4 dl/g or more from L,L-lactide which is obtained in the same manner from L-lactic acid and has a melting point of 94.degree. C. or above.
However, preparation of lactide or glycolide which is suited for a material of polymer requires much labor and expenses such as distillation and recrystallization and is unfavorable from an economic standpoint. The process cannot be carried out in the case of copolymerizing hydroxycarboxylic acid which does not form acyclic lactone such as lactide or glycolide.
On the other hand, a direct polycondensation of hydroxycarboxylic acid such as lactic acid and glycolic acid is a successive reaction similarly to an esterification reaction of dibasic acid and polyhydric alcohol. Molecular weight of the product increases with reaction time. Since generated water acts to reduce the molecular weight of the polycondensate through hydrolysis it has been required to remove generated water out of the reaction system in order to obtain high molecular weight polyhydroxycarboxylic acid such as polylactic acid or polyglycolic acid.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent SHO 59-96,123 has disclosed a process for preparing polylactic acid having a molecular weight of 4,000 or more by carrying out a condensation reaction at temperature of 220.degree..about.260.degree. C. under reduced pressure of 10 mmHg or less in the absence of a catalyst.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,273,920 has disclosed a copolymer of lactic acid and glycolic acid obtained by conducting dehydration condensation in the presence of an ion exchange resin catalyst and successively removing the catalyst. The copolymer contains substantially no catalyst and has an inherent viscosity (.eta.) of 0.08.about.0.30 dl/g and an average molecular weight of 6,000.about.35,000.
However, a high temperature of 180.degree. C. or above is required in order to obtain high molecular weight polymer by the above processes. The polymer obtained under such condition has problems such as discoloration and the presence of impurities formed by decomposition of the polymer. These problems have not yet been solved with polymers having an average molecular weight of 15,000 or more.
The molecular weight range of the polymer obtained by these processes is also restricted and thus a polymer which can exhibit sufficient strength in the form of a film or monofilament cannot be obtained.

Polyhydroxycarboxylic acid and preparation process thereof


An ATM (10) includes a housing (12). Circuit card assemblies (256) used in the operation of the ATM are attached to a mounting plate (254). The mounting plate (254) can be releasably engaged to the housing (12). The mounting plate (254) includes integrally formed dimples (260) which facilitate the attachment and removal of the circuit card assemblies (256) therewith. The circuit card assemblies, while attached to the mounting plate, can be tested to ensure their proper operation prior to installation of the mounting plate in the ATM. The mounting plate and attached circuit card assemblies are configured to be suitable for use in various types and configurations of ATMs.

Automated banking machines are known in the prior art. A common type of automated banking machine used by consumers is an Automated Teller Machine ("ATM"). Customers of financial institutions may perform banking transactions, make inquiries concerning the status of their accounts, obtain cash, make deposits, pay bills, and obtain other banking services using automated teller machines. Typically the customer uses a magnetically encoded card that is inserted into the machine. The customer also inputs a personal identification number that allows the automated teller machine to verify the customer's identity. After the customer has conducted its transactions, the customer's card is returned along with one or more receipts which document the transactions conducted.
There are a number of different types of automated teller machines (ATMs). Some automated teller machines are designed to be inside the wall of a bank and have their customer interface extending through the wall of the bank. This enables customers to conduct their transactions without entering the bank either in a walk-up or drive-up fashion. This type of configuration is known as a "through-the-wall" configuration.
Other ATM units are designed to be freestanding either in the lobby of a bank or other commercial establishment. In these cases the entire ATM unit is placed on the floor and made operable by appropriate cabling. The lobby type ATMs have the advantage that they are much easier to install than a through-the-wall type machine.
In the past, some lobby ATM units and through-the-wall ATM units have been made specifically for the type of installation in which they will be used. This is because of the different environmental and security requirements for lobby and through-the-wall units. Although many of the components used in both types of units are the same, different components were necessary to meet the different operating conditions.
Another problem that has occurred with some prior machines is that when an ATM is installed within a facility, there must not only be room for the device, but there must also be provided sufficient area surrounding the machine for servicing. This is because ATMs require periodic replenishment of currency and supplies such as receipt forms, removal of customer deposits that have been deposited in the machine, and maintenance. To provide the necessary access for servicing, substantial space must be provided. This space is required to enable a service technician to swing open an access door and work on the components inside the ATM.
Significant space is also sometimes required for servicing an ATM because it is often unrealistic to service or repair components within the tight confines of the ATM enclosure. As a result, some components have been mounted on a chassis that can be slid out of the machine to better expose the components that require periodic servicing. Such chassis often occupy a substantial part of the overall width of the ATM enclosure. The service technician has generally been required to have access both behind and to the sides of the extended chassis to service the components thereon. As a result, in positioning the ATM provisions must be made to enable the technician not only to extend any components to their full servicing position but also to provide space for the technician to stand and move while conducting service operations.
The requirement of providing access space for servicing increases the amount of space required for an ATM installation. As a result, the housing for a through-the-wall ATM must often be larger than might otherwise be desired. Likewise, lobby unit ATMs cannot be generally mounted flush against a wall or in line with other self-service machines. This means that the lobby ATM must sometimes be generally free standing and requires surrounding unproductive floor space. In addition, the fact that persons could gain access to several sides of a lobby ATM unit increases the risk of attack by burglars as well as increases the opportunities for theft of the entire unit.
Automated banking machines also include electronic circuitry necessary for their operation. Generally such circuitry includes a plurality of circuit card assemblies, power supplies, switches, and other devices that are necessary to achieve operation of the machine. In the manufacture of automated banking machines, provision must be made for mounting circuit card assemblies and for routing wiring which interconnects circuit card assemblies to other circuit card assemblies and electrical devices within the machine. Generally because circuit card assemblies include a circuit board with electronic components mounted thereto, care must be taken to minimize the risk that improper electrical contact will be made with either side of the circuit card assembly. This is because conductive paths are generally exposed on each side of the card. In addition, it is often desirable to have circuit card assemblies disposed away from other surfaces so as to facilitate the dissipation of heat that may be generated by components on the card. Automated banking machine circuit card assemblies are generally mounted through fasteners that extend through the cards at the corners or in other areas where there are no electrical pathways. In addition, the surface of the card is generally offset from adjacent surfaces using appropriate spacers or other devices that will keep the conductive surfaces of the card disposed away from adjacent parts of the banking machine.
In the assembly of automated banking machines, generally circuit card assemblies and other devices must be mounted within the machine and then connected by appropriate wiring before the operation of such items in the use of the machine can be tested. If a problem is found after the items are installed, diagnosing the problem and removing the particular circuit card assembly that is malfunctioning can be more difficult. The same can also be true when malfunctions occur after the banking machine has been deployed. Conventional mounting of circuit card assemblies in ATMs can make it difficult to trouble shoot problems to identify malfunctioning items and to replace them.
A further drawback associated with some forms of banking machines is that the mounting of circuit card assemblies and other components is unique to the particular type of machine in which the components are mounted. Thus for example, a machine which is designed to be serviced from the front will have a different arrangement of circuit card assemblies and mounting within the machine compared to an ATM that is built to be serviced from the rear. This may further add cost to manufacturing processes and increase the complexity associated with testing and servicing the machines after they have been deployed.

Cash dispensing automated banking machine and method

Diebold Self-Service Systems, division of Diebold, Incorporated


This invention is a portable shooting table adapted to be transported as a backpack during a hunt and assembled n the field. It is comprised of an adjustable length frame with a backpack attached. Adjustable legs carried in the backpack are screwably attached to the frame. When it is being used as a shooting table, an adjustable gun rest attached to the frame supports a rifle. The frame has rigid transverse members to support the arms and firearm of the shooter while the firearm is being aimed. Shoulder straps attached to the frame enable the shooter to shoulder carry the shooting table in the manner of a knapsack.

