Hek ligand (hek-L) polypeptides as well as DNA sequences, vectors and transformed host cells useful in providing hek-L polypeptides. The hek-L polypeptides bind to a cell surface receptor (hek) that is a member of the receptor tyrosine kinase family. Hek is expressed on cells that include certain tumor cell lines. The hek-L polypeptides also bind a distinct receptor tyrosine kinase known elk.

Proteins known as the receptor tyrosine kinases have an intrinsic kinase activity that is activated upon ligand binding. This class of proteins is characterized by conserved structural motifs within the catalytic domains (Hanks et al., Science, 242:42, 1988) and can be subdivided into families based on structural features of the regions 5′ to the catalytic domain.
Boyd et al. (J. Biol. Chem., 267:3262, 1992) purified a cell surface glycoprotein exhibiting tyrosine kinase activity. The N-terminal amino acid sequence identified this protein as a member of the eph/elk family, and the protein was thus designated hek (human eph/elk-like kinase). A monoclonal antibody immunoreactive with hek was used to study hek expression on a number of human cell types (Boyd et al., supra). Hek antigen was detected on the human pre-B cell leukemia cell line LK63 (the cell line employed as the immunogen against which the antibody was raised) and the human T-cell leukemia cell line JM. The Raji B lymphoma cell line showed weak hek antigen expression, and the remaining cell lines tested (both normal and tumor cell lines, among which were hemopoietic cell lines that included pre-B and T-cell lines) were consistently negative. Of the normal and tumor tissue biopsy specimens that were also tested for hek antigen expression, none of the normal tissues was positive and only a very low proportion of hemopoietic tumors was positive.
Expression of hek transcripts on the above-described LK63 and JM cell lines, as well as on the human T-cell leukemia cell line HSB-2, has been demonstrated by northern blot analysis (Wicks et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 89:1611, 1992). Nucleotide and amino acid sequences for an isolated hek cDNA clone are presented in Wicks et al., supra.
The hek protein is very closely related to a number of other receptor tyrosine kinases, including elk (Letwin et al., Oncogene 3:621, 1988 and Lhotak et al., Mol. Cell. Biol. 11:2496, 1991); the hek homologs mek4 and cek4 (Sajjadi et al. New Biol. 3:769, 1991); eek (Chan et al. Oncogene 6:1057, 1991); erk (Chan et al. supra.), eck (Lindberg et al. Mol. Cell. Biol. 10:6316, 1990); cek5 (Pasquale, E. B. Cell Regulation 2:523, 1991); and eph (Hirai et al. Science 238:1717, 1987). The proteins of this subfamily are related not only in their cytoplasmic domains, but also in their extracellular domains, which are 41 to 68% identical. Interestingly, the tissue distributions of these various receptors are diverse. For example, expression of elk mRNA has been reported to be limited to testis and brain (Lhotak et al., supra), whereas eck is found not only in these same two tissues but in lung, intestine, kidney, spleen, ovary, and skin as well.
Ligands for the receptor tyrosine kinases are a diverse group of proteins that affect the growth, differentiation, and survival of cells expressing the receptors. To date, no ligand for hek has been discovered. Identification of the putative ligand or ligands that bind hek would prove useful in investigating the nature of cellular processes regulated by the hek protein.

Cytokines that bind the cell surface receptor hek


The invention relates to a retainer (1) for a display device (3), which display device is to be retained in a motor vehicle, in particular in a motor-vehicle-side fitting, and in particular forms a part of a head-up display. The retainer comprises at least one support (5, 6) having at least one bearing device (8) for supporting the display device (3). The bearing device (8) can be positionally adjusted in relation to the support (5, 6) by means of an adjusting device (11) arranged on the support side. The adjusting device (11) has a setting element (12) that can be positionally adjusted in relation to the support (5, 6). The setting element has a first coupling segment (13) for coupling to the bearing device (8), wherein the first coupling segment (13) is provided with a first thread segment (16) on the circumference of the first coupling segment, and a second coupling segment (14) for coupling to the support (5, 6), wherein the second coupling segment (14) is provided with a second thread segment (17) on the circumference of the second coupling segment, wherein the two thread segments (17, 18) have different thread pitches.

The invention relates to a retainer for a display device to be retained in a motor vehicle, especially in a motor vehicle-side fitting, which in particular forms a part of a head-up display.
Such retainers are in themselves known in the art and are used to support or retain display devices, in particular display devices forming parts of a head-up display, which are usually arranged in fittings in the area of an instrument panel of a motor vehicle. Such supports must ensure stable and precise positioning of suitable display devices, in particular under different operating or running conditions of a motor vehicle, since this is essential for the proper operation of corresponding display devices. This is important in particular for the support of display devices that form parts of head-up displays. Moreover, respective retainers must make it possible to allow a very fine setting or adjustment of the position or orientation of corresponding display devices.
In particular, conventional retainers are primarily unsatisfactory because they do not exhibit the desired stability and adjustability with respect to the support of display devices.

Retainer for a display device to be retained in a motor vehicle


Polycarbosilanes in which some of the silicon atoms have been replaced by a hetero element selected from boron, titanium, zirconium, hafnium, etc. The hetero elements are incorporated into the polycarbosilane skeleton in such a way that, like the silicon atoms, they are bonded to the other parts of the polycarbosilanes via hydrocarbon bridges, and the polycarbosilanes are free of hetero element-oxygen-silicon bonds.

The present invention relates to polycarbosilanes containing a hetero element and to a process for preparing these hetero element-containing polycarbosilanes.
It is known in the prior art that polycarbosilanes and polycarbosilane derivatives can be used, inter alia, as polymer precursors for producing ceramic fibers by the so-called polymer precursor method. The polycarbosilane polymers are first prepared for this purpose. Such polycarbosilanes are polymers having a skeleton structure consisting of the elements carbon and silicon, the polymers being composed of a skeleton having a backbone of (--Si--CH.sub.2 --) units, in which two side chain groups are bonded to every Si atom. The polycarbosilanes are then spun, for example, to give polymer fibers, which can be converted into a ceramic SiC fibers (for example Nicalon) by pyrolysis processes in a non-oxidizing atmosphere. To be useful as precursors for pyrolytic preparation of a ceramic fiber, it must be possible to convert the polycarbosilanes into the ceramic fiber with high yields while maintaining the original polymer morphology, i.e. while maintaining a fiber form of which the polymer is a model. Often, however, instead of the desired SiC formation, melting processes, decomposition reactions which form large volatile molecules, shrinking processes, and weight loss are also observed to a greater or lesser degree during production of the fibers, depending on the nature of the polycarbosilane employed. The properties of the resulting SiC products are adversely influenced by such side reactions, and therefore the products often prove to be unusable.
In order to counteract the aforementioned disadvantages, in the prior art on the one hand hetero atom compounds, such as, for example, polyborodiphenylsiloxane (PBDPSO) and polymetallo-siloxanes, i.e. hetero element compounds which contain metalloxane units --Mt--O--(Mt=metal, for example Ti or Zr) and siloxane units --Si--O--, are added to the polycarbosilanes as sintering aids during pyrolysis to produce fibers. On the other hand, hetero elements such as, for example, B, Ti, Zr, Cr, Mo and others, are incorporated into the polycarbosilane skeleton as metalloxane units --Mt--O--. These polymetallocarbosilanes of the prior art are thus derived from polycarbosilanes, the main backbone chain of which is essentially formed from structural units --Si--CH.sub.2 -- and metalloxane units --Mt--O--. Polymetallocarbosilanes such as, for example polytitanocarbosilane, are also added to polycarbosilanes as binding and sintering additives for further processing by pyrolysis.
The hetero element in the polymetallocarbosilanes and . polymetallocarbosiloxanes, as in polyborodiphenylsiloxane, is always bonded to the silicon atoms of the polycarbosilane via oxygen atoms. Consequently, only ceramic fibers which likewise necessarily always contain oxygen can be prepared from these polycarbosilane derivatives containing a hetero element. However, to improve the properties of the ceramic fibers, it is often desirable to adjust the content of oxygen in the ceramic fiber to as low a value as possible. There is therefore a need for polycarbosilanes which contain a hetero element without any oxygen, so that the hetero element is incorporated into the polycarbosilane skeleton without oxygen bridges.

Polycarbosilanes containing a hetero element


A compound of the formula (I):                 wherein R1 is hydroxy and the like; R2 is optionally substituted lower alkyl and the like; R3 is hydrogen atom and the like; R4 is optionally substituted arylene and the like;        R5 is a group represented by the formula:         and the like; R6 is optionally substituted aryl and the like,        its optically active substance, its prodrug, their pharmaceutically acceptable salt, or solvate thereof and metalloproteinase inhibitors containing them.

