Equipment for connection of subsea pipelines for oil and gas fields includes one machined block manifold having at least one fluid import spindle of side input, one stop valves set provided on a surface of machined block manifold, which also receives a header and branches, a point for line support and device for subsea installation, subsea line or pipeline. This set is installed on a foundation frame in sea soil and will be part of an oil drilling system.

Connection systems for subsea pipelines have major importance in the oil industry, especially at offshore area. Necessity to transport fluids in great depths connecting oil wells to the platforms, two or more subsea equipment or transport directly to the offshore, for example, requires kilometers of pipelines of fluid transport and, subsequently, of equipment connecting said pipelines.
The connection equipment (or termination) are assembled at intermediate points or at the end of pipelines and are typically composed of a metal frame for foundation on sea soil, control and fluid block valves, sections of intermediate pipelines and spindles for connection with other equipment, for fluid import and export, as well as injection or service on the well. In addition, a further frame is required, partially independent of foundation frame, which has the function of fix these components and to withstand the stresses generated by the weight of line during installation, keeping the components pressurized which have contact with the production or injection fluid out of load line during installation.
An example of typical subsea architecture diagram for connection between manifold for four wells and Pipeline End Termination (PLET) is shown on FIG. 1 (state of art). This diagram illustrates a production manifold which is used to collect fluids from the wells, exporting them to line connection equipment, such as a PLET by means of a jumper or spool.
A typical schematic view of a state of art manifold, spool or jumper, and PLET is the shown in FIG. 1. The manifold comprising fluid import/export spindles (1) is connect to the header (3) by means of block valve (2) to each Wet Christmas Tree (WCT) branch and an additional valve (4) for the header (3). This header (3) of the manifold, by a spindle, is connected to a jumper or spool (5)—rigid and flexible pipelines containing a vertical or horizontal crimp at each of its ends—by subsea connectors (6), which need to be locked or unlocked with the use of remotely operated subsea vehicles and still making the seal between equipment to avoid leaks. The jumper or spool (5), in turn, is connected to the PLET spindle, which has a block valve (7) to performing subsea line isolation (8) welded to the PLET. All these equipment have to be assembled on a frame (9) resistant enough to withstand all stresses from the lines, as indicated in FIG. 2. FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate perspective and front cut views, respectively, the frame (9) of a typical PLET and detail of line supporting beam (10), as usually practice by the state of art.
The architecture illustrates in FIG. 1 then essentially needs a manifold, jumper or spool, PLET, six stop valves, which can varies as the manifold application or field need, and additionally more two connectors. It occurs that in operational practice, said state of arte architecture presents two potential points of undesirable fluid leak, which are the said connectors.
In addition, it is still necessary a plurality of other components, besides essentials, such as welding seams, secondary valves and components for seal that require a structural stress to withstand them. Other important factor is the particularity of subsea environment, whose increasing depth exert great pressure on the lines, making them increasingly heavy and demanding more of the equipment installed.
FIG. 4 shows a typical four wells system, where a manifold is interconnected to four Wet Christmas Trees (WCT), a jumper or spool connected to conventional PLET equipment. The production trees are linked to the manifold, the latter of which is intended to equalize the production from the wells. PLET is used to interconnect the manifold with the production lines. At the conventional frame of manifold and installation methods of conventional subsea equipment, it is not possible to realize a direct interconnection of line with said manifold. Thus, PLET it is necessary to perform the descent of production line, usually measuring kilometers and weighting on order of more than 600 tons, responsible for outflow of production and in order to be possible to make interconnection with manifold. In other words, at the traditional methods there is no possibility to make the direct connection of these production lines with manifold, thus needing PLET.
Furthermore, in traditional oil drilling systems, a plurality of other components, other than the above-mentioned essentials, such as weld beads, secondary valves, and seal components are required which require significant structural effort to support them. Another important factor is the particularity of the subsea environment, whose depth, increasing, exerts great pressure on the lines making them increasingly heavy and demanding more of the equipment installed.
As is known, subsea equipment typically have a very robust structure, ie, high dimensions and weight to withstand underwater conditions, where pressure and corrosion resistance requirements are severe, as well as extreme loads occurring during Installation of the same. When manufacturing a PLET or PLEM (Pipeline End Manifold) type of equipment, it is first necessary to develop the project design and then proceed with the manufacture of pressurized elements such as valves, pipes and ducts. Once these elements are manufactured, they must be integrated with the metallic interface structure with sea soil, such as foundation, balconies or mudmat, as well as with the supporting metal beams for these components necessary for the installation of the equipment in the soil subsea. The integration of these components requires critical weld strands, that is, complex processes since welding requires both special preparation and qualification, which are costly and time consuming processes. Currently, the integration process requires at least four months for the manufacturing and delivery process of PLET-type equipment.
PLET-type equipment is then connected to a flexible or rigid pipe through which the oil/gas production flows or the water/gas is injected into the WCTs installed in the wells. This tube in an subsea field extends for kilometers of distances, for example, 10 km, representing a typical weight of about 600 tons. When installing PLET-type equipment, this pipe will be connected to the equipment, as shown in FIG. 3. However, it is required that the load line from the loads carried by that tube does not pass through the pressurized elements, such as valves, pipes and ducts and, in order to comply with this requirement, a structural support beam (10) of the line to support this weight, thereby protecting said pressurized elements which are in contact with the production or injection fluid. Said structural framework is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.
The support structure, including said supporting beam of the line (10), adds to the equipment a very high dimension and weight requiring special vessels for its installation. As the PLET design is not standardized and has support structures that change as needed, special vessels and support logistics for the installation are changed on a case-by-case basis, making the subsea field projects more expensive and increasing the actual time of its installation.
All of these factors contribute significantly to delaying the subsea production process, increasing costs related to design, fabrication, testing, transportation, mechanical integration, and installation of equipment in the seabed.
Currently there are in the market efforts and technological developments in an attempt to reduce the costs of the equipment for production and oil drilling. In this sense, an effort has been made in researches and solutions carried out in the equipment itself as well as solutions that make feasible the optimization of the configuration of the subsea field, but to date there is no adequate solution for this technological demand.
The present invention advantageously, robustly and efficiently solves all of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, in addition to others arising and not mentioned herein.

Equipment for connection of subsea pipelines in block architecture and oil drilling system


A longwall mineral mining installation has a longwall conveyor, a plough guide attached to the face-side of the conveyor, and a main plough movable to and fro along the guide. A respective stable-hole plough is movable to and fro along portions of the plough guide adjacent to each end of the conveyor. Each stable-hole plough is driven by means of a respective endless drive chain which passes round two end sprockets. One end sprocket of each stable-hole plough is positioned at the face-side of the conveyor part way therealong. The other end sprocket of each stable-hole plough is positioned at the adjacent end of the conveyor on the goaf-side thereof. Each drive chain passes round a direction-changing unit positioned at the adjacent end of the conveyor.

This invention relates to a longwall mineral mining installation.
A known type of longwall mineral mining installation has a face conveyor which extends along a longwall working. At each end, the working merges with a roadway or gallery which extends substantially at right-angles thereto. A plough guide is attached to the face-side of the conveyor and a plough is movable to and fro along the guide. The plough is driven, via a sword plate extending under the conveyor and a goaf-side endless drive chain attached to the sword plate, by means of a drive situated at one end of the conveyor. Such an installation may also have a second plough which is also movable to and fro along the plough guide. In this case, the two ploughs are independently operable so that the capacity of the face conveyor can be utilised as fully as possible. The use of two ploughs also enables mineral material to be won, from faces having seams of differing hardness or zones containing deformities, at the same rate as that possible using a single plough on faces having uniform, uninterrupted seams. The drives for the two ploughs are arranged one at each end of the conveyor, that is to say in the end zones of the working where the conveyor drives are situated. Consequently, the already constricted end zones of the longwall conveyor are further congested, particularly as both ploughs have to be designed to deal with the same high winning capacity, and so require large and robust drives. Another disadvantage of such an installation, is that the end (stable-hole) zones of the working have to be excavated by hand. Alternatively, if the conveyor were extended so that the ploughs could win material over the entire length of the longwall face, the heavy drives for the conveyor and the ploughs would have to be situated in the roadways, and this is disadvantageous because the roadway roof support systems would have to be opened up each time the conveyor is advanced to follow up the advance of the face. Furthermore, the two ploughs require drive chains and chain guides that extend the entire length of the conveyor, and this involves an extremely expensive construction and makes repair and maintenance work rather difficult. (DE-OS No. 2 439 259 describes such an installation).
In order to obviate the need to excavate the stable-hole regions by hand, another known type of longwall mineral mining installation has an extended face conveyor. The end extensions of the conveyor are curved and terminate in the roadways. The disadvantage of this type of installation is that the roadways are completely filled up with machinery in the access zones to the longwall working. Moreover, when the conveyor is advanced, the roadway roof support systems have to be opened up. (see DE-AS No. 1 280 782).
The aim of the invention is to provide a longwall mineral mining installation that can win material in the stable-hole regions of a longwall working, without leading to excessive machinery congestion in the zones where the working meets the access roadways.

