A backsplash structured to be cooperatively functional with a countertop structure. The backsplash is made of a plastic solid surfacing material, and possesses an integrally formed front bottom lengthwise edge extending outward from and beyond the front face of the backsplash to define a coved lip or flange. The countertop comprises a normally elongated rectangular section of plastic solid surfacing material having an elongated receiving recess. A bottom surface of the backsplash and coved lip is specifically sized and shaped for insertion into the receiving recess of the countertop whereby a curved transition is defined between the top horizontal workspace surface of the countertop and the front face of the backsplash. The bottom surface of the backsplash and coved lip is affixed in place in the receiving recess with the use of a color matching adhesive. Once the adhesive has set, the seam is finished with a light sanding with progressively finer abrasives. Once finished, the durable and easy to clean coved joint between the backsplash and the countertop bears virtually no visible signs of a seam to distract from the appearance of the countertop.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to vertically disposed backsplashes separately attached to horizontally disposed countertops such as in kitchens, and more particularly those made of solid plastics having a curved or coved joint at the approximate intersection of the backsplash and countertop. The cove being to provide an aesthetically pleasing and easy to clean intersection between the two members.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Countertops with backsplashes which extend upward for at least a short distance above the countertop are desireable and common. Backsplashes most often are placed against a wall, but sometimes extend vertically upward from the countertop in locations which are not against a wall, to serve to terminate the countertop work space. Countertops and backsplashes made of solid plastics, that is, non-laminated plastic solid surfacing material have become quite popular in recent years in kitchens, bathrooms, and offices of both residential and commercial buildings. The popularity of the use of plastic solid surfacing materials to define countertops and backsplashes is primarily due to the material having the qualities of high durability and ease of damage repair, ease of cleaning and sterilization, and beauty.
Solid surfacing materials as they are known in the plastics industry, are non-foamed, non-laminated polymer based materials, or in short, solid plastics in sheet form useful for defining surfaces. Plastic solid surfacing materials are most often manufactured and sold in sheet form, typically in 30 inch wide.times.12 foot lengths in thicknesses between 1/4 through 3/4 inches. Such plastic solid surfacing materials are sometimes referred to by the general public as cultured marble. These polymer based solid surfacing materials are typically manufactured substantially of polyester or acrylic resins, or alloys thereof, depending on the manufacturer, and often contain smaller quantities of other components or additives both natural and synthetic to form desired color, visual pattern designs, and other desirable physical and visual characteristics in the plastics.
Plastic solid surfacing materials are available from several U.S. manufacturers such as E.I. dupont de Nemours & Co., Inc. of Wilmington, Del. 19898 U.S.A., who market their polymer based solid surfacing materials under the trademark of "Corian". "Corian" is a trademark of Du Pont which refers to their solid surfacing polymer based material. "Corian" is a substantially rigid, non-foamed, non-laminated, non-coated solid material composed primarily of acrylic components. "Corian" is most often made and sold in sheet form. U.S. Pat. No. 3,847,865 issued Nov. 12, 1974 to R. B. Duggins and assigned to E.I. dupont de Nemours & Co., teaches one formula for making plastic solid surfacing material of the general nature of that referred to in this disclosure.
Another manufacturer of polymer based solid surfacing material is the Nevamar Corporation located at 8339 Telegraph Rd., Odenton, Md. 21113 U.S.A. The Nevamar Corporation markets their solid surfacing material under the trademark of "Fountainhead". "Fountainhead" is a substantially rigid, non-foamed, non-laminated, non-coated solid material composed of a polymer alloy comprised mostly of polyester components having therein a smaller percentage of acrylic components. "Fountainhead" is most often made and sold in sheet form.
Another manufacturer of polymer based solid surfacing material is the Formica Corporation, located at 155-T Rte. 46, W., CN-980, Wayne, N.J. 07470 U.S.A. The Formica Corporation sells their solid surfacing material under the trademark name of "Surell" "Surell" like "Corian" and "Fountainhead" is a dense solid plastic most often made and sold in sheet form. "Surell" is a substantially rigid, non-foamed, non-laminated, non-coated solid material composed substantially of polyester components.
Du Pont, the Nevamar Corporation, and the Formica Corporation, and several other companies not specifically mentioned, whom produce very similar polymer based solid surfacing materials to one another, manufacture and sell polymer based solid surfacing materials in sheet form intended for use as walling or countertops, and sometimes make and sell cast or heat-formed shapes made of the same polymer based materials useful as kitchen and bathroom lavatories.
Some of the recognized advantages of using polymer based solid surfacing materials such as "Corian", "Fountainhead" or "Surell" over other available materials such as wood, metal, ceramic tile, and high pressure plastic laminates for countertops, exists in the fact that the material is a solid, polymeric non-laminated structure which the color or decorative color patterns extend completely therethrough. If polymer based solid surfacing material does become stained, burned or scratched so deeply that the damage cannot be removed with a common household abrasive cleanser, the damage can be easily removed by light sanding with steel wool or fine sand paper, and this due to the fact that the material is solid, and the color or visual patterns extend completely therethrough. Furthermore, plastic solid surfacing materials typically have a high tensile strength, are quite hard, dense and rigid, and are resistant to chipping, cracking, splitting, warping, burning, and staining, all of which cannot be said about many other materials which could be used as substitutes therefore. Another attractive quality associated with polymer based solid surfacing materials such as those sold under the tradenames of "Corian" "Surell" or "Fountainhead" is the ease of adhesive bonding with available colored glues. Additionally, the polymer based sheets can be easily cut to size or otherwise shaped with mechanical material removal methods and tools using sawing and shaping tools such as router bits, power saws and shapers and the like, similar to those used to cut and shape wood.
Polymer based solid surfacing materials such as "Corian" "Surell" or "Fountainhead" may be manufactured at a relatively low price to very closely resemble texture and visually simulate marble, granite, and other natural stone products which have long been desired and used as building materials due to recognition of the durability and beauty of such natural substances.
It is the above stated qualities and advantages among others which make plastic solid surfacing material a good choice, and an increasingly popular choice for a countertop with backsplash.
Due to excessive costs primarily related to the large number of different available colors from which consumers may now choose, and sizes which would be required to be made, shipped and stocked, countertops of plastic solid surfacing material are not widely manufactured with the backsplashes as integral one piece units. Although plastic solid surface materials have in the past been manufactured as countertops with the backsplashes as integral one piece units by either casting or heat forming, these countertops with integral backsplashes have for the most part been relatively short, narrow, straight lengths generally specifically for bathroom vanities. Due to the significant number of available colors and color patterns of solid surfacing material in sheet form, coupled with the frequent need to custom cut to size and shape countertops and backsplashes, the majority of solid plastic countertops with backsplashes are cut from sheet material and assembled in a countertop fabrication shop or at the installation site. This custom cutting and fabrication of countertops with attached backsplashes is particularly prevalent with kitchens and the like having large amounts of countertop space with the countertops and backsplashes intersecting one another at angles such as 90 degrees.
With countertops having attached backsplashes made of plastic solid surfacing material, one simple prior art system of affixing the backsplash onto the countertop simply involves a butt-joint, which includes adhering the backsplash to the countertop at a right angle, thereby forming a right angled interior corner as may be ascertained from the attached prior art FIG. 1 drawing. The disadvantage of this butt-joint method being that the right angled corner is difficult to keep clean since dirt and water naturally accumulate along the seam, and the sharp angle (90 degrees) of the joint renders it difficult to get a sponge or like cleaning tool into the tight corner. Therefore, a visible joint is rendered more visible with the accumulation of dirt, distracts from the aesthetic appearance of the countertop, and may be unsanitary.
One solution to the difficult to clean right angled joint between the countertop and backsplash is to fashion a radius or coved interior corner joint between the two members which provides much more open space to access with a sponge for cleaning.
A prior art method for creating a radiused or coved interior joint or intersection in plastic solid surface countertops with attached backsplashes, as is illustrated in the attached prior art drawing FIGS. 2A and 2B, is to adhesively affix a rectangular strip of plastic solid surfacing material along the right angled interior corner of the abutted backsplash and countertop, and then mechanically cut to remove a portion of the rectangular strip, such as with a router, leaving a radius or cove between the backsplash and countertop. This process involves utilizing a specialized jig or tool guide for holding the router at a forty-five degree angle to cut the radius. There is little room for error with this procedure, since routing the cove too deep would cut into the backsplash or countertop, and too shallow a cove would require extensive sanding, therefore the installer must be quite skilled in this procedure. This procedure is quite time consuming, requires a high level of skill, and is therefore relatively expensive. Another disadvantage of this type of coved joint is that the longitudinal edges of the cove are quite thin, feathering out to a very thin edge so as to make a smooth transition or blend into the backsplash and countertop without leaving a highly visible seam. These thin feathered edges, particularly the feathered edge which lies in the horizontal plane of the countertop, can result in an area quite susceptible to wear. Even though the thin feathered edges at first may blend in quite well with the backsplash and countertop, they can eventually wear thin with repeated cleaning, particularly with abrasive cleansers. Chipping of the thin edges of the cove can eventually result. The chipped edges leave recesses which accumulate dirt and become harder to keep clean with time. Sometimes the adhesive shows through the chipped thin feathered areas, which is not very aesthetically pleasing when the adhesive is not an exact color match to the material, and the adhesive is seldom an "exact" color match. The showing of the adhesive through the thin feathered edges is particularly noticeable on the feathered edge which lies in the horizontal plane of the countertop because of the angle at which overhead lighting strikes the joint, and not so noticeable with the feathered edge lying in the vertical plane of the backsplash, again, because of the angle at which overhead lighting strikes the seam. As the thin feathered edges wear, more of the adhesive is exposed, and more dirt begins to collect and the joint becomes more visible with time. The problem with wearing of the thin feathered edges is most prevalent with the lower feathered edge which resides in the horizontal plane of the countertop, and not so much with the upper feathered edge residing in the vertical plane of the backsplash.
Another prior art method of creating a coved interior joint or intersection on countertops with attached backsplashes of plastic solid surfacing material, as is illustrated in the attached prior art drawing FIGS. 3A and 3B, is to countersink the lengthwise bottom edge of the backsplash and an edge of an elongated rectangular strip into a rabbet (recess) formed along the upper lengthwise back edge of the countertop. A portion of the rectangular strip is then mechanically removed in the same manner as the first described prior art procedure to define a coved or curved joint. This process also involves utilizing a specialized jig or tool guide for holding the router at a forty-five degree angle. There is also little room for error in the depth of the routing of the cove, and therefore the installer must be quite skilled in this procedure. In this procedure, only the upper edge of the cove lying in the vertical plane of the backsplash is thinly feathered, and this has not been found to be a major problem. However, this method is very time consuming, requires a relatively high level of skill, and is also therefore quite expensive.
It is these shortcomings in countertops with separately attached backsplashes made of plastic solid surfacing material which the present invention overcomes. There is a significant need for an improved system of attaching a backsplash to a countertop made of solid plastics with the resultant joint between the two members being curved or coved for easy cleaning, and one which is reasonably durable, inexpensive, and which the seam(s) is virtually invisible for many years.