When sighting a rifle at a rifle range, the shooter often sits on a shooting bench equipped with sand bags or other devices to support his rifle during the aiming process. The bench is designed to be firm and to hold the rifle in a motionless position while it is being aimed. The greatest accuracy with a rifle is obtained by the use of a shooting bench.
However the ordinary shooting bench is usually a heavy and difficult to move object which can not be easily transported or used during the hunt. In the hunting situation the hunter often-times finds himself at a distance from his quarry with little or no effective means to support the rifle for a long shot. Hence while hunting the hunter is deprived of a shooting bench type device which would aid his accuracy for a long distance shot. Some attempts have been made to provide a portable shooting bench; however, most of these are cumbersome, heavy and not adapted to be set up in the field.
There is a need for a shooting bench which can be easily carried into the field during the hunt and set up. This invention fulfills that need.
The below listed patents relate to the applicants invention.
Applicants know of no other pertinent relating patents.
______________________________________ Patent No. 3,125,929 3,493,153 4,286,739 4,506,466 4,702,029 4,738,383 5,016,792 Des. 284,910 311,813 ______________________________________


In order to realize a compact wireless pressure sensor system which transmits an accurate pressure value, the present invention provides a pressure sensor system constructed at least by a silicon chip on which a circuit operated by electromagnetic wave energy is mounted, and a film which supports an antenna, in which film a through-hole is provided in the vicinity of a diaphragm part.

The present invention relates to a pressure sensor system for detecting dynamical quantity such as pressure of gas or fluid.
A tag referred to as an RF tag, in which electric power supplied by electromagnet induction is used to activate a circuit to transmit a previously set ID number by a radio wave, is developed and starts to be applied to physical distribution management and management of admission tickets and the like. A trial to transmit a temperature measurement value by wireless by connecting a temperature sensor to such an ID tag is also performed. For example, a sensor-equipped ID tag is constructed by connecting a temperature sensor to an RF tag circuit on a printed wiring board, and by integrally molding those with plastic in a state of being mounted on the printed wiring board, as shown in JP-A-2001-187611.

Pressure sensor system with semiconductor chip and antenna member


A film-forming composition including a triazine ring-containing hyperbranched polymer with a repeating unit structure indicated by formula (1), and inorganic micro particles is provided. This enables the provision of a film-forming composition capable of hybridizing without reducing dispersion of the inorganic micro particles in a dispersion fluid, capable of depositing a coating film with a high refractive index, and suitable for electronic device film formation.

Various efforts have hitherto been made to increase the functionality of polymeric compounds. For example, in one approach currently used to increase the refractive index of polymeric compounds, aromatic rings, halogen atoms or sulfur atoms are introduced onto the compound. Of such compounds, episulfide polymeric compounds and thiourethane polymeric compounds, both of which have sulfur atoms introduced thereon, are in practical use today as high-refractive index lenses for eyeglasses.
However, given that material design to a refractive index above 1.7 is difficult with a polymer alone, the most effective method for achieving an even higher refractive index is known to involve the use of inorganic fine particles.
This method is a technique for achieving a higher refractive index by mixing together a polymer and inorganic fine particles. The mixing method generally entails mixing a polymer solution, with a dispersion of inorganic fine particles, in which case the polymer serves as a binder which stabilizes and keeps the dispersion of inorganic fine particles from breaking down.
It has been reported that polysiloxanes and polyimides can be used as the binder polymer.
For example, a method for increasing the refractive index by using a hybrid material composed of a polysiloxane mixed with a material containing a dispersed inorganic oxide such as zirconia or titania has been disclosed (Patent Document 1).
A method for increasing the refractive index by using a hybrid material composed of a polyimide mixed with an inorganic oxide or sulfide material containing dispersed titania, zinc sulfide or the like has also been disclosed (Patent Document 2).
These hybrid materials have been modified in various ways to increase the refractive index. However, when the refractive index of the binder polymer and the refractive index of the inorganic fine particles are compared, the refractive index of the inorganic fine particles is generally higher.
Hence, an effective way for increasing the refractive index of the hybrid material even further would be to increase the refractive index of the lower refractive index component; i.e., the binder polymer.
This has led to the disclosure of, for example, a method for introducing condensed ring structures having a high refractive index onto portions of the polysiloxane (Patent Document 3), and a method for introducing sites that increase the electron density onto portions of the polyimide (Patent Document 4).
However, even in such binder polymers that have been modified to increase the refractive index, the refractive index is currently about 1.6 to 1.7, which is still lower than that of inorganic fine particles, which have refractive indices of about 1.8 to 2.1.
Hence, further increasing the refractive index of the binder polymer to more than 1.7 is an important element for achieving a higher refractive index in hybrid materials.
In recent years, there has arisen a need for high-performance polymeric materials in the development of electronic devices such as liquid-crystal displays, organic electroluminescent (EL) displays, optical semiconductor (LED) devices, solid-state image sensors, organic thin-film solar cells, dye-sensitized solar cells and organic thin-film transistors (TFT).
The specific properties desired in such polymeric materials include (1) heat resistance, (2) transparency, (3) high refractive index, (4) high solubility, and (5) low volume shrinkage.
However, because the high refractive index lens materials for eyeglasses mentioned above generally have a poor heat resistance, requiring that production be carried out in a temperature range no higher than 200° C., materials of this type are unsuitable for processes such as baking in open air at 300° C.
Moreover, because polymeric compounds in which aromatic rings or triazine rings have been introduced generally have an inadequate solubility in solvents, they are insoluble in resist solvents which are safe solvents. On the other hand, materials which exhibit a high solubility generally have a low transparency.
Although triazine ring-containing hyperbranched polymers synthesized as polymers for use as flame retardants have been reported in the literature (Non-Patent Document 1), there are no reports of such hyperbranched polymers being hybridized with inorganic fine particles to form compositions.
As used herein, "hyperbranched polymer" refers to a highly branched polymer with an irregular branched structure that is obtained by, for example, polymerizing ABx-type polyfunctional monomers (where A and B represent functional groups that react with each other, and "x" on B is a number equal to 2 or more). Highly branched polymers include also the polymers having a regular branched structure that are referred to as "dendrimers." However, hyperbranched polymers are characterized by being easier to synthesize than dendrimers, and by the ease with which high-molecular-weight bodies can be synthesized.

Abstract: In the formula, R and R′ are mutually independent and indicate a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an alkoxy group, an aryl group, or an aralkyl group, and Ar indicates a divalent organic group including either an aromatic ring or a heterocyclic ring, or both.


A bar-wound stator includes a plurality of bar-type conductors disposed within the plurality of slots, wherein, within each slot, at least one of the bar-type conductors has an orientation that differs from the remaining bar-type conductors within that slot by a predetermined angle. For example, conductors with rectangular cross-sections can be inserted such that the conductors closest to the inner surface of the stator are rotated ninety degrees with respect to the remaining conductors.

Traditional distributed motor windings use multiple turns of round wire (e.g., stranded magnet wire) and connections to achieve the desired connectivity. With these machines, the final windings and connections are typically formed by a press-die to produce the final shaped end-turns of the motor. As shown in FIG. 1, for example, a typical stranded wire stator slot configuration 100 within a stator core 109 includes a slot 102 that tapers slightly as it progresses from one end 106 (the end closest to the inner surface 110) to the opposite end 104, such that the stator teeth have parallel sides. The stranded wire (not illustrated) is then wound within slot 102.
In contrast, referring to FIG. 2, the use of hairpin or bar-wound configuration 200 in stators results in superior thermal performance as compared to stranded wire due to its larger end-turn surface area and much improved slot-fill. That is, a number of conductors 205 with generally rectangular cross-sections are inserted within slots 202 such that their sides are parallel, and the width of the slot 202 is relatively invariant as it extends from end 206 to end 204.
Although the latter geometry results in better slot-fill, the available area is limited due to the need for parallel slot faces to accommodate the conductors, as shown. This also results in an unsatisfactorily narrow intertooth distance d near the bottom conductors (adjacent inner surface 210), which can cause high saturation and lower machine torque.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide improved bar-wound stator designs. Other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.

Methods and apparatus for a bar-wound stator with rotated conductors


A method of producing intact islets of Langerhans in an insulin producing condition uses a mixture of Hank's solution and 10% by volume fetal calf serum to ductally distend the human pancreas. The exocrine tissue of the pancreas is digested at about 37.degree. C. by an enzyme preparation of collagenase, trypsin and proteolytic enzyme present in the mixture at a level of about 0.2% by weight. The digestion is monitored at regular intervals during the process. The digested pancreas is comminuted, filtered and intact islets of Langerhans are recovered. The recovered islets retain their insulin producing properties.