Longwall mining installation having stable-hole plough


The power-on reset circuit of this invention includes a current-sensing circuit, a pulse-stretching circuit, and a voltage-reference circuit. The voltage-reference circuit consists, for example, of one N-Channel and one P-Channel MOS transistor. The circuit of this invention uses a static voltage reference comprised of CMOS transistors to detect the power-up condition. The circuit of this invention improves detection of a transient power-supply voltage Vcc loss and detects that power-supply voltage transient on both rising and falling edges.

The present invention relates to integrated-circuits and, in particular, to a circuit and method for a power-on reset sequence in integrated circuits.
One problem in the design of integrated circuits is related the power supply Vcc having a voltage below the minimum level required for proper circuit operation. The power supply Vcc has momentary low voltages during start-up, during shut-down and during system transients. The supply voltage may also have a low voltage if a battery is faulty or is aging. A very low value of power-supply voltage can cause spurious operation of the integrated circuit and, consequently, of any device controlled by that integrated circuit. For example, in a nonvolatile memory, a very low value of power-supply voltage during power-up can cause undesired programming or erasure of the device. In turn, undesired programming or erasure causes loss of integrity of data, adversely affecting the operation of any devices dependent on that data.
There is a need for an improved detection circuit to furnish a signal indicating that the power-supply voltage is below the minimum level for the proper operation of the integrated-circuit system. That signal could then be used to inhibit spurious operation of particular electronic systems within the integrated circuit. Ideally, such detection circuitry should function in a "static" manner, detecting both rising and falling transitions of a power supply through the minimum level for operation.
Prior-art circuitry includes use of bipolar devices to implement a voltage reference function for detection. Other prior-an circuitry includes use of a dynamic detection design that requires a latching circuit or a very large capacitor. The prior art circuitry fails to detect transient loss of the power-supply voltage after an initial power-up condition has occurred. In addition, many of the prior-art power-up circuits require the power-supply voltage to drop substantially lower than the initial detection level for a long period of time before being sensed. Also, some prior-art circuits detect only the rising-edge state of the switched power-supply voltage.
Prior-art circuits and methods include those described in the following articles: (1) "Power Supply Voltage Monitors Maintain Microprocessor Data Integrity "; Larry Shorthill; PCIM; June 1990; (2) "Circuit resets CMOS uPs"; Hans Eichel; EDN; Mar. 22, 1984; and (3) "Reset circuit solves brownout problems"; Damian Bonicatto; EDN; Oct. 16 1986. Other prior-art circuits are described in the following patents: (1) U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,233 issued Dec. 10, 1985, entitled "CMOS Power-On Reset Pulse Generating Circuit with Extended Reset Pulse Duration"; (2) U.S. Pat. No. 4,633,107 issued Dec. 30, 1986, entitled "CMOS Power-UP Reset Circuit for Gate Arrays and Standard Cells"; (3) U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,067 issued May 5, 1992, entitled "Power UP Reset Circuit"; (4) U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,531 issued Oct. 6, 1987, entitled "Power-On Reset Circuit"; (5) U.S. Pat. No. 4,746,822 issued May 24, 1988, entitled "CMOS Power-On Reset Circuit"; (6) U.S. Pat. No. 4,812,679 issued Mar. 14, 1989, entitled "Power-On Reset Circuit"; (7) U.S. Pat. No. 4,885,476 issued Dec. 5, 1989, entitled "Power-On Reset Circuit"; (8) U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,497 issued Dec. 19, 1989 entitled "Generator of Reset Pulses Upon the Rise of the Power Supply for CMOS-Type Integrated Circuits"; and (9) U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,498 issued Dec. 19, 1989, entitled "Integrated-Circuit Power-Up Pulse Generator Circuit".

Current-sensing power-on reset circuit for integrated circuits


A facility is provided for automatically generating design data for a semiconductor circuit including a crossbar switch. The method includes synthesizing the crossbar switch using predefined multiplexer building blocks, where the predefined multiplexer building blocks include at least a multiplexer, an input driver and a select driver. In addition, the method includes regularly placing the predefined multiplexer building blocks to define a crossbar switch arrangement, testing the crossbar switch arrangement for timing constraints and re-synthesizing the crossbar switch and/or replacing the predefined multiplexer building blocks based on the testing.

The disclosure relates to a semiconductor circuit which includes a crossbar switch arrangement, and to a method for generating a semiconductor design of a crossbar switch arrangement.
With each new technology generation, building crossbar switch arrangements becomes more difficult. As transfer and structure sizes shrink, the wire quality decreases. Thus, known synthesis tools may have difficulties to provide a proper design for routing and complying with timing requirements.

Method to synthesize a cross bar switch in a highly congested environment

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


An organ type accelerator pedal includes a footplate, a housing, and a pedal arm. One end of the footplate is fixed to a floor panel, which is provided below a driver's seat. The housing is spaced apart from the footplate and fixed to a dashboard. A middle portion of the pedal arm between both ends thereof is attached to the housing by a first connector so as to elastically rotate, and one end of the pedal arm facing the footplate is attached to the other end of the footplate by a second connector so as to elastically rotate. Accordingly, it is possible to improve the durability and life span of the accelerator pedal, to significantly improve operation feeling and safety of the accelerator pedal, and to prevent operation noise from being generated.

In general, an accelerator pedal for a vehicle is used to control the amount of air-fuel mixture in the case of a gasoline engine and to control the amount of injected fuel in the case of a diesel engine in order to adjust the engine's RPM.
Accelerator pedals are classified into a pendant type accelerator pedal and an organ type accelerator pedal depending on mounting structure, and the pendant type accelerator pedal of the accelerator pedals is widely used at present.
Meanwhile, when a driver operates the pendant type accelerator pedal, a driver is fatigued with poor operation feeling caused by low reactivity. Further, the driver cannot accurately control a throttle valve, which causes unnecessary waste of fuel. Accordingly, fuel efficiency deteriorates and safety deteriorates. For this reason, it has lately been a trend to use an organ type accelerator pedal in some expensive vehicles.
Most of the organ type accelerator pedals, which have been developed so far, include a footplate that is attached to a housing, and the housing that is provided at one position on a floor panel provided below a driver's seat. According to the above-mentioned structure, a driver's operational force is concentrated on the floor panel through the housing. Therefore, there is a problem in that durability deteriorates at the mounting portion of the housing due to frequent use.
Further, since a footplate and a housing are attached using film hinges or bolts for the organ type accelerator pedal in the related art, a clearance may occur between the footplate and the housing and torsion generated during the operation of the footplate cannot be effectively absorbed. Therefore, there are problems in that operation feeling deteriorates and operation noise is generated.

