A method and an apparatus for adjusting transmit powers of base station antennas, and a base station are provided. The method includes receiving an input precoding matrix of a transmit power-limited antenna set, where the precoding matrix is determined according to a scheduling result of a user equipment communicating with a base station in each layer of each subband in a system; adjusting the precoding matrix according to a transmit power limit requirement of the transmit power-limited antenna set, a system capacity improvement requirement, or a coverage performance improvement requirement to obtain an adjusted precoding matrix; and adjusting a stream transmit power of the transmit power-limited antenna set by using the adjusted precoding matrix.

In a radio communication system, certain constraint conditions are imposed on the transmit power of radio signals, and each antenna of many radio remote unit (RRU) products is equipped with an independent power amplifier. Because the output power of a power amplifier is limited, the transmit power of each antenna should not exceed a specified maximum transmit power of the antenna. Many RRU products implement power sharing between antennas. Therefore, the transmit power of each RRU should not exceed a specified maximum transmit power of the RRU. When a large number of transmit antennas are used in a cell, considering costs and other aspects, multiple RRUs may be used together, which requires that the transmit power of each cell should not exceed a specified maximum transmit power of the cell. Because a uniform power supply is provided for multiple cells of a base station, another possible constraint condition is that the transmit power of each base station should not exceed a specified maximum transmit power of the base station.
The transmit power constraint conditions may be collectively represented by a power-limited antenna set. Regarding an antenna power limit, an RRU power limit, a cell power limit, and a base station power limit, each power-limited antenna set respectively corresponds to a transmit antenna, all transmit antennas of an RRU, all transmit antennas of a cell, and all transmit antennas of a base station. Different power-limited antenna sets may have different maximum transmit power limits. The total transmit power of all antennas in each power-limited antenna set should not exceed a corresponding maximum transmit power.
In a practical system, the base stations of different specifications may be used to implement different power limits. For example, in a heterogeneous network, the maximum transmit power of a macro cell antenna is different from the maximum transmit power of a micro cell antenna. Therefore, the transmit power constraint conditions in a radio communication system may be completely represented by a combination of various power-limited antenna sets.
To further enhance capacity of a radio communication system, a coordinated multi-point (CoMP) technology in researches of standards such as Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) attracts more and more attention and is extensively studied. When the CoMP technology is applied between base stations, the path loss from each user to each base station varies sharply, and the power allocated to each power-limited antenna set after precoding varies sharply. Therefore, the transmit power of each power-limited antenna set, which is calculated according to a general method, tends to exceed the maximum transmit power limit easily.
Generally a relatively practical technical solution in engineering to solve such a problem is reducing the powers of all base station antennas evenly to satisfy the transmit power constraint conditions in the radio communication system.
After a basic precoding matrix W is obtained (the precoding matrix includes precoding matrices of M subbands, that is, Wm (m=1, 2, . . . , M)), the precoding matrix is multiplied by a certain power reduction factor α less than 1, that is, the transmit powers of all base station antennas are reduced to a certain extent evenly:Wm=α·Wm.
The easiest way of setting the power reduction factor is to reduce the power by 3 decibels (dB) directly:
      W    m    =            1              2              ·                  W        m            .
A better way is to first estimate a transmit power Pn of each antenna according to a precoding matrix, and then set the power reduction factor by reducing the largest value to satisfy the requirement of the maximum transmit power limit Pmax:
      W    m    =                              P          max                            max                          {                      P            n                    }                      ·                  W        m            .
Although the maximum transmit power limit can be met by simply reducing the transmit powers of all base station antennas to a certain extent evenly, the technical solution reduces the transmit powers of all base station antennas evenly without discrimination. Therefore, the transmit power of the power-limited antenna set whose transmit power does not exceed the maximum transmit power limit is reduced to a lower level, which leads to unnecessary loss of performance of coverage and capacity and deteriorates network performance such as coverage and capacity apparently.

Method and apparatus for adjusting transmit powers of base station antennas, and base station


An image classification device, determines in real time which one of a plurality of directories is a suitable directory for storing newly taken photographs. The plurality of directories may defined by a user. The image classification device may recommend the suitable directory to the user. The image classification device may include a camera module for photographing a target and for generating a target image, a sensor for sensing first environment information concerning the target image, a storage module including N directories for storing the target image, where N is a natural number, and a processor for extracting first content information from the target image and for selecting from among the N directories a suitable directory within which the target image may be stored, based on the first content information and the first environment information.

1. Field of the Invention
Inventive concepts relate to an image classification device, a method for operating the same and an electronic system comprising the image classification device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A photo album of a smart device can be configured to allow a user to generate arbitrary directories for classifying photographs. For best results a user should classify photographs at the time they are taken, rather than returning to the photographs at a later date and trying to recreate the context of the photograph in an attempt at accurately classifying them. Because users get caught up in the moment, and don't necessarily classify photographs as they are taken, photographs are often left unclassified, with all of them stacked into a basic, non-categorized directory.

Image classification device, method for operating the same and electronic system comprising the image classification device


A supporting structure is provided for supporting a flat panel display. The supporting structure includes a brace and a base. The brace includes a chassis and a number of arms movably connected to the chassis. The chassis includes a supporting portion surface, an opposite grasp portion surface, and a side surface connecting the supporting portion surface and the grasp portion surface. The supporting portion surface is positioned against the back surface of the flat panel display. The chassis defines a number of side openings on the side surface from the grasp portion surface and along a direction parallel to the axis of the chassis. The base includes a casing sleeved on the chassis therein. The casing defines a number of cutouts corresponding to the side openings and cooperates with the side openings to define a number of sliding grooves for the arms sliding therein respectively.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a supporting structure, and particularly to a supporting structure for a flat panel display and a flat panel display assembly using the same.
2. Description of Related Art
A supporting structure is usually mounted on a back of a display for positioning the display. However, a typical supporting structure is customized for a particular flat panel display based on dimension and weight.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a supporting structure, which can overcome or at least alleviate the above-mentioned problems.

Supporting structure and flat panel display assembly using same

Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd.


In general, embodiments of the present invention provide an approach to control computer-based interfaces from anywhere in a GUI (e.g. a window, a desktop, etc.) regardless of the fixed position of the instances. Specifically, using a pointing device or the like (e.g., by right clicking), a user can activate an instance control function that allows the user to open an instance, close an instance, and/or or switch between running instances. Along these lines, the instance control function can be activated by interacting with an icon, a window (e.g., corresponding a folder or a running instance), or a desktop. Once activated, the instance control function allows the user full control over instances.

Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) are a key part of any computer experience. In a typical arrangement, a user will view and interact with icons to control/manipulate various applications. For example, an operating system may provide a background or desktop from which various application/program instances can be interacted with. Along these lines, it is common for a user to switch between different opened applications. If the user diverts to another task, then the previous application will be minimized.
The traditional method for switching, invoking, or closing the application instances is to navigate a pointing device or the like to the bottom of the screen and choose the particular application window from a task bar. Under this methodology, each time the user wants to invoke/switch to other application instance, he/she needs to go to the task bar. Among other things, the taskbar approach is not only spatially inefficient, but it also does not allow for full instance control (e.g., invoking of new instances). In view of the foregoing, there exists a need for a solution that overcomes the deficiencies in the related art.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

International Business Machines Corporation


The present application relates to a light beacon, light beacon assembly, and methods of its construction. In one aspect, a light beacon assembly includes a housing including a base and a lens cooperating to enclose an interior volume, the lens having a generally cylindrical shape. The assembly also includes a plurality of circuit boards positioned within the interior volume, where each of the plurality of circuit boards having a conductive tab extending from a first side, a conductive tab receiver near a second side, and a light emitting diode mounted thereon. The plurality of circuit boards are each positioned within the interior volume and extend perpendicularly from the base such that the tab of each circuit board is received at the tab receiver of an adjacent circuit board. The plurality of circuit boards are interconnected to form a structure having light emitting diodes oriented outwardly toward the lens.

