An inductive proximity sensor for sensing the presence of target based on a change of inductance in the sensor. The sensor includes a coil and a core formed of a permeable material so as to form an electromagnetic field when the coil is electrically driven. The core has a base, a central post, an outer wall, and at least one slot. The central post extends distally from the base and through the coil and defines a distal end. The outer wall extends distally from the base and around the coil and also defines a distal end. The slot or slots are for enhancing the performance of the sensor by reducing eddy current losses in the core. Each slot extends at least partially along a path defined from the distal end of the outer wall to the base and from the base to the distal end of the central post.

Proximity sensors have many different applications in many different industries. In the aerospace industry, for example, proximity sensors can be used within an aircraft to detect the position of various movable components. More specifically, proximity sensors can be used to detect the position of aircraft landing gear, landing gear doors, spoilers, passenger doors, and/or cargo doors. In this regard, such proximity sensors can be used to indicate aircraft conditions such as weight-on-wheels, landing gear up/down, doors open/closed, and/or spoilers stowed/not stowed.
As will be appreciated, proximity sensors can be configured to detect the presence of an object in accordance with a number of different techniques including, for example, variable reluctance, eddy current loss, saturated core, and the Hall effect. In general, a sensor includes a core of a highly-permeable metal and an inductive coil. While the shape of the core can vary, in one typical configuration, the core can comprise a central post and an outer cylindrical wall. The coil is wrapped around the central post and is contained within the outer cylindrical wall.
In accordance with a variable-reluctance proximity detection technique, an external AC current source drives the coil of the proximity sensor to form an electromagnetic circuit with the core. When a permeable and/or conductive object is brought or otherwise moved into the alternating magnetic field caused by the electromagnetic circuit, the reluctance (i.e., air gap resistance) between the object and the proximity sensor changes, or more particularly, decreases. As the reluctance decreases, the inductance of the coils increases. This increase can then be measured to thereby detect the proximity of the object.
The effective range of the sensor is dependent on the amount of change in inductance created by the object as it approaches. The greater the change the faster the sensor can detect the object both in sense of distance between the object and sensor and the time required to measure the inductance difference.
However, eddy currents are created in the core by the electromagnetic circuit. The eddy currents resist change in the magnetic field. This resistance to change reduces the inductance, and thus the signal, caused by the object entering the magnetic field. Furthermore, the eddy currents also provide a resistive loss to the AC circuit. Both the decrease in inductance and increase in resistance contribute to reduce bandwidth of the circuit and increase the time required to make a measurement. Conversely, the lost signal could be used to sense the object at a greater distance.

Segmented core for an inductive proximity sensor


An enclosure for use with an outdoor grill having plates at its base used to secure the enclosure to a base surface. Preferably the enclosure is formed from a series of panels which adjoin one another and are secured to one another.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to protective devices and more particularly pertains to a protective device that encloses an outdoor cooking grill.
2. Prior Art and Objects
Various devices have been developed to enclose dangerous equipment such as heating stoves and cooking grills. In the past, when stoves were a primary source of home heat, enclosures were used to protect children as well as adults from being injured by coming into contact with a hot stove. The Metz patent, U.S. Pat. No. 806,160 describes an enclosure for placement about a heating stove. The patent further describes the enclosure as being capable of being knocked down into pieces for storage during warm periods of the year when the stove is not in use. The device taught by the Metz patent also has feet which are secured to the floor.
Another form of stove enclosure is taught in the Buffington patent, U.S. Pat. No. 1,440,336. The Buffington patent utilized a heavy base to retain the enclosure in place.
The Knutson patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,384 teaches an enclosure for use with an outdoor grill. Specifically, Knutson teaches a device for mounting on a balcony but includes features for protection of children from a hot grill.
It is apparent that outdoor grills when in operation, are dangerously hot and therefore are a threat to small children and can also be dangerous to adults should they stumble and fall into the grill. Since outdoor grills are often moved about and used at various outings and campsites, an enclosure that is easily assembled and disassembled and that can be readily packed is most desirable.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an enclosure for an outdoor grill that assures against contact with a hot outdoor grill.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an enclosure for a grill that can be readily broken down into a few parts for travel and storage and can likewise be easily assembled.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an enclosure for an outdoor grill that is economical and durable.
These objects together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of this invention.
A protective device is provided for use with an outdoor grill. The protective device is situated on a base area. An enclosure having an inside area within it and an outside area outside it is formed from a plurality of panels that are substantially identical and that adjoin one another. Each panel has a top edge and a bottom edge and each panel further has a main section and a offset section. The offset section is substantially smaller than the main section and is slightly offset from the main section. The main section has a main edge and the offset section has an offset edge. The offset section of one panel overlaps the main section of another adjoining panel. Means are provided for securing each offset section to the main section of the adjoining panel. A plurality of plates are secured to the base edge of each panel substantially at right angles to the panel. Each plate has an opening through it. Means are also provided for insertion into the openings in the plates to secure the panels to the base area.


The present invention relates to a process for producing arachidonic acid. In one embodiment, Mortierella sect. schmuckeri microorganisms are cultured in fermentation medium, preferably containing a component of a complex nitrogen source. Further disclosed is a food product which includes Mortierella sect. schmuckeri microorganisms or lipid isolated from such microorganisms to enhance the arachidonic acid content of the food product.

Arachidonic acid (all-cis-5,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid) is a polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) containing 20 carbon atoms with four double bonds. The double bonds are arranged with the last one located six carbon atoms from the methyl end of the chain. Therefore, arachidonic acid is referred to as an omega-6 fatty acid. Arachidonic acid is one of the most abundant C.sub.20 PUFA's in the human body. It is particularly prevalent in organ, muscle and blood tissues. Arachidonic acid is a direct precursor for a number of circulating eicosenoids, such as prostaglandins, thromboxanes, leukotrienes and prostacyclins, which are important biological regulators. These eicosenoids exhibit regulatory effects on lipoprotein metabolism, blood rheology, vascular tone, leukocyte function, platelet activation and cell growth. The application of arachidonic acid to an infant's diet is particularly important due to the rapid body growth of an infant. Arachidonic acid is an important precursor to many of the eicosanoids which regulate cellular metabolism and growth in infants. It is found naturally in human breast milk but not in most infant formula. In an effort to have infant formula match the long chain fatty acid profile found in breast milk, scientific and food regulatory bodies have recommended that arachidonic acid be added to infant formula, especially in formula utilized for premature infants.
In particular, it is preferable that arachidonic acid containing oil produced for use with infant formula contain little or no other long chain highly unsaturated fatty acids (e.g., eicosapentanoic acid). Such other long chain highly unsaturated fatty acids are not preferred because some of these fatty acids can interfere with the utilization of arachidonic acid by the infant, and/or can inhibit blending of the arachidonic acid-containing oil with other oils to achieve the appropriate ratio of fatty acids matching breast milk or other desired applications. Highly unsaturated fatty acids are defined as fatty acids containing 4 or more double bonds.
Traditional sources of arachidonic acid include poultry eggs, bovine brain tissue, pig adrenal gland, pig liver and sardines. The yield of arachidonic acid, however, is usually less than 0.2% on a dry weight basis. The use of microorganisms capable of producing arachidonic acid de novo have been suggested by various investigators, including Kyle, PCT Publication No. WO 92/13086, published Aug. 6, 1992; Shinmen et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,204,250, issued Apr. 20, 1993; Shinmen et al., pp. 11-16, 1989, Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol., vol. 31; Totani et al., pp. 1060-1062, 1987, LIPIDS, vol. 22; Shimizu et al., pp. 509-512, 1992, LIPIDS, vol. 27; Shimizu et al., pp. 342-347, 1989, JAOCS, vol. 66; Shimizu et al., pp. 1455-1459, 1988, JAOCS, vol. 65; Shimizu et al., pp. 254-258, 1991, JAOCS, vol. 68; Sajbidor et al., pp. 455-456, 1990, Biotechnology Letters, vol. 12; Bajpai et al., pp. 1255-1258, 1991, Appl. Environ. Microbiol., vol. 57; Bajpai, pp. 775-780, 1991, JAOCS, vol. 68; and Gandhi et al., pp. 1825-1830, 1991, J. Gen. Microbiol., vol. 137. The arachidonic acid productivity by the microorganisms disclosed by prior investigators, however, is less than 0.67 grams per liter per day. Such amounts are significantly less than the amounts of arachidonic acid produced by the microorganisms of the present invention. These lower productivity values are the result of employing strains: (1) with slow growth or lipid production rates leading to long fermentation times (i.e., greater than 2-3 days) ( Kyle, 1992, ibid.; Shinmen et al., 1993, ibid.; Shinmen et al., 1989, ibid.; Bajpai et al., 1991, ibid.; Bajpai, ibid.; and Gandhi et al., ibid.); and/or (2) that contain low arachidonic acid contents (expressed as % fatty acids) in the final oil produced (Shinmen et al., 1993, ibid.; Shimizu et al., 1989, ibid.; and Kendrick and Ratledge, 1992, pp. 15-20, Lipids, vol. 27); and/or (3) which require long periods of stress (i.e., aging a biomass for 6-28 days) to achieve high levels of arachidonic acid in a biomass (Bajpai et al., 1991, ibid. and Shinmen et al., 1989, ibid.); and/or (4) that only exhibit high arachidonic acid content in non-commercial growth conditions (e.g., malt agar plates) (Totani and Oba, 1987, pp. 1060-1062, Lipids, vol. 22). In addition, non-Mortierella schmuckeri microorganisms that have been proposed for producing arachidonic acid, in particular Pythium insidiosum microorganisms, disclosed by prior investigators (Kyle, 1992, ibid.), have been reported to be pathogenic to humans and/or animals.
Thus, there remains a need for an economical, commercially feasible method for producing arachidonic acid. The present invention satisfies that need. There also remains a need for the an economical, commercially feasible food product for the introduction of arachidonic acid produced according to the present invention into the diet of human infants.