An extracellular matrix, consisting of collagen, fibronectin, laminin, proteoglycan, etc., has a function to support tissues, and plays a role in propagation, differentiation, adhesion, or the like in cells. Metalloproteinases which are protease having a metal ion in the active center, especially matrix metalloproteinases (MMP), are concerned with the degradation of the extracellular matrix. Many types of MMP, from MMP-1 (collagenase type I) to MMP-23, have been reported as enzymes working for the growth, remodeling of tissues, etc. under usual physiological conditions. It is reported, however, that the progression of various kinds of diseases involving breakdown and fibrosis of tissues (e.g., osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, corneal ulceration, periodontitis, metastasis and invasion of tumor, and virus infection (HIV infection)) is related with increase of the manifestation or activity of the above-mentioned enzyme.
Sulfonamide derivatives containing a oxazole group are disclosed in WO 99/04780 and the like.
Sulfonamide derivatives having an inhibitory activity against MMP are disclosed in WO 97/27174 and WO 99/4780 and the like.


A method and system is provided for cleaning a contaminated surface of a vacuum chamber, comprising means for (i) generating an ion beam (44) having a reactive species (e.g., fluorine) component; (ii) directing the ion beam toward a contaminated surface (100); (iii) neutralizing the ion beam (44) by introducing, into the chamber proximate the contaminated surface, a neutralizing gas (70) (e.g., xenon) such that the ion beam (44) collides with molecules of the neutralizing gas, and, as a result of charge exchange reactions between the ion beam and the neutralizing gas molecules, creates a beam of energetic reactive neutral atoms of the reactive species; (iv) cleaning the surface (100) by allowing the beam of energetic reactive neutral atoms of the reactive species to react with contaminants to create reaction products; and (v) removing from the chamber any volatile reaction products that result. Alternatively, the method and system include means for (i) generating an energetic non-reactive (e.g., xenon) ion beam (44); (ii) directing the non-reactive ion beam toward a contaminated surface (100); (iii) introducing a cleaning gas (70) proximate the contaminated surface, comprised at least partially of a reactive species (e.g., fluorine) component; (iv) dissociating the cleaning gas using the ion beam (44) to create a supply of energetic reactive neutral atoms of the reactive species; (v) cleaning the surface (100) by allowing the energetic reactive neutral atoms of the reactive species to react with contaminants to create reaction products; and (vi) removing from the chamber any volatile reaction products that result.

Ion implantation has become the technology preferred by industry to dope semiconductors with impurities in the large-scale manufacture of integrated circuits. Ion dose and ion energy are the two most important variables used to define an implant step. Ion dose relates to the concentration of implanted ions for a given semiconductor material. Typically, high current implanters (generally greater than 1 milliamp (mA) ion beam current) are used for high dose implants, while medium current implanters (generally capable of up to about 1 mA beam current) are used for lower dose applications.
Ion energy is the dominant parameter used to control junction depth in semiconductor devices. The energy levels of the ions which make up the ion beam determine the degree of depth of the implanted ions. High energy processes such as those used to form retrograde wells in semiconductor devices require implants of up to a few million electron volts (MeV), while shallow junctions may only demand ultra low energy (ULE) levels below one thousand electron volts (1 KeV).
A typical ion implanter comprises three sections or subsystems: (i) an ion source for outputting an ion beam, (ii) a beamline including a mass analysis magnet for mass resolving the ion beam, and (iii) a target chamber which contains the semiconductor wafer or other substrate to be implanted by the ion beam. Ion sources in ion implanters typically generate an ion beam by ionizing within a source chamber a source gas or vapor, a component of which is a desired dopant element, and extracting the ionized source gas in the form of an ion beam.
Internal parts of ion implanters located along the beamline and in the target chamber may become contaminated by the species being implanted during the course of continued operation. Components that are prone to contamination are those that the ion beam impacts during processing. Along the beamline, components which may become contaminated include the strike plate inside the mass analysis magnet, accelerating electrodes, resolving apertures, and plasma flood components. In the target chamber, at least in high current ion implanters, target wafers are positioned on the periphery of an aluminum disk. The disk is both rotated and translated past a stationary ion beam so that the beam implants ions into the entire surface of the wafer. As a result, portions of the disk not covered by a wafer become contaminated with the dopant species.
Because ion implanters are operated using a variety of process recipes, different types of source gases are run in the source to obtain ion beams comprising the desired species of dopant ions. If, however, the target disk (or other beamline component) becomes contaminated by implantation or sputtering of a species during a previous process recipe (e.g., one involving phosphorous), a later process recipe (e.g., one involving arsenic) may be adversely effected by this cross-contamination. For example, phosphorous which has been sputtered onto or implanted into the surface of an aluminum target disk or beamline component may be dislodged by a subsequent arsenic ion beam, resulting in process contamination.
It is known to generate an ion beam comprised of a reactive species, such as fluorine, between successive implant processes to clean internal portions of an ion implanter (see for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,554,854 to Blake). However, Blake suggests the use of ionized fluorine to effect such cleaning, because the beam must be ionized (positively) to be transported through the implanter. The Blake system does not suggest the use of an atomic neutral reactive species for cleaning the internal components of an ion implanter.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for cleaning surfaces to remove contaminants therefrom. It is a further object to provide a system and method for cleaning the internal components of an ion implanter using the ion beam to generate reactive neutral atomic radicals of a cleaning gas. It is still a further object of the present invention to provide such a system and method for use in cleaning either silicon-coated or uncoated internal implanter components.

System and method for cleaning contaminated surfaces in an ion implanter


Current pole mounted vacuum sanders have universal connections between the pole and sander which permit the sanding pad to lift off the sanding surface when pressure is applied. The present invention provides a universal connection between the pole and base of the vacuum hand sanding device which allows the head to be semi-locked into position when the pole is angled to the working surface to prevent the pad lifting from the surface.

The invention relates to tools for manual sanding and more particularly to a pole-mounted sanding device provided with a vacuum connection for drawing off the dust created by the sanding action.
The sanding of wood, drywall or plaster is typically accomplished using a sanding block which is handheld and to which sheets of sand paper can be removably attached. The dust generated by the sanding action, particularly in the case of drywall, falls freely in the work area and therefore requires subsequent cleanup.
Various devices have been designed to provide a vacuum connection to the sander head to pick up the dust generated by the sanding action in the vicinity of the sander head. The present applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,988 issued Feb. 8, 1994 discloses a vacuum sander of the type comprising means for connecting a source of vacuum, a base for attaching a back-up pad and means for releasably attaching an abrasive, air-permeable sheet. In that device, the back-up pad was designed with a raised perimeter provided with a plurality of grooves extending from the outer edge to an inner chamber, which improved the ability of the device to pick up dust around the edges of the sanding surface.
Mehrer U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,152, discloses a sander which is connected to a vacuum source by a hollow tubular handle. A porous abrasive sheet is mounted on the front surface of a backing plate which has a number of bores which provide an air passageway from the abrasive sheet to a manifold which in turn communicates with the tubular handle by a hollow sleeve universally mounted on the sander body. A problem with pole mounted vacuum sanders however is that one longitudinal edge of the sander head tends to lift off the wall as the head is moved up or down, causing it to lose suction and contact with the wall.
There remains a need therefore for a pole mounted vacuum sander which has a universal joint connection between the pole and the sander head which is secure enough to prevent the sander head from losing contact with the surface being sanded during use.


A process for preparing a quartz crucible having a tungsten doped layer on the inside surface, outside surface, or both the inside surface and the outside surface is disclosed. One or more surfaces of the crucible is exposed to a vaporous tungsten source to anneal the tungsten into the crucible surface and create a tungsten doped layer which behaves similarly to a bubble free layer upon use in a crystal pulling process.

