Deleterious physical sputtering of workpiece layers accompanying removal of photoresist layers from the workpiece by plasma ashing utilizing an active plasma ashing gas such as O2, N2, N2/O2, or H2/N2 gas mixtures admixed with Ar inert carrier gas/diluent, is eliminated, or at least substantially reduced, by replacing the Ar with an inert gas of greater atomic weight, such as Kr or Xe, and supplying a lower level of electrical power to the plasma reactor than when Ar is utilized.

This application contains subject matter similar to subject matter disclosed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/805,974, filed on Mar. 15, 2002.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improved methods for performing plasma ashing of a photoresist material. More specifically, the present invention relates to improved methods for performing plasma ashing of patterned photoresist layers subsequent to formation of openings in a dielectric layer as part of multi- metallization level processing utilized in the fabrication of high integration density, semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) devices having submicron-dimensioned design features, wherein deleterious reaction of underlying metallization features with the gas(es) utilized for plasma ashing of photoresist is advantageously eliminated, or at least substantially reduced.
2. Background of the Invention
The escalating requirements for high integration density and performance associated with ultra large-scale (xe2x80x9cULSIxe2x80x9d) integration semiconductor device wiring and interconnection require responsive changes in interconnection technology. Such escalating requirements have been difficult to satisfy in terms of providing a low resistance-capacitance (xe2x80x9cRCxe2x80x9d) interconnection pattern, particularly wherein the various metallization features, e.g., vias, contacts, trenches, etc., are submicron-dimensioned and have high aspect ratios due to micro-miniaturization.
Conventional semiconductor IC devices typically comprise a semiconductor substrate, such as a monocrystalline silicon (Si) wafer including a plurality of active device regions formed thereon or therein, and a plurality of pairs of overlying, sequentially formed inter-layer dielectrics (xe2x80x9cILDxe2x80x9ds) and patterned metal layers. An integrated circuit is formed therefrom containing a plurality of electrically conductive patterns comprising conductive lines separated by interwiring spaces, and a plurality of interconnect lines, such as bus lines, bit lines, word lines and logic interconnect lines. Typically, the conductive patterns of different layers, i.e., upper and lower vertically spaced-apart layers, are electrically connected by a conductive plug filling a via opening, while a conductive plug filling a contact opening establishes an electrical contact with an active device region on or in the semiconductor substrate, such as a source or drain region of a transistor. Conductive lines are formed in trenches which typically extend substantially horizontal with respect to the semiconductor substrate. Semiconductor IC devices comprising five (5) or more such levels of vertically interconnected metallization are becoming more prevalent as device geometries decrease into the deep submicron range.
A conductive plug filling a via opening is typically formed by a process sequence comprising: (1) depositing an inter-layer dielectric (ILD) on a patterned, electrically conductive layer, e.g., a metal layer comprising at least one metal feature; (2) forming a desired opening in the ILD, as by conventional photolithographic masking and etching techniques, and filling the opening with an electrically conductive material, e.g., tungsten (W); and (3) removing excess conductive material deposited on the surface of the ILD during filling of the opening, as by chemical-mechanical polishing/planarization (xe2x80x9cCMPxe2x80x9d).
One such method for fabricating electrically conductive vias is termed xe2x80x9cdamascenexe2x80x9d type processing and basically involves the formation of an opening in an ILD which is filled with a metal plug. xe2x80x9cDual-damascenexe2x80x9d processing techniques involve formation of an opening in an ILD comprising a lower, contact or via opening section communicating with an upper, trench opening section, followed by filling of both the lower and upper sections of the opening with an electrically conductive material, typically a metal or metallic material, to simultaneously form a conductive (via) plug in electrical contact with a conductive line.
Referring now to FIGS. 1(A)-1(C), illustrated therein in schematic, cross-sectional form, are several stages of a typical photolithographic masking+ etching process conventionally utilized for forming an opening in an ILD layer for use as, for example, a via, bus line, bit line, word line, or interconnection line in metallization processing of semiconductor IC devices, e.g., according to the above-described damascene-type techniques.
Referring particularly to FIG. 1, precursor structure 1 is of conventional structure and includes a lower metal feature 11, e.g., of copper (Cu) or a Cu-based alloy, in-laid within a first, or lower, ILD layer 10 overlying a substrate (not shown in the figure for illustrative simplicity), typically a monocrystalline Si wafer. Precursor structure 1 further comprises a thin nitride layer 14, typically a silicon nitride (SixNy) layer from about 300-1000 xc3x85 thick, e.g., about 500 xc3x85 thick, formed, as by conventional techniques, to overlie the ILD layer 10 and its in-laid metal feature 11. Second, or upper ILD layer 12 is formed, as by conventional deposition techniques, to overlie the thin nitride layer 14. In this context, portion 14xe2x80x2 of thin nitride layer 14 overlying metal feature 11 serves both as an etch stop layer during patterning of the second, upper ILD layer 12 to form a desired opening 15 therein as part of the metallization process, and as a protective layer for preventing deleterious reaction of the metal feature 11, e.g., oxidation, nitridation, etc., during processing antecedent to filling the opening with a metal material, e.g., during reactive plasma etching of the second, upper ILD layer 12 to form opening 15. Organic-based photoresist layer 13 formed over the second, upper ILD layer 12 and patterned by conventional photolithographic masking and etching techniques serves as an etch mask during the reactive plasma etching.
Adverting to FIG. 1(B), subsequent to formation of opening 15 in second, upper ILD layer 12, according to conventional processing methodology, the patterned photoresist mask is then removed by means of a plasma ashing process, typically utilizing an oxygen (O2) or nitrogen (N2)-based plasma (or a mixed O2/N2 or N2/H2 plasma) with admixed argon (Ar) gas functioning as an inert carrier gas/diluent for the O2, N2, O2/N2, or N2/H2.
As utilized herein, the term xe2x80x9cplasma ashingxe2x80x9d designates plasma processes for removing organic-based photoresists, e.g., subsequent to their use as etch masks, etc. By way of illustration only, a typical O2-based plasma ashing reaction is conducted (in a suitable reactor) between a carbon (C)- and hydrogen (H)-containing photoresist material generally designated by the formula CxHy, and plasma-activated oxygen species, generally designated as O*. according to the following equation, in which each of the reaction products is volatile and thus readily removed from the reactor chamber:
CxHy+O*=CO(gas)+H2O(gas)+CO2(gas)
The plasma ashing process is conducted within the interior space of a suitably configured reactor with radio frequency (RF) or microwave (xcexcwave) energization at an applied power density determined in view of a number of process/apparatus parameters, including, inter alia, the reactor size, particular ashing gas or gases, their flow rate(s) and pressure(s), photoresist composition, desired ashing rate, substrate temperature, etc. As a consequence of the plurality of process variables/parameters, the power level applied to the reactor typically is optimized for use in a particular situation/application.
As indicated above, the active plasma ashing gases, e.g., O2, N2, O2/N2, or N2/H2 mixtures, are frequently supplied to the interior space of the plasma reactor admixed with inert argon (Ar) gas as a carrier gas/diluent, in order to facilitate plasma formation and moderate the plasma ashing reaction. However, as indicated in FIG. 1(B), argon ions (Ar+) generated in the ashing plasma bombard the exposed surfaces of the precursor structure 1 to sputter etch the exposed surfaces thereof at various etching rates, depending upon the particular material. However, inasmuch as the portion of the nitride etch stop/protective layer 14 exposed at the bottom of opening 15 is initially very thin, typically only about 500 xc3x85 thick, any loss of thickness thereof arising from sputter etching by Ar+ ions during plasma ashing of the photoresist layer 13 for removal thereof, is problematic from the viewpoint of the requirement for maintaining the integrity and continuity of the thin nitride layer 14 prior to its desired removal immediately before opening 15 is filled with a metal, as in via formation.
Referring now to FIG. 1(C) illustrating the state of precursor structure 1 after completion of plasma ashing processing for removal of the photoresist layer 13, it is evident that a significant fraction of the thickness of the thin nitride layer 14 has been removed during the course of the plasma ashing due to physical sputter etching by bombardment of the workpiece by Ar+ ions generated in the plasma, thereby reducing its integrity and protective (e.g., oxidation preventive) characteristics. Further, in some instances, for example as indicated in the figure by reference numeral 16, removal of the thin nitride layer 14 is sufficiently complete as to expose portions of the upper surface of the underlying metallization feature 11, and, in extreme instances, expose the entire upper surface thereof. As a consequence, at least portions of the upper surface of the metallization feature 11 are subject to deleterious reaction with the active plasma gases during the plasma ashing, such as O2, N2, O2/N2, or N2/H2 mixtures, whereby the upper surface of the metallization feature 11 is oxidized, nitrided, or oxynitrided to form a high resistance surface layer inimical to good electrical contact formation/adhesion with the metal material which subsequently fills the opening 15.
