A method for protecting a material of a microstructure comprising said material and a noble metal layer against undesired galvanic etching during manufacture comprises forming on the structure a sacrificial metal layer having a lower redox potential than said material, the sacrificial metal layer being electrically connected to said noble metal layer.

Silicon is used in the semiconductor art to manufacture integrated circuits (ICs), especially for very large scale (VLSI) devices and the like. Many steps in the fabrication of such devices include a wet etch operation using aggressive etching fluids such as hydrofluoric acid (HF).
However, corrosion of silicon may occur when it is dipped in HF. In general, this effect is small, but it can be enhanced when the silicon is highly doped with elements such as Al, As, C, Ga, P, Sb and the like, as is normally the case with silicon used for the manufacture of VLSI modules. Corrosion of silicon may also be enhanced in the presence of ultraviolet (UV) light or with the anodic polarization of silicon structures by an external potential.
Examples of silicon etching in HF solutions are the corrosion of highly doped silicon structures in the presence of UV light as used to detect the junction depth of a pn diode, silicon electropolishing and porous silicon fabrication.
Such corrosion may also be enhanced without the use of an external voltage or illumination. If, in a device, some silicon part is electrically connected with noble metals, e.g., gold wires, a galvanic cell is formed when the device is dipped in HF solution with a potential large enough to significantly etch the silicon parts. In this configuration, the noble metal plays the role of the cathode and the silicon functions as the anode. Reduction of protons to hydrogen molecules takes place at the cathode and silicon etching will result. This etching of silicon increases with the acidity of the solution because more protons are available in more acidic solutions.
The formation of a galvanic cell in a HF solution is illustrated in FIG. 1 using silicon and gold as the anode and cathode, respectively. The figure shows the variation of current (log i) with voltage (V). The corrosion potential between silicon n+ and gold is shown as the point of intersection of the two curves representing the Si n+ current (anode side) and the gold current (cathode side). The redox potential of silicon surface depends its react chemical composition. Different dopant types and concentrations (n, n+, p, p+) oxidize with different rates and therefore give different currents.
In many silicon ElectroMechanical MicroSystems (MEMS) devices, such as chemical sensors, micromechanical devices and integrated optical elements, a combination of noble metal wiring and silicon is commonly used. Noble metals are used in MEMS fabrication to produce free standing structures using an relatively aggressive etching solutions such as Potassium Hydroxide. Standard metals like Al would be etched away by such solutions. It is to be noted that wiring must be done before the structure production because processing is much more difficult thereafter.
Silicon oxide films are extensively used in such devices as electrical isolation layers, passivation, or as a masking film. To pattern these films or to remove them at the end of a process, HF based solutions are efficient and widely used wet etching solutions.
When the noble metal and the silicon parts are electrically connected in the presence of HF, the silicon may be corroded galvanically. To avoid such an undesired effect, the straight forward solution would be to protect either the noble metal or the silicon or both during the HF etch. However, in many MEMS devices, such protection is not always possible. Examples of such MEMS devices include devices having free standing structures which limit the deposition and the patterning of protective films.
Another known technique is to inhibit any silicon etching with a cathodic polarization of the silicon by applying a voltage between the silicon structure and the metal part. However, in order to apply such a technique, all the metal and silicon structures must be connected together to two contact zones in order to apply a potential. This may be a problem for devices with many isolated structures, because this would require very complicated and space consuming additional wiring. As is clear to the skilled worker, this would also incur an additional etch step in an already complex process to remove the extra wiring after the device is completed.
It would be desirable to provide a method for protecting silicon micro mechanical structures against undesired galvanic etching that overcomes the above mentioned drawbacks of the state of the art. It would also be desirable for such a method that can be easily incorporated into existing processes.

Fabrication of silicon micro mechanical structures

International Business Machines Corporation


A cross-field discharge plasma is used to supply charge carriers for a grid controlled cold cathode discharge device. A dc magnetic field is employed to sustain the crossed-field discharge when the source grid is active. The device comprises an anode, a cathode, a source grid, and in alternate embodiments, additional control grids. Preferably the magnetic field exists only in the source grid-cathode space and penetrates only weakly, or not at all, into other electrode gaps or spaces. The source grid-cathode plasma is effectively a source of charge carriers, electrons or ions, controlled by the source grid current, the anode current being an approximate linear function of source grid current within limits, and/or controllable by adjustment of control grid potentials.

This invention is directed to a cold cathode, grid-controlled, crossed-field switch which can be repetitively operated in the presence of a fixed magnetic field.
Although this cold cathode discharge device has utility as an amplifier, in the context described herein, the device has primary utility as a closing switch in high frequency pulsed electric power distribution systems or networks.
Background patents of general interest describing the developments in crossed-field switches include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,638,061; 3,641,384; 3,604,977; 3,558,960; 3,678,289; 3,769,537; and 3,749,978.
In this group, U.S. Pat. No. 3,638,061 permits conduction for reasonable lengths of time without off-switching due to gas losses.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,641,384 describes a unique electrode arrangement in which the electrodes are serially connected to achieve higher holdoff voltages during nonconduction.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,604,977, in a two-electrode crossed-field switch, uses a fixed magnetic field having a field strength above the critical value to enable conduction. One of the electrodes is used to produce a bucking field to reduce the field strength below the critical value for offswitching.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,558,960 introduces an arrangement for maintaining gas pressure in a crossed-field switch for controlling conduction.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,678,289 describes an arrangement for off-switching a crossed-field switch by temporarily reducing the magnetic field to a field strength at which the switch becomes nonconductive.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,769,537 describes a two-electrode crossed-field switch having one perforated electrode and having a baffle adjacent some perforations in a position to limit the maximum electron path length in the absence of a magnetic field to minimize or obviate a reduction in the holdoff voltage.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,749,978 describes the use of sequentially discharged capacitors coupled to an offswitching pulse coil to maintain the magnetic field below the critical value for a desired period.
U.S. Pat. No. RE. 27,557 describes a network of sequentially switched crossed-field switches for increasing circuit resistance.
These patents are of general background interest in setting forth the environment in which crossed-field switches operate, in describing structural details and parameters, and in describing unique switching controls in two-electrode crossed-field switches.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,260 is of greater interest in that it describes a three-electrode crossed-field switch. Here, a control electrode, which can be called a grid, is pulsed to electronically switch the tube to a conducting condition. The presence of a magnetic field is required in both the grid-cathode gap and the anode-grid gap for proper triggering and conduction. Off switching is achieved by suppressing or switching off the magnetic field. In this arrangement, the magnetic field may not be fixed but must be cycled for repetitive on and off-switching operation.
Analogies may be drawn to conventional vacuum tubes or the thyratron. But, these are examples of switching devices having thermionic cathodes rather than cold cathodes. Thermionic cathodes have heat sensitive coatings to release electrons in the presence of heat. Thus, a heater is required to boil off the electrons.

Cold cathode discharge device with grid control


A structural panel of an aircraft is constructed with a multiphase antenna embedded inside the structural panel between multiple sheets of fiberglass.

The construction of a typical antenna system, and specifically a phased array antenna system, can be very large and heavy. A typical phased array antenna system can be 6′ long, 18″ tall and 1½ thick. When such an antenna system is integrated into an aircraft, the antenna system itself and the support structure required for the antenna system can occupy a substantial portion of the internal volume of the aircraft. If such an antenna system and its required support structure is attached to the exterior of the aircraft, they can add substantial drag to the aircraft.

Structural multilayer antenna design and fabrication


An industrial automation system is provided. This includes at least one license component that is granted by a third party to permit access to a portion of an industrial control component. At least one protocol component that is based in part on a private key exchange facilitates authentication and access to the portion of the industrial control component.

Industrial controllers historically have operated in tightly-controlled factory networks were a plurality of controllers and associated modules communicate. These lower level control elements often are in communication with higher level computing systems or servers that aggregate data from the controllers and help to manage day-to-day activities of an enterprise. In recent years however, control systems have increasingly become adapted for Ethernet communications which have opened these systems up to global networks such as the Internet. While it is advantageous for control systems to communicate across such global networks, other problems have ensued such as how to protect sensitive control systems and related intellectual property stored thereon from corruption or worse—cyber attack. Until now, various methods have been employed to authenticate network parties that need to communicate to control systems over public networks. These methods have often placed the burden on the control system to not only authenticate a respective party but to also be responsible for determining which parties should be allowed access to which portion of the control system.
Controllers provide an embedded approach where resources are limited for activities such as determining and authorizing who or what should access the controller. Generally, the controller or control systems in general need what limited processing and storage capabilities they have to be employed for automated manufacturing operations. Prior attempts at granting access to the valuable intellectual property contained within a controller (or control component) was to employ an external server to check whether or not a particular device or software component was licensed for such access. Protocols may have been employed that were specific to one party, company, or product for gaining subsequent controller access (e.g., passwords) yet not using more secure schemes in the process.

