Pyrimidinedione derivatives of the general formula (I), their derivatives, analogs, tautomeric forms, stereoisomers, polymorphs, hydrates, solvates, pharmaceutically acceptable salts and pharmaceutically acceptable compositions containing them are useful for the treatment of inflammation and immunological diseases.

It has been reported that Cyclooxygenase enzyme exists in three isoforms, namely, COX-1, COX-2 and COX-3. COX-1 enzyme is essential and primarily responsible for the regulation of gastric fluids whereas COX-2 enzyme is present at the basal levels and is reported to have a major role in the prostaglandin synthesis for inflammatory response. These prostaglandins are known to cause inflammation in the body. Hence, if the synthesis of these prostaglandins is stopped by way of inhibiting COX-2 enzyme, inflammation and its related disorders can be treated. COX-3 possesses glycosylation-dependent cyclooxygenase activity. Comparison of canine COX-3 activity with murine COX-1 and COX-2 demonstrated that this enzyme is selectively inhibited by analgesic/antipyretic drugs such as acetaminophen, phenacetin, antipyrine, and dipyrone, and is potently inhibited by some nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs. Thus, inhibition of COX-3 could represent a primary central mechanism by which these drugs decrease pain and possibly fever. Recent reports show that inhibitors of COX-1 enzyme causes gastric ulcers, where as selective COX-2 and COX-3 enzyme inhibitors are devoid of this function and hence are found to be safe.
The present invention is concerned with treatment of immunological diseases or inflammation, notably such diseases are mediated by cytokines or cyclooxygenase. The principal elements of the immune system are macrophages or antigen-presenting cells, T cells and B cells. The role of other immune cells such as NK cells, basophils, mast cells and dendritic cells are known, but their role in primary immunologic disorders is uncertain. Macrophages are important mediators of both inflammation and providing the necessary "help" for T cell stimulation and proliferation. Most importantly macrophages make IL-1, IL-12 and TNF-α all of which are potent pro-inflammatory molecules and also provide help for T cells. In addition, activation of macrophages results in the induction of enzymes, such as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and cyclooxygenase-3 (COX-3), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and production of free radicals capable of damaging normal cells. Many factors activate macrophages, including bacterial products, superantigens and interferon gamma (IFN γ). It is believed that phosphotyrosine kinases (PTKs) and other undefined cellular kinases are involved in the activation process.
Cytokines are molecules secreted by immune cells that are important in mediating immune responses. Cytokine production may lead to the secretion of other cytokines, altered cellular function, cell division or differentiation. Inflammation is the body's normal response to injury or infection. However, in inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, pathologic inflammatory processes can lead to morbidity and mortality. The cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) plays a central role in the inflammatory response and has been targeted as a point of intervention in inflammatory disease. TNF-α is a polypeptide hormone released by activated macrophages and other cells. At low concentrations, TNF-α participates in the protective inflammatory response by activating leukocytes and promoting their migration to extravascular sites of inflammation (Moser et al., J Clin Invest, 83, 444-55, 1989). At higher concentrations, TNF-α can act as a potent pyrogen and induce the production of other pro-inflammatory cytokines (Haworth et al., Eur J Immunol, 21, 2575-79, 1991; Brennan et al., Lancet, 2, 244-7, 1989). TNF-α also stimulates the synthesis of acute-phase proteins. In rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic and progressive inflammatory disease affecting about 1% of the adult U.S. population, TNF-α mediates the cytokine cascade that leads to joint damage and destruction (Arend et al., Arthritis Rheum, 38, 151-60,1995). Inhibitors of TNF-α, including soluble TNF receptors (etanercept) (Goldenberg, Clin Ther, 21, 75-87, 1999) and anti-TNF-α antibody (infliximab) (Luong et al., Ann Pharmacother, 34, 743-60, 2000), have recently been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as agents for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
Elevated levels of TNF-α have also been implicated in many other disorders and disease conditions, including cachexia, septic shock syndrome, osteoarthritis, inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis etc.
Elevated levels of TNF-α and/or IL-1 over basal levels have been implicated in mediating or exacerbating a number of disease states including rheumatoid arthritis; osteoporosis; multiple myeloma; uveititis; acute and chronic myelogenous leukemia; pancreatic β cell destruction; osteoarthritis; rheumatoid spondylitis; gouty arthritis; inflammatory bowel disease; adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS); psoriasis; Crohn's disease; allergic rhinitis; ulcerative colitis; anaphylaxis; contact dermatitis; asthma; muscle degeneration; cachexia; type I and type II diabetes; bone resorption diseases; ischemia reperfusion injury; atherosclerosis; brain trauma; multiple sclerosis; cerebral malaria; sepsis; septic shock; toxic shock syndrome; fever, and myalgias due to infection. HIV-1, HIV-2, HIV-3, cytomegalovirus (CMV), influenza, adenovirus, the herpes viruses (including HSV-1, HSV-2), and herpes zoster are also exacerbated by TNF-α.
It can be seen that inhibitors of TNF-α are potentially useful in the treatment of a wide variety of diseases. Compounds that inhibit TNF-α have been described in several patents.
Excessive production of IL-6 is implicated in several disease states, it is highly desirable to develop compounds that inhibit IL-6 secretion. Compounds that inhibit IL-6 have been described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,004,813; 5,527,546 and 5,166,137.
The cytokine IL-1β also participates in the inflammatory response. It stimulates thymocyte proliferation, fibroblast growth factor activity, and the release of prostaglandin from synovial cells. Elevated or unregulated levels of the cytokine IL-1β have been associated with a number of inflammatory diseases and other disease states, including but not limited to adult respiratory distress syndrome, allergy, Alzheimer's disease etc. Since overproduction of IL-1β is associated with numerous disease conditions, it is desirable to develop compounds that inhibit the production or activity of IL-1β.
In rheumatoid arthritis models in animals, multiple intra-articular injections of IL-1 have led to an acute and destructive form of arthritis (Chandrasekhar et al., Clinical Immunol Immunopathol. 55, 382, 1990). In studies using cultured rheumatoid synovial cells, IL-1 is a more potent inducer of stromelysin than TNF-α. (Firestein, Am. J. Pathol. 140, 1309, 1992). At sites of local injection, neutrophil, lymphocyte, and monocyte emigration has been observed. The emigration is attributed to the induction of chemokines (e.g., IL-8), and the up-regulation of adhesion molecules (Dinarello, Eur. Cytokine Netw. 5, 517-531, 1994).
In rheumatoid arthritis, both IL-1 and TNF-α induce synoviocytes and chondrocytes to produce collagenase and neutral proteases, which leads to tissue destruction within the arthritic joints. In a model of arthritis (collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in rats and mice) intra-articular administration of TNF-α either prior to or after the induction of CIA led to an accelerated onset of arthritis and a more severe course of the disease (Brahn et al., Lymphokine Cytokine Res. 11, 253, 1992; and Cooper, Clin. Exp. Immunol. 898, 244, 1992).
IL-8 has been implicated in exacerbating and/or causing many disease states in which massive neutrophil in filtration into sites of inlammation or injury (e.g., ischemia) is mediated chemotactic nature of IL-8, including, but not limited to, the following: asthma, inflammatory bowl disease, psoriasis, adult respiratory distress syndrome, cardiac and renal reperfusion injury, thrombosis and glomerulonephritis. In addition to the chemotaxis effect on neutrophils, IL-8 has also has ability to activate neutrophils. Thus, reduction in IL-8 levels may lead to diminished neutrophil infiltration.
Few prior art reference which disclose the closest pyrimidine compounds are given here:    i) U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,420,385 and 6,410,729 discloses novel compounds of formula (IIa)
wherein
represents

X is O, S or NR5; R1 and R2 each independently represent —Y or -Z-Y, and R3 and R4 each independently -Z-Y or R3 is a hydrogen radical; provided that R4 is other than a substituted-aryl, (substituted-aryl)methyl or (substituted-aryl)ethyl radical; wherein each Z is independently optionally substituted alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, heterocyclyl, aryl or heteroaryl; Y is independently a hydrogen; halo, cyano, nitro, etc., R5 is independently a hydrogen, optionally substituted alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl etc., R11 and R12 are each independently represent optionally substituted aryl or heteroaryl.
An example of these compounds is shown in formula (IIb)
    ii) DE 2142317 discloses hypnotic uracil derivatives of formula (IIc)
wherein R1 is H, alkyl, alkenyl, dialkylaminoalkyl, or aralkyl; R2 is H, alkyl, aryl, or halogen; R3 is alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, aralkyl, aralkenyl, or aryl, R4 is alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, aralkyl, aryl, etc.
An example of these compounds is shown in formula (IId)


A split air conditioning apparatus is readily installed at a window opening by accessible actuators. The apparatus is affirmatively prevented from falling from the window opening, both during and after installation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an air conditioning apparatus and its installation in a window opening and, more particularly, to a low-profile air conditioning apparatus in which indoor and outdoor sections are located at opposite sides of the window opening and are connected by a connector section resting on a window sill.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional room air conditioner for installation in a window opening typically comprises a single box-like housing comprising all the components of a refrigeration system. However, such air conditioners occupy valuable window space, are noisy, and are difficult to install due to their bulk and weight from the inside of a room.
To avoid such drawbacks, the art has proposed so-called "saddle" or "split" air conditioners in which an outdoor section houses the refrigeration components for dissipating heat, for example, the condenser, an indoor section houses the refrigeration components for absorbing heat, for example, the evaporator, and a connector section rests on a window sill and maintains the indoor and outdoor sections apart at opposite sides of the window opening. The connector section has a minimal height above the sill, thereby increasing the window space and allowing more light to enter the room, as well as enabling the room occupants to have an increased field of view. The placement of at least some of the components outside the window opening lessens the noise within the room.
Saddle-type air conditioners are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,268,451; U.S. Pat. No. 2,320,436; U.S. Pat. No. 3,176,474; U.S. Pat. No. 3,296,820; U.S. Pat. No. 3,392,546; U.S. Pat. No. 3,448,590; U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,131; U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,025; and No. D-341,880. Related air conditioners are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,760,354; U.S. Pat. No. 3,416,329; U.S. Pat. No. 3,665,726; U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,614; U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,485; U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,482; U.S. Pat. No. 6,145,334; No. D-112,881; and No. D-179,726.
Experience has shown, however, that the known window-mounted, split air conditioning apparatus are not altogether satisfactory, especially in their installation from the interior of the room. The outdoor section tends to be relatively heavy. Unless installed properly, there is a risk that the apparatus may slide off the installer's hands and drop outside. Even if the apparatus does not fall from the window opening, the installer's hands can sometimes be pinched by the apparatus as it is being maneuvered into position. Furthermore, the apparatus is leveled and supported by point loads bearing on exterior and interior wall surfaces of the room wall through which the window opening extends. These point loads exert a great deal of pressure on the wall surfaces and typically mar and damage such wall surfaces. The exterior point loads are hard to reach from the room interior. In brief, the installation is difficult, often requires more than one skilled installer to perform the installation, and typically damages the exterior and interior wall surfaces of the room wall.