Light beacons are generally used in a flashing or continuous manner and are typically placed on large vehicles or buildings to notify others of the size/presence of such objects. Such beacons typically include xenon flash tubes to generate a high intensity, short duration light output. Cylindrical Fresnel lenses have traditionally been used in connection with to direct light from the xenon flash tube (typically centrally located within the light beacon) outwardly around a 360 degree axis. Generally, these lenses include a large number of light surfaces along the rounded side surface, each aligned at different angles to refract light outwardly through a lens from a generally central expected light source location.
Increasingly, light emitting diode (LED) technology has been implemented to take the place of xenon flash tubes, due to the economical, low power nature of LEDs. However, when LEDs are used, they must still remain in a generally central location within such a light beacon. Furthermore, due to the generally high light output levels required by a beacon (i.e., for high visibility), it is often the case that multiple LEDs would be required for use. The higher the output level required, the more difficult it is to locate the increased number of, or size of LED emitters in the central region of the beacon, such that light is output from a location analogous to the traditional xenon light source and allowing the Fresnel lenses to remain effective.
Such approaches have drawbacks. For example, use of multiple LEDs in a small, enclosed space results in heat generation, which must be accounted for. Furthermore, it can be difficult to locate a sufficient number of LEDs such that light is output along a 360 degree axis surrounding the beacon. In current approaches, these challenges are generally addressed by positioning LEDs on a small, cylindrical, central heatsink assembly. This is usually done by placing the LEDs on a small daughterboard, with the light signal controls being placed on a separate main board within the beacon housing, to handle the required control electronics. With this arrangement, there are often several pieces to assemble using screws and wire harnesses. Use of such screws and wiring harnesses between circuit boards leads to possible error, for example by vibration or stress on the beacon assembly causing disconnection of the circuit boards.
Accordingly, improvements in assembly of such LED-based light beacons are desired.


Cumulus cell (CC) gene expression is being explored as an additional method to morphological scoring to choose the embryo with the highest chance to pregnancy. The present invention relates to a novel method of identifying biomarker genes for evaluating the competence of a mammalian oocyte in giving rise to a viable pregnancy after fertilization, based on the use of live birth and embryonic development as endpoint criteria for the oocytes to be used in an exon level analysis of potential biomarker genes. The invention further provides CC-expressed biomarker genes thus identified, as well as prognostic models based on the biomarker genes identified using the methods of the present invention.

Single embryo transfer (SET) is the preferred treatment to limit multiple pregnancies after ART. In order not to compromise the carry home baby rate, the selection of the embryo for transfer in the first cycle becomes even more important. Next to the existing criterion based on morphology, other methods are currently under investigation. The use of quantitative gene expression measurements in cumulus cells (CC), which are in close contact with the oocyte during growth and maturation, seems a promising method (Huang and Wells 2010). Since the first published study on the subject where CC expression could be related to embryo development (McKenzie et al. 2004), several other studies have investigated this possibility and try to relate CC expression to different endpoints. Examples of endpoints investigated are: embryo development (Anderson et al. 2009; Cillo et al. 2007; Feuerstein et al. 2007; Hasegawa et al. 2005; van Montfoort et al. 2008; Zhang et al. 2005), aneuploidy stage of the oocyte (Fragouli et al. 2012b), oocyte nuclear maturity stage (Ouandaogo et al. 2011) and probably the most important from a patient perspective: pregnancy outcome (Assidi et al. 2011; Assou et al. 2008; Gebhardt et al. 2011; Wathlet et al. 2012; Wathlet et al. 2011). Confirmation of results between different studies does not seem obvious in the analysis of CC gene expression. In the current literature not many genes were found in common in different studies. For example, hyaluronan synthase 2 (HAS2) was higher expressed in good quality embryos compared to low embryo morphology in two studies (Cillo et al. 2007; McKenzie et al. 2004), but could not be related to embryo morphology in two other studies (Anderson et al. 2009; Gebhardt et al. 2011). Divergences can be due to a different experimental design, with different endpoints, but gene expression can be influenced by known factors such as the stimulation protocol of the patients (Adriaenssens et al. 2009; Adriaenssens et al. 2010; Grondahl et al. 2009) or not yet assessed factors such as culture media used in the different IVF laboratories.
In this study, 47 individual cumulus complexes from 47 Intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) patients were retrospectively analyzed with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (QPCR). Using the current sample set, a pregnancy prediction model from a previous study (Wathlet et al. 2012) was validated for its predictive power. In a next step, in an attempt to search for new genes with a stronger predictive power, new multiparametric models were built considering the 3 genes (ephrin-B2 (EFNB2), calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase ID (CAMK1D), stanniocalcin 1 (STC1)) described earlier and multiple novel genes and splice variants of said genes in mathematical models to predict the oocyte competence (see Tables).
Our patient sample set allowed for an analysis never reported before in literature: CC from oocytes that did not result in pregnancy in the fresh transfer cycle and the CC from their sibling oocytes that resulted in pregnancy after a frozen embryo transfer (FRET) cycle were analyzed (Intra-patient analysis). To our knowledge this is the first study to compare pregnant and non-pregnant CC from the same retrieval cycle in a SET setting as would be done in a final clinical application.
This figure represents the distribution of the samples used for the different analyses performed in this study. The grey background fields delimit the samples that were used for the specific analyses which are marked on the left side of the field. SET: single embryo transfer; FRET: frozen embryo transfer cycle; rFSH: recombinant Follicle Stimulating Hormone. a: (Wathlet et al. 2012).
A: Pregnancy analyses (inter-patient)
Validation of the pregnancy model from an earlier studya (EFNB2, CAMK1D and STC1)
t-test analyses pregnant vs non-pregnant
Building new pregnancy model with new genes
B: Pregnancy analyses (intra-patient)
Paired t-test pregnant vs non-pregnant
Testing the muliparametric models found in the inter-patient analyses
FIG. 2A: t-test of normalized gene expression values of non-pregnant versus live birth related cumulus cell samples.
The graphs represent the differences in gene expression between the cumulus cell samples associated to an oocyte that after in vitro fertilization treatment resulted in a live birth (n=19) or not (n=28). Normalization was done to the mean of B2M and UBC. Since multiple genes were tested, the Bonferroni correction allowed us to consider only P-values <0.0042 as significant. The total range of expressions found is depicted by the boxes and whiskers respectively representing the two inner and the two outer quartiles with centrally the median.
FIG. 2B: t-test of normalized gene expression values of non-pregnant versus live birth related cumulus cell samples.
The graphs represent the differences in gene expression between the cumulus cell samples associated to an oocyte that after in vitro fertilization treatment resulted in a live birth (n=19) or not (n=28). Normalization was done to the mean of B2M and UBC. Since multiple genes were tested, the Bonferroni correction allowed us to consider only P-values <0.0042 as significant. The total range of expressions found is depicted by the boxes and whiskers respectively representing the two inner and the two outer quartiles with centrally the median.
FIG. 3: Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the 3 pregnancy models.
Multiparametric models were built to predict the chance to pregnancy including the gene expression levels measured in cumulus cell samples associated to an oocyte that after in vitro fertilization treatment resulted in a live birth or not. For Model 3 patient and cycle characteristics were also included (from Table 3). Model 1 was limited to 3 genes and is composed of EFNB2, PGR and GSTA4. In Model 2 all genes were allowed into the model as long as they could improve the model. Five genes were retained for Model 2: EFNB2, PGR, GSTA4, GTSA3, GPX3. To try to improve Model 2, in Model 3 patient and cycle characteristics were allowed into the model if they could improve the P-value of the model: EFNB2, PGR, GSTA4, GTSA3, GPX3, age, Relative E2, and number of days of ovarian stimulation. The respective areas under the curve are 0.79, 0.89 and 0.90. Relative E2: E2 value measured on day of hCG over the number of cumulus oophorus complexes.
FIG. 4A: Paired t-test for the Intra-patient analysis pregnant versus non-pregnant.
The graphs compare for each patient the gene expression of a cumulus complex that corresponded to an oocyte that did not result in pregnancy to one that resulted in pregnancy in a subsequent single embryo frozen transfer cycle. Per patient the oocytes originate from one retrieval cycle. One patient had 2 consecutive frozen cycles, the first one not resulting in pregnancy. One color represents one patient. The dashed lines show (only in the graphs with a major trend: up or down from non-pregnant to pregnant with P<0.1) the pairs not following the major trend. Those pairs are also marked with 'a' in Table 7.
FIG. 4B: Paired t-test for the Intra-patient analysis pregnant versus non-pregnant.
The graphs compare for each patient the gene expression of a cumulus complex that corresponded to an oocyte that did not result in pregnancy to one that resulted in pregnancy in a subsequent single embryo frozen transfer cycle. Per patient the oocytes originate from one retrieval cycle. One patient had 2 consecutive frozen cycles, the first one not resulting in pregnancy. One color represents one patient. The dashed lines show (only in the graphs with a major trend: up or down from non-pregnant to pregnant with P<0.1) the pairs not following the major trend. Those pairs are also marked with 'a' in Table 7.
FIG. 4C: Paired t-test for the Intra-patient analysis pregnant versus non-pregnant.
The graphs compare for each patient the gene expression of a cumulus complex that corresponded to an oocyte that did not result in pregnancy to one that resulted in pregnancy in a subsequent single embryo frozen transfer cycle. Per patient the oocytes originate from one retrieval cycle. One patient had 2 consecutive frozen cycles, the first one not resulting in pregnancy. One color represents one patient. The dashed lines show (only in the graphs with a major trend: up or down from non-pregnant to pregnant with P<0.1) the pairs not following the major trend. Those pairs are also marked with 'a' in Table 7.
FIG. 4D: Paired t-test for the Intra-patient analysis pregnant versus non-pregnant.
The graphs compare for each patient the gene expression of a cumulus complex that corresponded to an oocyte that did not result in pregnancy to one that resulted in pregnancy in a subsequent single embryo frozen transfer cycle. Per patient the oocytes originate from one retrieval cycle. One patient had 2 consecutive frozen cycles, the first one not resulting in pregnancy. One color represents one patient. The dashed lines show (only in the graphs with a major trend: up or down from non-pregnant to pregnant with P<0.1) the pairs not following the major trend. Those pairs are also marked with 'a' in Table 7.
FIG. 5: The strongest model obtained with the intra-patient analysis predictive for pregnancy, AUC=Area under the curve. Formula: to predict the chance on pregnancy=3.23+2.57*EFNB2+1.87*NCOA7 p=0.0127. (a value of at least 0.5 refers to pregnancy, a lower value to no pregnancy)
FIG. 6: One of the strongest models obtained with the inter-patient analysis after GnRH antagonist and rFSH pretreatment predictive for pregnancy, AUC=Area under the curve. Formula: Pregnant=−1.36999+1.79393*CAMK1D exon 9+0.89385*HSPH1exon 2−0.73763*NCOA7 (a positive value refers to a pregnancy a negative value to no pregnancy)
FIG. 7: One of the strongest models obtained with the inter-patient analysis after GnRH antagonist and HP-hMG pretreatment predictive for pregnancy, AUC=Area under the curve. Formula: Pregnant=0.46786+0.90886*SASH1−0.2264*CAMK1D exon 1 (a positive value refers to a pregnancy a negative value to no pregnancy)
FIG. 8: Statistical analysis of probability of pregnancy for a predictive model comprising SASH1 alone.
FIG. 9A: Comparing CC gene expression levels in CC of oocytes/embryos resulting in a pregnancy or not. Graphs depict log 2 transformed mRNA expression values of 3 preselected genes (FIG. 9A: ALDH1L2, FIG. 9B: ASNA; FIG. 9C: GOT1). Columns and error bars respectively represent the mean expression value and the standard deviation. T-test analysis found no statistical difference (p>0.05) when comparing the 2 fresh transfer groups. In patients having the embryo transfer in a consecutive menstrual cycle CC gene expression of the selected genes was significantly different between the CC of oocytes resulting in a pregnancy or not. The number of samples in each group is indicated between brackets.
FIG. 9B: Comparing CC gene expression levels in CC of oocytes/embryos resulting in a pregnancy or not. Graphs depict log 2 transformed mRNA expression values of 3 preselected genes (FIG. 9A: ALDH1L2, FIG. 9B: ASNA; FIG. 9C: GOT1). Columns and error bars respectively represent the mean expression value and the standard deviation. T-test analysis found no statistical difference (p>0.05) when comparing the 2 fresh transfer groups. In patients having the embryo transfer in a consecutive menstrual cycle CC gene expression of the selected genes was significantly different between the CC of oocytes resulting in a pregnancy or not. The number of samples in each group is indicated between brackets.
FIG. 9C: Comparing CC gene expression levels in CC of oocytes/embryos resulting in a pregnancy or not. Graphs depict log 2 transformed mRNA expression values of 3 preselected genes (FIG. 9A: ALDH1L2, FIG. 9B: ASNA; FIG. 9C: GOT1). Columns and error bars respectively represent the mean expression value and the standard deviation. T-test analysis found no statistical difference (p>0.05) when comparing the 2 fresh transfer groups. In patients having the embryo transfer in a consecutive menstrual cycle CC gene expression of the selected genes was significantly different between the CC of oocytes resulting in a pregnancy or not. The number of samples in each group is indicated between brackets.