The insulin producing tissue of the pancreas, the islets of Langerhans, constitutes between about one and two percent of the mass of the pancreas. The isolation of the islets is desirable for laboratory purposes and for transplantation purposes. Transplantation of islets is looked to as a possible treatment for diabetes. Transplanting islets rather than segments of or an intact pancreas offers several advantages, including the ease of transplantation, the possibility of in vitro treatment to prevent rejection without immunosuppression, the elimination of the pancreatic exocrine function (the secretion of digestive substances from the host tissue), the possibility of cryopreservation of the tissue for subsequent use, and the possibility of xenografts.
The development and present state of the art in islet separation and transplantation is thoroughly reviewed in Volume 8, No. 2 of the World Journal of Surgery, April 1984, incorporated herein by reference. Previous work on separating islets of the rat pancreas is reported in The Journal of the American Diabetes Association, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 35-39, "Method For the Isolation of Intact islets of Langerhans From the Rat Pancreas," Lacy, et al., also incorporated by reference herein. In the original method of islet separation, still in use today, chopped pancreatic fragments are mixed with collagenase and incubated at 37.degree. C. until the maximum amount of islets are freed. The collagenase breaks down of digests the pancreas tissue, freeing the islets. The collagenase also acts on the islets, so that the islets released early in the process are broken down into single cells. If the process is stopped to protect the islets released early, many islets remain trapped in pancreatic fragments. Thus, only a fraction of the available intact islets are released by this method. This process is particularly ineffective for the isolation of islets from the pancreases of larger animals such as humans or dogs or pigs.
Laboratory islet isolation was greatly improved by the discovery that mechanical distension of rodent pancreas increased islet yield by causing mechanical separation of islets from the pancreas tissue. However, the same effect has not been noted in the pancreases of larger animals such as humans or dogs or pigs. After distension, the pancreas is chopped for collagenase digestion. This is presently accomplished by hand with scissors, which is unsatisfactory for mass processing, but mechanically powered chopping devices have been found to be too destructive to the islets.
Another variation of the collagenase isolation of islets is to wash the chopped pancreas fragments with an enzyme solution through a screen. This allows free islets to pass through the screen into a medium where they are protected from further enzyme activity.
Yet another technique employs Velcro.TM. fabric to hold the fibrous pancreas tissue while digesting it with the collagenase to release the islets.
All the present techniques for islet isolation, which are reviewed in Scharp, "Isolation and Transplantation of Islet Tissue," 8 World Journal of Surgery 143-151, 1984, incorporated herein by reference, are unsatisfactory for islet isolation, especially from the pancreases of larger animals. These techniques fall short in terms of efficiency of recovery and purity of the product. The procedures are simply inadequate for mass production techniques and the product is unsuitable for transplantation or other uses requiring purity.
The present invention is a new process for isolating the insulin producing tissue from a pancreas. The process involves ductal distension of the pancreas with a solution containing collagenase and incubating the pancreas at about body temperature, 37.degree. C. until a satisfactory separation of islets is observed. The pancreas is then quartered and macerated. The macerated pancreas is forced through successively smaller screens to filter out the pancreas tissue from the freed islets. The islet material can then be purified with an elutriator or other filtering means. The resulting product contains islet fragments and pancreas particles, as well as whole, viable islets, however, the islet content is sufficient to meet the requirements for transplantation purposes.
This process isolates viable, purified islets from human pancreases and from the pancreases of other animals. The process makes xenografts, the transplantation of islets of Langerhans from other animals to humans, possible because it removes most of the other pancreatic tissue and thereby reduces the chances of rejection of the transplant. Xenografts are particularly important because of the limited availability of healthy human pancreases for experimentation and transplantation.
The inventors have discovered that pig pancreases are very similar to human pancreases. This process can be utilized to isolate viable islets of Langerhans from pig pancreases for experiment and transplantation into humans.


The present invention relates to a spin-on antireflective coating composition for a photoresist comprising a polymer, a crosslinking compound and a thermal acid generator, where the polymer comprises at least one functional moiety capable of increasing the refractive index of the antireflective coating composition to a value equal or greater than 1.8 at exposure radiation used for imaging the photoresist and a functional moiety capable of absorbing exposure radiation used for imaging the photoresist. The invention further relates to a process for imaging the antireflective coating of the present invention.