Window-mounted split air conditioning apparatus and method of installation


A method and system for managing a product during assembly or repair of the product includes use of a microserver configured to function as a local computing workstation and collect, store and process data for the product throughout the assembly or repair process. The microserver may be carried by a support structure that supports the product through the assembly or repair process. The product data and other information relevant to the assembly or repair process are stored on the microserver and may be accessed by other computing devices, both local and remote to the product. The information is updated on the microserver as it happens. Thus, users are able to track a status of the product in real-time. The microserver enables two-way communication such that the other computing devices may also send information to the microserver.

The present invention relates to a method and system of managing a product during assembly or repair of the product. More specifically, the present invention relates to a microserver attachable to a support structure that supports the product during the assembly or repair process, and configured to gather, store and communicate data about the product.
Assembly of a complex product, such as a vehicle, commonly takes place in a factory made up of multiple work cells. This same type of assembly process may also apply to the main components of the vehicle, such as, for example, an engine of the vehicle. As the vehicle moves through the work cells in the factory, various parts from the factory are added to the vehicle. Tracking systems are used to monitor the location of the parts and to update that parts have been removed from inventory and been integrated into the vehicle. At various stages of the assembly, instruction manuals (paper or electronic) are also used to guide assembly. Throughout the assembly process, assembly checklists and documentation are maintained to ensure quality and completeness. This is particularly important for highly regulated industries, such as, for example, the aviation industry.
This type of assembly process commonly utilizes factory networks and manufacturing software for completing the activities outlined above. However, as the vehicle moves from work cell to work cell, it is necessary to log into computers dedicated to each work cell to access and input information pertinent to assembly activities in that work cell. The accessed information may come from numerous databases and systems within the factory network. Moreover, tracking of parts and inventory is commonly done using a separate set of databases and tracking methods. Without being physically present in a work cell, the factory network may have limited capabilities in terms of providing users real-time updates on the status of a product during assembly.
For many products (for example, an aircraft engine), a repair process may follow a procedure similar to the assembly process described above. The product may be sent to a repair facility and pass through multiple work cells in the facility as part of the repair process. Parts from inventory may be used to replace damaged parts. Repair manuals may be used to facilitate the repair, and checklists may commonly be required. The challenges described above for managing a product during assembly also apply to managing the repair of a product.
There is a need for an improved system to gather, store, and update information about a product as the product is being assembled or repaired, such that the information is available in one location and accessible locally and remotely from the product.

Microserver for managing an assembly or repair of a product


A call routing system prompts a caller for information and receives a response from the caller. Based on the caller's response, a confidence value is assigned to the call. The confidence value can be assigned based on the likelihood that the received information is consistent with the prompt and other criteria. Additional prompts are provided to the caller based on the confidence value, and additional caller's responses are used to modify the confidence value. At least one threshold confidence level is set and when the confidence value of the call meets or exceeds the threshold (because of low confidence), the call is immediately routed to a human operator.

Developments in speech recognition technologies support "natural language" type interactions between automated systems and customers. A natural language interaction allows a customer to speak naturally, and a voice recognition system can react in response to the customer's request. One of the applications of natural language is in speech recognition with automatic call routing (ACR). A goal of an ACR application is to determine why a customer is calling a service center and to route the customer to an appropriate human operator or destination system for servicing a customer request. Speech recognition technology generally allows an ACR application to recognize natural language statements so that the application does not have to rely on a menu system. This allows the customer to state the purpose of their call "in their own words."
In order for an ACR application to properly route calls, the ACR system attempts to interpret the intent of the customer call, identify the intent of the customer call, and then identify a correct routing destination. Identification of all possible caller requests is a time intensive and extensive phase of development because all call types are typically not known prior to ACR application development.
One significant problem that occurs in ACR systems is that speech recognition systems cannot understand all callers all of the time. When the speech recognition system partially understands or misunderstands the callers' goals, significant problems can result. Further, even in touch-tone ACR systems the caller can depress the wrong buttons and get routed to a wrong location. When a caller gets routed to an unintended destination, the caller often hangs up and retries the call. Another common problem occurs when a caller gets "caught" or "trapped" in a menu that does not provide an acceptable selection to exit the menu. Trapping a caller leads to an abandoned call. A huge volume of calls is often handled by a call routing system and even if a small percentage of calls are abandoned, the costs associated with abandoned calls are significant.
In addition, unsuccessful call routing results in caller dissatisfaction. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved method and system of routing calls.

System and method for utilizing confidence levels in automated call routing


A method for sulfonating compounds having one or more free hydroxyl functional groups and/or one or more optionally substituted primary or secondary functional groups, including treating the compounds with a complex of SO3-DMF in the presence of an acid capture agent.