Accordingly, there exists a need for improved methodology for performing simple, reliable, rapid, and cost-effective plasma ashing processing of photoresists for removal thereof subsequent to their use as etch masks, which methodology effectively avoids the drawbacks and disadvantages associate with conventional techniques and provides, inter alia, no or at least a substantially reduced amount of disadvantageous, deleterious physical sputtering of the workpiece.
The present invention, wherein deleterious physical sputtering of a workpiece during removal of a photoresist therefrom by plasma ashing is eliminated, or at least substantially reduced, in which: (1) argon (Ar) gas as the inert carrier gas/diluent for the O2, N2, O2/N2, N2/H2 active plasma ashing gas or gases is replaced with an inert carrier gas/diluent having an atomic weight greater than that of Ar, such as krypton (Kr) and xenon (Xe); and (2) the electrical power supplied to the plasma reactor is less than that supplied to the plasma reactor when Ar is utilized, effectively addresses and solves the need for improved methodology for use in removal of photoresist materials by means of plasma ashing, particularly in the manufacture of multi-level metallization semiconductor integrated circuit devices. Further, the methodology provided by the present invention can be easily implemented in a cost-effective manner utilizing conventional plasma reactor apparatus. Finally, the methodology afforded by the instant invention enjoys diverse utility in the manufacture of numerous and various types of semiconductor devices and/or components.
An advantage of the present invention is an improved method for removing photoresist layers from a workpiece surface by means of plasma ashing.
Another advantage of the present invention is an improved method for performing plasma ashing of photoresist layers on a workpiece surface which incurs no, or at least substantially reduced, damage to the workpiece arising from sputter etching by ionized species of the carrier/diluent gas for the active plasma ashing gas.
Still another advantage of the present invention is an improved method for performing plasma ashing of photoresist layers as part of a process sequence for forming openings in a dielectric layer as part of a process for fabricating a semiconductor device including in-laid metallization.
Additional advantages and other features of the present invention will be set forth in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from the practice of the invention. The advantages of the present invention may be realized as particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the foregoing and other advantages are obtained in part by a method of removing a photoresist layer from a workpiece by means of plasma ashing, comprising the steps of:
(a) providing the interior space of a plasma reactor with a workpiece including at least one layer of a photoresist material on a surface thereof;
(b) supplying the interior space of the reactor with a gas mixture comprising a plasma ashing gas and a carrier gas/diluent for the plasma ashing gas, the carrier gas/diluent comprising an inert gas having an atomic weight greater than that of argon (Ar); and
(c) removing the at least one layer of photoresist material from the workpiece surface by generating a plasma comprising the plasma ashing gas and the carrier gas/diluent within the interior space of the reactor by supplying electrical power thereto at a level which is less than that supplied to the reactor when utilizing Ar gas as a carrier gas/diluent for the plasma ashing gas, whereby deleterious sputter etching of the workpiece resulting from bombardment of the workpiece by the ionized carrier gas/diluent of the plasma is eliminated, or at least substantially reduced, relative to when Ar gas is utilized as the carrier gas/diluent.
According to embodiments of the present invention, step (b) comprises supplying the interior space of the reactor with an oxygen/krypton (O2/Kr) gas mixture, an oxygen/xenon (O2/Xe) gas mixture, a nitrogen/krypton (N2/Kr) gas mixture, an oxygen/nitrogen/krypton (O2/N2/Kr) gas mixture, a nitrogen/hydrogen/krypton (N2/H2/Kr) gas mixture, a nitrogen/xenon (N2/Xe) gas mixture, an oxygen/nitrogen/xenon (O2/N2/Xe) gas mixture, or a nitrogen/hydrogen/xenon (N2/H2/Xe) gas mixture; and step (c) comprises supplying the interior space of the reactor with RF or microwave (xcexcwave) electrical power.
In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, step (a) comprises providing a workpiece including at least one opening extending through a dielectric layer overlying a semiconductor substrate, the opening including a bottom and formed by an etching process utilizing the at least one layer of photoresist material as an etch mask.
According to particular embodiments of the present invention, step (a) comprises providing a workpiece wherein the bottom of the at least one opening overlies at least a portion of a metal feature of the workpiece, with a thin layer of a protective material overlying at least the surface of the metal feature at the bottom of the opening; and step (c) comprises eliminating, or at least substantially reducing, sputter etching of the thin, protective layer at the bottom of the opening arising from bombardment by ions of the carrier/inert gas, thereby maintaining protection of the underlying metal feature from reaction with the plasma ashing gas during the plasma ashing of the photoresist layer.
According to alternate embodiments of the present invention, step (a) comprises providing a workpiece wherein the at least one opening in the dielectric layer comprises an opening for forming an in-laid metallization feature utilizing single- or dual-damascene processing.
In accordance with particular embodiments of the present invention, step (a) comprises providing a workpiece wherein the at least one metal feature comprises copper (Cu) or a Cu-based alloy and the thin layer of protective material comprises a nitride.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device comprises the sequential steps of:
(a) providing a workpiece comprising:
(i) a semiconductor substrate having a surface;
(ii) a first dielectric layer overlying the substrate surface,
(iii) at least one metal feature in-laid in the surface of the dielectric layer;
(iv) a thin, protective/etch stop layer overlying the at least one in-laid metal feature and the first dielectric layer; and
(v) a second dielectric layer overlying the thin, protective/etch stop layer;
(b) forming a layer of a photoresist material over the surface of the second dielectric layer;
(c) patterning the layer of photoresist material to define at least one opening therein at least partly overlying the at least one metal feature;
(d) forming an opening extending through the second dielectric layer to the thin, protective/etch stop layer by an etching process utilizing the patterned layer of photoresist material as an etch mask, the opening comprising a bottom surface formed by the thin, protective/etch stop layer; and
(e) removing the patterned layer of photoresist material from the surface of the second dielectric layer by a plasma ashing process, comprising:
(i) installing the etched workpiece within the interior space of a plasma reactor;
(ii) supplying the interior space of the reactor with a gas mixture comprising a plasma ashing gas and a carrier gas/diluent for the plasma ashing gas, the carrier gas/diluent comprising an inert gas having an atomic weight greater than that of argon (Ar); and
(iii) removing the patterned layer of photoresist material from the surface of the second dielectric layer by generating a plasma comprising the plasma ashing gas and the carrier gas/diluent within the interior space of the reactor by supplying electrical power thereto at a level less than that supplied to the reactor when utilizing Ar gas as a carrier gas/diluent for the plasma ashing gas, whereby deleterious sputter etching of the protective/etch stop layer forming the bottom surface of the opening in the second dielectric layer is eliminated, or at least substantially reduced, relative to when Ar gas is utilized as the carrier gas/diluent, thereby maintaining protection of the at least one in-laid metal feature from reaction with the plasma ashing gas during the plasma ashing of the patterned layer of photoresist material.
According to embodiments of the present invention, step (a) comprises providing a workpiece wherein the at least one in-laid metal feature comprises copper (Cu) or a Cu-based alloy and the thin, protective/etch stop layer comprises a nitride.
In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, step (e)(ii) comprises supplying said interior space of said reactor with an oxygen/krypton (O2/Kr) gas mixture, an oxygen/xenon (O2/Xe) gas mixture, a nitrogen/krypton (N2/Kr) gas mixture, an oxygen/nitrogen/krypton (O2/N2/Kr) gas mixture, a nitrogen/hydrogen/krypton (N2/H2/Kr) gas mixture, a nitrogen/xenon (N2/Xe) gas mixture, an oxygen/nitrogen/xenon (O2/N2/Xe) gas mixture, or a nitrogen/hydrogen/xenon (N2/H2/Xe) gas mixture; and step (e)(iii) comprises supplying said interior space of said reactor with RF or microwave (xcexcwave) electrical power.
According to particular embodiments of the present invention, step (d) comprises forming an opening extending through the second dielectric layer for forming an in-laid metallization feature utilizing single- or dual-damascene processing.
Additional advantages and aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein embodiments of the present invention are shown and described, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated for practicing the present invention. As will be described, the present invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are susceptible of modification in various obvious respects, all without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as limitative.