Photoresist compositions are used in microlithography processes for making miniaturized electronic components such as in the fabrication of computer chips and integrated circuits. Generally, in these processes, a thin coating of film of a photoresist composition is first applied to a substrate material, such as silicon wafers used for making integrated circuits. The coated substrate is then baked to evaporate any solvent in the photoresist composition and to fix the coating onto the substrate. The photoresist coated on the substrate is next subjected to an image-wise exposure to radiation.
The radiation exposure causes a chemical transformation in the exposed areas of the coated surface. Visible light, ultraviolet (UV) light, electron beam and X-ray radiant energy are radiation types commonly used today in microlithographic processes. After this image-wise exposure, the coated substrate is treated with a developer solution to dissolve and remove either the radiation exposed (positive photoresist) or the unexposed areas of the photoresist (negative photoresist).
Positive working photoresists when they are exposed image-wise to radiation have those areas of the photoresist composition exposed to the radiation become more soluble to the developer solution while those areas not exposed remain relatively insoluble to the developer solution. Thus, treatment of an exposed positive-working photoresist with the developer causes removal of the exposed areas of the coating and the formation of a positive image in the photoresist coating. Again, a desired portion of the underlying surface is uncovered.
Negative working photoresists when they are exposed image-wise to radiation, have those areas of the photoresist composition exposed to the radiation become insoluble to the developer solution while those areas not exposed remain relatively soluble to the developer solution. Thus, treatment of a non-exposed negative-working photoresist with the developer causes removal of the unexposed areas of the coating and the formation of a negative image in the photoresist coating. Again, a desired portion of the underlying surface is uncovered.
Photoresist resolution is defined as the smallest feature which the photoresist composition can transfer from the photomask to the substrate with a high degree of image edge acuity after exposure and development. In many leading edge manufacturing applications today, photoresist resolution on the order of less than 100 nm is necessary. In addition, it is almost always desirable that the developed photoresist wall profiles be near vertical relative to the substrate, photoresist images are free of residues, have good depth of focus and the photoresist have good long term and short term stability. Good lithographic properties are important for the photoresist. Such demarcations between developed and undeveloped areas of the photoresist coating translate into accurate pattern transfer of the mask image onto the substrate. This becomes even more critical as the push toward miniaturization reduces the critical dimensions on the devices.
The trend towards the miniaturization of semiconductor devices has led to the use of new photoresists that are sensitive at lower and lower wavelengths of radiation and has also led to the use of sophisticated multilevel systems, such as antireflective coatings, to overcome difficulties associated with such miniaturization.
Photoresists sensitive to short wavelengths, between about 100 nm and about 300 nm, are often used where subhalfmicron geometries are required. Particularly preferred are deep uv photoresists sensitive at below 200 nm, e.g. 193 nm and 157 nm, comprising non-aromatic polymers, a photoacid generator, optionally a dissolution inhibitor, and solvent.
The use of highly absorbing antireflective coatings in photolithography is a useful approach to diminish the problems that result from back reflection of radiation from highly reflective substrates. The bottom antireflective coating is applied on the substrate and then a layer of photoresist is applied on top of the antireflective coating. The photoresist is exposed imagewise and developed. The antireflective coating in the exposed area is then typically dry etched using various etching gases, and the photoresist pattern is thus transferred to the substrate.
In order to further improve the resolution and depth of focus of photoresists, immersion lithography is a technique that has recently been used to extend the resolution limits of deep uv lithography imaging. In the traditional process of dry lithography imaging, air or some other low refractive index gas, lies between the lens and the wafer plane. This abrupt change in refractive index causes rays at the edge of the lens to undergo total internal reflection and not propagate to the wafer (FIG. 1). In immersion lithography a fluid is present between the objective lens and the wafer to enable higher orders of light to participate in image formation at the wafer plane. In this manner the effective numerical aperture of the optical lens (NA) can be increased to greater than 1, where NAwet=nisin θ, where NAwet is the numerical aperture with immersion lithography, ni is refractive index of liquid of immersion and sin θ is the angular aperture of the lens. Increasing the refractive index of the medium between the lens and the photoresist allows for greater resolution power and depth of focus. This in turn gives rise to greater process latitudes in the manufacturing of IC devices. The process of immersion lithography is described in 'Immersion liquids for lithography in deep ultraviolet' Switkes et al. Vol. 5040, pages 690-699, Proceedings of SPIE, and incorporated herein by reference. The numerical aperture of the lens has been increasing to values of greater than 1, e.g. up to 1.4 and greater, so that features of less than 50 nm may be resolved successfully.
In addition to increasing the NA of the lens, immersion lithography requires a photoresist with higher refractive index (n) than one for dry lithography, typically of the order of 1.8 and greater at the imaging exposure wavelength. The complex index of refraction (ñ) consists of n, the refractive index which is the phase velocity, and k, the extinction coefficient which is the amount of absorption loss when the electromagnetic wave propagates through the material. Both n and k are dependent on the frequency (wavelength) and are known by the equation, ñ=n−ik. In increasing the NA beyond 1.3, immersion lithography requires the immersion fluid to have a refractive index greater than water and the photoresist to also have higher refractive index than photoresists used in dry lithography to avoid problems with polarization, linearity, variations in critical dimension through pitch, which are diffraction related problems. A higher refractive index is preferred, but material constraints in lens materials and high refractive index fluids have limited the expectation for photoresist refractive index values to near 1.9 at the imaging exposure wavelength. Photoresists used in dry lithography typically have a refractive index of 1.7. Photoresists having a refractive index of 1.9 and greater are being developed for immersion lithography.
A combination of immersion lithography and high refractive index photoresists coated over one or more antireflective coatings provides the imaging of even smaller features with resolution much below 40 nm. However, in order to prevent the deterioration of photoresist image quality from reflection from the substrate, it is desirable to reduce reflectivity to less than 1%. Unlike a single layer bottom antireflective coating, multilayer bottom antireflective coatings are capable of suppressing reflectivity through a wide range of incident angles. The typical trilayer process is an example of a dual layer antireflection scheme which, for example, consists of upper silicon containing bottom antireflective coating and a carbon rich underlayer bottom antireflective coating with the photoresist coated over the upper layer bottom antireflective coating. With multilayer bottom antireflective coatings, reflectivity of less than 1% is achievable in immersion lithography. One general characteristic to multi-layer antireflection coatings is an increase in (k) value from the upper layer to the bottom layer regardless of the elemental composition of the layers. The lower layer of bottom antireflective coating is highly absorbing and the overall reflectivity control is attributed to a combination of absorption predominantly in the lower layer combined with interference effects predominately in the upper layer. With a suitable low absorption coefficient (k) value and matched index of refraction to the photoresist for the upper layer, it also acts as a good light transport layer into the lower absorbing layer. Thus, absorption has to be low in the upper antireflection layer and the refractive index should be equal to or higher than the photoresist for obtaining proper interference effects through a wide range of angles and to maximize transmission from the photoresist into this layer. The higher refractive index in the upper antireflective coating then requires that any antireflective layer beneath it have a similar refractive index value to maximize transmittance into the lower, more absorbing, antireflective layers.
Antireflective coatings that are spin castable are preferred over those that are vapor deposited, since vapor deposited films require expensive vacuum equipment and tend to coat conformally. Increasing the refractive index of a spin-on bottom antireflective coating to match or exceed the refractive index of the photoresist while maintaining other lithographic properties has proved to be difficult, especially in upper layer bottom antireflective coating which have low absorption values. So far, conventional low absorption bottom antireflective coatings have a refractive index of around 1.7 for organic layers and around 1.6 for hybrid silicon containing materials.
In addition to antireflection properties, advanced bottom antireflective coatings also provide enhanced pattern transfer properties to the substrate. In a single layer pattern transfer process, high etch rate bottom antireflective coatings preserve photoresist film thickness so it can act as a thicker mask in transferring the image to the substrate. In multiple layer pattern transfer process, antireflection coatings act as masking layers themselves with low etch rates during etching of the underlying layer, known as hard mask. For example, by inserting a silicon rich antireflective layer beneath the photoresist and another organic antireflective layer beneath the silicon layer the vertical pattern can be amplified through to the substrate to improve the selectivity between elementally different layers as each layer acts as a mask for the next layer. Thus, there is additionally a need for a bottom antireflective coating which has well defined etch characteristics for different types of bottom antireflective coatings. Integrating antireflection properties with hard mask is becoming increasingly useful at many lithography layers.
Therefore, there is a need for a bottom antireflective coating which has the appropriate etch control and is capable of adequately preventing reflection for use in immersion lithography where a high NA lens is used. In immersion lithography, the antireflective film having optimum lithographic parameters of film thickness, absorption, reflectivity, etc. can be achieved by increasing the refractive index to closely match or exceed the refractive index of the photoresist which is coated over the antireflective coating.
The present invention provides for a novel spin-on antireflective coating composition which is coated below a photoresist and is capable of having a refractive index of greater than or equal to 1.8 at the imaging exposure radiation. The increase in refractive index is achieved by adding functionalities to the polymer which increase the refractive index at the exposure wavelength. The novel antireflective coating is used in a process for imaging the photoresist using immersion lithography.


The invention relates to an energy absorbing fastener suitable for connecting a part of a coupler or pivot to a car of a multi-car vehicle, wherein a fastener having a head and an end is provided, the end being suitable to be connected to an element of the coupler or the pivot, a deformation tube surrounding the fastener, whereby the deformation tube has a first end, whereby the head of the fastener rests against the first end or rests against an element that rests against the first end, and whereby the deformation tube has a second end suitable to rest against a surface of the car or a connection plate suitable to be connected to the car.

Multi-car vehicles are known in different designs and in different forms of adaptation for uses. Multi-car vehicles, for example, railway-bound trains (street cars and subway-trains also being considered as such trains) are known and are known for the purpose of transporting passengers as well as transporting goods. Further types of multi-car vehicles can be magnetic railway trains or can be busses (road buses as well as buses traveling on fixed tracks). A car of a multi-car vehicle can be a self-supporting car, whereby the car has sufficient wheels that are placed at sufficient locations such that the car can stand by itself without being supported by other cars, for example a three-wheeled car, a four wheeled car or a car with even more wheels placed suitable locations. A car of a multi-car vehicle can also be of the non-self-supporting type, whereby the car has no wheels or only wheels provided in such number or arranged at such a place that the car cannot stand by itself, but is vertically supported by at least one neighboring car.
To form the multi-car vehicles, the individual cars of the vehicle are connected to one another by means of a connecting device. The connecting devices can be provided for different types of purposes. In multi-car vehicles where only one or only several of the total of cars is driven, the connecting devices are provided so that a driven car can drive a non-driven car and thus ensure that the complete vehicle travels with the same speed.
Connecting devices are also distinguished between those connecting devices that allow for an easy decoupling of the cars, whereby easy decoupling is understood to be accomplished within a couple of minutes, or for what is called "semi-permanent" coupling of the cars, for which decoupling of the cars takes efforts and usually involves the vehicle to have been transported to a specific work shop. Trains, for example, can have coupler-heads as part of their connecting devices. These coupler-heads can, for example, be so called "automatic couplers" that allow decoupling within minutes.
From WO 2005/023618 A1 a collision protection in a coupling for rail-mounted vehicles of the type that comprises a coupling element in which two parts translationally moveable in relation to each other are included, is known.
In the known collision protection at least one energy-extinction or energy-absorbing element of deformable character is arranged. In the collision protection a deformable tube is shown for example in FIGS. 2, 3 and 10. The deformable tube will be deformed by a cross piece that by way of four screws or bolts is held at a front plate 11. It is described on page 7, lines 4 to 14 of page 7 of WO 2005/023618 A1 that in the area between the male thread and head of the individual screw, the shaft of the screw is somewhat weakened via a waist, the diameter of which decides the strength of the screw. By endowing the waist a suitable diameter, it may be predetermined at which stress the screw should brake. If the link device should be exposed to extreme, axial impulsive forces of the type that arise in connection with collisions and alike, accordingly the link head can be detached from the frame by the screws breaking. In relation to FIG. 6 it is described that the deformable tube has a seating at its rear end and has a washer 40 with a nut 41 being welded in the seating. The mounting of the deformation tube is carried out by means of a bolt that is provided with a head, the male thread of the bolt is screwed to the female thread of the nut attached to the washer. The head of the bolt is tightened against a stopping element in the form of an additional washer, which is pressed against a shoulder. Between the washers, which serve as stopping elements, a spacer member extends, the length of which decides the tightening force by which the conical end portion of the tube is fastened in the mouth or the seating in the back piece.
In the design known from WO 2005/023618 the cross piece has no contact at all with the deformation tubes in the normal driving conditions. However, if a collision would occur and the cars or the vehicle units are applied extreme impulsive forces, which aim to propagate through a train unit, the collision protection is activated. This takes place by the screws breaking, whereby the link head is detached so that the same and the back piece may move towards each other. In doing so, the cross piece first impinges on the central tube and shortly afterwards the two thinner side tubes, wherein all tubes will be pressed into the appurtenant bore in the back piece up to a point where the cross piece is stopped against the front surface of the back piece. When the individual tube is pressed into the appurtenant bore, the same will be deformed successfully by being compressed or pressed together in the radial direction while the outer diameter of the tube is reduced to the same inner diameter as the front section in the bore.