The present invention relates to a tungsten doped crucible and a process for preparing a tungsten doped crucible. More particularly, the present invention relates to a process for doping the inside surface, the outside surface, or both the inside and outside surfaces of a quartz crucible with tungsten to produce a layer which behaves similarly to a bubble free layer upon use in a crystal growing process.
In the production of single silicon crystals grown by the Czochralski method, polycrystalline silicon is first melted within a quartz crucible. After the polycrystalline silicon has melted and the temperature equilibrated, a seed crystal is dipped into the melt and subsequently extracted to form a single crystal silicon ingot while the quartz crucible is rotated. Due to the extremely high temperatures achieved during ingot growth, the quartz crucible is slowly dissolved at the crucible-melt interface as the ingot is grown.
Because of the extreme conditions encountered during ingot growth, high quality quartz glass is an indispensable crucible material in semiconductor technology because of its purity, temperature stability and chemical resistance. Currently, most crucibles utilized in the Czochralski process are produced using a mined quartz sand source. Several different grades of mined quartz are available, with differing alkali purity levels and particle sizes. Regardless of grade, however, these raw materials contain gas formers or precursors in two forms. First, gas can be adsorbed on the surface of the quartz sand. This type of former is generally referred to as a "bubble former" as the adsorbed gas may leave the grain surface at elevated temperatures and coalesce to form large sized bubbles. The second type of gas formers are gases which are soluble within the sand grain itself. Again, at elevated temperatures the solubilized gas can coalesce and form bubbles. Examples of adsorbed and soluble gases in quartz sand include nitrogen, argon, oxygen or other organic type gases. These gas formers, along with bubbles that naturally exist in a fused quartz crucible, can lead to numerous problems in the crystal growing process and result in ingot defects.
Upon use of a quartz crucible in a crystal growing process, gas formers located in the silica matrix at and below the inside crucible surface can coalesce and lead to nucleation and/or growth of bubbles on the crucible surface leading to a reduction in the usable thermal life of the crucible. This bubble nucleation and/or growth on the inside surface of the crucible can lead to formation of pits on the quartz surface, which in turn can lead to the generation of particulates which can also enter the melt and result in the loss of perfect structure of the growing ingot. Crucibles typically used in the ingot growing process may contain about 20 pits/cm.sup.2 on the surface, with each pit measuring approximately 100 to about 400 micrometers in diameter. Also, the bubbles formed can themselves become entrained at the silicon melt-crystal interface, become part of the growing crystal, and result in a void defect in the crystal.
To increase the functionality of quartz crucibles used in a crystal growing process, crucibles used in the Czochralski growth of single crystal ingots typically have two distinct layers. The outer layer in contact with graphite susceptors supporting the crucible contains a high density of bubbles to regulate radiant energy transfer to the melt and growing ingot. The inner layer of the crucible in contact with the silicon melt contains a reduced bubble layer commonly referred to in the art as a "bubble free layer" or "clear layer." This bubble free layer is not completely bubble free, and upon exposure to temperatures typical in the crystal growth process, can degrade through the nucleation and/or growth of bubbles, resulting in a limited lifetime of the crucible and possible degradation of the quality of the growing ingot.
Recently, numerous attempts have been made in the art to produce a bubble free layer substantially free from bubbles on the inside surface of the crucible. Although some improvements have been made in the thermal stability of the inner layer relative to the production of bubbles, bubbles continue to nucleate and/or grow during ingot growth as the processes employed to date have failed to remove all the gases adsorbed on, or soluble within, the quartz grains comprising the crucible. Therefore, a need remains in the art for a quartz crucible having a substantially bubble free layer on the inner surface such that bubble nucleation and/or growth is reduced or eliminated such that ingot degradation does not occur. Also, a need exists in the industry for a quartz crucible having a substantially bubble free layer on the outer surface such that improved chemical stability of the crucible is realized during contact with graphite susceptors during ingot growth.

Tungsten doped crucible and method for preparing same


A system and method for enhancing an online support service using a natural language interface. The online support system is connected to a user computer by the Internet or other communication links, and is used by a user to search and retrieve information from a database. The system provides an interface for online support services that is user friendly and accepts natural language queries. The natural language interface processes misspelled queries and queries having syntax errors. Furthermore, the natural language interface allows the system to extract information from prior sessions and upgrade its own vocabulary and knowledge database. The method comprises the steps of accessing a server computer by the user computer, entering a query in a natural language form, processing the query by the natural language interface coupled to the server computer, searching the database coupled to the server computer using the processed query, retrieving results from the database, and providing the results to the user. The system comprises a server computer coupled to the user computer, the server computer configured to receive a query in a natural language form from the user computer, a natural language interface coupled to the server computer, the natural language interface being configured to process the query, and a database coupled to the server computer and the natural language interface, the database being adapted to store information, wherein the natural language interface searches the database using the processed query and provides the results to the user computer through the server computer.

I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to online support services, and more particularly to a system and method for enhancing online support services using a natural language interface.
II. Description of the Related Art
Today, consumers are frequently relying on online support services to obtain assistance for various needs. For example, consumers use online support services to receive help in installation and trouble-shooting of appliances, computers, and other consumer goods.
In order to assist consumers, many retailers of goods and services provide online support services. A retailer may offer online support services through a traditional telephone link, in which case a consumer may dial a number to access the support service. Also, a retailer may offer online support services via the Internet or other communication links.
FIG. 1 illustrates an online support system 100 accessible via a telephone link. The system 100 comprises a telephone 104, an online help desk 108, a server computer 112 and a database 116. A user dials a number to access the online help desk 108. Typically, a help desk operator is available to answer questions and assist the user. The operator takes one or more questions from the user, and uses the server computer 112 to access the database 116 to find an answer. The database 116 stores information regarding the retailer""s products and services.
In order to get information from the database 116, the operator may enter a xe2x80x9cqueryxe2x80x9d (or xe2x80x9csearch requestxe2x80x9d). In response, the server computer 112 searches the database 116 for an answer and provides the answer to the operator. The operator will then relay the answer to the user.
FIG. 2 illustrates an online support system 200 that is connected to the Internet. The system 200 comprises a user computer 204, the Internet shown generally by the reference numeral 208, a server computer 212 and a database 216. The system 200 differs from the system 100 described above in two ways. First, a user uses the computer 204 and the Internet to access the system. Secondly, the system 200 does not require a human operator. The user accesses the server computer 212 directly using the user computer 204. In order to get assistance, the user enters his own query. In response, the server computer 212 searches the database 216 for an answer and provides the answer to the user.
Although, users may receive assistance using conventional online support systems, there are many disadvantages associated with them. Most systems are not xe2x80x9cuser friendly.xe2x80x9d For example, they do not accept queries in a natural language form. Most systems require users and operators to formulate search words with Boolean operators. As a result, those unfamiliar with boolean operators experience difficulties using these systems.
Also, most systems provide answers only if there is an exact match between the user formulated search words and the content in the database. Most systems do not consider synonyms and other approximations of the search words. Thus, if the user or the operator do not use the xe2x80x9crightxe2x80x9d word in the query, it is likely that the system will fail to find a relevant answer for the user.
Furthermore, most systems are not capable of processing misspelled queries or queries having syntax errors. Most systems cannot deal with spelling and syntax errors. Thus a user who made a spelling or a syntax error in the query may not be able to find an answer.
Also, most systems are rigid in that their knowledge database does not evolve through use. Most systems do not extract information from prior search sessions to upgrade its own vocabulary and knowledge database. Also, most systems require an extensive dictionary to operate.
For these reasons, it has been recognized that there is a need for an interface for online support systems that is user friendly and accepts natural language queries. Also, there is a need for an interface that can process misspelled queries and queries having syntax errors. Furthermore, there is a need for an interface that allows a system to extract information from prior sessions and upgrade its own vocabulary and knowledge database.
The present invention is directed to a system and method for enhancing an online support service using a natural language interface. The online support system is connected to a user computer by the Internet or other communication links, and is used by a user to search and retrieve information from a database.
In one embodiment, the method comprises the steps of accessing a server computer by the user computer, entering a query in a natural language form, processing the query by the natural language interface coupled to the server computer, searching the database coupled to the server computer using the processed query, retrieving results from the database, and providing the results to the user. The method further comprises the steps of generating synonyms of the query by the natural language interface, and searching the database using the synonyms. The method further comprises the steps of generating phonetic approximations of the query by the natural language interface, and searching the database using the phonetic approximations.
In one embodiment, the system comprises a server computer coupled to the user computer, the server computer configured to receive a query in a natural language form from the user computer, a natural language interface coupled to the server computer, the natural language interface being configured to process the query, and a database coupled to the server computer and the natural language interface, the database being adapted to store information, wherein the natural language interface searches the database using the processed query and provides the results to the user computer through the server computer. The system further comprises means for generating synonyms of the query, and means for searching the database using the synonyms. The system further comprises means for generating phonetic approximations of the query, and means for searching the database using the phonetic approximations.

System and method for enhancing online support services using natural language interface for searching database


An indoor golf hole having a canister adjustably supporting a golf cup. The canister is engageable by use of a collar for supporting it to a subflooring in a room. A thread engagement between the collar and canister can provide means for vertically adjusting the height of the canister to accommodate different carpeting thicknesses. Alternately, interior adjustment mechanism may be provided within the canister to independently adjust the golf cup elevation. In other forms of the invention, the canister may be provided to be inserted within a cored hole in a poured concrete floor and embedded in hydraulic cement. In the concrete floor installation modes, the golf cup is supported and adjustable by means of a movable disk thread-adjustably supported within the canister for adjusting the height of the golf cup relative thereto. The canister may have a thread-engageable double-walled construction, or alternatively a cap with a threaded boss for thread-engaging a machine-type screw carrying the disk. A cover plate is provided to cover over the golf cup when not in use to allow people to walk safely across the room.

The invention relates to providing a golf hole for indoor recreational activity. In greater particularity, the invention relates to providing a golf hole which may be recessed in the floor of an indoor structure, most typically a family room or basement recreation room. Even more specifically, the invention provides for implementing the use of a conventional standard golf cup to be located in the floor of a residence or the like in a recessed arrangement similar to the disposition of a golf cup in the green of an outdoor golf course.
The invention further relates to providing such an indoor golf hole for use in practicing putting skills on an interior floor surface. This invention is further directed toward providing an indoor golf hole that is adjustable relative to the flooring and floor covering configurations whereby to be adaptable to a wide variety of room styles.
Another object of the invention is to provide an adjustable indoor golf hole which may be utilized in both a conventional floor and subflooring for framed flooring and also for use in a poured concrete floor typically found in residential basements.
It is further the goal of the invention to ultimately provide for the disposition of a flag stick and flag which may be removed during use in putting practice and to provide a cover for providing a generally coplanar surface across the aperture of the golf hole so that the floor surface is returned to a generally planar situation allowing persons to walk over without tripping or stumbling.
Another object of the invention is to further provide for adjustability wherein the golf cup retained in the indoor golf structure is vertically adjustable so that different floor coverings or subfloor configurations may be modified, changed or replaced while still allowing for the golf hole to be usable in a changed circumstance.