A lock for meter boxes and similar enclosures includes an outer case with a central bore mounted on an electric meter box. Inside the bore are two extrusions of unequal length spaced 90 degrees apart. A sleeve having a deep bore is held in the case by a screw, and a spring assembly transmits motion from the screw to the sleeve. The sleeve includes a flange at its end with an arcuate cutout portion which spans both extrusions. The sleeve further includes several internal grooves for retaining a barrel type lock which prevents access to the screw. A heavy cover plate is welded to the top of the sleeve so that it overlays and retains the door of the meter box. To unlock the meter box lock, the barrel lock is removed to allow access to the screw. As the screw is unscrewed, the sleeve moves with the screw until the flange on the sleeve clears the shorter extrusion. The sleeve then rotates with the screw until the flange engages the longer extrusion. In this position, the cover plate no longer overlays the door, and the door can be opened.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to locks, and more specifically to an improved locking device for electric meter boxes and similar enclosures.
2. Problems Addressed by the Invention
In the electric utility industry, many electricity meters are mounted in meter boxes, with the door or cover of the meter box retaining the meter in the meter socket. Due to the increasing incidence of power theft via meter tampering, it is necessary for the utility companies to prevent unauthorized access to the electricity meters. Thus there is a need for a secure and reliable locking device for retaining the doors of the meter boxes in the closed position. Because a large number of these meter boxes are already in use, the locking device must be easily installed in the field. Many of these meter boxes are in closely spaced "gang" installations; therefore the locking device must operate properly with a minimal amount of clearance between meter boxes. Lastly, the locking devices must be inexpensive and easy to use, since some utility companies must cost effectively maintain millions of meters.


A rotor assembly for a screw pump has a light alloy rotor main body having an axially extending central bore. A steel shaft is press-fitted into the central bore. A diametrically extending fixing pin is press-fitted through the rotor main body and the shaft. Friction forces between the rotor main body and the shaft are arranged to be larger on a discharge side of the rotor assembly than on a suction side thereof. The fixing pin is disposed at substantially a central position of entire friction forces in terms of their directions and magnitudes.

The present invention relates to a rotor assembly for a screw pump which compresses a gas and is used for supercharging of an engine or the like, and more particularly to a means for fixing a shaft and a rotor main body in the rotor assembly.
For example, in Japanese Published Examined Utility Model Registration Application No. 21192/1989, there is known a rotor assembly of a pump for handling a gas, in which a guide portion and a serrated portion are sequentially provided in a shaft in the longitudinal direction thereof, the shaft is pressingly fitted or press-fitted into a central bore in a rotor main body, and a pin which penetrates the rotor main body and the shaft in the diametrical direction is press-fitted at a substantially central position in the longitudinal direction of the rotor assembly, thereby fixing the rotor main body and the shaft together.
In this kind of rotor assembly, it is normal practice to make the shaft of a steel, and to make the rotor main body of an aluminum alloy so that the rotor main body can be made light in weight and that the coefficient of thermal expansion becomes equal to that of a housing of the pump. However, the rotor assembly is heated by the compression heat of the gas, and the coefficient of thermal expansion of the steel of 11.times.10.sup.-6 is largely different from that of the aluminum alloy of 20 to 23.times.10.sup.-6, resulting in a large difference in the amount of expansion and contraction due to the changes in temperature. It follows that, if the pin is located in the shaft and the rotor main body at a position where an axial displacement relative to each other is likely to occur and the displacement is large, there will occur an excessive bearing pressure or surface pressure on the rotor main body at the portion where the pin is press-fitted into a pin hole in the rotor main body, accompanied by a fear that the pin hole is so enlarged that the interference fit condition can no longer be maintained.


A web service execution apparatus that sequentially executes a plurality of web services develops a first information for invoking a first web service in a memory, and deletes the first information that is developed in the memory. The apparatus then develops a second information for invoking a second web service in the memory from which the first information is deleted, and executes a plurality of web services in accordance with the first or the second information that is developed in the memory.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a web service execution method, a processing method, and an apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Technology is known that reads a structured document (hereunder, referred to as "sequential processing description document") in which a description has been made for sequentially executing a web service, and sequentially executes a web service in accordance with the description contents thereof. The description in the sequential processing description document is made, for example, in accordance with BPEL (Business Process Execution Language). An information processing apparatus reads the sequential processing description document to execute a web service in which technology such as a sequential processing type of SAX (Simple API for XML) that handles a document as an event stream or DOM (Document Object Model) that handles a document as a tree structure is used.
Regarding the above described type of web service, technology is being developed to solve the problem of how to effectively generate execution procedures of a plurality of web services. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-361993 discloses technology that flexibly combines unit flows for performing relatively small processing to dynamically assemble and execute a logical single web service flow as an overall flow. Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-173892 discloses technology that generates an instruction list that indicates which combination with which to execute processing based on a plurality of instruction lists in which the procedures of individual services are described.
In sequential processing that reads the contents of a structured document in sequence from the top layer part, as typified by SAX, there is a problem that it is difficult to refer to document contents in a position that is forward of the position of the document contents that have been read, that is, to perform forward reference inside a document. More specifically, as the structure of a sequential processing description document becomes more complex, the correspondence by SAX becomes more difficult. This is because, when forward referencing is performed using only the SAX method, it is necessary to make a design regarding with which method description contents that a user wants to reference are to be stored (structured design for data retention) and also with which method those description contents are to be referenced (I/F design).
Further, in a method that performs processing after developing an entire structure that is shown in a sequential processing description document in memory as a structural model, as typified by DOM, there is a problem that if the document contents of a processing object grow to an enormous amount, it puts a squeeze on the memory capacity.

Web service execution method, processing method and apparatus


A separator having a structure in which a resin layer is formed at least on one principal plane of a base material layer, wherein the resin layer has an inorganic substance is provided. A non-aqueous electrolyte battery in which a cathode and an anode are arranged through the separator so as to face each other is also provided.

The present disclosure relates to a separator and a non-aqueous electrolyte battery and, more particularly, to a microporous separator and a non-aqueous electrolyte battery having a cathode, an anode, a non-aqueous electrolyte, and the separator.
Owing to the remarkable development of a recent portable electronic apparatus technique, cellular phones and notebook-sized computers are appreciated as a basic technique which supports an advanced information society. Studies and development regarding a technique for realizing advanced functions of those apparatuses are vigorously being progressed. There is such a problem that a driving time is reduced by an increase in electric power consumption due to the advanced functions.
To assure the driving time of a predetermined level or longer, it is indispensable to realize a high energy density of a secondary battery which is used as a driving power source. Therefore, in a secondary battery having an advanced function represented by, for example, a lithium ion secondary battery or the like, it is expected to accomplish the higher energy density.
In the lithium ion secondary battery in the related art, lithium cobalt acid is used for a cathode, a carbon material is used for an anode, and an operating voltage is set to a value within a range from 2.5 to 4.2 V. In a single battery, a terminal voltage can be raised to 4.2V owing to an excellent electrochemical stability of a non-aqueous electrolyte material, the separator, and the like.
On the other hand, a cathode active material such as lithium cobalt acid or the like which is used in the lithium ion secondary battery in the related art which operates at the maximum voltage of 4.2V merely uses a capacitance of about 60% of its theoretical capacitance and a residual capacitance can be utilized in principle by further raising a charge voltage. As disclosed in International Publication No. WO03/019713A1, the high energy density can be realized by setting the voltage upon charging to 4.25V or more.
However, a polyolefin microporous membrane used in the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery has the following problem. If the charge voltage is set to 4.25V or more, particularly, an oxidation atmosphere near the cathode surface is enhanced, so that the non-aqueous electrolyte material and the separator which physically come into contact with the cathode are easily subjected to oxidation decomposition. Thus, an internal resistance increases and battery characteristics deteriorate. Even if the charge voltage is smaller than 4.25V, it is preferable to suppress the deterioration of the battery characteristics by using the separator having an oxidation resistance.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide a separator and a non-aqueous electrolyte battery which can suppress a deterioration of battery characteristics.