Energy absorbing fastener and pivot anchor and car


A nail polish or nail polish/enamel composition is applied to imperfections, errors, distortions or porosities in the model. The composition is thus used to correct the model's shape. The composition can be added at room temperature, and avoids the need to utilize high temperatures in the process of building the model. The nail polish or nail polish/enamel compositions may be utilized to add jewelry design elements to the model.

The present invention relates to improved materials for the elimination of the numerous imperfections which often occur in the making of jewelry models and to a method for improving those models' appearance and/or shape.
The manufacture of jewelry is a lengthy process involving numerous steps. When a designer conceives of an idea for a new jewelry item (for example, a new ring), he or she may create a wax or gold carving or structure which illustrates the new design. This wax or gold structure is known as a "jewel model".
This jewelry model becomes the basis for all further manufacture of the jewelry. In a preferred method, an appropriate material (preferably silicone) is poured or molded around this model and left to harden. Upon hardening, the silicone is cut and the model inside is removed, leaving a silicone mold of the desired jewelry item. A casting of the jewelry is subsequently manufactured by pouring metal into the silicone mold, e.g. by pouring liquid metal into the mold. Once the silicone mold has been completed it can be used to make as many castings as desired, and thus, a single mold can be used to make a large number of pieces of jewelry.
Due to the fact that the silicone mold is used to make all further pieces, it is important that the jewelry model be as perfect as possible before the silicone mold is created. Imperfections, distortions, and porosities in the model (e.g. problems in the model's surface or structure) have to be removed before creation of the silicone mold so that these imperfections do not appear in the final manufactured product. Thus, an important part of the design and manufacturing process is removing these undesirable characteristics from the model, i.e. eliminating the model's imperfections, distortions, porosities and errors.
Numerous methods have been used in the prior art to correct these imperfections, for example, when the model is a gold structure. One method previously attempted has been to add wax to the model. This has proven unacceptable, however, since the wax can "slide" on the model, leading to further imperfections or distortions in the design. Moreover, it is difficult to work with wax, since the wax deforms too easily during handling.
The preferred method presently used involves the use of heat and solder. Soldered, heat-treated or torched areas of the model harden upon cooling, resulting in durable corrections in the model which are not easily deformed. However, the use of heat and solder has numerous disadvantages of its own. One particular disadvantage is that soldering makes it difficult to have combinations of multiple elements joined together as part of the jewelry model (particularly if they are small), or to add elements to the model. For example, if it is desired to have multiple gold beads on the model, the use of heat or solder can melt the beads, causing them to become deformed, and perhaps even ruining the gold beads entirely. Any technique using high temperatures would, in fact, face this problem and other similar ones, due to the effects of the heat on metal elements, particularly small elements or ones of certain compositions.
Accordingly, there is currently a need in the art for an improved method of refining jewelry models which overcomes the shortcomings currently present in the prior art. There is also a need for a corrective material which can be used to adjust the shape or appearance of jewelry models, or to correct imperfections therein, without the use of high temperatures.

Jewelry models and an improved jewelry model produced therefrom


The present invention relates to an apparatus for acquiring image information using array of image acquisition units, each having an optical device. The apparatus for acquiring image information includes a geometric array of image acquisition units, each having optical device generating source electrical signal depending on image intensity of a subject, and an image signal output unit for receiving electrical signal generated from the array and generating source electrical signal to process analog image. According to the present invention, costs required for building a system for acquiring image information may be reduced. In addition, it is possible to fast acquire image information, thereby usefully applying to image information acquisition in fast total inspection process. Furthermore, various values with respect to a dimension of the subject are easily calculated by using a geometry location and dimension information of the image acquisition units.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for quickly acquiring image information of a subject, and more particularly to an apparatus for accurately acquiring and quickly processing image information regardless of geometric shape of a subject by variously arranging optical devices in accordance with a shape of the subject and purpose of image acquisition.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, in order to acquire image information for various examinations of a product in an automatic production line of various industries, a vision system which is provided with convenience and multiple functions and easily standardized even in process application is widely used.
An industrial vision system generally includes a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera having a CCD chip in which photosensitive devices in a pixel unit are integrated at high density so as to precisely acquire image information, a frame grabber for periodically (generally per 33 msec) acquiring and digitalizing the image information obtained by the CCD camera, and a computer for processing the digitalized image information in accordance with the purpose of image information acquisition.
The conventional vision system described above is advantageous in the fact that it may precisely acquire image information of a subject, and particularly the image information may have various sizes if a lens system is additionally adopted. However, the conventional vision system has disadvantages as below.
First, since photosensitive devices are integrated only in a square or linear shape in the CCD chip of the camera of the vision system, an error is apt to occur between an original image of a subject and the obtained image information if the subject is curved or distorted.
Second, as previously described, since the vision system should periodically digitalize an image frame photographed by the CCD camera, a minimum critical time is required to acquire accurate image information. Accordingly, the vision system cannot acquire the image of the subject as precisely as its original performance in a fast process such as the total inspection (i.e., 100% inspection).
Third, the vision system requires significant costs for implementation and professional workers for coding computer programs to process the image information.

Apparatus for acquiring image information using array of image acquisition units having optical device


According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method of conducting a wagering game having a basic game and a secondary game is disclosed. A wager is received from a player to play a basic game. A plurality of bonus objects are provided within the basic game. The bonus objects are capable of being collected in the basic game. A secondary game is initiated and at least one collected bonus object is provided as a player-selectable bonus object within the secondary game. The bonus object may be capable of providing an enhanced payout in the secondary game. A system is further provided for playing the above-described wagering game having a basic game and a secondary game.

Gaming terminals, such as slot machines, video poker machines and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for many years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the gaming terminal and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options. Where the available gaming options include a number of competing machines and the expectation of winning on each machine is roughly the same (or believed to be the same), players are most likely to be attracted to the most entertaining and exciting machines. Shrewd operators constantly strive to employ the most entertaining and exciting machines available, because such machines attract frequent play and hence increase profitability to the operator.
One concept that has been successfully employed to enhance the entertainment value of a game is that of a "secondary" or "bonus" game which may be played in conjunction with a "basic" game. The bonus game may comprise any type of game, either similar to or completely different from the basic game, that is entered upon the occurrence of a selected event or outcome of the basic game. Such a bonus game produces a significantly higher level of player excitement than the basic game, because it provides a greater expectation of winning than the basic game.
The player excitement generated by the bonus game is generally limited to the bonus game session and the possibility of entering such a session, however. Typically, the bonus games are independent from the basic games and as such, the excitement generated by the bonus game during play of the basic game is limited or nil. While bonus game features provide some enhanced excitement relative to other known games, there is a need for developing games where the excitement generated by the bonus game is provided to the player during the play of the basic game as well.