Authentication for licensing in an embedded system


A golf putting training device with a portable golf hole cut through a unique multidimensional triangular shaped device, in which the longest edge of the triangle is flat and can lay flush on an underlying surface and receive a golf ball smoothly. The device will have one corner of the triangle that is elevated creating one highest point sloping down to two low or flat points, or one flat edge. The device has two functional faces or bases that are the mirror images of each other. The device can be flipped over and rest on either of the two largest faces (or triangular surface areas) to allow a practicing golfer to practice striking putts that break right to left, or left to right. The device can be positioned relative to the practicing golfer in such a manner that many different slope degrees or angles can change the break of the putt, even a slope that provides for a perfectly straight putt.

The game of golf involves hitting a golf ball with a hand-held piece of equipment specific to the sport. After several shots, the golf ball is hit into a hole that measures 4.25″ in diameter. This process is completed with a piece of equipment called a putter. The process itself is called putting. For any person who plays the sport of golf, learning to putt better is vital to improving one's game. Putting comprises around 40% of the total shots an avid golfer may hit in an 18-hole round of golf. The ability to properly execute a putting stroke requires much training. Throughout the course of an 18-hole round of golf the majority of the putts a golfer will strike will not be on perfectly flat ground. This means the ball will not always move towards the hole, on the ground surface called the putting green, in a straight line. The ability to putt a ball that moves from left to right, right to left, or straight are all very important skills that a golfer must practice in order to improve their overall golf game.
Putting training aids have been on the market for a considerable amount of time and are used by a great multitude of golfers. They are often used for training to develop a sound, consistent putting stroke and develop confidence so that the player can perform well on the golf course.
The majority of putting training aids on the market are designed with a golf hole cut into a thicker than flat material. Some of them have raised edges that are flexible, or open on one side to allow a golf ball to travel into the cup and remain in there when contacting an edge. These devices are designed to provide a realistic putting experience to the user off the golf course, in the home, office or other place. Nearly every putting training device on the market is designed for the user to strike a putt that moves straight.
The idea of a practice putting device that allows the golfer to putt a ball that breaks, or moves in a line not straight, while allowing the end user to also practice putts that do move straight is far more practical, because during the course of a round of golf the player will encounter putts that are straight, putts that move left to right, and putts that move right to left.
A putting training aid that enables the golfer to practice putts that break left to right, right to left and that are straight is a far better practice tool than a device that only allows a golfer to practice straight putting.
The market has some affordable, simple, easy to use and innovative golf mats, and cups. The market is sorely lacking a golf cup training aid that has a simple design, is inexpensive to obtain, and easy to use which allows the golfer to practice striking putts that break. The market is specifically lacking a device to assist golfers in practicing putts that move right to left, left to right and putts that go straight that is extremely simple, inexpensive and easy to use.
U.S. patent Ser. No. 10/762,692, granted to Daley, discloses a putting cup apparatus designed to more accurately reproduce a regulation putting cup.
U.S. patent Ser. No. 08/296,681, granted to Schindler, discloses a device that can be used for putting practice that has upward curved outer walls that receive a golf ball into a cup that resembles a regulation golf hole
U.S. patent Ser. No. 11/269,472 discloses a ramp shaped practice putting apparatus designed to help with a golfer's putting speed. Said disclosure is a rectangular platform that is designed for assisting a practicing golfer in striking a putt that goes in a straight line to the golf hole.
The market has fallen short in producing a simple, inexpensive, exemplary designed golf putting training device that allows the end user to practice hitting putts that break, and putts that move straight.


A multilayer analysis sheet for analyzing liquid samples is described, comprising, in sequence, a light transmitting hydrophobic support having on one side thereof at least one layer containing at least one reagent in a binder and a liquid sample spreading layer made of fabric, which layers are laminated to form an integral unit together with the support, wherein said fabric has the ability to supply a liquid sample placed on the surface thereof to the reagent-containing layer at a substantially constant volume per unit area, which ability is conferred upon the fabric by rendering it hydrophilic; the multilayer analysis sheet can be economically manufactured without variations in quality, and improves the spreading capability of liquid samples.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multilayer analysis sheet for analyzing liquid samples, and more particularly, it is concerned with a multilayer analysis sheet which enables quantitative determination of a specific chemical component in a liquid sample using a dry-type process which does not require the precise measurement of a definite volume of liquid sample and the weighing of and subsequent preparation of essential reagent(s). As used herein, the terminology "liquid sample" refers to a sample containing water as a solvent.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Multilayer analysis sheets are known which can be used to determine some specific chemical components contained in a liquid sample with ease and that, with high speed in a dry-type process. For instance, the specific examples of such analysis sheets are described in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) Nos. 53888/74 (U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,992,158), 137192/75 (U.S. Pat. No. 3,983,005), 40191/76 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,335), 3488/77 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,006,403), 131786/77 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,898), 131089/78 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,144,306), 29700/79 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,166,093) and 34298/79 (British Patent Application GB No. 2,000,869A) (the term "OPI" as used herein refers to a "published unexamined Japanese patent application"), U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,110,079 and 4,132,528, Clinical Chemistry, Vol. 24, pp. 1335-1350 (1978), and so on. Such multilayer analysis sheets have a common format, wherein a spreading layer capable of spreading liquid samples, layers containing reagents essential to the analysis, and so on are laminated in advance on a support, and, upon the actual chemical analyses using these sheets, quantitative analysis can be conducted through only two basic procedures. One procedure involves allowing a drop of the sample liquid to be examined to adhere onto the sheet, and the other is to evaluate the extent of change in color using a densitometer. Therefore, these procedures are referred to as dry chemical analyses, as they do not require procedures which are indispensable for conventional methods, such as: arrangement of test tubes; preparation, volume-measurement, and addition of reagent solutions; accurate weighing-out of samples; and so on.
The basic structure of the multilayer chemical analysis sheet of the type described above is constructed of a support, a reagent layer and a sample spreading layer, which are arranged in this order. The reagent layer is obtained by spreading reagent(s) incorporated in a binder like gelatin in a form of thin layer, which may have a monolayer structure or a multilayer one. The multilayer structure is constructed of a first reagent layer, the second reagent layer and so on, wherein reagents are contained separately, being classified in the order of reaction, and optionally, it can involve a detecting layer, a dye-receiving layer, and the like. In addition, interlayers such as a radiation-blocking layer, a barrier layer and the like can be provided between the spreading layer and the reagent layer, or between each pair of layers containing different reagents respectively. The sample spreading layer is arranged at the outermost position of an analysis sheet, and corresponds to the face to which liquid samples are to be adhered. The function of this layer is to supply a liquid sample to the reagent layer at an approximately constant volume per unit area regardless of its applied volume, that is to say, this layer acts as a spreader for a liquid sample. The action of spreader layer, then, is simply to allow a liquid sample placed on the sample spreading layer in a measured volume of x .mu.l, 2x .mu.l, 3x .mu.l . . . to spread on the sample spreading layer in proportion to the volume of the sample put thereon through the spreading action inherent in the layer; namely, to spread so as to cover an area of y cm.sup.2, 2y cm.sup.2, 3y cm.sup.2 . . . , respectively and consequently, to render the quantity of the sample to be supplied to the reagent layer per unit area approximately constant. This means that a liquid sample can be analyzed quantitatively without precise measurement of the volume thereof upon analysis, and this has an important significance.
The mechanism of spreading is not fully understood, but it is theorized that spreading results from and is limited by a combination of forces such as hydrostatic pressure of a liquid sample, capillary action within the spreading layer, surface tension of the sample, wicking action of layers in fluid contact with the spreading layer, and the like. As will be appreciated, the extent of spreading is dependent in part on the volume of liquid to be spread. However, it should be emphasized that the uniform concentration obtained with spreading is substantially independent of liquid sample volume and will occur with varying degrees of spreading. As a result, elements of this invention do not require precise sample application techniques. However, a particular liquid sample volume may be desirable for reasons of preferred spread times or the like. Because the elements of this invention are able to produce quantitative results using very small sample volumes that can be entirely taken up within a conveniently sized region of the spreading layer (e.g., one square centimeter), there is no need to remove excess moisture from the element after application of a liquid sample. Further, because spreading occurs in the spreading layer and the spread substance is provided to the fluid contacting reagent layer and without apparent substantial lateral hydrostatic pressure, there is not the "ringing" problem often seen with prior analytical elements when soluble reagents were used.
The spreading layer need only produce a uniform concentration of spread substance per unit area at its surface facing a layer with which the spreading layer is in contact.
Liquid sample spreading layers having such a sample spreading action as described above are described in detail in the aforementioned patent specifications and literature, which state that non-fibrous porous media alone are effective for the use as the layer possessing the above-described spreading action.
Examples of such non-fibrous porous medium include brush polymers (that is, membrane filters), diatomaceous earth, dispersions obtained by dispersing porous substances like microcrystalline materials (e.g., microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel, trademark of FMC Corporation)) in binders, porous aggregates formed by allowing fine spherical beads of glass or resin to adhere to one another in point-to-point contact, and so on. It is necessary for these non-fibrous porous media to have an isotropic porous form, that is to say, a form in which voids are distributed uniformly in all directions of the medium, as stated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,992,158.
There are two methods employable for the formation of the spreading layer consisting of such non-fibrous isotropically porous medium having the described liquid sample-spreading action. The first method involves lamination of an isotropically porous sheet, such as a commercially available membrane filter, on the reagent layer or a radiation-blocking layer, and subsequent adhesion of the sheet thereto. The nature of the radiation-blocking layer is well described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,335. This method is disadvantageous from technical and economic points of view, since the membrane filter is fragile and expensive. The second method involves coating a material capable of forming an isotropic porous medium layer; for example, material containing as a main component a solution of cellulose acetate in an acetone-dichloroethane (1:1) solution mixture; the same material containing additionally diatomaceous earth; a material prepared by dispersing glass beads of 80 to 120 mesh in a small amount of gelatin, and so on. The material is coated on the reagent layer, and upon subsequent drying of the layer coated under appropriate conditions the layer coated can be transformed into a homogeneous porous layer. No specific means is required for the drying. Usually, the drying is carried out by blowing air or an inert gas such as nitrogen gas, or by spontaneous drying, at temperatures of about 15.degree. to 80.degree. C., preferably 20.degree. to 50.degree. C. Many technical difficulties arise in the actual preparation according to the second method. For example, in manufacturing the porous spreading layer, it is technically difficult to control the voids contained in each product so as to obtain a uniform material and that, settled size, arrangement, volume ratio and so on. Moreover, in some cases it happens that reagents contained in the reagent layers are extracted with solvents used in the coating materials to cause diffusion of the reagents into the spreading layers. Further, when liquid samples containing proteins in high concentration, such as sera, are to be examined, what is more important is the defect that the sample-spreading action turns out to be essentially non-quantitative in the sample spreading layers made up of known non-fibrous porous media, because the spreading varys appreciably depending upon the protein content in the liquid sample on the layer. Furthermore, when whole blood samples are being tested, the sample spreading layers of the types described above suffer from the defect that the sample-spreading action therein turns out to be even less quantitative because it varys to a great extent depending upon the content of a solid component in addition to that of proteins.

