A mask system is provided to fit pre-adult patients, or patients having facial features that are very small or child-like, e.g., patients having dimensions in the lower 5%-10% of the population. For example, the headgear and/or cushion are dimensioned to accommodate this range of patients.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a nasal mask assembly for use with non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) applied to small adults or pre-adults with sleep disordered breathing (SDB).
2. Description of Related Art
Sleep-disordered breathing is a general term for a sleep disorder with apneas and hypopneas. Apneas are generally taken to be a cessation of airflow for ten seconds or longer. Hypopnea are generally taken to be a 50% or greater decrease in air flow for ten seconds or longer. Both apneas and hypopneas cause sleep arousals—moments when an individual wakes enough to resume breathing but not enough to remember any interruption of sleep. Some arousals simply cause the sleeper to shift into a lighter stage of sleep. In either case, the arousal lessens the quality of sleep. Apneas and hypopneas may cause blood oxygen levels to drop. Apneas and hypopneas result from upper airway obstruction, either full or partial, or a dysfunction of the body's automatic drive to breathe.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a common disorder. Estimates for the number of Americans with OSA vary depending on the criteria researchers use for the study. Conservative estimates, however, put the number of adult Americans with OSA at approximately 20 million. OSA occurs because of upper airway obstructions that can cause you to snore or to stop breathing. Obstructions occur during sleep for two primary reasons: lack of muscle tone and/or gravity. Excess tissue in the upper airway and anatomic abnormalities compound these factors. During sleep, especially in REM sleep, our bodies relax, and muscle tissues like the tongue and soft palate lose their slight rigidity. Because we tend to sleep lying down, gravity pulls these tissues toward the back of the throat and closes the upper airway.
The use of nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (nasal CPAP) to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was taught by Sullivan in U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,310. Today apparatus for OSA typically comprises (i) a blower which provides a supply of air or breathable gas at positive pressure, (ii) an air delivery conduit connected to the blower, and (iii) a patient interface, such as a nasal mask, which is connected to the air delivery conduit.
A variety of nasal masks have been developed. One such mask is the MIRAGE® mask, manufactured by ResMed Limited and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,112,746; 6,357,441; 6,119,693 and 6,463,931, amongst others. Another such mask is the ULTRA MIRAGE® mask, also manufactured by ResMed Limited. The ULTRA MIRAGE® mask is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,112,746, 6,357,441, 6,374,826, 6,412,487, 6,439,230 and 6,463,931.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, in a Technical Report on the Diagnosis and Management of Childhood Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) (PEDIATRICS Vol. 109 No. 4 April 2002.) noted that "Snoring is a common occurrence in childhood, with reported prevalence between 3.2% and 12.1%. The prevalence of childhood OSAS is difficult to estimate, largely because published studies use different PSG criteria for its ascertainment. Reports range from 0.7% to 10.3%."
A key factor in the efficacy of therapy and compliance of patients with therapy is the comfort and fit of masks. Whilst there are a large number of masks designed for adults, there are relatively few designed to suit children.
One mask designed for children is the SULLIVAN® Nasal CPAP system, Infant Nasal Bubble Mask System with Sensor tubing, manufactured by ResMed Limited. See FIG. 1. In addition, Respironics Inc. manufactures a "Comfort Flap Small Child" product.
Other infant masks are shown in the following patents: FR 2775905; GB 2277688; US 2002/0104531; U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,827,433; 4,232,476; 4,406,283; 4,774,946; 4,896,666; 4,832,015; 5,271,391; 5,318,590; 5,462,050; 5,509,408; 5,535,741; 5,813,423; 5,660,174; 6,418,929; WO 01/32250; WO 02/05883; WO 95/09023
One adult mask is the VISTA™ mask, manufactured by ResMed Limited, and described in Australian Provisional Patent Application PS1926, filed 23 Apr. 2002; U.S. 60/377,254 filed 03 May 2002; U.S. 60/397,195 filed 22 Jul. 2002; U.S. 60/402,509 filed 12 Aug. 2002; and U.S. Ser. No. 10/391,440, 10/390,682, 10/390,681, 10/390,720 and 10/390,826, all filed 19 Mar. 2003, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by cross-reference. An ornamental design applied to the VISTA™ mask is shown in design patent application US Des 29/166,190, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The VISTA™ mask includes a cushion, a frame, an elbow and headgear including a yoke.
While the VISTA™ mask is particularly suitable for adults, the problem arises as to how such an adult mask can be adapted to suit children.
International Patent Application WO2001/32250 (Sullivan & Wilkie) describes a mask for supplying gas under pressure to the nasal airway of an infant human. In that application, the following is stated:
" . . . until now, infant masks have been developed on the basis of scaling down the adult mask to approximate to the infantface and nose. The problems with this scaling down process are threefold.
    First, the adult nose and middle third of the face is very different in shape from that of the infant. The adult nose is more elongated than, and protrudes far more from the surface of the face compared to the infant nose which is relatively flat with no bridge, with the nares (nostril passages) pointing outwards. Therefore in order to fit the adult nose the base of the mask has a triangular shape elongated in the vertical axis. In contrast, with an infant, the width at the base of the nose approximates the height from the base of the nose (nares) to the apex of the nose (nasion). The proportional shape of the nasal area of an adult is rectangular compared with a square proportional shape for an infant. In addition to this basic difference in proportional shape, the adult face has quite marked contours especially around the nose and cheek area which are absent in the infant. The adult mask must therefore have acute angles which accommodate these facial contours. Thus, when an adult mask is scaled down for an infant, not only are the proportions wrong for the infant nose and face, but the angles which are unnecessarily incorporated, inadvertently introduce a new problem. Because the infant has a relatively flat nose, and virtually no bridge, the angles promote formation of channels in the sealing margin of the mask, especially in the region of the nasal bridge.    Secondly in adult mask designs, the straps of the head harness connect with lugs on the rigid manifold in the order of 20 mm away from the surface of the face to allow the mask to accommodate the height of the adult nose. Because of this a potential fulcrum effect is created. In the adult this fulcrum effect is not as problematic as in the infant, not only because the adult is less mobile during sleep . . . but also because the contours of the adult face and cheeks can offset this rise. In the infant, when the mask used is merely a scaled down adult mask, the elevation of the straps lugs above the face is about 12 mm. This by itself creates a potential fulcrum as it does on the adult but the effect is enhanced by the fact that there is no offset from the infant cheek due to the smaller facial area. Consequently, the straps holding the mask in place come into contact with the side of the face in the infant, compared to the cheek in the adult.    Thirdly, because the attachment of the paediatric mask to the face and head mimics that of the adult mask, the torsional forces are increased. The greater torsional effect is due to the decreased surface area of the mask face contact relative to the air delivery pipe. Thus relatively minor movements can result in sufficient torsional forces to cause movement at the interface between the mask and the infants face."


Systems and methods are provided for generating a design for a gliding board. The methods involve operating a processor to: define a desired carved turn of the gliding board; define a desired global curvature profile; generate a desired deformed shape of the gliding board during the desired carved turn; generate a sidecut profile of the gliding board; generate a width profile of the gliding board; generate a camber profile of the gliding board; generate at least one stiffness design variable profile; generate a total load profile; modify at least the width profile, the sidecut profile and at least one of the at least one stiffness design variable profile at least once; and define the design for the gliding board based at least on the width profile, the camber profile, and the at least one stiffness design variable profile.

Skiing is an activity that has broad appeal. Skis have been developed for use in a variety of skiing activities. Examples include downhill skis and cross-country skis.
Generally, athletes use skis which have been roughly sized and configured according to the environment and conditions in which those skis are to be used. For example, a larger athlete will typically use larger skis than will a smaller athlete.
However, although skis customized for the athlete and conditions offer many performance benefits, many athletes continue to use skis which are, at best, roughly chosen to correspond to conditions of use.
In the context of alpine (downhill) skiing, a carved turn can be characterized as a turn that is executed in a manner that minimizes the quantity of snow that is displaced from its resting position on the ground, thus minimizing the drag (snow resistance) that is imposed upon the ski during the turn. The term "carving" is often used in reference to the act of carrying out carved turns while skiing.
A broad variety of alpine skiing activities exist, and a correspondingly broad variety of alpine skis has been developed in order to accommodate each type of alpine skiing activity. For example, athletes wishing to ski on freshly fallen unprepared virgin snow (powder snow) would likely choose to use skis that are relatively wide, thus offering a large total surface area that would help the skis to float near the surface of the snow. Conversely, athletes wishing to ski on prepared pistes comprising smooth surfaces of firm snow (groomed trails or race courses) would likely choose to use skis that are relatively narrow, and feature precisely engineered flexural stiffness profiles that help to maximize the engagement of the edges of the skis with the snow, thus maximizing grip and minimizing drag during carved turns.
When a ski interacts with a soft substrate (such as a thick layer of powder snow), any small discrepancies in the deflected shape of the ski would have a relatively minute influence upon the overall snow pressure distribution that acts upon the base surface of the ski. Conversely, when a ski interacts with a firm substrate (such as a groomed alpine trail), any small discrepancies in the deflected shape of the ski could have a marked influence upon the snow pressure distribution that acts upon the base surface of the ski. Consequently, alpine skis that are intended for on-piste carving are particularly sensitive to the relationship that exists between the various geometric and mechanical specifications of the ski design, as well as the precision and accuracy with which said skis were manufactured.
Existing approaches to ski design attempt to account for the complex geometric and mechanical aspects of skis, and the interaction between those skis and various types of snow conditions, largely based on design experience and/or engineering judgement, and often in the context of extremely simplified models of the skis and snow. There exists a need for an automated approach to alpine ski design that integrates a comprehensive model of the skis and the snow on which they will be used.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Systems and methods for generating a design for a gliding board


A method of hindering optical detection of a pattern of data being stored, moved or processed by at least one active circuit in an integrated circuit, the active circuit including at least first and second active devices that change state within a period of time, such that each device exhibits low resistance in one state and high resistance in another state, the method comprising controlling timing of the change of state of the first active device relative to the second active device so as to prevent the devices having simultaneous intermediate resistances between the low and high resistances, thereby to reduce optical emission by the at least one active circuit compared to causing the changes of state of the two devices to happen simultaneously.