Separator and non-aqueous electrolyte battery


A method for improving power saving performance of a mobile station in an IEEE 802.16e system is provided. The method includes a first process for determining whether a synchronization condition is satisfied, the synchronization condition being that a service connection newly requested to switch to a sleep mode is low QoS insensitive to delay and there are one or fewer service connection that is in a sleep mode and whose connection type is high QoS sensitive to delay among other service connections; a second process of transmitting to a base station a sleep request message for equalizing a start time of a sleep mode of the service connection to a start time of a next sleep interval of a service connection already in the sleep mode, matching a minimum sleep interval of the service connection to the next sleep interval of the service connection already in the sleep mode, and matching a maximum sleep interval of the service connection to a maximum sleep interval of the service connection already in the sleep mode, for sleep-mode synchronization among a plurality of service connections in a mobile station when the synchronization condition is satisfied; and a third process for switching the service connection to a sleep mode indicated by the sleep request message upon receipt of a sleep response message from a base station in response to the sleep request message.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an enhanced power-saving mechanism in an IEEE 802.16e system, and more particularly, to a scheduled power-saving method in an IEEE 802.16e system that improves power-saving performance by extending an unavailable state of a mobile station when two or more service connections in the mobile station are switched to a sleep mode.
2. Discussion of Related Art
IEEE 802.16 defines four service classes to guarantee quality of service (QoS). These are unsolicited grant service (UGS), real-time polling service (rtPS), non-real-time polling service (nrtPS), and best effort service (BES).
A UGS connection should have a higher priority than the other service connections. In the UGS connection, there is no explicit bandwidth request from respective mobile stations (MSs), such as cell phones. Each base station (BS) must periodically guarantee a bandwidth as much as a fixed data size for the UGS connection. UGS is used for applications having a constant bit rate (CBR) characteristic, such as Voice over IP (VoIP) or video conference.
In general, rtPS and nrtPS connections are polled by a unicast polling request. The rtPS takes polling that causes no network congestion or satisfies a delay requirement for a service flow. On the other hand, the ntPS connection takes less polling than when a network congests or operates on a competition basis. That is, since the rtPS takes polling that causes no network congestion or satisfies a delay requirement for a service flow, it is protected from competition-based requests and used for real-time VBR streaming service, such as NPEG video. On the other hand, nrtPS and BES, that are insensitive to packet loss or real time, are used for non-real-time connections.
There are two types of WiMAXs: IEEE 802.16-2004 (or 802.16d) called fixed WiMAX and IEEE 802.16e called mobile WiMAX. The greatest difference between the two profiles is in mobility support, as can be seen from their names. IEEE 802.16e supports mobility while IEEE 802.16-2004 does not support mobility.
IEEE 802.16e supports handover between base stations to guarantee mobility. Another advantage of IEEE 802.16e is that it is IP-based technology. This advantage is great in that as future mobile stations develop toward 4G, all techniques will be shifted into all-IP based techniques.
IEEE 802.16e is attracting attention as technology supporting next-generation mobile networks, and positions itself as a broadband wireless access system for providing long-distance transmission and fast multimedia service in order to replace expensive wired systems due to such advantages.
In the IEEE 802.16e system, battery-driven mobile stations require a power saving mechanism to guarantee mobility by overcoming a limited amount of power.
The IEEE 802.16e system basically simultaneously supports several service connections. Each service connection performs a unique operation depending on applications. Then, several service connections may simultaneously switch to a sleep mode. According to a standard power-saving mechanism, when one service connection is in a sleep state and the other service connection is in a listening state, a mobile station moves to an available state and consumes power.
As such, when several service connections simultaneously switch to a sleep mode, a situation in which one service connection is in a sleep state and the other is in a listening state occurs frequently. A conventional technique cannot properly cope with this situation, and thus the mobile station moves to an available state and consumes power, reducing a lifetime of a battery.

Scheduled power-saving method in IEEE 802.16e system

ICU Research and Industrial Cooperation Group


A new and distinct variety of Anthurium plant named ‘ANTHDOZAJ’ particularly characterized by having shiny, white, cordate spathes, a white spadix with yellow tip, a high and more spreading plant habit and shiny, dark green foliage, is disclosed.

The present invention comprises a new and distinct variety of Anthurium, botanically known as Anthurium andreanum L., and hereinafter referred to by the variety name 'ANTHDOZAJ'. The new variety originated from a hybridization made in March 2005 in Bleiswijk, The Netherlands. The female parent is a red Anthurium pot plant designated '6727-05' (unpatented), and the male parent was a red Anthurium plant designated '7613-01' (unpatented).
A single plant was selected in February 2007 and has been asexually reproduced repeatedly by meristem tissue culture in Bleiswijk, The Netherlands over a five-year period. The present invention has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive asexual propagations.
Plant Breeder's Rights for this variety have been applied for in Europe on Nov. 19, 2012. 'ANTHDOZAJ' has not been made publicly available or sold anywhere in the world more than one year prior to the filing of this application.


In a heat shield (1), in particular for combustion chambers and for thermal fluid flow machines, the heat shield consists of a feltlike material (3) composed of compressed and sintered intermetallic fibers. Advantageously, the intermetallic fibers consist of an iron based or nickel based intermetallic phase.

The invention is directed to from a heat shield.
Heat shields are known, for example for use in thermal fluid flow machines and combustion chambers. Usually, these heat shields consist of a carrier material and a thermal insulation layer which is connected to the carrier material by means of a binder layer. This binder layer is applied in the vacuum plasma process; this limits the size of the processable parts due to the size of the vacuum chamber and makes manufacture more costly. A further problem is that at application temperatures exceeding 900xc2x0 C. the binder layer usually fails and the thermal insulation layer falls off. This leads to a failure of the heat shield.
DE 3327216 A has disclosed a thermal protection layer consisting of a metallic felt which is infiltrated and filled with zirconium oxide by means of CVD. This gives rise to a compact firm thermal protection layer. The metallic felt serves as supporting structure for the zirconium oxide coating. The disadvantage of this protection layer involves the high production costs and the inadequate properties with respect to heat resistance and oxidation resistance, in particular of the supporting structure. Moreover, the thermal protection layer can be cooled only with great difficulties, i.e. by means of large cooling air consumption.
Accordingly, one object of the invention, is to provide, in the case of a heat shield of the above mentioned type, a novel cheap and efficient heat shield.
According to the invention, this is achieved by providing a heat shield, comprising a feltlike material composed of compressed and sintered intermetallic fibers.
Accordingly, the core of the invention is that the heat shield is made from a felt-like material composed of compressed and sintered intermetallic fibers.
The, advantages of the invention can be seen is that as a result of the use of intermetallic fibers, the cooling air required to cool the heat shield can be significantly reduced. The feltlike material based on intermetallic fibers can be used at temperatures exceeding 1000xc2x0 C., since the intermetallic fibers have a high heat resistance, a high oxidation resistance and advantageous thermal conduction properties. Moreover, these properties can be regulated by the selected intermetallic phase in controlled fashion and can be adapted to the respective conditions. As a result of the porosity of the feltlike material, a very efficient cooling consuming little cooling air is made possible.
It is advantageous additionally to apply a thermal insulation layer on the feltlike material. This adheres without special intermediate layers to the feltlike material and additionally reduces the cooling requirement and accordingly increases the efficiency of the heat shield in addition.


A method for wireless communication by a Bluetooth device is described. The method includes determining a paired device configuration for Bluetooth communication. The method also includes disabling Bluetooth page scans based on the paired device configuration. The page scans may be disabled when the Bluetooth device is in a connectable state for Bluetooth communication.

In the last several decades, the use of electronic devices has become common. In particular, advances in electronic technology have reduced the cost of increasingly complex and useful electronic devices. Cost reduction and consumer demand have proliferated the use of electronic devices such that they are practically ubiquitous in modern society. As the use of electronic devices has expanded, so has the demand for new and improved features of electronic devices. More specifically, electronic devices that perform functions faster, more efficiently or with higher quality are often sought after.
Many electronic devices may make use of different communication technologies. For example, electronic devices may communicate using Bluetooth technology. A Bluetooth device may communicate with one or more remote Bluetooth devices. The Bluetooth device may use pairing to establish a connection with a remote Bluetooth device. The Bluetooth device may store a profile for a paired device to facilitate subsequent connections.
The Bluetooth device may perform page scans to connect to a paired Bluetooth device. The page scans may be performed in a periodic manner, which may result in significant power consumption. The Bluetooth device may reduce battery power consumption by disabling page scans based on paired device configurations.