Multilayer analysis sheet for analyzing liquid samples


Provided is a hyaluronic acid (HA) composition for use in treating or preventing mucosa related disorders or diseases including a mixture of HAs having different average molecular weights and different rheological, isolation, tissue scaffold and degradation properties. The resulting formulation demonstrates an optimal balance between adhesion, tissue scaffold and treating time on the treatment and prevention of mucosa related disorders or diseases including conjunctivitis, otitis, allergic rhinitis, gingivitis, oral ulcer, bronchitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), esophagitis, gastritis, enteritis, peptic ulcer, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), urethritis, cystitis and vaginitis.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides a composition of hyaluronic acids for treating and preventing mucosa related disorders or diseases whereas the symptoms include ulceration, inflammation, allergic reaction and bleeding.
2. Description of the Prior Arts
Hyaluronic acid, also known as hyaluronan, hyaluronate and sodium hyaluronate, is generally referred to as HA, which is a natural glycosaminoglycan macromolecule including disaccharides composed of the alternative N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and D-glucuronic acid linked via alternative β-1,3 and β-1,4 glycosidic bonds. HA found in nature with a molecular weight (Mw) between 50,000 Dalton (Da) and a few million Dalton usually has high viscosity.
HA found in nature is the fluid with elasticity, filling between the cells and the collagenous fibers and covering onto some epidermal tissues, mainly for protecting and lubricating cells, for providing a platform for transporting the regulatory T cell, and also for stabilizing collagen network and protecting collagen network from the mechanical damage. HA is also a major lubricant in the tendon and the tendon sheath and on the surface of the synovial membrane due to its lubricant feature and being a high shock absorber, and HA is helpful for the tissue rheological mechanics, motion and the cell proliferation (referring to Delpech, B. et al., 1997, Hyaluronan: fundamental principles and applications in cancer. J. Intern. Med. 242, 41-48), and participates in the receptor interaction on the surface of some cells, particularly to be the major receptor of CD44. CD44 is widely accepted as a marker of the activated lymphocyte (referring to Teder P, et al., 2002, Resolution of lung inflammation by CD44. Science, 296:155-158).
Recently, HA is applied in clinical treatment in the sodium salt form mainly in eye, skin, orthopedics, surgery, arthritis, artery treatment and in cosmetic fields. The HA with alkali metal ion, alkaline earth metal ion (for example the magnesium ion), aluminum ion, ammonium ion, and salt form of the replacement of the ammonium ion can be the carrier for assisting drug absorption (referring to Belgium Patent 904,547). The silver salt is used as the mycocide and the gold salt is used for treating the rheumatoid arthritis among the heavy metal salt of the HA (referring to WO 87/05517).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,888,986 discloses a method and related structure for using HA at an effective concentration to treat cystitis, wherein the average Mw of the HA is more than 200,000 Da. There is only one species of HA with a certain Mw been applied in the embodiment thereof. For example, HA with the average molecular weight of 650 kDa or 1,900 kDa is used to treat the cystitis; however, the single species of HA with the certain average molecular weight cannot be used for both prompt treatment and sustained effect. US patent application 2005/0080037 discloses the use of HA for treating acute and overuse sprain and the reaction thereof, wherein the Mw of the HA is only between 900 KDa and 1200 KDa, and the single species of HA with the certain average Mw cannot perform both prompt healing and prolonged action.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,354,910 discloses that the hyaluronic acid and hyaluronate with Mw between 600 KDa and 1,200 KDa can be applied to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, hyaluronic acid and hyaluronate with merely one average molecular weight could not cover both the immediate and sustained functions in the treating effect after being injected into the patient, therefore, it is very inconvenient for patients clinically.
European patent 1369119 discloses the use of HA for treating autoimmune disease with HA with Mw of 0.6 MDa to 3 MDa. However, the referenced patent only uses one species of HA with a certain average molecular weight, lacking in both quick and long term effects simultaneously.
The mucous membranes (or mucosae; singular mucosa) are linings of mostly endodermal origin, covered in epithelium, and involved in absorption (gastrointestinal tract) and secretion (gastrointestinal and respiratory tract). They line cavities that are exposed to the external environment and internal organs and contiguous with the skin at several body areas: at the nostrils, the mouth, the lips, the eyelids, the ears, the genital area, and the anus. The sticky, thick fluid secreted by the mucous membranes and glands is termed mucus. The term mucous membrane refers to where they are found in the body and not every mucous membrane secretes mucus.
Eye
Conjunctivitis refers to inflammation of the conjunctiva (the outermost layer of the eye and the inner surface of the eyelids). It is most commonly due to an infection or an allergic reaction (referring to Richards A, May 2010. "Conjunctivitis". Pediatr Rev 31 (5): 196-208).
Ear
Otitis is a general term for inflammation or infection of the ear, in both humans and other animals. It is subdivided into: Otitis externa that involves the outer ear and ear canal; otitis media that involves the middle ear; otitis interna that involves the inner ear.
Allergic Rhinitis
Rhinitis is defined as inflammation of the nasal membranes and is characterized by a symptom complex that consists of any combination of the following: sneezing, nasal congestion, nasal itching, and rhinorrhea. The eyes, ears, sinuses, and throat can also be involved. Allergic rhinitis is the most common cause of rhinitis and affects approximately 20% of the population. While allergic rhinitis is not a life-threatening condition, complications can occur and the condition can significantly impair quality of life, which leads to a number of indirect costs (referring to Bousquet J et al. Allergic rhinitis management pocket reference 2008. Allergy 2008 August; 63 (8):990-996). US patent application 20050107330 discloses a pharmaceutical composition for curative topical treatment of rhinitis comprising at least one acidic glycosaminoglycan. However, this invention also contains at least one sympathomimetic suitable for topical application and having vasoconstrictor action or detumescent action on the mucous membrane or its physiologically acceptable salts or derivatives. Therefore, it did not disclose or teach combining HAs with two different average molecular weights.
Mouth
Oral mucosa is the mucous membrane epithelium of the mouth. An oral ulcer is an open sore inside the mouth, or, in rare cases, a break in the mucous membrane or the epithelium on the lips or surrounding the mouth. The types of ulcers are diverse, with a multitude of associated causes including: physical abrasion, acidic fruit, infection, other medical conditions, medications, and cancerous and nonspecific processes. Once formed, the ulcer may be maintained by inflammation and/or secondary infection. Two common types are aphthous ulcers ("canker sores") and cold sores (fever blisters, oral herpes). Cold sores around the lip are caused by viruses (referring to J. M. Casiglia, et al., October 2006. "Aphthous stomatitis". Emedecine (website)).
Bronchitis
Bronchitis is inflammation of the mucous membranes of the bronchi, the airways that carry airflow from the trachea into the lungs. Bronchitis can be divided into two categories, acute and chronic, each of which has unique etiologies, pathologies, and therapies. Acute bronchitis often occurs during the course of an acute viral illness such as the common cold or influenza. Chronic bronchitis most often develops due to recurrent injury to the airways caused by inhaled irritants. Cigarette smoking is the most common cause, followed by air pollution and occupational exposure to irritants (Cohen, Jonathan and William Powderly. Infectious Diseases. 2nd ed. Mosby (Elsevier), 2004. "Chapter 33: Bronchitis, Bronchiectasis, and Cystic Fibrosis"). US patent application 20030171332 discloses a method of treating respiratory conditions by a polysaccharide capable of binding CD44. However, only one single species of HA can be involved.
Gastrointestinal Mucosa
The mucosa is the innermost layer of the gastrointestinal wall that is surrounding the lumen, or open space within the tube. This layer comes in direct contact with food bolus, and is responsible for absorption, digestion, and secretion which are the important processes in digestion.
The mucosae are highly specialized in each organ of the gastrointestinal tract, facing a low pH in the stomach, absorbing a multitude of different substances in the small intestine, and also absorbing specific quantities of water in the large intestine. Reflecting the varying needs of these organs, the structure of the mucosa can consist of invaginations of secretory glands (e.g., gastric pits), or it can be folded in order to increase surface area.
The gastrointestinal mucosa forms a barrier between the body and a lumenal environment which not only contains nutrients, but is laden with potentially hostile microorganisms and toxins. The challenge is to allow efficient transport of nutrients across the epithelium while rigorously excluding passage of harmful molecules and organisms into the animal. The exclusionary properties of the gastric and intestinal mucosa are referred to as the "gastrointestinal barrier". In general, toxins and microorganisms that are able to breach the single layer of epithelial cells have unimpeded access to the systemic circulation.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is chronic symptoms or mucosal damage caused by gastric acid coming up from the stomach into the esophagus. A typical symptom is heartburn. GERD is usually caused by changes in the barrier between the stomach and the esophagus, including abnormal relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter, which normally holds the top of the stomach closed; impaired expulsion of gastric reflux from the esophagus, or a hiatal hernia. These changes may be permanent or temporary ("transient") (referring to DeVault K R, 1999. "Updated guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease. The Practice Parameters Committee of the American College of Gastroenterology". Am J Gastroenterol 94 (6): 1434-42).
Peptic Ulcer
As generally known a peptic ulcer and also known as PUD or peptic ulcer disease, peptic ulcer is an ulcer (defined as mucosal erosions equal to or greater than 0.5 cm) of an area of the gastrointestinal tract that is usually acidic and thus causes extreme pain Almost 70-90% of ulcers are associated with Helicobacter pylori, a spiral-shaped bacterium that lives in the acidic environment of the stomach. Ulcers can also be caused or worsened by drugs such as aspirin, Plavix (clopidogrel), ibuprofen, and other NSAIDs (non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs).
Contrary to general belief, peptic ulcers arise more in the duodenum (first part of the small intestine, just after the stomach) rather than in the stomach. About 4% of stomach ulcers are caused by a malignant tumor, so multiple biopsies are needed to exclude cancer. Duodenal ulcers are generally benign. The classification of peptic ulcer by region or location includes: Stomach (called gastric ulcer); Duodenum (called duodenal ulcer); Esophagus (called esophageal ulcer); Meckel's Diverticulum (called Meckel's Diverticulum ulcer).
The above embodiments all stand for mucosa related disorder or disease but are not limited to aforementioned. The disclosed disorders or diseases may be treated by different drugs or therapies so far. However, such treatments are mostly achieved by drug with complicated composition through highly specialized preparation processes and not by a simple and safe treatment. No prior art except the inventor of the present invention taught or predicted combining two species of HA with two different average molecular weights (LMWHA and HMWHA) separated by 1.5 million Da, which means a person skilled in the art cannot induce the concept of the utility of the mixture by combining any other prior arts.