In integrated circuits, and CMOS circuits in particular, changes in state of a device such as an inverter can cause emission of light, such as infrared light. Whilst relatively low in power, such emissions can be detected, particularly if integrated over time while the circuit is in operation. Given sensitive enough equipment and enough time, it may be possible to determine sufficient information about the operating parameters of the integrated circuit to compromise information that it stores or processes.
It would be desirable to provide an integrated circuit with a mechanism for hindering optical detection of a pattern of light emitted by one or more active devices in an integrated circuit.

Method and apparatus for reducing optical emissions in an integrated circuit


A system for communicating high voltages for a semiconductor device is provided. One system includes a controller having an input pad and an output pad, each of the input pad and the output pad being coupled to a respective high voltage switch of the controller. The system also includes a plurality of semiconductor chips, where each of the plurality of semiconductor chips has at least one input pad coupled to a high voltage switch of a respective semiconductor chip. A high voltage that is higher than normal operation voltages of the semiconductor device is coupled from the input pad of the controller to the output pad of the controller via the coupled high voltage switches of the controller. The high voltage is further coupled from the output pad of the controller to the at least one input pad of the respective semiconductor chip via the high voltage switch coupled to the at least one input pad of the respective semiconductor chip. Methods for operating and providing high voltage inputs to one or more semiconductor devices are also provided.

After a plurality of semiconductor chips have been packaged into a device, any voltages applied to the packaged device, including any test voltages, are limited by the normal operation voltage ranges of the device controller that resides inside the packaged device. However, in order to perform semiconductor chip characterization, such as stress tests, a voltage that is higher than the normal operation voltage ranges of the device controller is needed. However, applying such higher test voltages may damage the device or device controller.
Thus, the danger for damage to a device, once packaged, places undue limits on testing. And, if limits of a packaged device are not fully tested, failures may not be discovered until products embodying such devices fail for customers.
It is within this context that the present invention arises.

Systems and methods for operating high voltage switches


An organic electroluminescent light emitting unit driving method includes a process (a) to execute preprocessing, a process (b) to execute threshold voltage cancellation processing, a process (c) to execute writing processing, a process (d) to set a first node to a floating state, and a process (e) to execute a series of processes at least once wherein after driving an organic electroluminescent light emitting unit, a reverse voltage is applied between the anode and cathode electrodes of the organic electroluminescent light emitting unit, with a series of processes (a) through (e) being repeated, with an auxiliary driving process being provided wherein a forward voltage is applied between the anode and cathode electrodes of the organic electroluminescent light emitting unit over a certain period, and with a period between the termination of the auxiliary driving process and the termination of the next process (b) being suppressed to 1 millisecond or less.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an organic electroluminescent light emitting unit driving method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, there have been display elements including a light emitting unit, and display apparatuses including such a display element. For example, display elements including an organic electroluminescent light emitting unit which takes advantage of the electroluminescence of an organic material (hereafter, simply abbreviated to "organic EL display element" in some cases) have attracted attention as display elements capable of bright luminescence according to low-voltage DC driving.
In the same way as liquid crystal display apparatuses, for example, with display apparatuses including an organic EL display element (hereafter, simply abbreviated to "organic EL display apparatus" in some cases) as well, the simple matrix method and the active matrix method have been widely applied. The active matrix method has a shortcoming in that the configuration becomes complicated, but has an advantage in that the brightness of an image can be improved, or the like. The organic EL display elements driven by the active matrix method include not only a light emitting unit configured of an organic layer or the like including a light emitting layer but also a driving circuit used for driving the light emitting unit.
Driving circuits configured of two transistors and one capacitor unit (referred to as "2Tr/1C driving circuit") have been widely used as a circuit used for driving an organic electroluminescent light emitting unit (hereafter, simply abbreviated to "light emitting unit" in some cases), for example, according to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-310311. This 2Tr/1C driving circuit is, as shown in FIG. 2, configured of two transistors of a writing transistor TRW, and a driving transistor TRD, and further, configured of a single capacitor unit C1. Here, the other source/drain region of the driving transistor TRD makes up a second node ND2, and the gate electrode of the driving transistor TRD makes up a first node ND1.
As shown in the timing chart in FIG. 5, preprocessing used for threshold voltage cancellation processing is executed at period TP(2)1. That is to say, a first node initializing voltage VOfs (e.g., 0 volt) is applied to the first node ND1 from a data line DTL via the writing transistor TRW which has been set to an on state by a signal from a scanning line SCL. Thus, the potential of the first node ND1 becomes VOfs. Also, a second node initializing voltage VCC-L (e.g., −10 volts) is applied to the second node ND2 from a power supply unit 100 via the driving transistor TRD. Thus, the potential of the second node ND2 becomes VCC-L. The threshold voltage of the driving transistor TRD is represented with Vth (e.g., 3 volts). The potential difference between the gate electrode and the other source/drain region (hereafter, referred to as "source region" in some cases) of the driving transistor TRD becomes Vth or more, and the driving transistor TRD goes to an on state.
Next, the threshold voltage cancellation processing is executed at period TP(2)2. Specifically, while the on state of the writing transistor TRW is maintained, the voltage of the power supply unit 100 is switched from the second node initializing voltage VCC-L to a driving voltage VCC-H (e.g., 20 volts). As a result thereof, the potential of the second node ND2 is changed toward a potential obtained by subtracting the threshold voltage Vth of the driving transistor TRD from the potential of the first node ND1. That is to say, the potential of the second node ND2 in a floating state increases. Subsequently, upon the potential difference between the gate electrode and the source region of the driving transistor TRD reaching Vth, the driving transistor TRD goes to an off state. In this state, the potential of the second node ND2 becomes approximately (VOfs−Vth).
Subsequently, the writing transistor TRW is set to an off state at period TP(2)3. Subsequently, the voltage of a data line DTL is set to a voltage equivalent to a video signal [video signal (driving signal, brightness signal) VSig—m used for controlling brightness at a light emitting unit ELP].
Next, writing processing is executed at period TP(2)4. Specifically, a scanning line SCL is set to a high level, thereby setting the writing transistor TRW to an on state. As a result thereof, the potential of the first node ND1 increases to the video signal VSig—m.
Now, let us say that the value of the capacitor unit C1 is set to a value c1, the value of the capacitance CEL of the light emitting unit ELP is set to a value CEL, and the value of parasitic capacitance between the gate electrode and the other source/drain region of the driving transistor TRD is set to cgs. When the potential of the gate electrode of the driving transistor TRD is changed from VOfs to VSig—m (>VOfs), the potentials of both ends of the capacitor unit C1 (in other words, the potentials of the first node ND1 and second node ND2) are changed as a general rule. Specifically, charge based on the amount of change (VSig—m−VOfs) in the potential of the gate electrode of the driving transistor TRD (i.e., the potential of the first node ND1) is distributed to the capacitor unit C1, the capacitance CEL of the light emitting unit ELP, and the parasitic capacitance between the gate electrode and the other source/drain region of the driving transistor TRD. Therefore, in the case that the value cEL is a sufficiently great value as compared to the values c1 and cgs, the change in the potential of the other source/drain region (second node ND2) of the driving transistor TRD based on the amount of change (VSig—m−VOfs) in the potential of the gate electrode of the driving transistor TRD is small. In general, the value cEL of the capacitance CEL of the light emitting unit ELP is greater than the value c1 of the capacitor unit C1, and the value cgs of the parasitic capacitance of the driving transistor TRD. Therefore, description will be made without considering the change in the potential of the second node ND2 caused due to change in the potential of the first node ND1 for the sake of explanatory convenience. Note that the driving timing chart shown in FIG. 5 is illustrated without considering the change in the potential of the second node ND2 caused due to change in the potential of the first node ND1.
With the above operation, the video signal VSig—m is applied to the gate electrode of the driving transistor TRD in a state in which the voltage VCC-H is applied to one of the source/drain regions of the driving transistor TRD from the power supply unit 100. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the potential of the second node ND2 increases at period TP(2)4. The increase amount ΔV (potential corrected value) of this potential will be described later. When assuming that the potential of the gate electrode (first node ND1) of the driving transistor TRD is Vg, and the potential of the other source/drain region (second node ND2) is Vs, in the case that the increase amount ΔV of the potential of the second node ND2 is not taken into consideration, the value of the Vg and the value of the Vs are as follows. The potential difference between the first node ND1 and second node ND2, i.e., difference value Vgs between the gate electrode and the other source/drain region serving as a source region of the driving transistor TRD, can be represented with the following Expression (A).Vg=VSig—m Vs=VOfs−Vth Vgs≅VSig—m−(VOfs−Vth)  (A)
That is to say, the Vgs obtained at the writing processing as to the driving transistor TRD depends on only the video signal VSig—m used for controlling the brightness of the light emitting unit ELP, the threshold voltage Vth of the driving transistor TRD, and the voltage VOfs used for initializing the potential of the gate electrode of the driving transistor TRD, but is not linked to the threshold voltage Vth-EL of the light emitting unit ELP.
Next, mobility correction processing will be described briefly. With the above operation, mobility correction processing is executed along with the writing processing, wherein the potential of the other source/drain region of the driving transistor TRD (i.e., the size of mobility or the like) is changed according to the property of the driving transistor TRD (e.g., the potential of the second node ND2).
As described above, the video signal VSig—m is applied to the gate electrode of the driving transistor TRD in a state in which the voltage VCC-H is applied to one of the source/drain regions of the driving transistor TRD from the power supply unit 100. Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the potential of second node ND2 increases at period TP(2)4. As a result thereof, in the case that the value of the mobility μ of the driving transistor TRD is great, the increase amount ΔV (potential corrected value) of the potential at the source region of the driving transistor TRD increases, and in the case that the value of the mobility μ of the driving transistor TRD is small, the increase amount ΔV (potential corrected value) of the potential at the source region of the driving transistor TRD decreases. The potential difference Vgs between the gate electrode and the source region of the driving transistor TRD is obtained by Expression (A) being changed to the following Expression (B). Note that the entire time (t0) of period TP(2)4 should be determined as a design value beforehand at the time of design of an organic EL display apparatus.Vgs≅VSig—m−(VOfs−Vth)−ΔV  (B)
The threshold voltage cancellation processing, writing processing, and mobility correction processing are completed according to the above operations. Subsequently, at the commencement of the subsequent period TP(2)5, the writing transistor TRW is set to an off state by a signal from a scanning line SCL, thereby setting the first node ND1 to a floating state. One of the source/drain regions (hereafter, referred to as "drain region" as appropriate) of the driving transistor TRD is in a state in which the voltage VCC-H is applied thereto from the power supply unit 100. Therefore, as a result of the above-described, the potential of the second node ND2 increases, and the same phenomenon as with a so-called bootstrap circuit is generated at the gate electrode of the driving transistor TRD, and accordingly, the potential of the first node ND1 also increases. The potential difference Vgs between the gate electrode and the source region of the driving transistor TRD holds the value of Expression (B). Also, a current flowing into the light emitting unit ELP is a drain current Ids that flows from the source region to the drain region, of the driving transistor TRD. If we say that the driving transistor TRD operates ideally at a saturation region, the drain current Ids can be represented with the following Expression (C). The light emitting unit ELP emits light with the brightness corresponding to the value of the drain current Ids. Note that a coefficient k will be described later.
                                                        Ids              =                                                          k                ·                μ                ·                                                      (                                                                  V                        gs                                            -                                              V                        th                                                              )                                    2                                                                                =                                                          k                ·                μ                ·                                                      (                                                                  V                                                  Sig                                                                                _                                                                                m                                                                    -                                              V                        Ofs                                            -                                              Δ                                                                                V                                                              )                                    2                                                                                (        C        )
Next, let us say that the period TP(2)5 shown in FIG. 5 is set as an emitting period, and between the commencement of the period TP(2)6′ and the next emitting period is set as a non-emitting period. Such a non-emitting period is provided, whereby afterimage blurring due to active matrix driving is reduced, and moving image quality can further be improved.
The operation of the 2Tr/1C driving circuit of which the overview has been described above will also be described later in detail.