Organ type accelerator pedal for vehicle


An etching mask with at least one etching window is applied on a glass object consisting substantially of boron silicate glass. Subsequently, the glass object is etched through the etching window by using, for instance, HF, thereby producing trapezoidal trenches or truncated pyramidal grooves in its cross-section.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates, in general, to a process for producing a glass article that can be used to transmit or reflect light, and, in particular, to a process for producing a glass article having at least one planar side wall that is oblique with respect to a main surface of the glass article.
More specifically, the invention relates to a process for producing a glass article having at least one trench which is substantially trapezoidal in cross section, or having at least one slot, or having at least one substantially frustopyramidal pit/through-hole. It further relates to a process for producing an optoelectronic module having a glass article produced in this way.
Until now, trenches that are trapezoidal in cross section have been produced in glass articles by sawing. The degree of roughness and level of surface damage is greatly dependent upon the saw blade used. Frustopyramidal pits or through-holes cannot be produced by a sawing process and significant outlay is required to produce them by boring and grinding.
German published, non-prosecuted Patent Application DE 43 21 582 A1 discloses a process for making a reflecting oblique face on the surface of an article. The article contains an interface that defines a plane and extends as far as the surface of the article. Two materials with different etching rates that can be etched isotropically using a particular etchant meet at the interface. The surface of the article is etched for a particular length of time with the particular etchant while allowing this etchant to act simultaneously on the materials with the different etching rates. Articles fabricated in this way are, in particular, employed in two-way transmission and reception modules, hybrids, multiplex components and other optical circuits in optical telecommunications.
G.A.M.C. SPIERINGS: xe2x80x9cReview of wet chemical etching of silicate glasses in hydrofluoric acid based solutionsxe2x80x9d, Journal of Materials Science, vol. 12, No. 23, December 1993, pages 6261-6273 discloses the use of aqueous HF solutions for isotropically etching silicate glasses. When a mask film is sufficiently adhered to the glass, a semicircular boundary of the etched edge results. The etched edge can be formed with a tapering wall structure by appropriately controlling the photoresist mask material and the fixed etching rate. A similar effect can be obtained when an additional film is used between the glass to be etched and the mask material. The additional film must have a higher etching rate than that of the glass. The ratio between the etching rates of the additional film and the glass determines the inclination of the etched edge.
The INSPEC database, Institute of Electrical Engineers, Stevenage, GB, INSPEC No. 3737969 discloses a wet chemical process for the formation of inclined window edges during the selective etching of SiO/sub 2 films. The dependency of the etching profile on the etchant temperature and on the photoresist thickness has been investigated. The angle of inclination decreases significantly with temperature, but does not depend on the photoresist thickness.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a technologically simpler process for producing a glass article having at least one planar side wall that is oblique with respect to a main surface of the glass article. The object of the process is to produce a glass article with trenches which are substantially trapezoidal in cross section, or slots, or substantially frustopyramidal pits or through-holes in a straightforward way.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a process for producing a glass article having at least one recess defining at least one planar side wall that is oblique with respect to a main surface of the glass article. The process includes providing a glass article having a main surface and made of a borosilicate glass; providing an etching mask on the main surface of the glass article, the etching mask having at least one etching window; anisotropically wet chemically etching the glass article through the etching window with an etching mixture to obtain a recess with at least one planar side wall forming an angle with the main surface of the article; and determining a magnitude of the angle by varying a parameter selected from the group consisting of an etching temperature, an etching time, and a composition of the etching mixture.
The invention provides a process in which a glass article, which consists essentially of borosilicate glass, is produced. An etching mask, which is provided with at least one etching window, is then applied to a main surface of the glass article. By anisotropic etching through the etching window, a recess is then formed in the glass article with at least one locally planar side wall which is oblique with respect to the main surface, with the etching mask being undercut-etched. xe2x80x9cLocally planarxe2x80x9d means that at least one subregion of the side wall is a planar surface.
An etching mixture that essentially contains hydrofluoric acid, nitric acid and/or ammonium fluoride is preferably used for etching. Etching depths in excess of 100 xcexcm can thereby advantageously be produced. By varying the etching parameters and the composition of the etching mixture, the angle formed between the main surface and the planar region of the side boundary, for example a side wall of a trapezoidal trench or slot or a frustopyramidal pit, can be adjusted.
The following etching conditions are, for example, preferably selected:
Etching mixture: 10-50% strength hydrofluoric acid
Etching temperature: 10-60xc2x0 C.
Etching time: 1-180 minutes (for large etching depths in excess of 100 xcexcm, even longer)
The etching mask is preferably produced by applying a metal layer to the main surface of the glass article and subsequently structuring the metal layer using photographic techniques. These are process steps known from semiconductor technology for the production of etching masks and will not therefore be explained in further detail at this point.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the process includes providing the glass article with an additional main surface that is opposite from the main surface of the glass article; providing a support that is substantially unaffected by the etching mixture; fastening the additional main surface of the glass article to the support; performing the step of providing the etching mask so that the etching mask has a plurality of etching windows; and performing the step of anisotropically wet chemically etching so that the glass article is etched through the plurality of etching windows.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the process includes performing the step of anisotropically wet chemically etching so that the glass article is etched through the plurality of etching windows all the way to the support.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the process includes providing the glass article with an additional main surface that is opposite from the main surface; performing the step of providing the etching mask so that the etching mask has a plurality of etching windows; performing the step of anisotropically wet chemically etching so that the glass article is etched through the plurality of etching windows to form a plurality of recesses selected from the group consisting of substantially frustopyramidally shaped pits and trenches with a substantially trapezoidal crosssection; applying the main surface of the glass article to a support; and grinding the additional main surface of the glass article to form a glass product selected from the group consisting of a plurality of glass prisms that are separated from one another and a glass article with a plurality of through-holes having a substantially frustopyramidal shape.
In accordance with a further added feature of the invention, the process includes performing the step of grinding the additional main surface of the glass article to obtain the plurality of glass prisms; using the at least one planar side wall of the glass article as side surface of one of the plurality of glass prisms; and using the side surface to deflect radiation.
In accordance with a further additional feature of the invention, the process includes performing the step of grinding the additional main surface of the glass article to obtain the glass article; and configuring a radiation emitter or receiver in one of the plurality of through-holes.
In accordance with a another feature of the invention, the process includes performing the step of grinding the additional main surface of the glass article to obtain the plurality of glass prisms; fastening a plurality of radiation emitting and/or radiation receiving devices to a subcarrier sheet in accordance with a predetermined pattern; fixing the plurality of glass prisms with respect to one another; fastening the plurality of glass prisms that are fixed with respect to one another to the subcarrier sheet so that each one of the plurality of radiation emitting and/or radiation receiving devices is disposed between two of the plurality of glass prisms; and dividing the subcarrier sheet and the plurality of glass prisms into a plurality of individual optoelectronic modules so that each one of the plurality of optoelectronic modules has a portion of the subcarrier sheet, two of the plurality of glass prisms, and one of the plurality of radiation emitting and/or radiation receiving devices.
In accordance with a yet a further feature of the invention, the process includes performing the step of fixing the plurality of glass prisms with respect to one another by fixing the plurality of glass prisms to a support.
In accordance with a yet a further added feature of the invention, the process includes removing the support before performing the step of dividing the subcarrier sheet.
In accordance with a yet a further additional feature of the invention, the process includes performing the step of fixing the plurality of glass prisms with respect to one another by using glass bridges.
In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention, the process includes providing the glass article with an additional main surface that is opposite from the main surface; performing the step of providing the etching mask so that the etching mask has a plurality of etching windows; performing the step of anisotropically wet chemically etching so that the glass article is etched through the plurality of etching windows to form a plurality of recesses selected from the group consisting of substantially frustopyramidally shaped pits and trenches with a substantially trapezoidal cross-section; fastening a plurality of radiation emitting and/or radiation receiving devices in the plurality of recesses; and dividing the glass article into a plurality of individual optoelectronic modules so that each one of the plurality of optoelectronic modules has one of the plurality of recesses and one of the plurality of radiation emitting and/or radiation receiving devices.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a process for the production of a glass article having at least one recess, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Process for the production of a glass article having at least one recess


According to one embodiment, a memory system is provided wherein an interruption generating unit generates an interruption signal for one or more commands executed by a transfer executing unit when an end number counter is greater than or equal to a first threshold. A transfer type conjecturing unit determines whether the transfer type of a first command to be executed after transmitting the interruption signal is sequential transfer or random transfer and sets the first threshold at a value different between when determining being the sequential transfer and when determining being the random transfer.

As to systems using storage devices such as SSDs (Solid State Drives), with the scale of the systems increasing and the processing speed increasing, reduction in overhead associated with interruptions by storage devices as responses to instructions from a host is required of the systems.
As data transfer in the storage device, there is random transfer which transfers individually data each of a size no larger than a data-transfer unit as well as sequential transfer. In the sequential transfer, by executing one interruption collectively for multiple commands, with improving throughput, overhead of interruption processing can be reduced. In contrast, in the random transfer, latency is often an index of performance. Accordingly, the number of commands to be dealt with together needs to be decreased or the time-out interval from when a command is received until an interruption is generated needs to be reduced.

Memory system and method of controlling memory system


A holder for a circle gazing globe has a receiver for receiving the tubular neck of the gazing globe and a member affixed to the receiver and encircling at least a portion of the gazing globe when the gazing globe is mounted in the receiver. The encircling member takes a variety of forms. In one aspect, a hanger is carried on the encircling member for movably coupling the encircling member and the gazing globe to a fixed support surface. In another aspect, at least two fingers are resiliently coupled to the receiver and have at least one portion engageable with the gazing globe to releasably mount the gazing globe in the receiver.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to garden or landscaping ornamental structures and, more specifically, to gazing globes.
2. Description of the Art
So-called gazing globes have long been used as decorations in gardens and lawns. Such gazing globes are typically formed of a hollow, glass globe which has a small diameter and short length neck extending from the spherical portion of the globe. Gazing globes are provided in different colors, typically with a reflective, mirror finish.
Such globes typically rest and are supported on columns mounted on the ground or in small brackets attached to a wall or other vertical surface. A recess in the top surface of the columns and brackets receives the neck to stationarily position the gazing globe on the column or bracket.
It is also known to support gazing globes in a cylindrical sleeve or receiver which is mounted at one end of a support formed of one or more interconnected metal rods. In all such applications, the spherical portion of the gazing globe is disposed uppermost above the associated support column or collar so as to clearly view from all sides.
It would be desirable to provide a different type of gazing globe holder which provides a different aesthetic appearance, while still providing the necessary globe support function. It would also be desirable to provide a gazing globe holder which is capable of hanging a gazing globe from a support surface.
One aspect of the present invention is a holder for receiving a decorative gazing globe having a spherical body and a smaller diameter neck extending from the body. In one aspect, the holder includes a receiver which receives the neck of the gazing globe, and a member encircling at least a portion of the globe when the globe is mounted in the receiver. The receiver is joined to or carried on the member.
The receiver is preferably in the form of a hollow, cylindrical member. The encircling member is a tubular member which encircles, in one aspect, substantially all of the circumference of the gazing globe when the gazing globe is mounted in the receiver. In another aspect of the invention, the encircling member encircles less than the entire circumference of the gazing globe. In a specific aspect, the encircling member encircles substantially one-half of the circumference of the gazing globe.
The receiver member and the encircling member are preferably fixedly welded together. In one aspect, the encircling member has an arcuate shape. In another aspect, the encircling member has a polygonal shape. In yet another aspect, the encircling member is in the form of an annular disk having a central aperture through which the globe is disposed when mounted in the receiver.
In another aspect of the present invention, a hanger is carried on the receiver for hanging the gazing globe and the holder on a support. In one example, the hanger is in the form of a hook carried on the encircling member.
The receiver may also be mounted, in another aspect of the present invention, on an upright pedestal or stake for supporting the holder on a horizontal surface, such as the ground, a floor, etc.
In another aspect, the encircling member is in the form of at least two circumferentially spaced members each projecting from the receiver and engageable with the globe when the globe is mounted in the receiver. Each member has a first end affixed to the receiver and an opposed second end. The second end is freely moveable with respect to the first end and preferably disposed radially inwardly of the first end. Each member preferably extends non-planarly between the first and second ends. More specifically, each member preferably extends arcuately between the first and second ends.
The gazing globe holder of the present invention provides a unique ornamental or decorative appearance for a conventional gazing globe while providing support for the gazing globe on the ground or other support. The present holder uniquely enables a gazing globe to rotate under manual force or in the wind when the gazing globe holder carries a hanger connected to a support surface.