Materials for treating and preventing mucosa related disease


A magnetic field detecting circuit has a relaxation oscillator SQUID. An oscillator circuit includes a coil and a resistor connected together in series. The oscillator circuit produces an output signal having an oscillating frequency dependent on an applied DC bias current. A magnetic field input circuit is magnetically coupled with the coil of the oscillator circuit for applying a magnetic field. A Josephson device is connected in parallel with the oscillator circuit for converting the magnetic field to an electric signal for varying the oscillating frequency dependent on the magnetic field. The magnetic field is detected by detecting a variation of the oscillating frequency. The sensitivity of the magnetic field detecting circuit is improved by magnetically coupling an RF-SQUID with an input coil to form the magnetic field input circuit. To provide a multi-channel magnetic field detecting circuit, a plurality of oscillator circuits are connected in series with each other, and a respective Josephson device is connected in parallel with each corresponding oscillator circuit. A plurality of magnetic field input circuits are each magnetically coupled with the coil of a respective oscillator circuit, and a plurality of control lines are magnetically coupled with each respective Josephson device to vary the critical current of the Josephson device to thereby control the oscillation frequency of each oscillator circuit.

The invention relates to a magnetic field detecting circuit using a Josephson device applied for a highly sensitive magnetic sensor, current meter, displacement detector, high-frequency signal amplifier and the like.
FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of SQUID (RO-SQUID) where a resistor 2 and a coil 3 connected in series with each other are connected in parallel with a DC-SQUID 7. A magnetic field signal from a input coil 4 enters the DC-SQUID 7 to be converted into a critical current value, an oscillating frequency is shifted, and then a magnetic field is detected.
However, because the conventional RO-SQUID has the DC-SQUID 7 incorporated directly into the oscillator circuit a practical design must consider both the characteristics of oscillating condition of the RO-SQUID and a sensitivity of the DC-SQUID. This requires a complicated design and results in unsatisfactory sensitivity. A large inductance of the DC-SQUID arises in the above case increasing the difficulty of oscillation control from an external control line. Thus series connection for realizing the multi-channelization is impossible, and each channel must be connected independently for a plurality of channels. A problem arises because of the increases of the number of signal lines, resulting in cross talk between signal lines, and difficulty in carrying out accurate measurement.

Magnetic field detecting circuit having a relaxation oscillator SQUID

Agency Industrial Science and Technology


A board racing game apparatus includes playing pieces and a board having arrows marked thereon forming a continuous track divided into lanes. One group of arrows provides a preferred route around the track, certain members of another group of arrows provide for lane changing on the track straightaways so that a driver may maneuver his vehicle into the race track "groove", and a third group of arrows affects movement on the track. Contiguous with the continuous track and providing for movement off and back onto the continuous track are pit stop lanes. Movement from the race track to the pit lanes is controlled.

Board racing games, in particular automotive board racing games, are known in the prior art, with U.S. Pat. No. 1,148,737 to Atkins, U.S. Pat. No. 1,523,242 to Bain, U.S. Pat. No. 2,577,961 to Graves, U.S. Pat. No. 3,044,779 to Hvizdash, U.S. Pat. No. 3,231,279 to Howarth et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,462,152 to Royston being exemplary thereof.
This and other prior art of which I am aware fails to provide for lane changing on the straightaways by which a driver may maneuver his vehicle into the race track "groove". Illustrative of this type of prior art is Howarth et al, which does provide for lane changing, but only in the area of the turns. Additionally, the prior art of which I am aware does not provide for a lane into pit areas; does not control movement from race track to the pit area lane; does not provide for stock car-style positioning of vehicles at the start line; and does not provide a stock car-style board racing game having a preferred route around the race track.


A method and apparatus for angularly aligning an antenna disposed at a geographical location is disclosed. A corresponding apparatus comprises a plurality of reticle members, each reticle member having a reticle, and a plurality of reference members, each adjustably engaged with an associated one of the plurality of reticle members, wherein each of the plurality of reference members comprises an associated template having a reference mark positioned thereon according to the geographical location of the antenna and the antenna is angularly aligned when each reference mark of each template is aligned with the reticle associated with the reference mark. A corresponding method comprises the steps of affixing an associated template having a reference mark positioned thereon according to the geographic location of the antenna to each of the plurality of reference members and angularly aligning each of the plurality of reticle members with each reference mark of each associated template.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for aligning terrestrially based antennas, and in particular to an outdoor unit configured for customer installation and alignment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Satellite transception of communications signals has become commonplace. Satellite distribution of commercial signals for use in television programming currently utilizes multiple feedhorns on a single Outdoor Unit (ODU) which supply signals to one or more receivers (also known as set top boxes or STBs or Integrated Receiver/Decoders or IRDs).
Typically, the ODU comprises an antenna that is aligned so as to direct its sensitive axis to a location that optimizes reception from all relevant satellites. This is accomplished by coarse aligning the antenna so as to receive a signal transmitted by a selected one of the satellites, and then fine-tuning the alignment using a power meter or other alignment tools.
Proper coarse alignment is critical, because the desired satellite may reside in orbital locations close to other nearby satellites and without accurate course alignment, the fine alignment process may mistakenly direct the antenna's sensitive axis at the wrong satellite. Proper fine alignment is likewise critical, as proper alignment assures that the antenna is properly aimed to optimize reception (and transmission, if relevant) of the signals from all transponders of all of the satellites of interest.
Although some consumers may be capable of installing and aligning the antenna to sufficient accuracy, other consumers are not so capable. The result is dissatisfied customers and unnecessary service calls. Hence, currently, such installations are performed either by qualified service technician at the installation location, or in mobile applications, performed using expensive automatic alignment equipment.
What is needed is a method and apparatus that simplifies installation and alignment to the point where it can be accomplished by almost all of consumers, without the need for qualified service technicians. The apparatus and method below satisfies this need.