Organic electroluminescent light emitting unit driving method for controlling brightness uniformity


A generic adaptor for converting from a sequential iterator to a parallel iterator is provided for the parallelization of sequential algorithms. The parallel algorithm implementation of a sequential algorithm is provided by the use of a template function with one template parameter in addition to those parameters of the corresponding sequential algorithm. This additional parameter is a strategy object which is an instance of a strategy class. In the body of the parallel algorithm, the strategy object is used to convert each sequential iterator to a plurality of per-thread parallel iterators. Each per-thread parallel iterator traverses those portions of a container for which the thread corresponding to this per-thread parallel iterator is responsible. When each thread has computed a partial result, the results are composed through a reduction operation if the partial results are an associative or commutative operation for a particular work distribution. A strategy class is conceptually an iterator adaptor which provides an operator that converts a sequential iterator to a plurality of per-thread parallel iterators. For instance, given two sequential iterators `first` and `last` corresponding to the beginning and end of a container sequence, a block strategy class may provide N pairs of per-thread parallel iterators, begin.sub.i and end.sub.i, such that each of the N threads may process one of N blocks of data between `first` and `last`. Similarly, a cyclic strategy class may provide N per-thread parallel iterators that hop over an iteration space of a container by lengths of N where N is the number of threads participating.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the fields of generic programming and parallel programming, and more particularly to a generic adaptor for converting from a sequential iterator to a parallel iterator.
2. Description of the Related Art
Parallel programming or parallel processing is a method of processing that executes on a computer containing two or more processors running simultaneously. A primary objective of parallel processing is dividing a task so that it may be distributed among the available processors.
Object oriented programming languages such as C and C++ support arrays which are contiguous address spaces, and pointers that may be used to traverse these arrays. An iterator is a generalization of a pointer that allows a programmer to work with different data structures or containers in a uniform manner. Generic programming, such as the Standard Template Library or STIL, may provide iterators that are objects with operators that allow traversal of the data structures they point to and also operators that allow accessing the content at the current position pointed to by the iterator. STL defines different iterator categories such as input, output, forward, backward, and random access. This categorization is based on iterator properties such as direction of traversal, quantum of traversal, readability, or writability into the data structures to which an iterator points. An STL iterator is inherently sequential in nature because each iterator defines a single cursor of traversal and update. This sequential single cursor iterator is inadequate for the non-sequential multi-task needs of parallel programming.
HPC++ is a C++ library and language extension framework for parallel programming. HPC++ extends iterators for use in parallel programming in distributed address spaces. HPC++ provides distributed containers which are template data structures distributed over multiple computer address spaces. These distributed containers provide iterators that allow the traversal of the entire range of a distributed container across different address spaces. For each address space, HPC++ adaptor functions may return local iterators which mark the range of a portion of the distributed container within the local address space. Thus HPC++ parallel iterators are based on distributed address spaces for different data distributions of distributed containers. However, HPC++ parallel iterators fail to provide support based on task distribution. HPC++parallel iterators also fail to provide different parallel algorithm implementations for different task or data distributions for supporting needs of correctness or efficiency.
Although HPC++ fails to provide task distribution strategies, there are other parallel programming libraries which provide task distribution strategies. However, these parallel programming libraries fail to provide generic parallel task distribution strategies.
In providing parallel implementations of algorithms, conventional systems have failed to recognize the benefits of designing an implementations in such a way that different strategies of work distribution may be made a part of the algorithm implementation. In sequential programming, the conventional STL system reduces N*M*K possible implementations for N data types, M containers, and K algorithms to possibly N+M+K implementations. However, conventional parallel programming has failed to recognize that if there are P strategies of work distribution for N data types, M containers, and K algorithms, that the N*M*K*P possible parallel implementations may be reduced to N+M+K+P implementations.
Despite the above developments and benefits of both parallel programming and generic programming, both have failed to recognize the need for or provide a solution of a generic abstraction which may convert a sequential iterator to a parallel iterator with a parallel work distribution strategy to further the reuse of sequential algorithms in corresponding parallel implementations. As such, there is a need for a method of, apparatus for, and article of manufacture for providing a generic adaptor for converting from a sequential iterator to a parallel iterator with a parallel work distribution strategy.