A method for mitigating false-positives as detected by antivirus software comprising accessing an operating system file that has been identified as malware; creating a signature for the operating system file; comparing the created signature to a signature database; and, if the created signature is not found in the signature database, defining the operating system file as malware. An operating system file, as used herein, is any file included as a part of the operating system binary executable file set, as well as any files added from third party vendors that integrate with or plug into the operating system.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to virus detection techniques and, more particularly, a method and apparatus for mitigating false-positive generation in antivirus software.
2. Description of the Related Art
As antivirus software distributors and developers continue to innovate their protection technologies to accommodate the growing number of different forms of malicious software (malware) seen on networks today, antivirus technologies are trending to use broader, more generic detection technologies such as generic signatures, behavior detections, and static file heuristics. While these broader detection technologies create better detection for new and unknown malware and malware variance, these technologies increase the potential for false-positives where an antivirus application wrongly identifies a legitimate file as malware. The cost of false-positives to a company using such antivirus techniques is very high. Wrongly removing a software application can in many cases greatly impact the user, leaving them with a system in an unbootable state or without internet access.
Such false-positive mishandling is especially a problem for operating system binaries. If any of the operating system files are wrongly identified as malware, the user system is likely to have severe side effects. The side effects may include having the computer become unusable.
Therefore, there is a need for a method for mitigating false-positives as detected by antivirus software.

Method for mitigating false positive generation in antivirus software


A computer program product has program code adapted to provide, upon execution, a database of objects and a database engine for managing the objects. Each object comprises metadata for describing the object and for defining a hierarchical structure of branches which constitutes the object and which includes relations to other objects. An individual branch has a metadata type, which is selected from a predetermined and limited set of n different metadata types and which represents one respective hierarchical level in the hierarchical structure, and a metadata value. An individual branch may also have an arbitrary number of other branches, of any hierarchical level strictly subordinate to the hierarchical level of the individual branch, connected to the individual branch as children thereof. The arbitrary number may include zero branches.

Most knowledge producing organizations have a project oriented value chain that utilizes the expertise of different line functions to contribute to the end result. Since the expert line functions are using different information systems to efficiently carry out their tasks, there is a need for an information system that can integrate and preserve the obtained digital information in a flexible and easy way. The need is both to preserve data for extended time periods, and to be able to easily re-use them in new constellations. This problem is a reality in most cumulative knowledge building activities ranging from the academic world to commercial pharmaceutical research. However, it is also an identified problem in modern healthcare, where vital patient information may come from many different laboratory or hospital systems, but still need to be stored, integrated and re-used for a lifetime.
Current technologies for addressing these problems are based on relational databases or object oriented databases. These technologies have proved very efficient in creating systems for data transaction and reporting. However, they are not designed for long time storage and an open integration between different systems, and they are not easily altered to accommodate new types of data. Although object-oriented databases handle objects, they are not suitable for integration of different types of objects in a distributed environment. The reason for this is that in an object-oriented database fixed classes have to be defined, and all data has to fit into the structure of those classes. Searching is difficult since the user needs to know in which class and in which attribute data should be searched for. Relations between objects are "fixed links" which must be known a priori.
Hence, neither of these technologies is suitable for obtaining the ease of integration between distributed databases that is the demand. There is clearly a need to improve the situation by suggesting technologies that are more focused on keeping and integrating individual knowledge elements into accumulated knowledge.

Computer program product and associated methods for searching a database of objects, connecting objects in such a database, and exporting data from at least one arbitrary database


A technique for forming at least part of an array of a dual bit memory core is disclosed. Initially, a portion of a charge trapping dielectric layer is formed over a substrate and a resist is formed over the portion of the charge trapping dielectric layer. The resist is patterned and a pocket implant is performed at an angle to establish pocket implants within the substrate. A bitline implant is then performed to establish buried bitlines within the substrate. The patterned resist is then removed and the remainder of the charge trapping dielectric layer is formed. A wordline material is formed over the remainder of the charge trapping dielectric layer and patterned to form wordlines that overlie the bitlines. The pocket implants serve to mitigate, among other things, complementary bit disturb (CBD) that can result from semiconductor scaling. As such, semiconductor devices can be made smaller and increased packing densities can be achieved by virtue of the inventive concepts set forth herein.

A relatively modern technology in computer related memory is dual bit memory, which allows multiple bits to be stored in a single cell. In this technology, a memory cell is essentially split into two identical (mirrored) parts, each of which is formulated for storing one of two independent bits. Each dual bit memory cell, like a traditional cell, has a gate with a source and a drain. However, unlike a traditional stacked gate cell in which the source is always connected to an electrical source and the drain is always connected to an electrical drain, respective dual bit memory cells can have the connections of the source and drain reversed during operation to permit the storing of two bits.
One arrangement that facilitates dual bit technology is a SONOS type architecture where a substrate, typically composed of silicon, generally has a layer of silicon oxide, a layer of silicon nitride, a layer of silicon oxide and finally a layer of conductive material (e.g., poly-silicon) formed there-over. Given the electrical properties of the nitride layer, charges trapped within the dual bit memory cell do not readily delocalize, and thus more than one bit can be stored within respective memory cells. The oxide-nitride-oxide (ONO) layers are thus together commonly referred to as a charge trapping dielectric layer.
Bitlines are implanted within the substrate under the charge trapping dielectric layer, and wordlines are formed over the charge trapping dielectric layer substantially perpendicular to the bitlines. In particular, the wordlines may be formed out of the layer of conductive material formed over the charge trapping dielectric ONO layer. Programming circuitry controls two bits per cell by applying a signal to the wordline, which acts as a control gate, and changing bitline connections such that one bit is stored by the source and drain being connected in one arrangement and a complementary bit is stored by the source and drain being interchanged in another arrangement.
Nevertheless, there is an ongoing desire to scale down semiconductor devices and to pack more devices having greater capabilities onto smaller and smaller areas. As device sizes and features are scaled down, however, certain disadvantageous issues can arise. By way of example, forming bitlines closer together shortens the length of respective channels defined there-between, which can lead to complementary bit disturb (CBD), among other things. For example, charge or bit isolation between the two bits stored in the charge trapping layer becomes increasingly difficult as the channel length is decreased and the bits are brought closer together. In this manner, the bits can contaminate one another and operations performed on one bit can affect the other bit. For instance, when one bit is programmed (e.g., to 1 unit of charge) the other (complementary) bit may also (unintentionally) receive a (slight) charge (e.g., to 0.5 units of charge). The charge on the un-programmed bit may make it difficult to isolate or differentiate between the two bits when performing a read operation of the charged bit, for example. Thus, it can be said that a window for reading the programmed cell is decreased, or rather that there is a decrease in a reading margin. In addition, short channel effects and leakage currents as well as other undesirable performance issues can also result scaling and shortened channel lengths.
Similarly, unwanted source/drain leakage conduction or punchthrough current can occur as channel lengths shorten. Punchthrough current may be seen as a parasitic current path existing between the drain and source, which the gate has difficulty in controlling since the current path is located deep in the bulk (substrate) far away from the gate. The actual amount of punchthrough current depends mainly upon the potential distribution under the channel and on the source/drain junction depths. As the effective channel length gets shorter, the source/drain depletion regions get closer together causing this leakage current component to increase. Accordingly, it would be desirable to reduce feature sizes so as to increase packing density while mitigating adverse affects that may result therefrom.

Pocket implant for complementary bit disturb improvement and charging improvement of SONOS memory cell


An assembly for a recessible carrying handle is provided for a battery having a container and cover. The assembly comprises: an elongated recess in the top surface of the cover; an elongated recess in opposing side wall surfaces of the cover, which cover side recesses communicate with the ends of the cover top recess; an elongated recess in opposing side wall surfaces of the container, which container side recesses communicate with the cover side recesses; a pair of tongues projecting from the side walls of and into each container side recess; a generally U-shaped handle having two limbs connected by a cross piece; a pair of grooves in the sides of each handle limb, which grooves are adapted to slidably receive the tongues; and a pair of slots in the grooves, which slots are adapted to allow passage of the tongues in and out of the grooves;. whereby the handle may be attached readily and without significant distortion to an otherwise completely assembled battery and upon attachment is slidably received in the recesses.