Outdoor unit configured for customer installation and method of aligning same


An inspection method and an inspection device, or apparatus each capable of conducting composition analysis of a defect detected by elastic or stokes scattered light, an inspection surface or defect on the surface of the inspection surface, or a defect on the surface of the inspection object and its internal composition. A surface inspection method for optically detecting elastic or stokes scattering or inelastic or anti-stokes scattered light from inside the surface of the inspection object, for detecting existence of defects of the inspection object and features of the defects, for detecting positions of the detected defects on the surface of the inspection object, classifying and analyzing the detected defects in accordance with their features on the basis of the positions of the defects and the features of the defects or the classification result of the defects.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an inspection method and an inspection device, or apparatus. For example, the invention is suitable for an inspection method and an inspection method for inspecting defects on surfaces and inside of inspection objects such as semiconductor wafers, magnetic disks, liquid crystal substrates, mask substrates, and so forth.
2. Description of the Related Art
To monitor the dust occurring condition of production apparatuses in a production line of a semiconductor substrate (semiconductor wafer), the inspection of defects such as foreign matters adhering to the surface of the substrate, scratches generated during a processing, etc has so far been carried out. In the case of the semiconductor substrate before the formation of a circuit pattern, for example, fine foreign matters and defects having sizes of not greater than dozens of nm on their surface must be carried out. Besides the foreign matters and defects described above, crystal defects existing in a shallow region in the proximity of the substrate surface, surface roughness of the substrate and furthermore, materials that constitute the defect must be analyzed.
An example of the prior art technology for detecting fine defects on the surface of the inspection object such as the semiconductor substrate is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,798,829. This technology fixedly irradiates a condensed laser luminous flux to the surface of the semiconductor substrate to form an illumination spot having a predetermined size, detects scattered light from a foreign matter occurring when the foreign matter passes through the illumination spot when it adheres to the surface of the semiconductor substrate, and inspects the foreign matters and the defects on the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate.
In this case, scattered light (hereinafter called "background scattered light") always occurs in the illumination spot owing to fine surface roughness (micro-roughness) on the semiconductor wafer even when the foreign matters ad the defects do not pass. It is known that shot noise originating from this background scattered light is generally predominant in a noise component of detection signals when fine foreign matters are detected. Since the shot noise is proportional to the square root of light intensity as the base of the noise, the noise level becomes greater substantially in proportion to the square root of the intensity of the background scattered light when the fine foreign matters are detected.
It is well known that when a semiconductor wafer surface is illuminated by P polarization from a low angle of elevation such as a Brewster's angle for a Si crystal in the case of fine foreign matters following the rule of elastic scattering (Rayleigh scattering), on the other hand, scattered light from the foreign matter does not have a strong directivity in an azimuth direction but is scattered in all azimuth directions at a substantially equal intensity.
Background scattered light originating from surface roughness of a semiconductor wafer to which finish polishing is sufficiently made does not exhibit an extremely strong directivity in the azimuth direction, either. In such a case, therefore, it is preferred to uniformly condense and detect the scattered light dispersing in all the azimuth directions in order to secure a high S/N ratio of detection signals. An optical detector of the prior art technology described above collectively receives all of scattered light in the azimuth directions and a preferred S/N ratio can be acquired in this case.
However, the background scattered light originating from the surface roughness (micro roughness) of the semiconductor wafer has in some cases strong directivity. For example, it is known that the background scattered light originating from the surface roughness exhibits strong directivity owing to the correlation between the crystal direction and the illumination direction in epitaxial wafers.
In this case, the output signal of the optical detector that detects the background scattered light originating from the surface roughness in a strong azimuth direction contains greater noise components. Obviously, therefore, it is not advantageous to equally handle the scattered light signal detected at a strong azimuth angle of the background scattered light originating from the surface roughness with the scattered light signal detected at a weak azimuth angle of the background scattered light originating from the surface roughness.
On the other hand, U.S. Pat. No. 7,002,677 describes a technology for partially cutting off scattered light traveling in a specific direction and states that an S/N ratio of a scattered light signal from a foreign matter/defect of an inspection object can be improved by conducting control in such a fashion that an azimuth angle direction in which the background scattered light is partially cut off and an optical detector can receive the scattered light in only an azimuth angle direction in which the background scattered light is weak.


Embodiments of the present invention provide a system for fast parallel graph compression based on identifying a set of large cliques, which is used to encode the graph. The system provides both permanently-stored and in-memory graph encoding and reduces the space needed to represent and store a graph, the I/O traffic to use the graph, and the computation needed to perform algorithms involving the graph. The system thereby improves computing technology and graph computation. During operation, the system obtains data indicating vertices and edges of a graph. The system executes a clique-finding method to identify a maximum clique in the graph. The system then removes the clique from the graph, adds the clique to a set of found cliques, and generates a compressed representation of the graph based on the set of found cliques.

Field
The present disclosure relates to graph compression. More specifically, this disclosure relates to a method and system for encoding graphs by finding and removing large cliques in order to reduce computational time and storage requirements.
Related Art
Graphs are representations of edges, also known as links or connections, that connect a set of vertices, also known as nodes. Graphs are important for many applications, including in the analysis of large data sets such as social networks or consumer-product relationships, and in biology and computer science. Many graph-computation methods exist, including for predicting relationships and making recommendations.
Because of the importance of graphs, numerous methods exist to represent and store graphs in computerized storage, such as in disk or memory. A number of methods also exist to compress representations of graphs. For example, the Edge-based Compressed Sparse Column (ECSC) format makes use of a compressed representation of a matrix storing the edges of a graph. The ECSC format is based on the Compressed Sparse Column (CSC) format for storing a sparse matrix, also known as Compressed Column Storage (CCS). These formats take advantage of matrix sparsity by encoding non-zero elements, while avoiding storing zeros.
Such techniques for compressing graphs have become increasingly important, yet graph compression remains a fundamentally challenging and unsolved problem. For example, parallel computing architectures such as the GPU have limited memory and are thus typically unable to handle large graphs. In addition, GPU algorithms must be designed with this limitation in mind, and in many cases, may be required to perform significantly more computations, in order to avoid using additional memory.
A number of methods have also been developed to identify cliques in a graph. A clique is a fully-connected subgraph, or subset of the vertices, of a graph. Clique-finding methods include greedy algorithms, branch-and-bound algorithms, and dynamic programming. In general, clique-finding is known to be a difficult problem that is hard to approximate, and therefore may take considerable computational time.

System and method for compressing graphs via cliques


A device for sucking off drillings during the drilling of boreholes, comprising a suction fan (9) and a filter (10) as well as an opening closeable by a lid for emptying the drillings reception space (8) preceding the filter (10), in which, for the simple cleaning of the filter (10), the lid (12) is connected with a vibrating mechanism for the filter (10).

1. Field of the Invention
A device for sucking off drillings during the drilling of boreholes, comprising a suction fan and a filter as well as an opening closeable by a lid for emptying the drillings reception space preceding the filter.
2. Prior Art
When drilling boreholes for the purpose of setting roof bolts in order to stabilize the rock it is known to scour the drillings forming either by aid of liquids, such as water, under pressure or to effect removal via suction by hauling the drillings through the drill rod without scouring agent so as to get them into a suction device via a suction channel. Known suction devices of that type comprise a drillings reception chamber or reception space, into which the suction channel opens. To that reception space is connected a suction fan with a filter being interposed. The purified air, as a rule, is blown out in the direction towards the mine face. After termination of the drilling phase, both the driving motor and the suction fan may be set out of operation, wherein the drillings collected in the reception space may be discharged by opening the lid. In doing so, the drillings usually get on the floor.
Those known suction fan arrangements involve the drawback that thorough cleaning of the collection vessel in most cases is feasible only to an insufficient degree and that, above all, the filters are not cleaned. With the filters being rendered more and more impure, the suction performance will decrease, which might affect the performance of the drilling device.

Device having a filter, a filter vibrating means and a scraper used for sucking off drillings

Tamrock Voest-Alpine Bergtechnik Gesellschaft m.b.H.