Carrier gas modification for use in plasma ashing of photoresist


A handle structure for a chest pull includes a substantially ring-shaped handle having a tapered passage defined radially therethrough. A positioning device including a sphere member is sized to be movably retained in the tapered passage. A shank extends from the sphere member and is connected to a collar member which has an aperture defined therethrough. A positioning member has a head movably retained in the collar member and a tail extending transversely from a mediate point of the head. The tail is positioned corresponding to the collar member so as to position a resilient member between the head and the collar member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a handle structure for a chest pull and which includes a passage defined through a ring-shaped handle thereof, and a tube positioning device for securing the resilient tube in the passage of the handle.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 8 shows a chest pull which includes two grip portions 10 and a resilient tube 11 connected between the two grip portions 10. FIG. 9 shows one of two grip portions 10 to which an end of the tube 11 is fixedly positioned. The grip portion 10 is composed of a soft fabric strip 100 and a metal ring 12 which is fixedly inserted into two overlapped ends of the strip 100 and the two ends of the strip 100 are sewed together so as to form a loop. A plastic pipe 13 is rotatably mounted to the loop so that a user may hold the pipe 13 and pull the two grip portions 10 in opposite directions. The resilient tube 11 has each one of two ends thereof inserted through the metal ring 12. A ball 14 is fixedly received in each distal end of the resilient tube 11 extending through the metal ring 12 so as to prevent the resilient tube 11 from disengaging from the metal ring 12. Therefore, the user may stretch the resilient tube 11 by pulling the two grip portions 10 apart in opposite directions. The ball 14 is fixedly received in the resilient tube 11 and is not supposed to be removed, so that an effective length, between the two balls 14, of the resilient tube 11 is fixed. This fixed length obviously cannot meet various needs of different users so that, theoretically, all the members of a family who wish to exercize each have to buy a chest pull because of the fixed effective length. Furthermore, how to fixedly receive the ball into the resilient tube 11 and ensure that the ball 14 will not escape therefrom within a short period of time is troublesome for manufacturers.
The present invention intends to provide a handle structure for a chest pull and a length between two handles can be easily adjusted so as to mitigate and/or obviate the above-mentioned problems.


An accessory for knives which will protect the blade, when the knife is not in use, sharpen the blade when necessary, and provide greater cutting power to the knife blade.

This invention relates, in general, to kitchen accessories, and, in particular, to an accessory for a knife.
In the prior art various types of kitchen knives have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,959,905 to Ghislain discloses a knife accessory having a slot for receiving the sharp edge of a knife.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,113,587 to Loomis discloses a knife with a handle which is mounted over the knife to help cutting firm articles.
U.S. Pat. No. 230,393 to Barker et al discloses a removable handle for a knife which is mounted over the knife to help cutting firm articles.
U.S. Pat. No. 319,091 to Harrington discloses an additional handle for a knife which surrounds the knife blade.
While the prior art inventions work for their intended purposes, all of the prior art patents have drawbacks. Primarily, none of the prior art patents take into consideration all of the difficulties associated with knives such as protecting the blade edge, sharpening the blade and increasing the cutting power of the blade. While the prior art patents provide for some of these functions, none of the patents take all of these criteria into consideration and provide a single accessory which will provide a useful and convenient accessory for knives.
The present invention is directed to an accessory for knives which will protect the blade, when the knife is not in use, sharpen the blade when necessary, and provide greater cutting power to the knife blade.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved accessory for knives.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved accessory for knives which is conveniently and readily accessible for use.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved accessory for knives which will protect the blade, sharpen the blade and provide greater cutting power in a single accessory.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully apparent from the following description, when taken in connection with the annexed drawings.


A magnetically-attachable roof rack, in particular a ski rack, comprises on the one hand a flexible plate which is made of magnetic material and can be fitted on a vehicle roof, and a flexible base plate attached to the magnetic plate, and on the other hand a rack unit supported by the base plate, with vibration-damping means interposed. The vibration-damping means constitute a semi-articulated flexible coupling connected to the base plate in an area around its center. The flexible coupling preferably comprises a resiliently flexible intermediate plate and vibration-damping supports which connect the intermediate plate securely to the base plate on the one hand and to the rack unit on the other hand.

The present invention relates to a magnetically attachable roof rack for a motor vehicle, of the type which comprises a flexible plate which is made of magnetic material and can be fitted on the roof and which can be adapted to the shape of the latter, a flexible base plate connected to the plate made of magnetic material and attached to the latter, and a rack unit supported by the base plate with vibration-damping means interposed, in order to prevent vibrations from being transmitted from the rack unit to the metal plate.
The invention was conceived for application to a ski rack, but this application is not limiting.
Many examples of magnetically attached devices of the type in question are already known, including those known from documents DE-A-2 423 565, DE-A-3 135 649, DE-A-3 221 126, FR-A-2 582 062 and IT-A-90 22271.
The prior art closest to the invention is disclosed in document IT-U-211 951. This document concerns a ski rack in which a rack unit, shaped so as to receive two pairs of skis, is pivotable about a vertical rod which is integral with the centre of a metal base plate, which in turn is integral with the magnetic plate. The rack unit is slidable along the vertical rod and is retained on the latter with the interposition of elastic means in the form of a helical compression spring which enables the rack unit to oscillate vertically and to damp the vertical stresses transmitted to the base plate by the rod.
According to this known solution all the lateral forces applied to the rack unit, such as for example those caused by centrifugal force on bends and by the relative wind, are transmitted in the form of twisting moments, of which the point of application is concentrated at the base of the rod, on the metal base plate and on the underlying magnetic plate.
It will be appreciated that since the rack unit is attached to the metal plate only at a central point of the latter, it is subject to considerable lateral oscillations, which in the long term can give rise to spontaneous detachment of the magnetic plate from the roof. Additionally, when the magnetic plate is being detached from the roof, the metal base plate tends to be deformed by being drawn outwards in the centre, causing it to become detached unintentionally from the magnetic plate.
These disadvantages could be eliminated by the thickness of the base plate being increased, but an increase in the thickness of the base plate stiffens it and impedes adaptation of the flexible magnetic plate to the "convexity" or curvature of the vehicle roof.
In order to prevent these problems, an alternative solution could consist of widening the attachment base, in other words the base plate and the underlying magnetic plate, but even if this is done it detracts from the ability of the magnetic plate to be adapted to the roof and, additionally, from the point of view of vibrations, the opposite result of a very rigid product which does not absorb the vibrations is obtained.
The above-described disadvantages are also encountered in other types of magnetically attached devices, such as for example that according to DE-A-2 423 565.
Another solution aimed at avoiding the aforementioned disadvantage consists in connecting the magnetic supports in pairs by means of crosspieces and/or longitudinal members, as shown for example in documents DE-A-3 221 126 and FR-A-2 582 062.
However this solution has the disadvantage that it makes the operations of fitting and removing the ski rack or general purpose rack unnecessarily complex, and additionally does not permit use for example of two supports alone, aligned in the vicinity of an edge of the roof.

Magnetically attached roof rack for a motor vehicle


An infrared spectrometer includes an infrared source system that is stabilized to provide a substantially constant output light intensity. The infrared source system includes a source element adapted to receive electrical power and to emit light at an intensity related to the electrical power received by the source element. A light detector is mounted in position to receive light emitted from the source element and to provide an output signal related to the intensity of the light received by the detector. A feedback control loop receives the signal from the detector and provides electrical power to the source element to maintain the intensity of the light output from the source element at a selected level as detected by the detector.

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometers are utilized in the analysis of chemical compounds. In these instruments, an infrared source provides a beam of infrared radiation having a band of infrared wavelengths which is passed into an interferometer, typically a Michelson interferometer, and is modulated before being passed through or reflected from the sample to be analyzed. The beam is then directed to a detector. The interferometer modulates the radiation received by it to provide an output beam in which many narrow ranges of infrared wavelengths are typically reduced or enhanced in intensity, with the affected range of wavelengths changing periodically over time. The time correlated output signal from the detector is analyzed by Fourier transformation to derive information on the characteristics of the sample. Examples of FTIR spectrometers and interferometers for such spectrometers are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,799,011, 4,847,878, 5,153,675, 5,883,712, 5,896,197 and 6,667,808.
Typical infrared sources used in infrared spectrometers use a source element formed of a loop of high resistance electrical conductor, such as silicon carbide, that is supplied with electrical power to be resistively heated to a high temperature that is typically in the range of 1,000° to 1,300° C. At these temperatures, the source element radiates a broad range of infrared light as well as visible light. As used herein, visible and infrared radiation will both be referred to as "light." Generally, the intensity of both the infrared and visible light emitted by the source element is proportional (although not necessarily linearly) to the electrical power supplied to the source element. Commonly used source elements include igniters of the type used in furnaces and stoves. Infrared sources for spectrometers typically include an insulated enclosure surrounding the source element with an opening in the enclosure through which the beam of infrared radiation can exit in a desired direction. An example of an infrared source for infrared spectrometers with a fully enclosed source element is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,291,022, which is incorporated by reference. More commonly, the source element is exposed to the surrounding atmosphere.
To obtain consistent spectra from a spectrometer, it is desirable that the intensity of the output beam from the infrared source be relatively constant. Maintaining a constant output from the source is important to spectrometer performance because changes in energy output from the source are reflected in the spectra that are produced by the instrument. For example, a decrease in source energy that may occur between the time when a background spectrum is taken and the time when a sample spectrum is taken will produce a sample spectrum that is erroneously low in energy. Changes in source energy also produce a spectral shift in the instrument line shape due to the black body changes that occur with temperature, and this will also distort spectra produced by the spectrometer.
The source element is typically operated in air, and short-term changes in the surrounding air and purge gas flows within the spectrometer housing can cause short duration changes in the source temperature. Long-term changes in the source temperature occur as the source degrades due to chemical reactions which result from the high operating temperature of the source.
Conventional spectrometers have attempted to maintain the energy output of the source constant by supplying the source element with a constant voltage or current. However, over a long period of time, the output of a typical infrared source element for a given voltage or current input will decline, and most source elements have a non-linear relationship between supply current and element temperature so that control of the voltage or current supplied to the source element does not assure a constant light energy output from the source element over time. Furthermore, most infrared sources have finite lifetimes because of surface oxidation and other problems related to the high operating temperatures (1000° to 1300° C.). The infrared sources can thus burn out, sometimes without advance warning, requiring replacement of the source before further measurements can be done using the spectrometer.