Systems and methods for disabling page scans


A method of forming an image comprises depositing pixels or dots of a plastic material of different thickness or texture on a surface so as to form a relief or textured image in the surface. The plastic material can be transferred to the surface by thermal transfer from a carrier film.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for forming an image on a surface, and articles on which such images have been formed.
Thermal transfer printing is a well known printing technique, whereby a dye, resin wax or similar transferable pigments are transferred from a thin carrier film to a receiver media by means of thermal impulses from a thermal array printhead. The pigments may be any colour but are commonly black, yellow, cyan or magenta.
In this process, the thermal array printhead comprises a linear array of several hundred small heater elements, in intimate contact with the carrier film, the pigmented surface of which is pressed against the receiver media.
When selected heater elements on the surface of the thermal printhead are given short pulses of electrical energy, this raises their surface temperature to a value where pigment is transferred from the carrier film to the receiver media to form a pixel or coloured spot on the receiver media. Following this transfer, the carrier film and receiver film are moved relative to the thermal printhead, by a distance equivalent to the diameter of the spot. By a process of repeating this sequence of heat impulses followed by media movement, any desired image is built up. The cycle times for printing a linear array of pixels or colour spots is generally five milliseconds or less. Half tone images are produced by printing a dither pattern of dots and spaces. True photographic quality images are produced by controlling the energies of the heat impulses in conjunction with a suitable diffusion type of dye film. This type of printing is known as dye sublimation or dye diffusion printing.
In certain applications, such as the printing of colour images onto PVC cards for identity purposes, it is necessary to protect the images from damage due to abrasion and wear. The most common method is for a thin, transparent plastic coating to be applied to the printing media. A special plastic overlay film is used, which consists of a thin carrier film coated with a layer of a clear plastic material. The said material may be transferred to the top surface of the printed receiver media by means of a heated roller, or by means of a thermal printhead, in the same manner as the pigment layer is transferred as described above. Essentially all of the plastic material is transferred to the surface of the receiver media, which results in a glossy finish protective overlay, of maximum thickness, to protect the underlying image.

Imaging method using deposition of dots of plastic to form a relief image


A method for controlling dump driving for a construction machine is disclosed, which can improve operability through simultaneous operation of boom-up and swing according to an operation of a swing joystick during a dumping work.

In general, in the case of performing a dumping work that is one of excavating works of an excavator, an upper swing structure may swing up to a dumping position to load a loading container of a dump truck with excavated earth and sand after a digging work is completed. That is, joysticks of swing and boom-up of the upper swing structure may be operated almost simultaneously to adjust a swing angle and a boom-up height to reach a dumping position.
In this case, since an operator simultaneously determines the dumping position and dumping height while operating the swing joystick with one hand and operating the boom-up joystick with the other hand, it is required for the operator to pay much attention thereto. In other words, the operator should pay careful attention in operating the swing joystick to make the excavated earth and sand reach the dumping position and simultaneously operating the boom-up joystick to match the dumping height to the loading container.
As an example, if the dumping position gets out of an operator's viewing angle, the operator may accurately match the dumping position only in the case where the dumping position comes into the operator's viewing angle through performing of somewhat swing driving.
As described above, in order to perform the above-described works to match the swing angle and the boom-up height during the dumping work, operator's concentration is required in separately operating the swing joystick and the boom joystick while confirming the dumping position, and thus operator's fatigue is increased.
Further, if the dumping height does not match the loading container during the dumping work, it is required for the operator to match the dumping height again through the operation of the boom-up joystick, and this may cause the increase of the work time to deteriorate the work efficiency.

Method for controlling operation of dump for construction machinery


Triblock polymers comprised of polysaccharide, such as heparin or dextran, and a hydrocarbon chain, have been prepared. The triblock polymer adsorbs strongly on the surface of hydrophobic polymer substrates such as polyethylene, through hydrophobic interaction between the polymer and the hydrophobic hydrocarbon chain of the triblock polymer. The surface adsorbed with triblock polymer is resistant to protein deposition, which renders the surface nonthrombogenic.

The use of synthetic biomaterials to sustain, augment or completely replace diseased human organs has increased tremendously over the past thirty years. Synthetic implants have cardiovascular applications such as vascular grafts, heart valves, and ventricular assist devices; extracorporeal systems; and a wide range of invasive treatment and diagnostic systems. Unfortunately, existing biomaterials suffer from well-known problems associated with surface-induced thrombosis or clot formation such as thrombotic occlusion and thromboemboli, and infection. Synthetic vascular grafts having a diameter less than 6 mm are currently impracticable, because of potential thrombotic occlusion, and the artificial heart has been plagued with problems of thromboemboli and infection. Advances in the development of artificial organs and artificial vascular grafts have resulted in the need for nonthrombogenic materials.
Thrombosis is initiated by the deposition of a plasma protein layer on the surface of the implanted biomaterial. Thereafter, platelets, fibrin, and possibly leukocytes, adhere to the deposited protein. The interactions between the plasma proteins and the surface of the implant determine the adhesion, the activation and the spreading of platelets, the activation of coagulation, cell attachment and protein deposition. However, at the molecular level, the fundamental forces and interactions of plasma proteins with implants is not well understood.
There have been several attempts to create nonthrombogenic surfaces on polymer implants thereby increasing the blood-biocompatibility of implants.
Early attempts included precoating the implants with proteins not involved in thrombosis, such as albumin, to mask the thrombogenic surface of the implant. However, such implants loose their nonthrombogenic properties within a short time. Attempts have been made to mask the thrombogenic surface by coating gelatin onto implants such as ventricular assist devices. While the gelatin coating reduced the thrombus formation, it did not adhere to the implant and it did not prevent thromboemboli and infection.
Attempts have been made to render implants nonthrombogenic by coating the surface of the implant with polyethylene oxide to mask the thrombogenic surface of the implant; it was discovered that such a coating at times also reduced protein adsorption. While this reduced thrombogenesis, the coupling of polyethylene oxide to the surface of the implant involves very complex procedures, and the coated implants do not consistently exhibit protein resistance.
There have been many attempts to prepare nonthrombogenic surfaces by attaching heparin to biomaterials, because of heparin's potent anticoagulant properties. However, each method requires that the implant surface be first modified by attachment of a coupling molecule before heparin can be attached. For example, the positively charged coupling agent tridodecylmethylammonium chloride, is coated onto an implant, which provides a positively charged surface and allows heparin which has a high negative charge density, to be attached. However, the heparin slowly dissociates from the surface, to expose the positively charged, TDMAC surface which is particularly thrombogenic. The TDMAC attracts platelets and other cells; cells surfaces have a high negative charge density. Thus the TDMAC heparin coated implant is successful only for short term implants such as catheters.
Implants coated with heparin coupled to coupling molecules typically have limited anti-thrombogenic effectiveness because commercial heparin preparations contain the protein core and because many heparin molecules which having no anticoagulant activity. As a result, the surfaces soon become covered by adsorbing protein on exposure to blood, thus neutralizing the anticoagulant activity of the active heparin molecule.
It is desirable to have implants which resist plasma protein deposition, and to have a simple procedure for modifying the surface of implants. Nonthrombogenic implants would reduce the need for aggressive anticoagulant therapy, improve the performance of implants, particularly cardiovascular prosthetic devices, and encourage the development of devices not currently feasible.


An air-conditioning apparatus includes a heat medium flow control device that adjusts the flow rate of a heat medium circulating in a use side heat exchanger, temperature sensors that are disposed in an inlet-side passage and an outlet-side passage of the use side heat exchanger and that detect temperatures of the heat medium, and a controller that controls the heat medium flow control device so that a temperature difference between a detection value of the temperature sensors is equal to a first target value. A refrigerant flowing through a refrigerant flow passage of the heat exchanger related to heat medium and a heat medium flowing through a heat medium flow passage of the heat exchanger related to heat medium are in counter flow relative to one another, and the controller changes the first target value in accordance with an operation state of a refrigerant circuit.

As a conventional air-conditioning apparatus in, such as, a multi-air-conditioning apparatus for buildings, there is an air-conditioning apparatus that causes a refrigerant to circulate from an outdoor unit to a heat medium relay unit (relay unit) and that causes a heat medium such as water to circulate from the heat medium relay unit to indoor units, so as to reduce the power used to convey the heat medium while causing the heat medium to circulate to the indoor units (for example, Patent Literature 1).
Further, as a conventional air-conditioning apparatus that uses a non-azeotropic refrigerant mixture, there is a chiller-type air-conditioning apparatus that causes a non-azeotropic refrigerant mixture and a heat medium to flow through a heat exchanger related to heat medium (refrigerant/heat medium heat exchanger) in opposite directions (that is, the flows are in counter flow relative to one another) to improve heat exchange efficiency (for example, Patent Literature 2).
Further, as a conventional air-conditioning apparatus that uses a non-azeotropic refrigerant mixture, there is a chiller-type air-conditioning apparatus that causes a non-azeotropic refrigerant mixture and a heat medium to flow through a heat exchanger related to heat medium serving as an evaporator of a refrigerant circuit in parallel in the same direction (that is, the flows are parallel flows) to prevent freezing of the heat medium while keeping the temperature of the heat medium at the inlet of the heat exchanger related to heat medium constant (for example, Patent Literature 3).


A purified enzyme mixture useful for isolating cells or cell clusters from tissue is disclosed. The mixture includes at least two collagenase enzymes, at least two other proteases, and additional non-protease components. The mixture is purified by removing at least some of the non-protease components. The purified mixture may then be used to isolate cells or cell clusters from tissue. Also disclosed are the essential components of the purified enzyme mixture as well as preferred ranges and ratios of these essential components for isolating cells or cell clusters from tissue. Finally, a dissociation system is disclosed that can be used with the purified enzyme mixture to dissociate tissue and recover cells or cell clusters.