The methods for preparing sulfated compounds reported in the prior art generally induce cleavage of the chains of the polymers during the O or N sulfonation and, thus, cause the formation of potentially toxic reactional residues. It would therefore be advantageous to avoid this drawback by enabling the controlled addition of sulfonate groups under controlled conditions such that the structural integrity of the initial polymer, e.g., an oligosaccharide, is not altered.
Known in the prior art are functionalized polymers with anticoagulant properties and notably a family of derivatives obtained by substitutions on a dextran (D) chain of the carboxymethyl (CM), methyl-benzylamide (B) and methyl-benzylamide sulfonate (S) groups, designated by the abbreviation CMDBS. The methods for the preparation of these polymers were described in particular in the French Patent No. 2,461,724, as well as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,594. Neither of these patents provides a precise analysis of the resultant polymeric structures and the methods described do not enable providing evidence that the resultant products are homogeneous. The experimental conditions of the sulfonation reaction described in these patents promote binding of the sulfones to the free OH groups of the glucoside residue and the analysis presented does not enable the clear demonstration of the presence of benzylamine sulfonate.
Other members of the CMDBS family, designated HBGF for "Heparin Binding Growth Factor", were described as cicatrization agents in U.S. Pat. No. 5,693,625. HBFGPPs were also described for their properties of stimulating the repair and regeneration of lesions induced in muscle tissues (French Patent No. 2,718,024), nervous tissues (French Patent No. 2,718,026) and digestive tract tissues (French Patent No. 2,718,023) as well as for their anti-inflammatory properties (French Patent No. 2,718,025). These patents established a series of functional criteria for screening among all the biocompatible polymers those that respond to the following four functional properties:                protecting heparin binding growth factors (HBGFs) like the fibroblast growth factors such as FGF1 & 2 or transforming factors such as TGF-β against proteolytic degradations as well as potentiating their biological activities in a series of tests on cell cultures;        having an anticoagulant activity of less than 10 international units per mg;        inhibiting the activity of leukocyte elastase under physiological conditions; and        inhibiting the activity of plasmin under physiological conditions.
French Patent Application No. 98/08309 reports the structure of a family of polymers, designated RGTA for "ReGeneraTing Agent", having the properties of the HBGFPPs and describes a method for their preparation and their properties. The RGTAs have antifibrotic effects notably enabling improvement in the quality of cutaneous cicatrices, antioxidant effects notably for treating the deleterious effects of free radicals (after ionizing radiation or during the oxidative stress induced by ischemia) and properties of regulating tissue homeostasis notably of bone masses. These properties supplement those described for the HBGFPPs.
The polymers described in French Patent Application No. 98/09309 correspond to the following formula:AaXxYy  (I)in which:                A is a monomer; X represents an RCOOR′ group; Y represents an O- or N-sulfonate group bound on A and responding to either of the following formulas: ROSO3R′ or RNSO3R′; the R groups are aliphatic hydrocarbon chains optionally branched and/or unsaturated and which can contain one or more aromatic rings with the exception of benzylamine and benzylamine sulfonate; R′ represents a hydrogen atom or a cation; a represents the number of monomers; x represents the level or degree of substitution of the A monomers by the X groups; y represents the level or degree of substitution of the A monomers by the Y groups.
Dextran derivatives such as CMDS are among the polymers described in French Patent Application No. 98/09309. Polymers of the CMDS type have also been described as anticoagulants (Maiga et al., Carbohydrate Polymers, 1997, 32, 89-93).
In these examples of the prior art, the synthesis methods described do not make it possible to obtain products in accordance with the criteria of sufficient reproducibility assuring the maintenance of molecular integrity and the absence of contaminants. In fact, although the methods for the substitution of carboxyl groups are widely described in the prior art and make possible controlled and managed substitution ensuring sufficient reproducibility, the sulfonation methods are more difficult to control.
The sulfonation methods are performed at a very acid pH value which does not enable preservation of the integrity of the polymer chain especially if this chain is constituted of natural sugars. Moreover, these sulfonation conditions lead to decarboxylations that are very difficult to control.
Thus, numerous studies in the prior art describe methods enabling the sulfatation of polysaccharides of type Aa. Thus, for example, dextran sulfate (or O-sulfonate) (DS), carboxymethyl dextran sulfate (CM-D-S) (or O-sulfonate) and other sulfated (or O-sulfonated) oligosaccharides such as xylan and starch were sulfated (or O-sulfonated) by methods of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,814,437. Among these methods, those proposing sulfonation of polysaccharides using strong acids as sulfonation agents were reported by numerous authors. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,740,594 and 4,755,379, and French Patent No. 2,772,382 describe a treatment with chlorosulfonic acid using dichloromethane (CH2Cl2) as a solvent for the production of molecules of the CM-D-S and DM-D-B-S type. This method was already widely described in these older studies because the same acid was used for the synthesis of DS with pyridine as solvent of a basic nature (Ricketts, Biochem J, 51, 210-233, 1952). Sulfuric acid and sulfonic acid in the presence of formamide were also used for the preparation of DS at low temperatures as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,498,972 and 3,141,014. It is known that these strongly acid reaction conditions induce partial degradation of the products even in the presence of solvents of a basic nature or at low temperatures. They lead to a noteworthy fragmentation of the macromolecular chain in the case of polymer products and a partial hydrolysis of certain functional groups contained in the molecules to be sulfonated. Many improvements have been introduced regarding these strong acidity conditions involving the use of better buffered media or media of lower acidity. Thus, the use of sulfur trioxide (SO3) complexes as sulfonation agents less severe than sulfuric and sulfonic acids has already been introduced (Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, 95, 36-41, 1961; Tetrahedron Letters, 29, 7, 803-806, 1988; J. Chem. Soc. Perkin Trans. 1, 157, 1995). Many complexes of the SO3 amine type have been made available commercially such as SO3-ME3N (trimethylamine), SO3-Et3N (triethylamine), SO3-pyridine and SO3-piperidine. These reagents are used in an anhydrous medium in solvents such as DMF, formamide and DMSO. Although these methods are used for the production of sulfated polysaccharides, especially those derived from dextran, functionalized by ester, ether or amid groups, they have major drawbacks because they lead to:                random fragmentation of the macromolecular chain of the polymers, albeit in lower proportions than with sulfonic acids;        partial hydrolysis of the functional groups already present on the polymers cited above; and        generation of secondary products by formation of amines which contaminate the preparations and which have been shown to be toxic after inoculation in vivo (Brain Res, 16, 208-2, 473-478, 1981).
These techniques have been still further improved to eliminate to the maximum extent possible the toxic residues as well as to propose for pyridine the method described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,814,437. In fact, the SO3-amines used in that method are reactive with the aldehyde groups present on the reducing end of most of the polysaccharides, notably in dextran, and the bond formed in this manner is covalent and thus permanent.
The disadvantage of the use of complexes of the SO3-amine type was also overcome by employing SO3-amine type complexes such as SO3-DMF and SO3-FA. For example, the salts of DS, more particularly the sodium salts, are presently prepared as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,855,416 by O-sulfonation of dextran by an SO3 complex associated with formamide (SO3-FA) with formamide as solvent. That method comprises formation in situ of the SO3-FA complex and then its reaction with dextran. The strong reactivity of the SO3-FA complex induces a strong acidity of the reactional medium despite the use of an inert atmosphere (N2) and anhydrous solvents. This fact also leads to the degradation of the macromolecular chain.
Another widely used non-animated complex is SO3-DMF. It was in fact proposed in French Patent No. 2,772,382 for the synthesis of sulfated polysaccharides of the CM-D-S and CM-D-B-S type. However, the SO3-DMF complex, like the SO3-FA complex, produces a strong acidity of the reaction medium, which also leads to fragmentation of the macromolecular chain and the hydrolysis of the labile hydrolysis groups resulting in a loss of control of the synthesis and the final products. This method is thus as imperfect as the other methods in the case of the preparation of high-molecular-weight polyanionic polymers which it is not desired to cleave in a random, uncontrolled manner.
It was with this desire to improve the synthesis methods that the protocols for producing CMDBS and CMDS were described in French Patent No. 97/15702. According to French Patent Application No. 97/15702, this improvement enables on the one hand production of dextran derivatives having a greater homogeneity of molecular weight and on the other hand control of the substitution rates thus ensuring a greater homogeneity of the structures and thus a better definition. However, like the prior art, the method described in French Patent Application No. 97/15702 is based on the sulfonation of polysaccharides using an SO3-amine (DMF, pyridine or triethylamine) and the examples presented are exclusively obtained with SO3-pyridine. This method moreover leads to formation of residual traces of pyridine, the human toxicity of which is well known, and does not appear to enable the absence of formation of fragments of the polysaccharide chain.

Method for the sulfonation of compounds comprising free hydroxyl (OH) groups or primary or secondary amines

Organes, Tissues : Regeneration, Reparation, Remplacement- OTR3


Memory array repair where the repair logic cannot operate at the same operating condition as the memory array is presented. In one embodiment, a test is run with the memory array configured in a first operating condition that repair logic for the memory array cannot achieve, and test data is accumulated from the test in the memory array. The memory array is then read with the memory array configured in a second operating condition that the repair logic can achieve using the test data from the test at the first operating condition. As a result, repairs can be achieved even though the repair logic is incapable of operating at the same condition as the memory array. A method, test unit and integrated circuit implementing the testing are presented.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates generally to memory array analysis, and more particularly, to a memory array repair where repair logic cannot operate at the same operating condition as the memory array.
2. Background Art
Testing and repair of memory arrays prior to release to a customer is a common practice during integrated circuit (IC) and/or memory array fabrication. For example, ICs oftentimes include embedded memory arrays such as an embedded dynamic random access memory (DRAM) array, which requires testing and repair. These embedded memory arrays are analyzed by the fabricator using a built-in-self-test (BIST) unit that is included on the IC or using separate, stand alone testing units.
One challenge during testing is addressing situations where the memory array can operate at an operating condition that the repair logic, used to evaluate and repair the embedded memory array, cannot achieve. Repair logic may be any system, such as a redundancy analyzer, used to capture memory cell failures and repair and/or replace memory cell assignments to ensure proper operation of the embedded memory. For example, one operating condition at which a memory array may operate and the repair logic may not be able to achieve is a higher speed. For example, a memory array may run at, for example, 500 MHz, while the repair logic may only be able to run at, for example, 100-200 MHz. In this case, when the test unit runs with the memory array configured for the higher speed, i.e., 500 MHz, it is impossible for the repair logic to repair all faults at the higher speed. Another operating condition at which a memory array may operate and the repair logic may not be able to achieve is a higher latency. For example, a discrete DRAM array may have different amounts of latency. For instance, a conventional discrete DRAM array may have a 20 ns latency, i.e., 50 MHz, which is allowed to be broken into 4 separate clocks of 5 ns each, so that the memory array operates at 200 MHz. That is, once testing is started, data can be acquired every 5 ns, just not from the same address. Repair logic, however, is typically not sophisticated enough to handle latency with 4 clocks. In this case, an address input to the DRAM array during testing will be read out in such a way that it is always off by some parameter, e.g., a number of addresses. That is, the data read out of the memory array by the repair logic is always late by 3-4 cycles such that the address that exists in the repair logic is continuously trailing the memory array. As a result, the repair logic places repair data in the wrong DRAM array address, and proper repair cannot be achieved.
The above-described situation is especially problematic where repair logic is embedded with the memory array because it is generally impracticable to provide repair logic that operates at all of the operating conditions, e.g., higher speed, lower latency, etc., that the memory array can achieve because it uses up too much valuable silicon space. It also should be understood that this situation occurs for all types of memory arrays, embedded or discrete, and for BIST units and stand alone test units.
There is a need in the art for a way to repair a memory array where the repair logic is incapable of operating at the same condition as the memory array.

Memory array repair where repair logic cannot operate at same operating condition as array

International Business Machines Corporation


A RF data communication device operates in at least two states. In a first state, the device transmits a response to an RF transmission if specific data therein represents an inquiry as to the presence of one or more RF data communication devices and if specific data therein corresponds to a class maintained by the device. The device does not transmit a response if specific data in the RF transmission is not representative of an inquiry as to the presence of one or more RF data communication devices, or if specific data therein does not correspond to at least one maintained class. In a second state, the device does not transmit a response when specific data is included therein that is representative of an inquiry as to the presence of one or more RF data communication devices and specific data therein corresponds to at least one maintained class.

Conventional systems for tracking and/or monitoring assets (herein generally referred to as "asset tracking systems") utilize wireless tags that generally respond to any broadcast that is made. The wireless tags usually are passive, and the responses that the passive wireless tags make are often referred to as "chirps."
More sophisticated asset tracking systems utilize semi-passive wireless tags and/or active wireless tags. A semi-passive wireless tag includes an internal power source for transmitting, and an active wireless tag includes an internal power source for both receiving and transmitting. Semi-passive and active wireless tags generally have greater capabilities than passive wireless tags due to the internal power sources. Of course, power consumption is always a concern when a wireless tag includes an internal power source, since the internal power supply limits the useful life of the wireless tag, after which time maintenance is required (e.g., replacement of the internal power source).
In improved asset tracking systems, such as those disclosed in the above patent applications and patents that have been incorporated herein by reference, a wireless tag responds to a broadcast if the broadcast includes a common designation matching a common designation of the wireless tag. Such a common designation may comprise, for example, an "asset class" associated with the wireless tag. Ad hoc networks further may be created based on such classes, which ad hoc networks are referred to as "class based" networks.
Class based networks (and common designation networks in general) are beneficial because, in such networks, a communication device, such as a wireless tag, generally only transmits a response to a broadcast if the broadcast includes a class (or common designation) that matches a class (or common designation) of that communication device. Indeed, in a communication device employing a wakeup sequence of one or more of the patent references incorporated herein by reference, such communication device does not even process a broadcast once it is determined that the broadcast fails to include a matching class of the communication device. Consequently, the internal power supply of a semi-passive or active communication device is not drained by needless processing and/or responses to broadcasts.
In asset tracking systems, it often is important to know the physical location of an asset. This could include knowing where the asset is within a limited physical area, such as a warehouse; this also could include knowing where the asset is within several different warehouses in several different geographical locations, as well as where the asset is during transit between such locations.
In a conventional asset tracking system in which communication devices comprising semi-passive or active radios are placed on the assets, a conventional method for acquiring visibility of the assets includes broadcasting within an area at regular intervals to solicit responses from all of the radios within the area. The responses from the radios reveal the radios, and thus the assets, that are in the area.
This method is not advantageous because the regular, repetitive broadcasts result in an unnecessary power drain of the responding radios. Interference also can occur if a large number of radios respond at the same time, thereby making it difficult to accurately identify all of the radios within the area that respond to the broadcast.
In an alternative conventional method, a timer is included with each radio and the radio is configured to transmit at periodic intervals as a function of the timer. The radio thereby alerts the tracking system as to the whereabouts of the radio and, thus, the asset with which it is associated. By including timers with each radio, the radios may transmit at differing times in order to avoid unnecessary interference. A radio also can be set to sleep between intervals and to be awoken by the timer for making its regular transmissions. This increases the useful life of the radios because the radios do not consume power by actively listening for broadcasts while sleeping.
This alternative method permits determinations as to the delivery and continued presence of an asset at a particular area. Nevertheless, this alternative method does include drawbacks. For instance, by using timers, the radios are inaccessible by the asset tracking system during the sleep periods. Another drawback is that the radios automatically awake and transmit without regard for their location and without regard for whether the transmission is actually warranted or even desired. In this respect, during transportation on a plane, a radio may awaken and transmit, which may cause unwanted interference with the operation of the airplane. Preprogrammed transmission at regular intervals also may reveal the presence of the asset to unauthorized persons snooping for such radio transmissions.
Accordingly, better asset tracking systems and methods are desired that minimize unnecessary power consumption and that reduce unnecessary transmissions by communication devices associated with assets.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Determining presence of radio frequency communication device


A method, a system, and a non-transitory storage medium are described which provide for generating, by a wireless station of a multi-radio access technology (RAT) radio access network (RAN) that includes a new radio (NR) RAN and a RAN of a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, a non-system information block (SIB) message that includes cell reselection priority information and NR stand-alone (SA) neighboring cell information, wherein an order of priority configures an end device attached to the LTE RAN to reselect to a first radio frequency (RF) channel of a first NR SA neighboring cell; and broadcasting the non-SIB message to the end device.

Fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) wireless networks offer increased capacity and speed over other wireless networks. As 5G NR networks are introduced, both Fourth generation wireless (4G) and 5G networks may provide wireless connectivity to a user equipment device (UE) to enable fast and reliable services. In wireless coverage areas that support both 4G and 5G connectivity, it may be preferable—from a network-side perspective and/or a UE-side perspective—for a UE to camp on a 5G NR standalone (SA) cell providing service having increased bandwidth and reduced latency.

System and method for enabling cell reselection


A wireless charger and a method allow the wireless charger to have enhanced portability and a smaller footprint when not performing the charging function. The wireless charger includes a charging circuit providing power on one or more power lines, a housing for the wireless charger, and a flexible platform that includes a charging surface with two or more contact electrodes. The flexible platform may be unfolded or unrolled for charging a mobile device, and folded up or rolled up to achieve a smaller footprint, when not performing a charging operation. The wireless charger may further includes a data communication circuit for data communication between a power-line network and the mobile device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to chargers for mobile devices. In particular, the present invention relates to chargers for mobile devices having a flexible charging platform that can be folded or rolled up for greater compactness and portability.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Most portable computing devices (e.g., cellular or smart telephones, notebook computable and tablet computers) require frequent recharging, as a relatively small battery size is often key to device compactness and weight. As many such devices can provide only one or two days of useful service between recharging, chargers are also required to be compact and portable, so that a traveler who needs to be away for more than one or two days may be able to bring the charger along.
Generally speaking, there are two types of chargers for mobile devices on the market. The first type requires a cable to connect the mobile device to the charger. The cable designs for this type of chargers are often customized or proprietary, so that a user carrying multiple mobile devices may have to carry multiple chargers. Furthermore, plugging and unplugging the cable to and from the mobile device cause wear and tear on both the connector on the cable and the corresponding connector on the mobile device. As a result, a second type of chargers has appeared. This second type of chargers does not require a cable between the charger and the mobile device. (In this detailed description, a charger that does not require a cable to connect to a mobile device is referred to as a "wireless charger"). Instead, charging is achieved by induction using a changing magnetic field. Efficiency in inductive charging, however, is very low, so that a significant amount of heat is often generated because of the inductive loss. Inductive chargers are also typically bulky and costly.

Wireless charger for mobile devices with flexible platform and method


A configuration of a three-wheeled agricultural applicator is provided that enhances visibility or the field of view of an operator. The three-wheeled agricultural applicator includes a frame assembly having a fork assembly and a kingpin extending generally upward therefrom. The three-wheeled agricultural applicator further includes a steering assembly that includes a steering wheel interlinked by a left steering actuator and a right steering actuator with a steering plate attached at the top of the kingpin. This configuration allows a hood associated with a drive unit of the three-wheeled agricultural applicator to be angled in a downward direction towards the forward direction of travel, thus enhancing the operator's field of view.

Numerous types of agricultural applicators or tractors are available today. These can include a pull-type unit or a self-propelled unit. A certain known agricultural applicator is also referred to as a "floater." The floater is a large vehicle that uses large, oversized floatation tires to carry the vehicle across firm to muddy agricultural environments. A typical floatation chassis assembly includes a pair of rear floatation tires and a front floatation tire. The chassis assembly is configured to support one or more bulk storage tanks or bins of product for application in an agricultural environment, usually before planting in the spring or after harvest in the fall. The types of agricultural products e.g., fertilizer, herbicide, pesticide, nutrients, etc. can vary. The floater can also be utilized to tow various agricultural implements. The oversized-tired agricultural applicators are generally desired for their ability to maneuver heavy loads over extremely rough and difficult agricultural terrain with minimal soil compaction.
However, these floater-type agricultural applicators or tractors have drawbacks. Typical three-wheeled floaters include a long and generally horizontally-aligned hood configured in such a manner so as to inhibit the field of view of an operator stationed within the agricultural applicator's cab.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,364 to Woods et al. discloses a tractor configuration with a long, flat hood extending along a generally horizontal alignment toward a nose. The long, horizontal extending hood inhibits the field of view of an operator stationed with the tractor's cab.
Accordingly, there is a desire for a configuration of a three-wheeled vehicle (e.g., floater) that enhances the field of view of an operator stationed with the vehicle's cab.

Agricultural applicator configuration for enhanced visibility


Computer-implemented methods, systems, and computer-readable media for detecting the presence of malicious computer code in an e-mail sent from a client computer (1) to an e-mail server (2). An embodiment of the inventive method comprises the steps of: interposing (41) an e-mail proxy server (31) between the client computer (1) and the e-mail server (2); allowing (42) the proxy server (31) to intercept e-mails sent from the client computer (1) to the e-mail server (2); enabling (43) the proxy server (31) to determine when a file (30) is attempting to send itself (30) as part of an e-mail; and declaring (44) a suspicion of malicious computer code when the proxy server (31) determines that a file (30) is attempting to send itself (30) as part of an e-mail.

As used herein, "malicious computer code" is any code that enters a computer without an authorized user's knowledge and/or without an authorized user's consent. Malicious computer code that propagates from one computer to another over a network, e.g., via e-mail, is often referred to as a "worm". Most worms that spread from one computer to another are spread via e-mail over the Internet. The most common way to send e-mail over the Internet is using the SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol). SMTP is part of TCP/IP (Transfer Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). SMTP was originally designed to send only that e-mail that consists solely of text and that is encoded using the ASCII character set, which is limited. It soon became apparent that computer users wished to send other than straight ASCII characters as e-mail, and so encoding schemes such as UUencode and MIME were developed. These encoding schemes are capable of encoding any type of file, including a binary graphics file, into ASCII so that it can be sent as an e-mail attachment.
FIG. 1 illustrates a common system by which a client computer 1 can send e-mail to a recipient computer 5 over an open network 4 such as the Internet. In FIG. 1, it is assumed that there are a plurality N of client computers 1 located within an enterprise 3. Enterprise 3 may be a company, a university, a government agency, etc. Computers 1 are coupled to each other and to an e-mail server computer 2 over a Local Area Network (LAN) 6. E-mail server 2 collects and formats e-mails sent from computers 1 and sends them to the designated recipients 5 using the SMTP protocol. It is assumed that there are a plurality J of recipient computers.
FIG. 2 illustrates a similar network in which client computers 1 are not associated with the same enterprise 3, but rather may be more geographically dispersed and are subscribers to an Internet Service Provider (ISP). In this case, computers 1 communicate with the ISP's e-mail server 2 via the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) 6. In other respects, the functioning of the networks illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 are the same.

Preventing e-mail propagation of malicious computer code


An apparatus for signal and/or current transmission between terminals which can move in relation to one another and which are fitted, on the one hand, on a fixed stator and, on the other hand, on a rotor of a cassette that can rotate about a common axis with the stator. At least one flat ribbon cable, which is equipped with electrical conductors, runs in turns and forms a wound body (W), is arranged within the cassette between the terminals, the ends of the flat ribbon cable being connected to contact parts (19, 20) for the purpose of connecting ongoing cables. In order to accommodate the complete wound body (W) for its protection during transport and/or during storage, a pot-like cover (22) is provided which engages around said wound body and is fitted detachably to an essentially disc-shaped carrier (21).

An apparatus for signal and/or current transmission between terminals which can move in relation to one another and which are fitted, on the one hand, on a fixed stator and, on the other hand, on a rotor of a cassette that can rotate about a common axis with the stator, in the case of which apparatus at least one flat ribbon cable, which is equipped with electrical conductors, runs in turns and forms a wound body, is arranged within the cassette between the terminals, and in the case of which apparatus the ends of the flat ribbon cable are connected to contact parts for the purpose of connecting ongoing cables.
Such an apparatus is required, for example, for transmitting a signal for the purpose of triggering the "airbag" of an impact protection system for motor vehicles. It is accommodated in the steering wheel of a motor vehicle for the purpose of transmitting electrical signals but also electrical current. With such an apparatus it is possible for the signal and/or current transmission to take place between fixed and moving parts of the motor vehicle without any sliding-action contacts or sliprings. Instead of the words "flat ribbon cable", the abbreviation "FRC" will be used below.
EP 0 417 350 A1 has disclosed an apparatus for contactless current transmission between two terminals by means of an FRC wound in the manner of a spring barrel to form a wound body. In the case of a relative rotary movement between the two terminals connected by means of the FRC, the wound-on FRC "breathes" like the spring of a clock. The turns of the wound FRC are compressed in one direction of rotation to a smaller diameter. In the other direction of rotation, they open out to a larger diameter again.
An apparatus corresponding to the apparatus in accordance with EP 0 417 350 A1 is described in DE 195 11 693 A1. This document concerns a swivel connector, which is referred to as a steering column switch with a volute spring. The volute spring represents a connecting line which is wound on in the form of a cylinder. The stator of this swivel connector is formed by the switch housing itself, in which a lid chamber is formed. An open ring chamber, which represents the rotor and in which the volute spring is arranged, is used as the lid for the lid chamber.
DE 37 32 124 A1 describes an apparatus in the case of which the wound body comprises an FRC which is wound in the form of a bifilar coil. The length of the FRC arranged in the bifilar coil may be shorter than an arrangement with an FRC wound in the manner of a spring barrel.
EP 0 735 631 B1 describes an apparatus for connecting two terminals which can rotate in relation to one another, in the case of which apparatus the wound body is split into two subwindings with an opposite winding sense and a U-shaped reversal point, between which an annular guide body is arranged. The guide body is used for guiding and mutually supporting the subwindings.
The apparatus described in EP 0 556 779 B1 likewise has a cassette comprising a stator and a rotor. It does not have a separate guide body for the subwindings. In the case of this apparatus, these subwindings are formed by a plurality of FRCs, which overall form a wound body and each of which is arranged with a U-shaped reversal point in the cassette of the apparatus. The FRCs are designed to be elastic, and the regions of their reversal points are so stable that the turns of the FRC are pressed in the direction of the stator on one side and the rotor on the other side. In the event of a rotation of a steering wheel of a vehicle equipped with such a cassette, all of the reversal points move in the circumferential direction of the cassette.

Apparatus for signal and/or current transmission between terminals


Experiments designed to define the differences between the pas p21 oncogene DNA isolated from human bladder cancer cells and its corresponding proto-oncogene are described herein. By a series of in vitro recombinations, the difference was initially isolated to a 350 kb segment of DNA; sequencing defined the difference as a change in the Gly.sup.12 codon causing the p21 protein of the oncogene to contain valine at a location where the p21 protein of the proto-oncogene contained glycine. Assays for detecting carcinogenesis based on such differences are also described. In one type of assay, a restriction enzyme specific for either the altered or non-altered DNA segment of the genes are employed to detect carcinogenesis. In another type of assay, serological reagents, such as antibodies specific for either p21 protein expressed from the proto-oncogene or p21 expressed from the oncogene, or a common site therein, are described.

Previous work relating to chemical carcinogenesis has demonstrated that carcinogenic potency of a compound often correlates with its mutagenic power. See McCann, J., Choi, E., Yamasaki, E. and Ames, B.N. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 72: 5135-5139 (1975); McCann, J. and Ames, B.N. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.-USA 73: 950-954 (1976); Bridges, B.A. Nature 261 195-200 (1976); and, Bouck, N. and diMayorca, G. Nature 264: 722-727 (1976). This suggests that DNA is the ultimate target of carcinogenic activation. Because of this, researchers have attempted to identify and study DNA segments in tumor cells, often referred to as "oncogenes," whose alteration is critically important for oncogenic conversion.
One recent approach to isolation of an oncogene involved the transfer of tumor cell DNA from the EJ bladder carcinoma cell line into non-transformed NIH3T3 mouse fibroblasts. It was discovered that the phenotype of cellular transformation could be passed from cell to cell in this manner. Tumor DNA was able to induce foci of transformed cells in the recipient NIH monolayer culture while DNA from normal, untransformed donor cells failed to produce foci. See Shih, C., Shilo, B., Goldfarb, M.P., Dannenberg, A. and Weinberg, R.A. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 76: 5714-5718 (1979); Cooper, G.M., Okenquist, S. and Silverman, L. Nature 284: 418-421 (1980); Shih, C., Padhy, L.C., Murray, M.J. and Weinberg, R.A. Nature 290: 261-264 (1981); Krontiris, T.G. and Copper, G.M. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 78: 1181-1184 (1981); and, Perucho, M. et al. Cell 27: 467-476 (1981). These results demonstrated oncogenic factors present in the EJ tumor cell line DNA which were apparently absent from the DNA of normal cells.
Studies which examined the sensitivity or resistance of oncogenic DNA from the EJ bladder carcinoma line to treatment of various site-specific endonucleases indicated that certain specific donor DNA sequences were involved in such cellular transformation. See Lane, M.A., Sainten, A. and Cooper, G.M. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 78: 5185-5189 (1981); and, Shilo, B. and Weinberg, R.A. Nature 289: 607-609 (1981). This concept of a discrete, definable oncogene was later directly demonstrated by molecular isolation of discrete transforming genes from the EJ human bladder carcinoma cell line by a method described in co-pending application Ser. No 379,721, filed May 19, 1982, now abandoned, in the name of Robert A. Weinberg.
As described in this co-pending application, DNA isolated from the EJ cell line was serially passed by transfection into NLH3T3 mouse fibroblast cells until a mouse fibroblast cell was selected containing essentially only the human bladder cancer oncogene and a marker. The marker used in this work was an Alu DNA sequence, which is repeated about 300,000 times in human DNA, but is not present in mouse fibroblast DNA. The interspecies transfection thus resulted in the ultimate selection of a cell containing the oncogene of interest and its associated marker. All DNA from this transfected cell was employed in the creation of a genomic library in a lambdaphage and the appropriate chimeric lambdaphage was then selected using a probe specific for the human Alu marker.
This work resulted in localization of the oncogenic activity for the EJ bladder carcinoma DNA to a 6.6 kb long DNA segment generated by the endonuclease BamHI. The 6.6 kb segment was cloned in the plasmid vector pBR322 and then used as a sequence probe in a southern blot analysis. This indicated that the oncogene derived from a sequence of similar structure present in the normal human genome. See Goldfarb, M., Shimizu, Perucho, M. and Wigler, M. Nature 296: 404-409 (1982); and, Shih, C. and Weinberg, R., Cell 29, 161-169 (1982). Thus, it appeared that the human bladder oncogene had arisen by mutation of a normal cellular gene during the process of carcinogenesis.
Comparison of the EJ bladder oncogene with its corresponding normal cellular sequence (the "proto-oncogene") was aided by the subsequent discovery that this oncogene was homologous to the transforming gene of the rat-derived Harvey murine sarcoma virus. See Der, C., Krontiris, T.G. and Cooper, G.M. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 79: 3637-3640 (1982); Parada, L.F., Tabin, C.J., Shih, C. and Weinberg, R.A. Nature 297: 474-479 (1982); and, Santos, E. et al. Nature 298: 343-347 (1982). This rat sarcoma virus gene, termed v-Ha-ras, had been acquired from the rat genome during the process of formation of the chimeric viral genome. See Scolnick, E.M. and Parks, W.P. J. Virol. 13: 1211-1219 (1974); and, Shih, T.Y., Williams, D.R., Weeks, M.O., Maryak, J.M., Vass, W.C. and Scolnick, E.M. J. Virol. 27: 45-55 (1978). Both the rat and human cellular homologues of the v-Ha-ras have been isolated in the course of studies of this gene. See DeFeo, D., Gonda, M.A., Young, H.A., Change, E.H., Lowy, D.R., Scolnick, E.M. and Ellis, R.W. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 78: 3328-3332 (1981); and, Chang, E.H., Gonda, M.A., Ellis R.W., Scolnick, E.M. and Lowy, D.R. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 79, 4848-4852 (1982).The human cellular homologue of the v-Ha-ras was found to correspond precisely to the normal antecedent of the EJ bladder oncogene. See Parada, L.F., Tabin, C.J., Shih, C. and Weinberg, R.A. Nature 297: 474-479 (1982).
Preliminary comparisons between the EJ oncogene and its normal cellular counterpart, termed c-Ha-ras, were made. See Ellis, R.W., DeFeo, D., Maryak, J.M., Young, H.A., Shih, T.Y., Chang, E.H., Lowy, D.R. and Scolnick, E.M. J. Virol. 36: 408-420 (1980). In this work, it was shown that a molecular clone of the normal cellular gene did not induce foci when applied to NLH3T3 monolayers, while a clone of the bladder oncogene exhibited a biological activity of ca. 5 .times.10.sup.4 foci forming units per microgram of transfected DNA. See Shih, C. and Weinberg, R.A. Cell 29: 161-169 (1982); and, Chang, E.H., Gonda, M.A., Ellis, R.W., Scolnick, E.M. and Lowy, D.R. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 79, 4848-52 (1982).
This stark difference in function did not correlate with any apparent structural differences between the two clones. Rough restriction endonuclease site mapping of the EJ oncogene clone and the uncloned related human proto-oncogene indicated that the two were basically indistinguishable over the 6.6 kb sequence which contained the transforming activity of the EJ oncogene. See Shih, C. and Weinberg, R.A. Cell 29: 161-169 (1982). Finer mapping was later made possible by the direct comparison of molecular clones of the two genes, but again, no differences using a series of different endonucleases were found, except for a single difference 3' (downstream) of the coding regions of the gene. This difference was interpreted to represent a functionally silent polymorphism of the gene present in the gene pool, of the type previous documented by others. See Goldfarb, M., Shimizu, Perucho, M. and Wigler, M. Nature 296: 404-409 (1982).
Thus, a drastic functional difference had been demonstrated for two structurally similar genes, the human bladder cancer oncogene and its normal proto-oncogene. No differences in the structure of the two genes was known, but it was theorized that there might be differences which produced functional differences in one of two ways. The alterations could involve a change in sequences regulating the expression of the gene, or alternatively, the transformed phenotype could be due to changes in the protein-encoding portion of the gene. The first hypothesis would likely produce up-regulation of transcription or translation of the gene, yielding high levels of an otherwise normal protein product, while the second hypothesis would suggest synthesis of an altered protein. Both types of alteration could also act in concert to create the observed difference in function.