Stabilized infrared source for infrared spectrometers

Thermo Electron Scientific Instruments Corporation


A data switchover from a first switching module to a second switching module has no data loss. A graceful code upgrade in a Fibre Channel network, for example, with no data loss can be achieved.

As is known in the art, there are a wide variety of protocols for controlling the flow of data in a network. For example, the Fibre Channel communications protocol is designed to optimize specific types of data traffic including block level data transfers. This protocol is designed to have high performance and high scalability: current standards propose 10,000 Mb/s speeds. A single Fibre Channel fabric can support from about 2 to over 16 million concurrent ports using a 24-bit address identifier. The Fibre Channel protocol supports a heterogeneous system allowing different peripherals using different cabling types to communicate at high speed. Exemplary device types include supercomputers, mainframes, workstations, desktop PCs, other Fibre Channel switches, and tape drives.
Network Switch Topology or Fabric is used to form a mesh of connections. Each attached device is able to communicate with other attached devices. In a Fibre Channel network, a communication channel is established between two nodes where the channel's primary task is to transport data from one point to another. The Fibre Channel switch provides flexible circuit/packet switched topology by establishing multiple simultaneous point-to-point connections. A Fibre Channel switch centralizes data flow in a Storage Area Network (SAN). This centralization allows for simplified Quality of Service (QoS) architectures. Management of the SAN is simplified as it is reduced to the set of devices forming the backbone of the fabric.
In known approaches, the redundant elements in a high availability environment do not operate in such as way as to eliminate frame loss. While the disruption is generally specified in terms of milliseconds, data loss for a high performance device can be extreme. For example, a network switch containing 288 2.5 Gb/s gigabit ports running line rate will lose approximately 72 Megabytes each millisecond during a switchover event.
It would, therefore, be desirable to overcome the aforesaid and other disadvantages.

Network having switchover with no data loss


Techniques for performing network-assisted peer discovery with network coding are disclosed. For peer discovery with network coding, a device may generate a network-coded message based on a message assigned to the device and one or more messages received by the device from other devices. The device may transmit a proximity detection signal including the network-coded message. For network-assisted peer discovery with network coding, the device may register with a network for peer discovery and may be provided with at least one parameter to use for peer discovery with network coding. The devices may perform peer discovery with network coding in accordance with the peer discovery parameter(s) received from the network. The device may generate a network-coded message based on the at least one peer discovery parameter and may transmit the network-coded message to enable other devices to detect the device.

I. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to communication, and more specifically to techniques for supporting peer-to-peer (P2P) communication.
II. Background
Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. These wireless networks may be multiple-access networks capable of supporting multiple users by sharing the available network resources. Examples of such multiple-access networks include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) networks, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) networks, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, and Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks. A wireless communication network may also be referred to as a wide area network (WAN).
A wireless communication network may include a number of base stations that can support communication for a number of devices. A device may communicate with a base station for WAN communication. A device may also be able to communicate directly with one or more other devices for P2P communication. It may be desirable to efficiently support P2P communication between devices.

Network-assisted peer discovery with network coding


A sportswear garment manufactured from a form-fitting clothing article having at least one flexible weight and a plurality of pockets to receive and maintain the weights in an immobile manner is provided. The garment may be provided in a variety of forms including for fitting various body portions. The apparel items are constructed of lightweight, durable form-fitting fabrics that conform to the body of the athlete when worn. Various pocket styles and positionings are possible. The flexible weights may have a flexible metal core surrounded by a cushioning layer and/or a plastic coating on the cushioning layer. In another embodiments, weights are provided having a body comprising a thermoplastic elastomer containing a finely divided mineral filler, the body preferably being covered by an expandible knit material. A method is also provided for manufacturing the latter type of weight.

The present invention generally relates to a flexible weight. More specifically, the present invention relates to a weight which is securable to a human body during exercise, or, in an embodiment, for use in form-fitting exercise garments which carry a flexible weights for enhanced athletic training.
Athletic competitors in sports today utilize a variety of devices to increase strength, quickness and muscular development during their training. Weight lifting and running are integral parts of any workout for athletes in many disciplines. Many attempts have been made to provide athletic clothing that is weighted to provide additional resistance to the athlete when the article is worn during exercise. One such article is an ankle weight. However, the addition of weight to other garments is also known.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,125 discloses athletic sportswear having at least two layers of fabric attached together to form the article. The layers are provided with a plurality of regions between the layers which are filled with particles to add weight to the garment.
Also, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,759,510 a composite exercise garment includes a plurality of compartments which were loaded with particulate weighting materials such as sand, lead shot, or sawdust. However, this type of weighting is very cumbersome or impossible to change and does not provide for a variable amount of resistance for an athlete. A need exists, therefore, for form-fitting exercise apparel capable of carrying flexible weights of various sizes.


A new and distinct cultivar of Phlox plant named ‘Versoldpink’, characterized by its upright and relatively compact plant habit; freely flowering habit; large inflorescences with red purple, purple and white-colored flowers; long flowering period; good garden performance and resistance to Powdery Mildew.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Phlox plant, botanically known as Phlox paniculata and hereinafter referred to by the name 'Versoldpink'.
The new Phlox plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Haarlem, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program was to create new compact and freely-flowering Phlox plants with attractive flower colors.
The new Phlox plant originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in 2007 in Haarlem, The Netherlands, of two unnamed seedling selections of Phlox paniculata, not patented. The new Phlox plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Haarlem, The Netherlands in 2009.
Asexual reproduction of the new Phlox plant by cuttings in a controlled environment in Haarlem, The Netherlands since 2009 has shown that the unique features of this new Phlox plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.


A method and apparatus for reproducing programs recorded on a disc and calculating a remaining play time of programs being reproduced by initially reading from the disc a start address and a stop address of each program, reproducing programs from the disc and decompressing and decoding the reproduced programs, calculating a total number of clusters and sectors of each program by subtracting the start address for each program from the stop address of each program, calculating a total number of clusters and sectors of all programs recorded on the disc by summing the total numbers of clusters and sectors of each program, calculating a total number of clusters and sectors of programs reproduced by actually counting and accumulating the number of clusters and sectors as each program is being decompressed and decoded, calculating a number of remaining clusters and sectors of the programs on the disc by subtracting the total number of clusters and sectors of programs reproduced from the total number of clusters and sectors of all programs recorded on the disc, converting the number of remaining clusters and sectors into time information, and displaying the time information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for calculating a play time of a disc reproducing apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for calculating a play time of a disc reproducing apparatus suitable for a time indication of a recording apparatus for a disc on which data has been recorded after compressed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An optical disc system which records and reproduces digital audio signals to and from an optical disc or magnetooptical disc with a diameter of 64 mm (also called "Mini Disc") which is housed in a disc cartridge has been developed. On an optical disc which is used in the optical disc system, with sound compression technologies, the amount of original digital audio signals is compressed to around 1/5 times thereof and recorded. Thus, using a small disc with a diameter of 64 mm, digital audio signals can be recorded and reproduced thereto and therefrom for around 74 minutes long.
In a Mini Disc recording and reproducing apparatus, when data is recorded, laser power should be controlled. In addition, the interleave length of CIRC (cross-interleave Reed-Solomon code) is 108 frames, which is longer than one sector. Thus, a linking area is required. Therefore, on the optical disc, signals are recorded and reproduced cluster by cluster, each cluster consisting of 36 sectors. Data is recorded to 32 sectors of one cluster consisting of 36 sectors. The remaining four sectors are used for a linking area and a subdata area.
At the time of reproducing, data is reproduced from the Mini Disc at a higher transmission rate than that of a decoder which decodes compressed data. The reproduced data is temporarily stored in a buffer memory. The buffer memory becomes full with digital signals by around 0.9 seconds after they are stored therein. Even if digital signals stored on the disc cannot be read due to vibration or the like, the data stored in the buffer memory is output as reproduction signals for around 3 seconds. During this time, an optical pickup is accessed again to the original position and the signals are read. Thus, the Mini Disc recording/reproducing apparatus can prevent interruption due to so-called "track jump".
As a reproducing apparatus of digital audio signals, a compact disc (CD) reproducing apparatus has been widely used. When a disc is loaded on the compact disc reproducing apparatus, the total play time of the disc is displayed. In addition, while each music program is reproduced, the play time of the music program and the remaining play time are displayed.
Thus, for the recording and/or reproducing apparatus of the Mini Disc system mentioned above, there is the same desire as the compact disc reproducing apparatus. In other words, there is the desire that when a disc is loaded on the apparatus, the total play time of the disc is displayed and that while each music program is being reproduced, the play time thereof and the remaining play time are displayed.
On the conventional compact disc, a time code is recorded on Q channel of a subcode. On the innermost periphery of the disc, a TOC (Table Of Contents) is disposed. On the TOC, an absolute time at which each music program starts is recorded. Thus, when the TOC is read, the total play time of the disc can be obtained. In addition, with the information of Q channel of a subcode, the elapsed time of each music program can be obtained. Thus, the remaining play time of the disc can be obtained. Therefore, required time indication such as indication of the total play time of the disc, indication of the play time of each music program, and indication of the remaining play time of the disc can be relatively easily performed.
However, on the optical disc, the TOC does not contain the time information. In addition, as described above, the transmission rate of signals reproduced from the disc differs from that of data of the encoder which decodes compressed data. The signals reproduced from the disc are temporarily stored in a buffer memory. Thus, a signal at an address from which data is currently being reproduced does not accord with a sound which is currently reproduced. As a result, with an address at which the pickup is being currently accessed, the time information of a music program which is currently being reproduced cannot be obtained.

Method for calculating a play time of a disc reproducing apparatus


The present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition for prevention or treatment of neurological diseases and mental diseases, the composition containing syringaresinol. The syringaresinol according to the present invention has an effect of reducing excitatory synaptic transmission in a central nervous system and an effect of suppressing epilepsy and activity of animals. This suppressive effect of the excitatory synaptic transmission may be effectively used for the prevention and treatment of all neurological diseases and mental diseases resulting from synapse dysfunction and synpatic excitatory-inhibitory transmission imbalance.

Excitatory synaptic transmission plays an important role in communication between neurons in the central nervous system. In mammals, most of excitatory synaptic transmission is accomplished when postsynaptic AMPA receptor (AMPAR) and NMDA receptor (NMDAR) are open in response to glutamate released from a presynaptic terminal.
The AMPA and NMDA receptors are ligand gated ion channels whose gating is controlled by glutamate secreted from the presynaptic terminal. The cell membrane potential is depolarized by permeating cations through the receptors.
The AMPA and NMDA receptor dysfunctions are associated with most of neurological diseases and mental disorders such as hyperactivity, attention deficit, autism, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), intelligence disorder, epilepsy, pain, drug addiction, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and motor function disorder. Thus, treatment of various neurological diseases and mental diseases via restoration of the AMPA or NMDA receptor function has been attempted. However, no excitatory synapse receptor modulating drugs that effectively permeate a blood brain barrier and is safe for the human body have been developed, so far.
Syringaresinol is also known as lirioresinol B. Syringaresinol is known to have following actions: vascular relaxation via increase in NO (nitric oxide) in a body (Chung et al., 2012), suppression of myocardial damage and death via destabilization of HIF-1a during hypoxia/reoxygenation (Cho et al., 2015), and decrease in motility of Helicobacter pylori (Miyazawa et al., 2006).
Further, syringaresinol has been reported to increase expression of intracellular SIRT1 (silent information regulator two ortholog 1) genes in terms of molecules (Cho et al., 2013).
Previously claimed or allowed patent documents relating to the use of the syringaresinol may include followings: inhibition of vascular aging (US20140248381), treatment and prevention of heart disease (20150283110), skin improvement (EP 2772255 A1), activation of SIRT 1 (20140371307), and increasing of a lifespan (PCT/KR2014/002892).
However, there is not reported an effect of the syringaresinol on neuronal and central nervous system. Further, use of the syringaresinol for treatment and prevention of neurological diseases and mental diseases has not been reported.

Composition for preventing or treating neurological and mental disorders, containing syringaresinol

SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY R&DB FOUNDATION


A method and system for nondestructively testing in a continuous sequence a multiplicity of railroad track crossties of wood or concrete to determine the condition and life expectancy of each of the crossties and of the track as a whole. The system includes an electric pulse generator and a pair of transmitting and receiving transducers, which transducers are adapted to be brought into moving contact with the crossties at respective locations straddling desired test regions thereof, for example, the regions under a tie plate, for sending sonic mechanical pulses through that region of the crosstie from one transducer to the other. If desired, three pairs of transducers may be provided for simultaneously straddling both tie plates and a medial reference zone on each crosstie. The transducers and the pulse generator are carried by a vehicle riding on the track rails, along with a computer for processing/evaluating/storing/reproducing the test data. Devices for sensing the presence of each crosstie, for sweeping the same clear of ballast and debris at each of the transducer contact locations, and for marking each crosstie determined to be defective are also provided on the vehicle.

The rails of railroad tracks are conventionally laid down on transverse beams or crossties, which traditionally have been made of wood but lately are frequently also made of concrete, and which support the rails and with the aid of tie plates and other accessories prevent the rails from spreading apart. Although exact numbers are difficult to come by, a reasonable estimate would be that there are roughly one billion crossties currently in service on the North American continent (U.S. and Canada).
The physical condition of railroad crossties, which are subjected to high levels of dynamic loading by passing trains and are exposed to almost constantly changing ambient weather conditions and temperatures, tends to deteriorate with time. The deterioration may be either a degree of decay or the occurrence of some mechanical damage, and such deterioration may take place on the surface or in the interior of the ties. Thus, the condition of railroad crossties requires close monitoring, because their deterioration and resultant failure can lead to train derailments with possibly serious and even disastrous consequences to human lives, railroad equipment, public and private property, and the environment.
Heretofore, the traditional method of determining the condition of railroad crossties and whether or not they require replacement has involved periodic visual inspections of the ties carried out by the railroad companies' tie inspectors. These inspectors "walk the track" and visually examine each and every crosstie, looking for obvious signs of decay/deterioration and physical damage of the top surface of the crossties (for all practical purposes, the top of a tie other than the regions thereof beneath the rail-locating tie plates is the only accessible surface because the bottom rests on the track bed and the sides are usually covered by ballast). Ties deemed no longer suitable for continued service are marked and subsequently replaced.
However, because the covered top and side regions and the interiors of the ties are hidden from view, it is evident that the tie inspectors perform their inspections under less than the most favorable conditions, and that their decisions to designate crossties as unfit for service are frequently based on guesswork and erroneous evaluations. In fact, it is acknowledged in the railroad industry that up to about 20% of all crossties which are replaced are replaced unnecessarily, as proven by subsequent destructive examination (cross-sectioning) after removal. The principal reason why such an unwarranted economic loss is incurred is, of course, that the outside appearance of a crosstie is not always indicative of the tie's actual condition: for example, a tie may be superficially sound but decayed or cracked internally or at the bottom, and yet neither of these conditions would be visually detectable from above; on the other hand, a tie may show some superficial deterioration or damage, e.g., a split, at the top surface and yet be perfectly sound internally or at worst only minimally deteriorated and suitable for a number of additional years of service. Moreover, the economic cost of visual inspection is further heightened by virtue of the fact that, given the need for looking closely at each tie individually and for probing the same in case of doubt, a tie inspector even at best can inspect an average of about six miles of track per day.
Another known method of inspecting wood railroad crossties, which has been developed relatively recently, utilizes an instrument which is available under the designation "PANLOGGER" from Pandrol Limited of London, England. This instrument consists of a unit that receives, processes and stores information, and a probe which makes contact with the top surface of the tie to deliver thereto controlled impacts that vibrate the tie. In theory, the response is a measure of the vibration characteristics of the tie and, because those characteristics are affected by the presence or absence of decay or mechanical damage, of the need for replacing the tie. In practice, however, this method makes use of an analysis which is based on empirical data pertaining to the particular wood species (e.g., oak, maple, sweetgum, pine, etc.) of which the tie is made. Accuracy of the method thus is open to question, because empirical data valid for all possible cases are scarce and because, given the fact that there is a considerable variation in properties within each wood species, such empirical data are also unreliable.
Moreover, this method also results only in an evaluation of the average condition of the crosstie over its entire length and does not provide a determination of which part and how much of the tie is defective. The average condition of a crosstie, however, as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, is not a reliable measure of its suitability for continued service. Thus, a crosstie with very minor internal decay throughout its length, or a crosstie with minor degrees of decay under both tie plates but otherwise sound, or a crosstie with severe decay under one tie plate but otherwise sound throughout its length, all may provide the same average vibration response and thereby indicate the same average condition, yet the first one may be suitable for many more years of service, the second one may be suitable for at least several more years of service, and the third one may be totally unacceptable for any further service. Over and above this stands the fact that this method has been developed for use in conjunction with visual inspection, so that the previously mentioned time requirements for such an inspection are not ameliorated.
Another known device which has been suggested to be usable for testing concrete and wood structures, including wood railroad ties, is a low frequency ultrasonic tester available under the designation "JAMES V-METER" from James Instruments Inc. of Chicago, Ill. This device has been promoted as being capable of performing sonic pulse velocity measurements on coarse grain materials such as concrete and wood, among others, using pairs of various types of transducers (including both standard and rolling transducers), as being portable and of light weight, as being adapted for both A.C. and D.C. operation, and as providing direct digital readout of pulse transit time as well as digital printouts. However, the device is only adapted for manually performed individual spot testing procedures, which would be even slower than those performed with "PANLOGGER" instrument and so inefficient in a crosstie-testing environment as to be unacceptable, and which, apart from a time reading, provides no direct indication of the quality of the test object. Thus, the device cannot evaluate a length of railroad track including many crossties for overall integrity, nor can it provide an indication of the life expectancy of the individual crossties at a high rate.
Yet another known device which has been promoted as being suitable for testing objects of coarse grain structures by utilizing ultrasonic pulses applied through spaced probes or transducers to test objects of, among other materials, wood and concrete, is available under the designation "USL 33" from Krautkramer Branson of Lewistown, Pa. However, this device is also not designed to evaluate a length of railroad track including many crossties continuously at a high rate.

Method and system for nondestructive testing of railroad crossties


A lubricant composition includes a biodegradable polyalkylene glycol, an inherently-biodegradable polyalkylene glycol, and a non-biodegradable polyalkylene glycol. The biodegradable polyalkylene glycol satisfies the biodegradability requirements set forth in OECD 301B. The inherently-biodegradable polyalkylene glycol satisfy the inherently-biodegradability requirements set forth in OECD 301B. The non-biodegradable polyalkylene glycol is defined by OECD 301B and satisfies the non-bioaccumulative requirements set forth in OECD 107. The lubricant composition includes the biodegradable polyalkylene glycol in an amount of at least about 30 parts by weight, the inherently-biodegradable polyalkylene glycol in an amount of from about 0.1 to about 10 parts by weight, and the non-biodegradable polyalkylene glycol in an amount of from about 0.1 to about 5 parts by weight, each based on 100 parts by weight of the lubricant composition.

In the marine industry, conventional lubricants may be harmful to the environment if the conventional lubricant was to egress into the environment. Recently, market forces and governmental regulations have placed a renewed emphasis on improving the environmental profile (e.g. biodegradability and toxicity) of lubricant compositions that may eventually egress into the environment. As such, there is an opportunity to develop a lubricant composition that is environmentally friendly.


A technique for maintaining a required value of power per optical communication channel in a chain of optical nodes (112, 114, 118, 116) connected by optical fiber spans (111, 119, 121), wherein at least some of the nodes include optical amplifiers (112, 114, 116) with controllable gains, the technique comprises performing automatic gain control at the optical amplifiers so that, in the frame of power gain of each particular optical amplifier (114, 116), to compensate a preceding span loss. The span loss is calculated as power loss on an optical fiber span (111,121) incoming the particular amplifier.

There are a number of problems known in the field of optical communications, which concern regulating power of multi-channel optical transmission.
In advanced network configurations, sites can possibly contain either optical amplifiers or Optical Add Drop Multiplexers (OADM), or both. An optical trail may start and terminate at any site according to a customer's use. For example, due to the fact that OADM is capable of dropping and adding optical channels, some trails may start or terminate at the add/drop ports of OADM and the number of optical channels in spans before and after OADM may differ significantly. In such configurations, a fiber cut in a span/section beyond the end points of a specific optical trail must not have any effect on the performance of such an optical trail. Some control systems handling optical transmission in the advanced network configurations take care of the above problem.
Some of the presently used systems for DWDM networks introduce a so-called channel count mechanism. This mechanism transmits the number of active channels in the link to all the amplifiers in that link so they can modify their output power accordingly. In order to maintain balance in such a system, the number of channels dropped at a particular node should be approximately equal to the number of channels added at this node. However, such a mechanism reacts incorrectly to events such as a fiber cut in a specific span of a link with OADMs (Optical Add Drop Multiplexers). Indeed, a fiber cut drastically changes the actual number of channels at more than one successive nodes, so the output power of the amplifiers in the link will not be correctly adjusted. The erroneous adjustment will most likely cause a degradation in optical performance of the system.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,072,601 describes an optical fiber amplifier capable of determining a number of optical channels actually inputted to it, thereby allowing, through self-control, both optimum operation conditions in accordance with the number of transmission channels, and the maintenance of the transmission performance. The optical fiber amplifier comprises an optical signal amplifier and a control circuit. The control circuit section comprises a branch circuit that branches off and extracts a portion of the transmitted optical signal power, and a channel counter that inputs a portion of the branched optical signal power and based on that counts the number of channels of the transmitted optical signals. The control circuit controls the amplification factor of the optical signal amplifier in accordance with the number of channels counted at the channel counter. The system counts the channels on the ad-hoc basis but is unable to predict the number of active optical channels in case of a fiber cut, which would be important to prevent ill effects of transient periods in the network until the channel count mechanism is updated.
WO 9921302 A1 relates to a method for controlling the output power of an optical amplifier in a node in a network, wherein the output power of the amplifier is controlled via a pump laser in a control circuit. The node reads a supervisory channel OSC comprising information on how to control the amplifier, and then uses the information for the control of the amplifier. The mentioned information comprises the number of channels coming into the node. Also, input power to the amplifier is monitored and, if it is changed more than a certain limit, further change of the amplifier control is withhold up to receiving a reliable number of the optical channels.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,275,329 describes a method and apparatus for amplifying an optical signal in an optical network. The optical amplifying module comprises a variable optical attenuator (VOA), an optical amplifier and a controller, which are coupled to each other and to the optical network. The VOA attenuates the optical input signal to produce an attenuated output signal. The optical amplifier amplifies the latter signal to produce an amplified output signal. The controller receives some network operating parameters and also monitors the power levels of the attenuated and the amplified signals. Based on the measured power levels and the received operating parameters the controller adjusts the VOA such that the optical output power per channel is maintained at a constant value.
Neither of the presently known systems allows simply and suitably adapting power control in an optical network to different types of faults, for example reacting adequately to a fiber cut and/or a fiber degradation due to fiber bend or fiber aging.
Modern networks, which are to satisfy requirements of the standards accepted in the field, should provide fast reactions to faults in order to ensure the traffic non-effecting operation. For example, a fiber cut in a telecommunication link should be detected and isolated during no more than 50 ms.
Presently, there is no known methods/systems that simply and operatively detect faults and adjust power in an optical communication system so, that occurrence of a fiber degradation would not lead to the system unbalancing.
A co-pending Applicant's patent application U.S.-2003-0046293-A1 (WO 03/021835 A2) describes a method of real time control of power per optical channel in a multi-channel optical communication line formed by a group of optical elements connected in a chain by fiber spans, the method comprises calculating, for a particular optical amplifier in the line, an expected total input power value EIP, measuring a real total input power MIP at said particular optical amplifier, and, if a difference between the EIP and the MIP exceeds a predetermined value, adjusting the amplifier's gain to maintain its output power per channel constant. The EIP value is calculated using up-to date values of NOC (number of active optical channels) and NOA (number of preceding optical amplifiers in the line). That solution requires preliminary calculations for obtaining NOC, NOA, EIP for providing a reaction to changes in the line.
The mentioned above documents are hereby incorporated by reference.

Technique for power control in optical networks


A property value associated with a property of a graphical object is retrieved. A visual cue associated with the property value is displayed, wherein the visual cue indicates whether the property value is a literal value or a non-literal value.

Graphical authoring tools may be used to create and to edit graphical objects. A graphical authoring tool often has a User Interface (UI) with various controls for changing the properties of a graphical object. However, the user interfaces of most graphical authoring tools fail to efficiently utilize the limited space in a UI and cram numerous controls into a small space that is cluttered and difficult to use.