Product containing Mortierella sect. schmuckeri lipids


A polymer compound that, within a chemically amplified positive resist system, exhibits a significant change in alkali solubility from a state prior to exposure to that following exposure, as well as a photoresist composition that includes such a polymer compound and a method for forming a resist pattern, which are capable of forming fine patterns with a high level of resolution. The polymer compound includes, as an alkali-soluble group (i), a substituent group in which a group selected from amongst alcoholic hydroxyl groups, carboxyl groups, and phenolic hydroxyl groups is protected with an acid dissociable, dissolution inhibiting group (ii) represented by a general formula (1) shown below:

It is not an exaggeration to say that the miniaturization of semiconductor integrated circuits has been achieved as a result of developments in photolithography and associated technologies. As is widely known, these photolithography developments are supported by what can be broadly classified as two technologies. One is the exposure wavelength and numerical aperture of the reduction projection exposure apparatus known as a stepper or scanner, and the other is the resist characteristics, and mainly the transferred resolution of a photoresist composition generated by transferring a mask pattern using the above reduction projection exposure apparatus. A combination of these technologies has brought significant improvements in the precision of the processing of semiconductor integrated circuit patterns by photolithography.
The light source used in the reduction projection exposure apparatus has continued to shift towards shorter wavelengths in order to meet the demands for higher resolution circuit patterns. Typically, for a resist resolution of 0.5 μm, a mercury lamp for which the main spectrum is the 436 nm g-line is used, for a resolution of approximately 0.5 to 0.30 μm, a mercury lamp for which the main spectrum is the 365 nm i-line is used, for a resolution of approximately 0.3 to 0.15 μm, 248 nm KrF excimer laser light is used, and for resolutions of 0.15 μm or less, 193 nm ArF excimer laser light is used, and in order to achieve even greater miniaturization, 157 nm F2 excimer laser light, 126 nm Ar2 excimer laser light and EUV (extreme ultraviolet radiation: wavelength 13 nm) are also being investigated.
On the other hand, in the case of photoresist compositions, combinations with organic and inorganic antireflective films and innovations within the illumination systems are now commonplace, and in the case of lithography using KrF excimer laser light, photoresist compositions that will enable prolonged life for KrF photoresists are being developed, including photoresist compositions that target resolutions of approximately 110 nm, which represents no more than λ/2. Furthermore, in the case of lithography using ArF excimer lasers, favorable ArF photoresist compositions that will enable future mass production of fine patterns with a 90 nm node or smaller are now being sought. Moreover, lithography using the aforementioned F2 excimer lasers is now attracting considerable attention as a technology that will take a pivotal role in the processing of future ultra fine patterns of 65 nm or smaller, and considerable development is now being pursued of photoresist compositions that can be favorably applied to microfabrication using such F2 excimer laser lithography.
Obtaining the types of fine patterns described above using conventional positive photoresist compositions that include an alkali-soluble novolak resin and a quinonediazide group-containing compound as the main components is extremely difficult, and the development of resists that use shorter wavelength radiation, including far ultraviolet light (200 to 300 nm), excimer lasers such as KrF or ArF lasers, electron beams or X-rays, is now keenly sought. One type of resist that is attracting considerable attention as a resist capable of achieving high levels of resolution, capable of utilizing a catalytic reaction and chain reaction caused by acid generated upon irradiation to produce a quantum yield of 1 or greater, and also capable of achieving high sensitivity is a chemically amplified resist, and development of these resists is flourishing.
Resists for use with short wavelength light sources such as KrF excimer lasers or ArF excimer lasers require a high level of resolution capable of reproducing a pattern of very fine dimensions, as well as high sensitivity to this type of short wavelength light source. One example of a known resist capable of satisfying these requirements is a chemically amplified positive resist composition which includes a base resin that exhibits increased alkali solubility under the action of acid, and an acid generator that generates acid on exposure.
Chemically amplified positive resist compositions that have been proposed as ideal resist materials for exposure methods using a KrF excimer laser typically employ a polyhydroxystyrene-based resin in which a portion of the hydroxyl groups have been protected with acid dissociable, dissolution inhibiting groups as the base resin (for example, see patent reference 1). Examples of the most commonly used acid dissociable, dissolution inhibiting groups include so-called acetal groups, such as chain-like ether groups typified by a 1-ethoxyethyl group and cyclic ether groups typified by a tetrahydropyranyl group, as well as tertiary alkyl groups such as a tert-butyl group or 2-alkyl-2-adamantyl group, and tertiary alkoxycarbonyl groups typified by a tert-butoxycarbonyl group.
Furthermore, chemically amplified positive resist compositions that have been proposed as ideal resist materials for exposure methods using an ArF excimer laser typically employ, as the base resin, a (meth)acrylate-based resin in which a portion of the hydroxyl groups have been protected with the same type of acid dissociable, dissolution inhibiting groups as those described above. Of these, resins that use a tertiary alkyl group as the acid dissociable, dissolution inhibiting group are particularly widely used (for example, see patent reference 2).
As disclosed in the non-patent references (3 to 5) listed below, examples of the above chemically amplified resists include fluoroalcohols containing an acetal group, a tertiary alkyl group such as a tert-butyl group, a tert-butoxycarbonyl group or a tert-butoxycarbonylmethyl group as the acid dissociable, dissolution inhibiting group.
[Patent Reference 1]
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. Hei 04-211258
[Patent Reference 2]
Japanese Patent (Granted) Publication No. 2,881,969
[Non-Patent Reference 3]
T. Hagiwara, S. Irie, T. Itani, Y. Kawaguchi, O. Yokokoji, and S. Kodama, J. Photopolym. Sci. Technol., Vol. 16, p. 557, 2003
[Non-Patent Reference 4]
F. Houlihan, A. Romano, D. Rentkiewicz, R. Sakamuri, R. R. Dammel, W. Conley, G. Rich, D. Miller, L. Rhodes, J. McDaniels and C. Chang, J. Photopolym. Sci. Technol., Vol. 16, p. 581, 2003
[Non-Patent Reference 5]
Y. Kawaguchi, J. Irie, S. Kodama, S. Okada, Y. Takabe, I. Kaneko, O. Yokokoji, S. Ishikawa, S. Irie, T. Hagiwara and T. Itani, Proc. SPIE, Vol. 5039, p. 43, 2003.

Polymer compound, photoresist composition containing such polymer compound, and method for forming resist pattern

Abstract: (wherein, A represents an organic group of 1 to 20 carbon atoms with a valency of at least n+1, and n represents an integer from 1 to 4).


A carburetor draining system for safe and convenient draining. A vessel posterior end of a vessel is disposed against a carburetor body. A vessel base is disposed against a vessel anterior end. A base aperture is disposed on the vessel base. A stem posterior portion of a drain stem is disposed inside the vessel chamber and a stem anterior portion protrudes from the base aperture. A drain port disposed through the stem posterior portion intersects a drain channel disposed inside the stem anterior portion. A locking mechanism secures the vessel to the carburetor body. A valve body of a valve is removeably disposed inside the drain channel. A first seal on the valve body is pressed against an interior surface of the drain channel. A second seal is disposed on a valve stem. A valve handle moves the valve into a closed position or an open position for draining.