Method of, system for, and article of manufacture for providing a generic adaptor for converting from a sequential iterator to a pre-thread parallel iterator

International Business Machines Corporation


The present invention provides a liquid seasoning, which brings on a sufficient salty taste although it has a low sodium concentration, and which exhibits for example a pharmacological effect such as an antihypertensive effect at a high level. The present invention relates to a liquid seasoning, which contains the following components (A) to (D):                (A) 3.55% or less by weight of sodium;        (B) 0.5% to 4.2% by weight of potassium;        (C) more than 2% by weight of an acidic amino acid and/or more than 1% by weight of a basic amino acid; and        (D) 0.05% to 10% by weight of a food material having an antihypertensive effect.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid seasoning.
2. Background of the Invention
Nowadays, interest in physiological functions of various components contained in food products is increasing. The Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare in Japan routinely grants permission for food products containing components associated with such physiological functions or biological activities as Food for Specified Health Use (FOSHU). Such food products have been commercialized in the form of a beverage, yogurt, soup, miso soup, a prepared food product such as hamburger steak, a tablet-form confectionery, a tablet or the like. It has been recommended that these food products be ingested once or twice a day.
Various materials have been proposed as materials having physiologically active functions. An example is a food material having an antihypertensive effect. Among others, peptide, γ-aminobutyric acid, chlorogenic acid, or the like are present as substances that are contained in food products and are highly safe. Thus, techniques of increasing the contents of such substances in food products or adding such substances to food products have been proposed (JP-A-2004-147560, JP-A-2003-169659, JP-A-2001-352940, JP-A-07-227245).
Based on the view that common salts have adverse effects on renal diseases, cardiac diseases, and hypertension, it has been proposed to add a food material having an antihypertensive effect to food products containing a high content of common salts. There have been a large number of techniques regarding the combined use of such a food material having an antihypertensive effect with soy sauce as a representative example of the aforementioned food products (JP-A-2004-290129, JP-A-2004-187501, JP-A-2002-360289, JP-A-2002-300862, JP-A-2004-194515). In order to ingest an effective amount of such food material, it is necessary to ingest a large amount of the food product. However, such ingestion amounts to ingestion of large quantities of salts. This leads to an unfavorable consequence because the ingesting effect of said food material is decreased. Furthermore, the addition of a large amount of the aforementioned food material may affect the flavor of the food product.

Low sodium liquid seasoning with anti-hypertensive activity


A method and system for correlating messages within a wireless transaction, each of the messages requiring a unique message identifier, the method having the steps of: creating a transaction identifier, the transaction identifier being the same for related messages; and adding to the transaction identifier a message index, the message index corresponding to a number of a message within a transaction, whereby the transaction identifier and message index form the unique message identifier for each of the messages.

In a wireless communications environment, messages are sent between a wireless device and a network element such as a server. These messages typically include a unique identifier to identify the message. This unique identifier is hereinafter called the "message id".
In addition, a message will typically include a field identifying the message type in order to allow either the wireless device or the network element to more easily interpret the message.
Messages themselves can often be grouped into a logical group of discrete messages between the device and the network element. For example, an outbound message may somehow correlate to a subsequently received inbound message. The logical group of discreet messages between the device and the server form a transaction. It is often desirable to correlate the messages within a transaction.
In wireless communications message ordering is, however, often asynchronous. Thus, for example, multiple outbound messages can be sent and the inbound messages can be received in an order that is different from the order in which the outbound messages were sent. In order to overcome this, a typical solution is to use a transaction identifier field in every message. This field is added in addition to the message identifier and message type fields. The addition of a transaction identifier field is, however, problematic because the transaction identifier needs to be large enough to distinguish it from other transaction identifiers and thus the overhead in terms of network resources for adding a transaction identifier field to every message is quite large.

System and method for correlating messages within a wireless transaction


A system includes a solid state source of THz radiation and a detector. The source of THz radiation may be based on a superconducting material, such as materials containing one or more Josephson junctions (e.g. BSCCO). The source may include a crystal of superconducting material on which a mesa of superconducting material is formed. The resonant coupling between the Josephson oscillations and the fundamental cavity mode of the mesa may lead to synchronization of the Josephson junctions and emission of powerful THz radiation. The mesa may be formed and/or handled such that THz radiation can be emitted by the material without requiring application of an external magnetic field (e.g. the mesa may include a non-uniform compositional gradient, a non-uniform shape, may have radiation non-uniformly applied to the mesa, etc.).

This application generally relates to the field of Terahertz-based technologies. In particular, the application relates to a new source of Terahertz radiation, methods of manufacturing the new source, and systems incorporating such a source.
The THz-frequency range of the electromagnetic spectrum is frequently defined as ranging from 0.3 to 20 THz (10-666 cm−1, 1 mm-15 μm).
The emerging field of terahertz science and technology holds promise in many diverse fields. This diverse range generally derives from two unique properties of THz radiation, its spectral specificity to vibrational and rotational modes of a wide variety of important chemical and biomolecular species, and to its penetrating properties through packaging materials, clothes, plastics, etc.
Ultra-fast laser pumped photoconductive switches, pumped gas lasers, optical difference frequency generation and parametric oscillation, frequency-doubled diodes, and quantum cascade lasers among others are approaches pursued for developing sources of THz-radiation. Progress in this field is blocked by lack of portable, powerful, and tunable radiation sources.

Superconducting source for tunable coherent terahertz radiation


An antenna system for collecting electric waves for the reception of magnetic induction signals emitted by an active implantable medical device. The system includes an antenna that comprises a reception coil (10) and a compensation coil (20), each of which preferably includes at least one series of turns (12, 22) wound around respective mandrels (16, 26) made out of a nonmagnetic material. The mandrels are positioned side by side with their respective axes (18, 28) spaced apart and parallel, and with their cross sections areas not superimposed. The cross section of the mandrel (26) of the compensation coil (20) is less than that of the mandrel (16) of the reception coil (10). The series of turns (22) of the compensation coil (20) can be split in a plurality of groups of turns (24) wound on the same mandrel (26), with an axial spacing and connected in series, preferably with the sections of winding and/or different numbers of turns being different. The series of turns (22) also can be distributed on separate mandrels.

Once implanted, active implantable medical devices are typically programmed remotely, external to the patient, by means of a control console called a "programmer." The verification of the operating parameters of the implant or the transmission of information recorded by the implant is carried out by electromagnetic transmissions, called "telemetry" in the technique in question. This console or programmer is provided with a telemetry head that is placed over the site of the implant. The head, often called an "antenna", includes an induction coil that acts as an antenna and collects the magnetic field coming from the implanted device.
One conventional configuration usually employed provides a single antenna placed in the body of the programmer head. The induced signal collected by that antenna is then amplified, conditioned and processed to extract therefrom information communicated from the implant. This configuration, however, presents the disadvantage of receiving at the same time as the useful signal all of the surrounding radio-electric disturbances (i.e., noise), which are all the more difficult to eliminate because the band-width of the system must be large.
To increase the signal-to-noise ratio, it is disclosed in EP-A-0 661 077 and its corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,674,265, commonly assigned herewith to ELA Medical, to use a plurality of collecting coils and to process the collected signals using a particular linear combination, making it primarily possible to preserve the useful component of the signal and eliminate the major part of the noise components coming from parasitic sources. The improvement of the signal-to-noise ratio is indeed essential if one wishes to increase the data transmission rate and/or volume from the implant towards the programmer, for example, if one wants to download large data stored in the implant such as Holter recordings taken of an endocardial ECG over a duration of several hours representing a volume of several megabits of data.
To further improve the performance of the programmer, it is disclosed in EP-A-0 797 317 and its counterpart U.S. Pat. No. 5,741,315, also commonly assigned herewith to ELA Medical, to use a particular geometry of collecting coils, making it possible to collect signals such that the noise component is greatly reduced at the collection stage, even before any signal processing by the electronic circuits. EP 797317 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,741,315 proposes to use two distinct coils on a common magnetic circuit such as a ferrite cup, namely a reception coil and a compensation coil. The reception coil, for example, is wound on the core of the ferrite cup, while the compensation coil is wound coaxially on the periphery of the cup. In this manner, the magnetic induction field lines of the useful component cross the receiving coil only once, whereas they cross the compensation coil twice in opposed directions. On the other hand, remote parasitic inductions cross the two coils in the same direction and almost identically, which easily makes it possible to isolate the interfering signals in order to remove them from received signal and thereby leave the useful signal.
Further, WO-A-01/05467 (assigned to Medtronic) proposes to use two distinct antennas for reception, but the antennas are positioned to be concentric and coplanar. The signals resulting from the two windings are withdrawn so as to eliminate the remote disturbances, which induce identical signals that are opposite in phase. The signal emitted by the implant at short distance induces voltages of opposite phases but of different amplitudes, which are thus not cancelled and make it possible to extract from the surrounding noise a useful signal whose secondary treatment can be simplified.
With these known configurations implementing a plurality of coils, the differentiation is excellent, but to the detriment of the practical range. Indeed, the distance between the antennas is limited by the dimensions of the programmer head. An implant located more than few centimeters from the antenna is already regarded as a remote disturbance; the attenuation of the signal according to the head-implant distance increases then much more quickly than the traditional law of attenuation according to the inverse of the square of the distance of separation.
To mitigate this disadvantage, one can envisage to lay out the two antennas side by side. With this configuration, however, a "dead zone" appears in a region located between the antennas, forming a "differential well" where no signal can be received. This region overlaps with the capture surfaces of the antennas and reduces the useful surface area of reception of the head. In addition, the rejection of the signals in the dead zone varies very quickly from a spatial point of view, so that a small lateral movement of the head compared to the implant can generate a significant amplitude variation, including even an inversion of the phase of the useful signal.

System for collecting electric waves for the reception of magnetic induction signals emitted by an implanted active medical device


Disclosed is a surface treatment method for producing a coating layer, which improves surface properties (e.g., low friction wear-resistance) of the coating layer at high temperature. The surface treatment method controls a process pressure during the formation of a coating layer to form a fine surface morphology with increased silver (Ag) content. The surface treatment method includes: heating a coated material in a chamber; removing foreign substances from the surface of the heated, coated material; forming a buffer layer on the surface of the coated material; and forming a coating layer on the buffer layer, wherein the process pressure is controlled during the formation of the coating layer to improve the surface properties at high temperatures.