The enzymatic isolation of cells and cell clusters from liver, pancreas, skin, cartilage, bone, neural tissue, and other organs has been accomplished and proven to be useful for various purposes including cellular characterization and implantation, e.g., isolation of islets of Langerhans (islets) from the pancreas for implantation in diabetic patients. Since collagen is a prominent structural protein within tissue, the enzyme collagenase is frequently used as a means of accomplishing the desired isolation.
Several forms of crude collagenase, e.g., crude bacterial collagenase derived from Clostridium histolyticum, are commercially available and have proven to be useful in isolating cells and cell clusters from tissue. These crude collagenases are actually a mixture of protease enzymes exhibiting collagenolytic and proteolytic activity and non-protease components, including fermentation by-products, fermentation media, pigment, and other enzymes (e.g. phospholipase). These non-protease components of crude collagenase are generally recognized by those skilled in the art as being inert, that is, not affecting the activity of the protease enzymes. Unfortunately, these commercially available crude collagenases have been shown to contain varying amounts of the protease and non-protease components, thereby causing substantial variations in efficacy between lots. In addition to variability problems, use of these crude collagenases in research has resulted in poor cell integrity, low cell number, and fragmented cell clusters. These problems are significant, especially when the isolated cells or cell clusters are subsequently transplanted. For example, it has been shown that the efficacy of the transplanted islet mass, i.e. its ability to produce insulin in a host, is greatly diminished with reduced size and number. The importance of the protease enzymes to the process of obtaining an efficacious cellular isolation, i.e. maintaining cellular integrity, isolating larger cell clusters and isolating more cells or cell clusters, has been recognized by those skilled in the art. Specifically, the presence of collagenase Class I (collagenase I) and collagenase Class II (collagenase II) enzymes and the presence of a neutral protease have been found to influence the efficacy of the cellular isolation. The protease clostripain has been reported to have a negative influence on certain cell isolations (Hefley, J Bone and Mineral Res. 2:6, 1987, pp.505-516). However, while many of the problems associated with obtaining a pure cell isolation have been defined, appropriate remedies have heretofore remained undiscovered.

Purified mixture of collagenase I, collagenase II and two other proteases


A fiber optic connection panel including a chassis and a circuit module. The circuit module can include a housing, a plurality of adapters, and a plurality of fiber optic connectors connected to the adapters. The circuit module can also include an optical switch mounted to a printed circuit board, a plurality of fiber optic cables connecting the fiber optic connectors to the optical switch, and a separator plate partially covering the printed circuit board. At least some of the cables can include slack to allow the connectors to be removed from the circuit module, and the separator plate can be positioned to separate the slack of the cables from the printed circuit board. The circuit module can also include a connector edge of the printed circuit board extending through the housing, and a bracket coupled to the housing including members to surround and protect the connector edge.

Fiber optic connection panels are known which connect various pieces of fiber optic equipment. The fiber optic connection panels include ports for connecting to fiber optic cables, to link the equipment. Various functions are useful in the fiber optic connection panels. One function is monitoring of the signal pathways. Another useful function is switching between equipment if a need arises without having to reconnect the equipment cables. Improvements are desired.


A closure includes an end plate assembly (20) which includes an inner and an outer endplate and between which is disposed a cable sheath gripping assembly (60). The cable sheath gripping assembly includes a housing (62) and a clamping portion (100) which cooperate to form two cable-receiving passageways. Each passageway is formed between two channels, one being formed in the base and one being formed in the clamping portion. Each channel is provided with a plurality of inwardly extending circumferential and axial ribs with the ribs cooperating to clamp a cable end portion extending therewith. The engagement of the ribs with the cable end portion under compressive engagement caused by the turning of a bolt 106 into threaded insert of the housing provides enhanced resistance to pullout and rotation of the cable end portion.

Whatever the structure of a cable, there must be provisions for splicing transmission media at an end of a given length of cable to corresponding transmission media at an adjacent end of another length of cable. Closures are used in the splicing of metallic conductor and of optical fiber cables.
For example, an optical fiber splice closure with a central transverse bulkhead has been used. Individual optical fibers are spliced and are attached to the bulkhead for support. A disadvantage of this approach is the lack of facilities for the storage of slack in the fibers. In other splicing arrangements, all the optical fibers in a cable are looped within the same retainer or fiber slack is stored on spools. In either case, identification, repair or splice work of individual fibers is extremely difficult without a major rearrangement within the splice closure. This is undesirable because the transmission capability in active fibers can be affected as they are moved.
In another closure of the prior art, there is provided a device for organizing a plurality of individual optical fibers or other similar type conductors or fibers at a slack or splice point. A device having modular construction is provided which is suitable for installation in standard splice closures. The device comprises a plurality of tray-like members each adapted to retain and store at least one fiber. The device provides access to the individual fibers contained in the trays.
It is important that the cables extending into or out of the closure be held tightly to prevent undesired movement of portions of the cable inside the closure. Should the cable move, movement of conductors will be experienced. Such movement of conductors may have an adverse effect on communications signals passing through the conductors within the closure and break the seal between the grommet and the cable passing therethrough.
In the past, a metal member extended from an inner end plate toward an outer end plate. Annular worm-gear clamps were disposed about each cable to hold the cable to the metal member in a secured position. This arrangement prevents each cable from being pulled out, but it does not prevent cable sealing members which are referred to herein as grommets from being displaced. The inner cable grommet may be displaced because of air pressure within the closure which is used to check the integrity of the seals.
Also needed is support for the outer cable grommets located in the outer end plate. External forces such as water pressure or ice formation may cause the outer grommets to be pushed inwardly.
Further, each closure should be capable of being used with a range of cable sizes. In the past, metal hardware had to be bent by a user to conform to different size cables. What is sought after is a sheath gripping device which can accommodate a range of cable sizes.
Another disadvantage of prior art sheath grips resides in electrical shorting. A metal bracket is commonly attached to cables entering the closure through the outside end plate. In the past, the metal sheath grip bracket sometimes contacted bonding and grounding devices attached to the metallic elements of the cable thereby causing a short out. It is desired to overcome this failing of prior art sheath grips because it sometimes is desirable to isolate electrically one cable from another.
What is needed and what is not provided in the prior art is a cable closure which includes a cable sheath grip which avoids short outs with neighboring metallic elements and which can accommodate a range of cable sizes. The sought after cable sheath grip also should provide support for grommets in end plates of a cable closure and should be easy and quick to install.

Cable closure which includes a cable sheath gripping assembly


Partial oxidation process of liquid fuels, selected from hydrocarbon and/or oxygenated compounds, together with gaseous fuels, selected from hydrocarbon compounds, natural gas and LPG, by means of a suitable catalytic system comprising the following steps: premixing the reagents and possibly heating them to temperatures ranging from 25 to 400° C., said reagents consisting of said liquid fuels, said gaseous fuels and oxygen or air or oxygen enriched air, optionally in the presence of vapor and/or CO2; reacting the mixture of reagents in the catalytic zone, at inlet temperatures ranging from 50 to 500° C. and space velocities ranging from 1,000 to 1,000,000 Nl reagents/L cat×h, reaching temperatures ranging from 450 to 1350° C.