Antibodies specific for either ras photo-oncogene encoded P21 proteins or ras oncogene encoded P21 proteins but not for both and method of producing same


A method and system for asserting power control over one or more hardware devices connected via a bus. The invention includes a method and system for signaling and waiting to suspend a first device connected to a second device. The invention also includes a method and system for suspending a tree of devices with one or more of the devices hierarchically organized as parent devices and child devices in the tree. A controller at a root of the tree receives an idle request from one or more of the child devices and suspends all devices in the tree after receiving an idle request from each of the child devices. The invention also includes an input/output control (IOCTL) data structure for communicating the idle request.

Peripheral hardware devices connect to personal computers via various bus architectures. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connects devices such as hubs, human interface devices (HIDs), speakers, and user-input devices. In some prior art systems, the host operating system maintains the connected devices at full power while the system is running, even if such devices are not in use at the time. Further, any hubs or controllers remain needlessly at full power when there are no non-hub devices connected to them. These limitations have power consumption and heat generation implications for desktop computers, and most especially battery power conservation implications for laptop computers.
Additionally, in some prior art systems, a bus controller for the bus accesses main memory on the host system continuously when the bus controller is not in a suspended state. This prevents the host system from placing the system processor cache or the main cache for main memory and processor in an idle state (e.g., C3). Further, some prior art systems idle the bus controller of the bus only if there is nothing plugged into the root hub ports of the bus.
The invention described below addresses one or more of these and other disadvantages.


An LED lamp includes a housing defining a window therein, a cover engaging the housing, a heat sink fixed on the cover and completely received in the housing, an LED module attached to the heat sink and facing the window of the housing, and a lens engaging the window of the housing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to LED (light emitting diode) lamps and, more particularly, to an improved LED lamp having a novel structure for use outdoors.
2. Description of Related Art
LED lamp, a solid-state lighting, utilizes LEDs as a source of illumination, providing advantages such as resistance to shock and nearly limitless lifetime under specific conditions. Thus, LED lamps present a cost-effective yet high quality replacement for incandescent and fluorescent lamps.
Known implementations of LED modules in an LED lamp make use of a plurality of individual LEDs to generate sufficient light. The large number of LEDs leads to a more expensive module and one with greater power consumption. The greater power usage leads to greater heat output, which, if not adequately addressed, impacts LED lamp reliability. Therefore, various heat dissipation devices with complicated structures are exploited in the LED lamp, increasing the difficulty and cost of manufacturing the LED lamp.
What is needed, therefore, is an LED lamp with simple structure, suitable to mass-manufacture, and having satisfactory heat dissipation capability.

Fu Zhun Precision Industry (Shen Zhen) Co., Ltd.


A modular closure device for different closure elements, such as finger levers, plate cylinders, profile cylinders, profile half cylinders, for locking a pivot lever in a recess, is described, wherein the closure elements can be inserted and fastened in a receptacle arranged in the recess or the pivot lever, either from the front or from the rear, characterised in that the closure device, which has an interchangeable insert adapted to the closure device and having a different design for the various receptacles, interacts with a guide in such a way that this can be inserted into the recess or into the pivot lever, and the recess or the pivot lever having the inserted interchangeable insert can be plugged in a door leaf through an opening in the door leaf or the like and can be fastened with a cap.

The invention relates to a modular closure device for different closure elements, such as finger levers, plate cylinders, profile cylinders, profile half cylinders, for locking a pivot lever in a recess, wherein the closure elements can be inserted and fastened in a receptacle arranged in the recess or in the pivot lever, either from the front or from the rear.
To simplify the storage and production costs, it is desirable to make do with as few pivoted lever constructions as possible, and not to provide a separate recess or a separate control for each closure element, such as a profile cylinder or a profile half cylinder of different types.

Modular closure device for different closure elements

DIRAK Dieter Ramsauer Konstruktionselemente GmbH


The present technique relates to signal processing apparatus and method that can reduce power consumption. A receiver that receives a broadcast signal includes a demodulation unit that demodulates the broadcast signal, and a reception control unit that controls the demodulation by the demodulation unit. In a section not including PLPs to be received in the broadcast signal, the reception control unit controls the demodulation unit to stop the demodulation by the demodulation unit on the basis of subframes or OFDM symbols. The present technique can be applied to a receiver.

In DVB (Digital Video Broadcasting)-T2 that is a broadcast standard, there is a known mechanism of inserting a frame called FEF (Future Extension Frame) into a signal that transmits contents and stopping demodulation in the entire frame in a case where a receiver side determines that the frame is not to be received based on the FEF (for example, see PTL 1).
In contrast with the DVB-T2, a processing unit called subframes is added in ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) 3.0 that is a new broadcast standard, and a mechanism that can transmit contents by providing different robustness to each subframe is adopted (for example, see NPL 1).
Multiplexing and transmitting a plurality of services, such as video, sound, and metadata, are also suggested in the ATSC 3.0 standard. Furthermore, each service is multiplexed and transmitted on the basis of so-called PLP (Physical Layer Pipe) in the ATSC 3.0 standard, and it is also suggested that a receiver requires 4 PLP decoding that can decode PLPs of video, sound, robust sound, and metadata.


A polymer base composite high voltage insulator is described having a monolithic protective coating of a one-part room temperature vulcanizable organopolysiloxane rubber composition obtained by mixing    a) from about 20 to about 60 weight percent of one or more polydiorganosiloxane fluids having a viscosity of from about 10 to about 100,000 centipoise at 25° C.,    b) from 0 to about 40 weight percent of a cyclo-organosiloxane    c) from 0 to about 40 weight percent of an inorganic extending or non-reinforcing filler    d) from about 0.5 to about 15 weight percent of an amorphous SiO2 reinforcing filler having a surface area of between about 100 to 250 m2/g and a particle size range between about 0.01 and 0.03 microns;    e) from about 1 to about 10 weight percent of an oximinosilane cross-linking agent    f) from about 0.2 to about 3 weight percent of an adhesion promoter    g) from about 0.02 to about 3 weight percent of an organotin salt as a condensation catalyst; and    h) from about 20 to about 50 weight percent of alumina trihydrate, the alumina trihydrate having a median particle size of 10 μm to 3 μm, containing 65.1 percent Al2O3, 34.5 percent combined H2O, 0.3 percent Na2O, 0.02 percent CaO, 0.01 percent SiO2 and having a specific gravity of 2.42.