Indoor golf hole and installation method


A semiconductor device has circuit patterns formed on upper and lower surfaces of a laminated board with both surfaces lined with copper and interconnected by through holes, an IC chip mounted on the upper pattern, and external connection terminals mounted on the lower pattern, the external connection terminals comprising copper core bumps. According to a method of manufacturing such a semiconductor device, the same etching process as pattern etching for forming the circuit pattern are effected in bump forming regions on the circuit pattern formed by the resist pattern.

In recent years, efforts have been made to use pin grid arrays (PGA) in a wider range of applications by replacing mounted IC chips for conversion into other functions. To adapt PGAs for such use, ceramic has been employed as the material of PGA circuit boards.
Ceramic boards have high product reliability as they are of high insulation and heat radiation capabilities. However, ceramic boards are disadvantageous in that they shrink when interconnection patterns are printed and baked, and that it is difficult to increase the number of interconnection patterns or make fine patterns on the ceramic boards. For this reason, if more interconnection patterns are formed in PGAs with ceramic boards, it results in larger PGAs and more expensive semiconductor devices.
In view of the above shortcomings of ceramic boards, there have been proposed various semiconductor devices which employ resin circuit boards rather than ceramic circuit boards. Semiconductor devices with resin circuit boards offer advantages in that fine patterns can be made on the resin circuit boards and the resultant semiconductor devices are inexpensive. However, the semiconductor devices with resin circuit boards have not been in widespread use because of a heat radiation problem.
More specifically, an LSI circuit with a largesize IC mounted thereon generates a large amount of heat inducted by an operating current. Unless the generated heat is radiated out quickly, the temperature of the IC increases, with the results that the operating speed of the IC is lowered and the IC suffers a thermal breakdown.
Semiconductor devices with resin boards, whose structure is improved for better heat radiation, are disclosed in Japanese laid-open patent publications Nos. 1-204453 and 2-102738. The disclosed structure will be described below with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14 of the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 13 shows in cross section a conventional resin-board pin grid array (PPGA). As shown in FIG. 13, an IC chip 3 is placed on a die bond pattern 2a of a resin board 1. As known in the art, the IC chip 3 is connected to a pattern 2d by wires 108 on the resin board 1. The IC chip 3 is sealed in an injection-molded resin block 4 with a heat radiation plate 107 fixed to the upper surface of the injection-molded resin block 4 by integral molding. A lower pattern 2b is disposed on a lower surface of the resin board 1 at a position corresponding to the die bond pattern 2a.
The die bond pattern 2a has a portion 2c extending into a region where contact pins 120 are mounted. The portion 2c has a through hole 2e defined therein, and a contact pin 120a is soldered in the through hole 2e. The contact pin 120a extends through the through hole 2e, and is soldered to the lower pattern 2b. Therefore, heat from the IC chip 3 can be radiated out through the die bond pattern 2a, the contact pin 120a, and the lower pattern 2b.
FIG. 14 shows in cross section another conventional PPGA. A die bond pattern 2a has a plurality of through holes 110 arranged in its plane and held in direct contact with a lower pattern 2b on a resin board 1. Therefore, heat from an IC chip 3 is propagated through the through holes 110, and radiated out from the wide area of the lower pattern 2b.
The PPGA is a promising semiconductor device as it is less expensive than the PGA with the ceramic substrate and has a heat radiation capability.
However, since large chips are employed as the capacity of semiconductor memories increases, PPGAs used are expensive and cannot simply be scrapped after use. Usually, it is necessary to remove PPGAs from motherboards and then install them on other motherboards for reuse.
Even if a PPGA is removed with heat from a motherboard so that it will be installed on another motherboard, the reparability of the PPGA is not impaired because the contact pins 120, 120a remain unchanged in shape. There is no heat problem since heat from the IC chip 3 can be radiated through the through holes. However, inasmuch as PPGAs require 100 or more contact pins 120 as external connection terminals, they are manufactured in a large number of steps and are highly costly.
One design which is now under consideration for solving the cost problem of the PPGAs and reducing the cost thereof is a surface-mounted semiconductor (memory) device.
Conventional surface-mounted memory devices will be described below with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16 of the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 15 shows in cross section a pin-type memory device 100. Circuit patterns on upper and lower surfaces of a circuit board 1 are interconnected by through holes (not shown). An IC chip 3 is mounted on the upper pattern 2 and molded in a sealing resin block 4. Short pins 6 are mounted as external connection terminals on the lower pattern 5, the short pins 6 being inserted in the non-illustrated through holes. To mount the memory device 100 on a motherboard, a solder-plated layer or a conductive adhesive is applied to a pattern on the motherboard, and then the pins 6 of the memory device 100 are positioned and placed on the pattern. Thereafter, the assembly is heated to melt the solder-plated layer or the conductive adhesive, thereby surface-mounting the memory device 100 on the motherboard.
FIG. 16 shows in cross section a memory device of the solder-bump type. Parts shown in FIG. 16 which are identical to those of the memory device 100 shown in FIG. 15 are denoted by identical reference numerals, and will not be described in detail. The memory device, designated by 200 in FIG. 16, is different from the memory device 100 shown in FIG. 15 in that external connection terminals comprise solder bumps 7. To mount the memory device 200 on a motherboard, the solder bumps 7 of the memory device 200 are positioned and placed directly on a pattern on the motherboard. Then, the assembly is heated to melt the solder bumps 7, thereby surface-mounting the memory device 100 on the motherboard.
When the pin-type memory device 100 shown in FIG. 15 is removed with heat from the motherboard so that it will be installed on another motherboard, the reparability of the memory device 100 is not impaired because the pins 6 remain Unchanged in shape. However, inasmuch as the memory device 100 requires 100 or more pins 6 as external connection terminals as in the PPGA, a large number of steps are required to manufacture the memory device 100, and hence the memory device 100 has no merit with respect to the cost.
The solder-bump-type memory device 200 shown in FIG. 16 is advantageous as to the cost because it employs solder bumps that do not require a large number of manufacturing steps. However, when the solder bumps 7 are melted to remove the memory device 200 from the motherboard for the purpose of mounting the memory device 200 on another motherboard, the solder bumps 7 are no longer in good shape, making it difficult to mount the memory device 200 on the other motherboard. That is, the reparability of the memory device 20 is poor.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a surface-mounted semiconductor device having good heat radiation capability and reparability and a method of manufacturing such a semiconductor device at a low cost, by eliminating the above problems which the conventional surface-mounted semiconductor devices have suffered.

Method of manufacturing semiconductor device with copper core bumps


Techniques and systems are provided for tracking commands. Such methods and systems can include maintaining a meta page in a volatile memory to track commands. The meta page can comprise information associated with a non-volatile memory superblock. When an invalidation command is received for a first logical address, the first logical address can be stored along with an indication that the data associated with the first logical address is invalid, in a first location in the meta page.

Non-volatile memory devices such as Solid State Drives (SSDs) are finding new applications in consumer electronics. For example, they are replacing Hard Disk Drives (HDDs), which typically comprise rapidly rotating disks (platters). Non-volatile memories, sometimes referred to as 'flash memories' (for example, NAND and NOR flash devices), are used in media storage, cameras, mobile phones, mobile computers, laptop computers, USB flash drives, etc. Non-volatile memory provides a relatively reliable, compact, cost-effective, and easily accessible method of storing data when the power is off.
Flash memory controllers are used to manage the data stored in the non-volatile memory, and to act as an interface between a host and the non-volatile memory. A flash memory controller can include a Flash Translation Layer (FTL) that maps the host side logical addresses such as "logical block addresses (LBAs)" to the flash memory side "physical addresses" which correspond to physical locations. The mapping between the logical addresses and the physical addresses can change during operating of the system for various reasons including flash management. During operation, the FTL may maintain the tables that enable the translation in volatile memory, such as Dynamic Radom Accessible Memory (DRAM), inside or accessible to the controller.

Supporting invalidation commands for non-volatile memory


A gate valve having a body with a valve chamber therein, an inlet passage through the body into the valve chamber, an outlet passage through the body into the valve chamber, a gate positioned within the chamber and having an opening therethrough, a body sealing surface surrounding the openings of each of the inlet and outlet passages within the passages within the chamber, a seat ring positioned between the gate and each of the body sealing surfaces, means for urging the seat rings against their body sealing surfaces, resilient seals between each seat ring and its body sealing surface near the inner and outer diameter of each ring, means for sealing between the gate and the seal rings, and means for moving said gate in said chamber to close and open flow through said valve. The means urging the seat rings against their body sealing surfaces in one form includes wedges positioned at the side of the gate engaged between the two seat rings and in another form includes springs positioned at the sides of the gate engaged between the two seat rings.