The present invention relates to a catalytic partial oxidation process for producing synthesis gas (mixtures containing H2 and CO) via Catalytic Partial Oxidation (CPO) starting from liquid and gaseous fuels and an oxidizing stream, containing oxygen (for example, pure oxygen, air or enriched air).
The main technologies for the production of synthesis gas (prevalently consisting of a mixture of H2 and CO with smaller quantities of H2O, CO2 and CH4) can be classified as the following technologies:                a) non-catalytic partial oxidation (PO) of heavy hydro-carbons (Falsetti, J. S., Hydrocarbon Technology International, 1993, page 57)        b) steam and CO2 reforming (SR) (Rostrup-Nielsen, J. R. "Catalytic Steam Reforming", in Catalysis Science and Technology, J. R. Anderson, M. Boudart Eds. Vol. 5, Springer, Berlin 1988, page 1)        c) autothermal reforming (ATR) (T. S. Christensen I. I. Primdahl, Hydrocarbon Processing, March 1994, page 39).
Steam reforming (SR) is used for converting natural gas (NG) and naphthas into synthesis gas mainly according to reactions [1-2]. Before being sent to SR, the hydrocarbon reagent is preheated and desulfurated; vapour is then added and the mixture is further preheated. The reforming takes place in an oven in which there are tubes filled with catalyst, through which the reaction mixture flows. The synthesis gas at the outlet of the tubes is rapidly cooled and can be sent to water-gas shift processes [3] and separation/purification.CH4+H2O=CO+3H2 ΔH298=206.36 kJ(mole)  [1]CnHm+nH2O=nCO+(m/2+n)H2  [2]CO+H2O=CO2+H2 ΔH298=−41.16 kJ(mole)  [3]
The main uses of SR are:                in the production of H2 for refinery uses;        in the synthesis of ammonia;        in the synthesis of methanol.
Autothermal reforming (ATR) combines sub-stoichiometric combustion reactions of NG [4] which take place in a combustion chamber, with SR and CO2 reforming reactions [5] which take place in a catalytic bed situated after the combustion chamber.CH4+3/2O2=CO+2H2O  [4]CO2+CH4=2CO+2H2  [5]
ATR is used for producing synthesis gas from NG for methanol synthesis, Fischer-Tropsch and carbonylation processes. The ATR technology requires the use of pure oxygen or strongly enriched air for preventing the decrease in the partial oxygen pressure in the combustion chamber from causing the formation of carbonaceous residues. Furthermore, as the lighter the hydrocarbon charge, the easier the formation of carbonaceous residues, ATR can treat only NG directly, with considerable limitations on the vapour/carbon and oxygen/carbon conditions in the feeding. If the content of C2+ in the NG is significant, a performing passage is necessary to eliminate them.
PO technologies, on the other hand, are capable of converting into synthesis gas, a wide range of hydrocarbon charges, from NG to gas oils, from heavy residues to coal. The process can be represented with the reactions [6-7].CH4+½O2=CO+2 H2ΔH298=−35.69 kJ/mole  [6]CnHm+n/2O2=nCO+m/2H2  [7]
When the use of partial oxidation is extended to the oxidation of heavy residues and coal, these are gasification processes which can be represented by the equations [8, 9]C+½O2=CO ΔH298=−110.62 kJ/mole  [8]C+H2O=CO+H2 ΔH298=131.38 kJ/mole  [9]
The PO technology, however, has a higher energy consumption than that of SR and STR catalytic technologies and also requires the use of complex and costly equipment. The absence of a catalyst in the area below the combustion chamber causes, in fact, much higher temperatures at the outlet of the reactors (around 1400° C.) from which it is difficult to effectively recuperate the heat. The most advantageous PO applications are therefore those which transform hydrocarbon charges consisting of heavy hydrocarbon residues from oil processing which cannot be transformed into synthesis gas by means of the SR and STR catalytic technologies. The PO technology can use air, enriched air or oxygen as oxidizing agent but it is preferable to use pure oxygen to limit the formation of carbonaceous residues which, although tolerated, are formed in a percentage which increases with the increase in the N2 content in the reagent mixture and the lower the vapour/carbon and H/C ratios in the hydrocarbon charge. The carbonaceous residues, however, are eliminated with washing operations of the synthesis gas. Due to the high temperatures in the combustion chamber, the presence of N2 subsequently causes the formation of NOx.
A technology which is still not widely used but which is frequently the object of R&D projects is catalytic partial oxidation (CPO) with a short contact time. This allows the production of synthesis gas from air and from a large number of hydrocarbon reagents without the formation of undesired by-products such as carbonaceous residues and NOx.
CPO with a low contact time is based on the reactionCH4+½O2=CO+2 H2ΔH°=−36 kJ/mole  [10]slightly exothermic. The reaction was studied for converting NG into synthesis gas also using low vapour/carbon, oxygen/carbon ratios and using air, enriched air or oxygen as oxidizing agent. This process allows most of the reactions leading to the formation of carbonaceous residues to be avoided. As the reactions take place at temperatures lower than 1400° C., NOx is not formed even if air is used as oxidizing agent.
The process for the production of synthesis gas with a short contact time is described in various documents of scientific and patent literature: (a) M. Bizzi, L. Basini, G. Saracco, V. Specchia, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. (2003), 42, 62-71 "Modelling a transport phenomena limited reactivity in short contact time catalytic partial oxidation"; (b) L. Basini, K. Aasberg-Petersen, A. Guarinoni, M. Oestberg, Catalysis Today (2001) 64, 9-20 "Catalytic Partial Oxidation of Natural Gas at Elevated Pressure and Low Residence Time"; (c) H. Hickman, L. D. Schmidt, J. Catal. 138 (1992) 267; (d) D. Hichman, L. D. Schmidt Science, 259 (1993) 343; (e) L. Basini, G. Donati WO 97/37929; (f) Sanfilippo, Domenico; Basini, Luca; Marchionna, Mario; EP-640559; (g) D. Schaddenhorst, R. J. Shoonebeek; WO 00/00426; (h) K. L. Hohn, L. D. Schmidt, S. Reyes, J. S. Freeley, WO 01/32556; (i) A. M. Gaffney, R. Songer, R. Ostwald, D. Corbin, WO 01/36323.

Catalytic partial oxidation process for producing synthesis gas


A diffusion cell to facilitate the automated removal of test aliquots of liquid from a receptor chamber of the diffusion cell so as to determine percutaneous absorption through a membrane of a donor media from a donor chamber into the receptor chamber of the diffusion cell. There is utilized a sampling port through which the test aliquot is to be removed, the removal being achieved by means of a sample tube. Within the receptor chamber is located a stirring device in the form of a helical coil which is to be rotated to achieve stirring and homogeneous mixing of the liquid within the receptor chamber. Mounted within the coil is a filter screen to prevent particulate matter over a certain size from entering the sample tube and clogging such.

1) Field of the Invention
The field of this invention relates to testing equipment and more particularly to an apparatus which is usable to determine the transfer of a substance through a membrane into a liquid placed in contact with the opposite side of the membrane.
2) Description of the Prior Art
Percutaneous absorption test cells are used in the study of kinetics of the partition coefficients defining the passage and equilibrium states of components into and through a barrier separating two dissimilar substances. A typical test cell is known as the Franz cell. The Franz cell is in the form of a container with an upper half separated from a lower half by a porous membrane comprising a barrier. A clamping arrangement is located between the upper half of the lower half with the barrier in the form of a thin sheet of material to be placed and clamped tightly in a stretched configuration by a clamping arrangement.
The lower compartment of the Franz cell is completely filled with a receptor media in contact with the barrier. In the upper compartment there is placed a donor substance which may comprise a solid, semi-solid, gas or liquid. The receptor media normally comprises water, a buffered solution or a saline solution, but may consist of any polar or non-polar liquid, semi-liquid or gas with or without surfactants added. Connecting the lower compartment is a sample port and it is through this sample port that aliquots are to be removed. An aliquot is defined as an exact subvolume of the overall volume of the receptor media. A prior art type of diffusion cell has been obtained by the present inventor and carries U.S. Pat. No. 5,198,109, issued Mar. 30, 1993.
While generally useful in the whole field of physical chemistry, Franz cells have become particularly useful in the health care field. Levels of epidermal exposure to pesticides, chemicals, ointments and cosmetics are important in the field of environmental science. The rate of release and absorption of ingredients for medicinal skin patches is essential to determine the size, dosage amount and characteristics of the patch.
Within a Franz cell, typically the test is conducted by placing the donor substance against the total area of the barrier exposed to the upper compartment. A suitable receptor media, such as a saline solution, is placed in the lower compartment in contact with the barrier. Within this lower compartment is located a stirring device. The function of the stirring device is to homogeneously intermix the portion of the donor media that permeates the membrane into the receptor chamber.
The kinetics of membrane transfer involves more than the pore size of the membrane. Membranes have varying degrees of hydrophilic and hydrophobic characteristics. This is particularly true of skin. There are three layers of skin with varying characteristics in allowing the passage of fluids. While synthetic membranes are generally chosen for transfer studies with diffusion cells, natural skin, either human or animal, is used extensively within Franz cells.
Animal and human membranes may inadvertently release particulate matter into the receptor compartment. This particulate matter typically consists of organic integumentary particles of highly viscous aggregates ranging from diameters of one hundred microns to string-like particles of one thousand or more microns in length. Such particulates may clog the sample withdrawal tube and prevent consistent withdrawal rates particularly in an automated sampling system.


A non-volatile memory including at least a substrate, a memory cell and source/drain regions is provided. The memory cell is disposed on the substrate and includes at least a first memory unit and a second memory unit. Wherein, the first memory unit, from the substrate up, includes a floating gate and a first control gate. The second memory unit is disposed on a sidewall of the first memory unit and includes a charge trapping layer and a second control gate. The two source/drain regions are disposed in the substrate at both sides of the memory cell.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device, and particularly to a non-volatile memory (NVM), a manufacturing method and an operating method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Among various types of non-volatile memory products, electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) is a memory device that has been widely used in personal computers and electronic equipment. Data can be stored, read out or erased from the EEPROM many times and stored data are retained even after power supplying the devices is cut off.
The floating gate and the control gate in a typical EEPROM are made of doped polysilicon. By applying bias voltages to the control gate and a source/drain region thereof, the EEPROM operates. When erasing data in the EEPROM however, it is likely to over-erase, which leads to misjudgment of data. In addition, to follow the trend of high integrity in the current semiconductor industry, the memory size becomes smaller, with shorter channel length. Therefore, when programming the memory cell, an abnormal punch-through phenomenon occurs between a drain region and a source region, which has an adverse impact on the electrical performance of the memory.
For other non-volatile memories of the prior art, a silicon nitride layer, instead of a polysilicon floating gate, is used to form an ONO composite layer (oxide-nitride-oxide composite layer). Such a device is referred to as a SONOS device (silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon device). Since the silicon nitride is able to capture electrons, the electrons injected in the silicon nitride layer would not be evenly distributed in the whole layer. Instead, the injected electrons concentrate on local regions of the silicon nitride layer. By changing the applied voltages on the control gate and the source/drain regions at both sides of the control gate, at the left side and the right side of a memory in a layer made of single silicon nitride material, 1-bit is stored, respectively. In this way, the non-volatile memory for storing 2 bits/cell is formed.
The memory cells still face the challenge of higher integrity of memory cell and shorter channel length. Under such situation, the two 1-bits of a memory cell would affect each other, so that two charge-distribution curves corresponding to the two 1-bits get broader, even merge together to generate a so-called second bit effect. As a result, when erasing data, the distribution curve formed by injected hot holes in the silicon nitride layer is not able to overlap with the electron-distribution curve, which leads to incomplete erasing and longer erasing time. This problem results in a slow operating speed and poor efficiency, even lower reliability.
It can be concluded that a non-volatile memory capable of storing multiple bits in a single memory cell without the second bit effect, over-erase and punch-through is desired in the related semiconductor manufactures.


A roller finger follower rocker arm assembly for deactivating an engine valve. A follower body pivots on a hydraulic lash adjuster, and engages a valve stem or lifter. The body receives a reciprocating member having a first and second rollers outboard of the body for following eccentrics of a cam lobe that straddles the body, the body having elongate openings on either side of the reciprocating member. A locking pin selectively locks and unlocks the body to the reciprocating member. The reciprocating member does not make contact with the cam lobe and functions only as a link between the latching mechanism and the rollers. The pin engages the reciprocating member by a latching spring and is disengaged by pressurized oil supplied through the hydraulic lash adjuster. Means is provided for limiting axial growth of the HLA during deactivation mode of the rocker arm assembly.