Electrical insulators for high voltage use have traditionally been made of glass or porcelain as these materials are of low cost, high quality electrically and under normal conditions, have a long life in service. However, at higher voltages, the size and weight of glass or porcelain becomes excessive. A number of composite insulators made from lighter weight polymeric materials have been developed for use in such high voltage installations. Such composite insulators generally include a fiberglas rod having a number of weathersheds constructed of a highly insulating polymeric material attached to the rod along its length.
Since the 1970's, advancements in high voltage insulator technology have been made by introducing new, lightweight polymer materials for the manufacture of insulators—replacing the heavier and more brittle porcelain and glass materials conventionally used in the manufacture of insulators. These new polymer materials include Silicone, EPDM, ESP, EPR, Bisphenol Epoxy and Cycloaliphatic Epoxy polymers.
Although they offer the advantages of reduced weight and mechanical flexibility, insulators made from any of these polymers have demonstrated failure and inconsistent performance when subjected to normal field phenomena such as environmental weathering, UV exposure, exposure to industrial pollution, exposure to salt fog and salt spray, electrical tracking, corona discharge and electrical arcing. Unlike this new technology, the older porcelain/glass technology is extremely reliable. Insulators made of porcelain/glass have a minimum lifespan of 35 years compared to inconsistent lifespans of only 2 to 20 years with polymer-based composite insulators.
The primary modes of failure of polymer-based composite insulators are erosion of the polymer material, splitting/cracking of the polymer material and brittle fracture of the supporting fiberglass core (due to the interface of dissimilar materials; polymer and fiberglass). Loss of hydrophobicity is also a common mode of failure, particularly in insulators made of non-silicone polymers. These non-silicone polymer-based composite insulators have thus not gained much acceptance in the market, despite their substantially lower cost compared to silicone polymer-based composite insulators and porcelain/glass insulators.
An insulator such as the suspension insulator in a high voltage power transmission line is designed to keep to a minimum current discharges under normal conditions. However, when the insulator surface becomes contaminated, leakage current can develop along the surface of the insulator. The amount of this leakage current depends upon the voltage stress and the conductivity of the film of contaminant on the surface of the insulator. These leakage currents can incur or cause arcing on the surface of the insulator which can have serious effects upon the composite insulator surface such as the formation of free carbon and non volatile semiconductor materials and may eventually result in a conducting path forming across the surface of the insulator effectively shorting out the insulator.
The outer surface of an electrical insulator is the most important part of the insulator as this is the part of the insulator that is subjected to the effects of electrical voltage stress, leakage currents and weathering. When the surface of a high voltage insulator is exposed to moisture such as rain or fog in combination with contaminated atmospheres as are found in industrial locations may be subject to extensive corrosion unless protected in some way from exposure to the corrosive atmosphere. Other potentially corrosive environments include along sea coasts where salt spray is found and in areas where agricultural chemicals are widely distributed.
The room temperature curable silicone composition of the present invention used to coat the outer surface of insulators provides for improved insulation that is arc resistant, hydrophobic and resistant to the stresses imposed upon outdoor electrical insulator. The composition provides a coating of electrically non conductive material on the surface of the insulator which protects the underlying insulator material.

Coated composite high voltage electrical insulator


A n-type layer, a multiquantum well active layer comprising a plurality of pairs of an InGaN well layer/InGaN barrier layer, and a p-type layer are laminated on a substrate to provide a nitride semiconductor light emitting element. A composition of the InGaN barrier included in the multiquantum well active layer is expressed by InxGa1-xN (0.04≦x≦0.1), and a total thickness of InGaN layers comprising an In composition ratio within a range of 0.04 to 0.1 in the light emitting element including the InGaN barrier layers is not greater than 60 nm.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a nitride semiconductor light emitting element which can function with a lower driving voltage than that of a conventional light emitting element without losing essential functions of the light emitting element.
2. Description of the Related Art
Nowadays, nitride semiconductors such as gallium nitride (GaN), nitriding indium gallium (InGaN), gallium nitride aluminum (AlGaN) come into the limelight as a material for a green-blue-near ultraviolet region light emitting element (LED).
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a conventional nitride semiconductor light emitting element.
A light emitting element 200 comprises a sapphire substrate 201, a low-temperature grown GaN buffer layer 202, an undoped GaN layer 203, a n-GaN layer 204, a pair multiquantum well (MQW) 205 including pairs of InaGa1-aN (well layer)/GaN (barrier layer), a p-Al0.1Ga0.9N layer 206, and a p-GaN layer 207 sequentially grown on the sapphire substrate 201. A surface of the p-GaN layer 207 to a part of the n-GaN layer 204 are etched by a reactive ion etching (RIE) apparatus, and a transparent conductive film 208 (Ni with a thickness of 2 nm/Au with a thickness of 4 nm) is deposited on the surface of the p-GaN layer 207 which is not etched by the RIE. Further, a p-electrode 209 is formed on a region of the p-GaN layer 207 which partially overlaps the transparent conductive film 208, and a n-electrode 210 is formed on the surface of the n-GaN layer 204 which is etched by RIE.
For example, for the case of a blue light emitting element with a peak wavelength of 460 nm, the pair multiquantum well 205 comprising pairs of the InaGa1-aN well layer/GaN barrier layer has an In composition ratio a is 0.15, and is formed at a growth temperature of 780° C. On the other hand, for the case of a green light emitting element with a peak wavelength of 525 nm, the pair multiquantum well 205 comprising pairs of the InaGa1-aN well layer/GaN barrier layer has an In composition ratio a of 0.25 and is formed at a growth temperature of 730° C.
In the conventional blue or green nitride semiconductor light emitting element, it was necessary for applying a voltage not less than 3V to flow an electric current with a current density of 20 A/cm2. This voltage value is the value which is remarkably large in comparison with energy of the emission light (2.7 eV when the peak wavelength of the emission light is 525 nm for the case of the green light emitting element, and 2.36 eV when the peak wavelength of the emission light is assumed 460 nm for the case of the blue light emitting element). Such a difference in energy generates heat inside the semiconductor and raises a temperature in operation of the nitride semiconductor light emitting element, thereby causing fall of output power, fall of lifetime of the light emitting element, degradation of a sealing resin or the like.
The reason of the above effects is assumed as follows. In the conventional nitride semiconductor light emitting element, a GaN layer as shown in FIG. 6 or InGaN including a little of In (In composition ratio is not greater than 3%) is used as a barrier layer of the multiquantum well, so that a bandgap of the barrier layer increases more than 3V, and such a large bandgap disturbs dislocation of carrier in the barrier layer. In accordance with the above, it is assumed that it is effective to reduce the bandgap of the barrier layer, for example, by using the InGaN layer with the In composition ratio of not less than 4% as a barrier layer, so as to reduce a driving voltage of the nitride semiconductor light emitting element. Such a technique is disclosed by Japanese Patent No. 3135041 (JP-B-3135041, Embodiment 2, FIG. 1) and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-76521 (JP-A-2002-76521, FIG. 1).
However, in the light emitting element disclosed by Japanese Patent No.3135041, since an In composition ratio of the barrier layer in the multiquantum well is 20%, lattice mismatch between a n-type GaN layer (a backing layer) and an active layer is increased, so that a new and further lattice defect is introduced into the active layer. As a result, the aforementioned light emitting element may not function as a light emitting element.
In addition, in the light emitting element disclosed by Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.2002-76521, since a light guide layer having a composition same as a barrier layer comprising In0.05Ga0.95N is grown to have a thickness of 200 nm, crystal defect based on lattice mismatch is also introduced. As a result, there is a risk that a light emitting function of the light emitting element may be lost.

Nitride semiconductor light emitting element


Decorative grasses having a texture and/or appearance assimilating the texture and/or appearance of paper are disclosed, as are method for making such decorative grasses from materials wherein at least one surface of the materials is modified to assimilate the texture and/or appearance of paper.

Not applicable.
The present invention relates to polymeric materials having a texture and appearance assimilating paper, and more particularly but not by way of limitation, to preformed, shape-sustaining flower pot covers, flower pot and floral wrappings, ribbon materials and decorative grasses made from such polymeric materials. In one aspect, the present invention relates to methods for producing preformed, shape-sustaining flower pot covers and methods of wrapping floral groupings and flower pots with a sheet of polymeric material having a texture and appearance assimilating paper to provide a decorative cover for such floral groupings and flower pots. In yet another aspect, the present invention relates to methods of producing decorative grasses having a texture and appearance assimilating paper.

Decorative grass formed of polymeric materials having a texture and appearance assimilating paper


A multi-tenant media processing platform system and method. At least a first media analysis service of a plurality of media analysis services is activated for at least a portion of an active communication session of an entity in the platform system. The first activated media analysis service performs a first media analysis on media of the active communication session that is collected by the platform system. The first activated media analysis service performs the first media analysis on the collected media while the communication session is active to generate a first media analysis result. During the active communication session, at least one media analysis result is applied.

There have been many changes in recent years in how people communicate. The rise of mobile devices and VoIP advances have led to numerous services and applications providing news ways for people to communicate. Audio and video processing has similarly seen continued development through the years, bringing several advances as new techniques are discovered and developed. However, it can be challenging from a development standpoint (e.g., technical expertise, time, budget, etc.) to build and maintain a communication service or application that uses advanced media processing techniques. Thus, there is a need in the communication field to create a new and useful system and method for a media intelligence platform. This invention provides such a new and useful system and method.

System and method for a media intelligence platform


Methods and apparatus for providing path planning for a guided munition. In one embodiment, a boundary value problem solver is used to guide the munition from one configuration to another configuration at a different altitude using a waypoint-based search tree where a number of leaves grows linearly with the depth of the tree.

As is known in the art, certain munitions can be guided in flight. Excalibur and Extended Range Guided Munition (ERGM) are examples of munitions that can be redirected in flight. As will be readily appreciated, there are several advantages to firing munitions with this capability. For example, since the munitions do not follow a passive ballistic trajectory, it is not possible for an enemy to determine the position of the launching tube from radar measurements of the munition in flight. In addition, targets at different ranges and azimuths can be engaged without re-positioning the launching tube so as to increase the rate of fire. Further, targets that cannot be engaged with a passive ballistic trajectory due to terrain shadowing can be engaged with maneuverable munitions. Also, munitions in flight can be regarded as fire assets that can be re-directed to destroy high value pop-up targets.
While guided munitions can be quite effective, there are challenges in efficiently generating path planning options for inflight munitions. As is known in the art, path planning under kinematic constraints has been a topic of research in the robotics community. Many of the results obtained for the so-called Dubins car can be applied to loitering weapons, such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). However, there has been little progress in path planning for global positioning satellite (GPS) guided indirect fire weapons, e.g., Excalibur, ERGM, and the NLOS PAM. This class of indirect fire weapons has limited maneuver capability and difficult kinematic constraints compared to loitering weapons.