Gate valves generally have seat rings which provide the seats for the gate and which also engage with body surfaces surrounding the inlet and outlet passages through the body. In prior structure such seat rings have been made to be floating and have been installed in the body with a suitable spacer means to ensure that there is the desired clearance between the seat rings for movement of the gate without binding.
Examples of various types of prior structures used for maintaining the seat ring spacing in gate valves are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,188,016 (pair of opposed spacer carriers); 4,179,098 (spacer plates); 3,823,911 (spacer blocks); and 4,193,581 (a cage engaging lugs on the seat rings). All of such structures ensure the spacing for the gate and allow floating movement of the seat rings. The sealing of the seat rings against the body sealing surfaces is provided by resilient seals, such as O-rings.
In maintaining the seal of the seat in a gate valve, efforts have been made to utilize pressure of the fluid flowing through the valve to urge the seats in directions toward their respective body sealing surfaces. An example of such structure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No, 4,487,393 in which the effective diameter of the seat seal against the body sealing surface is less than the effective diameter of the seal against the gate so that there is an effective pressure area exposed to the fluid pressure within the valve flow passages which urges the seats toward their body sealing surfaces. One disadvantage of such structure is that pressure which collects in the valve chamber works against this sealing force.
One of the difficulties encountered with such prior structures is washout of the seat rings which results from the collection of sand or other foreign particles between the seat ring and its body sealing surface.
Another problem encountered with prior gate valves has been that the seat rings are exposed to an unbalanced pressure which can urge the seat rings away from their body sealing surface and this allows entry of particles which can result in seat ring washout.


Devices and methods for performing percutaneous myocardial revascularization (PMR). A catheter in accordance with the invention includes an elongate shaft having a proximal end and a distal end. The elongate shaft defines a lumen, and a conductor is disposed inside the lumen. An electrode portion is formed by the bent portion of the conductor which extends from the distal end of the elongate shaft. A method in accordance with the present invention may be used to form a wound through the endocardium and into the myocardium of a patient's heart. Collateral damage to the myocardium may be created by infusing pressurized fluid into the wound. A number of fluids may be delivered to a location proximate the wound via the catheter.

Assuring that the heart muscle is adequately supplied with oxygen is critical to sustaining the life of a patient. To receive an adequate supply of oxygen, the heart muscle must be well perfused with blood. In a healthy heart, blood perfusion is accomplished with a system of blood vessels and capillaries. However, it is common for the blood vessels to become occluded (blocked) or stenotic (narrowed). A stenosis may be formed by an atheroma which is typically a harder, calcified substance which forms on the walls of a blood vessel.
Historically, individual stenotic lesions have been treated with a number of medical procedures including coronary bypass surgery, angioplasty, and atherectomy. Coronary bypass surgery typically involves utilizing vascular tissue from another part of the patient's body to construct a shunt around the obstructed vessel. Angioplasty techniques such as percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) are relatively non-invasive methods of treating a stenotic lesion. These angioplasty techniques typically involve the use of a guidewire and a balloon catheter. In these procedures, a balloon catheter is advanced over a guidewire such that the balloon is positioned proximate a restriction in a diseased vessel. The balloon is then inflated and the restriction in the vessel is opened. A third technique which may be used to treat a stenotic lesion is atherectomy. During an atherectomy procedure, the stenotic lesion is mechanically cut or abraded away from the blood vessel wall.
Coronary bypass, angioplasty, and atherectomy procedures have all been found effective in treating individual stenotic lesions in relatively large blood vessels. However, the heart muscle is perfused with blood through a network of small vessels and capillaries. In some cases, a large number of stenotic lesions may occur in a large number of locations throughout this network of small blood vessels and capillaries. The torturous path and small diameter of these blood vessels limit access to the stenotic lesions. The sheer number and small size of these stenotic lesions make techniques such as cardiovascular bypass surgery, angioplasty, and atherectomy impractical
When techniques which treat individual lesions are not practical a technique know as percutaneous myocardial revascularization (PMR) may be used to improve the oxygenation of the myocardial tissue. A PMR procedure generally involves the creation of holes, craters or channels directly into the myocardium of the heart. PMR was inspired in part by observations that reptilian heart muscles are supplied with oxygen primarily by blood perfusing directly from within heart chambers to the heart muscle. This contrasts with the human heart, which is supplied by coronary vessels receiving blood from the aorta. Positive clinical results have been demonstrated in human patients receiving PMR treatments. These results are believed to be caused in part by blood flowing within a heart chamber through channels in myocardial tissue formed by PMR. Increased blood flow to the myocardium is also believed to be caused in part by the healing response to wound formation. Specifically, the formation of new blood vessels is believed to occur in response to the newly created wound. This response is sometimes referred to as angiogenisis. In addition to promoting increased blood flow, it is also believed that PMR improves a patient's condition through denervation. Denervation is the elimination of nerves endings. Specifically, the creation of wounds during a PMR procedure results in the elimination of nerve endings which were previously sending pain signals to the brain as a result of hibernating tissue.


A bidirectional matching network is disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, an apparatus includes a first matching circuit connected in a first signal path between a node and a first amplifier, the first matching circuit configured to translate an off-state impedance of the first amplifier to a first translated off-state impedance. The apparatus also includes a second matching circuit connected in a second signal path between the node and a second amplifier. The second matching circuit configured to translate an off-state impedance of the second amplifier to a second translated off-state impedance. The second translated off-state impedance is configured to reduce power loss associated with a first signal flowing in the first signal path and the first translated off-state impedance is configured to reduce power loss associated with a second signal flowing in the second signal path.

1. Field
The present application relates generally to the operation and design of analog front ends, and more particularly, to the operation and design of matching networks for use in analog front ends.
2. Background
Beamforming transceivers having multiple antennas are typically utilized to transmit and receive signals over wireless links operating at millimeter (MM) wavelengths, for instance to transmit and receive signals at 60 GHz. Almost all of the beamforming transceivers require phase shifters and a power divider/combiner network. It would be desirable to share connections to the antenna, the phase shifter, and power divider/combiner network for both transmit and receive functions. However, to do that typically requires the use of switches that can be actuated to redirect transmit and receive signals. Unfortunately, switches have large insertion loss that results in less efficient transceiver operation.
Accordingly, what is needed is a way to avoid the insertion loss associated with switches used in analog front ends.


A stove includes a stove unit having a top grilling surface, a cover unit, a guiding unit, and a balance-providing unit having a cross bar, at least one mounting seat, and at least one constant-force spring that is mounted on the at least one mounting seat and that is connected to the cross bar. During the movement of the cover unit in a top-bottom direction, the at least one constant-force spring provides a substantially constant resilient force which counteracts a weight of the cover unit to position the cover unit at any point between a lifted position, where the cover unit is spaced apart from the top grilling surface, and a cover position, where the cover unit covers the top grilling surface.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional stove, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,295,361, includes a stove unit 61, a supporting frame 62, a cover unit 63, a guiding unit 64, a cantilever unit 65, and a shelf unit 66. The stove unit 61 has a top grilling surface 611. The supporting frame 62 is disposed behind the stove unit 61 and extends in a top-bottom direction (Y). The cover unit 63 is disposed above the top grilling surface 611 of the stove unit 61, is connected to the supporting frame 62, and is movable in the top-bottom direction (Y). The guiding unit 64 has a pair of guiding elements 641 (only one is visible in FIG. 2) that are disposed on the supporting frame 62, and a pair of sliding elements 642 (only one is visible in FIG. 2) that are disposed on the cover unit 63 and that cooperate with the guiding elements 641 to retain up-and-down movement of the cover unit 63 in the top-bottom direction (Y) relative to the top grilling surface 611 of the stove unit 61. The cantilever unit 65 is pivotally connected between the supporting frame 62 and the cover unit 63 to drive the up-and-down movement of the cover unit 63. The shelf unit 66 is disposed above the top grilling surface 611. When the cover unit 63 is lifted away from the top grilling surface 611 of the stove unit 61, a space is formed between the cover unit 63 and the top grilling surface 611 of the stove unit 61 for an operator to perform grilling or barbequing action on the top grilling surface 611. When the cover unit 63 is moved downward and covers the top grilling surface 611 of the stove unit 61, a food material (not shown) which is put on the shelf unit 66 can be effectively smoked.
However, the configuration of the cantilever unit 65 being exposed outside of the cover unit 63 adversely affects the aesthetic appearance of the conventional stove, especially when the cover unit 63 and the cantilever unit 65 are accumulated with smoke and grease after long-term usage. Moreover, since the cantilever unit 65 includes a plurality of pivot joints 651, the smoke and grease accumulated on the cantilever unit 65 may obstruct pivot movement of the cantilever unit 65 and may even result in failure to move the cover unit 63 in the top-bottom direction (Y).