A method for forming blunt surgical needles having a radiused tip includes tumbling the surgical needles in a tumbling medium for a period of time sufficient to achieve a desired radius on the tip of the needle. The needles to be radiused may be taper pointed needles, taper pointed needles with a portion of the tip removed, or partially completed tapered needles. Tumbling may be performed in one or more tumbling steps using abrasive and/or burnishing media If an abrasive tumbling operation is used, preferably a second tumbling operation is performed with a hard, smooth medium which burnishes rather than abrades the needle. The tumbling media used to form a radius on the needle tip preferably is wet and can be acidic, neutral, or alkaline. The radiused needles may be polished by subsequent tumbling in a substantially dry tumbling medium.

1. Technical Field
The method and apparatus herein described relate to the manufacture of surgical needles.
2. Background of the Art
Surgical needles are known in the art. Typically, a surgical needle has a barrel end to which a suture is attached, and a tapered end which terminates in a sharp tissue piercing point. Optionally, the needle may be ground and polished to have cutting edges as well as a sharp point.
In some applications it may be desirable to have a blunt needle without a sharp point or cutting edges. Blunt needles can have a tapered or non-tapered tissue piercing tip which is capable of penetrating delicate organs, such as the liver, or soft tissue, such as muscle, fascia, adipose, etc. An advantage of a blunt needle is that the needle does not cut friable tissue such as the liver, and may reduce the likelihood the needle may penetrate cutaneous tissue, (such as the skin of the surgeon's hand) under operating conditions where the needle is not under the surgeon's direct vision. Thus, the tip of the blunt surgical needle is adequate for certain surgical procedures performed inside the human or animal body, while protecting friable tissue and offering the surgeon a degree of safety from inadvertent needle stabs.
Ball point blunt needles and tapered blunt tip needles and their use have been known for many years. In the past blunt needles typically have been made by machining or grinding tapered needles to form a radiused blunt tip. Such a method is expensive, time consuming, and not conducive to economically producing large quantities of blunt needles at one time.

Method and apparatus for making blunt needles


An integrally formed ammunition bunker is manufactured in a single integral nit from plastic material, with the overall structure including individual tubular containers arranged adjacent each other surrounded by a common outer casing, with webs extending between the tubular containers, and with the entire structure being cast as a one-piece plastic object.

The present invention relates generally to armament storage devices and more particularly to an ammunition bunker of the type wherein explosive materials may be stored.
Containers of the type to which the present invention relates adapted to receive therein ammunition are, as a rule, arranged so that the ammunition is held in the manner of an individual packaging element with the packings containing the ammunition being stacked in the form of a bunker. The packaged parts of these bunkers are usually produced individually and they are then joined together in an assembly process. This is usually true in the case where the packing parts are made of plastic material and wherein, at most, smaller units are combined into an integral structural component and are manufactured in this manner and subsequently joined together to form the overall ammunition bunker.
The reason for the foregoing approach is found to be primarily due to the fact that, when structural units are overly large, there arises a danger of premature hardening or of instability during the production procedure which danger is relatively high and which thus causes unacceptable waste to occur.
Compared with the differential construction, an integral construction approach will reduce total expenses for production but it will still not be reduced to an optimum degree.
Moreover, in the design of bunkers it must be primarily assumed that the design should be oriented on the construction so that forces acting on the entire completed ammunition bunker cannot be conducted through paths and over sections which would represent an optimum with respect to static considerations. Other consequences involve weight increases. Additionally, material desired for reasons of ballistic considerations are not always usable or not always usable without special considerations because, in the required manner of construction, they frequently can only be assembled under great difficulty and they therefore cannot be manufactured economically.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed primarily toward achievement of a reduction in the required individual parts of an ammunition bunker in order to decrease assembly expenses thereof while simultaneously facilitating a structure in which the forces are absorbed in an optimum manner. In this regard, discontinuities and notches are to be avoided in the cross sections of the structure, and the integral construction should be as large as possible with the construction being self-supporting or at least jointly supporting.

Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung


The present invention relates to a rotor for a rotating machine and more in particular, to a component of the rotor. The present invention generally relates to an improved cooling configuration of a rotating machine. Unlike generally known arrangements, the solution proposed herein does not guide coolant fluid to parts which require cooling. Instead, the heat generated from the losses in the rotor pole is transferred to parts having favourable characteristics for establishing heat exchange.

State-of-the-art electric energy conversion relies on a three-phase power network with alternating currents (AC) at 50 Hz or 60 Hz frequency and a voltage levels ranging from several hundreds of Volts to hundreds of thousands of Volts. The conversion of rotating mechanical energy into electric energy and vice versa is done by generators and by motors, respectively. Those rotating machines can be divided into asynchronous and synchronous apparatuses.
Motors and generators comprise a stator and a rotor. The rotor of the machine rotates inside the stator bore of the stator. Synchronous machines with salient poles generate the magnetic field typically through rotor poles which include a pole core having a rotor winding wrapped around it. The number of rotor poles and the frequency of the stator magnetic field define the number revolutions per minutes (rpm) of the rotating machine. The electric resistance of the winding of a rotor leads to resistive losses therein. In general, these losses need to be considered during design and the rotor needs to be cooled. Cooling mechanisms for rotors typically rely on a cooling fluid such as water, hydrogen or air. This disclosure focuses on air-cooled rotors. The teachings of this disclosure do, however, also apply to other types of machines.
In air-cooled machines, the losses in the form of heat have to be transferred away from the rotor through convection. The effectiveness of cooling through convection depends on flow of air (volume per time), on the temperature of the coolant, and on the coefficient of heat transfer. In certain machines, it can be challenging to supply all regions that need to be cooled with cooling air.
Should a region inside a rotor not be cooled sufficiently, then the machine may locally overheat in that region. Generally speaking, heat transfer through convection is determined by the formulaQ=α·A·ΔT where:    Q denotes the flow of heat per time [W];    α denotes the coefficient of heat transfer [W/m2. K];    A denotes the surface available for cooling [m2]; and    ΔT denotes the temperature difference between solid and fluid temperature [K].
Heat transfer through convection may be influenced by altering the following parameters:    1. The coefficient of heat transfer α depends on the flow characteristics (turbulence) of the coolant fluid and on the characteristics (roughness) of the surface dissipating heat.    2. The temperature difference ΔT is calculated as the difference between the temperature of the surface dissipating heat and the coolant fluid absorbing losses in the form of heat. By lowering the temperature of the coolant fluid, the temperature of the surface dissipating heat will also decrease. Typically, the temperature of the fluid can be lowered by increasing the flux of coolant volume per time. Alternatively, the temperature of the coolant at the inlet may be reduced.    3. Cooling fins may be added to increase the surface A dissipating heat.
Conventional designs make best use of these parameters in an attempt to achieve an optimum result. When the designer runs out of options, he may add additional cooling surfaces to reduce temperatures. This technique is also known as rear ventilation of a rotor coil and is typically applied to salient pole machines. Rear ventilation of a rotor coil means that the rear part of rotor coil forms an active part of the cooling circuit. This measure is, however, seldom applied as it involves a significant design change and especially a major change of the cooling concept of a machine. In addition, rear ventilation of a rotor coil is often in conflict with other mechanical requirements of the machine, especially since additional conduits must be provided for the cooling air. Those additional conduits tend to impair the mechanical integrity of a machine.
Therefore it should be understood that optimizing these parameters can be difficult, because sometimes they are in conflict with other design parameters. Increasing the volume flow for example is having a positive impact on the heat transfer coefficient, but on the other hand the bigger volume flow is creating more ventilation losses. Besides this conflict, it is almost impossible to improve the thermal situation in certain areas of the machine. For example, it is very difficult to increase the amount of cooling air between two pole coil supports because the air path is substantially blocked. If such situation occurs, changing the cooling schema sometimes is an opportunity. One possibility for example is what it is usually known as "back cooling". In this case the cooling surface is increased by creating an additional air path between rotor winding and pole body. The disadvantages are that there is the danger of dust accumulation in this region (increasing the risk of short circuits) and the weakening of the rotor pole core. The present disclosure is oriented towards providing the aforementioned needs and towards overcoming the aforementioned difficulties.

Thermally conductive material between rotor coil and core for improved cooling


Methods and systems are provided for performing a secure transaction. Users register biometric and/or other identifying information. A registration code and an encryption key are generated from the biometric information and/or information obtained from a unpredictable physical process and are stored in a secure area of a device and also transmitted to a service provider. A transaction passcode generator may be computed based on the stored registration code. In at least one embodiment, a unique transaction passcode depends upon the transaction information, so that on the next step of that transaction, only that unique transaction passcode will be valid. In an embodiment, the passcode includes the transaction information. In at least one embodiment, if the transaction information has been altered relative to the transaction information stored in the device's secure area, then the transaction passcode sent during this step will be invalid and transaction may be aborted.