Systems and methods for providing an intuitive preview of upcoming navigational instructions are provided. One example method for providing navigational instruction includes obtaining, by one or more computing devices, navigational information describing a sequence of navigational maneuvers associated with a route. The method includes determining, by the one or more computing devices, a distance between each navigational maneuver and the previous sequential navigational maneuver. The method includes displaying, by the one or more computing devices, a user interface providing a sequence of indicators respectively representing the sequence of navigational maneuvers. A space between each indicator and the previous sequential indicator is proportional to the distance between the navigational maneuver represented by such indicator and the navigational maneuver represented by the previous sequential indicator.

Navigational devices are becoming increasingly commonplace in the modern world. For example, navigational devices can be used for navigating a vehicle such as a car, boat, or airplane or for use when walking through an unfamiliar location.
Furthermore, as smartphones, tablets, or other computing devices become increasingly able to determine their own position in the world using GPS or other positioning systems, navigational devices are no longer limited to devices specifically designed with the sole-purpose of providing navigational instructions. Instead, navigational devices can include a large variety of computing devices capable of implementing one or more applications to provide near-instantaneous instructions for navigating from almost any location to any other location.
In particular, such applications often offer "turn-by-turn" navigational instruction, which provides navigation over a sequence of navigational maneuvers (e.g. driving maneuvers such as "turn right"). As an example, the sequence of maneuvers can be described by a group of textual entries that respectively describe the upcoming maneuvers. As other examples, the navigational device can provide a group of graphical icons that respectively represent the upcoming maneuvers or can output audio in the form of human speech that describes the upcoming maneuvers.
However, certain display methods implemented by current navigational devices can fail to provide users with an intuitive, user-friendly sense of the scale and relationship between the upcoming maneuvers. As an example, the navigational device may fail to indicate the distance between upcoming maneuvers or may provide the navigational instruction only upon approaching a predefined distance from the maneuver location.
However, if there are two maneuvers within relative proximity to one another, the navigation device may fail to provide sufficient advanced warning to enable the user to be in proper position or otherwise appropriately anticipate the maneuver. For example, a driver may be required to merge or change lanes immediately after a first maneuver in order to be in position to make a second maneuver. As such, if the navigational device fails to the give the driver appropriate notice, then the driver may miss the second maneuver.
As another example, in the instance that the navigational device provides the distance between upcoming maneuvers in a textual format, the user may struggle to mentally convert the textual distance information into a full comprehension of the physical distance. Alternatively, user effort to comprehend textual distances or time spent looking at the device display to read the text can undesirably distract the user from the navigational activity (e.g. driving the car).

Intuitive preview of upcoming navigational instructions


A polarization stream architecture is described. A transmitter may implement a reverse polarization stream to shape a first source signal in a first signal space to a first target signal in a second signal space. The reverse polarization stream is implemented as a cascade of reverse polarization steps. Each reverse polarization step includes a shuffle function, a split function, a scaling function and an offset function. Machine-learning techniques may be used to implement the scaling function and the offset function. A receiver may implement a polarization stream to recover the source signal.

In a modern wireless system, a goal of the air interface is usually to increase system capacity (e.g., increase number of users and/or multiplexed data streams) given a limited bandwidth and time resource. In general, approaches to achieving this goal include adding new dimension(s) to a signal space and/or improving the resource allocation resolution of a signal space.
In practice, it is usually difficult to introduce an entirely new and good quality (e.g., as orthogonal as possible) dimension to the signal space. For example, the introductions of the coding and spatial domains, by code-division multiple access (CDMA) and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology respectively, to the time-frequency signal space are the only well-established and successful ones so far. Other improvements have been aimed at improving spectrum efficiency, that is, how to make better use of the existent signal space, for example orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM)-based multiple access having higher spectrum efficiency than frequency-division multiple access (FDMA).
For future wireless developments (e.g., 5G and later generations), it will be desirable to further extend the signal space for larger capacity and higher spectrum efficiency. However, in doing so, it may be not possible to ensure that all dimensions remain orthogonal, and some dimensions may be non-linear. Conventional methods for designing resource mapping in a signal space (which typically uses a heuristic approach) may be difficult or impossible for such higher dimension signal spaces.
Furthermore, conventional transceivers (or transmitters and receivers separately) typically assume a normal (i.e., Gaussian) distribution for interferences and noisy channel randomness. Such an assumption may not be an accurate representation of the actual conditions, and may result in less efficient use of the signal space at both transmitter (encoder) and receiver (decoder) sides.
Accordingly, it would be useful, particularly for future wireless systems, to provide an approach that helps to facilitate signal space mapping for higher dimension signal spaces and a resultant general transceiver architecture that executes this higher-dimensional mapping, which may help to improve efficiency in using the signal space.

Method and apparatus for wireless communication using polarization-based signal space mapping


Disclosed herein is a method of manufacturing a printed circuit board, including; forming an electronic component including an electrode that is formed on at least one side of a body; forming terminals on an upper portion of the electrode and an upper portion of the body; providing a substrate in which a cavity is formed; mounting the electronic component formed with the terminals in the cavity of the substrate; and forming a buildup layer on an upper portion of the substrate and an upper portion of the electronic component.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a printed circuit board.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a circuit board may include various active devices and passive devices, such as a resistor, a capacitor, an inductor, a transformer, a filter, a mechanical switch, a relay, and the like. Meanwhile, electronic devices are systematically connected with one another so as to enable each device to perform its original function well, such that when power is applied to circuits, various passive devices or active devices configuring the electronic devices each perform their original functions.
In particular, with a tendency of a market demanding reduction in profile and various functions in a semiconductor package, various technologies for implementing a printed circuit board has been required. Recently, as a part of a next-generation multi-functional and small package technology, the development of an embedded printed circuit board has received attention. The embedded printed circuit board may include electronic components such as passive devices or active devices that are inserted into an inner layer thereof so as to perform their functions therein (U.S. Pat. No. 5,879,964). However, in manufacturing the printed circuit board in which electronic components are embedded, defects of the arrangement of the embedded electronic components and external circuit layers may occur and electrodes may be damaged when vias are formed in the electrodes of electronic components, thereby causing the degradation in reliability.

Method of manufacturing printed circuit board


A method for treating a dried monolithic aerogel containing non-dispersed particles, with an organometallic surface modifying agent to produce hydrophobic aerogels. The dried, porous hydrophobic aerogels contain a protective layer of alkyl groups, such as methyl groups, on the modified surfaces of the pores of the aerogel. The alkyl groups at the aerogel surface typically contain at least one carbon-metal bond per group.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the surface modification of dry monolithic aerogels.
2. Description of Related Art
Monolithic aerogels are a special class of open-cell porous materials derived from the supercritical drying of cross-linked inorganic or organic gels. By today's standards, typical aerogels are porous materials in which all structural entities (i.e., pores, particles) are smaller than 5000 .ANG.. Such materials have ultrafine pore sizes of less than 5000 .ANG., continuous porosity, high surface areas of typically 400-1000 m.sup.2 /g, and a microstructure composed of interconnected colloidal-like particles or polymer chains with typical characteristic diameters of less than 500 .ANG.. This microstructure is responsible for the exceptional optical, acoustic, thermal, and mechanical properties of such aerogels. In most instances, it is essential to obtain such dried gels in a monolithic state, i.e., free of cracks.
Silica aerogels are the most extensively described aerogel materials in the scientific and patent literature. Aerogels of transition metal oxides, in particular, are not as well described, and these aerogels are expected to possess some properties that are not possible with silica aerogels due to the presence of the transition metal. The new characteristics of the aerogels will produce interesting new materials for optical, magnetic, and catalytic applications.
The first aerogels were translucent pieces of porous silica glass made by S. S. Kistler (U.S. Pat. No. 2,249,767). Kistler's aerogels are prepared by forming silica hydrogels, which are exchanged with alcohol and dried. The alcohol is supercritically extracted in the drying process, and the resulting aerogel has a density of about 0.05 g/cm.sup.3. Kistler's process is time-consuming and laborious, and subsequent advances in the art have reduced the processing time and increased the quality and porosities of aerogels.
Other related art discusses the production of metal oxide aerogels other than silica aerogels. Teichner et al., in Advances in Colloid and Interface Science 5:245-273 (1976), provides a general discussion of metal oxide aerogels, including oxides of silicon, aluminum, titanium, zirconium, magnesium, nickel, copper, and molybdenum. Lynch (U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,993) discusses a modified Kistler method for making metal oxide aerogels. These aerogels are made by preparing a hydrogel, exchanging the water in the gel with an organic solvent, and then supercritically extracting the organic solvent. The Lynch patent does not discuss the peculiar problems in using different metals and the process conditions necessary to ensure that the resulting aerogels form large, transparent, intact (monolithic) solids.
European Patent No. 0382310 by Enichem discusses a process for preparing monoliths of metal oxide aerogels. The process comprises an acidic hydrolysis of a metal alkoxide, the gelation of the resulting colloidal solution, and the supercritical drying of the gel. The patent recognizes the difficulty in obtaining monolithic aerogels with metals other than silicon. The patent addresses the problem by adding a powder of a metal oxide to the colloidal solution at the end of hydrolysis, before gelation.
Aside from metal oxide aerogels, organic aerogels result from the reactions of certain organic compounds, for example (1) resorcinol with formaldehyde (known as RF aerogel), (2) melamine with formaldehyde (known as MF aerogel) and (3) phenolic-furfural with propanol. Such aerogels can be prepared in monolithic form and have been employed in double layer capacitors.
Many applications of aerogels require exposure to water or atmospheric moisture. Normally aerogel materials have a large affinity to absorb liquids such as water due to their high porosity with pores open to the surface. However, present aerogels are prepared either hydrophilic (i.e., absorb liquid water) or are only temporarily hydrophobic (i.e., shed liquid water). Methods are needed to either initially prepare hydrophobic aerogels, or treat the dried and/or fully prepared aerogels to achieve permanent hydrophobicity at ambient conditions as well as over a range of temperature and pressure conditions.
As early as the 1970's, fluidized beds of highly dispersed oxide and mixed oxide particles have been treated with various organic silicon compounds and controlled amounts of steam to produce products having hydrophobic properties. See, for instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,873,337, where Laufer et. al. describe the fluidized bed treatment of highly dispersed, relatively low surface area (130 m.sup.2 /g), low porosity oxides with gaseous dialkyldichlorosilane and water in an atmosphere of CO.sub.2. However, such treatments do not consider the problems encountered to hydrophobize the present day relatively thick, highly porous, high surface area, monolithic aerogels that are essentially free of dispersed particles.
Even the modification of hydrophilic surfaces of such monolithic, low density aerogels with methanol vapor by Lee et al., "Low-density, hydrophobic aerogels," Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids, vol. 186 (1995), has produced hydrophobic aerogels for a relatively short period. The very high porosity of such dried aerogels, especially pores on open surfaces having an unusually high affinity to water, contributes to the problem of preparing permanently hydrophobic aerogels. Since many of the present-day applications of the subject aerogels require a wide variety of atmospheric exposures, the search continues to produce a monolithic, transparent and thick aerogel having permanent hydrophobicity at ambient conditions, yet still retain such properties over a wide range of temperature and pressure conditions.

Method for producing hydrophobic aerogels

The Regents of the University of California


A construction method for pre-curved gloves and mittens which aids in the simplification, efficiency and repeatability of assembly. Panels of the gloves or mittens are marked, prior to assembly with lines which indicate where the gathering, darting or cut and sew reduction is to occur and how much material is to be taken in. In the cut and sew reduction the extra material between the marked lines is cut and removed prior to attachment of the lines.

The invention is generally directed to a new construction method for pre-shaped gloves and mitts and, in particular, to a new construction method in which the gathering of the parts of the gloves or mitts required by the glove or mitt for pre-curving is accomplished in a fashion which simplifies and improves the construction of the pre-curved gloves and mitts.
In the past, pre-curved gloves have been constructed by gathering the material of the back, front or side of a glove or mitt in a fashion which causes the glove or mitt to have a pre-curved shape. Generally, when hands are kept in a relaxed state, the fingers curve inwardly rather than extending straight outwardly. As such, if gloves or mittens are designed for a flat hand, then there will be some tension on the wearer's fingers, as the hand is either forced into a straight position by the gloves or mittens or maintains pressure on the fingers as the fingers attempt to move to a curled, at rest position.
In the past, there have been various attempts to provide pre-curving to gloves and mittens and various conventional techniques for pre-curving gloves are known in the art.
One approach which has been used in boxing gloves is gathering, in which the back is cut much bigger than the palm. The sewing machine operator fits the back to the palm by gathering the excess material in the back to the palm of the glove and then sews the gathered material along a seam. This approach requires the highest degree of skill by the sewing machine operator to select how much material should be gathered and where to gather and will in any event have variations between mittens.
More recently, in connection with mittens, shirring one or more surfaces of the mitten on the inside by attaching an elastic strip to the inside of the mitten panel and thereby causing that panel to curve inwardly has been used. This approach is relatively expensive because it requires the addition of elastic and additional construction steps. Also, the sewing still requires a fairly high degree of skill to attach the elastic in the correct locations and under the correct stretchable conditions, although not as much as the boxing glove type construction. The elastic also adds a rough surface to the inside of the mitten.
Another pre-curving approach, used for World War II pilots' gloves used pre-curved fourchettes assembled to elongated backs and shortened palms. The curve on the back of the fourchette was longer than the curve on the palm side making up for the difference in size of the back and front portions. Ski gloves have also been made with this technique of using pre-curved fourchettes and sidewalls. However, the curves on the fourchettes and sidewalls are difficult to regulate and the curved pattern of the fourchettes and sidewalls can use substantial material with a large amount of waste.
In practice, the pre-curvature of gloves should be pronounced at the locations of the joints of the fingers. Particularly, the two outer joints of each finger and the outer joint of the thumb. At these locations it is essential that the glove be curved to adapt to the relaxed position of the hand and provide improved flexibility for gripping. Generally, when a sewing machine operator attempts to gather the material it requires a high degree of skill and experience. The correct amount of material must be gathered so that the dimension of the panel which is to be reduced by the Gathering is reduced by the correct amount. Also, the gathering must be done in the correct area so that the curvature is correctly located at the joints of the fingers. In practice, there is great variability from piece to piece and the desired uniformity of product is not possible, even with highly skilled sewing machine operators. Furthermore, the high experience and skill levels required by the sewing machine operators requires greater costs and expenditures finding and keeping highly skilled sewing machine operators. Also, the angle of articulation cannot be controlled and varied, with more articulation at the mid-finger joint than at the joint by the fingertip.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved construction method or methods for pre-shaped gloves and mitts in which the pre-curvature can be implemented by darting, gathering or cutting and sewing with a visual indication of the pattern so that the pre-curved gloves and mittens can be constructed in a reproducible fashion with variability in articulation at the finger joints with relatively unskilled sewing machine operators.

Pre-curved gloves and mitts construction and methods of construction


To provide different paths for communication of a serial signal required for high-speed communication and communication of transmission data that may be handled in low-speed communication, a circuit device includes a serial interface that receives a serial signal transmitted from a controller at a first communication speed, a transmission data input terminal that receives transmission data transmitted from the controller at a second communication speed slower than the first communication speed, and a transmission circuit that outputs a transmission signal corresponding to the transmission data based on the serial signal and the transmission data.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates, for example, to a circuit device, a transmission module, an electronic apparatus, and a moving object.
2. Related Art
There is a known RF transmitter that outputs a transmission signal in an RF band, such as an automobile keyless entry module (key side). In an apparatus of this type, a communication circuit device (semiconductor integrated circuit or IC, for example) is controlled by a control IC (controller, microcomputer) to generate and output the transmission signal.
For example, JP-2006-261714 discloses a circuit device having an interface with a control IC (baseband IC), uses a fractional-N-type PLL circuit (PLL circuit having sigma-delta modulator) to generate a carrier wave signal, and uses a power amplifier to drive an antenna for wireless communication.
The circuit device receives the following two pieces of information from the controller: information for setting the frequency of the carrier wave, a modulation method, and other factors (transmission action setting information); and transmission data to be actually transmitted on a transmission signal in an RF band. Since a desired transmission signal cannot be generated without the transmission action setting information, it is required to receive the transmission action setting information at highest possible speed at timing before transmission starts. On the other hand, the transmission data communication speed is restricted by an implemented apparatus that receives the transmission signal (a receiver in an automobile in the case of a keyless entry module), and a communication speed of about several kHz typically suffices. That is, a plurality of pieces of information are transmitted and received to and from the circuit device and the controller at different desirable transmission speeds.
In JP-2006-261714, the communication between the controller and the circuit device is performed by three-line serial communication, and action setting communication (communication of transmission action setting information) and RF transmission data communication (communication of transmission data), which are desirably performed at different transmission speeds, are performed by single serial communication. The communication therefore needs to be performed in accordance with the transmission rate in the slow communication, resulting in inefficient communication.

Circuit device having two communication interfaces for faster and slower transmission speeds, and transmission module, electronic apparatus, and moving object that have the circuit device


A process is disclosed for producing functionalized olefins from a fuel source including an organic compound including a functional group. Useful fuel sources include, for example, biofeedstocks (e.g., carbohydrates, triglycerides, polyols, and biodiesel). The process is preferably carried out by partial oxidation. The overall process can be carried out autothermally.

Olefins are currently the largest volume chemical intermediates produced by the chemical industry, with a global annual production of over 300 billion pounds per year (Deng et al., Chem. Eng. Technol., 25:711 (2002)). Currently olefins are produced almost exclusively from fuels such as ethane or other light alkanes, such as naphtha, in a process known as steam cracking. This process takes place by homogeneous pyrolysis, typically at approximately 800 degrees Celsius (° C.). For ethane this process is represented by the reaction:C2H6→C2H4+H2 ΔHR=+136 kJ/mol.
It is estimated that about 30% of all pollution from chemical plants comes from steam cracking, due to CO2, NOx, and unburned hydrocarbons unavoidably produced during steam cracking. Furthermore, as many products can be formed as a result of pyrolysis, typical yields of ethylene from ethane are approximately 50%, with even lower yields typically observed for heavier alkanes.
As an alternative to steam cracking, it has been shown that partial oxidation of these fuels may be used to produce, for example, hydrogen and olefins, with the ability to provide a high selectivity to ethylene (Bodke et al., Science, 285:712 (1999); Beretta et al., J. Catal., 184:469 (1999)). Partial oxidation is an exothermic reaction that can be represented, for example, by the following reaction of ethane with oxygen:C2H6+½O2→C2H4+H2O ΔHR=−105 kJ/mol
As the reaction is exothermic, the expense of providing heat to the reaction may be reduced.
It has further been shown that higher alkanes, such as decane and hexadecane, for example, may be used as fuels to provide olefins with high selectivities using partial oxidation (Krummenacher et al., J. Catal., 215:332 (2003)).

Production of olefins having a functional group


This Invention concerns a triazole compound represented by the formula I! or a salt thereof and a method for the production thereof. ##STR1## wherein X.sub.1 stands for halogen atoms, C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 alkyl groups, C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 alkoxy groups, C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 haloalkyl groups, etc., X.sub.2 stands for halogen atoms, C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 alkyl groups, or C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 alkoxy groups, Y stands for halogen atoms, C.sub.1 -C.sub.12 alkyl groups, C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 haloalkyl groups, phenyl group optionally containing a substituent, etc.. R.sub.1 stands for C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 alkyl groups, C.sub.2 -C.sub.6 alkenyl groups, C.sub.2 -C.sub.6 alkinyl groups, etc. Z stands for --CR.sub.2 R.sub.3 --, --CH.sub.2 D--, or --CH.dbd.CH--, R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 independently stand for hydrogen atom, halogen atoms, hydroxy group, etc., D stands for CH.sub.2, CO, O, or S, m stands for an integer in the range of 0-4, and n stands for an integer from 0 to 5!.. The compounds in accordance with this invention manifest outstanding effects for killing such harmful organisms as harmful insects and mites and are useful as pesticides for agriculture and horticulture.

A host of insecticides and acaricides have been heretofore used. It is not a few of them that hardly deserve to be called completely satisfactory pesticides because they are deficient in effect, because they find only limited use owing to the problem of growing tolerance on the part of pests to be controlled, because they do harm to or contaminate economic plants to be protected, or because they manifest unduly high toxicity to men, beasts, and fish inhibiting the districts in which they are used. Thus, the desirability of developing a chemical reagent that suffers only sparingly from such drawbacks as mentioned above and ensures safe use has been finding enthusiastic recognition.
As a substance which is associated with this invention, the compound of the following formula is disclosed in Bull, Chem. Soc. Jpn., 56, 545 (1983). ##STR2##
And the compound of the following formula is also disclosed in Journal of Pharmacy, 94 (1), 55 (1974). ##STR3##
The relevant monograph of this publication, however, has no mention of the compound possesing an insecticidal or acaricidal effect.

Triazole compounds and pest control agent


An imaging apparatus is disclosed which is integrally provided with two image pickup systems for respectively converting subject light into image signals and two displays for respectively displaying images relative to the image signals obtained by the two image pickup systems. In the disclosed imaging apparatus, since the operations of the two image pickup systems are synchronized, it is not necessary to insert an element, such as a prism, in each optical path. Further, since a common signal processing circuit is provided for performing predetermined processing of the image signals outputted from the two image pickup systems, the size of the imaging apparatus is reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus and, more particularly, to an imaging apparatus provided with two image pickup means.
2. Description of the Related Art
As one example of this kind of imaging apparatus, an optical binocular telescope has heretofore been known which can provide an observer a subject image having a visually preferable stereoscopic effect. The optical binocular telescope is arranged, for example, as shown in FIG. 5. The arrangement shown in FIG. 5 includes objective lens systems 41a and 42a, rectangular prisms 42a, 42b, 43a and 43b for folding their associated optical paths and for converting their respective inverted images into erecting images, eyepiece lens systems 44a, 44b, 45a, 45b, 46a and 46b, and optical paths 47a and 47b of the respective optical systems.
As shown in FIG. 5, the optical paths of subject lights which pass through the respective objective lens systems 41a and 41b are folded by the rectangular prisms 42a and 43a and the rectangular prisms 42b and 43b. Accordingly, it is possible to convert the respective inverted images into erecting images, and it is also possible to reduce the overall length of a lens barrel (not shown) without reducing the lengths of the respective optical paths. The subject lights whose optical paths have been folded by the rectangular prisms 43a and 43b respectively reach the observer's eyes through the eyepiece lens systems 44a, 45a, 46a and 44b, 45b, 46b.
However, an optical binocular telescope, such as the above-described related-art example, has a number of problems. For example, since it is desirable that a subject image be observed with the naked eye as an erecting image, it is necessary to insert an element for converting an inverted image into an erecting image, for example, rectangular prisms such as the above-described ones, between each objective lens and its associated eyepiece lens. Also, if the size of the binocular telescope is to be reduced, it is necessary to reduce its lens barrel by inserting the rectangular prisms or the like into each optical path and folding the optical path.
Further, it is difficult for the observer to confirm various information as to photographing states, such as the magnification of the binocular telescope, while viewing a subject image.

Optical apparatus with a plurality of zooming control means


A solution for monitoring a property of an object and/or an area using a Micro-ElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS)-based monitoring device is provided. In an embodiment of the invention, the MEMS-based monitoring device includes a MEMS-based sensing device for obtaining data based on a property of the object and/or area and a power generation device that generates power from an ambient condition of the monitoring device. In this manner, the monitoring device can operate independent of any outside power sources or other devices. Further, the monitoring device can include a transmitter that transmits a signal based on the property. The monitoring device can be used to monitor a moving component of a machine, and can be integrated with a health monitoring system of the machine using one or more relay devices.

Complex machinery, such as vehicles (e.g., an automobile, plane, rotorcraft, locomotive, etc.), generators, automated machining tools, etc., include numerous constituent components (e.g., levers, arms, pistons, driveshafts, clutch plates, etc.) that move and are subject to stress and strain during their operating lifetime. Such repeated stress/strain eventually causes a component to fail. To avoid failure during operation of the machinery, numerous approaches can be used.
For example, the component can be manufactured to a sufficient robustness that the stress/strain to which it will be subjected during operation will not cause it to fail in any reasonable time period. However, this approach frequently requires a massive over design of the component, thereby adding mass and size to the component, which reduces the operating efficiency of the machine. As a result, use of this approach is often limited to applications in which the component is extremely expensive to replace, the component absolutely cannot fail, and there is sufficient space and weight available in the machine to accommodate the over designed component.
In other approaches, the component is replaced prior to failure. For example, the component can be replaced at an interval shorter than any possible failure. Typically, this approach is limited to components that are relatively inexpensive to replace. Alternatively, the component can be replaced on a schedule that is determined based on statistical wear and usage. In particular, a history of the machine and the component are examined over many lifetimes to produce a recommended schedule of replacement. However, this approach is limited to machines having a sufficiently long operating history. Additionally, since the approach is statistical, unexpected failure is possible. As a result, a worst-case scenario may be assumed in practical applications, which can result in a component being disposed long before its useful lifetime would have ended. In another approach, one or more models can be used to simulate operational characteristics of the machine and/or component to produce a lifetime use formula. However, since this approach is also statistical, large safety margins are frequently used, which can result in a component being disposed long before its useful lifetime would have ended.
Ideally, a component could be directly monitored and replaced when a selected percentage of its useful lifetime has expired. However, to date, many components have not been effectively instrumented for monitoring due to size constraints and/or operating conditions (e.g., extreme heat, cold, vibration, and/or the like). Additionally, the monitoring instruments frequently require wiring for communication and/or power, which often cannot be included in moving components. However, directly monitoring component(s) remains a desirable goal. For example, such a solution could reduce the time, effort, and material wasted in performing periodic inspections and replacing components that have not reached their useful lifetimes, without compromising the operational functionality or safety of the machine.
Similarly, it is desirable to monitor a "limiting" component of a machine. The limiting component is a component whose operational parameters limits the use of one or more additional components, and therefore limits the performance of the machine. In particular, a maximum amount of stress/strain that a component can withstand may be limited due to space/weight/material constraints of the component. However, a model of the machine may indicate that other component(s) may be able to operate in a manner that would generate an amount of stress/strain on the component that exceeds the maximum amount. In this case, since the actual stress/strain cannot be measured, operation of the other component(s) will be limited to keep the stress/strain induced on the component within safe limits based on the model (and some safety margin).
Electronic and mechanical designs for devices continue to be reduced in size. In recent years, micro-scale engineering has proposed theoretical and experimental designs for these devices, often referred to as Micro-ElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) and Nano-ElectroMechanical Systems (NEMS). As a result of these designs, some practical applications have begun to emerge on the market in the form of miniature sensors for some limited domains. Approaches for building MEMS devices exist for many challenges currently met by microelectronic devices. For example, microscale steam engines, shutters, mirrors, power systems, and others have been produced, while designs for MEMS solar cells and light-based communications, radio frequency (RF)-related MEMS devices, MEMS power harvesting/generation sources, MEMS memory devices, and others, also have been proposed.
In view of the foregoing, a need exists to overcome one or more of the deficiencies in the related art.

International Electronic Machines Corporation


Fabric conditioning compositions for coating a flexible substrate for subsequent use in a mechanical tumble dryer are disclosed. The compositions incorporate compatible mixtures of common fabric softening agents, aminosilicones and Bronsted acids having at least 6 carbon atoms.

1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates to application of adjuvants to fabrics in tumble-dryer automatic dryers. More particularly, it relates to an article in the form of a flexible substrate carrying a fabric conditioning composition.
2. Related Art
Silicones have been applied to fabrics during manufacture of fabrics or during the make up of articles of clothing using processes such as padding or spraying. With respect to application of silicones to fabrics during a laundry process, Great Britain Patent Application No. 1,549,180; Burmeister et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,818,242; Konig et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,089; Konig et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,255; Dekker et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,661,267 and Trinh et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,661,269 describe aqueous dispersions or emulsions of certain silicones of limited viscosity incorporated in liquid rinse-cycle fabric softening compositions. The disclosed compositions are rinse-cycle aqueous dispersions. A fabric softening composition containing emulsified silicone combined with conventional cationic softening agent is also taught by Barrat et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,033. The compositions are taught for use during the aqueous rinse cycle of a laundry process. The rinse compositions taught by the '089, '255, '267 and '269 patents contain cyclic amine fabric softening agents and employ water-soluble Bronsted acids to control the pH of the aqueous compositions for proper dispersion of the amine.
The compositions disclosed in the art contain individual particles of a silicone and individual particles of a fabric softening agent.
Wells, U.S. Pat. No. 4,308,024 discloses non-silicone fabric softening compositions consisting essentially of a water-insoluble cationic detergent surfactant and a C.sub.8 -C.sub.24 alkyl-or alkenyl monocarboxylic acid.
The application of fabric softeners to fabrics in the tumble dryer by use of a flexible substrate carrying the fabric softeners is known in the art. The advantages of dryer added fabric conditioning include a more convenient time of addition in the laundry process and avoidance of undesirable interaction of softening agents with detergents.
Rudy et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,972,131 discloses dryer sheets including a silicone oil as an ironing aid. Kasprzak et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,548 discloses the use of certain silicones in dryer sheet formulations.
Coffindaffer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,026 discloses curable amine functional silicones in fabric care compositions.
Japanese Patent 62/78,277 discloses chemically combined condensation products of amino modified silicone oil as softeners.
In the manufacture of the dryer added fabric conditioning sheets described in the references mentioned above, when silicones are mixed with fabric softeners, the resulting mixtures are non-homogeneous and phase separation occurs readily. The homogeneity of such mixtures is ensured only by continuous vigorous agitation. An additional problem associated with the use of a nonhomogeneous mixture is the separation of actives at the point of application of the active mixture on the substrate resulting in unevenly impregnated sheets.
Bronsted acids described herein compatibilize aminosilicones with fabric softening agents. Critically, the aminosilicones in the compatible mixtures of the present invention do not separate from the fabric softening agent during coating or solidifying of the dryer sheets. Thus, the present invention affords easier processing of dryer added fabric conditioning sheets. Additionally, even and uniform distribution of the actives on the dryer sheet can be attained, alleviating the problem of unevenly impregnated sheets.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an article which provides for release of a fabric conditioning composition within an automatic laundry dryer, the composition containing a compatible mixture of a fabric softening component, an aminosilicone and a Bronsted acid.
These and other objects and advantages will appear as the description proceeds.

Dryer sheet fabric conditioner containing fabric softener, aminosilicone and bronsted acid compatibilizer

Lever Brothers Company, Division of Conopco, Inc.


A golf tee is disclosed that provides stability and promotes less spin on a struck golf ball. The tee may be beneficial for use on mats at a driving range. The golf ball may be elevated from the ground surface to help avoid the club head from contacting the ground thereby avoiding injury to the golfer and damage to the club.

Conventional golf tees are designed with a wide tee platform, which tapers down to a thinning shank that can pierce soil. They are typically fragile and many are destroyed by a swing coming in too steep and hitting down on the ball. While adequate for play on a course, conventional golf tees are inadequate for driving ranges that situate golfers on a hard surface. A driving range typically positions a golfer practicing his swing on a hard surface such as concrete and the golf ball is played off a mat. A conventional tee cannot pierce the hard underlying surface of the mat. Even if balanced on the mat, the conventional tee would be top heavy and the golfer would have difficulty maintaining the ball on the tee. The golfer may place the ball directly on the mat or may elevate the ball using an improvised object such as a bottle cap. Such approaches used at a driving range may be harmful to the golfer and the golf club. Hitting a ball off the mat or just elevated therefrom may result in the club striking the surface, jamming the golfer's arm, or damaging the club head.
As can be seen, there is a need for a device that can support a golf ball on hard surface environments with sufficient elevation and stability while holding the ball.


Provided is a semiconductor opto-electronic device that may comprise an active layer including a quantum well and a barrier layer on a substrate, upper and lower waveguide layers on and underneath the active layer, respectively, and upper and lower clad layers on and underneath the upper and lower waveguide layers, respectively. The semiconductor opto-electronic device may further comprise an upper optical confinement layer (OCL) between the active layer and the upper waveguide layer and having an energy gap smaller than the energy gap of the upper waveguide layer and equal to or larger than the energy gap of the barrier layer, and a lower OCL between the active layer and the lower waveguide layer and having an energy gap smaller than the energy gap of the lower waveguide layer and equal to or smaller than the energy gap of the barrier layer. Also provided is a method of fabricating the semiconductor opto-electronic device.

1. Field
Example embodiments relate to a semiconductor optoelectronic device having higher optical efficiency and method of fabricating the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A semiconductor laser device is one kind of a nitride-based compound semiconductor opto-electronic device. Such nitride-based light emitting devices use sapphire as the material for forming the substrate. In general, a wave guide layer is formed of GaN to guide light formed in an active layer of the nitride-based laser diode. A clad layer is formed of AlxGa1-xN to confine light and electrons.
AlxGa1-xN has a larger energy gap than GaN and a larger refractive index difference from InGaN as an active layer than GaN as a waveguide. An AlGaN layer used as a clad layer has a higher lattice parameter and a higher thermal expansion coefficient than a wave guide layer and GaN used as a n-type contact layer. Thus, cracks are formed. As a result, the composition ratio and the thickness of Al of AlxGa1-xN are limited. According to recent research results, a composition ratio of Al of an AlGaN/GaN supper lattice is limited to about 14%, and the thickness of Al is confined to 1 μm. A composition ratio of Al of bulk AlGaN is limited to 8%, and the thickness of Al is confined to 1 μm.
An improvement of the optical confinement effect is limited by the thickness of the clad layer and ratio of Al. In other words, the optical confinement factor (OCF) may be reduced, and the threshold current may be increased. Thus, it is difficult to improve the internal quantum efficiency and optical power of a semiconductor opto-electronic device.

Semiconductor optoelectronic device and method of fabricating the same


Some embodiments include methods of titanium deposition in which a silicon-containing surface and an electrically insulative surface are both exposed to titanium-containing material, and in which such exposure forms titanium silicide from the silicon-containing surface while not depositing titanium onto the electrically insulative surface. The embodiments may include atomic layer deposition processes, and may include a hydrogen pre-treatment of the silicon-containing surfaces to activate the surfaces for reaction with the titanium-containing material. Some embodiments include methods of titanium deposition in which a semiconductor material surface and an electrically insulative surface are both exposed to titanium-containing material, and in which a titanium-containing film is uniformly deposited across both surfaces.

Integrated circuit fabrication frequently includes formation of conductive materials directly against semiconductor materials. Example semiconductor materials are silicon and germanium.
Semiconductor materials may be considered part of semiconductor substrates. To aid in interpretation of this disclosure, the terms "semiconductive substrate" and "semiconductor substrate" are defined to mean any construction comprising semiconductive material, including, but not limited to, bulk semiconductive materials such as a semiconductive wafer (either alone or in assemblies comprising other materials thereon; with an example semiconductive wafer being a monocrystalline silicon wafer), and semiconductive material layers (either alone or in assemblies comprising other materials; with an example semiconductive material layer being a layer of polysilicon). The term "substrate" refers to any supporting structure, including, but not limited to, the semiconductive substrates described above.
Integrated circuitry may include conductively-doped regions of semiconductor material. Such regions may be n-type doped or p-type doped. Electrical interconnects may be formed to electrically contact the conductively-doped regions.
One method of forming an electrical interconnect to a conductively-doped region is to form titanium silicide directly against the semiconductor material of the region, to form a metal nitride cap over the titanium silicide to protect the titanium silicide from oxidation, and to then form a conductive pedestal in electrical contact with the electrically conductive metal nitride cap. The metal nitride cap may comprise, for example, titanium nitride.
If the semiconductor material comprises silicon, the titanium silicide may be formed by depositing titanium directly against the silicon, and then reacting the titanium with the silicon to form titanium silicide.
The deposition of the titanium may be conducted on a substrate having some regions where titanium is desired to be deposited, and other regions where titanium deposition is not desired. For instance, the substrate may comprise electrically insulative regions (for instance, silicon dioxide regions or silicon nitride regions) in addition to the semiconductor regions, and it may be desired to form the titanium on the semiconductor regions but not on the insulative regions. It is difficult to form the titanium only over desired regions, and accordingly it is desired to develop improved processing for titanium deposition.
In addition to applications in which it is desired to deposit titanium selectively over one surface relative to another, there are also applications in which it is desired to form titanium-containing films uniformly across numerous surfaces of differing compositions. For instance, it may be desired to form a wiring layer extending across a conductively-doped region of semiconductor material, and also across insulative material surfaces adjacent the conductively-doped region. It can be difficult to form titanium-containing materials uniformly across semiconductor surfaces and insulative material surfaces, and accordingly it is desired to develop improved processing for titanium deposition that can be suitable for such applications.