Currently, four stroke, internal combustion engines typically use a carburetor for mixing fuel and air to ignite for combustion. Conventional carburetors can have a main carburetor body with mounting holes, a fuel inlet, a float valve, a fuel siphon tube, a fuel inlet port, and a float bowl secured to the siphon tube via a screw or bolt. The float bowl acts as a fuel reservoir and is typically made out of steel or other metals. As the engine consumes fuel, the float valve opens to allow more fuel to fill the float bowl.
Poor quality fuel, fuel contaminants or fuel with high percentages of ethanol may cause an engine to not start or run. Moreover, this may cause the carburetor to fail completely, thereby requiring that the carburetor be replaced. Regular maintenance of the carburetor can help prolong its life. To check for fuel quality or contamination in the carburetor, a user must open a port in the float bowl. Typically, the float bowl may have a screw or bolt that allows for the float bowl to be drained without disassembling it. The screw or bolt is removed with an appropriate tool and any contaminants and/or fuel is drained from the float bowl. This process of draining the float bowl is the same for winterizing a carburetor to prevent fuel from "souring" during an extended period of storage. One drawback to this process of draining the float bowl is that the user's' hands inevitably comes into contact with the drained contaminants and/or fuel. Hence, there is a need for a safer and more convenient assembly for draining the carburetor float bowl.
The present invention features a modified carburetor float bowl and drain valve that allows for the fuel quality to be verified visually and instantly without tools. In the event of contamination or winterization, the present invention also allows for the float bowl to be drained without the use of tools while preventing the user from contacting the drainage.
Any feature or combination of features described herein are included within the scope of the present invention provided that the features included in any such combination are not mutually inconsistent as will be apparent from the context, this specification, and the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art. Additional advantages and aspects of the present invention are apparent in the following detailed description and claims.

Modified float bowl and drain valve for a carburetor


An improved titanium nitride barrier layer that prevents spiking between an overlying aluminum layer and a silicon substrate is formed by first sputter depositing a titanium layer onto the substrate, forming an oxygen-containing titanium layer thereover, and sputter depositing a titanium nitride layer over the oxygen-containing layer. The oxygen-containing layer can be formed in an oxygen-containing plasma, or titanium can be sputtered in the presence of oxygen. The titanium-containing layers can be deposited in a single sputtering chamber fitted with a source of RF power to the substrate support to form the plasma. An aluminum contact layer is sputter deposited over the titanium nitride layer.

Titanium nitride is a known barrier material used to prevent spiking of aluminum contacts into a silicon substrate. Titanium nitride can be deposited by sputtering titanium in the presence of argon and nitrogen gas. It is also known to enhance the barrier properties of titanium nitride by annealing or incorporating oxygen into the film. The oxygen fills the spaces between the grain boundaries of the titanium nitride. The annealing can be done in a Rapid Thermal Anneal (RTA) chamber or by heating in a nitrogen atmosphere containing oxygen. This is known as "stuffing" the titanium nitride layer. A layer of aluminum is deposited over the stuffed titanium nitride layer, also generally by sputtering. The aluminum layer can be heated then at temperatures above the flow temperature of aluminum to ensure that contact openings are completely filled.
As substrate wafer sizes become larger and devices made in the wafers become smaller and are placed closer together, many problems have arisen in filling small openings with material in a conformal manner that avoids the formation of voids. As the aspect ratio (width to depth ratio of openings) becomes higher, it becomes more difficult to fill openings, particularly by sputtering.
In an effort to improve the conformality of Ti/TiN sputtered deposits, a collimator can be used in the sputtering chamber. This permits only vertically directed sputtered species to pass through the collimator to the substrate, thereby improving the conformality of the deposited films.
Liao et al disclosed an RTA treatment of a sputtered, low density titanium/titanium nitride stack, which formed a TiON layer at the titanium/titanium nitride interface. Their suggested process requires sputtering 550 .ANG. of titanium followed by sputtering 500 .ANG. of titanium nitride. The wafers are exposed to air and heated at 650.degree. C. in an RTA chamber after oxygen exposure of the titanium/titanium nitride stack. However, this process, although improving the barrier properties of the titanium/titanium nitride stack, requires a break in the vacuum after sputtering the titanium/titanium nitride layers to perform the oxygen exposure and RTA steps prior to sputter deposition of the overlying aluminum contact.
The above process works well, but requires extra oxygen exposure and annealing steps that reduce throughput, particularly for single wafer processing. Further, this process does not completely eliminate aluminum spiking. Thus the effort to improve titanium-containing barrier layers to prevent aluminum spiking through the layers to the substrate has continued.

Process for forming improved titanium-containing barrier layers


A novel drill for the aerification of turf grasses is disclosed. The drill comprises a chuck and a fluted turf drill bit held by the chuck. The chuck includes a locking mechanism which permits the chuck to rotate freely about its longitudinal axis when loaded in compression (as when the drill is inserted into the ground) but which locks, preventing rotation, when the drill is loaded in tension (such as when the drill is withdrawn from the soil). The drill bit has a smooth upper section and a fluted lower section. The smooth section decreases the probability of entangling the turf in the drill bit with subsequent lifting of the turf when the drill is withdrawn. The tip of the drill bit is adapted to provide a torque to the drill bit during insertion into the ground. Thus, the bit spirals into the ground upon insertion, but locks upon removal, thereby permitting the flutes of the bit to cut a cylindrical hole in the ground while removing soil from the hole by retaining it in the space between the flutes. The drill of the present invention may be used in aerators previously limited to solid or hollow-core tines.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to soil aerification (or "aeration"). More particularly, it relates to a method and apparatus for the aerification of turf grasses using a self-rotating turf drill.
2. Description of the Related Art
What is Aerification
Aerification is a mechanical process that creates more air space in the soil and promotes deeper rooting, thus helping plants stay healthy. In most cases, this is achieved by removing cores (often called plugs) and then filling the holes with topdressing. Topdressing is often a certain grade of sand which may have other amendments added to allow the soil to maintain air space, improve water penetration, and encourage healthy root growth. The sand is brushed or poured into the holes which are usually healed within several days.
The condition of turf largely depends on the events occurring below the surface. For grass to grow, deep healthy roots are needed, and roots require oxygen. In good soil, they receive oxygen from tiny pockets of air trapped between soil and sand particles. On a sports field, the everyday traffic from players combined with the weight of heavy mowing equipment causes the soil to become compacted and the air pockets on which the roots depend for oxygen are lost. Aerification is a mechanical process that creates more air space in the soil and promotes deeper rooting, water percolation and compaction relief.
The practice of aerating turf is becoming increasingly widespread. The benefits of aerification include:                improved water infiltration and better drainage                    Deeper penetration of fertilizers            Improved plant rooting            Thatch control            Increased stress tolerance                        Break up of sod layers that can restrict rooting and water movement        Release of toxic gases from soils        Increased drying and drainage of persistently wet soils        Loosening of soil, allowing for increased air space        Softening of sports fields to reduce risk of injury
The principal reason for aerification is soil compaction relief. In addition, putting green aerification can provide for additional surface smoothing.
Compaction Relief
Definition of Compaction
Compaction of sports playing fields and golf course tees, greens and fairways is an inevitable product of their use—golf carts, maintenance machinery and feet all contribute to the process that is defined as "the consolidation of soil particles." Compaction decreases water and oxygen movement in the soil, hinders root growth and lessens the ability of the soil to drain. Soil compaction causes these negative effects by turning macropores (larger voids in the soil largely responsible for drainage and air flow) into many micropores (smaller voids that hold water). As compaction increases, bulk density also usually increases, which means that more soil solids occupy a unit volume of soil, reducing the porosity.
With turfgrass, techniques used to relieve compaction must be effective without being highly visible. Aerification—either with solid tines that create a hole in the soil, or with hollow tines or drills that remove a core of soil—is one of the more common ways of improving compacted soils.
When a soil compaction condition is accompanied by excessive thatch buildup, as is almost always the case in poorly maintained turf, each condition contributes to the effect of the other. Thatch is a mat of undecomposed plant material (e.g., grass clippings) accumulated next to the soil in a grassy area (as a lawn, sports field or putting green). It is a tightly intermingled layer of living and dead stems, leaves and roots of grasses, which develops between the layer of green vegetation and the soil surface. When thatch exceeds about ½ inch of undecomposed material, it acts as a barrier to water and air infiltration into the soil below and will provide an environment encouraging turf diseases and harmful insects. Compacted soils, on the other hand, are subject to greater temperature extremes than loose soils, because of limited air movement; microbial activity necessary to thatch decomposition is reduced or halted.
Water that cannot penetrate the soil runs off or accumulates in low spots where it harbors fungus growth.
Alleviating either condition will help, but only when thatch is kept under control and the soil is properly aerified will turf have the best chance for healthy, vigorous growth and disease resistance.
The accumulation of organic matter (thatch) and fine particles (silt and/or clay) can, over time, produce a surface layer that reduces porosity. Aerification can modify the profile, improving oxygen, water, and root movement, especially when the use of hollow tines or turf drills is combined with core removal and backfilling channels with high-quality topdressing sand.
Prior Art Methods of Aerification
Turfgrass cultivation activities include hollow tine aerification, solid tine aerification, spiking, slicing, and water injection. These activities, to varying degrees, can reduce thatch, prepare turf for overseeding, and relieve soil compaction. Perhaps the best machine for working large areas is a piston driven aerator that thrusts the core cutters vertically. Direct up and down coring leaves a clearly defined hole. Drum-type roller aerators will work but may cause tearing damage to the remaining grass since this type of cutter enters the turf at one angle, moves in an arc with the drum movement, and is withdrawn at a different angle.
Solid Tine
Solid-tine aerification allows turf managers to aerate more frequently, since the procedure produces less surface disruption. Solid tines larger than ¼ inch in diameter open turf to allow water and air infiltration, but the process compresses displaced soil downward and to the sides. This actually increases soil compaction around newly created aerification holes. Repeated solid-tine aerification with larger-diameter tines can create a hardpan at the aerating depth.
Related to solid tine aerification are slicing and spiking aerifiers. Slicing, spiking, and solid tine aerification do not pull plugs of soil from the turf. Slicing aerifiers cut thin slits into the soil and spiking aerifiers cut thin, triangular-shaped holes in turf. While they do not relieve soil compaction as efficiently as hollow tine aerification, these practices cause less surface disruption and can be done anytime.
Hollow Tine
These devices pull out plugs of soil that are deposited on the surface. One of the most common operations that one can perform using a hollow tine aerator is conducting a soil exchange program, offering the professional an ideal opportunity to remove soil cores and replace them with a suitable top dressing, altering the soil profile.
Self-powered hollow tine aerifiers (core aerifiers) insert hollow tines into the soil, removing a soil plug ¼″ to ¾″ in diameter and 2″ to 12″ deep, depending or, soil type, soil moisture, and type of machine. Core spacing varies depending upon the make and model of the machine. In general, the more cores removed per square foot, the more effective the cultivation will be; removing fifteen to thirty cores per square foot is recommended. Hollow tine aerification is considered the most efficient compaction reliever of the prior art methods. It is preferably done during active turf growth.
Slitting
Using triangular blades ranging in size 100–250 mm (4″ to 10″), these machines create lots of short, narrow, close slits; slitting is useful for getting air down into the soil; it's quick; it does a fair job in dethatching; however, this approach is not highly effective at reducing compaction. Slitting also has its benefits, particularly in autumn when it can be employed to help 'connect' the surface of the soil with the underlying drainage layers. In the spring and summer, slitting ensures that water from rain and irrigation soak through the turf rather than being shed in a sideways fashion by the thatch.
Water Injection
Water injection aerification is a recently-introduced method of turf aerification. Water, under high pressure, is injected into the turf surface to relieve soil compaction. In addition, it can be used to inject turf management chemicals into the soil. It causes little surface disruption and can be done anytime during the growing season. This new technology has not been commonly available for use outside of golf course applications.
Deep Drill Aerification
Drill-type aerifiers employ rotating turf drills. The drill bits eliminate compaction along the sides and bottom of the aerification hole, and allow for quick and effective penetration even in heavily compacted soils including hardpan, muck and roots. The "gentle footprint" of drill-type aerifiers, in conjunction with the absence of cyclic vibration and the "straight in, straight out" action of the drill bits, gives this type of machine the capability of aerating fields that are wet, dry or experiencing periods of high stress.
Deep drill aerifiers are also preferred for use in all problem areas because the rotating drill bits will penetrate subsoil areas, where other machines tend to walk or bounce, often causing trauma to the playing surface. Turf drill bits fracture the cylinder wall without glazing, thereby allowing lateral movement of air and water. "Drill & Fill" aerifiers are available which back-fill the drilled holes with a selected top dressing, usually sand, thereby modifying the soil profile.
Turf drill bits are commercially available in ⅝″×12″, ⅝″×16″, ¾″×12″, and 1″×12″ sizes. One particular deep drill aerifier currently on the market produces 5″ spacing of holes. Drill aerification is especially preferred when one must penetrate hard soils. However, drill aerification is a very slow process as compared to reciprocating type aerifiers.
As noted above, aerification has the added benefit of smoothing the surface of a putting green. The process of punching holes and either reincorporating the plugs brought up or removing the plugs and filling the channels can offer some surface smoothing. Surface topdressing alone will fill/smooth low spots. The combination of aerifying and the follow-up topdressing will, over time, both fill low spots and soften high spots, resulting in more efficient surface smoothing than topdressing alone.


The invention is related to a method of predicting the response to a treatment with a HER inhibitor in a patient comprising the steps of assessing a biomarker or a combination of biomarkers selected from the group consisting of amphiregulin, an epidermal growth factor, a transforming growth factor alpha, and a HER2 biomarker in a biological sample from the patient and predicting the response to the treatment with the HER inhibitor in the patient by evaluating the results of the first step. Further uses and methods wherein these markers are used are disclosed.

The human epidermal growth factor receptor (ErbB or HER) family comprises four members (HER1-4) that, through the activation of a complex signal cascade, are important mediators of cell growth, survival and differentiation. At least 11 different gene products from the epidermal growth factor (EGF) superfamily bind to three of these receptors, EGFR (also called ErbB1 or HER1), HER3 (ErbB3) and HER4 (ErbB4). Although no ligand has been identified that binds and activates HER2 (ErbB2 or neu), the prevailing understanding is that HER2 is a co-receptor that acts in concert with other HER receptors to amplify and in some cases initiate receptor-ligand signaling. Dimerization with the same receptor type (homodimerization) or another member of the HER family (heterodimerization) is essential for their activity. HER2 is the preferred dimerization partner for other HER family members. The role of the HER family in many epithelial tumor types is well documented and has led to the rational development of novel cancer agents directed specifically to HER receptors. The recombinant humanized anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody (MAb) trastuzumab is a standard of care in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Overexpression/amplification of the HER2 protein/gene, which occurs in 20-30% of breast cancer cases, is a prerequisite for treatment with trastuzumab.
Pertuzumab (Omnitarg™; formerly 2C4) is the first of a new class of agents known as HER dimerization inhibitors (HDIs). Pertuzumab binds to HER2 at its dimerization domain, thereby inhibiting its ability to form active dimer receptor complexes and thus blocking the downstream signal cascade that ultimately results in cell growth and division. Pertuzumab is a fully humanized recombinant monoclonal antibody directed against the extracellular domain of HER2. Binding of Pertuzumab to the HER2 on human epithelial cells prevents HER2 from forming complexes with other members of the HER family (including EGFR, HER3, HER4) and probably also HER2 homodimerization. By blocking complex formation, Pertuzumab prevents the growth-stimulatory effects and cell survival signals activated by ligands of HER1, HER3 and HER4 (e.g. EGF, TGFα, amphiregulin, and the heregulins). Other names for Pertuzumab are 2C4 or Pertuzumab. Pertuzumab is a fully humanized recombinant monoclonal antibody based on the human IgG1(κ) framework sequences. The structure of Pertuzumab consists of two heavy chains (449 residues) and two light chains (214 residues). Compared to Trastuzumab (Herceptin®), Pertuzumab has 12 amino acid differences in the light chain and 29 amino acid differences in the IgG1 heavy chain. WO 2004/092353 and WO 2004/091384 present investigations that the formation of heterodimers of HER2 with other receptors should be linked to the effectiveness or suitability of Pertuzumab.
Zabrecky, J. R. et al., J. Biol. Chem. 266 (1991) 1716-1720 disclose that the release of the extracellular domain of HER2 may have implications in oncogenesis and its detection could be useful as a cancer diagnostic. Colomer, R. et al., Clin. Cancer Res. 6 (2000) 2356-2362 disclose circulating HER2 extracellular domain and resistance to chemotherapy in advanced breast cancer. The prognostic and predictive values of the extracellular domain of HER2 is reviewed by Hait, W. N., Clin. Cancer Res. 7 (2001) 2601-2604.

Method for predicting the response to a treatment


A power conversion assembly includes a power converter having a plurality of switching devices, a power source electrically coupled to the power converter, and a direct current (DC) filter circuit bridging the power converter and the power source. The DC filter circuit includes a DC link having a positive rail, a negative rail, and a capacitor bank. The capacitor bank includes a first set of capacitors being a first type of capacitors and a second set of capacitors being a different, second type of capacitors. Each capacitor in the first set of capacitors is positioned closer to a respective switching device of the plurality of switching devices than a corresponding capacitor of the second set of capacitors to minimize impedance between each capacitor in the first set of capacitors and the respective switching device such that a majority of ripple current from the plurality of switching devices passes through the first set of capacitors.

Wind power is considered one of the cleanest, most environmentally friendly energy sources presently available, and wind turbines have gained increased attention in this regard. A modern wind turbine typically includes a tower, a generator, a gearbox, a nacelle, and one or more rotor blades. The nacelle includes a rotor assembly coupled to the gearbox and to the generator. The rotor assembly and the gearbox are mounted on a bedplate support frame located within the nacelle. The one or more rotor blades capture kinetic energy of wind using known airfoil principles. The rotor blades transmit the kinetic energy in the form of rotational energy so as to turn a shaft coupling the rotor blades to a gearbox, or if a gearbox is not used, directly to the generator. The generator then converts the mechanical energy to electrical energy and the electrical energy may be transmitted to a power conversion assembly and/or a transformer housed within the tower and subsequently deployed to a utility grid. Modern wind power generation systems typically take the form of a wind farm having multiple such wind turbine generators that are operable to supply power to a transmission system providing power to an electrical grid.
The power conversion assembly may include, for example, AC/AC voltage conversion, that is accomplished using a rotor side converter and a line side converter. The rotor side converter and the line side converter may be coupled via a DC link across which may include a DC link capacitor or capacitor bank. Thus, AC/AC conversion generally includes converting one AC supply to DC, then back to AC of a different voltage or frequency. The DC link between the two must remain stable for the second converter to successfully perform its function. Therefore, the capacitance of the DC link capacitance is used to provide a stabilizing force to maintain the DC link voltage within margins that the machine can function. The quantity of the capacitance scales with the power rating of the device, as more incoming current can shift the DC link more quickly, so more capacitance is required to maintain the DC link in a stable condition. Conventionally, a single type of capacitor has been used in DC link capacitor banks.
Thus, the art is continuously seeking new and improved systems and methods that decrease the cost and volume of the power conversion assembly, while also providing enough capacitance for the DC link to remain stable. As such, the present disclosure is directed to systems and methods that incorporate different types of capacitors in a configuration that highlights the primary benefits of each type, while also mitigating their respective weaknesses.

Hybrid capacitor bank for a power conversion assembly

General Electric Renovables Espana, S.L.


A method is provided for regenerating a molecular sieve-free resid hydroprocessing catalyst for use with an ebullated bed reaction process comprising at least one hydrogenation metal and at least one Group IIA metal deposited on an inorganic oxide support wherein the catalyst contains a pore volume of pores having a diameter greater than 1200 Angstroms of at least 0.05 cc/gm. The method comprises the steps of contacting the molecular sieve-free resid hydroprocessing catalyst with a contaminant metal-containing hydrocarbon feedstream in a first contacting step at conditions sufficient to deposit contaminant metals and coke onto the catalyst; and contacting the coke-deactivated, contaminant metal-containing, molecular sieve-free catalyst with an oxygen-containing gas in a second contacting step at oxidation conditions sufficient to remove a substantial amount of the coke from the coke-deactivated, contaminant metal-containing, molecular sieve-free catalyst. The loss on attrition of the regenerated molecular sieve-free resid hydroprocessing catalyst after the second contacting step is less than 10 weight percent fines per day calculated based on a regeneration temperature of about 900.degree. F.

The United States and Canada generate about 100,000,000 pounds of spent base-metal catalyst per year, about half of which is spent hydroprocessing catalysts. The present invention relates to a process for regenerating spent, heavy hydrocarbon, hydroprocessing catalysts. More specifically, the present invention relates to a process for regenerating spent, heavy hydrocarbon, hydroprocessing catalysts that have been deactivated with coke and metal deactivants such as nickel and vanadium.
With respect to the present invention, the term hydroprocessing is used to refer to a process for hydrodemetallation, hydrodesulfurization, hydrodenitrogenation, and hydroconversion wherein the term hydroconversion encompasses the hydrocracking and hydrotreating of hydrocarbon streams containing asphaltenes and contaminant metals. Hydroprocessing catalysts used to treat heavy hydrocarbon streams, such as resids, are deactivated as a result of metals and coke deposition. These deposition materials modify the rate of reaction as well as accelerate the rate of catalyst deactivation. The various metal deposits tend to occlude catalyst pores and poison the hydroprocessing catalyst, while coke deposits similarly reduce the pore size and surface area of the hydroprocessing catalyst.
Typically, hydroprocessing catalysts possess substantial macropore volume in order to effect metals removal from heavy hydrocarbon feed streams. Heavy hydrocarbon hydroprocessing catalysts possess the capacity to adsorb contaminant metals, such as nickel and vanadium, in an amount ranging up to about 100 weight percent of the fresh catalyst weight. However, due to the rapid coke deposition rate, the catalyst is deactivated prior to achieving its full metals adsorption capacity. Such catalysts are taken out of service when they contain as little as 10 weight percent nickel plus vanadium.
Thus, the prior art is replete with processes suitable for handling these spent catalysts. These processes can be separated into four areas: (1) disposal, (2) total catalyst reclamation, (3) catalyst rejuvenation, and (4) catalyst regeneration.
Disposal of spent catalyst requires compliance with stringent environmental standards that can substantially increase the cost of handling spent catalyst. One acceptable method of disposal of spent catalyst is encapsulation, wherein the catalyst is surrounded, either as a pellet or in bulk, with an impervious layer of sealant. Bitumen, paraffin wax, and polyethylene have been used as thermoplastic encapsulating agents in which the dry waste is mixed with the sealant at high temperature and cooled. Similar methods have been developed for low temperature encapsulation, where a polybutadiene binder can be mixed with the catalyst followed by application of a thin polyethylene jacket around the mass. Although encapsulation provides a relatively effective means of disposing of spent catalyst, the possibility of fire and weathering can lead to long term instability of the encapsulants. In addition, care must be taken to avoid shear stresses that can break open the encapsulated particles.
Total catalyst reclamation involves removing both the contaminant and catalytic metals from the spent catalyst for recovery as precious metals. The use of catalyst as a source of precious metals is well known in the industry. Most metal recovery methods involve roasting the spent catalyst in the absence or presence of additives, followed by leaching of the catalyst. A suitable method of recovering precious metals from spent catalyst is presented in G. Parkinson, "Recyclers Try New Ways to Process Spent Catalyst," Chemical Engineering, Feb. 16, 1987, pp. 25-31. This reference discloses a Gulf Chemical and Metallurgical Corporation metal recovery method wherein molybdenum and vanadium are converted to their sodium salts by adding sodium carbonate during a multiple-hearth roast at 650.degree. to 900.degree. C. The spent catalyst is roasted to remove carbon and sulfur and the calcined material quenched in water to dissolve the salts. A leach liquor is then separated from the insolubles by countercurrent decantation. Ammonium chloride is subsequently added to precipitate ammonium vanadate, which is calcined and fused to produce vanadium pentoxide. The remaining solution is then heated to 80.degree. to 85.degree. C. and acidified to precipitate molybdic acid, which is calcined to molybdic oxide. Other examples of metal recovery techniques are disclosed in Trimm, D. L., "Deactivation, Regeneration, and Disposal of Hydroprocessing Catalysts," Catalyst in Petroleum Refining 1989, Elsevier Science Publishers, B.V. Amsterdam (1990).
Catalyst rejuvenation involves selective removal of contaminant metals from the spent catalyst followed by or preceded by oxidative decoking of the coke deposited on the catalyst. The objective in catalyst rejuvenation is to remove the contaminant metals while retaining the catalytic metals on the catalyst for reuse. One way of achieving selective removal of contaminant metals, and in particular vanadium, is by attrition. It is well known that vanadium and iron are deposited on the exterior of some catalysts. As a result, subjecting the outermost layers of the catalyst to abrasion leads to a powder rich in coke, vanadium and iron, while the residual pellet contains catalytic material and nickel (which is deposited throughout the pellet). Although some improvement in activity is observed, the overall benefit is not high because abrasion of the exterior deposits does not generally remove the vanadium that is deposited in the pore mouths of the catalyst. Deeper abrasion to remove pore-mouth deposits can weaken the catalyst. Another approach for selectively removing contaminant metals from the spent catalyst is selective leaching which takes advantage of the fact that metals on the spent catalyst are usually present as sulfides. Selective leaching involves treating the spent hydroprocessing catalyst with a chemical that reacts with only one of these sulfides, e.g. the use of oxalic acid to remove vanadium. An extensive discussion of the use of leaching to selectively remove metals from spent hydroprocessing catalyst can be found in M. Marafi, A. Stanislaus, C. J. Mumford, and M. Fahim, "Regeneration of Spent Hydroprocessing Catalyst: Metal Removal," Applied Catalysis, 47(1989) pp. 85-96.
The problem with such selective removal processes is that invariably, some of the catalytic metals are also removed, thereby requiring that at least a portion of the catalytic metals be reincorporated onto the catalyst prior to reuse. The problems associated with selective removal of contaminant metals have lead some operators in the industry to consider catalytic regeneration of the spent catalyst. In other words, decoking the spent, metal-containing hydroprocessing catalyst using oxidative combustion, retaining the contaminant and catalytic metals until the metals build-up is so severe that the catalyst needs to be replaced. Regeneration takes into account that deactivation due to coking generally occurs much more rapidly than deactivation due to metal deposition. In addition, the catalyst's demetallization capacity is more fully utilized, thereby increasing its eventual reclamation value. However, efforts to commercialize the regeneration of resid hydroprocessing catalysts have been largely unsuccessful.
A problem with regeneration by decoking in the presence of contaminant metals, and in particular vanadium, is that the catalyst becomes soft, i.e., the catalyst's resistance to attrition is significantly reduced. This problem is particularly severe when the catalyst is employed in an ebullated bed reaction process where the solid catalyst particles are kept in random motion by the upward flow of liquid and gas. Similarly, equipment commonly used with ebullated bed reaction systems such as the ebullated bed pumps further aggravate catalyst attrition. These physical process factors attendant to resid hydroprocesses combined with the fact that large pore resid hydroprocessing catalysts can be particularly vulnerable to attrition per se, make the attrition resistance of the catalyst critically important.
Moreover, it has now been found that when a spent, contaminant metal-containing, hydroprocessing catalyst is subjected to oxidative combustion, one of the species oxidized is vanadium sulfide, V.sub.3 S.sub.4, the predominant vanadium phase deposited under typical hydroprocessing conditions. The vanadium sulfide (V.sub.3 S.sub.4) is then oxidized to vanadium pentoxide (V.sub.2 O.sub.5), a highly oxidative catalyst, during the combustion step which is highly detrimental to resid hydroprocessing catalyst attrition properties due to at least two separate and distinct reaction mechanisms.
The first detrimental mechanism proceeds from the reaction of the water formed during the oxidation of carbonaceous deposits with the vanadium pentoxide formed by the oxidation of vanadium sulfide to vanadium pentoxide. This reaction forms vanadic acid, VO(OH).sub.3, a volatile and highly reactive species that reacts with metals present in the catalyst such as iron, nickel, aluminum or molybdenum to form mixed metal vanadates. These mixed metal vanadates generally cause loss of both catalyst surface area and attrition resistance.
The second detrimental mechanism occurs since vanadium pentoxide also catalyzes the conversion of sulfur dioxide formed during the combustion reaction to reactive sulfur trioxide, an acidic gas. The sulfur trioxide generally reacts with alumina supports, resulting in loss of both surface area and attrition resistance as taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,089,806 and 4,994,423 respectively.
It is believed that these mechanisms may have discouraged subsequent efforts to regenerate resid hydroprocessing catalysts through combustion techniques.
A number of processes have been suggested to immobilize or passivate the contaminant metals during oxidation to remove coke.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,806 discloses a regeneration process wherein a phosphorous component is incorporated onto the catalyst after the partial decoking and extraction step and prior to combusting the remainder of the coke from the catalyst. Incorporation of phosphorous components with the deactivated catalyst is thought to passivate or inhibit the formation of the undesirable vanadates.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,994,423 discloses a regeneration process wherein a Group IIA component is incorporated onto the catalyst after partially decoking the catalyst prior to combusting the remainder of the coke. The Group IIA metal is believed to passivate or inhibit the formation of the undesirable vanadates.
Partial decoking processes, however, are generally costly, complex, and difficult to implement and control. Moreover, it can be difficult to effectively disperse a passivating agent onto the surface of the catalyst when the catalyst is partially covered with coke.
Two-step oxidation has also been the subject of a recent U.S. Patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,399 discloses a process for regenerating a spent hydrotreating catalyst comprising one or more of molybdenum, nickel, tungsten, and cobalt on an alumina support comprising heating the catalyst at a first temperature ranging from 700.degree. F. to about 1000.degree. F. followed by heating the catalyst at a second temperature ranging from 1100.degree. F. to about 1700.degree. F.
It has been found that the two stage process described above can actually facilitate and increase catalyst attrition. Vanadium sulfide (V.sub.3 S.sub.4) can and generally decomposes to vanadium pentoxide (V.sub.2 O.sub.5) at oxidation temperatures above about 700.degree. F. Decomposition of vanadium sulfide to vanadium pentoxide subsequently catalyzes the detrimental attrition effects described above. Moreover, oxidation temperatures above 1400.degree. F. can cause the vanadium pentoxide to melt thereby increasing vanadium pentoxide migration and extending its exposure to and subsequent damage of the alumina support.
Group IIA metals have been used for retaining the crush strength of hydroprocessing catalysts.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,044 discloses treating a catalyst with a dissolved magnesium compound. The solute in the impregnating solutions can be any magnesium compound including, but not limited to magnesium nitrate, magnesium carbonate, magnesium sulfate, and the like. Although catalyst crush strength is an important property for use with fixed-bed reaction processes wherein catalyst particles located in the upper sections of the bed exert weight forces on catalyst particles located in the lower sections of the bed, it is less critical in ebullated bed processes where the random motion of catalyst particles caused by the upward flow of liquid and gas virtually eliminate such downward forces. In ebullated bed processes, the critical catalyst attribute is attrition resistance. It is well known that a catalyst that has a high crush strength does not necessarily have a high attrition resistance.
It has now been found that incorporating a Group IIA metal onto a large pore resid hydroprocessing catalyst prior to the deposition of the contaminant metals and coke and subsequent oxidative regeneration provides for superior catalyst attrition properties in the regenerated catalyst. This is believed to occur due to passivation of the contaminant metal by the Group IIA metal whereby conversion of the vanadium to vanadium pentoxide is preempted.
It has also been found that incorporating the Group IIA metal onto the catalyst prior to deposition of the contaminant metals and coke allows for better dispersion of the Group IIA metal onto the catalyst, thereby allowing for uniform deposition of the Group IIA metal onto the surface of the catalyst. The more uniform the deposition of the Group IIA metal, the greater the attrition resistance of the catalyst.
It has similarly been found that utilizing a two-step oxidation process whereby the first oxidation step is maintained at a temperature below 700.degree. F. provides a substantial reduction in conversion of vanadium sulfide to the highly oxidative vanadium pentoxide, thereby providing further improvements in catalyst attrition properties.
It has also been found that maintaining both oxidation steps at temperatures below 1400.degree. F. provides a further improvement in catalyst attrition properties by reducing vanadium pentoxide migration throughout the catalyst support.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a catalyst regeneration method that does not substantially reduce catalyst attrition resistance.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a catalyst regeneration method that avoids costly, complicated, and time-consuming partial decoking and metals or catalyst component incorporation steps on-site.
Other objects appear herein.

Process for regenerating a spent resid hydroprocessing catalyst using a group IIA metal


Process control monitors are disclosed that are produced using at least some of the same process steps used to manufacture a MEMS device. Analysis of the process control monitors can provide information regarding properties of the MEMS device and components or sub-components in the device. This information can be used to identify errors in processing or to optimize the MEMS device. In some embodiments, analysis of the process control monitors may utilize optical measurements.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates to microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).
2. Description of the Related Art
Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) include micro mechanical elements, actuators, and electronics. Micromechanical elements may be created using deposition, etching, and or other micromachining processes that etch away parts of substrates and/or deposited material layers or that add layers to form electrical and electromechanical devices. One type of MEMS device is called an interferometric modulator. As used herein, the term interferometric modulator or interferometric light modulator refers to a device that selectively absorbs and/or reflects light using the principles of optical interference. In certain embodiments, an interferometric modulator may comprise a pair of conductive plates, one or both of which may be transparent and/or reflective in whole or part and capable of relative motion upon application of an appropriate electrical signal. In a particular embodiment, one plate may comprise a stationary layer deposited on a substrate and the other plate may comprise a metallic membrane separated from the stationary layer by an air gap. As described herein in more detail, the position of one plate in relation to another can change the optical interference of light incident on the interferometric modulator. Such devices have a wide range of applications, and it would be beneficial in the art to utilize and/or modify the characteristics of these types of devices so that their features can be exploited in improving existing products and creating new products that have not yet been developed.
Errors can occur during the manufacturing of MEMS devices. Detecting the errors and the source of the errors can present a problem in the quality control and optimization of MEMS devices. Accordingly, there is a need for structures and methods for monitoring manufacturing processes and their results.

Process control monitors for interferometric modulators


A point cloud data display system includes a target unit including a reflection target, a scanner device configured to acquire point cloud data, a surveying instrument configured to obtain a distance and an angle to the reflection target, measured coordinates and a direction angle of the scanner device, and a display device configured to display data output from the scanner device and the surveying instrument. The scanner device outputs point cloud data in association with an observation point each time of acquisition of the point cloud data. The surveying instrument outputs coordinates, a direction angle of the scanner device at the observation point. When the point cloud data, coordinates and direction angle with respect to the observation point are obtained, the display device converts point cloud data into data in a map coordinate system and displays the converted data on a display unit in association with a map.

Conventionally, as a system for acquiring three-dimensional data of terrain and features, a system for acquiring point cloud data of a measuring object or a measurement range from a plurality of points by using a ground-installed scanner device is known.
The scanner device rotationally irradiates laser pulsed light through a scanning unit, scans a measuring object, and performs a distance measurement and an angle measurement by each pulsed light so as to acquire three-dimensional point cloud data of the measuring object or range in a coordinate system centered at the scanner device.
With this system, point cloud data at each instrument point, and coordinate and direction angle data on each instrument point, were acquired and brought back to an office, the point cloud data and coordinate and direction angle data were input into a data processing device such as a PC, the point cloud data were converted into data in a map coordinate system, and processing to integrate the point cloud data and display of the observation results were performed. However, at an actual survey site, there was no display made in relation to a map.


The application discloses a semiconductor memory storage device comprising: a data retention portion comprising latches; a peripheral portion comprising read and write logic; and a power switching device wherein said peripheral portion is operable to be powered by a periphery voltage difference; said data retention portion is operable to be powered by a data retention voltage difference said data retention voltage difference being different to said periphery voltage difference; and in response to a write request signal to write to at least one of said latches output from said peripheral portion to said data retention portion by said write logic, said power switching device is operable to reduce a voltage difference across said at least one of said latches such that a data signal output from said peripheral portion and having a voltage level determined by said periphery voltage difference is able to write to said at least one of said latches.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of data processing systems. More particularly, this invention relates to the field of semiconductor memories.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In many circuits, particularly those that run off remote power supplies such as batteries, it is important to keep the power consumption of the circuits low. As well as addressing the issue of operational circuit efficiency attention is also being turned to reducing static power loss, i.e. power loss due to currents occurring while a circuit is not performing operations. One solution to this issue is to simply turn off the supply to a portion of the design that is not currently being used. This serves to save static power, but there are significant dynamic power costs associated with restoring the state of the system when power is once again supplied to that portion of the design. Furthermore, there are additional drawbacks associated with a lag in response time associated with this restoration of state. This may not be acceptable in some systems.
To address these issues there are proposals for building retention flops to retain the state of the logic while a portion of it is powered down. Such a mode of operation allows the stored signal values to be securely held in a small portion of the circuitry whilst the remainder of the circuitry is powered down for power leakage reduction purposes. When power is resumed, the saved signal value is restored and operation continues.
However, much of the state of a system may typically be contained in other semiconductor memory devices such as SRAM array structures. These SRAM arrays due to their size contribute a large percentage of the total static power consumption in a typical SoC. Traditional techniques used to combat this static power consumption in the arrays result in significant performance hits to the read and write timing.
"A read-static-margin-free SRAM cell for low-Vdd and high-speed applications" by Takeda et al from ISSCC 2005, Session 26, static memory 26.3 pages 478 and 479 looks at improving data retention and increasing the speed of data access. It proposes the reduction of the voltage level supplied to a six transistor cell of the SRAM during write to ensure that the write signal is able to switch the state of the cell. It does not address the problem of reducing power consumption.

Data retention in a semiconductor memory


An AI-based asset maintenance system accesses a variety of data sources related to an entity to analyze data regarding one or more damage mechanisms corresponding to the entity thereby identifying and implementing corrective actions that mitigate the effects of the damage mechanisms within the entity. The accessed data is stored using a parameterized data model that represents the entity. A trained parameter model identifies the most significant operating parameters for a given component of the entity for the damage mechanism affecting the component. A projection model is used to perform ‘what-if’ analysis of the most significant operating parameters for determining the instances of minimum and maximum degradation due to the damage mechanism. Corrective actions for mitigating the degradation due to the damage mechanism can be determined based on analysis of the operating parameters and other attributes corresponding to the best and worst case degradation scenarios.

In an establishment such as a manufacturing plant or a refinery unit wherein numerous machines interface to execute complex processes, maintenance and reliability necessitate exchange of data between various data sources including structured and unstructured data. Various maintenance procedures such as risk-based inspections (RBIs) or condition-based inspections can be implemented to maintain the equipment in good working condition. A risk-based inspection is a methodology used to examine equipment such as pressure vessels, heat exchangers, piping and the like in industrial setups. RBI requires an assessment of the probability of failure (PoF) associated with each equipment included in a particular processing unit. RBI can be used to prioritize inspection-related activities so that the true state of the equipment can be determined. Additional risk or damage mitigating activities can be identified via the RBI assessment.
International engineering standards and practices that relate to risk-based inspection can include, for example, American Petroleum Institute (API) RP (Recommended Practice) 580 and 581 etc. API RP 580 sets out the minimum guidelines for implementing an effective, credible RBI program. API RP 581 details the procedures and methodology of RBI.

Mitigating asset damage via asset data analysis and processing


A sensing apparatus comprising a displacement sensor element arranged to sense a separation between a first element (2) and a second element (3) movably mounted with respect to the first element; an acceleration sensor element configured to sense an acceleration associated with the first element; displacement measurement circuitry (4A) configured to make a measurement indicative of separation on the basis of the sensed separation; acceleration measurement circuitry (4C) configured to make a measurement of acceleration on the basis of the sensed acceleration; and a processing element (4D) configured to output a signal to indicate there is determined to be a change in the separation of the second element relative to the first element on the basis of the measurement indicative of separation and the measurement of acceleration.

The present invention relates to displacement sensing.
Capacitive sensing techniques have become widespread for providing touch-sensitive inputs, for example in computer tablets, mobile phones, and in many other applications. Touch sensitive input devices are generally perceived to be more aesthetically pleasing than input devices that are based on mechanical switches. Nonetheless, the present inventors have recognised there are still situations in which a user-interface that is responsive to mechanical input may be desired. In particular, the inventors have recognised there are situations in which there is a desire to measure the physical displacement of a displaceable element, for example to provide the equivalent of a "click" when navigating a cursor across a display screen using a touch sensor.
One issue with determining a user input by sensing displacement of a displacement element is the potential for physical perturbations other than user inputs to impact the measurements that are made to determine when a displacement has occurred. For example, one simple way to measure a displacement of a displacement element is to measure a change in separation distance between this element and a 'reference' element that is assumed to be at rest. However, if the reference element undergoes a change in velocity, i.e. due to a mechanical perturbation of a device containing the sensor apparatus, it can be difficult to determine if a sensed change in separation distance between the displacement and reference elements should be considered to correlate with a user input displacing the displacement element (i.e. by pressing it) or if the change in separation distance results from inertial effects associated with the acceleration of the reference element. For example, if the reference element is coincident with or mechanically coupled to an external housing of a device containing the displacement element, which may in some cases be a touch sensitive input, and the housing is moved suddenly, the separation distance between the reference element and the displacement element may change despite the user making no deliberate inputs to the displacement element.
There is therefore a desire for apparatus and methods that can help to address these kinds of issues.


According to one or more embodiments, a method for adding parity protection for any uncovered latches of a circuit design is provided. The method includes determining latches that are not covered by current parity protection of the circuit design to output a list of the uncovered latches. The method includes executing a clustering operation that iteratively generates latch groupings according to physical design information and clock gating domains, and that outputs an updated design incorporating the latch groupings. Note that each latch grouping generates a corresponding parity bit to provide the parity protection to minimize adverse impacts on timing, routing, and power consumption of the circuit design. The method also includes adding the updated design with the parity protection to the circuit design to generate a final hardware design.

The disclosure relates generally to placement-driven generation of error detecting structures in integrated circuits, and more specifically, to adding parity protection to control logic latches using physical design feedback to cluster unprotected latches into groups.
In general, conventional computing systems provide some level of error protection of single event upsets in order to ensure data integrity, to prevent the conventional computing systems from entering an illegal state, and to control resource availability. To this end, data is protected by parity or error-detecting/correcting mechanisms, and control latches can be protected with parity protection. It is preferred that any non-functional additions to an integrated circuit, such as those for error protection, have a minimal impact on timing, power consumption, and space, so as to not detract from the overall performance of the conventional computing systems. However, the error protection by the conventional computing systems is far from being optimized to ensure this minimal impact.

Placement-driven generation of error detecting structures in integrated circuits

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A waterproof mechanism for cartridge holder 4 that moves between a housed position inside the camera body and a cartridge reception/removal position at which the cartridge insertion opening is exposed outside the camera body, wherein elastic sealing member 5, which comprises flat part 51 that is sandwiched between cartridge holder 4 and holder cover 6 when the latter is attached to the former and seal area 55 that is located along the edges of said flat part 51 and extends next to and all around the edges of the holder cover and that creates a watertight seal between the camera body and holder cover 6 when the cartridge holder is in the housed position, the flat part 51 and seal area 55 being integrally formed as one unit, is placed such that said elastic sealing member 5 will be sandwiched between cartridge holder 4 and holder cover 6 when the latter is attached to the former.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a waterproof mechanism that is suitable for cameras having a cartridge holder which houses a film cartridge so that the cartridge may be inserted into and removed from the camera body. The present invention also pertains to a sealing member used in the waterproof mechanism. The present invention further pertains to a camera including the waterproof mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
The conventional art related to the waterproof mechanism of the present invention is explained below using a camera as an example.
As a film insertion mechanism for a camera, a mechanism in which the insertion of film is completed by opening a rear cover of the camera to place a film cartridge in a prescribed position inside the camera, pulling the end of the film out of the cartridge so that the film will be engaged with the spool, and closing the rear cover to activate winding has been conventionally known. Waterproofing of the rear cover of the camera having such a film insertion mechanism using a rear cover is effected by mounting to the rear cover a ring-shaped rubber packing that covers the entire inside rim of the rear cover.
On the other hand, a mechanism has been proposed that has a tilt-type or slide-type cartridge holder, in which a film is automatically fed out from the cartridge and film insertion is completed by placing the cartridge in the cartridge holder which is removable from the camera body, and returning the cartridge holder to the camera body.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show perspective views of important components to outline the tilt-type cartridge holder. As shown in these drawings, cartridge holder 4 that houses a film cartridge may be moved from the housed position inside the camera body (the position shown in FIG. 1) to the cartridge reception/removal position (the position shown in FIG. 2) with pin 21 as the rotation shaft. In other words, at the cartridge reception/removal position shown in FIG. 2, cartridge insertion opening 41 formed on the top of cartridge holder 4 is exposed outside the camera body, and a film cartridge (not shown in the drawing) may be inserted into cartridge holder 4 from opening 41. When cartridge holder 4 housing a cartridge is moved with pin 21 as the rotation shaft back to the housed position shown in FIG. 1, the film inside the cartridge is automatically fed out from film outlet 43 and wound around the spool (not shown in the drawing), whereupon film insertion is completed.
As shown in FIG. 1, plate-shaped holder cover 6 is attached to cartridge holder 4. The holder cover 6 constitutes a part of exterior cover 1 of the entire camera when cartridge holder 4 is in the housed position, and moves together with cartridge holder 4 when cartridge holder 4 moves to the cartridge reception/removal position. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the positions of photo-taking lens 3, distance measurement window 22, finder window 23, shutter release button 24 and finder 25 are shown using chain lines.
On the other hand, a slide-type cartridge holder does not become tilted, but slides from a housed position in the camera body to a cartridge reception/removal position outside the camera body and vice versa.
In order to waterproof the tilt-type or slide-type cartridge holder like the rear cover in the rear cover-type film insertion mechanism described above, it is necessary to form an overlapping part at the border between the cartridge holder cover and the camera body, as well as to install a ring-shaped rubber packing that covers the entire rim of the overlapping part.
Incidentally, whether with the rear cover-type film insertion mechanism or with the film insertion mechanism using a tilt-type or slide-type cartridge holder, an increase in the number of manufacturing processes, such as the formation of a guide groove for correct positioning and the insertion of the ring-shaped packing in the guide groove, is inevitable in order to mount a ring-shaped rubber packing to a prescribed position. In addition, there are a number of other factors that lead to an increase in costs, including the need to use an adhesive to affix the packing.

Waterproof mechanism, sealing member, and camera including the same


The application discloses a control system of a fire fighting truck for high-rise and super high-rise building firefighting, comprising: a command control equipment (2), a launch control equipment (3), a turret control apparatus (8), and a photoelectric detection equipment (9), wherein, the photoelectric detection equipment (9) comprises: an installing shell, a power supply, a white light zoom camera, an infrared camera, a laser rangefinder, and an integrated processing unit, wherein the white light zoom camera is connected to the installing shell via screws, the infrared camera is connected to the installing shell by using a screw, the laser rangefinder is connected to the installing shell by using a screw, the power supply interface of the white light zoom camera is connected to the power supply by using a wire, the power supply interface of the infrared camera is connected to the power supply by using a wire, the power supply interface of the laser rangefinder is connected to the power supply by using a wire, the data interface of the white light zoom camera is connected to the integrated processing unit by using a wire, the data interface of the infrared camera is connected to the integrated processing unit by using a wire, and the data interface of the laser rangefinder is connected to the integrated processing unit by using a wire.

The fire suppression of high-rise building whose height is greater than 10 floors or greater than 24 meters and super high-rise building whose height is greater than 100 meters always is a difficult problem in fire-fighting field. The existing fire-fighting equipment at home and abroad is difficult to meet the demand of fire suppression for high-rise especially for super high-rise building because of the limited fire extinguishing height, difficult motor-driven deployment, and high price.
The elevating fire fighting truck and aerial ladder fire fighting truck are typically adopted for high-rise and super high-rise building fire suppression, at present, the highest fire fighting truck in the world is the Bronto fighting truck in Finland, comprising: a truck chassis, a lifting device, and an electrical system. This fire fighting truck lifting height is 101 meters, and water is relayed by low, medium and high area, but the highest water carrying height is only about 160 meters. This fire fighting truck cannot be rapid deployed in lots of built-up areas and narrow streets as its width is about 8 meters, vehicle length is 17.13 meters, ride height is 4 meters, and gross mass is 60.2 tons under working deployed condition. In addition, this fire fighting truck that import price is up to 22 million yuan cannot be afforded by fire departments in most of the domestic cities, but only equipped by a few cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou at present.
The high-rise building fire extinguishing system, which is developed in view of the severe situation of high-rise and super high-rise building fire extinguishing in our country urban environment, is a special type fire extinguishing system that can be motor-driven deployed rapidly at common road surface in urban environment and used to efficiently extinguish and suppress large-area high-rise and super high-rise building fire, which adopts the mode of throwing fire extinguishing bomb to the fire source target. Overall fire-fighting efficiency of the high-rise building fire extinguishing system is determined by throwing precision of the fire extinguishing bomb.
The accurate trajectory solving mode is not used for the existing fire extinguishing bomb trajectory solving method, fire fighters realize that "blind launching" to specific region according to visual judgment and practical experience has the problem that hitting accuracy is not high. In the time of high-rise and super high-rise building fire suppression, in order to complete all-weather close range target detection, part of the fire fighting truck is provided with a target (fire source) detection device, which has shortcomings that view field selection number is few, the ratio cannot be adjusted and magnified according to the size of target, and the infrared and white light images cannot be fused because this device adopts cameras with fixed focus as sighting telescope.
In addition, in the prior art of fire suppression by adopting fire extinguishing bomb mode, the mode of center booster is typically adopted by the fire extinguishing bomb, which will produce a large amount of high-explosive fragments with certain destructiveness when spraying fire-extinguishing agent, so that this kind of fire extinguishing bombs are applicable to regions away from dense population including forest and oil tank, but is not suitable for fire suppression of high-rise and super high-rise building under urban environment condition.

Control system of a fire truck for high-rise and super high-rise building firefighting