Both the provision and advantages of battery carrying handles are well known, especially of bail-type handles. Bail handles typically comprise a U- or C-shaped member attached to opposing sides of the battery, either on its container or cover, by which the battery may be carried in much the same fashion as a picnic basket or pail. Frequently, however, bail handles tend to interfere with one or more of the many types of devices by which batteries are mounted in vehicles, and therefore make it difficult to design a battery which is suitable for use with all types of mounting devices.
Bail handles, therefore, have been designed which can be detached and removed from the battery after installation. Examples of detachable bail handles are disclosed, e.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,029,248 to F. Lee; U.S. Pat. No. 3,956,022 to A. Fox; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,093,515 to R. Rector. While it is claimed that detachable bail handles offer certain other advantages, they are not entirely successful in permitting the battery to be adaptable to all mounting devices. The means for detachably connecting the ends of the bail handle to the battery typically comprises members which project from the overall geometry of the battery, even when the handle is detached, and interfere with some mounting devices. Moreover, detachable handles present the problem of being lost or mislaid after installation of the battery so that they are not available for use carrying the battery at a later date.
It also is known to provide recesses in the battery cover and/or container and to slidably mount a bail handle such that it fits into the recesses when not in use. Examples of such recessible designs are disclosed, e.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,448,863 to C. Terrell and U.S. Pat. No. 4,424,264 to M. McGuire et al. Typically, however, the design of such recessible handles is complicated and/or does not allow for easy manufacture or assembly of the handle. For example, thermoplastic polymers are the materials of choice for battery containers and handles, but many handle designs require complicated molds and are expensive and difficult to mold. Some handles must be attached simultaneously with the sealing of the battery cover to the container, and accordingly, the assembly of the battery is unnecessarily complicated. Other handles must be distorted considerably to attach them. Thus, they are somewhat difficult to attach and must be made of highly resilient material not entirely suitable for supporting the weight of the battery without a real possibility of detaching. Recessed handles also tend to be difficult to grasp and/or awkward and uncomfortable to use.
An object of this invention, therefore, is to provide a bail type battery handle which is simply, easily, and economically manufactured and strong and reliable in use, yet which is slidably received in corresponding recesses and which may be attached easily and without significant distortion after assembly of the otherwise completed battery.
It also is an object to provide a recessible handle which cannot be easily disassembled from the battery and lost.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a handle which is grasped easily and comfortably during use.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings.


A heat sealing bar assembly is disclosed that is intended to avoid distortion of the heat sealing edge due to thermal expansion of the heated sealing bar with respect to the unheated support beam to which it is mounted. The mounting means include a fixed center support, end supports that permit axial sliding of the ends of the heated seal bar with respect to the support beam, and a series of jacking screws between the center support and the end support for adjusting the shape of the heated sealing bar.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention deals with heated sealing bars commonly used to fuse layers of plastic film in bag making machinery, including those seal bars which simultaneously heat seal and sever portions of the web.
2. Prior Art
Heat sealing bars commonly used in bag making machinery commonly consist of two basic assemblies. The first is a structural beam extending across the width of the bag machine and mounted to the mechanism used to move the seal bar towards and away from the plastic web, while the second is a shaped bar used to contact the web and which includes one or more heating elements, temperature measuring elements, and common structural fasteners. The heated sealing bar is desirably mounted to the structural beam in such a manner that the heat flow path from the seal bar to the beam is small and so that heating or repeated heating of the seal bar does not result in distortion of the sealing bar. Although minimum cross sectional heat flow areas have been attained, freedom from distortion has remained a chronic problem.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,779,838 discloses and claims a seal bar structure which consists of an upper half and a lower half sandwiched around the heating elements. The upper half of the seal bar is discontinuous and is resiliently mounted to the continuous lower half, with the heating element between the upper and lower bar halves. Alternate sections of the upper half of the seal bar are mounted to the support beam or solely to the lower half of the seal bar. The heating element is relatively free to expand, thereby eliminating warping stresses and maintaining the bar straight.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,962 discloses and claims a seal bar structure intended to allow relatively free expansion of the heated seal bar structure with respect to the supporting beam, while further providing the ability to deform the bar to compensate for any distortion which does occur. The heated seal bar assembly of the patent, at least as far as the issue of deformation is concerned, is of typical configuration, i.e. continuous upper and lower halves sandwiched about the heating element. What is new, however, is the method of connecting the seal bar to the supporting beam. The supporting beam consists of upper and lower flanges connected by diagonal bracing. The seal bar is attached to the support beam by a series of long threaded rods which pass through the upper and lower flanges of the support beam and into the upper half of the seal bar. Accommodation for lengthwise expansion is provided by elongating the apertures through which the long threaded rods pass in the longitudinal direction of the beam. A series of Belville washers are placed between the nut on the threaded rod and the upper surface of the upper flange to bias the seal bar towards the beam. Two threaded bores in the lower flange are arranged diagonally about each elongated aperture. Screws are passed through these threaded bars into contact with the upper surface of the seal bar. Judicious tightening and loosening of all the bolts allow correction of vertical plane distortion of the seal bar.
A thermo compression bonding tool is disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,431,474. The bonding rail, which is of similar construction to a seal bar, i.e. a relatively long shaped metal section about an electric heating element, is biased against a plurality of alignment ribs on a support element. The lower surfaces of the alignment ribs define the plane against which the upper surface of the bonding rail rests. Near the middle of the bonding rail the bias means is pin connected to the rail; the rail is free to expand longitudinally along the plane defined by the alignment ribs.


An air fuel ratio control system for an internal combustion engine, comprising: an internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders, and exhaust passages corresponding to the respective cylinders; a plurality of oxygen sensors arranged in the respective exhaust passages to detect the composition of exhaust gas from the respective cylinders; and a control unit for independently controlling an air fuel ratio of the respective cylinders based on outputs from the oxygen sensors.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air fuel ratio control system for internal combustion engines which utilizes an oxygen sensor to detect an air fuel ratio, and which performs feedback control based on the results of the detection.
2. Discussion of Background
An internal combustion engine which is mounted on an automobile has had a catalyst in an exhaust pipe in order to purify exhaust gas. It has widely come in practice that an oxygen sensor is utilized to detect exhaust gas composition, and that a feedback control is carried out to cause the actual air fuel ratio to become a theoretical air fuel ratio based on the results of the detection, thereby ensuring good purification efficiency.
Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a fuel-injection system wherein such air fuel ratio control is made. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 1 designates an internal combustion engine having four cylinders. Reference numeral 2 designates an intake pipe which supplies intake air to the internal combustion engine 1. Reference numerals 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d designate injectors which are arranged in an intake manifold of the intake pipe 2 so as to correspond to the respective cylinders of the internal combustion engine 1, and which supplies fuel to the respective cylinders. Reference numeral 4 designates a throttle valve which is arranged in the intake pipe 2 to adjust the quantity of the intake air to be supplied to the engine. Reference numeral 5 designates an air flow sensor (AFS) which detects the quantity of the intake air which will be introduced into the engine. Reference numeral 6 designates an exhaust pipe which is used to discharge exhaust gas from the engine 1. Reference numeral 7 designates an oxygen sensor which is arranged in the exhaust pipe 6 to detect the concentration of oxygen in the exhaust gas. Reference numeral 8 designates a catalytic converter which is arranged in the exhaust pipe 6 to purify the exhaust gas by use of a catalyst. Reference numeral 9 designates a revolution sensor which generates a pulse signal depending on the revolution of the engine 1. Reference numeral 10 designates an electronic control unit (ECU) which computes a required amount of fuel supply based on input information indicative of engine operating conditions which are detected by the air flow sensor 5, the oxygen sensor 7, the revolution sensor 9 and the like. The electronic control unit produces a signal indicative of the computed results to drive the injectors 3a-3d.
In such arrangement, the electronic control unit 10 uses as the main information an intake air quantity signal which is detected by the air flow sensor 5, and a pulse signal which is obtained by the revolution sensor 9. The electronic control unit 10 computes a basic fuel-injection quantity based on the main information to determine a driving pulse width for the injectors 3a-3d. The injectors 3a-3d are pulse-driven in sequence based on a given revolution signal, and the fuel is injected into an intake manifold in the amount corresponding to the pulse width.
In the control wherein such computation is carried out to set a required quantity of the fuel, the actual air fuel ratio does not always correspond to the theoretical air fuel ratio. The actual air fuel ratio varies in the range of about 4 to about 5% with respect to the theoretical air fuel ratio due to an operation error of the injectors 3a-3d and a detection error of the air flow sensor 5. In order to cope with this problem, the conventional fuel-injection system includes the oxygen sensor 7 to detect the concentration of oxygen in the exhaust gas, and carries out feedback control based on an output signal from the oxygen sensor, thereby trying to cause the actual air fuel ratio to correspond to the theoretical air fuel ratio. The oxygen sensor 7 outputs an output voltage, the sign of which reverses using the theoretical air fuel ratio as a reference as shown in FIG. 4. The quantity of fuel is increased and decreased depending on the reversal of the output voltage to carry out feedback control, having the theoretical air fuel ratio as the target as shown in FIG. 5. In that manner, the catalytic converter 8 can ensure the purification efficiency of the exhaust gas at the maximum, thereby minimizing effect on the environment.
In such a conventional air fuel ratio control system, the output signal from the oxygen sensor 7 in fact indicates an average of the values which could be gotten in the plural cylinders. As a result, there is a variation in the actual air fuel ratio of the respective cylinders with respect to the theoretical air fuel ratio as shown in FIG. 6. It means that the purification efficiency in the catalytic converter 8 can not be maintained an ideal value, causing the exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine 1 to have adverse effect on the environment.