Variable valve activation mechanisms for internal combustion engines are well known. It is known to lower the lift, or even to provide no lift at all, of one or more valves of a multiple-cylinder engine during periods of light engine load. Such deactivation can substantially improve fuel efficiency.
Various approaches have been disclosed for changing the lift of valves in a running engine. One known approach is to provide a deactivation mechanism within the hydraulic lash adjuster (HLA) upon which a cam follower rocker arm pivots. Such an arrangement is advantageous in that it can provide variable lift from a single cam lobe by making the HLA either competent or incompetent to transfer the motion of the cam eccentric to the valve stem. A shortcoming of providing deactivation directly by the HLA is that because the cam lobe actuates the rocker near its longitudinal center point, the variation in lift produced at the valve-actuating end can be only about one-half of the extent of travel of the HLA deactivation mechanism.
Another known approach is to provide a deactivation mechanism in the roller finger follower itself, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,604,498. In the mechanism disclosed, a two-part roller axle serves to selectively latch and delatch the roller from the body of the follower. The actuating mechanism needed to operate the deactivation mechanism resides adjacent one side of the roller finger follower body to act against an end of the two-part roller axle. For that reason, the mechanism occupies a substantial amount of space and can be cumbersome.
What is needed is a compact valve activation mechanism contained within a roller finger follower that is capable of deactivating an associated valve resulting in zero lift of the associated valve.

Roller finger follower assembly for valve deactivation


The present invention relates to methods for inhibiting the complement pathway in a mammal comprising administering an effective dose of a composition comprising an active ingredient selected from the group consisting of isolated sea cucumber (Phylum Echinodermata, Class Holothuroidea) body wall, isolated sea cucumber epithelial layer, isolated sea cucumber flower, sea cucumber fucosylated chondroitin sulfate, combinations thereof, active derivatives thereof or combinations of active derivatives thereof.

The complement system is a group of proteins that constitutes about 10 percent of the globulins in the normal serum of humans (Hood, L.E. et al 1984, Immunology, 2nd Edition, The Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Co., Menlo Park, Calif. p. 339). Complement plays an important role in the mediation of immune and allergic reactions (Rapp, H. J. and Boros, T., 1970, Molecular Basis of Complement Action, Appleton-Century-Crofts Meredith, N.Y.). The complement system identifies foreign or damaged cells and tissue by covalently attaching a chemotactic protein (C3) which is recognized by host cell receptors. Complement is normally tightly regulated through the presence of complement inhibitors and the short half-life and substrate specificity of the enzymes involved in the activation cascade.
There are three major pathways of complement activation. First, the "classical pathway," which is activated by antibody/antigen binding. Second, the newly recognized "collecting pathway," activated by the binding of "mannose binding protein" to a complex carbohydrate, thereby activating a specific enzyme called "mannose binding protein activated serine proteinase" (MASP) that in turn activates another proteinase that generates chemotactic peptides such as C3. Third, the "alternative pathway," which is activated by the presence of a specific substrate called C3bB, a complex of complement proteins. The alternative pathway is controlled by the availability of the substrate C3bB. (Fearon & Austen, "Activation of the alternative complement pathway with rabbit erythrocytes by circumvention of the regulatory action of endogenous control proteins," Journal of Experimental Medicine, vol. 146, pp. 22-33 (1977); Pangburn, et al., "Localization of the heparin-binding site on complement factor H," Journal of Biological Chemistry, vol. 266, pp. 16847-53 (1991)).
The study of genetic deficiencies in different parts of the complement cascade have lead to an understanding of the roles of the complement system (reviewed in Figueroa & Densen, "Infectious diseases associated with complement deficiencies," Clinical Microbiology Reviews, vol. 4, pp. 359-95 (1991) and in Colten, "Complement deficiencies," Annual Review of Immunology, vol. 10, pp. 809-34 (1992)). Complement deficiencies or defects can lead to pyrogenic infections, glomerulitis, predisposition to autoimmune disease, infections with Neisseria meningitides and disseminated infections with Neisseria gonorrhea.
Some of the clinical implications of the release of one protein, C5a, of the complement pathway are as follows:
Rheumatoid Arthritis PA1 Acute Gouty Arthritis PA1 Acute Immunological Arthritis PA1 Pulmonary Disorders PA1 Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome PA1 Pulmonary Dysfunction-Hemodialysis PA1 Chronic Progressive Pulmonary Dis-Cystic Fibrosis PA1 Byssinosis PA1 Asbestos-induced Inflammation PA1 Inflammation of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus PA1 Inflammation of Glomerulonephritis PA1 Purtscher's Retinopathy PA1 Hemorrhagic Pancreatitis PA1 Renal Cortical Necrosis PA1 Primary Biliary Cirrhosis Inflammation PA1 Nephropathology PA1 Cranial Nerve Damage in Meningitis PA1 Tumor Cell Metastasis PA1 Extended Tissue Destruction in Myocardial Infarction PA1 Extended Tissue Destruction in Burns
Many chemicals have been reported to diminish complement-mediated activity. Such compounds include: amino acids (Takada, Y. et al. Immunology,vol. 34, p. 509 (1978)); phosphonate esters (Becker, L. Biochem. Biophy. Acta, vol. 147, p. 289 (1967)); polyanionic substances (Conrow, R. B. et al J. Med, Chem., vol. 23, p. 242 (1980)); sulfonyl fluorides (Hansch, C., Yoshimoto, M., J. Med, Chem., vol. 17, p. 1160 (1974), and references cited therein); polynucleotides (De Clercq, P.F. et al. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., vol. 67, p. 255 (1975)). However, inhibitors of serine esterases, such as diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP), were weak inhibitors and very toxic. It has been reported that the use of certain complement inhibitors to treat various inflammation states has desirable therapeutic effects. Buerke, et al., "Cardioprotective effects of a Cl esterase inhibitor in myocardial ischemia and reperfusion," Circulation, vol. 91, pp. 393-402 (1995); Testoni, et al., "Infusion of Cl-inhibitor plasma concentrate prevents hyperamylasemia induced by endoscopic sphincterotomy," Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, vol. 42, pp. 301-05 (1995); Moore, "Therapeutic regulation of the complement system in acute injury states," Advances in Immunology, vol. 56, pp. 267-99(1994). There is therefor good evidence that complement inhibitors can functions as anti-inflammatory agents. Inhibition of complement activation can be measured as inhibition of overall complement activity (CH50). In terms of biological activity, inhibiting complement activation would decrease the inflammatory response because the anaphylatoxins (C3a, C3b, C4a and C5a) would not be produced.
Complement may also play a role in Alzheimer's disease. McGeer, et al., "Activation of the classical complement pathway in brain tissue of Alzheimer patients," Neuroscience Letters, vol. 107, pp. 341-6 (1989); Rogers, et al., "Complement activation by beta-amyloid in Alzheimer disease," Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (USA), vol. 89, pp. 10016-20 (1992); Jiang, et al., "Beta-amyloid activates complement by binding to a specific region of the collagen-like domain of the Clq A chain," Journal of Immunology, vol. 152, pp. 5050-59 (1994), but this has not yet been investigated at the clinical level.
The only complement inhibitor currently available in any quantity is soluble CR1, a recombinant protein of 200kD. CR1 is not a practical therapeutic compound, given both its size and the undesirable effect that chronic admistration would have on the beneficial functions of the complement pathway. Thus, there is a need for a non-toxic complement inhibitor which could be used therapeutically over a sustained time period.
Pharmaceutical companies are expanding efforts to screen and assay biologically active compounds from natural sources. The term that has been applied to this discovery process is "bio-prospecting." When bio-prospecting is successful in finding and identifying promising compounds, efforts are then made to determine and perfect the process by which the compound is produced in its active form. Useful processes develop from these bio-prospecting discoveries, as well as useful compositions of matter and methods of using the same.
The sea cucumbers constitute the taxonomic Class Holothuroidea in the Phylum Echinodermata. They possess an elongated body comprising a thick, leathery body wall of epithelial and collagenous layers surrounding the internal organs or viscera, an anterior mouth surrounded by numerous retractile tentacles (herein referred to as the "flower"), and a posterior portion comprising cloaca and anus. Muscle bands are found along the length of the interior surface of the body wall.
Sea cucumbers are a well-known Chinese delicacy harvested from many areas of the world and are a valuable trading resource in Chinese-speaking countries. There are a number of patent applications by Chinese groups relating to sea cucumbers as nutritional supplements (e.g., Chinese application CN 1065019) and patents or applications from Japanese groups relating to various carbohydrate moieties from sea cucumber as anticoagulants (JP 94070085 B2; WO 9008784) and as active components for treating AIDS (WO 9202231; WO 9009181). Historically, sea cucumbers for the worldwide market have been harvested, boiled with the muscles intact, and then salted and dried over an open flame. Salting and drying are the traditional methods of obtaining a product that is safe for storage and transportation. Nutritional supplements have been prepared by finely dividing these salted and fire-dried sea cucumber body walls for use in encapsulated products.
Sea cucumber tissue has been found to contain numerous compounds having potential as biologically active agents in medical and veterinary applications. These include sulfated polysaccharides (e.g. fucosylated chondroitin sulfate, Viera & Mourao, JBC, vol. 263, pp. 18176-83 (1988)), sterol glycosides, saponins (e.g., frondogenin and its glycosides, Findlay et al., J. Natural Products, vol. 47, pp. 320-324 (1984)), lactones (e.g., triterpenoid lactones, their acetates and glycosides, Findlay et al., supra), peptides, protamines, glycogens, saccharides (e.g. fucose, galactosamine, glucuronic acid, quinovose, xylose or O-methylglucose, Findlay et al., supra), polysaccharides (e.g., polyfucose sulfate, WO 9202231) and various amorphous compounds rich in saccharide moieties (Findlay et al., supra). Fucosylated chondroitin sulfate isolated from sea cucumber body walls by the methods of Viera & Mourao, supra, is especially interesting in that it demonstrates an anticoagulant activity unique to the family of chondroitin sulfate compounds that is apparently dependant on the particular spacial configuration of sulfate and fucose groups found in sea cucumber fucosylated chondroitin sulfates. Mourao, JBC, vol. 271(39)(27 Sept., 1996).