(a) Technical Field
The present invention relates to a surface treatment method for a coating layer. More particularly, it relates to a surface treatment method for a coating layer that provides improved surface properties for the coated material.
(b) Background Art
The exhaust temperature of current vehicles has increased due to modern technologies such as engine downsizing and high powerization (e.g., gasoline direct injection (GDI), turbo charger, etc.), and thus vehicles require components that have heat-resistant properties and beneficial friction properties at high temperatures.
In order to provide such heat-resistant properties and friction properties at high temperatures, the surfaces of conventional art components for a vehicle operation have been coated with diamond-like carbon (DLC). DLC has a relatively high coating hardness together with chemical resistance and lubricity, and thus the mechanical properties of the components can be improved when such a surface coating is applied. Unfortunately, the DLC coating has very poor heat-resistant properties, and is not suitable for coating components that require heat shielding. Accordingly, there is an urgent need for a new coating material that can replace DLC as a surface coating.

Surface treatment method for coating layer


A transportation system for levitated propulsion of a vehicle relative to a guideway having first sections for linear vehicle travel and second sections for turning movements of the vehicle is disclosed. The system includes AC-excited magnets for low-speed levitated travel in pivot turns, guideway switching areas, and curving sections of guideway including superelevated structure. The system includes guideway mounted primary electrical members in pivot turns and guideway switching areas. In switching areas vehicle steering is provided by null flux loops located on the guideway structure. In the curving sections of guideway, there is a dovetail trough containing secondary electrical members that interact with deployable primary electrical members on the vehicle which are independently positioned and powered for propelling the vehicle along the curving sections.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to propulsion for a magnetically levitated vehicle, and more particularly to an electrodynamically levitated vehicle for providing propulsion and guidance in curvilinear sections of a vehicle guideway.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known in the art to provide for magnetically levitating a transportation vehicle through the use of alternating current excitation of superconducting magnets, as is described in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,883, issued Sep. 16, 1997. The use of alternating current as the means of excitation for the levitating magnets gives the ability to levitate a transportation vehicle under zero speed conditions and initiate advancement under speed control along a guideway while magnetically levitated thereby eliminating the need for rolling vehicle support for low speeds as is required with direct current excitation of superconducting magnets on a transportation vehicle. A magnetically levitated vehicle of this type offers unique capabilities for an inner city and urban transportation system because of vehicle levitation at relatively low speed, for example, up to 60 mph. The course of travel by the vehicle will necessarily include guideway constructed to conform to the terrain. Alternative courses of travel such as the use of turn out switching, embanking for high speed turns, and when desired, the ability to approach the traffic intersection and execute a right or left hand turn, as well as a pivot turn.
It is also known in the art to utilize a transverse component of force generated by an electromagnet as the means of propulsion for such a levitated vehicle. However, the guideway structure for such a vehicle will often include sections which require non-linear travel by the levitated vehicle resulting in removal of, or increased spacing between, the guideway sidewalls. This will impair the operability of propulsion components which operate in conjunction with guideway sidewall mounted components. Therefore, the vehicle will require an auxiliary source of propulsion in such sections of guideway structure requiring non-linear travel by the vehicle.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an auxiliary form of propulsion to supplement the main source of propulsion for a magnetically levitated vehicle in sections of guideway structure which require non-linear travel by the vehicle.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a magnetically levitated vehicle having dynamoelectric machines used for combined propulsion and guidance to give lateral stability to the vehicle.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a magnetically levitated vehicle having dynamoelectric machines used to provide high lateral stability and offer yaw stability including instances when the vehicle must negotiate compound curves.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a magnetically levitated vehicle having dynamoelectric machines used for combined propulsion and lateral guidance for the vehicle when negotiating compound curves to dampen pitch and heave motions of the vehicle as well as stabilize the vehicle against roll, yaw, heave and pitch conditions.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a magnetically levitated vehicle having dynamoelectric machines constructed and arranged for controlled positioning on the vehicle to compensate for asymmetrical airgaps or misalignment with respect to guideway structure.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a magnetically levitated vehicle having a magnetic structure to allow levitation and guidance in close proximity without adverse flux and magnetic force interactions.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a magnetically levitated vehicle with deployable and retractable magnetic components of dynamoelectric machines for accommodating vehicle travel while negotiating curvilinear paths of travel, turning movements including turn outs, and turnarounds.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a magnetically levitated vehicle equipped with dynamoelectric machines to execute the combination of electrodynamic propulsion and guidance along super elevated curved guideways.

Auxiliary propulsion for magnetically levitated vehicle

Power Superconductor Applications Co., Inc.


A method for transmission and reception in parallel on dual channels includes, when detecting that a first channel is occupied by CSMA contention, determining, by an AP, first transmission duration of a first channel data packet; determining, by means of CCA detection, that a second channel is idle, where the second channel is used to transmit a second channel data packet whose transmission direction is opposite to a transmission direction of the first channel; determining, using the first transmission duration, second transmission duration for transmitting the second channel data packet, and transmitting the second channel data packet according to the second transmission duration, where an end time of transmission of the second channel data is not later than an end time of transmission of the first channel data.

A wireless local access network (WLAN) is shown in FIG. 1. An access point (AP) is responsible for performing bidirectional communication with multiple stations (STA). That is, the AP sends downlink data to STAs (for example, a STA 1 and a STA 2 in FIG. 1) or receives uplink data from STAs (for example, a STA 3 and a STA 4 in FIG. 1).
A WLAN standard based on an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) technology appears in releases including 802.11a, 802.11n, 802.11ac, and the like. A WLAN device (an AP or a STA) obtains, by means of carrier sense multiple access(CSMA) contention, a right of using a channel, that is, first performing clear channel assessment (CCA) detection before sending data. In an embodiment, before sending data using a channel, the WLAN device first receives a signal on the channel in a period of time. When an average power of the received signal exceeds a specified threshold or the received signal satisfies a period requirement, the WLAN device determines that the channel has been occupied by another device. When the average power of the received signal does not exceed a specified threshold or the received signal does not satisfy a period requirement, the WLAN device determines that the channel is in an idle state, and starts transmitting data using the channel.
In an existing WLAN, a specific data transmission process may be a case shown in FIG. 2. In the data transmission process, an AP starts performing CCA detection on a channel at a moment t1. When determining that the channel is idle, the AP starts sending a downlink data frame to a STA 1 at a moment t2, and finishes sending the downlink data frame at a moment t3. The STA 1 receives the downlink data frame in a corresponding time. After a short inter-frame interval (SIFS) time, if the STA 1 correctly receives the downlink data frame, the STA 1 sends an acknowledgement (ACK) frame or a block acknowledgement (BA) frame to the AP at a moment t4. The AP determines, by receiving the ACK/BA frame sent by the STA 1, that the downlink data frame has been correctly received by the STA 1, thereby finishing the current downlink data transmission operation, and releases the right of using the channel. Similarly, when a STA 2 needs to send uplink data to the AP, the STA 2 performs CCA detection at a moment t5. If determining that the channel is idle, the STA 2 starts sending an uplink data frame to the AP at a moment t6, and finishes sending the uplink data frame at a moment t7. After an SIFS time, if the AP correctly receives the uplink data frame, the AP sends an ACK/BA frame to the STA 2 at a moment t8. After receiving the ACK/BA frame, the STA 2 finishes the current uplink data transmission operation, and releases the right of using the channel.
In a new WLAN standard 802.11ax based on orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), an AP may divide an entire frequency band into multiple frequency bands in an OFDMA manner, and separately send downlink data to multiple STAs simultaneously, or simultaneously receive uplink data from multiple STAs in an OFDMA manner. In a WLAN system based on OFDMA, to be compatible with an existing WLAN device, the AP still contends for a channel by means of CSMA, that is, first performing CCA detection on a channel before using the channel. If determining that the channel is idle, the AP contends for the channel. If the contention is successful, the AP occupies, for a period of time, a transmission opportunity (TXOP) for uplink or downlink transmission, or uplink and downlink cascaded transmission. If the AP needs to transmit downlink data to at least one STA, similar to the AP in the WLAN based on CSMA, the AP directly sends the downlink data frame after determining, by means of CCA detection, that the channel is idle. Multiple STAs may be multiplexed in an OFDMA manner to perform transmission. Different from the WLAN based on CSMA, STAs do not directly initiate uplink transmission by means of channel contention. Instead, STAs are scheduled to perform uplink transmission after the AP contends for the channel.
As shown in FIG. 3, when scheduling a STA 2 and a STA 3 to transmit uplink data in an OFDMA manner, an AP sends a trigger frame after obtaining, by means of CCA detection, a right of using a channel. The trigger frame indicates the STA 2 and the STA 3 that are scheduled and resources used by the STA 2 and the STA 3 to transmit the uplink data. As shown in FIG. 3, the AP sends the trigger frame at a moment t6. Then, after an SIFS time, the STA 2 and the STA 3 that are scheduled start separately sending an uplink data frame at a moment t7 using the resources allocated by the AP. If correctly receiving the uplink data sent by the STA 2 and the STA 3, the AP finishes the current uplink transmission process after sending an ACK/BA frame. During uplink transmission, a TXOP reserved by the AP includes at least a time from the beginning of sending of the trigger frame to the end of sending of the ACK/BA frame.
The WLAN standards such as 802.11n, 802.11ac, and 802.11ax all support transmission of a multiple input and multiple output (MIMO) system. That is, multiple spatial flows are transmitted together on a same channel to achieve a higher data throughput, or each STA uses one or more spatial flows, to achieve an objective of serving more users. In this case, a transceiver of the WLAN includes at least two transmit paths and at least two receive paths. Due to limitations such as complexity and costs, a maximum path bandwidth supported by the WLAN standards including 802.11ac and 802.11ax is 160 megahertz (MHz), and a maximum quantity of spatial flows supported is 8. However, most actual WLAN devices support a maximum bandwidth of only 80 MHz.
In the WLAN system, transmission and reception in parallel (TRIP) is a solution in which a channel for uplink transmission and another channel for downlink transmission in the WLAN are simultaneously used to perform parallel transmission in order to improve a throughput at an AP end. In the TRIP solution, although each channel may perform uplink or downlink transmission in different times, when a first channel sends data, a second channel only receives data, and when a first channel receives data, a second channel only sends data. In this way, for a WLAN device supporting transmission and reception in parallel, if a transceiver of the WLAN device includes m transmit paths and n receive paths, where m≥2, and n≥2, data may be sent on the first channel using all the transmit paths (m transmit paths), and simultaneously, data is received on the second channel using all the receive paths (n receive paths); or data is sent on the second channel using all the transmit paths (m transmit paths), and simultaneously, data is received on the first channel using all the receive paths (n receive paths). That is, a system throughput may be effectively improved by fully using processing capabilities of the existing transmit and receive paths without increasing complexity (including path bandwidths and a quantity of paths) of the transmit paths and the receive paths.
FIG. 4 shows some typical application scenarios of a TRIP solution. In FIG. 4(a), only an AP supports uplink and downlink parallel transmission while STAs do not need to support uplink and downlink parallel transmission. The AP sends downlink data to a STA 1 using a first channel whose carrier frequency is f01, and simultaneously receives, using a second channel whose carrier frequency is f02, uplink data sent by a STA 2. There are at least an interval of 100 MHz between a channel frequency band of the carrier frequency f01 and a channel frequency band of f02. Therefore, receiving and sending of the two channels do not interfere with each other. FIG. 4(b) is similar to FIG. 4(a). Only an AP supports uplink and downlink parallel transmission while STAs do not need to support uplink and downlink parallel transmission. The AP sends downlink data to a STA 1 and a STA 2 using a first channel whose carrier frequency is f01, and simultaneously receives, using a second channel whose carrier frequency is f02, uplink data sent by a STA 3 and a STA 4. The STA 1 and the STA 2 may be multiplexed on the first channel by means of OFDMA and/or downlink multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO), and the STA 3 and the STA 4 may be multiplexed on the second channel by means of OFDMA and/or uplink MU-MIMO. In FIG. 4(c), both an AP and a STA 3 support uplink and downlink parallel transmission. The AP sends downlink data to the STA 3 using a first channel whose carrier frequency is f01, and simultaneously receives, using a second channel whose carrier frequency is f02, uplink data sent by the STA 3. FIG. 4(d) is similar to FIG. 4(c). An AP, a STA 1, and a STA 2 all support uplink and downlink parallel transmission, but a STA 3 and a STA 4 do not support uplink and downlink parallel transmission. The AP sends downlink data to the STA 1, the STA 2, and the STA 4 using a first channel whose carrier frequency is f01, and simultaneously receives, using a second channel whose carrier frequency is f02, uplink data sent by the STA 1, the STA 2, and the STA 3.
FIG. 5 shows a typical data transmission process of TRIP in the other approaches. A scenario of this embodiment is shown in FIG. 4(a) and FIG. 4(b). Only an AP performs uplink and downlink parallel transmission while STAs do not perform uplink and downlink parallel transmission. Using the scenario shown in FIG. 4(a) as an example, the AP sends downlink data to the STA 1 using the first channel whose carrier frequency is f01, and simultaneously receives, using the second channel whose carrier frequency is f02, uplink data sent by the STA 2. As shown in FIG. 5, the AP performs, at a moment t1, CCA detection on the first channel using at least one but no more than n−1 receive paths, and performs CCA detection on the second channel using remaining at least one receive path. If both the first channel and the second channel are idle, the AP reserves a TXOP for uplink and downlink parallel transmission. After an SIFS time, the AP sends a first trigger frame on the first channel at a moment t2 using at least one but no more than m−1 transmit paths, to send downlink transmission scheduling control information, and simultaneously sends a second trigger frame on the second channel using remaining at least one transmit path, to send uplink transmission scheduling control information. The scheduling control information includes, but is not limited to, information such as identifiers of STAs that perform uplink or downlink data transmission after a trigger frame, transmission resources (for example, subcarrier resourced of a frequency domain) used by the STAs to perform data transmission, a quantity of spatial flows and corresponding identifiers of the spatial flows, a modulation coding scheme (MCS) used to transmit a corresponding spatial flow, and the like. After the SIFS time, the AP may send a downlink data frame on the first channel at a moment t3 using all the m transmit paths. At the same time, the STA 2 sends, at the moment t3 according to the uplink transmission scheduling control information sent by the second trigger frame, an uplink data frame to the AP on the second channel. The AP may receive, on the second channel, the uplink data frame using all the n receive paths. In the SIFS time after transmission of the uplink and downlink data frames is finished, if the STA 1 correctly receives the downlink data frame sent by the AP, the STA 1 sends an uplink ACK/BA frame to the AP at a moment t4. Moreover, if the AP correctly receives the uplink data frame sent by the STA 2, the AP also sends a downlink ACK/BA frame to the STA 1 at the moment t4. In an ACK/BA frame transmission phase, the AP may send, on the second channel, the downlink ACK/BA frame using all the m transmit paths, or may receive, on the first channel, the uplink ACK/BA frame using all the n receive paths. Lengths of the uplink ACK/BA frame and the downlink the ACK/BA frame may be different. The TXOP reserved by the AP should include a time from the moment t2 when the trigger frame is sent to a moment when transmission of a relatively long frame in the uplink and downlink ACK/BA frames is finished.
In conclusion, in the TRIP solution, all receive paths and transmit paths on an AP can be fully used for transmission, and a throughput of the AP is improved using one of dual channels for receiving and the other for sending. However, the TRIP solution has the following conditions in application.
In a frequency band at which an AP works, the AP needs to find two idle channels to perform receiving and sending.
Both a receive path and a transmit path of the AP need to be in an idle state.
According to a core idea of TRIP, if a STA occupies, in the uplink or downlink, an operating channel and receive and transmit paths of the AP by means of CSMA, the AP may schedule, when the other channel is idle, a service in an opposite direction to occupy the channel. For example, when the STA performs uplink transmission by means of CSMA, the AP provides a downlink transmission service on the other channel. However, an uplink transmission time of the STA is not necessarily known at an AP end when transmission begins. If the AP performs scheduling and transmission according to a downlink transmission requirement of the AP without knowing the uplink transmission time, a case in which uplink transmission is finished while downlink transmission has not finished may occur. In this case, the downlink transmission at the AP end occupies all or most of transmit paths. Therefore, the AP can perform only uplink receiving on an idle channel on which the uplink transmission is finished. The cycle repeats. Due to a misaligned state between the uplink and downlink, one channel of the AP keeps performing uplink transmission, while the other channel keeps performing downlink transmission. Consequently, the dual channels are locked. As a result, in the channel keeping performing uplink transmission, a downlink service times out, while in the channel keeping performing downlink transmission, an uplink service also times out. Consequently, a principle of contention fairness of the WLAN is violated.

Method for transmission and reception in parallel on dual channels, and apparatus


The present invention provides a dry etching method, having the steps of introducing a mixed gas consisting of a reactive gas and an inert gas into a plasma chamber for generating a plasma, with the partial pressure of each of these gas components being controlled, exciting the mixed gas within the plasma chamber so as to generate ionized particles and excited particles having high reactivity, withdrawing the particles generated in the plasma chamber into a sample chamber having a compound semiconductor substrate housed therein, and physically and chemically etching the compound semiconductor substrate with the particles.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dry etching method for etching a compound semiconductor in the process of manufacturing a semiconductor device, particularly, to a dry etching method involving an ion beam irradiation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, compound semiconductors such as III-V group compound semiconductors and II-VI group compound semiconductors are widely used in the manufacture of optical devices such as a semiconductor laser, a light emitting diode and a photodetector. The compound semiconductors, which exhibit a high mobility, are also used widely in the manufacture of electronic devices such as a field effect transistor and a hetero bipolar transistor. A dry etching method is employed for forming a fine structure in an optional portion of such a device.
To be more specific, the dry etching method is employed for forming, for example, a laser edge surface for integrating a semiconductor laser, for forming a groove for isolating each other a plurality of elements formed on a single substrate, and for forming a fine gate. When the dry etching method is employed for such a purpose, it is necessary for the working surface and the edge surface to be flat and for the shape of the edge surface to be controlled. Particularly, the light beam emitted from an active layer is taken out from the laser edge surface. It follows that the laser edge surface is required to be as flat and as vertical (perpendicular to the laser beam) as the cleavage surface in order to prevent a loss of light caused by the decrease in the reflectance at the edge surface.
It was customary to employ a reactive ion etching (RIE) or a reactive ion beam etching (RIBE) as the dry etching method. In RIE, the etching is carried out under a low vacuum, i.e., relatively high pressure. Thus, the ion beam fails to run precisely vertically. In other words, the ion beams are uneven, making it impossible to achieve a completely vertical processing. Such being the situation, RIBE which permits the etching treatment under a relatively high vacuum is widely employed for the so-called "vertical treatment".
However, the dry etching method utilizing RIBE gives rise to a serious problem. Specifically, a chemical reaction between reactive particles and the substrate and a physical sputtering achieved by the ions are involved in the etching performed by RIBE. The chemical reaction affects the flatness of the working surface, with the vertical of the working surface affected by the physical sputtering. However, RIBE is incapable of fully satisfying both the flatness and the vertical of the working surface. For example, it is necessary to sufficiently increase the partial pressure of the reactive gas in order to achieve a sufficient flatness of the working surface by RIBE. However, the vertical of the working surface is impaired, if the partial pressure noted above is unduly high.
It is also known to the art that the angle made between the substrate surface and the direction of the reactive beam is intentionally deviated from 90.degree. so as to make the working surface, which should not be vertical originally, perpendicular to the substrate surface. In this technique, however, another surface fails to be perpendicular to the substrate surface, with the result that application of this technique in the manufacture an actual device is much restricted.
FIG. 1 shows a dry etching apparatus, e.g., a reactive ion beam etching (RIBE) apparatus. As seen from the drawing, the apparatus comprises a microwave guide 10, an etching gas inlet port 11, a plasma generating section 12, a coil 13 for generating a magnetic field, an ion extraction electrode 14, an etching chamber 15, a workpiece 19, a sample holder 16 on which the workpiece 19 is disposed, and a gas exhaust port 17. A reactive gas for the etching and an inert gas are supplied to the gas inlet port 11 through mass flow controllers 18. In the conventional etching method, the workpiece 19 is disposed first on the sample holder 16, followed by evacuating the etching chamber 15 using a vacuum pump. Then, the reactive gas is introduced into the plasma generating section through the mass flow controller 18 and the gas inlet port 11. It is possible to control the reactive gas pressure by controlling the gas flow rate through the mass flow controller 18. A microwave and a magnetic field are applied to the plasma generating section 12 so as to generate a plasma consisting essentially of ions, neutral radicals, electrons, and neutral molecules. The ions are extracted from the plasma generating section 12 by the ion extraction electrode 14 for irradiating the workpiece with said ions. In this step, a chemical reaction takes place between the workpiece and the reactive neutral radicals or neutral molecules. Also, the workpiece is sputtered by the ion bombardment so as to remove the product formed by the chemical reaction and, thus, to achieve an anisotropic etching. In the dry etching method utilizing a plasma, ion bombardment to the workpiece takes place so as to elevate the temperature of the workpiece to exceed a predetermined level during the etching treatment. Also, it takes a longer time for the temperature of the workpiece to be elevated to a predetermined level. Under the circumstances, the etching amount is not proportional to the etching time, making it difficult to control the etching amount by controlling the etching time.
In the dry etching method utilizing a plasma, a chemical reaction takes place between the workpiece and the neutral radicals or neutral molecules of the reactive gas. Thus, the etching rate is greatly dependent on the temperature of the workpiece. To be more specific, the etching rate is changed by the change in temperature of the workpiece caused by the ion irradiation during the etching treatment, giving rise to the problem that it is difficult to control the etching amount accurately as desired. To overcome this difficulty, it was proposed in the past to dispose a cooling mechanism or a heating mechanism on the sample holder in an attempt to control the temperature elevation of the workpiece during the etching treatment. However, temperature elevation of the workpiece was unavoidable during the etching treatment, making it difficult to control the etching treatment as desired.
For example, in the reactive ion beam etching (RIBE) voltage is applied across the electrodes so as to permit the generated electric field to extract the ions and excited particles under a controlled state from the plasma chamber onto the sample. In this step, the sample surface is contaminated by being sputtered the electrode. It is impossible to overcome the contamination problem, even if the electrode is made of a material which is unlikely to be sputtered such as molybdenum. It should be noted in particular that the extraction holes of the electrode are gradually enlarged by the sputtering of the electrode material, making it difficult to control the etching treatment as desired. For overcoming the difficulty so as to flatten the working surface, it is necessary to increase sufficiently the partial pressure of the reactive gas so as to remove the contaminant from the sample surface. If the partial pressure of the reactive gas is unduly increased, however, the vertical of etching is impaired. In the reactive ion etching (RIE), a plasma is generated within a sample chamber. When it comes to an apparatus in which a plasma is generated between a pair of electrodes, the apparatus is markedly contaminated with the sputtered material of the electrode material, with the result that the resultant element is adversely affected by the contamination.
As described above, it is difficult to etch a compound semiconductor by the conventional dry etching method such that the etched surface is perpendicular to an optional plane, and that the working surface and the working edge surface are flat. It is also difficult to prevent contamination derived from the peripheral parts such as the electrode.


The present invention represents a breakthrough in advertisement tools. The liquid sign uses a system of chambers and electrically powered pumps to produce a dynamic and visually appealing advertising sign. The advertising sign of the invention uses a liquid in motion contained in a front chamber of the sign to highlight the color and other visual characteristics of a beverage or any liquid product being advertised. The liquid in motion highlights and showcases any given characteristic of a product being advertised, including bubble or foam producing capacity, color, brightness, or a logo or symbol placed on the background of the liquid in motion. It also provides for a visually attractive, electrically or battery powered and affordable advertising tool which can be used indoors or outdoors in many different settings.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to advertising signs, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to an advertising sign which features a liquid in motion, generally representing the beverage being advertised.
2. Description of the Background Art
Advertising has been a way of life in American society almost from the inception of our country. Electrically powered advertising signs are almost as old as any other electrically powered device. Thomas Edison invented the modern incandescent lamp in 1879. By 1892, the well-known Manhattan Beach electric sign had been lit in New York City. The commercial and patent literature discloses thousands of different references about all kinds of signs and sign technology being used in advertising activities. Applicant was unable to find any prior art patent which discloses or claims a liquid in motion, imitating the visual characteristics of a beverage being advertised, as part of the visible element of an advertising sign.


The present invention discloses a device and method to establish and maintain bone stabilization and enhance post-operative healing in a surgical site, such as the cervical spine of a patient, with reduced risk of erosion or other injury to adjacent anatomic structures from extrusion of surgical fasteners, such as bone screws. The surgical stabilization system according to the present invention provides for the secure plating of structures such as adjacent vertebral bodies with allowance for selective postoperative motion of the surgical fasteners used to secure the plate. Such motion imparts benefit from increased translational response and remodeling in the course of bone healing, thus resulting in strengthened fusion.

In the field of surgery, it is often desirable to connect adjacent structures or fragments under conditions in which the connected structures or fragments may ultimately fuse together to form a unitary structure.
As an example, spinal surgical fusion is the process of bringing together two or more vertebrae under conditions whereby the vertebrae fuse together to form a unitary member of the spinal column. Cervical spinal fusion is often prescribed for patients suffering from degenerative disk disease (whose symptoms include neck pain of discogenic origin with degeneration of the disk confirmed by patient history and radiographic studies), trauma (including fractures), tumors, deformity (indicated by kyphosis, lordosis or scoliosis) pseudoarthrosis, and/or failed previous fusions. In carrying out the procedure, the members must be brought together under conditions that are critically controlled to prevent infection, maintain alignment of opposing members, allow for the stress in the bone that is generated as the healing process matures. Immobilization is an important requirement during this healing process.
The process of bone healing has been widely studied in the prior art. Microfractures, once thought to be negative events, are now seen as part of the natural process of bone remodeling and occur within bone in the course of everyday wear and tear.
Such microfractures are healed by ongoing bone remodeling, which occurs in humans in 120 day cycles. In the early stage of these cycles, bone resorption is first accomplished by osteoclasts. This is followed by new bone formation by osteoblasts over the latter part of each cycle.
Osteoblasts serve a critical role in new bone formation, filling in the bony cavity in areas of bone remodeling with bone matrix. The action of osteoblasts is triggered by parathyroid hormone, and is further regulated by thyroxines under the influence of such growth factors as interleukins (1, 6, 11), insulin-like growth factors, and transforming growth factor-B. Osteoblasts are further known to release cytokines to attract osteoclasts.
Osteoclasts serve to release proteases, which act to dissolve bone mineral matrix, collagen, and clear away damaged bone. Osetoclasts also release matrix-bound growth factors and may serve as a chemoattractant for osteoblasts.
Thus, the process of bone healing is now seen as a continual cycle, in which the body's response to microfractures and stress injuries within healing bone actually serve to strengthen healing ultimately and produce more solid bone. Therefore, a plating system to repair bone fractures or to stabilize separate bony structures and allow them to fuse into a single item is enhanced if it can incorporate or harness the elements of the natural bone healing process.
A common approach for the surgical management of cervical disk disease is anterior cervical spinal fusion. The procedure for anterior cervical spinal fusion is initiated by incising a small opening in the front of the neck. There is minimal trauma to the neck tissues. The damaged disk and/or bone spurs are removed anterior to the spinal cord. This approach allows for minimal spinal or cord traction and therefore a quicker recovery period. Frequently, if there is significant spinal cord compression or if there is more than one disk level involved, a small plate is affixed on the anterior surface of the cervical vertebrae to provide greater permanent stability. If a cervical fusion is done, a surgical collar is prescribed to be worn for several weeks following surgery for further stabilization of the neck during recovery.
According to the present art, the plates commonly used for cervical spinal fusion are fabricated from titanium sheets with holes through which screws are inserted to secure the plate to the bodies of neighboring vertebrae. These plates sometimes have an opening in their central portions that enables the surgeon to view the bone graft between neighboring vertebrae (where fusion has been introduced) to ensure that the plate is maintained in alignment as the plate is fixated to the involved vertebrae by screws.
The anterior cervical fusion process as described above has certain inherent risks that endanger success of the operation. It has been recognized that osseous trans-differentiation during the course of bone healing may have a significant role in improving the structural integrity of healed bone following surgery or trauma. The process of bone remodeling following surgery or trauma may, however, result in partial extrusion of the bone plug or screws placed during surgery to fix the position of bones or fragments if the fusion does not take place.
The potential for post-operative screw extrusion has long been a matter of clinical concern. Various locking devices have been described in efforts to hold the surgical screws in place and prevent their extrusion. However, a situation where the surgical screws are, in fact, locked into position may be undesirable. By preventing any degree of post-operative motion by a single screw, mechanical stress may be displaced onto the entire plate and the attached vertebrae, potentially fracturing the plate or allowing the entire plate to become displaced and dysfunctional.
Furthermore, preventing a certain amount of screw transition to occur following implantation impedes trans-differentiation and the formation of stronger new bone within the healing bone. It is therefore deemed desirable according to the present invention to allow at least a certain amount of beneficial post-operative stabilization plate and screw motion, and to prevent a situation where a screw is locked or otherwise firmly secured in its fully-threaded location following insertion.