Air fuel ratio control system for internal combustion engines


Embodiments of the invention provide methods enabling reliable simulation of objects in contact scenarios. Embodiments of the invention utilize methods providing three parameter-independent guarantees. According to embodiments of the invention, simulations of well-posed problems: have no interpenetrations; obey causality, momentum and energy conservation laws; and complete in finite time.

The subject matter described herein generally relates to simulating objects in contact scenarios. More particularly, the subject matter described herein relates to simulating objects, such as cloth and solids, realistically in complex contact scenarios while maintaining geometric safety, physical correctness, and computational progress.
Robust simulation of complex contact scenarios is critical to applications spanning a wide variety of areas, including for example graphics (training, virtual worlds, entertainment, et cetera) and engineering (product design, safety analysis, experimental validation, et cetera). Contact response is the part of the simulation that handles high-speed impact and resting contact. Challenging scenarios involve dynamics with frequent and distributed points of contact, interaction with sharp boundaries, resting and sliding contact, and combinations thereof. Useful resolution of these scenarios requires consideration of the fundamental issues of geometric safety, physical correctness, and computational progress. However, providing a method to ensure appropriate geometric safety, physical correctness and computational progress has proven difficult for a variety of reasons.

Methods, systems and media for simulating contact scenarios


A method for high-resolution 3D fluorescence microscopy, wherein fluorescence emitters in a sample are repeatedly excited to emit fluorescence, and still images are produced of the sample by means of a microscope. The microscope has an imaging beam path with an optical resolution and a focal plane, wherein the fluorescence emitters are excited to emit fluorescence in such a manner that at least a subset of the fluorescence emitters is isolated in each still image so that the images of these fluorescence emitters can be separated in the still images within the optical resolution. The positions of the fluorescence emitters are localized in the generated still images, from the images of the isolated fluorescence emitters, with a location accuracy exceeding the optical resolution, and a high-resolution composite image is generated therefrom.

The invention further relates to a fluorescence microscope for the three-dimensional imaging of a sample with a location accuracy exceeding the optical resolution, having: an illumination device which is designed for the purpose of repeatedly exciting fluorescence emitters in the sample to emit fluorescence, an imaging device having an imaging beam path with the optical resolution, designed for the purpose of producing still images of the sample at the optical resolution, a control device which is designed for the purpose of controlling the illumination device and the imaging device in such a manner that multiple still images of the sample are produced, wherein the fluorescence emitters are excited to emit fluorescence in such a manner that at least a subset of the fluorescence emitters in each still image is isolated in such a manner that the images of these fluorescence emitters can be separated in the still images within the optical resolution. The control device is also designed for the purpose of localizing the positions of the isolated fluorescing fluorescence emitters in the generated still images with a location accuracy exceeding the optical resolution, and generating a high-resolution composite image therefrom. The imaging beam path comprises a dividing element which divides each still image into a first and a second sectional image, wherein the first sectional image images a first focal plane in the sample, and the second sectional image images a second focal plane in the sample, and the imaging device includes a camera on which the two sectional images are imaged next to each other.
Various different methods have been developed in the prior art to overcome the diffraction limit in microscopy. A method, abbreviated as PALM (photo-activated light microscopy), is known from WO 2006/0127692 and DE 102006021317 A1, which uses a marking substance to image a sample, wherein said marking substance can be activated by means of optical radiation. The marking substance can only emit specific fluorescent radiation in the activated state. Inactivated molecules of the marking substance do not emit fluorescence radiation—or at least no noticeable fluorescence radiation, even after radiation with excitation light. For this reason, the excitation light is generally termed the switching signal. In the PALM method, the switching signal is applied in such a manner that at least some of the activated marking molecules are spaced apart from neighboring, activated marking molecules in such a manner that they are separated when viewed on the scale of the optical resolution of the microscope, or can be subsequently separated by image processing methods. In this case, one says that a subset of the fluorescence emitters have been isolated. After the fluorescence has been captured, the center of the radiation distribution for these isolated emitters is determined, said distribution being the result of the limit of the resolution. From this, it is possible to calculate the position of the molecules with higher precision than the optical resolution actually allows. This process is termed localization. The enhanced resolution resulting from a computational determination of the nucleus of the diffraction distribution is also termed "super resolution" in the technical literature in English. This resolution requires that at least a subset of the activated marking molecules in the sample can be differentiated—that is, isolated—at the optical resolution. Then, their position can be determined with a higher precision, and they can be localized.
To isolate individual fluorescence markers, the PALM principle exploits statistical effects. For a fluorescence marker which can be stimulated to emit fluorescence after receiving the switching signal at a given intensity, it is possible to adjust the intensity of the switching signal so that the probability of activating fluorescence markers present in a given area of the sample is so small that there is a sufficient number of sub-regions in which only fluorescence markers which can be differentiated within the optical resolution emit fluorescence.
The PALM principle has been further advanced with regards to the activation of the molecule which is targeted for detection. By way of example, for molecules which have a long-lived non-fluorescing state and a short-lived fluorescing state, a separate activation using activation light which is different in spectrum from the excitation light is not at all necessary. Rather, the sample is first illuminated with high-intensity excitation light in such a manner that the overwhelming majority of the molecules are brought into the long-lived state where fluorescence is not possible (e.g. a triplet state). The remaining molecules which are still fluorescing are thereby isolated with respect to the optical resolution.
It is also noted that the PALM principle has also been denoted in the technical literature with other abbreviations, such as STORM, for example. In this description, the abbreviation PALM is used for all microscope-based imaging which achieves a localizing resolution beyond the optical resolution of the apparatus being used, by first isolating fluorescent molecules and then localizing the same. The PALM method has the advantage that it is not necessary to have high localizing resolution for the illumination. A simple wide-field illumination is possible.
The PALM principle requires that many still images of the sample are captured, each containing subsets of isolated molecules. In order to image the sample as a whole, the number of the individual images in total must be sufficient to ensure that as many molecules as possible are at least present one time in one subset. The PALM method therefore regularly requires a plurality of still images, which requires a certain period of time for a composite image to be captured. A significantly complex calculation process is involved because a plurality of molecules must be localized in each still image. Large amounts of data are involved.
This location accuracy is only achieved laterally, by the localization in still images—that is, in a plane to which the image plane of the camera is functionally assigned. The methods are therefore limited in this respect to a two-dimensional analysis of a sample. The PALM principle is therefore combined with a TIRF excitation, which ensures that only fluorophores in a thin layer of the sample emit fluorescence.
Approaches are also known in the prior art for the localization of luminescing fluorescence markers in the third spatial dimension, which is the depth dimension with respect to the imaging of the sample. The term "depth dimension" in this case means the direction along the incident light path—that is, along the optical axis.
The publication B. Huang et al., Science 319, page 810, 2008 describes an imaging beam path for the PALM principle, wherein a weak cylindrical lens lies in the imaging beam path, thereby leading to a specific astigmatic distortion. As a result, the image of the marker on the camera is elliptically distorted as soon as the marker is positioned above or below the focal plane—that is, the symmetry point of the point spread function. The information on the depth position of the fluorescing fluorescence marker can be obtained from the orientation and the degree of the distortion. A disadvantage of this method is that the local environment and orientation of a molecular dipole can also lead to distortion of the image of the fluorescing fluorescence marker, and this distortion nevertheless has nothing to do with the depth position. Such fluorescing fluorescence markers therefore are assigned a false depth value, depending on their orientation.
The publication Pavani et al., PNAS 106, page 2995, 2009, suggests modifying the point spread function in the imaging process to give a double helix structure, by means of a spatial phase modulator. The one-dimensional images of individual, luminescing fluorescence markers then become double spots. Their depth position is encoded in the angular orientation of the common axis of the double spots.
According to the publication by Shtengel, et al, PNAS 106, page 3125, 2009, photons which are emitted by the fluorescing fluorescence markers are caused to interfere with themselves. For this purpose, two lenses which are assembled in the 4π configuration are used to simultaneously observe the fluorescing fluorescence markers. By means of a special, 3-way beam splitter, the different optical paths obtained in this manner are made to achieve interference. Each of the resulting three-point images is detected by a camera, and the proportional intensities of the three-point images provide information on the depth positions.
The publications Toprak et al., Nanolet. 7, pages 3285-3290, 2007, and Juette et al., Nature Methods 5, page 527, 2008, describe an approach wherein a 50/50 beam splitter is installed in the imaging beam path and splits the image of the sample into two sectional images which can be detected independently. In addition, an optical path length difference is inserted into one of the beam paths obtained in this manner, in such a manner that two object planes are produced from the two beam paths, which are spaced apart from each other in the z-—that is, depth—dimension by approximately half of the minimum optical resolution (for example 700 nm), or by the whole minimum optical resolution. The depth position of fluorescence markers which lie between these two planes is then obtained by analysis of the two sectional images of the same fluorescence marker (for example with respect to the width of the point spread function, which can be analyzed by a type of subtraction), or by a corresponding fitting of a three-dimensional point spread function. The method requires two highly resolved sectional images and a precise adjustment of the beam paths and calibration measurements in order to achieve a superimposition of these two sectional images with sub-pixel precision. In addition, the two sectional images of a fluorescence marker generally have a different shape because the lateral expansion of the point spread function of a system being imaged changes according to the position of the object plane being observed.
DE 102009060490 A1, which also lists further citations of literature on 3D high-resolution, likewise follows the approach according to Toprak et al. in this class, to split the image of the sample into two images.

Microscope and method for high-resolution 3D fluorescence microscopy


A data reading path management architecture for a memory device, particularly of the non-volatile type, comprising a memory matrix and data sensing means that are adapted to receive the data of the memory matrix for reading, which has the particularity that the memory matrix is divided into at least two half-matrices. Each one of the two half-matrices has a reference line that is adapted to constitute a reference for reading the other half-matrix. The data sensing means receive the data from one half-matrix and the reference from the other half-matrix and are adapted to transmit, according to a control timing, the data on an internal bus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data reading path management architecture for a memory device, particularly of the non-volatile type.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In a non-volatile memory, it is important to be able to provide architectures that perform data extraction as quickly as possible and in a reductive embodiment.
One of the solutions that is adopted most frequently is to associate a reference bit line with each bit of a word, so as to provide each selection line with a cell whose conductivity characteristics are fully similar to those of a generic virgin matrix cell, and at the same time, repeat the capacitive load of a corresponding bit line.
A drawback of this solution is the fact that it is not possible to repeat, in a simple way, the load of the entire selection path, such as for example a column multiplexer. Furthermore, the two selected cells (the matrix cell and the reference cell) are at a different distance from the same word line, with a consequent possible difference in signal level.
This drawback is lessened by using static sense amplifiers, in which one waits for the steady-state condition to be reached before proceeding with the reading operation. The use of these sense amplifiers, however, results in a waste of time for reading, since it is unable to dynamically lock the timing of the reading operation to the actual conductivity of a memory cell, i.e., to the signal level that is present therein.
On the other hand, the use of dynamic sense amplifiers is heavily penalized by the above mentioned drawback and by the additional inequality of the capacitive-resistive load of the lines. Furthermore, the architectures of conventional memory devices comprise, for redundancy management, redundancy line groups whose reference is constituted by the same reference columns used for the normal lines of the memory matrix.
In this manner, the redundancy bit lines are also compared with the corresponding reference lines, but if a bit is defective on a reference line, then the memory device is defective and must be rejected because it is impossible to change the reference, due to the presence of reference columns, one for each word bit of the memory.

Data reading path management architecture for a memory device, particularly for non-volatile memories


A method of, and apparatus for, pasteurizing flowable egg products utilizing high frequency radio waves to heat the egg products being pasteurized.

Large quantities of liquid egg products are pasteurized each year to produce products sold in refrigerated form with limited shelf life. See generally, Egg Pasteurization Manual (USDA Agricultural Research Service 1969). More recently, the provision of techniques for ultrapasteurizing liquid egg products has led to the marketing of liquid egg products which have extended shelf lives under refrigerated conditions.
Methods of ultrapasteurizing liquid whole egg products using indirect heat, such as contacting the liquid whole egg product to a heated surface, or direct heat, such as contact to or the injection of steam, are known. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,808,425 to Swartzel et al.; 5,105,724 to Swartzel and Ball; and 4,957,760 to Swartzel et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,119 to Bach discloses a method and apparatus for uniform heating of a foodstuff for preservation using high-frequency electromagnetic fields. The foodstuff (in particular, a jam, marmalade or jelly) is located in a container open at its top, and two fields, one high frequency and another ultra-high frequency, are directed as different portions of the foodstuff container. Use of a high frequency field of between 1-300 MHz, used in conjunction with an ultra-high frequency field of between 300 MHz and 5 GHz, is disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,853,238 to Huang discloses a method for treating liquid egg white or liquid whole egg in order to extend the shelf-life of the liquid egg material. The liquid egg material is subjected to microwave energy while it flows in a conduit for a time sufficient to inactivate or destroy a sufficient amount of microorganisms in the material without significantly reducing the egg protein functionality of the material.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,246 to Charm discloses a method and apparatus for pasteurizing and/or sterilizing heat-sensitive material using high-temperature, short-time heating to substantially destroy selected microorganisms without substantially affecting other desirable properties of the material. Heat-sensitive material, such as liquid egg product, is continually passed through a flow path, such as plastic tubing, subjected to microwave radiation to heat the material to a high temperature for a short period, and then rapidly cooled.

Method for the pasteurization of egg products using radio waves


This new Poinsettia is a stiff-stemmed, vigorous plant with large white, erect flower bracts. Cultivar `C-27 White` is a sport of the red bracted `C-27` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,235). `C-27 White`, like its parent `C-27`, is unique because the flower bracts remain erect and do not droop, even after commercial shipping and handling or as the flowers mature. It always looks "fresh" which adds to its beauty and increases its value as a consumer product. Poinsettia `C-27 White` has the same flowering response time and cultural requirements as its parent `C-27`.

This new Poinsettia cultivar originated as a color sport of `C-27` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,235) in a greenhouse in Encinitas, Calif. It was selected from many plants because of its large, erect and white flower bracts and stiff stems, traits which distinguish it from other Poinsettia cultivars and seem to make it a desirable plant for commercial greenhouse production. After selection, vegetative reproduction of this plant was accomplished by stem cuttings for test purposes in Encinitas, Calif., and clones of the plant were subjected to successive generations of vegetative propagation which demonstrated that its distinct characteristics hold true from generation to generation.


A multi-layered structure of wirings on a semiconductor substrate has been employed in conjunction with the increase in the integration density of semiconductor integrated circuit devices. In the invention, dummy patterns made of the same material as an Al wiring layer for compensating for any step or level gradation are disposed in the regions below bump electrodes and in the proximity thereof in order to reduce any defects inherent to a multi-layered structure that occur in CCB bump electrodes formed on the multi-layered wirings and at pads as the base layer of the former.

This invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit device and, more particularly, to a technique which will be useful when applied to a semiconductor integrated circuit device of a flip-chip system in which a semiconductor chip is mounted to a substrate through solder bumps.
A multi-layered structure of wirings for improving freedom of wiring design and for reducing wiring delay, i.e. reducing propagation time delay attributable to the length of wiring, has become essential to the technique employed with respect to the achievement of a higher integration density of semiconductor integrated circuit devices For instance, an Al (aluminum) four-layered wiring structure has thus far been accomplished in logic LSIs consisting of bipolar transistors while Al two-layered wiring structure has thus far been accomplished in memory LSIs of a mega-bit (Mbit) class.
Problems which must be solved for realizing a multi-layered wiring structure include, among other things, making the inter-level insulator film(s) flat and also in making reliable the inter-level connection hole(s) (through-hole). Bias sputter technique and SOG (Spin On Glass) technique have been employed to solve the former while an embedding technique of W (tungsten) by selective CVD (chemical vapor deposition) has been used to cope with the latter.
In a semiconductor integrated circuit having a multi-layered wiring structure, a problem which has been of concern (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 119749) is that the achieved final dimension of wirings, particularly the wiring width, exhibits a difference between a region of the same wiring layer where the wiring density is high and a region where the wiring density is low because of the proximity effect of a resist film at the time of patterning of the wiring and because of the difference of etching rates when the Al film is etched. To solve this problem, according to the technique employed by the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 119749/1985 described above, the wiring density of the same wiring layer is made uniform by disposing a dummy pedestal, which does not function as part of the wiring itself, in a region having a low wiring density.
On the other hand, in logic LSIs such as a gate array and a micro-computer, the number of terminals (input/output pins) for the connection with external circuits has drastically increased in direct relation with the improvements in the multi-functions made and in the higher integration density of the integrated circuit achieved. A wire bonding system, however, which is employed for establishing the connection with the external circuits by connecting the wires to bonding pads disposed at the peripheral portions of the semiconductor chip has substantially reached its limit. Moreover, since problems associated with such a wire bonding system result from the wiring length becoming increased because the wirings of the internal regions are extended to the corresponding bonding pads at the peripheral portions which, furthermore, results in the signal transmission speed being reduced and, therefore, signal transfer being delayed, the system would not be suitable as a packaging system of the logic LSIs for which a high operation speed is required.
For the reasons described above, a so-called "flip-chip system" which connects bumps (salient electrodes) comprised of a solder or the like to the uppermost wiring of the integrated circuit and mounts the chip to a substrate through this bump has drawn increased attention. In accordance with the flip-chip system, the terminals can be disposed not only at the peripheral portions of the chip but also at its internal regions, and the system provides the advantage that the number of pins of the chip can be increased. The flip-chip system is a packaging system suitable for logic LSIs which must operate at a high operation speed because the wiring length can be substantially less than that required by the wire bonding system.
The flip-chip system is described in detail, for example, in "IBM Journal of Research and Development," Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 239-250. According to this literature, the connection of the solder bump to the wiring of the uppermost layer is conducted in the following way.
First of all, contact holes reaching the Al wiring of the uppermost layer are bored by etching a passivation film, which film is provided for protecting the surface of the chip, and electrode pads are formed. Next, a solder base layer (BLM: Bump Limiting Metallurgy) is formed by laminating sequentially thin films of Cr (chromium), Cu (copper) and Au (gold) on the electrode pad by vacuum deposition in such a manner as to cover the bottom, sidewalls and upper edge of the contact hole. Chromium (Cr), as the lowermost layer of the solder base layer, is disposed as a film which prevents the alloy reaction between the solder bump and the Al electrode pad and determines the outer diameter of the solder bump. Copper (Cu), constituting the intermediate layer of the solder base layer, is disposed in order to improve wettability of the solder bump and to improve the bonding strength with the base layer. Gold (Au), constituting the uppermost layer of the solder base layer, is disposed to prevent corrosion of the Cu layer below it during the machining process of the BLM layer.
Next, a solder film made of a tin (Sn)/lead (Pb) alloy is selectively deposited onto the solder base layer described above and is wetted back inside a reflow furnace to form hemispherical solder bumps.

Semiconductor integrated circuit device in which a semiconductor chip is mounted with solder bumps for mounting to a wiring substrate


Apparatus for promoting sleep in an individual, comprises a blanket, mattress, pillow or similar article adapted to be placed against and/or around the individual; a plurality of compressional-wave transducers incorporated in the article at a plurality of locations for producing compressional waves; and an electrical circuit for generating electrical signals energizing the transducers to produce sleep-promoting compressional waves at the plurality of different locations.

The present invention relates to sleep-promoting and/or pacification apparatus, and particularly to apparatus useful for promotion sleep and/or pacifying adults or infants.
A significant segment of the population suffers from insomnia, i.e., the chronic inability to fall asleep, usually due to some form of psychological restlessness in the individual. Restlessness in an infant is usually manifested by the infant crying, particularly before the infant falls asleep. When this occurs, the infant's mother, intuitively, may hold the infant in her arms against her body, which usually pacifies the infant. This phenomenon, which has been extensively investigated by pediatricians and scientists, is generally attributed to the fact that the infant, while in the mother's womb, is in a living, active environment involving movement and activity produced by the beating heart of the mother; and upon emerging to the external world, the new environment creates a feeling of uneasiness and insecurity. When the mother holds the infant against her body, usually intuitively on the left side, the womb environment is partially restored, decreasing this feeling of uneasiness and insecurity and thereby promoting sleep.
With respect to sleeplessness on the part of adults, it has been found that periodic monotonous sounds, such as produced by various home appliances as ventilators, air conditioners, and the like, frequently are effective in promoting sleep.
An object of the present invention is to provide apparatus particularly useful for promoting sleep and/or pacifying both infants and adults.

Sleep-promoting and/or pacification apparatus


Compositions are disclosed comprising a water insoluble microgel which when used as a coating for seeds provides protection for the seeds and may be used as a carrier for materials such as fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, etc. The microgel does not dissolve when contacted with water, but the outer layer of the microgel swells and falls away, thereby dissrupting the coating, and continues until the coating is removed. An advantage of such a coating is that there is no dissolved material available to fill the pores of the seeds to thereby retard germination. The coating quickly disintegrates upon contact with water for releasing any carried substances and exposing the seeds to their natural environment.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to coating plant seeds with a functional material which disintegrates after becoming wet to allow normal germination of the seeds.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known in the art to coat seeds with a functional material to provide protection against mechanical or environmental damage, and to use such coatings as a carrier for various materials such as, for example, fertilizer, pesticide, herbicide, etc. Such coatings have generally been of a water soluble material, so that the coating would dissolve to allow exposure of the seeds to the atmosphere for development. Such water soluble materials include water soluble polymers. Specifically U.S. Pat. No. 2,651,883 relates to use of polymeric water soluble polyelectrolytes as seed coatings. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,707,807 and 3,598,565 relate to use of water soluble neutralized copolymer of an .alpha.,.beta.-unsaturated monocarboylic acid and a lower alkyl acrylate and a crosslinked copolymer of vinyl acetate and a lower alkyl acrylate. In contrast, U.S. Pat. No. 3,316,676 relates to a water insoluble seed coating, the integrity of which is destroyed by shrinkage due to contact with water. U.S. Pat. No. 3,905,152 relates to seeds having a coating thereon comprising non-porous, hydrophobic, non-phytotoxic particles which are adhered to each other and to the seed by means of a hydrophilic binder in such a manner that the coating is highly porous and provides facile gas and water exchange between the seed and the environment.


Described herein are methods and devices for encoding and decoding data. An encoding device can be configured to encode video by performing intra-frame encoding using wavelet transformation. The encoding device can include a generation unit configured to generate a composite image for every n temporally consecutive frames, and an encoding unit configured to perform the encoding for the composite image. The decoding device can be configured to decode data encoded by such an encoding device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an encoding device, an encoding method, a decoding device, a decoding method, and a program and particularly relates to an encoding device, an encoding method, a decoding device, a decoding method, and a program that are adapted to perform intra-frame encoding using wavelet transformation with efficiency.
2. Description of the Related Art
Codecs using wavelet transformation such as the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) 2000 standard receive attention, as video-compression systems.

Encoding device and method, decoding device and method, and program


A device may configured to receive a request to provide optimized investment information. The optimized investment information may indicate optimized investments for types of marketing. The device may receive constraint information indicating bounds for the optimized investments. The device may receive sales goal information indicating a sales goal to be achieved by the optimized investments. The device may determine the sales goal is not achievable based on the bounds. The device may broaden the bounds for the optimized investments based on the sales goal not being achievable such that the optimized investments may deviate from the bounds. The device may determine the optimized investments based on a deviation of the optimized investments from the bounds and a total investment cost of the optimized investments to achieve the sales goal. The device may provide the optimized investment information, indicating the optimized investments, to another device based on the request.

A company may rely on marketing to sell a product. For example, the company may use different kinds of advertisements to promote the product. The company may have to decide what kinds of advertisements to use to promote the product and how much money to invest in each kind of advertisement.

Optimizing investments to achieve a sales goal


A disposable foil grill is disclosed which consists of a corrugated and perforated sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil. The corrugations allow smoke to access virtually the entire bottom surface of the food being cooked so that the desired barbecue flavor is obtained. Fat from meat being cooked drips into troughs formed by the corrugation and exits through holes in the troughs onto the coals for generation of the smoke and flame which give food a desireable barbecue flavor. Another advantage of the disclosed disposable grill cover is that the distances between adjacent troughs may be changed by a slight pull on the ends of the foils to perfectly align the troughs with the spacings between the wire grating of the grill. In this way, holes formed in the bottom of the troughs for fat drippings do not allow the drippings to come in contact with the wire grating.

Various patents have been issued to inventors of disposable grill covers which are generally for the purpose of protecting the underlying permanent grill from the drippings, etc. of the food being cooked. A description of two of these patents follow.
Pat. No. 4,763,639 to Goldsworthy describes a disposable circular flat sheet of foil with holes formed therein for the primary purpose of regulating the flow of air to the charcoal. Since the Goldsworthy foil is in the form of a circular flat sheet, a drawback to this foil is that food may easily stick to the foil, and the food drippings may still come in contact with the permanent grating upon which the disposable foil lies. Further, since the foil is flat, smoke cannot circulate under the food being cooked and thus a barbecue flavor may not be fully obtained. Further, since the foil is flat, the juices from the meat do not necessarily drip through the holes in the foil but may be undesireably retained within the meat.
Pat. No. 3,555,994 to Nemetz describes a disposable foil cover for a grill of a barbecue to specifically protect the wire grill from being covered with grease drippings. The disposable cover of Nemetz is only applicable for wire grills having wire spacings perfectly aligned with the disposable foil cover.
The above-described disposable grill covers are not easily commercially packaged and have a number of drawbacks. What is needed in this field is a disposable grill cover which: may be used with a variety of types of permanent grill gratings; enables a food being cooked to obtain a desired barbecue flavor; enables drippings from a meat being cooked to drip away from the meat; eliminates any problem with meat sticking to a foil surface; and may be compacted into a commercially desireable package.