Inhibition of complement pathway by sea cucumber fractions


An accessory attachment system for a machine is disclosed. The accessory attachment system includes a housing configured to be detachably coupled with the machine. A plurality of electric connectors is disposed in the housing. The plurality of electric connectors is communicably coupled with an electrical system of the machine. The plurality of electric connectors is configured to selectively provide an electric power to one or more detachable external devices. A fluid connector is disposed in the housing. The fluid connector is in fluid communication with a hydraulic system of the machine. The accessory attachment system further includes a hydraulic device detachably coupled with the housing. The hydraulic device includes a device fluid connector configured to be fluidly coupled with the fluid connector of the housing. The hydraulic device is selectively powered by the hydraulic system of the machine.

Machines such as, construction, agriculture, transportation and mining machines include an electrical system powered by a power source of the machine. The electrical system may provide power to motors that are coupled with ground engaging members to propel the machine. The machines also include a hydraulic system powered by the power source. The hydraulic system and/or the electrical system may drive various implements of the machine. These implements are generally used to perform various tasks such as, digging, dozing, loading, tilling, hauling and other similar tasks.
In addition to these predefined tasks, there may be additional and/or different types of tasks that need to be performed at a worksite. These tasks may require many different pieces of equipment that need to be arranged alongside the machines and maintained at the worksite. Further, transporting and maintaining this additional equipment may increase the operational cost of the worksite. Therefore, it may be desirable to enhance the functionality and usage of a single machine for performing multiple purposes within the worksite. However, the power source for the electrical system and the hydraulic system within each of the machines may not be directly usable for performing these additional tasks.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,673,713 discloses a dual purpose mobile machine. The mobile machine may have a power source configured to propel the mobile machine and generate electric power for off-board use of the mobile machine. The machine may also have a work tool driven by the power source.


An ultrasonic therapeutic device and an ultrasonic therapeutic system including the ultrasonic therapeutic device and guided by an imaging device are provided. The ultrasonic therapeutic device includes an ultrasonic therapeutic applicator that comprises an ultrasonic transducer, a box which contains the ultrasonic therapeutic applicator and the couplant liquid, a moving unit which extends through the wall of the box and connects the ultrasonic therapeutic applicator, and compensating units which set on opposing sides of and incorporate with the box and holds the level of the liquid when the moving unit drives the ultrasonic therapeutic applicator to move. Stabilization of the liquid level in the box consequently decreases the interference to imaging results of an imaging device due to the level changing of the couplant liquid and improves the diagnostic accuracy of the imaging device.

The therapeutic principle of a focused ultrasonic therapeutic system is to employ ultrasonic waves that are capable of going through the physical tissue and being focused within the tissue. Therefore, the ultrasonic beams are focused accurately at the diseased part of a patient and the instantaneous high temperature caused by focusing at a focal spot can cause coagulation necrosis of tissue within the targeted location, and the non-invasive therapy can be achieved. The imaging device such as MRI can quickly obtain the images of the internal body structures of a patient with high accuracy; therefore, the imaging device is always used together with an ultrasonic therapeutic system.
In a focused ultrasonic therapeutic system, the ultrasonic waves transmitted from the ultrasonic transducer are eventually focused at the targeted location through the couplant liquid. For an ultrasonic transducer with a fixed focal point, the movement of the focal point is realized by external moving locating mechanism, for example, the mechanical arm 7 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the ultrasonic therapeutic applicator 5 and some part of the mechanical arm 7 are located in the box 9 that contains couplant liquid 4. The mechanical arm 7 is seal-connected with the box 9 through a flexible joining unit 8. During treatment, when the mechanical arm 7 drives the focal point of ultrasonic therapeutic device to move within the target area, the level of couplant liquid in the box will vary accordingly. As shown in FIG. 1, when the ultrasonic therapeutic applicator 5 moves ΔX along the positive direction of X-axis, the level of couplant liquid in the box will change from H to H+ΔH1. As shown in FIG. 2, when the ultrasonic therapeutic applicator 5 moves ΔY along the positive direction of Y-axis, the level of couplant liquid in the box will change from H to H+ΔH2.
In the prior art, the flexible joining unit 8 sometimes adopts flexible telescopic sleeve. If the shape of telescopic sleeve is selected appropriately, when the ultrasonic therapeutic applicator moves in Y-direction, ΔH2=0 and the liquid level keeps unchanged; but when the ultrasonic therapeutic applicator moves in X-direction and when ΔX≠0, ΔH1≠0 and the liquid level varies.
When the imaging device is introduced with the ultrasonic therapeutic system, especially an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) apparatus, the level changes of couplant liquid will influence the imaging results of MRI and accordingly the diagnostic effect of MRI is influenced.
Therefore, it is very important for an ultrasonic therapeutic system guided by MRI to keep the level of couplant liquid unchanged.

Ultrasonic therapeutic device and an ultrasonic therapeutic system of using the same

Chongqing Ronghai Medical Ultrasound Industry Ltd.


An output match circuit is coupled between the terminal of a high-frequency device and a ground terminal. The output match circuit includes an LC shunt and an LC notch serially coupled to the LC shunt, wherein the LC notch includes a resonant capacitive element in series with a resonant inductive element. The LC notch may simply include a resonant inductive element coupled directly to the ground terminal. The series inductive element may have a terminal coupled between the resonant capacitive element and the resonant inductive element.

High-power RF devices and other high-frequency devices have achieved wide popularity in recent years, particularly in cellular base-station applications, where it is desirable to provide high instantaneous bandwidth at a fairly high power level. Due to the nature of RF power devices, however, it is often necessary to employ impedance transformation circuitry in conjunction with the amplifier output.
Prior art impedance transformation circuits typically include a shunt inductance element in series with a large capacitor configured to provide DC blocking. Such shunt capacitors may, for example, be on the order of 200 pF for a 50 W RF power device. The resonant frequency of DC blocking capacitors combined with the presence of an external bias (which has its own effective capacitance and inductance) greatly limit the low frequency instantaneous bandwidth of an amplifier. Thus, the use of traditional shunt output match circuits will become increasingly undesirable as the need for greater bandwidth increases. Furthermore, the use of large capacitors often results in output match losses (Q).
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide output match circuitry with an appropriate base-band (low-frequency) resonant frequency and greater instantaneous bandwidth. Furthermore, 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 high-frequency output match circuit


Described herein is a technology for facilitating visualization of multiple hierarchies. In some implementations, a primary hierarchy having primary components arranged in different primary hierarchical levels is provided. A second hierarchy for the primary components of the primary hierarchy is provided. The primary components are configured as geometric objects with concentric zones corresponding to different secondary hierarchical levels with secondary components.

A hierarchy is typically visualized as a pyramid or a tree structure. At the top of the tree structure is the highest component of the hierarchy while all other components below it are subordinate components. The position of a component represents its rank. For example, higher ranking components are positioned above lower ranking components while equivalent ranking components are positioned similarly in the tree structure.
Components within a hierarchy may have their own hierarchies. To visualize the different hierarchies, separate tree structures are employed. For example, different hierarchies are represented using different views. This is because conventional tree structures used in visualizing hierarchies are ineffective for visualizing multiple hierarchies in a single view.
The present disclosure is directed to effectively visualize multiple hierarchies.


Included are a loop filter, a quantization circuit section, and a current steering digital-analog conversion section. The quantization circuit section converts a loop filter output into a digital value. The current steering digital-analog conversion section is provided in a feedback loop that feeds back the output of the quantization circuit section to the loop filter. Then, each of the analog-digital converters includes a first input signal current path, a second input signal current path, a first feedback current path, and a second feedback current path. The first input signal current path feeds a first input signal current to an input end of a first stage integrator of the loop filter. The second input signal current path feeds a second input signal current, a current opposite in sign to the first input signal current, to an input end of a second stage integrator of the loop filter. The first feedback current path connects one feedback output end of the current steering digital-analog conversion section to the input end of the first stage integrator of the loop filter. The second feedback current path connects other feedback output end of the current steering digital-analog conversion section to the input end of the second stage integrator of the loop filter.

For example, a ΔΣ analog-digital converter is known as a type of analog-digital converter (converter) (refer, for example, to PTL 1). Of ΔΣ analog-digital converters, a continuous-time ΔΣ analog-digital converter is generally often provided with a plurality of digital-analog conversion sections (DA conversion sections) in a feedback loop in order to stabilize the feedback loop.

Analog-digital converter, solid-state imaging element, and electronic equipment

SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION