A method for testing electrical energy storage systems for driving vehicles provides that the load current of the energy storage system traces by means of a control loop, if possible without delay, a reference current that varies over time according to predetermined test cycles. The control loop is created by means of a model-based controller design method in which a model of the impedance of the energy storage system is integrated in the model of the controlled system.

When testing hybrid vehicle or even completely electrically driven vehicles, testing the traction battery is of particular importance. In the process of this, the test current should follow predetermined test cycles with highly-dynamic transients as exact as possible and without delay. This can be achieved via an adequate control loop which is created by means of a model-based controller design method.
The current control is not to be influenced by the unit under test, if possible. However, since the counter-voltage of the device under test depends substantially on the impressed current, i.e., the controlled variable, the latter has a significant influence on the dynamic properties of the control loop. In order to reduce this influence, there is a plurality of possibilities. On the one hand, the power electronics can be designed to have an output impedance as high as possible. However, this results in a reduction of the achievable control bandwidth and involves increased material costs and increased space requirement because this requires larger inductors. In the method of feedforward disturbance control, the measured counter voltage of the unit under test is regarded as a disturbance variable and is used for compensating the disturbance. In this case, however, it is assumed that the disturbance variable is independent of the controlled variable. However, due to the finite battery impedance, the terminal voltage of a battery depends in fact on the impressed current. The behavior of the disturbance variable in response to changes in the impressed current thus cannot be predictively compensated.

Method and device for testing electrical energy storing systems for driving vehicles


A generation control device for a hybrid vehicle in which an electrical generator is driven by an engine, and a battery is charged by operation of the electrical generator and the engine, includes: a shift position detection unit that detects a shift position; a brake detection unit that detects whether a brake is on or off; a charging start unit; an increasing/decreasing unit that conducts increasing operation or decreasing operation; and a control unit that starts to charge the battery when the shift position is a non-travel position, the brake is on, and the charging start unit is operated. The control unit that, after starting to charge the battery, increases a parameter related to the electrical generation when the increasing operation is conducted, or the decreases the parameter when the decreasing operation is conducted. The control unit controls the engine and the power generator based on the set parameter.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a generation control device for a hybrid vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a hybrid vehicle having an engine and a motor as power sources, there is an EV mode in which only the motor operates (the engine stops) to drive the vehicle, during which the motor uses an electricity charged in a battery. In the hybrid vehicle of this type, an electricity is generated by the engine and a generator, and the battery is charged with the generated electricity through an inverter (refer to JP-A-2010-115075).
In a normal hybrid vehicle, in a situation requiring a large output from the battery, such as travel in the EV mode, whether the large output is enabled, or not, depends on an SOC (state of charge) of the battery. When the SOC is low, the large output cannot be executed. Accordingly, in the situation requiring the large output from the battery such as travel in the EV mode, it is desirable that desired electrical power can be set to charge the battery to a predetermined SOC.
On the other hand, in a vehicle called "a plug-in hybrid vehicle", the battery can be charged from an external of the vehicle, and can be charged by home electrical power. Also, quick charge is enabled in a facility having a quick charger. However, the desired electrical power cannot be set for the home electrical power. Moreover, because the battery cannot be charged more than several kW by the home electrical power, it takes long time to charge the battery. Also, under the environment where none of the home electrical power and the quick charger are available, the plug-in hybrid vehicle is the same as the normal hybrid vehicle, and even under such environment, it is desirable that desired electrical power can be set to charge the battery to a predetermined SOC.

Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha


In a semiconductor device comprising charge storage capacitors, each of which comprises a patterned electrode having electrode side and top surfaces, a dielectric film (22) on the side and top surfaces, and a covering electrode (23) on the dielectric film, the patterned electrode is composed of a lower silicon layer (26) having layer side and top surfaces and an upper silicon layer (27) lying on the layer side and top surfaces and having the electrode side and top surfaces. The dielectric film may be in direct contact with the electrode side and top surfaces. In this event, the lower silicon layer is preferably doped to a lower concentration between 10.sup.15 and 10.sup.18 atoms per cubic centimeter and the upper silicon layer, to a higher concentration between 10.sup.18 and 10.sup.20 atoms per cubic centimeter. Alternatively, a barrier metal film may be interposed between the dielectric film and the electrode side and top surfaces. In this event, each of the lower and the upper silicon layers is preferably doped to the lower concentration. More preferably, an amorphous silicon film is preliminarily deposited on micro-rough side and top surfaces of an underlying silicon layer to provide the upper silicon layer having smooth electrode side and top surfaces.

This invention relates to a semiconductor device comprising charge storage capacitor cells and to a method of manufacturing the semiconductor device or a like semiconductor device,
At present, on the market are very large scale integrated circuits (VLSI's) of a design rule of 0.8 micron, such as four-megabit dynamic random access memories (DRAM's) and one-megabit static random access memories (SRAM's), Research and development are in progress in connection with ultra large scale integrated circuits (ULSI's) of a closer design rule of 0.5 to 0.6 micron, such as sixteen-megabit dynamic random access memories and four-megabit static random access memories. Studies are carried on-as regards practical use of such ultra large scale integrated circuits,
On giving a high package density, a large memory capacity, and a large capacitance to, for example, a dynamic random access memory, it is necessary to stack the charge storage capacitor cells three-dimensionally. For use as the capacitor cells of either the above-mentioned sixteen-megabit dynamic random access memories or 64-megabit dynamic random access memories of a stricter design rule, a fin structure is proposed by T. Ema and eight others to the IEDM Tech. Dig., 1988, pages 592 to 595. Furthermore, a cylindrical structure is proposed by W. Wakayama and four others in the VLSI Sym., 1989, pages 69 to 70.
On commercially manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising the capacitor cells, the fin and the cylindrical structures have not been used because of the following problems. One is the fact that it is very difficult to uniformly form a Capacitor dielectric film on electrode side and top surfaces of a patterned electrode of each capacitor cell and to similarly uniformly form a covering or counter electrode on the dielectric film. This is becase the patterned electrode has a complicated structure. Another problem is the fact that it is also difficult to render an interlayer insulator layer flat enough for subsequent wiring. This is because the patterned electrode has a pattern of a great aspect ratio.
In the manner which will later be described more in detail, a conventional semiconductor device is manufactured as follows to comprise charge storage capacitor cells. An insulator film for cell separation is first formed on a substrate surface of a semiconductor substrate. Openings or holes are selectively formed through the insulator film. In order to form the capacitor cells on the insulator film, heavily doped patterend electrodes of the respective capacitor cells are patterned on the insulator film to fill the respective openings and to leave an exposed insulator area around the patterned electrodes. Each patterned electrode has electrode side and top surfaces. A dielectric film is deposited on the electrode side and top surfaces of each patterned electrode and on the exposed insulator area. A heavily doped covering or counter electrode is grown on the dielectric film over each patterned electrode. An interlayer insulator layer is formed on the covering electrodes to have a flat layer surface. Wirings are finally formed on the flat layer surface of the interlayer insulator layer.
The following problems have become clear on making such a semiconductor device have a small size, a high package density, and a large capacitance. When each opening is made to have a small diameter, the openings become to have a great aspect ratio. This renders it difficult to make the patterned electrodes fill the openings if the patterned electrodes are doped with an impurity. When the dielectric film is given a thin film thickness, each patterned electrode is subjected to reversal at an interface contiguous to the dielectric film. This reduces the capacitance. Reduction in the capacitance scan be avoided if the patterned electrodes were heavily doped. A compromise is therefore necessary between complete filling of the openings and an increase in the capacitance. If a desired capacitance should be insured with the high package density attained, the patterned electrodes must have a wide total surface area per unit area of the substrate surface. It has, however, been difficult to reduce a distance between one of the capacitor cells and another capacitor cell or a different element of the integrated circuit.
On the other hand, it is an important problem to raise quality, such as an insulating capability, and reliability of the insulator film and/or the dielectric film. In this connection, it has been confirmed that the substrate surface has a micro-roughness or, more particularly, undulations of the order of 10 .ANG. and that this roughness adversely affects the insulating capability and the reliability of the insulator film particularly when the insulator film is as thin as 100 .ANG.. It has furthermore been confirmed that the electrode side and top surfaces are rough surfaces having undulations of the order of 1000 .ANG. and that such a rough surface adversely affects the insulating capability and the reliability of the dielectric film particularly when the dielectric film is as thin as 50 .ANG..

Method of making a semiconductor device comprising lower and upper silicon layers as capacitor electrodes


Generally, the subject matter disclosed herein relates to the fabrication of an RRAM cell using CMOS compatible processes. A resistance random access memory device is disclosed which includes a semiconducting substrate, a top electrode, at least one metal silicide bottom electrode formed at least partially in the substrate, wherein at least a portion of the at least one bottom electrode is positioned below the top electrode, and at least one insulating layer positioned between the top electrode and at least a portion of the at least one bottom electrode. A method of making a resistance random access memory device is disclosed that includes forming an isolation structure in a semiconducting substrate to thereby define an enclosed area, performing at least one ion implantation process to implant dopant atoms into the substrate within the enclosed area, after performing the at least one ion implantation process, forming a layer of refractory metal above at least portions of the substrate, and performing at least one heat treatment process to form at least one metal silicide bottom electrode at least partially in the substrate, wherein at least a portion of the at least one bottom electrode is positioned below at least a portion of a top electrode of the device.

1. Field of the Disclosure
Generally, the present disclosure relates to sophisticated integrated circuits, and, more particularly, to the fabrication of an RRAM cell with, in one embodiment, one or more bottom electrodes formed by silicidation using CMOS compatible processes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Memory circuits and devices are widely used in the electronics industry. In general, memory devices permit the storage of a "bit" of information, i.e., a "1" (logically high) or a "0" (logically low) signal. Vast numbers of these memory devices are formed on a single chip so as to permit the storage of a vast quantity of digital information. Various forms of such devices, and read/write circuitry employed with such devices, have been used in the industry for years, e.g., RAM (Random Access Memory) devices, ROM (Read Only Memory) devices, EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Read Only Memory) devices, etc.
Nonvolatile memory is a type of memory that retains stored data when power is removed from the memory device. Such nonvolatile memory devices are widely employed in mobile communication devices, computers, memory cards, etc. Flash memory is an example of one type of nonvolatile memory that is greatly used in such modern electronic devices.
More recently, another form of memory, RRAM (Resistance Random Access Memory) has been introduced to the industry. FIGS. 1A-1B schematically depict an illustrative prior art RRAM device 100. Basically, such a prior art RRAM device 100 is comprised of a multilayered stack of materials, and it is fabricated using a layer-by-layer technique. As shown in FIG. 1A, in one embodiment, the prior art RRAM device 100 comprises a top electrode 102, a tunnel oxide 104, a layer of conductive metal oxide 106, and a bottom electrode 108. The top electrode 102 and the bottom electrode 108 may be comprised of, for example, platinum. The tunnel oxide layer 104 may be comprised of silicon dioxide and it may have an illustrative thickness of 20-50 Å. The conductive metal oxide layer 106 may be comprised of TiO2 or Cr-doped SrTiO3.
FIG. 1B schematically depicts how the RRAM device 100 works. In the depicted example, a positive voltage V+ is applied to the top electrode 102, while the bottom electrode 108 is coupled to ground ("GRND"). Application of the positive voltage V+ attracts negatively charged ions 110 from the conductive metal oxide layer 106 which thereby causes breakdown of the tunnel oxide 104. This breakdown results in the establishment of an electrical current path between the top electrode 102 and the bottom electrode 108, and the resulting electrical current can be measured. Application of a negative voltage (V−) to the top electrode 102 forces or repels the negatively charged ions 110 back toward the conductive metal oxide layer 106. This action "turns off" the conductive current path that was previously established, and cuts off the previously established current flow.
Importantly, as noted above, the prior art RRAM device 100 is made using a traditional layer-by-layer approach that involves many discrete deposition, lithography and etching steps, perhaps for each layer of the device. Such a layered construction of the prior art RRAM device 100 makes it more difficult to incorporate it into integrated circuit devices that are manufactured using modern CMOS processing technology and methods. For example, fabrication of an RRAM device using the layer-by-layer approach may result in the overall height of the RRAM device 100 being greater than the height of other structures that are formed in traditional CMOS-type devices, such as PMOS and NMOS transistors. Such height differences can lead to patterning errors in photolithography operations and/or mandate additional processing steps be taken to avoid or reduce the adverse effects of such height differences, e.g., the performance of one or more additional deposition and planarization processes.
The present disclosure relates to methods and devices for avoiding or at least reducing the effects of one or more of the problems identified above.

RRAM cell with bottom electrode(s) positioned in a semiconductor substrate


A heat exchanger for cooling contaminated liquids causing precipitation of olid matter on cold walls. Waste water at high temperature containing contaminants in the form of sludge and in solution is pumped through the annular space between two concentric cylindrical tanks. Cooling water is circulated through the tanks on either side of the annular space while scraping devices rotate about the annular space preventing buildup of precipitate on the annular space walls.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heat exchanger. More particularly, it relates to a method and apparatus for cooling contaminated water. Most specifically, it relates to a method and apparatus for cooling explosive-contaminated water using ambient temperature water circulated in two concentric cylinders and employing a brushing device to continually clean the cooling surfaces exposed to the contaminated water.
2. Description of Prior Art
The art of heat exchangers is well known as are techniques for maintaining efficient heat transfer characteristics of such devices under sustained operational use. In special applications, however, unique design problems arise creating unique and novel solutions. Treatment of very hot contaminated water containing contaminates that must be precipitated out by cooling prior to further treatment, e.g., explosive contaminats, is such a special application.
Generally, the art of heat exchangers deals with complicated tubular arrays wherein the tubular arrays transport the material to be heated/cooled through an enclosed heating/cooling medium. The tubes are then periodically cleaned by one of two processes. First the entire apparatus is shut down and the tubes cleaned by brushes, solvents, air pressure or the like. This is not desirable in the treatment of explosive contaminated water because the shut-down of the apparatus usually results in immediate further coating of the cold walls of the heat exchanger by the explosive contaminates. A second approach of conventional tubular arrays is to periodically inject plugs of some sort into the tubular flow path and having the plugs scrape away fouling on the inside of the tubes. In treatment of contaminated water wherein the stage immediately following the precipitation process caused by the heat exchanger is a filtration process, e.g., explosive-contaminated water, the plugs would soon block the filtration process and cause system shut down to remove the plugs or replace the filtration stage--resulting in the problem effects of the first approach.
Heat exchanger design specifically related to treatment of contaminated water where the contaminates are to be precipated out within the heat exchanger have generally been large complex installations having a common approach. This approach is to circulate a coolant through a pipe having a number of fins, bristles, or the like along its outer surface and to then move the pipe through the contaminated water or cause the contaminated water to circulate about the stationary pipe. The contaminates precipitate upon the projecting fins, bristles, spikes or the like until a sufficient amount accumulates on the projections. The heat exchanger is then shut down and the pipe withdrawn. Steam or water under pressure at approximately 180-200.degree. F. is injected onto the precipitate-coated projections causing melting and erosion of the precipitate. The waste water is then passed through a filter to remove pieces of precipitate. This conventional technique, called hot-water washout, has several shortcomings. First, the shut-down . . . start-up . . . shut-down cycle is slow and expensive to remove relatively small amounts of precipitate/cycle. Second, the shut-down of the exchanger causes immediate precipitate build-up on the inner-walls of the heat-exchanger, discussed supra, and necessitates including a sludge-pit beneath the heat exchanger that must be periodically scraped clean of the contaminates precipitated by shut-down. Third, the steam or hot water causes some of the contaminant to go back into solution thus negating some of the effect of both the heat-exchanger and the filter. Forth, adsorbtion beds usually receive water passing from the filter in conventional systems and the redissolved precipitate coming from the filter loads the adsorbtion bed with greater amounts of contaminate thus reducing the service life of the adsorbtion bed. Finally, many conventional systems, as a final stage, dump the remaining contaminated water into open pits allowing the water to leach and evaporate before covering the residue or allow the residue to dry and then burn it. Neither method is acceptable under present-day environmental standards.

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


An automatic donation system for a sales establishment includes an entry arrangement for entering the price of a product into a cash register and for entering the amount of cash being paid and a calculator for determining the excess cash payment. A card reader keypad receives a card number for accessing data including charity accounts concerning the card, and a computer apportions at least a part of the excess cash payment among said accounts, and then prints out the amounts entered.

This invention relates to methods and means for conveniently and frequently donating to qualified charities and savings or other accounts in small amounts, and particularly to an organized collection and recording system.
In current shopping situations a clerk inputs the price of all items in a cash register and the latter totals the price. The consumer offers either the exact amount of cash or a sum exceeding the price, and the clerk enters that amount. The cash register then subtracts the price from the cash.
The excess cash offers the customer an opportunity to save small amounts of money painlessly. It also affords the consumer to donate small amounts of money to charity. In fact, establishments sometimes display advertisements with receptacles for deposit of small change to be donated to charities. However these systems do not give the consumer an opportunity to save and donate his or her money consistently with respect to a favorite charity and fail to keep adequate records if the amounts grow enough to make it worthwhile to consider the tax implications of the contributions.
An object of the invention is to provide an organized collection and recording system that provides consumers, even small children, with the ability to donate to qualified charities, and have donor cards capable of storing electronic credits.

Automatic philanthropic contribution system


A flexible organic light emitting diode display and a manufacturing method are provided. The method includes steps of forming an active array layer and an organic light emitting display layer sequentially on a flexible substrate, forming a protective layer on the organic light emitting display layer, forming an organic layer on the protective layer, wherein a cross section of the organic layer is trapezoidal, and forming an inorganic layer on the organic layer.

Organic light emitting diodes (OLED), also known as organic electroluminescence displays, have self-luminance, large viewing angles, and reduced energy consumption characteristics. Organic light emitting diodes are widely used in mobile devices, such as smart phones and OLED TVs. OLEDs, and can be prepared not only on glass substrates, but also on flexible substrates.
However, the encapsulation reliability of the conventional organic light emitting diode display is poor, because water and oxygen molecules in the air diffuse to an organic light-emitting display layer through an encapsulation layer and corrode the organic light emitting display layer, resulting in a short lifespan and low efficiency of the OLEDs.
Therefore, it is necessary to provide a flexible organic light emitting diode display and a manufacturing method thereof to solve the problem existing in the prior art.

Flexible organic light emitting diode display and manufacturing method thereof

WUHAN CHINA STAR OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


The civil engineering elevation measuring stick for use in a laser elevation measuring system includes a primary pole with a top end, a bottom end at least four flat side walls. A top end cap, a bottom end cap are attached to the primary pole. A secondary tubular pole telescopically receives the primary pole. Bearings support the secondary tube for sliding movement relative to the primary pole between the top and bottom end caps. A laser beam receiver mounting surface is provided on the secondary tube. A measuring scale is fixed to the primary pole in a location that permits the direct measurement of the deviation between the elevation of a measured surface and desired grade surface.

The surveyors elevation measuring stick is used in combination with a laser beam system to measure the difference between the actual elevation and the desired elevation at any given location.
Earth moving equipment is used to move soil and excavate for civil engineering projects. An underground pipe laid in a ditch to carry liquids conveyed by gravity must have a uniform and constant change in elevation. If the pipe has portions that are lower than planned and portions that are higher than planned, liquid will be held in the low spots and solids will settle out of the liquid in these low areas. Over a period of time, the capacity of the pipe will be decreased and the pipe may even become plugged.
A building foundation must be level or at least have level sections and steps with a known elevation change. If the foundation is not level, building walls are unlikely to be vertical. Building walls that are not vertical are generally weaker than planned and could overtime collapse.
Roads and airport runways are generally not level. However they must have sections with a uniform change in elevation. They may also have side slopes in a direction transverse to the direction of vehicle traffic to carry water away. High areas and low areas can hold water and force vehicles to reduce speed. High spots in low areas on a runway can render a runway unusable for high speed aircraft. Such areas can also increase loads on aircraft structures and reduce the useful life of aircraft.
The above examples relate to structures that require careful measurement of elevation during construction. Many more examples could be given.
Civil engineers and others have used a transit and a measuring stick to measure and calculate elevations at selected positions. These devices have required skilled individuals and meticulous records to avoid mistakes in measuring and in calculating results.
Lasers are available today to assist in determining elevations. Such devices can improve the accuracy and speed up the measuring process. However, the measuring stick generally has a graduated scale that starts at the surface and extends upward. When using a laser and a measuring device, the actual elevation at a given point is measured. Then we determine what the elevation should be. Finally the deviation from the desired elevation is calculated. Once the deviation is known, the information is given to a machine operator and he can make required changes. These changes are usually made by removing or adding materials such as rock and soil.
The measuring procedure takes time. While measurements are taken, calculations are made and the results are relayed to a machine operator, the operator and an expensive earth moving machine are frequently idle. This idle time can be very expensive.
Mistakes are frequently made when calculating the results of a elevation measurement. In some cases one measurement is subtracted from another measurement or calculation. In other cases a measurement is added to another measurement or calculation. It is easy to add when you should have subtracted it is also easy to make errors when adding or subtracting measurements that are to the nearest sixteenth of an inch. Making such calculations is, as mentioned above, time consuming.
The civil engineering elevation measuring stick is for use in a laser beam measuring system. The measuring stick includes a primary pole with a top end and a bottom end. A secondary tube telescopically receives the primary pole. The length of the secondary tube from the secondary tube top end to the secondary tube bottom end does not substantially exceed half the length of the primary pole. Four flat secondary walls of the secondary tube extend from the secondary tube bottom end to the secondary tube top end. A pair of spaced apart bottom apertures adjacent to the secondary tube bottom end pass through each of the four flat secondary walls. A pair of spaced apart top apertures adjacent to the secondary tube top end pass through each of the four flat secondary walls. A top ball bearing is positioned in each aperture of the pairs of spaced apart top apertures. A bottom ball bearing is positioned in each aperture of the pairs of bottom ball bearing apertures. Ball bearing retainers hold the top and bottom ball bearings in the apertures. The top and bottom ball bearings prevent contact between inside surfaces of the secondary tube and the primary pole thereby allowing the secondary tube to move freely on the ball bearings between the primary pole top end and the primary pole bottom end. A top end cap and a bottom end cap on the primary pole limit movement of the secondary tube relative to the primary pole. Laser beam receiver mounting surfaces are provided on the secondary tube. At least one measurement scale is provided on the primary pole to measure the distance the secondary tube is moved relative to the primary pole from an index position when a laser beam receiver clamped to the secondary tube is centered on a laser beam. The measured distance indicates the distance a surface supporting the bottom end of the primary pole is above or below the desired elevation thereby indicating how much material is to be removed or how much material is to be added.
One version of the measuring stick includes a spring that urges the secondary tube toward the primary pole top end. With this version, the index point from which measurements are taken is at the top of the primary pole. This version is used when excavating and accurately indicates how much material remains to be removed.
The other version of the measuring stick has an index point, from which measurements are taken, in the center portion of the primary pole. Two scales are provided on the primary pole. Both scales start at the index point. The upper scale increases as you move up from the index point. The lower scale increases as you move down from the index point. A viewing aperture with a position indicator is provided in a wall of the secondary tube. The upper scale encase the quantity of fill that is required. The lower scale indicates the quantity of material that is to be removed. With this version, a clamp is provided to hold the secondary tube in a fixed position relative to the primary pole while the scales are read.
Both versions of the measuring stick measure the deviation from the desired elevation without the need to make calculations. Eliminating calculations in the field saves time and reduces errors.

Surveyors elevation measuring stick and method


A reinforced insulated wall construction having a core of thermal insulation material which is reinforced by high-slenderness-ratio reinforced concrete columns. High compressive and side-load strengths are achieved by centrally supporting reinforcing members in vertical passageways in the core while the remainder of each passageway is filled with a concrete slurry and by so centrally supporting the members until the slurry hardens into concrete. Further side-load strength enhancement may be achieved by encasing at least a central length portion of each concrete column in a high flexural strength structural tubular casing.

Insulative wall structures are disclosed for instance in U.S. Pat. No. 4,038,798 which issued Aug. 2, 1977 to Melvin H. Sachs and is titled "Composite Permanent Block-Form For Reinforced Concrete Construction and Method of Making Same". This patent discloses foam filled construction blocks having cardboard-tube-lined vertical passageways. The blocks are integrated into a wall construction by laying a plurality thereof in end-to-end and tiered relation and filling aligned vertical passageways with concrete which may be reinforced by reinforcing bars 64, FIG. 5. As compared to the Sachs construction, the present invention provides such improvements as: means for centrally supporting a reinforcing rod in a long vertical passageway while a concrete slurry is introduced thereinto and until it sets into a concrete column; and a high flexural strength casing which may be disposed at least at the central elevation portion of the passageway. Thus, the present invention comprises means for providing high slenderness ratio concrete columns having high compressive strength, and means for providing an enhanced level of flexural strength relative to the compressive strength of the columns for particular applications rather than providing excessive compressive strength to achieve a satisfactory level of side load strength in wall constructions comprising such columns.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,566,568 which issued Mar. 2, 1971 to Joseph Slobodian also discloses cellular blocks having vertical passageways in which reinforced concrete columns are formed in situ. This patent shows reinforcing rod retaining plate 23, FIGS. 1 and 4, for positioning the top end of a reinforcing rod 25 in each passageway but no means for centrally positioning or supporting the rod 25 in the passageway along its length while a concrete slurry sets up in the passageway.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,562,985 which issued Feb. 16, 1971 to J. A. Nicosia discloses yet another foam filled wall construction having vertically extending passageways therethrough. Nicosia does not, however, provide reinforced concrete columns to strengthen his construction as provided by the present invention.
While the prior art patents discussed above disclose some of the features of the present invention as described and shown herein, it is believed they fail both singly and collectively to teach, disclose, or suggest the present invention. They fail, for instance, to disclose such features of the present invention as spacing means for positively assuring that a reinforcing rod is supported and positioned axially in a high slenderness ratio concrete column, and means for significantly enhancing both the compressive strength and flexural strength of a wall comprising high slenderness ratio concrete columns without increasing the diameter of the columns; for instance, by encasing at least a central elevational portion of each column in a high flexural strength tubular casing.


Apparatus is provided for receiving folded cartons of non-uniform thickness from a conventional gluing device, stacking those cartons into stacks of a predefined number, and rotating successive stacks 180.degree. from each other in order to compensate for the uneven or non-uniform thickness of each folded carton. The apparatus further serves to drop two or more stacks of the folded cartons from a stack building station into a slug building area and then, once a slug of a desired size is built, tilting the slug until the plane of each folded carton is vertically oriented (i.e., the slug lies horizontally). The apparatus then automatically loads the slug into a shipping box.

It is known in the prior art to stack folded cartons having ends of non-uniform thickness. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,264,255 to Saro et al. teaches a device for stacking folded boxes wherein each box has unequal thicknesses at its end portions. The '255 patent, however, does not disclose apparatus for automatically accumulating a plurality of stacks of folded cartons and inserting those accumulated stacks into a shipping container.
Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus for stacking folded cartons having ends of non-uniform thickness, accumulating those stacks, and automatically packing the stacked cartons into a shipping container.

Folded carton stacking and packing apparatus


An image blur suppression device suitable for a camera which compensates for low frequency camera motion without increasing the length of the camera in the optical axis direction and without posing limitation on the design of the camera. The image blur suppression device compensates for image blur by damping vibrations of a camera body to a compensation optical system using the inertia of a balance member. An oscillation mechanism unit is equipped with a first rotation member, one end of which is supported by the camera body so that it can rotate freely and the other end of which is fitted with the compensation optical system. A second rotation member is supported by the camera body so that it can rotate freely. The second rotation member has one end fitted to the first rotation member and the balance member attached to the other end.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image blur suppression device for a camera which compensates for image blur resulting from vibration or motion of an optical device of the camera, and, more particularly, to an image blur suppression device which uses an inertial pendulum system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image blur suppression devices have as their object, suppression of, or reduction of, blurring in an image projected onto an image plane. The image blur suppression devices set forth herein are motion compensation devices. A motion compensation device is a type of image blur suppression device which compensates for motion incident upon an optical system which projects the image onto the image plane. Motion is typically imparted to the optical system by way of vibrations in the optical system, or in the surrounding holding member. In general, known motion compensation devices cause a compensation lens to shift or tilt counter to the motion of the optical system so as to shift the image projected by the optical system relative to the optical system.
FIG. 3 is a diagram of part of a conventional image blur compensation device having an inertial pendulum system. In FIG. 3, the unit indicated by slanted lines is a camera body 1. In this conventional image blur suppression device, the center of oscillation of a compensation lens group 3 and the center of oscillation of a counter balance 13 are the same. The compensation lens group 3 and the counter balance 13 are attached on opposite sides of the center of oscillation. That is, the compensation lens group 3 is attached at a position of radius L.sub.m, with point 0 as the center, and the counter balance 13 is attached to the opposite side so that the counter balance 13 is balanced with the compensation lens group 3. A spring damper system 14 comprises an elastic member 14-1, such as a spring, and a viscous member 14-2, such as a damper. The spring damper system 14 is attached at a distance L.sub.kc from the center of rotation 0.
This conventional image blur suppression device inhibits the transmission of vibrations from the camera body 1 to the compensation lens group 3 because the inertia of components such as the counter balance 13 and the compensation lens group 3 works as a low-pass filter. Motion compensation is performed by the compensation lens group 3 using the inertia to maintain the position, prior to any shifting of the camera body 1, of the compensation lens group 3.
The vibration characteristic of the compensation lens group 3, when the camera body 1 has been moved or vibrated, is obtained as the system of forced vibration resulting from displacement excitation, where:
I.sub.0 : the total moment of inertia of the suppression system PA1 .theta..sub.n : the angle of motion of the camera body 1 PA1 .theta.: the angle of motion of the compensation lens group 3 PA1 (1) Increase the moment of inertia of the compensation lens group 3 PA1 (2) Decrease the spring constant of the elastic member
When the camera body 1 is considered to vibrate at .theta..sub.n =.theta..sub.0 sin (.omega.t), the equation of motion becomes: EQU I.sub.0 d.sup.2 .theta./dt.sup.2 +cL.sub.kc.sup.2 d.theta./dt+kL.sub.kc.sup.2 .theta.=cL.sub.kc.sup.2 d.theta..sub.n /dt+kL.sub.kc.sup.2 .theta..sub.n
Also, the intrinsic angular vibration frequency of this vibration system is : EQU .omega..sub.n =L.sub.kc (k/I.sub.0).sup. 1/2
FIG. 4 is a graph of this convention image blur suppression device which has undergone forced vibration. The vertical axis of FIG. 4 shows the vibration transmission rate M to the compensation lens group 3 when the camera body 1 has been vibrated. The value of the amplitude of vibrations of the compensation lens group 3 divided by the amplitude of vibrations to the camera body 1 is shown by [dB]. The horizontal axis of FIG. 4 is the vibration frequency ratio, which is the ratio (.omega./.omega..sub.n) of the angular vibration frequency of the camera body 1 with respect to the intrinsic angular vibration frequency (.omega..sub.n) of the conventional image blur suppression device. Camera motion during hand-held photography is mostly due to vibrations within a frequency band of approximately 1[Hz].about.15[Hz]. When the value of the transmission rate M is not more than -20[dB], there is little displacement of the compensation lens group 3 due to vibration of the camera body 1, and the image blur suppression device of FIG. 3 performs effective image vibration compensation.
As can be seen in FIG. 4, because the image blur suppression device deals with motion in the low frequency range of the camera, it is necessary to set the fixed frequency of the convention image blur suppression device to a sufficiently low value. To lower the fixed frequency, the following may be done:
In the first case, as (moment of inertia)=(mass).times.(radius of gyration).sup.2, it is advantageous to lengthen the effective radius of gyration.
In the conventional image blur suppression device, to deal with camera motion in the low frequency range, the fixed vibration frequency of the compensation lens group 3 may be lowered, and the moment of inertia of the compensation lens group 3 may be increased. However, to do this, it is necessary to lengthen the radius of oscillation of the compensation lens group 3, which would increase the length of the camera in the optical axis direction. Moreover, even where the radius of oscillation of the compensation lens group 3 is the same, the length, in the optical axis direction, can not be shortened by bringing the center of oscillation closer to the film plane.
Also, the amount of de-centering from the photographic optical axis of the compensation lens group 3 in the conventional image blur suppression device is determined from the positions of the center of rotation of the camera body 1 and the center of oscillation of the compensation lens group 3 to balance the counter balance 13, thereby limiting freedom of design.

Image blur suppression device with inertial pendulum system for a camera


The spiral sheet antenna allows a small efficient antenna structure that is much smaller than the electromagnetic wavelength. It achieves the small size by introducing a high effective dielectric constant through geometry rather than through a special high dielectric constant material. It typically includes a rectangular cylinder-like shape, with a seam. The edges of the seam can overlap to make a high capacitance, or they can make a high capacitance by simply having the edges of the seam very close to each other. The high capacitance serves the same role as a high dielectric constant material in a conventional compact antenna.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of wireless communication, and particularly to the design of an antenna.
2. Description of Related Art
Small antennas are required for portable wireless communications. To produce a resonant antenna structure at a certain radio frequency, it is usually necessary for the structure to be of a size equal to one-half of the electromagnetic wavelength, or for some designs, one-quarter of the electromagnetic wavelength. This is usually still too large.
A conventional solution, to reduce the size further., is to reduce the effective wavelength of the electromagnetic waves, by inserting a material of a high dielectric constant. Then, the internal wavelength is reduced by the square root of the dielectric constant. This requires special high dielectric constant materials that add cost, weight and cause an efficiency penalty. Accordingly, the present invention addresses these needs.
The present invention provides an effective increase in the dielectric constant purely by geometry, using a spiral sheet configuration. The dielectric material can have a dielectric constant  greater than 1, or it can simply be air with dielectric constant 1. Therefore cheaper dielectric materials can be used. Indeed there is nothing cheaper than air.
An antenna, comprising a first plate and a second plate, the combination of the first and second plates serving as a capacitive structure; and a third metallic structure, coupled to the first and second plates, thereby producing a cylindrical or substantially cylindrical current distribution, with two openings or holes at either end of the cylinder-like shape. Although a cylindrical current distribution is described, other shapes of current distribution can be practiced provided that the current is distributed around two openings or holes, that would construct an antenna without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In effect, the overlap between the first and second plates, on the edge of the cylinder, forms a seam between the two holes at the ends of the cylinder-like structure.
Advantageously, the present invention discloses an antenna structure that is more compact, reducing the overall size of a wireless device. The present invention further advantageously reduces the cost of building an antenna by using air as the dielectric. .
Other structures and methods are disclosed in the detailed description below. This summary does not purport to define the invention. The invention is defined by the claims.

Magnetic dipole antenna structure and method


According to one embodiment, a magnetoresistive element includes a first magnetic layer, a second magnetic layer, and a first nonmagnetic layer. The first nonmagnetic layer is provided between the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer. The first nonmagnetic layer includes an oxide including an inverse-spinel structure.

There is a magnetoresistive element that uses a MTJ (Magnetic Tunnel Junction) element. The MTJ element uses, for example, the tunneling magnetoresistive (TMR) effect. The magnetoresistive element is, for example, a memory cell of a magnetic memory device such as magnetic random access memory (MRAM), etc. It is desirable for the magnetoresistance ratio of the magnetoresistive element to be high.

Magnetoresistive element and magnetic memory device

NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR MATERIALS SCIENCE


Various compositions containing transfer factor in combination with nutraceuticals are provided including transfer factor in combination with zinc and essential fatty acids and transfer factor in combination with lactic acid generating bacteria. Also provided are methods for treating animal diseases and syndromes using these compositions.

Transfer factor which is produced by leucocytes and lymphocytes are small water soluble polypeptides of about eight amino acids and also associated cofactors that stimulate or transfer cell mediated immunity from one individual to another and across species. Since transfer factors are smaller than antibodies, they do not transfer antibody mediated responses nor do they induce antibody production. The properties, characteristics and processes for obtaining transfer factor or transfer factors are discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,816,563; 5,080,895; 5,840,700 and 5,883,224, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference into the present application. Transfer factor preparations have been demonstrated to contain three types of immune modulation activities. The inducer and suppressor activities are considered general and non-specific resulting in overall enhancement of immune responsiveness through interactions with the T-helper and T-suppressor cells.
Transfer factor has been described as an effective therapeutic for Herpes simplex virus (Viza, et al.), a treatment for acne blemishes, U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,384 and as a treatment against C. albicans (Khan et al.). Transfer factor has also been used to treat intestinal cryptosporidiosis in recipients treated with specific transfer factor (McMeeking, et al.). Still, et al. also showed that chicken pox infections were prevented by pretreatment of children treated with transfer factor from individuals that had chicken pox or who in other words had been sensitized to the varicella antigen. The antigen specific transfer factors are the most well studied and have been demonstrated to be able to convey the antigen recognition ability of the experienced donor to the naive recipient. It may be assumed that the individual or animal that is the source of the transfer factor has been sensitized to the antigen of interest. The term antigen is defined herein is anything that will initiate the cell mediated immune response. However, transfer factor as found in commercial bovine colostrum extract coming from a pool of animals (e.g., cows) contains the acquired immunity from all of the pool and therefore provides a type of generalized adoptive transfer of immunity. Transfer factors or transfer factor can be obtained from a dialyzable extract of the lyzed cells or from an extract of extracellular fluid containing transfer factor. Common sources of transfer factors are colostrum, ova, blood and milk. It is common practice to refer to preparations that contain transfer factor by the name of the active component (i.e., transfer factor or TF). Transfer factor extract containing transfer factors is also herein referred to as transfer factor. Transfer factor from bovine colostrum extract is defined as defatted water soluble material from colostrum that will pass through a nominal 10,000 molecular weight filter. The colostral derived transfer factor has been prepared with activity against various organisms including infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus. One of the specific effects of transfer factor is a significantly increased natural killer (NK) cell activity. Natural killer cells provide protection against viruses as part of the innate immune defense system.
The use of nutraceuticals to treat vitamin and mineral deficiencies is well known. However, the use of nutraceuticals, such as vitamins, minerals and other nutritional components to prevent and treat diseases other than those caused by the deficiency of those nutraceuticals, though still controversial, is receiving more consideration from both laymen and physicians. The following is a list of nutraceuticals and some of their generally acknowledged nutritional and health benefits.
Vitamin A—is important in preventing eye epithileol disorders; deficiency results in night blindness
Vitamin B2—is essential to human nutrition relating to the oxidation of carbohydrates and amino acids
Mixed tocopherols—are antioxidants
Choline Chloride—is a member of the vitamin B complex and a dietetic factor for furnishing free methyl groups for transmethylation
Vitamin B6—functions in the formation and breakdown of amino acids and is involved in the synthesis of serotonin and norepinephrine. However, exact dietary requirements are uncertain
Vitamin B12—is an antipernicious-anemia factor essential for normal hemopoiesis
Vitamin E—is an antioxidant that protects against free radicals.
Vitamin K—is essential for the formation of prothrombin
Biotin—functions in metabolic processes leading to the formation of fats and utilization of carbon dioxide
Folic Acid—a growth factor involved in the formation of nucleic acids and necessary for the formation of heme
Niacin—a component of the Vitamin B complex, a deficiency results in pellagra
Vitamin D3—is important in the absorption of calcium
Pantothenic Acid—is considered essential for growth and well being of animals; deficiency results in growth retardation, skin lesions and graying of hair
Thiamine—is necessary in diet of all animals except ruminants; used to prevent beriberi and important in carbohydrate metabolism
Lysine—is an essential amino acid
Methionine—is a sulfur containing essential amino acid
Arginine—is an amino acid important in the synthesis of urea (principal form in which mammals excrete)
Soy—is a source of proteins
Methyl Sulfonyl Methane—is a form of organic sulfur involved in cell membrane permeability
Zinc—is an essential mineral for growth; deficiency creates susceptibility to various pathogens
Omega 3-, 6-, and 9-Fatty Acids—are essential fatty acids and polyunsaturated fats; a deficiency results in hypertension and high blood pressure; they are believed to improve immune function
Yeast—(e.g., brewers, bakers, etc.) contains beta glucans which appear to increase production and/or activation of natural killer cells
Calcium—is required for bone development
Phosphorus—is required for bone development
Selenium—a deficiency results in heart muscle disease
Iron—is required for formation of hemoglobin; deficiency results in anemia
Magnesium—is an element required for growth in all living organisms
Manganese—is an element required for growth in all living organisms
Copper—is an element required for growth in plants, animals and most microorganisms
Iodine—is an element necessary for the synthesis of hormone production by the thyroid gland
Cobalt—is a trace element essential in the nutrition of ruminants (cattle, sheep) and in the maturation of human red blood cells in the form of Vitamin B12
Molybdenum—is a trace element believed to be necessary in animal diets but its function in the minimal levels have not been established
Lactic Acid Generating Bacteria—are a digestive aid and growth inhibitor of harmful bacteria
Chrondroitin—is a component of connective tissue which may relieve joint pain and arthritis.
Glucosamine—is a component of micropolysaccharides and glycoprotein which may be helpful in arthritis.
Di-methyl glycine—is a methylated amino acid found in all cells and an antioxidant.
Montmorillonite—is collodial clay containing trace elements which are considered by some to be important for well being and to compensate for elements no longer in foods because of depleted soils (the components are shown below in Table 1)
Super oxide dismutase (SOD)—is an antioxidant enzyme present in the mammalian body. It converts super oxide free radicals to the less active peroxide. It stimulates hair growth and is believed to protect cells against ultraviolet-B irradiation and to protect the heart.
Boswellia—is an herb Boswellia serrata. Boswellic acids, the biologically active ingredients of the gum resin of this herb, are considered to have anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic actions.
Octocosonol—is derived from wheat germ oil and provides 17% more residual energy before fatigue.
TABLE 1Montmorillonite ComponentsAverage Nutrient Content Per Ounce(1 Tablespoon = ˜0.36 oz.)(mg)Silicon6933Tungsten0.218Aluminum Silica2505Vanadium0.215Sodium Chloride1320Ruthenium0.210Potassium1293Baron0.189Protein1116Bromine0.140Calcium1104Cobalt0.129Sulfur431Selenium0.110Iron431Syprosium0.107Magnesium224Fluorine0.102Chlorine164Scandium0.0997Titanium61.9Samarium0.0943Carbon48.2Nobelium0.0754Sodium37.2Copper0.0593Barium10.5Praseodymium0.0539Phosphate8.62Erbium0.0539Strontium6.46Hafnium0.0539Cesium4.93Ytterbium0.0377Manganese4.04Lithium0.0377Thorium2.69Yttrium0.0323Uranium2.69Holmium0.0296Arsenic1.97Cadmium0.0296Chromium1.89Palladium0.0189Molybdenum1.64Terbium0.0161Nickel1.62Thulium0.0161Iodine1.28Gold0.0161Lead1.17Tantalum0.0135Cerium1.08Iridium0.0135Rubidium0.983Lutetium0.0108Antimony0.781Europium0.0108Gallium0.673Rhodium0.0108Germanium0.673Tin0.0108Neodymium0.539Silver0.00808Zinc0.539Indium0.00808Lanthanum0.486Oxygen0.00539Bismuth0.385Mercury0.00269Zirconium0.269Tellurium0.00269Rhenium0.269Beryllium0.00269Thallium0.269
Allopathic medicine is usually used to treat animal diseases. Unfortunately, such medicines often have serious side effects such as nausea, gastritis, diarrhea, maladsorption of vitamins, circulation and respiratory problems and allergic reactions. For example, Cushings disease, a fairly common physiological abnormality in ungulates, particularly horses, manifests itself as a pituitary adenoma that results in erratic cortisol and insulin levels. Cushings syndrome, however, is defined as a cortisol excess regardless of the cause. Clinical signs are frequent urination, polydypsia, failure to shed hair and poor hair coat, lack of muscle tone and sometimes poor coordination. The common allopathic drugs for treating Cushings disease and/or Cushings syndrome are Parlodel (bromocreptine mesylate) a dopamine agonist, cyproheptadine a serotonin blocker, and Permax (pergolide mesylate) another dopamine agonist. However, in oral form Parlodel has poor absorption and the intra molecular injectible form which needs to be given twice a day is impractical. Cyproheptadine usually takes about six to eight weeks and since it is a serotonin antagonist it can effect other systems in the brain. Permax is also an intense vasoconstrictor and can worsen chronic laminitis which is common with Cushings.
Onchocerciasis is a disease resulting from infection from microfilariae spread by flies and is characterized by fibrous nodules in the skin and subcutaneous tissues. The usual treatment is the anthelcide Ivermectin, yet the autoimmune component of this disease remains to the extent that there are constant relapses. Cortisone and antibiotics are also used. However, both of these drugs can be extremely toxic and often cause allergic reactions. Use of cortisone can also cause a depressed immune response, demineralization and eroding of the sensitive lamina of the hoof wall.
Circo virus is a disease affecting pigeons with a 10% mortality rate. The immune defense of the birds is reduced in a manner similar to that caused by an immune deficiency virus or mycoplasma causing susceptibility to other infections. There are approximately 30,000 racing pigeons this disease can affect and known treatments are not very effective.
Equine protozoal myelitis that results in severe inflamation of the spinal chord or of the bone marrow is usually treated with Pyrimethamine (an antibiotic), sulfadiazine (an antibiotic) and Trimethoprim sulfur (an antibiotic).
PURRS (porcine upper respiratory and reproductive disease in swine) disease is the most devastating problem in the swine industry costing the industry millions in loss, from morbidity, mortality, and infertility in swine. It is usually treated with antibiotics. However, these treatments are costly.
Livestock, especially horses and cows, often suffer from ulcers, including stomach ulcers and ulcerations and inflammation of the joints. The ulcers and ulcerations are usually treated with strong antibiotics and cortisones which again can cause allergic reactions, fever and other severe side effects. Also, the use of antibiotics to treat animals especially livestock food source animals often results in resistance to those antibiotics which is becoming a serious health problem with respect to all animals including humans. Inflammation such as laminitis in horses is usually treated with NSAID (non-steroidal antiinflamatory drug), compositions which again sometimes have serious side effects such as kidney and liver complications. Use of NSAID compositions such as Butazolidin, Banamine, Rymadal, Etogesic and aspirin often cause ulcers in the digestive system allowing toxins from the gut to enter the abdominal cavity and blood stream. This condition is known as leaky bowel or gut syndrome and often aggravates the original inflammation that initiated the treatment. In horses with laminitis, where one is trying to eliminate the flow of toxins to the sensitive lamina in the horse's hoof wall, the development of leaky gut syndrome is obviously counterproductive.
Diseases fairly common in domestic pets are feline leukemia in a cat and flea bite dermatitis in numerous animals such as cats, dogs, etc. Feline leukemia can be treated with various current oncological drugs but they are very expensive. Treatment of flea bite dermatitis in animals usually involves antibiotics and prednisone which is often ineffective and use of prednisone can cause sodium retention, eye problems and heart failure.
Strangles, a disease in horses caused by Streptococcus equi that forms abscesses in the lymph nodes and other parts of the body, is usually treated by rest and antibiotic therapy. The disease spreads quickly and is difficult to prevent. The disease can also cause chronic life-long mononucleosis-like symptoms in the horse.
Many animals such as dogs and livestock (horses, cows, sheep, etc.) suffer from chronic coughs believed to be caused by dust allergens. While seldom fatal, the ailment can lead to serious complications such as secondary infections. The cough which is often confused with other upper respiratory infections is usually treated with antibiotics such as Trimethoprim sulfur and expectorants. However, such treatment is often ineffectual.
Lymphopenia and hypothyroidism also occur in livestock. Lymphopenia is a decrease in the number or proportion of lymphocytes in the circulating blood which often leads to an increased susceptibility to bacterial and fungal infections. This hematologic abnormality can result from hereditary diseases, impaired production because of bone marrow cancer, but often the result of the impairment of cell production by drugs such as cancer drugs, antithyroid drugs, phenothyoscenes, penicillin, and other antibiotics. Again, treatment usually involves broad spectrum antibiotic therapy which again can lead to antibiotic resistance or other physiological problems.
Hypothyroidism in livestock and often domestic animals frequently occurs for unknown reasons. Treatment often involves replacement therapy with synthetic preparations of thyroxine. However, long-term replacement therapy can result in heart problems and bone diseases such as osteoporosis.
Another very serious problem with farm animals is high morbidity (i.e., sickness) among young animals which can result in severe financial losses to farmers and ranchers. The current methods of controlling morbidity involve a standard oat or grain diet for livestock and fowl, and inoculations and antibiotics.
In young cattle (stockers), this problem is particularly significant. The weaning, processing and transport of stockers is known to be very stressful and often leads to high morbidity and mortality rates due to bovine respiratory disease (BRD). In a six year study over 15% of stocker cattle exhibited BRD. Approximately 70% of feedlot death losses are attributable to BRD. Death losses are often not the largest costs. Weight loss, lower daily gain, carcass degradation, medicine costs and drug residues in the carcass can amount to $50.00-$100.00 per animal without death loss.
The observation of clinical signs of BRD and removal of calves was only poorly correlated with the presence of lung lesions at the time of slaughter. On the other hand, the drop in frequency and duration of eating and drinking are good indicators of BRD, as evidenced by the presence of lung lesions at time of slaughter. The dry matter feed intake for calves during the first 28 days in the feedlot has been shown to be 32% less in sick calves than in their well counterparts; additionally the average daily weight gain during this period was 0.01 Kg (0.02 lbs) vs 0.59 Kg (1.3 lbs) respectively. Thus nutritional interventions must take into account that the calves which are most sick are the ones who are least likely to obtain the nutrition they need through top dressing of feed.
Preconditioning of calves by vaccinating, bunk breaking them prior to weaning, and/or prophylactic administration of antibiotics often reduces the morbidity and mortality during the initial 2-4 weeks following transporting to a new premises. The inability of the rancher to recover the costs associated with preconditioning has inhibited the adoption of these practices.
There are incidences where preconditioned calves succumb to BRD sickness at rather high rates. This might result from neutralization of the administered vaccines by residual maternal antibodies. A second reason may be that the administered vaccines do not correspond to the initiating viral agents. Historically bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) virus, bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) virus, parainfluenza virus type 3 (PIV-3), and bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) have been seen as the initiating agents of BRD. Recent evidence has established that bovine coronavirus must also be added to the list of potential initiating viral infections.
A third reason may be that the bacterial component of BRD, such as Pasteurella haemolytica or Pasteurella multocida, may be resistant to the administered antibiotics. A final reason, which may encompasses all others, is the inability of the calves' innate or acquired immunity to adapt under the increased stress of weaning, processing, and transport.
It is well established that good nutrition strengthens immunity in cattle. The common addition of immune stimulant nutrients such as zinc and vitamin E to the diet of stocker cattle provides essential building blocks for building a strong immune defense. Nevertheless the published BRD nutritional intervention studies have not been consistently positive indicating that an unidentified deficiency still existed in the formulations studied.
Since most of the common medical treatments for the numerous medical problems discussed above and on the preceding pages can involve serious side effects, compositions containing natural products and nutraceuticals that would treat these diseases and syndromes with less contraindications and diminish the development of antibiotic resistance are highly desirable, not only to relieve suffering in the animals but also to improve the quality of meat and human health.

Compositions for treating animal diseases and syndromes


The present invention is a pressure swing adsorption process for separating a more strongly adsorbed gas component from a less strongly adsorbed gas component in a feed gas mixture at higher recoveries and productivity and less capital cost by the use of void space gas recycle, membrane based nitrogen enrichment of feed gas and the elimination of pressure equalization steps. The process is particularly amenable to air separation wherein nitrogen product is recovered and an oxygen byproduct is removed.

Adsorptive separations using carbon molecular sieves as adsorbents are well known in the prior art for resolving various gas mixtures, including air. Such separations are predicated upon the compositions of the gas mixtures and the components' selectivity for adsorption on adsorbents, such as carbon molecular sieves.
The use of nitrogen in industrial gas applications has seen significant growth, particularly with the development of non-cryogenic gas mixture separation. A major field of nitrogen separation comprises the separation of nitrogen from air. The removal of nitrogen from air results in an enriched oxygen gas component which is more strongly adsorbed by appropriate carbon molecular sieves which are selective for oxygen adsorption. When nitrogen is desired as a product, typically at elevated pressure, it is desirable to adsorb oxygen from air to result in unadsorbed nitrogen enriched product passing over an oxygen selective carbon molecular sieve adsorbent. The oxygen is then removed during a stage of desorption, typically at lower pressure. This results in nitrogen being recovered at the pressure of the feed air, while oxygen is recovered at a pressure below the feed air pressure. As a result, for the production of nitrogen without significant pressure loss in an adsorptive separation of air, it is desirable to utilize oxygen selective carbon molecular sieve adsorbents for the separation.
In the context of adsorptive air separations using carbon molecular sieves, processes were first described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,801,513. U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,340 discloses an air separation process using carbon molecular sieves in which the initial product from an adsorptive bed just going onstream is recycled to the feed air, upstream of the pump or compressor providing the feed air to the separatory equipment.
Oxygen spiking in nitrogen gas from an air separation process, which was addressed in the above prior art patent, was further addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,469 which utilizes a relatively slow final repressurization to preclude oxygen spiking when a regenerated adsorption bed goes back on line.
This oxygen spiking was also addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,264,339 which provides a continually increasing pressure in an adsorption bed going through the adsorption step in an adsorptive air separation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,461 discloses an adsorptive air separation using carbon molecular sieves wherein after pressure equalization between two adsorption beds, product nitrogen is allowed to backflow into the adsorption bed about to go back on the adsorption step in order to avoid oxygen spiking.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,407 in one of its several embodiments discloses a membrane preceding another form of gas separation, such as adsorption. However, the membrane permeates the undesired component for further resolution in the adsorption unit, while the reject is a first desired component stream.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,804 discloses that a depressurization gas from an adsorptive separation can be contacted with a membrane with the permeate desired component recycled as feed to the adsorptive separation.
Other patents of general interest to adsorptive separation include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,738,087; 4,348,213 and 4,853,004.
The prior art has typically relied on slow repressurizations, pressure equalization and depressurization gas permeate recycle steps to provide energy efficiency and high recoveries in adsorptive air separations. Also, high purities in nitrogen product have been attempted by slow repressurizations, product-to-product end equalization of adsorption beds and recycle of initial produced nitrogen product having oxygen spiking. However, the prior art has not resolved the problems of attaining high efficiency, high recovery and high nitrogen purity while avoiding the adsorbent material fluidization and dusting resulting from energy saving pressure equalization. These problems have been overcome by the present invention which is set forth in greater detail below.

Pressure swing absorption with recycle of void space gas


A monitor assembly is provided herein for monitoring the effectiveness of anodic protection of a carbon steel vessel containing a corrosive liquor, e.g. pulp digesters. The monitor has two identical carbon steel coupons mounted on a mount rod, one coupon being in electrical connection with the anodically protected vessel, the other being out of electrical connection with such vessel. A reference electrode is mounted on the same mount rod in such a way that the reference electrode, but not the mount rod, is wetted by the liquid contents of the carbon steel vessel. In this novel combination of elements, the mount rod, the metal components of a sealing gland and a metal spacer disc are made of any metal with sufficient mechanical and chemical stability to withstand the corrosive environment of the liquid contents of the carbon steel vessel and the mechanical stress. An electrically non-conductive sleeve and electrically non-conductive spacer elements are formed of any electrically non-conductive material having sufficient mechanical and chemical stability to withstand the corrosive environment of the liquid contents of the carbon steel vessel and the mechanical stress. The reference electrode is formed from any metal which provides a stable potential when exposed to the liquid contents of the carbon steel vessel.

(i) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a monitor assembly for monitoring any possible corrosion and/or the corrosion protection and potential of a carbon steel vessel containing a caustic liquor. More particularly it is directed to such a monitor assembly for use in carbon steel vessels used in the wood pulp industry which contain pulping liquor and which could be protected from corrosion by anodic protection.
(ii) Description of Prior Art
Carbon steel is known to be generally resistant to corrosion in caustic solutions due to build-up thereon of passive films. However, such passive films are susceptible to localized breakdown or to uniform corrosion, depending on the electrochemical potential exerted on the carbon steel by the caustic solution. Kraft or soda-process pulping liquors generally contain oxidants, e.g. polysulphides and organic species, which influence the corrosion potential of a carbon steel vessel and can cause localized corrosion in the form of caustic stress corrosion cracking or uniform corrosion.
Similar forms of corrosion have also been observed in the Bayer process which is used in the aluminum industry to refine Bauxite ore into a purer form of alumina.
The corrosion environment in vessels used in the pulp industry, e.g. kraft or soda pulp digesters and white liquor clarifiers, is alkaline with concentrations of NaOH in the range 8 to 100 g/L, Na.sub.2 S up to 40 g/L and Na.sub.2 CO.sub.3 around 25 g/L. The common alloys of construction are carbon steels like A516 grade 70 or A285 type C. In a number of cases pulp digesters made from these steels have suffered from caustic cracking or from high rates of uniform corrosion, and have required repair or reconstruction at considerable cost.
One procedure heretofore used to control corrosion in such digesters, as well as in Bayer-process vessels, has been anodic protection. Many patents teach the concept of corrosion control by inducing passivity in the metal by anodic polarization techniques. With such a technique, the vessel to be protected against corrosion by a chemical contained therein is anodically polarized with respect to an inert cathode suspended in the corrosive liquid in the vessel. An electric current is passed between the metallic vessel and the inert cathode so as to maintain the electrical potential of the vessel in the passive region. The necessary electrical potential can be determined by means of an anodic polarization curve, or by controlled potential immersion testing, or by controlled potential stress corrosion testing. The passive region can be identified after such tests, thus providing data indicative of the potential range within which the vessel should be maintained in order to attempt to minimize corrosion.
Amongst the prior patents dealing with this technique are: Mueller and Watson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,009,865, Banks et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,371,023 issued Feb. 7, 1968, 3,375,183 issued Mar. 26, 1968, 3,378,472 issued Apr. 16, 1968, 3,379,629 issued Apr. 23, 1968, and 3,409,526 issued Nov. 5, 1968; Hoey, U.S. Pat. No. 3,442,779 issued May 6, 1969; and Hulthe, U.S. Pat. No. 4,036,716 issued July 19, 1977.
In order to carry out constant-potential anodic protection successfully, a means of measuring the vessel potential is essential and a reference electrode is used for this purpose. Many common reference electrodes, e.g. the silver/silver chloride electrode, are unsuitable for potential measurement in pulping liquors because they are poisoned by contact with reduced sulphur species, e.g. sulphide. However, it is well known that metallic silver, molybdenum and other metals can perform as a reproducible reference electrode in pulping liquors as taught by Every and Banks in U.S. Pat. No. 3,462,353, even though that patent more preferably teaches the use of metal/metal salt electrodes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,232 by Garner, A. issued Aug. 25, 1981 teaches a method for monitoring the effectiveness of electrochemical protection by means of a monitor assembly which carries two corrosion coupons. The assembly is designed so that one coupon is protected, and the other is unprotected but otherwise identically exposed.
The electrochemical potential of a large carbon steel vessel, e.g. a pulp digester, is not uniform throughout the vessel but can vary substantially from place to place. Even when anodic protection is applied to such a vessel, the potential can be substantially non-uniform. The potential can vary because it is determined by three factors, each of which vary with position in the vessel. These factors are (a) liquor composition (b) the nature of film or deposit on the steel surface and (c) the proximity of the cathode in an anodic protection system. Because the potential is position-dependent, it is essential to monitor the potential at the same location as a monitor assembly which is used to monitor the effectiveness of protection. Potential monitoring and corrosion monitoring could be carried out using two separate probes one of which carries a reference electrode, and the other carries a corrosion monitor assembly. However, it is highly undesirable to locate two separate probe parts in close proximity on a carbon steel vessel, particularly in the case of a digester which is a pressure vessel and subject to strict codes and regulations. Moreover, it has not previously been proposed to mount the reference electrode on the same probe which carries the monitor assembly because of the difficulties of ensuring that only the reference electrode is wetted by the process lliquor, while the electrically connectable mount rod be maintained substantially dry.

Monitor assembly for monitoring anodic corrosion protection of carbon steel vessels

Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada


A high stiffness waterproof roof panel pad for a vehicle, which is configured by stacking and laminating a waterproof reinforcing layer coated with PE layers on both surfaces of a urethane foam pad, thereby reinforcing the stiffness of a vehicle body panel, preventing the pad from becoming wet due to dew condensation and thus increasing noise and vibration reduction effects and having a waterproof function. Additionally, a method of manufacturing the waterproof roof panel pad includes preparing a hard urethane foam pad, preparing a waterproof reinforcing layer of which both surfaces are coated with PE layers, stacking the waterproof reinforcing layer on both surfaces of the urethane foam pad, laminating the PE layer in contact with the urethane foam pad and integrally forming the urethane foam pad and the waterproof reinforcing layer, and performing a cutting operation according to a shape and a size of a roof panel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high stiffness waterproof roof panel pad for a vehicle and a manufacturing method thereof, and more particularly, to a high stiffness waterproof roof panel pad for a vehicle, in which a waterproof reinforcing layer having a PE layer is stacked on both surfaces of a urethane foam pad having excellent sound absorption performance, and the urethane foam pad and the waterproof reinforcing layer are formed integrally by laminating the PE layer, and thus it is possible to provide a waterproof function as well as reinforce stiffness, thereby reducing noise and vibration generated and transferred from the roof panel of the vehicle to an inside of the vehicle and also preventing dew condensation, and a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Generally, in a vehicle, a sound absorbing pad is installed on a vehicle body panel in order to reduce noise or vibration transferred from an outside of the vehicle to an inside thereof and thus to improve ride comfort. The sound absorbing pad needs a complex solution to improvements in fuel efficiency, noise, vibration and the like through a weight of the vehicle.
Accordingly, Patent Document 1 discloses a sound absorbing material having a multilayered structure in which a horizontally arranged sound absorbing material layer and a vertically arranged sound absorbing material are stacked, and a surface-treated non-woven fabric is attached to an outer surface thereof in order to suppress dust generation and also to increase surface uniformity, and a manufacturing method thereof. Here, since the thin surface-treated non-woven fabric is attached to the outer surface so as to perform a finishing process, it is possible to provide the sound absorbing material which may prevent the dust generation at the surface thereof in advance and also increase the surface uniformity. Further, since the sound absorbing material is manufactured so as to have the multilayered structure in which the horizontally arranged sound absorbing material layer which is a high density layer and the vertically arranged sound absorbing material which is a low density layer are mixedly stacked, a difference in surface density occurs between the layers, and it is possible to reduce a weight and further improve performance of the sound absorbing material by the difference in surface density.
As a conventional pad used in a vehicle body panel of a vehicle, a sound absorbing pad in which PET felt is generally used as a base material has been used widely. However, the sound absorbing pad had the following limitations:
(1) In the case of the sound absorbing pad formed of the PET felt, it had sound absorbing ability, but it was not able to reinforce stiffness of the vehicle body. Therefore, it could not reduce noise due to vibration transferred from the vehicle body to the inside of the vehicle.
(2) Further, in winter when a difference in temperature between the inside of the vehicle and the outside thereof was great, dew condensation was generated at an inner side of the vehicle body panel. If the sound absorbing pad was wet due to the dew condensation, then the sound absorbing effect was deteriorated, and the sound absorbing pad could become separated from the vehicle body panel.

High stiffness waterproof roof panel pad for vehicle and manufacturing method thereof


An engine control apparatus in which an air/fuel ratio for the engine is controlled between the stoichiometric point and a lean point. The engine control apparatus is constructed so as to detect a predetermined period of the transient time in which the air/fuel ratio is switched from the stoichiometric point to the lean point or from the lean point to the stoichiometric point, and delay an ignition timing during the predetermined period of transient time.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an engine control apparatus, more particularly to an engine control apparatus for controlling the ignition timing in a lean-burn engine in which an air/fuel ratio is switched between the stoichiometric point and a lean point.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The conventional lean-burn engine is controlled such that the fuel is burned at a lean air/fuel ratio (ex. 20 to 25) far higher than the stoichiometric point (14.7) at a low engine speed or a light load condition, thereby improving the fuel consumption. While, the engine is controlled such that the fuel is burned at the stoichiometric air/fuel ratio under acceleration or heavy load. As a result, it is possible to improve the fuel consumption while maintaining the output torque.
If the predetermined air/fuel ratio is varied substantially when the lean air/fuel ratio and the stoichiometric air/fuel ratio is switched on the basis of the change in operation of the above-mentioned engine, a large torque difference is occured when the predetermined air/fuel ratio is switched, because the produced torques are different to each other even if the operating condition is the same. Therefore, in order to prevent the deterioration of drivability, the air/fuel ratio is not switched at a time, but it is varied in stages every air-intake stroke of cylinders and finally switched completely. The above lean-burn engine is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-71381 (1993).
Now, in the above conventional control system of the air/fuel ratio for an engine, it is required to obtain the target air/fuel ratio through the medium air/fuel ratio (A/F=16 to 18) when switched between the stoichiometric point (A/F=14.7) and a lean point (A/F=16 to 18).
However, as described below, it is proved that the concentration of NOx in the exhaust gas at the medium air/fuel ratio between the stoichiometric point and the lean point is higher than that in exhaust gas at the lean air/fuel ratio and the stoichiometric air/fuel ratio. Therefore, if the fuel is burned at the medium air/fuel ratio, there is the problem that the concentration of NOx inreases. One disadvantage of the conventional engine control apparatus is that particularly in a large emission vehicle, it become difficult to clear the auto-emission standards of the total emission amount of NOx at a mode operation.
Even if the fuel injection amount is controlled in such a way that the target air/fuel ratio is varied step by step between the stoichiometric point and the lean point not so as to match with the medium air/fuel ratio, there is the cylinder in which the fuel is burned at the medium air/fuel ratio. Therefore, another disadvantage of the conventional engine control apparatus is that the concentration of NOx may become several times to several tens of times more than that in a steady state.


In a two-way radio frequency (RF) communications system having a plurality of subscriber units (SUs) and a supporting infrastructure including a wireless core network, a service request is received indicating one of a device, application, and transport link that will be removed from service. One or more SUs out of the plurality of SUs are identified that will be impacted by the removal from service. A determination is then made of whether any one of the SUs is currently involved in an incident response. For each SU determined to be currently involved in an incident response, it is determined whether the respective incident response is of a non-interruptible incident response type. Responsive to determining that a SU is currently involved in a non-interruptible incident response, a notification is caused to appear at a network management console or a dispatch console, and the service request is at least temporarily suspended.

Wireless communication systems provide for radio communication links to be arranged within the system between a plurality of user terminals. Such user terminals may be mobile and may be known as 'mobile stations' or 'subscriber units.' At least one other terminal, e.g. used in conjunction with subscriber units, may be a fixed terminal, e.g. a base station, repeater, access point, and/or eNodeB. Such a system typically includes a system infrastructure which generally includes a network of various fixed terminals, which are in direct radio communication with the subscriber units. Each of the fixed terminals operating in the system may have one or more transceivers which may, for example, serve subscriber units in a given local region or area, known as a 'cell' or 'site', by radio frequency (RF) communication. The subscriber units that are in direct communication with a particular fixed terminal are said to be served by the fixed terminal. In one example, all radio communications to and from each subscriber unit within the system are made via respective serving fixed terminals. Sites of neighboring fixed terminals in a wireless communication system may be offset from one another or may be non-overlapping or partially or fully overlapping.
Wireless communication systems may operate according to an industry standard land mobile radio (LMR) protocol such as, for example, the Project 25 (P25) standard defined by the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials International (APCO), or other radio protocols, the TETRA standard defined by the European Telecommunication Standards Institute (ETSI), the Digital Private Mobile Radio (dPMR) standard also defined by the ETSI, or the Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) standard also defined by the ETSI. Broadband wireless communication systems generally providing higher bandwidths for data, video, audio, and/or voice may also operate, alongside or in place of the LMR protocols, according to an industry standard protocol such as, for example, an open media alliance (OMA) push to talk (PTT) over cellular (OMA-PoC) standard, a voice over IP (VoIP) standard, or a PTT over IP (PoIP) standard. Protocols such as PoC, VoIP, and PoIP are implemented over broadband RANs including third generation and fourth generation networks such as third generation partnership project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks.
Communications in accordance with any one or more of these standards, or other standards, may take place over physical channels in accordance with one or more of a TDMA (time division multiple access), FDMA (frequency divisional multiple access), or CDMA (code division multiple access) protocol. Subscriber units in wireless communication systems such as those set forth above send user communicated speech and data, herein referred to collectively as 'traffic information', in accordance with the designated protocol.
Many so-called "public safety" wireless communication systems provide for group-based radio communications amongst a plurality of subscriber units such that one member of a designated group can transmit once and have that transmission received by all other members of the group substantially simultaneously. Groups are conventionally assigned based on function. For example, all members of a particular local police force may be assigned to a same group so that all members of the particular local police force can stay in contact with one another while avoiding the random transmissions of subscriber units users outside of the local police force. Public safety group-based radio communications generally demand high availability, but are subject to unpredictable intermittent use by group members that is dictated by the random occurrence of emergency incidents that do not occur at any pre-scheduled or predictable pattern.
However, situations may arise where upgrades, preventive maintenance, fault recovery, or some other operation (e.g., a service request) on the RAN requires some portion of the RAN to be taken out of service, including but not limited to a fixed terminal, a backhaul link, a device in the RAN core network, an application running on an application server, the application server itself, or some other transport link within a RAN core network. In conventional systems, such operations are generally scheduled during off-peak hours, and the existence of any currently active incidents perhaps manually confirmed via voice transmission with a dispatch center before the operations are executed and RF communications services potentially interrupted or degraded.
However, with the continued move towards high-bandwidth and high density broadband RAN communications systems, it is getting more difficult to determine what radio sites will be impacted by any particular service operation, and more difficult still to determine what subscriber units will be impacted and whether any of those subscriber units are involved in an incident response and would be negatively affected by the service operation during a critical time. Furthermore, manual verification of incident activity is prone to error and requires verbal dissemination of information across one or more organizations that is not always possible to maintain in a consistent manner under varying circumstances and across varying personnel. Accordingly, what is needed is an improved system, device, and method for handling service requests for performing service operation requests on RAN communications systems.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure.

Incident aware service operations for wireless infrastructure


A rigid hand railing is disclosed having a plurality of compound indentations formed in the underside thereof to facilitate gripping thereof by a human hand. A method of manufacture of such a hand railing is also disclosed wherein a tool having a plurality of individually movable forming punches to be driven into pre-formed tooling stock is used to form the indentations in one side of the tubing stock. Each forming punch is provided with a tip portion having a compound shape formed from two perpendicular oriented and oppositely disposed arcuate shapes. The forming punches are to be alternatively or sequentially driven into the tubing stock to form the indentations.

The present invention relates generally to hand railings and, more particularly, to a rigid hand railing having a plurality of finger-sized indentations formed in one surface thereof to facilitate gripping by human hands and to a method of manufacture of such a hand railing and a tool for use in such manufacture.
Hand railings are placed in use throughout the world to assist in related human activity. For example, stairs are typically provided with hand railings to assist people in traversing up or down the stairs. Swimming pools are equipped with hand railings to provide assistance for people entering or exiting the water. Vehicles, such as ambulances, are also provided with hand railings to provide a gripping surface for the people using the vehicle. Typically, such railings are extruded shapes, such as a circular tube or a ribbed ornate shape, and are constructed from a durable metal, such as stainless steel.
Such typical hand railings, however, do not provide a positive gripping surface which would still further assist in the corresponding human activity associated with the hand railing, particularly in activity normally associated with the handicapped. Furthermore, a positive gripping, undulating surface would not be conducive to extruded manufacture. Elastomeric grips, such as bicycle grips, have been provided to be mounted on tubing members to facilitate gripping thereof; however, such grips are normally limited to the very ends of the tubing member and cannot provide a positive gripping surface along the intermediate portions thereof.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a hand railing structure that would provide a positive gripping surface along substantially the entire longitudinal length thereof. Since such a hand railing would not be conducive to manufacture by extrusion, a method of manufacture and tooling to be used in the manufacture would also be desirable.