The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves may also be inventions.
A shortcoming in the prior art, recognized by this specification, is that there is a lack of a secure integration of the identity of the user to the protection of the user's data and the control of the user's computer. A critical part of the computer instructions for an action or a transaction are usually executed on the host domain machine (e.g., the user's computer). Some examples of the user's computer are a Mac Book Pro, a Dell desktop computer, an IPhone, a Blackberry or an Android phone. Currently cryptography keys are stored on the user's computer or a chip executing the operating system, which is not secure. For example, when Bob's computer communicates with Mary's computer, even when using well-implemented Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), Bob's computer can only be sure that it is communicating with Mary's computer. Bob can not be sure that he is communicating with Mary and vice versa. Similarly, even Bob cannot be certain that the communications he sends Mary are the same as the communications that Mary receives as coming from him.
Sending a secure communication using Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) from one user machine to another user machine ensures secure communication between the user machines, but may not ensure secure communication between the users of the machines. Continuing, with the above example, as a result of the use of a Public Key Infrastructure, although Mary may be reasonably sure that Mary's machine is communicating with Bob's machine, Boris may be operating one or more computers in Russia and may have remotely broken into Bob's computer and may be using Bob's machine and pretending to be Bob.
In the prior art, each computer cannot be assured of who controls the other computer. For example, even when a user is present, an intruder (e.g., a hacker) may be physically located thousands of miles away, but is remotely logged onto the user's machine and hijacking the user's intended action(s). Even the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) has the fundamental cyber security weakness of not knowing who controls the other computer with which a user may be in communication with or who controls the computer which contains the Trusted Platform Module. Not knowing the other computer with which a current computer is in communication with may be a weakness that is significant when the operating system can directly access the TPM. If the user's computer is compromised, then the attacker can access the TPM. Another limitation and weakness of the TPM is that there is no mechanism for binding the identity of the user to the user's cryptography keys and other confidential information that should be bound to the user's true identity.
Another shortcoming of cyber security is that a secure link is missing between the authentication of a valid user, and the authorization of an action. The authorization of an action could be the execution of a financial transaction from a user's bank account, a stock trade in a user's brokerage account, the execution of an important functionality on the electrical grid, or access to important data on a private network such as SIPRnet (e.g. WikiLeaks). The authorization of an action typically occurs through the web browser since the web browser presents a convenient interface for a person. However, the web browser is where the important connection between authentication of a user and authorization of an action may be broken. Existing systems have the user authenticating the user's computer, and then the same user's computer also authorizes (and may also execute) the action. Since the user's computer can be hacked, the lack of a secure and direct link between authenticating the user's computer and authorizing the action may render the act of user verification irrelevant.
Part of the disconnect (vulnerability) between authenticating the user and authorizing the user's action occurs, because authentication (e.g., biometric authentication) is typically and naively represented as an on/off switch. That is, after the user has been authenticated and the initial transaction approved, the remainder of the session is assumed to be secure and all actions after authentication are assumed to be legitimate, without performing any further checks. In the same way, if this on/off implementation occurs in an untrusted computing environment, then outstanding biometric algorithms and sensor(s) become irrelevant because the biometric authentication can be circumvented between the user authentication and the authorization or confidentiality part of the security system.
The use of biometrics can be advantageous for security, because biometrics offers a reliable method for verifying who (the person) is that is actually initiating a transaction. However, even with the use of biometrics, if the handling of the biometric information, the storage of the biometric data, or the control of actions based on a biometric verification is done on an unsecured user's computer, the value of the biometrics may be greatly reduced or nullified.
An additional aspect of the weakness of current authentication and authorization processes (such as those using biometrics) is that the action can be hijacked by executing a Trojan attack on the user's computer, for example. A Trojan attack is an attack in which the attacker pretends to be the user and/or the other system to which the user is communicating with. In other words, a valid, authorized user cannot verify that the action he or she is trying to execute is what is actually being executed, because a third party may be masquerading as the other system.
An example of this weakness is the untrusted browser attack used to divert money from a user's bank account. Mary's web browser may display to her that she is about to send $500 to Bob's account, but in reality her untrusted browser is configured to send $50,000 to a thief's bank account.
Since the web browser is executed on the user's computer, the browser cannot be trusted even when using PKI and one-time passcodes! A recent untrusted browser attack on the gold standard of security, RSA SecurID, demonstrates this surprising fact. The consequences of this particular cyberattack were that $447,000 was stolen from a company bank account in a matter of minutes, even though the valid user was using one-time passcodes to make the transaction more secure. The details of this cyberattack are quoted below in a MIT Technology Review, entitled "Real-Time Hackers Foil Two-Factor Security," Sep. 18, 2009, which states, "In mid-July, an account manager at Ferma, a construction firm in Mountain View, Calif., logged into the company's bank account to pay bills, using a one-time password to make the transactions more secure. Yet the manager's computer had a hitchhiker A forensic analysis performed later would reveal that an earlier visit to another website had allowed a malicious program to invade his computer. While the manager issued legitimate payments, the program initiated 27 transactions to various bank accounts, siphoning off $447,000 in a matter of minutes. "They not only got into my system here, they were able to ascertain how much they could draw, so they drew the limit," says Roy Ferrari, Ferma's president. The theft happened despite Ferma's use of a one-time password, a six-digit code issued by a small electronic device every 30 or 60 seconds. Online thieves have adapted to this additional security by creating special programs—real-time Trojan horses—that can issue transactions to a bank while the account holder is online, turning the one-time password into a weak link in the financial security chain. "I think it's a broken model," Ferrari says. Security experts say that banks and consumers alike need to adapt—that banks should offer their account holders more security and consumers should take more steps to stay secure, especially protecting the computers they use for financial transactions. 'We have to fundamentally rethink how customers interact with their banks online,' says Joe Stewart, director of malware research for security firm SecureWorks, in Atlanta, Ga. 'Putting all the issues with the technology aside, if [attackers] can run their code on your system, they can do anything you can do on your computer. They can become you."
A third fundamental shortcoming of current cybersecurity solutions is the fact that static authentication factors, such as passwords, PINs and biometrics, are entered directly into the user's computer or stored on computers that can be accessed in the network domain. The host domain and network are untrusted environments. This weakness makes static authentication factors vulnerable to phishing attacks in the host domain or security breaches in the network domain. Furthermore, some biometric factors are immutable, and if an immutable biometric factor is compromised, then the reuse of the compromised biometric factor reduces the security of the system.

Securing transactions against cyberattacks


A weighing apparatus particularly for placing under a wheel of a vehicle for giving an indication of axle loading, said apparatus comprising a resilient body formed of an elastomeric material, such as rubber, a cavity being provided in the body and filled with liquid, the cavity being connected to an indicator by means of a conduit for indicating changes in volume of the cavity when the body suffers changes due to compression forces applied thereto by the member being weighed, the body has a resilient metal load plate bonded to the upper surface, a resilient metal load support plate mounted on the plate and a metal plate bonded to the body and spaced below the plate and to which reaction forces are applied during weighing, the plate is provided with a screw-threaded bore in communication with the cavity and a screw-threaded plug is in screw-threaded engagement with the bore, said plug having an inner end portion which engages with part of the wall of the cavity to prevent that part of the wall being deformed when the body suffers changes due to compression forces applied thereto by the member being weighed. By adjusting the position of the plug in the bore adjusts the deformability of the cavity to allow a common read out scale to be provided irrespective of changes in the character or composition of the elastomeric material of the body.

This invention relates to a weighing apparatus and particularly, but not exclusively, to a portable weighing apparatus for weighing vehicles.
In our copending United Kingdom Patent Application No. 30592/78 (Publication No. 2001766A) we have described and claimed a weighing apparatus which comprises a resilient body formed of an elastomeric material, a closed cavity provided in said body, a fluid contained in said cavity, conduit means connecting the cavity to indicator means for indicating changes in volume of the cavity when the body suffers changes due to compression forces applied thereto by the member being weighed, said body having a resilient metal plate or bars fixed to an upper surface thereof, a resilient metal load support plate mounted on said first mentioned plate or bars and a further resilient metal plate embedded in the body and spaced below the first mentioned plate or bars and to which reaction forces are applied during weighing.
The properties of an elastomeric material, such as natural or synthetic rubber, change due to the effects of temperature, the composition of the elastomeric material and age. For example at low temperature the material stiffens and becomes less flexible and at high temperature the material softens and becomes more flexible. It was therefore thought necessary to provide a read-out scale for the weighing device which was calibrated to cater for the properties of the elastomeric material at a particular ambient temperature and this involved having to provide a range of differently calibrated scales from which done could be chosen for the ambient conditions in the area of use of the weighing apparatus. For example a different scale would be provided where the apparatus is in hot climates compared with the scale used in cold climates. Also, there may be composition changes between batches of elastomeric material and therefore a calibrated scale for a weighing apparatus formed from one batch could not necessarily be used on a weighing apparatus formed from another batch.
We have found that if the deformity of the wall of the cavity can be changed then a common calibrated read-out scale can be used under a wide range of ambient temperature conditions, and for weighing apparatus formed of different compositions of elastomeric material, and thus obviate the need to have a plurality of differently calibrated scales available.