User interface visual cue for use with literal and non-literal values


A paper magazine includes a shaft portion for rotatably supporting a paper roll inside a box-like frame, a paper transporting system configured for pinching a paper drawn out of the paper roll supported on the shaft portion by transport rollers and delivering this paper through an opening formed in the frame, and a transmission mechanism for effecting the delivery and rewinding of the paper through the opening by transmitting a forward drive force and a reverse drive force to the transport rollers. A guide member is provided on an inner wall face of the frame disposed at a lower portion inside the paper magazine. The guide member is configured for coming into contact with a terminal end of the paper delivered from the paper magazine which end assumes a hanging-down posture as a result of a paper rewinding operation effected after detachment of the terminal end from said shaft portion as a result of a paper delivering operation effected with the paper magazine being set under a predetermined posture.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a paper magazine having a shaft portion for rotatably supporting a paper roll inside a box-like frame, a paper transporting system configured for pinching a paper drawn out of the paper roll supported on the shaft portion by transport rollers and delivering this paper through an opening formed in the frame, and a transmission mechanism for effecting the delivery and rewinding of the paper through the opening by transmitting a forward drive force and a reverse drive force to the transport rollers and the shaft portion, respectively.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a technique relating to the paper magazine having the above-described construction, paper magazines are known from Japanese Patent Application "Kokai" No. 2002-87650 (paragraphs 0011 through 0022, FIGS. 2-6) and Japanese Patent Application "Kokai" No. 2001-92031 (paragraphs 0023 through 0046, FIGS. 1-3).
The paper magazine disclosed in the former gazette includes a support shaft for supporting a print paper in the form of a roll, a pair of rollers for pinching a portion of the print paper drawn out of the print paper roll and delivering this paper portion through an opening, and a gear transmission system for operably coupling the pair of rollers with the support shaft. In operation, in association with forward rotations of the rollers and the support shaft via the transmission system, the print paper is delivered from the magazine, whereas in association with reverse rotations of the rollers and the support shaft via the system, the print paper is rewound into the magazine.
In the case of the paper magazine disclosed by the latter gazette, a core of a paper roll is supported inside the paper magazine for effecting delivery and rewinding of the paper. More particularly, a delivery roller and a rewinding roller are disposed in a paper clamping relationship with each other. And, a second driver roller rotatable in operative association with the rewinding roller is disposed to be pressed against an outer face of the paper roll. For delivering the paper, the delivering roller is driven in the forward direction, whereby the paper clamped between this forward rotated delivering roller and the rewinding roller is paid out through a paper exit. On the other hand, for rewinding the paper, the rewinding roller is driven in the reverse direction, whereby the paper clamped between the delivering roller and this reversely rotated rewinding roller is rewound through the paper exit and at the same time, the second drive roller is caused to apply a rewinding force to the outer periphery of the paper roll. Further, this document discloses also a photographic processing apparatus including two paper magazines each having the above-described construction, with these magazines being supported on a magazine mount under a posture orienting the paper exit downwardly and a further posture orienting the exit laterally. This photographic processing apparatus is configured to effect exposure, at an image forming section, on a paper delivered from one of the magazines.
As described in the latter gazette, with this type of photographic processing apparatus, paper delivered from the paper magazine is cut to a print size by a cutter and then the exposure operation is effected thereon. Therefore, if the paper once delivered from the paper magazine is to be rewound back into the paper magazine, this rewinding operation is to be effected on the paper having a length same as a distance from the position of the paper magazine to the cutter. When such rewinding operation is to be effected after the terminal end of the paper has been detached from the core of the paper roll, the conventional paper magazines do not take into consideration guiding of the terminal end of the paper during the rewinding operation. Hence, if the rewinding operation is effected after detachment of the terminal end of the paper from the paper roll core, this rewinding operation cannot proceed smoothly as the terminal end of the paper contacts with e.g. a projecting portion inside the paper magazine or the terminal end of the paper may be bent inadvertently.


A method for improvement of the consistency of color and brightness across boundaries of multicamera and/or multidisplayed overlapping or near overlapping composite images, reduction of objectionable artifacts at overlapping image seams of composite images, adjustment of color and brightness/intensity on either side of overlapping image seams, application of color correction across a composite image, reduction of color and intensity mismatches of composite images, gradual change of color across image seams of a composite image, including altering color outside of overlap regions is provided so that the seams are less discernible and to avoid sharp color changes across a composite or mosaic image are reduced or avoided. Color difference between two source images which form a composite is estimated by looking at color pixels from each source image region, determining a centroid of a cluster in a color space formed by the pixels of each source image, and determining the difference between cluster centroids for overlapping or nearly overlapping source image regions which are a measure of the vector color difference between such regions. The vector color difference between at least two overlapping source image regions are interpolated or mapped across those images.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to digital image processing in general, and to color normalization of images from multiple sources in particular.
2. Description of Related Art
Various methods and systems exist for combining several digital images into an extended image mosaic. This is desirably accomplished in a manner that yields a composite image or mosaic that looks like a single image, for example, without seams or other merging features. Boundaries between neighboring image segments that overlap or nearly overlap often have substantial differences in contrast, intensity, resolution and color which appear as visible seams in the composite image or mosaic.
Multicamera video systems typically need color calibration. Calibrating color balance and shutter speed on all video cameras has a disadvantage of being time consuming, and may sacrifice the dynamic range of the multicamera system. Moreover, in outdoor settings, it is difficult to avoid situations where one camera image region has direct sun and other cameras image regions have various degrees of shade. If all cameras use a uniform shutter speed, then the camera image region having direct sun is likely to be overexposed and the other camera image regions are likely to be underexposed. However, using automatic gain control to compensate for large dynamic scene brightness ranges can lead to objectionable image seams when the gain of neighboring cameras is significantly different.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,075,905, for example, merges color images based on a comparison between colors in the overlap regions between the individual images which form the composite or mosaic image. For two overlapping images, the 905 patent performs a least-square fit over the image-overlap region to determine the color-space affine transformation among the RGB composite signal that adjusts the colors of the second image so that the colors of the second image in the image-overlap region most closely match the colors of the first image-overlap region. The resulting affine transformation is then applied to the entirety of the second image. Extending the objective function to more than two overlapping images is done by ascribing an affine transformation to all but one of the images, the transformations being with respect to the untransformed, or reference, image, and then by adding the squared RGB color differences over all the pixels in all overlap regions.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,349,153, for example, merges color images and uses the information in the overlap region between images to correct the color of the two images. To compensate for unwanted artifacts of color bands at the overlap region, the color of the images is adjusted based on pixel information from the overlap region so as to bring the two images into line with each other. Brightness, contrast and gamma parameters in the overlap region are used to modify image color intensity. The 153 patent tapers the color correction so that full color correction is applied within the overlap region. Outside the overlap region, only a fraction of the correction is applied, where the fraction preferably tapers from 100% to 0% as the pixel distance from the overlap region increases.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,278,463, for example, processes first and second digital images, including color images, with overlapping image content defining an overlap region including common image data. Color image pixel data in the overlap region is processed to produce a composite image.

Methods for multisource color normalization


A liquid crystal display apparatus includes a plurality of pixels that form a plurality of pixel pairs, each of the pixel pairs being adjacent two pixels in one column, in which, in each of the pixel pairs, a first switch transistor that switches whether or not to output a voltage of a video signal written into one of the pixels to a corresponding data line and a second switch transistor that switches whether or not to output a voltage of a video signal written into the other one of the pixels to a corresponding data line are composed in such a way that they are controlled to be turned on or off by a common switch selection signal for reading.

The present disclosure relates to a liquid crystal device, a wavelength selection optical switch apparatus, and a pixel inspection method of the liquid crystal device, and relates to a liquid crystal device, a wavelength selection optical switch apparatus, and a pixel inspection method of the liquid crystal device suitable for executing inspection of pixels while preventing the size of the circuit from increasing.
A liquid crystal display apparatus disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-223289 includes a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix, a plurality of sets of data lines provided so as to correspond to respective columns of the plurality of pixels, a plurality of gate lines provided so as to correspond to respective rows of the plurality of pixels, a plurality of switches for supplying positive-polarity and negative-polarity video signals to a plurality of sets of data lines in order in a set unit, and driving means for driving the plurality of switches and the plurality of gate lines.

Liquid crystal device, wavelength selection optical switch apparatus, and pixel inspection method of liquid crystal device


Systems and methods for controlling brain activity are provided. In some aspects, a method for controlling a synchrony in brain activity of a subject is provided. The method includes positioning stimulators to stimulate a first region and a second region of a subject's brain, and selecting a pulsed stimulation sequence comprising a first stimulation to the first region and a second stimulation to the second region, wherein the stimulations are timed to be substantially concurrent and separated by a phase lag. The method also includes delivering the pulsed stimulation sequence, using the stimulators, to control a synchrony between the first region and the second region at a predetermined frequency.

The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for controlling brain activity.
Patients suffering from mental and emotional conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), intellectual disability, autism, brain injury, depression, addiction, and others, can have severe impairments that lead to significant disability and lost productivity. Such brain disorders are thought to be caused by malfunctioning neural circuits. Often, psychiatric treatments fail to cure a substantial fraction of patients, who are then declared resistant to approved therapeutic interventions. At the core of the problem is the focus on historical diagnostic categories. The National Institute of Mental Health's (NIMH) Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) project aims to develop neuroscience-based classification schemes for diagnosis and treatment of neural circuitry dysfunction. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) diagnoses are not neurobiologic entities, but are a historical checklist-based approach of clustering symptoms used to define hypothetical constructs or syndromes. Those syndromes may not align with underlying neurobiological dysfunction in neural circuitry and corresponding behavioral (functional) domains.
Thus, attempts have been made to treat mental and emotional disorders previously treated by psychiatrists using responsive brain stimulation systems. These approaches include stimulating a patient's brain based on brain activity or clinical features, using implantable, cortical and sub-cortical electrodes. In particular, there are a number of sites in the brain where stimulation has been applied in attempts to change a patient's emotional experiences. However, these responsive brain stimulation systems often have no proven biomarker. A biomarker may be a measurable indicator or signal from the brain or body representative of the symptoms of the illness being treated that indicates whether the symptoms have gotten better or worse. Without something reliable to sense, it is difficult for the responsive stimulator to respond accurately.
Further, neurologic and sensory-motor disorders also often involve dysfunctional connectivity within circuits. Parkinsons disease and other movement disorders involve abnormal oscillatory connectivity between cortex and basal ganglia. Spinal cord injury involves disconnection between motor cortex and descending control circuits.
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is used to treat many of conditions. For instance, DBS has been used to control symptoms, such as rigidity, slowed movement, tremors, and walking difficulties, in patients with Parkinson's. Other applications include epilepsy, chronic pain, obsessive compulsive disorder, depression, and others. The procedure involves implantation of an electrical stimulator into a defined area of a patient's brain, followed by delivery of high-frequency electrical impulses (e.g. up to 24 hours per day). In some applications, DBS may be unilateral or bilateral in the subthalamic nucleus (STN), internal capsule, deep cortex, or in the globus pallidus internus (GPi) depending on the observed symptoms and treatment plan.
Although the exact mechanism of action is not well understood, it is believed that electrical currents produced by DBS interfere with or block brain activity close to the activation site. As such, DBS affords a number of advantages over traditional ablative surgery including being less invasive, reversible, and allowing for bilateral stimulation. However, recent clinical trials using DBS for a variety of indications, most particularly depression, have failed. This is in part because current DBS technologies operate at single sites, rather than affecting circuit-level functions. By contrast, synchronized neural activity, detectable as coherent oscillation in the local field potential (LFP) from different brain regions, has been recognized as an important mechanism for communication between brain networks. Such oscillations are correlated to attention, learning and memory formation, help to coordinate brain networks involves in sensory-motor function, and are often impaired in psychiatric disorders including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and obsessive compulsive disorder.
Therefore, given the above, there is a need for improved systems and methods for treating patients suffering from neurological conditions that involve circuit dysfunction or dys-connectivity.


The present application provides a combustor for use with flow of fuel and a flow of air in a gas turbine engine. The combustor may include a number of micro-mixer fuel nozzles positioned within a liner and an air bypass system position about the liner. The air bypass system variably allows a bypass portion of the flow of air to bypass the micro-mixer fuel nozzles.

Operational efficiency and the overall output of a gas turbine engine generally increases as the temperature of the hot combustion gas stream increases. High combustion gas stream temperatures, however, may produce higher levels of nitrogen oxides and other types of regulated emissions. A balancing act thus exists between the benefits of operating the gas turbine engine in an efficient high temperature range while also ensuring that the output of nitrogen oxides and other types of regulated emissions remain below mandated levels. Moreover, varying load levels, varying ambient conditions, and many other types of operational parameters also may have a significant impact on overall gas turbine efficiency and emissions.
Lower emission levels of nitrogen oxides and the like may be promoted by providing for good mixing of the fuel stream and the air stream prior to combustion. Such premixing tends to reduce combustion temperature gradients and the output of nitrogen oxides. One method of providing such good mixing is through the use of a combustor with a number of micro-mixer fuel nozzles. Generally described, a micro-mixer fuel nozzle mixes small volumes of the fuel and the air in a number of micro-mixer tubes within a plenum before combustion.
Although current micro-mixer combustors and micro-mixer fuel nozzle designs provide improved combustion performance, the operability window for a micro-mixer fuel nozzle in certain types of operating conditions may be defined at least partially by concerns with dynamics and emissions. Specifically, the operating frequencies of certain internal components may couple so as to create a high or a low frequency dynamics field. Such a dynamics field may have a negative impact on the physical properties of the combustor components as well as the downstream turbine components. Given such, current combustor designs may attempt to avoid such operating conditions by staging the flows of fuel or air to prevent the formation of a dynamics field. Staging seeks to create local zones of stable combustion even if the bulk conditions may place the design outside of typical operating limits in terms of emissions, flammability, and the like. Such staging, however, may require time intensive calibration and also may require operation at less than optimum levels.
There is thus a desire for improved micro-mixer combustor designs. Such improved micro-mixer combustor designs may promote good mixing of the flows of fuel and air therein so as to operate at higher temperatures and efficiency but with lower overall emissions and lower dynamics. Moreover, such improved micro-mixer combustor designs may accomplish these goals without greatly increasing overall system complexity and costs.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Variable volume combustor with an air bypass system


A liquid toner for electrophotography and a method of preparing the liquid toner are disclosed. The liquid toner includes a carrier liquid, an organosol, a colorant, a charge controlling agent (CCA), and (meth)acrylic (co)polymer soluble in the carrier liquid. The liquid toner has a low solidification rate and good redispersion when left for a long period of time, especially at a high temperature for a long period of time, while maintaining the existing physical properties of a liquid toner, such as image density, at certain levels.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid toner for electrophotography and to a method of preparing the liquid toner. More particularly, the invention relates to a liquid toner for electrophotography having a low solidification rate and good redispersion while maintaining the existing physical properties of a liquid toner, such as image density at certain levels. The invention is also directed to a method of preparing the liquid toner having a low solidification rate that can be readily redispersed after phase separation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, an electrophotographic process includes exposing a charged photoconductor to light by irradiating with an image pattern to form an electrostatic latent image on the charged photoconductor, developing a temporary image by contacting the photoconductor with a liquid developer, and transferring the image and liquid developer to a receiver. The final transferring of the image can be directly from the photoconductor or indirectly via an intermediate transporting member. In general, the developed image remains in a permanently molten state by the application of heat and/or pressure.
The electrophotographic process includes a dry developing method and a wet developing method. In the wet developing method, a toner with a particle size on the sub-micron scale can be used, and a high precision image, which is not obtained in the dry developing method, can be obtained. Also, when using the wet developing method, good gradation is attained and it is easy to fix the toner.
A liquid toner used in the wet developing method is a dispersion composed of charge particles known as toner particles and an insulating liquid acting as a carrier. The liquid toner particles include a polymer binder such as an organosol, a colorant such as a pigment or a dye, and a charge controlling agent. This liquid toner is prepared by adding the organosol, the colorant, and the charge controlling agent to the carrier liquid such as a paraffin oil and milling the mixture in an attrition type milling apparatus.
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates the construction of a conventional liquid toner including the organosol. Referring to FIG. 1, the organosol 10, the colorant 11, and the charge controlling agent 12 are dispersed in the carrier liquid. In this case, the organosol 10 acts as a binder; where the organosol 10 is bonded to the colorant 11 to form toner particles.
The liquid toner prepared as described above easily redisperses to its original state by appropriately stirring at room temperature when left for a short period of time. However, toner particles can settle and aggregate and separated from the carrier liquid to form a kind of layer when left for a long period of time, especially at a high temperature. Once aggregated, ink agglomerates do not easily redisperse to its original state even when a strong shearing force is artificially applied thereto.
In addition, when trying to print using the liquid toner that has separated or has agglomerated particles, which is difficult to redisperse as described above, it is difficult to introduce the liquid toner to a developer, and thus, printing is impossible. Even if printing were possible, an image defect can be caused by the agglomerated liquid toner particles that are not sufficiently redispersed. Also, a serious problem may be caused during the storage and distribution of the liquid toner.
Attempts have been made to resolve the above problems by using various additives. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication Nos. hei 8-220812 and hei 8-220813 disclose a liquid developer for electrophotography, having a soluble alkali dispersed resin and/or acidic dispersed resin dispersed in a carrier liquid.
Although stable charge characteristics of toner particles and improved developing speed can be expected by the addition of the soluble alkali dispersed resin and/or acidic dispersed resin, it is difficult to prepare a liquid toner having good stability during a high temperature storage, such as a low solidification rate, and good redispersion.

Liquid toner for electrophotography and method of preparing the same