Wagering game with bonus game elements dictated by basic game


A method for generating a layout pattern is provided. First, a layout pattern is provided to a computer system and is classified into two sub-patterns and a blank pattern. Each of the sub-patterns has pitches in simple integer ratios and the blank pattern is between the two sub-patterns. Then, a plurality of first stripe patterns and at least two second stripe patterns are generated. The edges of the first stripe patterns are aligned with the edges of the sub-patterns and the first stripe patterns have equal spacings and widths. The spacings or widths of the second stripe patterns are different from that of the first stripe patterns.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method for generating layout pattern, and more particularly to a method for generating a layout pattern including FinFET layout pattern.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the trend in the industry being towards scaling down the size of the metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs), three-dimensional or non-planar transistor technology, such as the fin field effect transistor (Fin FET) technology, has been developed to replace planar MOS transistors. Generally, patterned structures in a FinFET, such as fin structures, can be obtained by sidewall image transfer (SIT) through the following processes. First, a layout pattern is inputted into a computer system and is modified through suitable calculation. The modified layout is then defined in a mask and further transferred to a layer of sacrificial layer on a substrate through a photolithographic and an etching process. In this way, several sacrificial layers distributed with a same spacing and of a same width are formed on a substrate. Each of the sacrificial layers may be stripe-shaped. Subsequently, a deposition process and an etching process are carried out such that spacers are formed on the sidewalls of the patterned sacrificial layers. In a next step, sacrificial layers can be removed completely by performing an etching process. Through the etching process, the pattern defined by the spacers can be transferred into the underneath substrate so as to obtain required patterned structures, such as stripe patterned structures, in the substrate.
However, the layout pattern and the patterned structures produced from the above processes still have limitations. For example, due to limitations in the design in layouts of circuits and restrictions on the fabrication processes, the patterned sacrificial layers are often distributed with the same spacing and of the same width. This configuration causes the subsequently formed strip patterned structures to be only distributed with the same spacing or with an integral multiple of that spacing. This arrangement will restrict not only the available area on the substrate but also the design in the layout of the circuit, which reduces the applicability of the semiconductor devices.
Consequently, there is a need to provide an improved method for generating a layout pattern so as to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks.


A method is disclosed for executing a load instruction. Address information of the load instruction is used to generate an address of needed data, and the address is used to search a cache memory for the needed data. If the needed data is found in the cache memory, a cache hit signal is generated. At least a portion of the address is used to search a queue for a previous load instruction specifying the same address. If a previous load instruction specifying the same address is found, the cache hit signal is ignored and the load instruction is stored in the queue. A load/store unit, and a processor implementing the method, are also described.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to data processing systems and, more particularly, to systems and methods for executing load and store instructions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many modern processors (e.g., microprocessors) include load/store units for executing load instructions and store instructions. In general, a "load instruction" copies data from a specified location in a main memory to a register in a processor, and a "store instruction" copies data from a register in a processor to a specified main memory location.
In order to boost processor performances, the load/store units of many modern processors are adapted to support out of order executions of load and store instructions. A memory consistency model typically determines an order in which load and store instructions specifying the same memory locations must be carried out to achieve program correctness. If the ordering of load and store instruction executions is relaxed, program correctness problems occur.
For example, if two load instructions to the same address are executed out of order, and the value of the data at that address is changed between the executions of the two load instructions (e.g., by another processor), the later (i.e., younger) load will obtain an earlier (i.e., old) value, and the earlier (i.e., older) load will obtain a later (i.e., new) value. This situation is termed a "load-load order violation" or a "load-hit-load hazard." The requirement that if a younger load instruction obtains old data, an older load instruction to the same address must not obtain new data is termed "sequential load consistency." (See, for example, "Power4 System Microarchitecture" by J. M. Tendler et al., IBM Journal of Research and Development, Volume 46, Number 1, January 2002, pp. 5-25.) Some modern processors have dedicated hardware to avoid load-load order violations, thereby achieving sequential load consistency and helping to ensure program correctness.
A problem arises in that such dedicated hardware is typically complex and adds time delays. In view of the push toward higher processor clock frequencies and performance levels, it would be desirable to have a relatively simple method for executing load instructions that avoids load-load order violations to achieve sequential load consistency and can be implemented using a relatively small amount of additional hardware.

Systems for executing load instructions that achieve sequential load consistency

International Business Machines Corporation


Methods and arrangements to control access to cryptographic keys and to attest to the approved configurations of computer platforms able to access these keys, which include trusted platform modules (TPMs) are contemplated. Embodiments include transformations, code, state machines or other logic to control access to a cryptographic key by creating an authorization blob locking authorization data to access the cryptographic key to platform configuration register (PCR) values of a TPM, the PCR values representing a configuration of a computing platform. Embodiments may also involve generating a first TPM cryptographic key bound to PCR values, receiving a second TPM cryptographic key owned by software, and receiving evidence of the identity of an upgrade service controlling the upgrading of the software. Embodiment may also include certifying the first TPM cryptographic key; certifying the second TPM cryptographic key; concatenating the first certification, the second certification, and the evidence of the identity of the upgrade service; and signing the concatenation.

The security of computers and computer transactions is important. Data stored on computers may have high value. The data may include trade secrets and other confidential business data or personal information such as social security numbers and credit card numbers. In addition, computers are increasingly used for electronic business transactions. To improve computer security, the Trusted Computing Group (TCG), a not-for-profit industry-standards organization with the aim of enhancing the security of the computing environment in disparate computer platforms, has formed and adopted specifications for more secure computers.
TCG specifications define trusted computer platforms, computer platforms which may behave in a particular manner for a specific purpose. A trusted platform may provide data security functions such as data encryption and decryption and data storage. A key component of a trusted platform is the trusted platform module (TPM), a module which may perform cryptographic hashings to detect loss of integrity, public and secret key encryption to prevent unauthorized disclosure of data, and digital signing to authenticate transmitted information. The TCG Protected Storage mechanisms, which may be rooted in hardware, may be used to protect keys, secrets and hash values.
A trusted platform may also demonstrate that it operates in a safe configuration when it has access to confidential data by measuring the configuration and sealing the data to the configuration. TCG specifications provide for measuring the components of a computer platform and for storing the results of the measurements. The measurements of a configuration may be hashed and stored in Platform Configuration Registers (PCRs). A trusted platform may allow access to data only under a particular configuration of the trusted platform. The TPM seal operation may encrypt data to a specific set of PCR values or an authorization value. To unseal the data, and thereby gain access to it, the authorization must be presented and the set of values stored in the PCRs must match the set used in the seal operation. Similarly, a signing key may be locked to a set of PCR values during key generation within the TPM.
Changes in a platform configuration may limit the availability of sealed data or PCR locked keys. To gain access to sealed data under a modified configuration, the data may first have to be accessed under the original configuration and resealed to the modified configuration. Gaining access to the data may prove difficult when the data is distributed over multiple computer platforms. Generally, keys locked to a particular platform configuration may not be made available in other configurations. Generating a new signing key would require sending out public notice retracting the original signing key. The retraction process is very cumbersome. Some users of the signing key may not receive the notice. The list of recipients of data signed by the key may not be current. In addition, there may be a delay until the new signing key is available for use. The recipients may not frequently update their list of signing keys.
A trusted platform may issue certifications that configurations may be trusted or arrange for the certifications to be issued. One method involves executing the TPM_CertifyKey function on a key locked to a particular configuration. The result may state and certify the configuration that a key is locked to. When a key is not locked to a particular configuration, it may prove difficult to state and certify a configuration under which access to the key is available.

Mechanisms to control access to cryptographic keys and to attest to the approved configurations of computer platforms


A molecular adhesive system for reversibly joining two surfaces, comprising: an anionic coating on a first of two surfaces to be joined; a conductive polymer nanotube array on a second of the two surfaces to be joined; wherein said conductive polymer nanotube array is functionalized with metal nanoparticles; and an electric potential applied across said two surfaces.

Coatings used on ships, combat vehicles, and structures perform a variety of functions including protection from moisture, heat, salt spray and other chemicals. For the Air Force and Marines, fresh coatings are applied to change camouflage patterns or to change insignias. Additionally, new coatings are applied to spruce up the aircraft or ship before an inspection or an open house. These coatings must be removed from the metal in sections, to allow detail work to the metal surface rework or repair operations, and to keep weight down to acceptable levels. Over the past fifteen years, numerous efforts have been investigated to reduce the hazardous waste generated by various paint removal systems. Highly toxic materials such as phenols, methylene chloride, benzyl alcohol, chemical immersion, plastic media blasting and lasers have not proven to be robust enough nor environmentally compliant for paint removal on ships, structures, and military vehicles. In order to comply with existing environmental regulations and to effectively remove paint formulations from various substrates, novel approaches to paint stripping are being investigated.
Over the past decade, there has been considerable effort in producing zero-VOC coatings for use on exterior aircraft surfaces. Appliques are manufactured films of fluoropolymer with a pressure-sensitive adhesive to bond to aircraft surfaces. Such materials have been developed by 3M Corporation and units of the BOEING Company to replace paint with a laminate film (applique) that is easily applied and removed (peel-and-stick), waterproof and weighs less than accumulated coats of paint.
Looking to nature for safer adhesives, geckos in particular, have developed the most complex adhesion system in their foot pads. Grayish, N., Wilkinson, M., and Autumn, K., Frictional and elastic energy in gecko adhesive detachment, J. R. Soc. Interfac, 5, 339 (2008). They have an adhesion architecture which allows them the ability to adhere and detach from different smooth and rough surfaces at will. The peeling-off mechanism (or detachment from the surface) of the gecko requires reorientation of the spatulae. This hierarchical structure gives the gecko the unique ability to create large real area contact with rough surfaces. This adhesion action is termed "smart adhesion". Weak van der. Waals (primary adhesion forces) and capillary forces (secondary forces) are the forces needed to adhere to various surfaces by the gecko. Autumn, K., Sitti, M., Liang, Y. A., Peattie, A. M., Hansen, W. R., Sponberg, S., Kenny, T. W., Fearing, R., Israelachvili, N. J. and Full. Evidence for van der Waals adhesion in gecko setae, R. J., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA, 99, 12252 (2002).
In order to realize the potential for a simple, non-VOC paint removal system, the adhesion/mechanical properties of a synthetic gecko's foot would have to be modified. The finely structured contact elements that would be required to deliver sufficient adhesive force to remove a paint formulation from a metal substrate would be significant.
The current invention provides sufficient adhesion forces, utilizing electrostatically enhanced, biomimetic adhesion of two surfaces using nanostructures inspired by geckos' setae. The new materials do not only utilize van der Waals forces for their adhesive properties; they also take advantage of the chemical interaction of anions on a first surface with metal nanoparticles on a second surface.
It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not to be viewed as being restrictive of the invention, as claimed. Further advantages of this invention will be apparent after a review of the following detailed description of the disclosed embodiments, which are illustrated schematically in the accompanying drawings and in the appended claims.

Electrostatically-assisted two-step conductive polymer applique (CPA) paint removal process

The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


A base station transmits energy related information to a mobile station, wherein the energy related information is related to at least one of an energy harvester module and an energy storage module coupled to the base station. The energy related information includes: an energy level and a maximum storage capacity of the energy storage module; an energy harvest rate and energy consumption rate. The base station and the mobile station perform energy trade off, where when the serving base station has an energy level below a threshold, the mobile station uses certain configuration to send information to the serving base station where the configuration can use more resources, such as RF chains, thereby increasing energy consumption of the mobile station while enabling the base station to conserve energy.

The demand of wireless data traffic is increasing due to the increasing popularity of data hungry applications, such as real-time video calls and video streaming. Data hungry applications have been enabled by the advances in hardware of the mobile devices such as mobile phones, tablets and laptops. In order to meet this high data demand, deployment of low power base stations, such as picocells, microcells, and femtocells, as well as distributed antennas, is becoming popular. Although, deploying low power base stations is an attractive solution to increase the overall network capacity and serve more users, the actual large scale deployment challenges, especially in terms of the backhaul and the availability of power line connections, are not very well investigated in the current literature. The lack of power line connections can severely limit the deployment of the new base stations at the locations where a new base station could have been most useful. Moreover, the reliability of power line connections is questionable in the areas where the power outages are common. Unreliable power line connections directly translates to mobile station outages, which degrades the Quality of Service (QoS) perceived by the mobile station.
Another reason that the demand of wireless data traffic is explosively increasing is the increasing popularity of smart phones and other mobile data devices such as tablets, netbooks and e-book readers among consumers and businesses. In order to meet the high growth in mobile data traffic, improvements in radio interface efficiency and most importantly allocation of new spectrum would be important.
The current fourth generation (4G) of mobile phone mobile communication technology standard systems including long term evolution (LTE) and Mobile Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) use advanced technologies such as Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), multi-user diversity, link adaptation, and the like, in order to achieve spectral efficiencies, which are close to theoretical limits in terms of bpx/Hz/cell (bit rate/frequency/cell). Improvements in air-interface performance introduce new techniques such as carrier aggregation, higher order MIMO, coordinated Multipoint (CoMP) transmission and relays, and the like. However, it is generally agreed that any further improvements in spectral efficiency will only be marginal at best.
When spectral efficiency in terms of bps/Hz/cell cannot be improved significantly, another possibility to increase capacity is to deploy many smaller cells. However, the number of small cells that can be deployed in a geographic area can be limited due to costs involved for acquiring the new site, installing the equipment and provisioning backhaul. In theory, to achieve 1,000-fold increase in capacity, the number of cells also needs to be increased by the same factor. Another drawback of very small cells is frequent handoffs which increase network signaling overhead and latency. Small cells are useful for future wireless networks, but are not alone expected to meet the capacity required to accommodate orders of magnitude increase in mobile data traffic demand in a cost effective manner.
Besides all these new technologies above, more is needed to meet the explosive demand of mobile data. On solution explored is to use millimeter-wave band (for example, 3-600 GHz spectrum) for Mobile Broadband (MMB) applications with wide area coverage. Key advantages for the millimeter-wave band frequencies are spectrum availability and small component sizes, such as small antennas and other small radio devices due to short wavelengths. The short wavelength of the small components enables more antennas to be packed in a relative small area, thus also enabling high-gain antenna in small form factor. Larger band can be used and much higher throughput can be achieved using MMB communications compared with the current 4G system. In current cellular system, most of the receivers have wide coverage, such as with an omni-antenna.

Apparatus and method for wireless communication networks with energy harvesting


A playing piece includes a base and an ornamental attachment. At least one aperture within the base is configured to snugly receive a pin within, such that a distal end of the pin extends beyond a top surface of the base. The ornamental attachment includes at least one receiving hole configured to snugly receive the distal end of the pin therein, thereby firmly affixing the ornamental attachment to the base. A game board includes a substantially transparent first panel having a gaming area marked thereon for resting the playing piece thereon, the first panel being substantially transparent. An ornamental structure is configured for attachment to the first panel such that at least a portion of the ornamental structure is disposed below the first panel a pre-determined distance away from the first panel when the game board is positioned in an upright position and ready for playing thereon, and the ornamental structure is viewable through the first panel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to games, particularly to board games.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the prior art, there has not been a board game with the visually appealing 3-dimensional effect of the present invention; nor has there been a board game with the conveniently interchangeable elements of the present invention.


Provided is technology that enables users to feel more enjoyment than ever. Information processing apparatus recognizes an image captured by display apparatus. Information processing apparatus instructs display apparatus to composite, with the captured image, a first composite image that varies according to an image recognition result and further composite a second composite image at a predetermined position in the first composite image. For example, if landscape is captured by display apparatus, a character image representing a running person is displayed as first composite image according to the landscape. In first composite image, region corresponding to the head of the person is blank, and when a user captures their face using display apparatus, an image of the user's face is composited as second composite image in region corresponding to the head in the first composite image.

Japanese Patent Application No. JP 2003-274396A discloses technology for compositing an image according to a shooting location with a captured image and displaying the composited images. With this technology, if the shooting location is a tourist spot, for example, an image of a famous building or the like in the tourist spot is composited and displayed with a captured image.

Information processing system and information processing apparatus


A controlled load device including a load, a control electronics unit, which is connected via at least one conductor to the load in such a way that the load may be switched and/or energized via at least one electrical signal relayed via the at least one conductor, and at least one first electromechanical feedback component, which is designed for guiding or feeding back high-frequency interference signals from the load into the control electronics unit, the load connected via the at least one conductor to the control electronics unit having a load impedance including a load impedance minimum at a load impedance minimum frequency, and the first electromechanical feedback component having a first feedback impedance including a first feedback impedance minimum at a first feedback impedance minimum frequency between 1% of the load impedance minimum frequency and 100% of the load impedance minimum frequency.

A current and data distribution system including a motor as a load is described in German Patent No. 10 2004 043 103 B4. The motor is connected to a control unit in such a way that alternating current may be provided to the motor via wires. Moreover, German Patent No. DE 10 2004 043 103 B4 provides an additional neutral wire for feeding back current signals.

Controlled load device and manufacturing method for a controlled load device


A hearing prosthesis is provided for implantation into a subject that includes a flexible electrode carrier for insertion along the length of the cochlea, the electrode carrier bearing along its length, a number of contact members that are superficially placed in pairs, each member of each pairs being diametrically opposite the other. A method of manufacture of the prosthesis is further provided.

Sounds are transmitted through the outer ear to the eardrum which moves the bones of the middle ear and excites the cochlea. The cochlea is a long narrow duct wound spirally about its axis for approximately two and a half turns. The fluid filled cochlea transmit waves in response to received sounds and in cooperation with the cochlear duct, function as a transducer to generate electric impulses which are transmitted to the cochlear nerves and thence to the brain.
In people with total sensorineural hearing loss, the cochlea does not respond to sound waves to generate electrical signals for transmission to the cochleal nerves. An auditory prosthesis for the deaf therefore requires a suitable stimulation electrode capable of stimulating the auditory nerves. A design of an implantable hearing prosthesis that is currently available for use in patients includes a transmitter, a receiver and an external battery such that the receiver interacts with electrodes placed surgically in the cochlea (Hochmair et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,284,856 and 4,357,497) so as to selectively stimulate the wall of the cochlea in accordance with the frequency response thereof. The electrodes are typically contained in an electrode carrier that is circular in cross-section and made of a flexible material but is of sufficient stiffness to be guided into the cochlea in the desired coiled shape (Hochmair-Desoyer et al., Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 405:173-182 (1991)).
In 1980, Hochmair-Desoyer et al. (IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering 27:44) described a basic electrode design that remains the accepted format. A flexible eight channel scala typani electrode carrier was developed which was circular in cross section and tapered slightly to the tip, having a diameter at each contact site along its length that was slightly smaller then the smallest diameter observed at the corresponding length in human scala tympanies. The electrode carrier contained 16 Teflon-insulated 90% Pt-10% Ir wires with a diameter of 1 mil embedded in a silastic body. The contact members were arranged in two rows on opposite sides of the electrode carrier. In the original design, each wire terminated in a ball having a diameter of 0.35 mm which protruded just slightly from the electrode carrier so as to form the contact member. This protruded form of the contact member was later described by Loeb et al. (1983), Med. and Biol. Eng. and Computing 21:241. This design of electrode carrier was capable of being placed up to 22 mm into the cochlea.
An alternative placement of the contact members is within wells on the surface of the electrode carriers where the contact member may be surrounded at the base of the well by an annulus of conducting material. Lim (1987), Abstracts of the Tenth Midwinter Research Meeting of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology, No 66.; Fardeau et al. (1986), EP 0183605 and Stypulkowski (U.S. Pat. No. 4,961,434 and 5,037,497). The electrode carrier bearing the contact members in wells was described as capable of insertion to a depth of 22 mm into the cochlea. One of the problems with the latter design is that the shape of the well permitted the trapping of air bubbles during insertion, this having the effect of interfering with the transmission of signal between the contact and the targeted auditory nerve.
Yet a third approach to contact member placement was described by Clarke in the J. Laryngology and Otology 93:107-109 (1979), where contact members were formed from 0.3 mm wide rings of platinum encircling the electrode carrier. The prosthesis described by Clarke was inserted up to 20 mm into the cochlea but insertion was restricted by the rigidity of the device that resulted from the spaced platinum collars along the length of the electrode carrier. Furthermore, only a minor portion of the electrical current released at the contact site could reach an auditory nerve because the current would be released over an arc of 360.degree. to achieve contact with a neuron positioned at one site only in the arc. Consequently, the device of Clark was relatively energy inefficient.
In summary, existing implantable hearing prosthetic devices have limitations such as those listed below which it would be desirable to overcome so as to obtain a device for insertion in the cochlea that is safe, pain-free and cost effective. These limiting factors, include;
(a) The distance into the cochlea that existing prosthetic devices can penetrate without damaging the basilar partition or the bony spiral lamina. The cochlea is 34 mm in length with the auditory nerves arranged in contact with the cochleal wall in such a way as to capture low pitch sounds at the opening of the canal and high pitch sounds at the far end of the canal. Existing electrode carriers are unable to penetrate greater than about 22 mm into the cochlea. The limiting factors include the friction of the electrode carrier against the cochlea and the overall flexibility versus rigidity of the electrode carrier. The limitations of penetration inherent in existing electrode structures prevent the optimal exploitation of auditory nerves arrayed along the length of the cochlea, necessary for faithful reproduction of a sound. There is a need therefore to develop an electrode carrier capable of insertion along the entire length of the cochlea canal.
(b) The ability to accommodate the variable structure of the cochlea of individual patients in the manufacture of the device. Different patients have cochlea that are foreshortened due to various amounts of ossification of the canals. As a result, a standard electrode carrier is not optimal for all patients. There is therefore a need for a flexible system of manufacture that permits an electrode carrier of optimal length for an individual patient to be made in which the contacts are evenly spaced along the length of the electrode carrier in such a manner as to fully utilize the auditory nerves that are accessible through the length of the cochlea.
(c) The geometry of the placement of the contact members relative to the auditory nerves. An electrode carrier in the cochlea should be of a geometry enabling the surgeon to place contacts as near to the excitable nerve structures as possible. Furthermore, neurons are located on one side of the cochlea only. In the electrode carriers of the prior art which are cylindrical, there is no suggestion or teaching regarding how to localize the position of the contact members in the cochlea so as to minimize the current necessary to provide for the efficient delivery of electrical stimuli to the neurons. There is a need therefore to develop an electrode carrier having contact members that can be located more closely to the neurons.
(d) The accurate determination of the functioning of inserted devices. Back telemetry is used to measure electrode impedances in installed electrodes. When air bubbles are formed, during insertion of the prosthetic device, impedance measurements are abnormal. With existing devices, it is not possible to determine whether an incorrect electrode impedance is due to an air bubble or to a malfunctioning contact. Incorrect impedance readings result in removal of the tested electrode carrier and possible discarding of the device and the repeat implantation of a second electrode carrier.

Structure, method of use, and method of manufacture of an implanted hearing prosthesis

Med-El Elektromedizinisch Gerate Ges.m.b.H.


A steering apparatus for an automotive vehicle having a steering mechanism arranged to steer a set of dirigible road wheels in accordance with a steering effort applied to a steering wheel, wherein the steering mechanism is designed to preliminarily bias the road wheels leftward or rightward in a condition where the steering wheel is placed in a neutral position for straight travel of the vehicle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a steering apparatus for automotive vehicles, and more particularly to an improvement of the steering apparatus for enhancing a straight running characteristic of the vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Disclosed In Japanese Utility Model Laid-open Publication Hei No. 1-144170 is a steering apparatus of the rack-and-pinion type for an automotive vehicle which includes a tubular housing mounted on the vehicle body to support a rack member displaceable in a lateral direction, a pair of tie rods each connected to the opposite ends of the rack member to steer a set of road wheels in accordance with lateral displacement of the rack member, and a pair of dust boots each coupled at their one ends with the opposite ends of the tubular housing and at their other ends with the tie rods to encompass each joint portion of the tie rods with the rack member.
In such a conventional steering apparatus as described above, the steering characteristic is symmetrical in left and right directions to maintain the steering wheel in a neutral position even if the driver causes tie vehicle to travel on a flat road without holding the steering wheel. In general, the surface of the flat road is, however, raised at a central portion of the road for drainage. Accordingly, if the driver causes the vehicle to travel on the flat road without holding the steering wheel placed in the neutral position, the steering wheel will be displaced leftward or rightward from the neutral position in accordance with lateral inclination of the road surface. As a result, straight travel of the vehicle may not be maintained. In the case that the road wheels of the vehicle are equipped with radial tires for traveling on a left or right lane of the travel road, a ply-steer residual cornering force caused by the tires themselves acts to restrain the lateral displacement of the vehicle. If the ply-steer residual cornering force is excessive, the vehicle tends to travel in an opposite direction against the lateral inclination of the road surface.

Steering apparatus for automotive vehicle