Disclosed are a method system, and device of updating local software. The method comprises: broadcasting a broadcast message for updating local software to multiple client ends; determining whether a response message about existence of the update software is received, updating local software through the client end sending out the response message, or through a remote server if no response message is received. Accordingly, restriction on transmission speed by OTA server in software update process and congestion in data transmission process can be avoided, thus improving downloading speed and facilitate a simultaneous update of software for a mass of devices.

With the development of electronic and communication technologies, more and more electronic equipments have been applied to daily life. At present, update of hardware is not compatible with update of software, which causes inconvenience to users. In order to solve this problem, there have been provided a reconfigurable device. In such reconfigurable device, however, improvement of the hardware must be supported by software. Hardware supporting reconfigurable devices comprises FPGA or rDPA processor which can be programmed to regulate their functions.
Software refactoring is an effective way to realize various functions of hardware. A common way is putting the developed software on a server so that reconfigurable devices can update their software by downloading the developed software over wired or wireless networks from the server. Because of the widespread use of smart phones, downloading through OTA (Over-The-Air) has become a main way. A working group called Mobile Alliance Open (OMA) is formed by several major institutions in the world to develop technical standards for OTA owing to many benefits of OTA. The standards of OMA DM (Device Management) set by OMA have been adopted by IBM, Microsoft as well as other large manufacturers. According to statistics on recently released movable devices, 80% of the firmware can be reconstructed. DM OMA can be used not only to download and update the software, and correct the bugs in the software, but also for vehicle management, monitoring equipment signal and quality control. In recent years, people have also done a lot of works to improve the performance of DM OMA, such as designing new management agent, etc. However, all these methods are based on the traditional client/server mode which is not fit for the situation in which a large number of devices download and update concurrently.
Domestic patents related to OTA mainly focus on four aspects, namely, the new method of OTA technology, the new method of OTA realization, the application of OTA and the test concerning OTA.
A method of downloading a firmware disclosed in Chinese Patent Publication No. CN101247416, in this patent document, a pretreatment method of downloading a firmware, a method of verifying integrity of a firmware and a method of downloading a firmware were disclosed. However, the methods are still based on the traditional client/server mode.
A terminal with multiple processors and a method of downloading through OTA thereof are disclosed in Chinese Patent Publication No. CN102625288A. The terminal with multiple processors comprises an AP (Application Processor), a CO (Communication Processor) and a UICC (Universal integrated circuit card). The AP acts as a relay station of the UICC and the OTA server. When the UICC sends a request for downloading data to the OTA server, the request is first sent to the AP, and then to the OTA server from the AP. The AP receives a response data which is send by the OTA server in response to the request for downloading data and sends the response data to the UICC for downloading. This invention has improved the speed of downloading by means of data exchange between the OTA server and the UICC via the AP. This technical solution breaks through the traditional client/server mode and improves the efficiency of downloading through OTA. However, these methods of downloading through OTA disclosed in the published patent documents and published research papers are still of downloading software directly or indirectly from the OTA server. Hence, a demand on the performance of the OTA server and high data transfer speed will directly affect the client's use of OTA. In the case that there are a great number of users and the large data capacity to be processed, such technique cannot satisfy users' needs.

Software updating method, system, and device


Provided is a technology for solving a problem of a high cost due to a redundant investment and improving the user's operability. An in-vehicle information system according to one embodiment includes: an in-vehicle information terminal to be mounted in a vehicle; a portable information terminal equipped with a touch panel for providing the in-vehicle information terminal with operation unit and communication unit; the operation unit for enabling a display screen of the in-vehicle information terminal to be operated by operating the touch panel of the portable information terminal when the portable information terminal is connected to the in-vehicle information terminal via an interface; and the communication unit for enabling external communication of the in-vehicle information terminal by using the communication unit of the portable information terminal.

In recent years, an information terminal has been multi-functionalized through the advancement of a communication technology, and a portable information terminal that can be carried around, such as a smartphone and a tablet terminal, has appeared on the market. The portable information terminal not only transmits and receives e-mails but also has, as its standard function, a browser function of acquiring a document file written in a markup language, such as HTML and XML, from a web server connected to the Internet to view a web page. A majority of such portable information terminals are provided with, in addition to a button input function, touch panel means for enabling an input operation to be performed by, for example, touching the screen with his/her finger.
Also in an in-vehicle information terminal, such as a car navigation system mounted in an automobile, in-vehicle information terminals for enabling, in addition to conventional route search and television watching functions, collection of various types of information, such as transmission and reception of e-mails, viewing of a home page, and electronic commerce which use the Internet communication, have come into the market.
Incidentally, most of the users who own the automobile also own, along with the in-vehicle information terminal mounted in the automobile, a portable information terminal having a function of transmitting and receiving data by wireless communication. In order to use the Internet communication on the in-vehicle information terminal, the communication function is necessary to add functions of Internet access, acquisition of the latest information, and e-mails. However, paying communication expenses only for the in-vehicle information terminal, such as a car navigation system, by the user is difficult because a high cost is required.
Accordingly, many users have come to adopt a method involving connecting his/her own portable information terminal and in-vehicle information terminal to each other via an interface, such as a wireless LAN, Bluetooth (trademark), and a cable, to provide the in-vehicle information terminal with the communication function with use of the communication function of the portable information terminal.
There are known several patent documents disclosing technologies relating to such communication system for communication among a plurality of devices.
For example, in Patent Document 1, there is disclosed a configuration in which a mobile phone is connected to an information device, screen information to be displayed on the information device is displayed on a display device of the mobile phone, and the information device is remotely operated via a network. The mobile phone of Patent Document 1 provides a technology capable of remotely operating the information device with a high level of operability with use of operation buttons of the mobile phone.
Further, in Patent Document 2, there is disclosed an example of a system in which a portable device is connected to a display device to make use of a communication function of the portable device. The display device of Patent Document 2 has an object to make use of the communication function of the portable device without a user operating in hand the portable device connected via an interface.


A timing signal generation device includes a GPS receiver that performs a positioning calculation based on a satellite signal; and a digital signal processor that generates position information regarding a reception point based on a value present within a range of A±σ/4 wherein A is a most frequent value or a median value of a plurality of positioning calculation results of the GPS receiver and σ is a standard deviation of the plurality of positioning calculation results. A timing signal is generated based on the satellite signal from at least one position information satellite and the position information regarding the reception point.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a position information generation device, a timing signal generation device, an electronic apparatus, and a moving object.
2. Related Art
A Global Positioning System (GPS) using satellites is a widely used type of the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSSs). Atomic clocks with considerably high accuracy are mounted on the GPS satellites used in the GPS, and thus the GPS satellites transmit satellite signals by which accurate time information or orbit information regarding the GPS satellites is transmitted to the ground. The satellite signals transmitted from the GPS satellites are received by GPS receivers. Then, the GPS receivers perform a process of calculating time information or the current positions of the GPS receivers, a process of generating an accurate timing signal (1 Pulse Per Second (PPS)) synchronized with a coordinated universal time (UTC), or the like based on the time information or the orbit information superimposed on the satellite signals.
Such GPS receivers are generally provided with a normal positioning (position estimating) mode in which a position and a time are supplied based on a positioning calculation and a fixed position mode in which a time is supplied through fixed position positioning at a known position.
In the normal positioning mode, satellite signals from a number of GPS satellites equal to or greater than a predetermined number (a minimum of three GPS satellites in the case of 2-dimensial positioning and four GPS satellites in the case of 3-dimensional positioning) are necessary. As the number of GPS satellites capable of receiving satellite signals becomes larger, the accuracy of the positioning calculation is improved.
In the fixed position mode, on the other hand, when the position information regarding the GPS receiver is set and when a satellite signal can be received from at least one GPS satellite, the 1 PPS can be generated.
Since the accuracy of the 1 PPS in the fixed position mode depends on the accuracy of the set position information, it is important to set accurate position information in the GPS receiver. As methods of acquiring the accurate position information set in the GPS receiver, for example, a method of reading position information from a map or a method of measuring position information can be considered. However, in the former case, it is difficult to acquire the position information depending on a reception location. In the latter case, there is a problem of cost such as expense or time.
In order to resolve such problems, JP-A-9-178870 suggests a method of performing positioning calculation with an installed GPS receiver, averaging position information regarding positioning results for a predetermined time, and determining the position of a reception point. According to this method, the position information can be acquired at any reception location and cost can also be reduced.
However, when a certain error such as multi-paths occurs, the position information regarding the result of the position calculation includes a large error. In the method of averaging the positioning calculation results in JP-A-9-178870, there is a probability that an error of the position of a reception point obtained as the result of the averaging may increase. For this reason, in the method of JP-A-9-178870, there is a problem that the accuracy of 1 PPS (timing signal) may deteriorate depending on a reception environment at the time of performing the positioning calculation. Such a problem is also common to GPS receivers and reception devices of the other Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSSs).

Position information generation device, timing signal generation device, electronic apparatus, and moving object