In a method for producing 1,2-dichloroethane by an oxychlorination reaction of ethylene, hydrogen chloride and oxygen, a continuous method for producing 1,2-dichloroethane, which comprises cooling a gas discharged from an oxychlorination reactor to condense and separate 1,2-dichloroethane and water therefrom, further removing hydrogen chloride and carbon dioxide therefrom, then mixing oxygen and nitrogen thereto so that the oxygen concentration becomes from 20 to 30 vol % and the ethylene concentration becomes from 1 to 3 vol % and supplying the gas mixture thus adjusted to an oxychlorination reactor.

The present invention relates to a method for continuously producing 1,2-dichloroethane (hereinafter referred to as EDC) efficiently by using hydrogen chloride produced in a large amount as a by-product at the time of producing a vinyl chloride monomer by thermally decomposing EDC, by a so-called oxychlorination reaction (hereinafter referred to simply as the oxy reaction) for producing EDC by reacting such hydrogen chloride with ethylene and oxygen, whereby the ethylene yield and the hydrogen chloride yield are substantially improved, while avoiding a dangerous state such as burning or explosion of ethylene with oxygen and substantially reducing the amount of a gas discharged out of the system (hereinafter referred to as the waste gas) at the time of carrying out the reaction.
To carry out the oxy reaction of ethylene, hydrogen chloride and oxygen, a so-called air method wherein air is used for oxygen as one of the raw materials and an oxygen method wherein oxygen is preliminarily separated from air and the separated oxygen is used, are widely employed for practical use as typical industrial processes. In such industrial processes for the oxy reaction, it is common to provide a waste gas treating installation such as a waste gas incinerator and an installation for recovering chlorinated hydrocarbons such as EDC, and hydrocarbons such as ethylene remaining unreacted, so that such chlorinated hydrocarbons and hydrocarbons will not be discharged directly into the atmosphere.
In the case of the air method, an inert gas such as nitrogen will be introduced in a large amount to the oxy reactor together with the supplied oxygen source, whereby the amount of the waste gas discharged out of the system will correspondingly be large, and large scale installations are required for waste gas treatment and recovery of EDC, etc.
On the other hand, the oxygen method has a merit in that the amount of the waste gas can substantially be reduced by preliminarily removing the inert component such as nitrogen, whereby the waste gas treating installation can substantially be scaled down. For this reason, an attention has been drawn to this oxygen method in recent years.
Further, depending upon the differences in the structure of the reactors themselves, the oxy reaction processes are practically conducted in a so-called fluidized bed system, whereby the oxy reaction is carried out while fine catalyst particles are fluidized in a reactor, or a fixed bed system wherein a particulate catalyst is packed in metal tubes and the reaction is carried out while circulating a heat medium around the tubes to remove the heat generated by the reaction.
As an oxygen method employing a fluidized bed reactor, Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 1299/1988 discloses a method for producing EDC continuously, which comprises introducing pure oxygen, ethylene and hydrogen chloride to conduct the oxy reaction and then cooling the reaction gas discharged from the reactor to condense and separate EDC and water contained therein, and recycling the majority of non-condensed gas (hereinafter referred to as the recycling gas) to the reactor to e.g. fluidize the catalyst.
Further, as an oxygen method employing a fixed bed reactor, U.S. Pat. No. 3,892,816 discloses a method wherein the ethylene concentration in the recycling gas is adjusted to be at least 50%, so that the ethylene concentration in the reaction zone in the system is maintained constantly at least 70%, and oxygen is introduced dividedly to a plurality of reactors so that the concentration will be lower than the level for burning or explosion, and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 134295/1994 discloses a production method wherein the ethylene concentration in the recycling gas is maintained to be from 1 to 10 vol %, and the oxygen concentration is maintained to be from 0.5 to 7 vol %.
However, in the oxygen method disclosed in Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 1299/1988, a fluidized bed reactor is employed, and therefore, the catalyst is likely to be finely pulverized due to abrasion of the catalyst particles themselves in the reactor, whereby the catalyst will be lost as accompanying the reaction gas, and not only that, the finely pulverized catalyst or a heavy metal of e.g. copper chloride as a catalyst component is likely to be included in the condensed liquid and discharged out of the system. Further, since the reactor is a single container, a special measure is required, when oxygen is supplied, to avoid burning or explosion of ethylene with such oxygen, and a problem from the viewpoint of the safety is feared such that there is a substantial possibility of danger when the reaction becomes non-uniform or when the fluidized state becomes abnormal.
In the method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,892,816 as an oxygen method employing fixed bed reactors, pure oxygen is introduced directly to a flammable ethylene or EDC in a highly concentrated state immediately before the reactors, whereby there is a possibility of burning or explosion at such an introduction point. Also in the fixed bed oxygen method disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 134295/1994, highly pure oxygen is likewise directly introduced to form a composition for combustion of ethylene and EDC, and there will be a possibility of explosion or burning, although the ethylene concentration in the recycling gas is lower than U.S. Pat. No. 3,892,816.
Further, in each of the methods disclosed in Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 1299/1988, U.S. Pat. No. 3,892,816 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 134295/1994, the non-condensed component after condensing and separating the gas discharged from the reactor, is used by itself as a recycling gas, whereby it is necessary to take corrosion of the apparatus into consideration, since the non-condensed gas contains a very small amount of unreacted hydrogen chloride and EDC as well as moisture.
When the superiority of a process is evaluated for industrial application of the oxy reaction, the conversions of ethylene and hydrogen chloride to EDC, i.e. the ethylene yield and the hydrogen chloride yield, have very important significance, and they must be as high as possible. Namely, a decrease in the ethylene yield means an increase in the amount of burned ethylene, the amount of by-products formed or the non-reacted amount, whereby the waste gas treating installation will be required to be of a large size, and the cost for treating the waste gas will increase. Further, the same is true with respect to the hydrogen chloride yield. Namely, a decrease in the hydrogen chloride yield means an increase in the non-reacted amount, whereby the acid concentration in water formed by the oxy reaction will be high, thus leading to an increase in the cost for treatment such as neutralization at the time of discharging the water out of the system.
Further, with respect to by-products other than EDC among chlorinated hydrocarbons which are formed by the oxy reaction, their increase naturally lowers the ethylene yield and the hydrogen chloride yield and further brings about an adverse effect such as an increase of the energy consumption in the purification treatment of EDC. Accordingly, it is necessary to increase the proportion of EDC (hereinafter referred to as the EDC purity) among the formed chlorinated hydrocarbon components as far as possible.
Therefore, it has been desired to develop a method for producing EDC in good yield under such conditions that the amount of waste gas discharged out of the system is suppressed, corrosion of the apparatus is prevented and no danger of explosion or the like is present, in carrying out the oxy reaction of ethylene, hydrogen chloride and oxygen.
The present inventors have conducted extensive studies on a method for producing EDC safely without any environmental problem and in good yield, and as a result, have found it possible to produce EDC in good yield while preventing corrosion of the apparatus and under a condition free from a danger of e.g. explosion, by specifically adjusting the composition of the non-condensed gas discharged from the oxy reactor and recycling such a gas to the oxy reactor. The present invention has been accomplished on the basis of this discovery.