A computer is programmed to, upon determining that obstruction of a window exceeds a first threshold and that a fluid level of a reservoir is above both of two level sensors vertically spaced in the reservoir, pump fluid from the reservoir toward the window; and upon determining that obstruction of an external sensor exceeds a second threshold and that the fluid level is above at least one of the level sensors, pump fluid from the reservoir toward the external sensor.

A vehicle, such as an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle, typically includes sensors. Some sensors provide data about operation of the vehicle, for example, wheel speed, wheel orientation, and engine and transmission data (e.g., temperature, fuel consumption, etc.). Some sensors detect the position or orientation of the vehicle. For example, the sensors may include global positioning system (GPS) sensors; accelerometers such as piezo-electric or microelectromechanical systems (MEMS); gyroscopes such as rate, ring laser, or fiber-optic gyroscopes; inertial measurements units (IMU); and magnetometers. Some sensors detect the external world. For example, the sensors may include radar sensors, scanning laser range finders, light detection and ranging (LIDAR) devices, and image processing sensors such as cameras. The sensors may include communications devices, for example, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) devices.
The sensors that are placed externally on the vehicle are exposed to an external environment. The sensors may be obstructed by dirt, dust, debris, precipitation, insects, etc. Obstructions can degrade the performance of the sensors. Cleaning systems using washer fluid or other cleaning solvents can store a finite amount of fluid for cleaning, both for the external sensors and for the windshield, leading to the risk that the washer fluid runs out during a trip by the vehicle.


Methods and apparatus for processing data representing multiple image sequences, e.g., TV programs, and displaying multiple images from different video sequences in different windows of a single display screen are disclosed. The amount of system resources required to process and display the image data are a function of the size of the windows in which the images are displayed. In accordance with the present invention demand for system resources is assessed and compared to the amount of available system resources. If the demand for system resources will exceed the available system resources, the size of one or more of the windows used to display secondary images, e.g., the small PIP windows, is reduced to reduce the burden, e.g., processing or bus bandwidth burden, on one or more system resources. In one embodiment, the system suggests a set of window sizes to the user which will allow for the decoding and display of programs without exceeding the available system resources. The user can accept or modify the suggested program window sizes. When the user input results in the use of window sizes that will result in a demand for system resources that exceeds the available resources, data corresponding to inter-coded frames is ignored and/or decoding and display of secondary images is limited to images with significant scene changes.

Television sets and many other video display devices, e.g., computers, support the ability to simultaneously display multiple images. In the case of television sets, the ability to display multiple images at the same time is often called picture-in-picture (PIP) capability. In the case of computer systems, the display of multiple images at the same time often occurs when multiple windows are open simultaneously in a system which supports windows based user interfaces.
In order to reduce data storage and transmission bandwidth requirements, video signals and images, e.g., digital television signals, are normally compressed prior to transmission and/or storage. Even in compressed, e.g., encoded form, video images can comprise a large amount of data. Before being displayed they must normally be decoded. Decoding of images can require a considerable amount of processing resources.
When video programs comprising sequences of images are being displayed, the images in each window need to be updated as the image sequence being displayed in a given window changes, e.g., due to motion in the images being displayed. Accordingly, to display a video sequence including motion, multiple images represented by, e.g., frames, need to be decoded and displayed over a period of time.
The number of images which are to be displayed in a given period of time for a given video image is often called the frame rate. It is frequently expressed in terms of frames per second. The time used to display a single image is called a frame time.
In the case of a television, decoder circuitry is often subject to real time processing constraints. In other words, the video images must be decoded in an amount of time equal to, or less than, the time that will be used to display the images. Failure to meet real time decoding requirements can result in the loss of data, e.g., frames, which may give the appearance of jerky motion. It may also cause other image errors and/or distortions which can result in an unpleasant and/or undesirable viewing experience.
When video sequences are being displayed in multiple windows at the same time, to support real time decoding of all the images in the video sequences being displayed, a decoder must be able to decode, on average, a number of images at a rate equal to the sum of the frame rates for each of the individual video sequences being displayed.
In addition to decoder processing resources, supporting the simultaneous display of multiple images and/or video sequences can place a considerable burden on other system resources as well. The large amount of data associated with video images which must be transferred for decoding, in some cases, can exceed a system's available bus bandwidth. This is particularly the case when multiple images are to be decoded and displayed simultaneously.
The demand for decoder processing and/or bus resources is a function of the number of images which must be decoded and displayed in a fixed amount of time. In the case of a PIP embodiment, such as a PIP capable television system, the demands on video decoder processing and bus resources can be considerable.
When more than two video sequences are displayed on a system, e.g., a television or computer, if the total load on the system resources, e.g., CPU and/or bus, required to decode and display the video sequences exceeds the available resources, images in the sequences will normally be degraded and/or discarded. The inability to fully decode images to be displayed in all of a systems open windows may result in jerky motion in one or more image sequences.
This may cause a viewer of the decoded images to feel uncomfortable. In addition, it might also make it difficult for a viewer to follow the video sequences, e.g., TV programs, being displayed. Such consequences of limited system resources could potentially defeat the purpose of displaying multiple images on a single screen.
In view of the above remarks, it is apparent that there is a need for methods and apparatus for allocating resources when multiple images, or multiple sequences of images, are to be decoded and displayed on a single display device. There is also a need for reducing or limiting the demand for decoder and display resources, e.g., to levels which are available in a given system.

Methods and apparatus for decoding and displaying multiple images using a common processor


A data traffic scheduling method that includes selecting, using a network controller, plurality of flows that traverses a network node, generating an augmented graph based on a flow rate of the plurality of flows and link capacities of the network node, computing a flow schedule for the flow using the augmented graph to minimize delay or delay variance of the flows, and outputting the flow schedule. A data traffic scheduling method that includes obtaining, using a network controller, a network topology for a network, generating an augmented graph based on the network topology, converting the augmented graph to a mixed-integer linear program, scheduling a flow in the network using the mixed-integer linear program to minimize delay or delay variance of the flow, and outputting a flow schedule.

Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) is an interface commonly deployed inside a base station. CPRI enables communication between the radio equipment and the radio equipment control. In some applications it is desirable to set up a CPRI over a delay sensitive network so that the radio equipment can remain at the remote site while the radio equipment control is located in a data center. Each CPRI flow is a constant bit rate flow with a constant source and destination. CPRI flows may be added or removed when a base station is added or removed. As such, they are relatively static and are not typically subject to frequent change in current third and fourth generation wireless networks.
CPRI has a tight jitter requirement of several nanoseconds. In existing applications jitter is handled by buffering traffic at the receiver. When using a receiver buffer the size of the buffer needs to be engineered to guarantee the jitter requirements which may be dependent on the characteristics of the fronthaul network. The receiver buffer introduces delay into the CPRI flows. This delay is accounted for in a CPRI delay budget, which may reduce the allowable propagation delay in the fronthaul network. By consuming part of the CPRI delay budget to account for receiver buffers, there may be an offsetting reduction in the coverage area of a radio equipment controller. Other approaches are based on using optical networks for fronthaul networks. However, optical networks may not be practical to build in some scenarios. Another approach is based on using Ethernet networks to carry CPRI traffic. However, outside of creating a dedicated point to point connection using Ethernet networking equipment, an Ethernet network cannot typically guarantee the low jitter requirements of a CPRI deployment.

Low jitter traffic scheduling on a packet network


A chemical reagent vial has an elongated shape from the end portions of which extend two lugs, one of which is closed by a frangible membrane which can be broken by a projection of a funnel element which can be screw engaged on a set lug. The other lug having an outer surface at least a portion of which is conical and on which tightly abuts a conical surface of a hollow sleeve which, moreover, tightly engages with a thread of the lug thereon the sleeve is threaded, through the lug at least an outlet hole being formed, which is arranged between the two sealing regions of the sleeve on the lug.

The present invention relates to a chemical reagent vial and, more specifically, a vial provided for holding metered amounts of chemical reagents having a high purity or a well defined strength, to be used for carrying out chemical reactions and/or titrations after dilution to a preset concentration.
As is known, in order to carry out a lot of chemical reactions, e.g. in chemical laboratories, reagents must be used having an accurately controlled concentration or strength: many reagents are classified as toxic and/or corrosive (i.e. sulphuric acid) and must be held in tightly closed vessels adapted to prevent the reagent from leaking and to preserve it unaltered in the time.
For laboratory use, is also known to hold accurately metered high purity or well defined titre reagent amounts within vials made of unbreakable materials (usually a plastic material) which vials or tubes have an elongated shape and two opposite open ends which are tightly closed by two frangible or pierceable elements or membranes, heat sealed on the two openings. In order to use the reagent, the vial is arranged above the mouth of a vessel or flask, and then the two above mentioned pierceable membranes are perforated or broken by a long and thin glass or stainless steel rod: then, by means of a small funnel engaged in one of the openings of the vial, a precisely metered water amount is poured into the vial (this water exiting the other opening of the vial so as to wash it and fall into the flask) in order to dilute the reagent to the titre suitable for the provided reagent use. These vials have a very simple construction, but, as the reagents have a toxic or corrosive nature, the handling and use thereof can involve hazards.
In order to overcome the above problem, vials have been designed, and also provided with an elongated shape, and hollow lugs projecting at the two open ends of each vial, where there are arranged the membranes for closing said openings: on one of said lugs (the upward turned lug) there is assembled a small funnel having a projecting tip which is brought into contact with the adjoining membrane so as to break or perforate the latter as the reagent must be used. After having poured the reagent into the flask, the funnel is properly engaged on the related lug and, through said funnel a desired diluting water amount can be poured into the vial and accordingly into the flask.
This construction, however, has the drawback that the tip projecting from the funnel greatly obstructs the diluting water flow being poured into the funnel, and that the funnel must be turned upside down after having perforated the membrane.
On the other lug (that is the lug which in use is downward turned) of the vial there is screw engaged a perforated cap, therefrom an element projects the free end whereof is made rigid with the membrane heat sealed on the end portion of said lug: as the cap is turned in the disengaging direction from its lug, said element pulls the membrane so as to tear it and allow the reagent to be ejected through the holes of the cap (after having broken, as it should be apparent, the bottom membrane of the vial). As it should be apparent, this construction is complex and difficult to make.


An IC card and an IC card system are disclosed in which command processing performance is improved by storing current state data related to a first command upon interruption of an execution cycle for the first command by a second command. Upon completion of the second command, the current state information is reloaded and execution of the first command is resumed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to integrated circuit (IC) cards and related systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to an IC card and an IC card system having suspend/resume functions.
2. Description of the Related Art
IC cards enjoy increasing popularity, come in a number of different form factors, and employ varying technologies to store and communicate data. So-called smart cards which use a memory circuit to store data, as opposed to conventional credit/debit cards which use a magnetic strip, are one class of IC cards. Memory cards, generally employed as a portable storage medium, are another class of IC cards. Conventional memory card includes SM (Smart Media) cards, SD (Secure Digital) cards, CF (Compact Flash) cards, XD cards, MS (Memory Stick) cards, and MMC (MultiMedia) cards.
Recent advancements in semiconductor integration technology have generally reduced the overall size of the memory devices mounted on IC cards while at the same time providing expanded storage capacity. The security features associated with the conventional IC cards are also markedly improved.
IC cards typically operate in response to a sequence of commands received from a "host device", such as a computer system, a transaction terminal, and/or a card reader. Various commands within the sequence of commands have differing importance or priority within the context of the host device/IC card interactions. For example, a host device may transmit a first command to an IC card, and immediately thereafter begin executing an operation that results in a second command to be sent to the IC card. Where the second command has a higher priority than the first command being processed by the IC card, the host device will forcibly interrupt execution of the first command, and thereafter transmit the second command to the IC card for execution. Once the second command has been executed, the host device transmits the first command to the IC card for execution.
Historically, the foregoing command sequence causes the IC to throw out or flush a number of so-called "assets" related to the first command. Assets include, data structures, data values, intermediate results, scratch pad values, temporary files, register values, data flags, variable values, and similar items that are used, defined, stored or transferred during the receipt, execution, and resolution of a command. Many, if not all, of these assets are flushed when the IC card receives the interrupt caused by the second command.
However, after the second command has been executed and the first command is again received from the host device, the IC card must begin the operations related to the first command from scratch. That is, the assets associated with the first command must be completely recreated regardless of their prior state just before the interrupt. This drawback significantly impairs the rate of command throughput for the IC card system.

IC card and IC card system having suspend/resume functions


A process is described for both (i) quenching a fuel gas mixture including at least one gaseous hydrocarbon foulant (described more particularly herein) and (ii) removing at least a portion of the foulant without substantial formation of mist thereof in the gas mixture. The process includes contacting a flow of the gas mixture with a liquid jet spray of large droplets of a coolant mixture comprising liquid water and viscous liquid hydrocarbon. The contact is maintained for a sufficient period of time such that at least a portion of the foulant is liquefied and collected on the droplets. The droplets having foulant thus deposited thereon are removed from the treated gas mixture in a separation zone.

This invention relates to a process and apparatus for both (i) quenching a fuel gas mixture including at least one gaseous hydrocarbonaceous foulant (described more particularly hereinbelow) and (ii) removing at least a portion of the foulant without substantial formation of mist thereof in the fuel gas mixture. The invention is especially applicable to treating raw gaseous fuel produced by pressure gasification of coal in a fixed-bed gasifier.
Fixed-bed gasifiers and methods for pressure gasification of coal are described in Woodmansee in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,811,849 and 4,150,953, which are incorporated herein by reference. The latter patent additionally illustrates a gas clean-up system wherein, as described in the patent," an oily aqueous blowdown liquid or condensate body 118 [in a vessel referred to as a "gas quench unit"] comprising a mixture of water, oil, tar and volatile hydrocarbons is drawn off . . . for recirculation of the quenching liquid . . . to sprayhead 124 [within the gas quench unit]." (col. 7 at lines 7-14). As further described in that patent: "In the quench unit, the sprayed aqueous liquid may be at a temperature of, for example, 330.degree. F., resulting in condensation from the gas of condensible hydrocarbons including tar and volatile hydrocarbons. The resulting oily aqueous blowdown liquid 118 collected in the quench unit contains condensed volatile hydrocarbons and other contaminants removed from the raw gas." (See col. 3 at lines 20-27.)
However, there remains a substantial need in the art for a process and apparatus capable of both quenching a fuel gas mixture including at least one gaseous hydrocarbonaceous foulant (e.g., hydrocarbon oil) and removing at least a portion of the foulant without substantial formation of mist thereof in the gas mixture.
It has now been found, by practice of the present invention, that such need is substantially fulfilled.
The invention is eminently suitable for quenching and clean-up of sulfur-bearing raw fuel gas, such as that produced in pressurized gasification of medium-to-high sulfur coal (as taught, for example, in the above-cited U.S. Pat. No. 4,150,953), to produce treated fuel gas which has such quality and temperature (e.g., 200.degree. F.) that it can be directly introduced into a hot potassium carbonate absorption system for removal of the sulfur as H.sub.2 S. That is, no further treatment of the gas is required, thereby omitting the need for such additional prior art steps as washing (whereby foulant mist is removed), further cooling, etc., and requisite apparatus therefor.

Process for quenching and cleaning a fuel gas mixture


A tool for assisting in producing a straight edge on a piece of rough cut raw material, such as lumber or masonite. The tool is held in place on top of the piece by gripping means which grip the piece along two opposite side edges. The tool's straight edge, unobstructed by clamps or other protrusions, is then used as a guide to bank against the saw fence of a table saw, radial arm saw, or circular saw, producing a straight edge on the piece. Using the tool, one can take the flat bow out of a piece and also remove the rough mill edge. The tool can also be used with a hand circular saw, jig saw, or router by running the saw directly along the tool's unobstructed straight edge.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to craftsman's tools and more particularly to tools designed to produce a straight, smooth edge on a piece of lumber or other material which may have a "crook" or flat bow or rough mill edges.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In working with sheets or boards of raw material, such as wood, plywood, or masonite, there is always an interest in minimizing costs to maximize profits and reduce waste. For instance, in woodworking, one can save substantial amounts of money by purchasing unfinished, rough mill lumber. Sometimes, the desired lumber is only available in unfinished form. Regardless, the raw material needs at least one straight, smooth edge as a reference edge for future shaping and cutting.
Prior art discloses devices or tools developed to take advantage of the lower prices for rough cut lumber, while seeking ways to guarantee straight edges on lumber and other building materials to be used as furniture, cabinets, counter tops, wall boards, paneling, and for many other purposes including, but not limited to, general construction purposes.
In general, these prior art devices include independent clamps of various designs and flat bars which use clamps or screws for attachment to the lumber or other material to be cut.
A typical prior art device comprises two clamps. One end of each clamp is tightened around one edge of a known straight board; the other end is tightened to the bowed board. The unobstructed end of the straight board is then used as the contact surface to a saw fence or guide to make a straight cut along the bowed board. This method requires a constant examination of the straight board to determine any warpness or damage from use and a constant checking of the integrity and tightness of the clamps used to prevent relative movement between the straight and bowed lumber prior to and while sawing.
Other prior art devices include cutting guides usually made of aluminum. Some of these are of fixed length while others can be lengthened for cutting longer pieces of wood, wallboard, masonite, and paneling. These devices attach by clamps to the board being cut. These clamps may be the well-known "C" clamps (screw type). In use, a plurality of "C" clamps are placed around both the guide and the board, and holds them together by frictional forces created by compression across the thickness of the guide and the board.
Alternatively, jaw-type clamps may be used. A plurality of these clamps are typically rigidly attached to the underside of the guide. The jaws then are positioned around the board to be cut across its thickness and are clamped shut by pressing a lever. As with the "C" clamps, the board is held relative to the guide by frictional forces created by compression across the thickness of the board.
All of these prior art devices are very difficult to use with a saw fence due to the interferences caused by clamps protruding to the side or below the surface of the board to be cut. Furthermore, under the intense vibrational forces occurring during sawing often loosen the compression-type hold on the board, resulting in board movement and a non-straight cut along the board.
Thus, there remains a significant need for a tool or saw guide designed to eliminate the flat bow out of rough cut mill lumber of varying lengths or other materials and provide a near perfect saw cut edge while also allowing the use of a standard table saw, radial saw, or circular saw.