Methods and apparatus for path planning for guided munitions


A lower electrode of a capacitor element and a wiring are formed in a wiring layer that is one layer below an uppermost wiring layer. Subsequently, after the formation of a capacitance insulating film, a TiN film is formed on the entire surface thereof, and then the TiN film is patterned, thereby forming an upper electrode of a capacitor element and a lead wiring for electrically connecting the upper electrode to a wiring of a third wiring layer. Furthermore, in the uppermost layer, a shield is formed covering the upper portion of the capacitor element.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device having a MIM (Metal Insulator Metal) capacitor element suitable for an analog circuit and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
C-MOS type semiconductor devices (integrated circuit), in which a capacitor element used for an analog circuit is formed on a semiconductor substrate, have been developed. Among these semiconductor devices, each of which has a S/H (Sample/Hold) circuit connected to a D/A (digital/analog) converter and an A/D (analog/digital) converter, are required to retain charges in the capacitor element precisely.
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing an example of the S/H circuit. The S/H circuit comprises a switching element 2, a capacitor element 3 and a buffer circuit 4. In addition, an input terminal 1 receives an analog signal, and an A/D converter (not shown) is connected to an output terminal 5.
The switching element 2 receives a clock signal, and the switching element 2 is rendered to be ON when the clock signal is high (H) in level, thus charging the capacitor element 3 with charges in accordance with a voltage of the analog signal. When the clock signal becomes low (L) in level, the switching element 2 is rendered to be OFF. Thus, the capacitor element 3 retains the charges charged therein. The buffer circuit 4 supplies to the A/D converter the voltage in accordance with the charges charged in the capacitor element 3. Thus, a digital signal in accordance with the voltage of the analog signal is output from the A/D converter.
As the capacitor element formed in the C-MOS type semiconductor device, enumerated are (1) one having the same structure as that of a MOS transistor, that is, one constituting a capacitor by a polysilicon gate and a semiconductor substrate, (2) one constituted by a pair of polysilicon films laminated on a semiconductor substrate so as to sandwich an insulating film therebetween, which is so-called a double polysilicon capacitor element, and (3) one constituted by a pair of metallic films laminated on a semiconductor substrate so as to sandwich an insulating film therebetween, which is so-called a MIM capacitor element.
Incidentally, since polysilicon offers a relatively high resistivity, use of the polysilicon for one or both of electrodes of the capacitor elements means that a resistor element is in series connected to the capacitor element. Accordingly, the capacitor element using the polysilicon is not suitable for the S/H circuit which is required to operate at a high speed. Moreover, since the polysilicon is a semiconductor, the capacitor element using the polysilicon has also a drawback that a thickness of a depletion layer changes in response to a voltage applied between the electrodes, leading to a change of a capacitance value thereof.
Contrary to this, the MIM capacitor element has an advantage that both of electrodes thereof are made of a metallic film and show low resistivity and a capacitance value does not change by a voltage applied.
FIG. 2 is a section view showing an example of a conventional semiconductor device comprising the MIM capacitor element.
Element isolation regions 11 which partition a semiconductor substrate 10 into a plurality of element regions are provided on the semiconductor substrate 10. In each of the element regions partitioned by the element isolation region 11, a pair of impurity diffusion regions 12 that are source/drain of the MOS transistor are formed in a state where they are separated from each other. A gate 13 is formed above a region between the pair of impurity diffusion regions 12 so as to interpose an insulating film (gate insulating film) therebetween.
Four wiring layers are provided above the semiconductor substrate 10. Herein, the four wiring layers indicate a first wiring layer (lowermost layer) 15, a second wiring layer 17, a third wiring layer 19 and a fourth wiring layer (uppermost layer) 23, respectively, in the order of closeness to the semiconductor substrate 10. Interlayer insulating films 25a, 25b, 25c and 25d are formed between the semiconductor substrate 10 and the first wiring layer 15, the first wiring layer 15 and the second wiring layer 17, the second wiring layer 17 and the third wiring layer 19, and the third wiring layer 19 and the fourth wiring layer 23, respectively. A predetermined pattern wiring is formed in each of the wiring layers 15, 17, 19 and 23 respectively.
In the example shown in FIG. 2, one of the impurity diffusion regions 12 of the MOS transistor is connected to a wiring 15a of the first wiring layer 15 via a via 14a, and the gate 13 is connected to a wiring 15b of the first wiring layer 15 via a via 14b. Furthermore, the wiring 15a is connected to a wiring 17a of the second wiring layer 17 via a via 16a, and the wiring 15b is connected to a wiring 17b of the second wiring layer 17 via a via 16b. Still furthermore, the wiring 17a is via a via 18a connected to a lower electrode 19a of a capacitor element 24 formed in the third wiring layer 19, and the wiring 17b is connected to the wiring 19b of the third wiring layer 19 via a via 18b.
A capacitance insulating film 20 is formed on the lower electrode 19a, and an upper electrode 21 is formed on the capacitance insulating film 20.
In the fourth wiring layer 23, formed are a shield 23a covering the upper portion of the capacitor element 24 and a lead wiring 23b connected to the upper electrode 21 and the wiring 19b respectively via the vias 22a and 22b.
A passivation film (not shown) made of polyimide or the like is formed on the fourth wiring layer 23. The semiconductor substrate 10 in which these wiring layers 15, 17, 19 and 23 and the passivation film are formed is sealed in a package (not shown) made of resin or the like.
Although the lower electrode of the MIM capacitor element is usually formed simultaneously with formation of the wiring in the wiring layer, the capacitor insulating film and the upper electrode must be formed independently from the wiring layer and the interlayer insulating film. Accordingly, if the lower electrode of the MIM capacitor element is formed by use of the wiring layer, for example, the first wiring layer, which is close to the semiconductor substrate, a large step difference (unevenness) is produced between a formation region of the MIM capacitor element and a region around the formation region, and it is difficult to form a minute wiring above the MIM capacitor element.
Therefore, as described above, the lower electrode of the MIM capacitor element is formed in the wiring layer immediately under the uppermost layer, and the shield covering above the MIM capacitor element is formed in the uppermost layer. In this case, though it becomes difficult to form a micro pattern in the uppermost layer, a demand for the micro pattern in the uppermost layer is generally not strict, and hence it is allowed in many cases.
The inventors of this application consider that the foregoing conventional semiconductor device has the problems described below. Specifically, though the shield 23a is formed above the MIM capacitor element in the foregoing conventional semiconductor device, the lead wiring 23b connecting the upper electrode 21 and the MOS transistor (gate 13) electrically is formed in the fourth wiring layer (uppermost layer) 23. Accordingly, parasitic capacitance is generated between the upper electrode 21 and a conductor outside the package. Then, when the package is being touched or when a radiator is being attached thereto, the value of the parasitic capacitance increases.
For example, when the capacitance insulating film is 50 nm thick, the package is made of plastic and is 0.5 mm thick, the dielectric constant of the capacitance insulating film and the plastic of the package is equivalent, there is no shield on top of the capacitor element, and a conductor of a radiator or the like is placed on the package, then the size of the parasitic capacitance becomes about 1/10000 compared to the value of the MIM capacitor element. This indicates a possibility that about 1/10000 of an external signal of the package is being induced as noises to the signal wiring. If the amplitude of the external signal of the package is equivalent to the amplitude of an internal signal, then the accuracy of the circuit deteriorates to about 13 bit (213=8192).
Signals in a digital audio of a CD (compact disk), etc. are being processed at a accuracy of 16 bits or more at present. Hence, a capacitor element having the above-mentioned accuracy (an accuracy in which parasitic capacitance becomes about 1/10000 to the capacity of the original MIM capacitor element) is insufficient, and therefore a capacitor element having higher accuracy is in demand.

Semiconductor device and method of manufacturing the same


A four-stroke internal combustion engine is provided that is capable of use in many power tools, including those power tools subjected to tippable applications. The engine includes an oil reservoir and a crank chamber separated by a divider. The divider includes a slot that allows lubricant to move from the oil reservoir into the crank chamber and from the crank chamber into the oil reservoir in response to pressure fluctuations of the engine. The engine can include an insert positioned within the slot to at least partially restrict the slot thereby modifying the lubricant communication between the crank chamber and the oil reservoir through the slot. The insert can be wedge-shaped and at least partially define a passage such that when the insert is positioned within the slot the transfer of lubricant between the crank chamber and the oil reservoir occurs through the passage.

Many hand-held power tools or other outdoor power equipment are powered by electric motors or two-stroke internal combustion engines. Electric motors are limited to certain applications due to the available power for products utilizing a cord, and battery longevity for cordless products. Conventional two-stroke engines include a lubricating means in which the lubricant is mixed with fuel which allows the engines to operate in any given position such as upright, inclined, sideways or upside down. For example, when using a chain saw, the chain saw is typically capable of use in either an upright, sideways or upside down condition. Over the past few years, there has been a requirement by various governing bodies to reduce the emissions associated with all small gas engines, particularly, conventional two-stroke engines. Thus, because four-stroke engines do not require the mixing of lubricant and fuel, it is desirable to use four-stroke engines in place of conventional two-stroke engines, since four-stroke engines normally release fewer undesirable emissions as compared to the amount of undesirable emissions released by conventional two-stroke engines.
However, previously, it was widely viewed that four-stroke internal combustion engines could only be used for limited applications, such as lawn mowers, snowblowers, generators, or other portable products having wheels. It was thought that these prior four-stroke engines were too heavy and cumbersome to be used in operator-carried power tools. Moreover, since it is generally necessary to store oil separate from the gas so that the oil can be used for lubrication, traditional low-cost four-stroke engines were not designed to operate in any position other than a substantially upright position because if the engine was significantly tipped or tilted, the lubricant would foul the engine. Only very recently has it been contemplated that a four-stroke engine may be used in a hand-held power tool or in other applications where the engine may operate in a tipped or tilted condition.