A coating blend composition is a physical admixture of an adhesion promoter resin and a coating material resin. The blend can be cured by one or more curing agents existing within either the adhesion promoter resin, the coating material resin, or both. The utilization of such a blend eliminates the need for priming a substrate such as a rubber, or a thermoplastic or a thermoset polyolefin. The adhesion promoter resin is a urethane composition containing a blocked polyurethane prepolymer whereas the coating material resin can generally be any compound which has a functional or cosmetic purpose such as a different type of blocked polyurethane, and is generally utilized in a major amount. A particular application of the coating blend compositions of the present invention is to a glass run channel made from, for example, EPDM, as in an automotive door.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,919, issued Feb. 6, 1990, to Ueda et al., relates to a polyurethane adhesive comprising (a) a specific block polyurethane polyol produced by reacting a hydrogenated polybutadiene glycol, a polyol having two or more hydroxy groups, and a polyisocyanate, (b) a thermoplastic polyester urethane rubber, and (c) a polyisocyanate compound as a crosslinking agent, said polyurethane adhesive being useful for adhesion of low polar materials, particularly adhesion between polypropylene materials and sheets of polyvinyl chloride.
Japanese Patent applications JP 60-173011 (1985), JP 62-41215 (1987), JP 63-130616, and JP 64-6017 (1989), relate to polyurethane compositions made from low molecular weight polyolefin polyols and are directed to adhesives, coatings, and sealants. In Japanese patent JP 60-179251 (1985), a mixture of a low molecular weight polyolefin polyol and a blocked methylene diphenyl diisocyanate is utilized as an adhesive for splicing an EPDM glass run channel and weather stripping, while JP 60-181137 (1985) suggests that the same composition can be used as an adhesive to obtain adhesion between EPR (ethylene-propylene rubber) and metal as well as between plastics and rubber. Jp 61-136528 (1986) relates to a low molecular weight polyolefin polyol mixed with an N-halogenated amide functional compound used as a coating primer for an EPDM glass run channel where the top coat is a polyester-urethane based coating containing silicone oil while JP 61-137735 (1986) discloses the same composition as an adhesive for fiber flocking on an EPDM glass run channel. Japanese patent application JP 60-179470 and patent JP 60-24821 relate to the utilization of greater than 98 percent hydrogenated polyhydroxy polybutadiene as (a) a crosslinking agent, or (b) an additional polyol component in a polyester and/or polyether urethane coating compositions which are applied to flocked substrates to enhance their resistance to abrasion, weathering, and heat. Japanese Application JP 59-201838 relates to a coextruded rubber product having a sliding surface as well as to a fabrication method therefor, wherein a rubber substrate is coextruded with a sliding surface composition which is a mixture of urethane forming components. Subsequently, the substrate as well as the sliding surface are vulcanized and cured at the same time.


A method and spectral light-based apparatus with an embedded (built-in) spectral calibration module for acquiring multi-spectral reflectance images from a digital camera are disclosed. The apparatus may be an attachment device, which may be integrated with a consumer digital camera (such as smartphone camera), and may measure and/or estimate spectral reflectance and true color values for an object recorded by the camera. An example apparatus comprises an array of monochromatic light sources, preferably pulsed LEDs, irradiating in a time-multiplexed manner to generate light spectra in the range of 400 nm-1000 nm, an optical lens to limit the field of view of the attached camera, an electro-mechanical shutter or plate with its inner (reflection) surface coated with a diffuse reflectance standard to ensure flat spectral response, and an interface module for synchronizing the time-multiplexed light spectra with the coated shutter opening and closing and with the digital frames acquired by the camera, such that the true spectral reflectance and true color value of an object can be measured.

Spectral reflectivity is the fraction of light reflected by an object. This fraction typically varies with the wavelength of light incident on the object. Spectral reflectivity can be used to characterize the surface of an object. Digital cameras can be used to estimate the spectral reflectance of a surface. However, digital cameras are not optimized for measuring spectral reflectance or for quantitative color measurements.
Most digital cameras capture digital color images in a trichromatic fashion using three distinct sets of detectors. The detectors may, for example, be complementary metal-oxide semiconductor ("CMOS") or charge-coupled device ("CCD") sensors. Each set of detectors is sensitive to different wavelengths (colors) of light. Typical digital cameras have detectors sensitive to each of: red (R), green (G), and blue (B) light. Such cameras ("RGB digital cameras") are incapable of reproducing hi-fidelity color images which are required in fields such as tele-dermatology. In addition, RGB digital cameras have a limited color gamut and cannot reproduce a full range of colors and shades. These inherent limitations are more pronounced when the surface of an object contains reddish colors.
Because of the limitations of RGB digital cameras, RGB digital cameras cannot be used where accurate measurement and/or reproduction of colors is required. For example, RGB digital cameras have limited application in color reproduction for tele-medicine, image archiving and follow-up, color matching and measurements, and tissue characterization and quantification in cancer characterization.
One method for obtaining accurate information about the color of a surface using a RGB digital camera is to use the camera to obtain images while illuminating the surface with spectral light at different wavelengths. The spectral light comprises a set of spectral bands, preferably narrow bands, centered on each of the different wavelengths. The spectral reflectance images are then acquired using an RGB camera. If the sensitivity of the sensors of the RGB camera at the wavelengths of the spectral light are known and the intensity of illumination in the different bands of the spectral light are known then the resulting set of images can be processed to determine the spectral reflectance of the surface.
This method is cost effective but requires a spectrometer and a dedicated lab facility to characterize the spectral sensitivity of digital camera sensors. It further requires pre-measurement calibration using a calibration target with a known reflectance at each wavelength, e.g. a white 99% diffuse reflectance disk. The pre-measurement calibration using a white diffuse reflectance disk ensures the effective spectral calibration of a camera sensor, especially when used to acquire spectral images in a non-lab-controlled environment.
There remains a need for digital cameras which can provide accurate spectral images of a target, even in dynamically changing viewing or illumination conditions. There is a particular need for such cameras that are cost effective enough for widespread application in fields such as tele-dermatology, color matching and the like.

Method and apparatus for spectral reflectance imaging using digital cameras


Techniques for dynamically balancing usage of central processing units (CPUs) and accelerators are provided. For example, a method is provided for receiving a task request for associated with a workload. A utility value is calculated for a plurality of strategies for executing the workload. At least two of the plurality of strategies are associated with a distribution of the workload between the CPU and the one or more accelerators. A strategy having a maximum utility value is selected from the plurality of strategies, and the task is executed according to the selected strategy.

A hybrid computing infrastructure may contain heterogeneous processors. For instance, a hybrid computing infrastructure may be comprised of general processors, such as central processing units (CPUs) and one or more accelerators, such as graphical processing units (GPUs). As sequential and parallel operations are being employed together in complex software programs, coordination between CPU and GPU resources is a challenge.

Dynamic usage balance of central processing units and accelerators

International Business Machines Corporation


A room air sterilizer mounts on the wall of the room and traps airborne particulate in a HEPA filter. An ultraviolet germicidal lamp destroys any biocontamination on the trapped particulates. The sterilizer has an elongated vertical housing with a return air grille near or at its lower end and a HEPA filter assembly disposed at an outflow port at its upper end. The HEPA filter is preferably a quarter cylinder and the sterilizer lamp is situated to expose the inner or intake side of the filter to the sterilizing ultraviolet radiation. A prefilter can be situated ahead of the blowers for the sterilizer, and can have an associated ultraviolet sterilizer lamp.

This invention relates to systems for purifying and sterilizing air in an enclosed room, and is more particularly directed to a room air sterilizer which may be mounted upon a wall of a room, for example, a hospital isolation room, a physician's office or a dentist's office. Due to recent outbreaks of highly infectious disease, such as tuberculosis, there has arisen a need for devices for filtering out particulates that carry diseasecausing microorganisms such as bacteria, virus, or spores. This need exists, for example, in places where the disease can easily spread from one person to another, such as in a prison hospital ward, an isolation room of a hospital or residence, or an office such as a dentist office, where there may be a high level of airborne particulates or aerosols that have become biocontaminants.
At present, so-called air "purifiers" can be of a media filter type or of an electrostatic type. However, neither type includes effective means to neutralize any biocontaminates. Ultraviolet sterilizer lamps are sometimes employed in health-care facilities, but these must be positioned somewhere in the room away from the patient, so that their radiation will not fall directly on a patient or another person. This limits their effectiveness, as they are generally out of the normal airflow path.