A reproducing apparatus comprises detecting means 18 and 19 for detecting levels of pilot signals recorded on tracks from reproduced signals reproduced by magnetic heads 1A, 1B, a calculating means 24 for calculating a ratio between levels detected by the detecting means 18 and 19 with respect to the pilot signals recorded on two tracks at both sides of the track traced by the magnetic heads 1A, 1B and a judging means 25 for judging an off-track amount of the magnetic head from the value of the ratio calculated by the calculating means 24, wherein tracking can be effected on the magnetic heads 1A, 1B in response to the off-track amount judged by the judging means 25. In a reproducing apparatus like a VCR (video cassette recorder) in which a magnetic head traces tracks on a tape-like recording medium, tracking can be effected on the magnetic head quickly in a short period of time.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reproducing apparatus for tracing tracks on a tape-like recording medium by a magnetic head and a magnetic head tracking method for use with such reproducing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In VCRs (video cassette recorders), tracking has so far been effected on a reproducing head by using a pilot signal recorded on tracks of a magnetic tape (see cited patent reference 1, for example).
FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a block diagram showing an arrangement of a tracking system of a VCR according to the related art. As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of reproducing heads 1A, 1B is disposed on a rotary drum 2 with an angular extent of 180° in an opposing fashion. The reproducing heads 1A, 1B will be generally referred to as a "reproducing head 1" if necessary. The rotary drum 2 has a magnetic tape 3 wound thereon, and it allows the magnetic tape 3 to travel as it rotates. The reproducing heads 1A, 1B alternately trace the tracks on the magnetic tape 3.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the manner in which the reproducing head 1A reproduces pilot signals from the two tracks formed at both sides of the track to be traced at the same time it traces the tracks on the magnetic tape 3. As shown in FIG. 2, a track T1 is a track that is to be traced by the reproducing head 1A, and a track T2 is a track that is to be traced by the reproducing head 1B. Pilot signals P1 and P2 are alternately recorded on the track T2 of the magnetic tape 3.
As shown in FIG. 2, since each of the reproducing heads 1A, 1B is slightly wider than the width of the track, when the reproducing head 1A traces a certain track T1, it is unavoidable that the reproducing head 1A partly traces the two tracks T2 at both sides of a certain track T1. As is known well, so-called azimuth effect can prevent the reproducing head 1A from reproducing the signals from the track T2 at its portion in which video data and audio data are recorded. On the other hand, it is customary that the pilot signals P1, P2 are recorded by using frequencies considerably lower than those of video data and audio data such that they may become difficult to be affected by the azimuth effect (in that case, the pilot signals P1, P2 may have frequencies f1, f2 which are different from each other). Therefore, the reproducing head 1A is able to reproduce the pilot signals P1, P2 at the same time it is tracing the track T1.
Referring back to FIG. 1, reproduced RF (radio frequency) signals that have been reproduced from the magnetic tape 3 by the reproducing heads 1A, 1B are amplified by a playback amplifier (not shown) and inputted to a 2-input and 1-output switch 4a. The switch 4a is supplied with a head switching signal whose polarity goes to "L" (low) level when the reproducing head 1A scans the track and whose polarity goes to "H" (high) level when the reproducing head 1B scans the track from a suitable means such as a microprocessor (not shown) as a control signal. The switch 4a selectively outputs the reproduced RF signals reproduced by the reproducing heads 1A, 1B when the head switching control signal is held at "L" (low) level and "H" (high) level so that it may output the reproduced RF signals in the form of a time-series reproduced RF signal.
The reproduced RF signal in the form of the time-series reproduced RF signal is supplied to a video data/audio data band pass filter (video data/audio data BPF) 5 and is also supplied to a 1-input and 1-output switch 4b. Video data and audio data outputted from the band pass filter 5 are supplied to video data and audio data signal processing systems (not shown). The switch 4b is supplied with the aforementioned head switching signal as the control signal, and only when the head switching signal is held at "L" (low) level, the switch 4b is turned on to supply the reproduced RF signals to a pilot signal P1 band pass filter (pilot signal P1 BPF) 6 that is used to output the signal with the frequency f1) and a pilot signal P2 band pass filter (pilot signal P2 BPF) 7 that is used to output the signal with the frequency f2.
The pilot signals P1, P2 outputted from the band pass filters 6, 7 are respectively envelope-detected by envelope detecting circuits 8, 9 and supplied to analog-to-digital (A/D) converters 10, 11 in which they are converted in the form of analog to digital signals. Then, a subtracter 12 calculates a difference between an A/D-converted value of an envelope level of the pilot signal P1 and an A/D-converted value of an envelope level of the pilot signal P2, and an output from the subtracter 12 is supplied to a low-pass filter (LPF) 13 and thereby a tracking error signal is generated.
When the reproducing head 1 is accurately tracing a target track (when the reproducing head 1 is properly tracing a target track), the envelope level of the pilot signal P1 and that of the pilot signal P2 become identical to each other, and hence a tracking signal is canceled out. When on the other hand the reproducing head 1 is not properly tracing a target track, that is, so-called off-track occurs, the envelope level of the pilot signal P1 and that of the pilot signal P2 become different from each other, and hence the tracking error signal is not canceled out. This tracking error signal is added to a capstan control signal that a capstan control unit 14 supplies to a capstan motor 16.
Upon playback, the capstan control unit 14 detects a phase of a capstan based upon a phase difference between a reference pulse generated from a reference pulse generating unit (not shown) and a reproduced CTL pulse reproduced from the magnetic tape 3 by a CTL (control) reproducing head 15 and also detects a velocity of the capstan based upon a capstan pulse signal FG from the capstan motor 16. Then, the capstan control unit 14 generates a capstan control signal based upon the thus detected capstan phase and the thus detected capstan velocity. The tracking error signal is added to this capstan control signal, whereby the phase of the reproduced CTL pulse is controlled so as to cancel the tracking error signal out (that is, the phase of the reproduced CTL pulse is controlled so that the off-track may be corrected).
[Cited Patent Reference 1]
Japanese laid-open patent application No. 9-81991 (see paragraphs [0002] to [0009] and paragraphs [0017] to [0022] and also see FIG. 1 and FIGS. 7 to 11)
However, the above-mentioned related-art tracking system cannot avoid a defect in which tracking cannot be effected on the magnetic head rapidly in a short period of time. The reasons for this will be described below.
In the related-art tracking system, a practical value of an off-track amount (i.e. tracking displacement amount) cannot be detected from the value of the difference between the envelope level of the pilot signal P1 and the envelope level of the pilot signal P2. For example, having considered the case (a) in which the envelope levels of the pilot signals P1, P2 obtained when the reproducing head 1 properly traces the track are both held at 1V and the case (b) in which the envelope levels of the pilot signals P1, P2 obtained when the reproducing head 1 properly traces the track are both held at 2V, it is to be understood that a value of a difference between the envelope levels obtained when an off-track of a constant amount occurs in the reproducing head 1 differs in the cases (a) and (b). In this case, a value of a difference obtained in the case (b) becomes twice as large as that obtained in the case of (a).
As described above, according to the related-art tracking system, it is to be detected that "the reproducing head 1 is not properly tracing the track (that is, off-track occurs in the reproducing head 1) if the value of the difference between the envelope levels is not zero". In addition, the direction of the off-track also can be detected from the symbol of the difference (that is, plus (+) or minus (−)). In this case, since the absolute tracking displacement amount is not known and the phase of the reproduced CTL signal should be progressively changed little by little until the difference of the envelope level is canceled out, and hence the tracking of the reproducing head 1 needs plenty of time. When the tracking of the reproducing head 1 should be completed within a constant time period such as a pre-roll time required in the VCR edit operation, if the tracking of the reproducing head 1 takes a lot of time as described above, there arise problems.
Further, since the related-art tracking system requires the band pass filters and the envelope detecting circuits of the two systems (that is, the band pass filter 6, the envelope detecting circuit 8 and the band pass filter 7, the envelope detecting circuit 9) in order to obtain the envelope levels of the pilot signals P1, P2 with the frequencies f1, f2 which are different from each other, the hardware of the above-mentioned reproducing apparatus and the hardware of such related-art tracking system become complex unavoidably.

Reproducing apparatus and tracking method


An internet protocol (IP) traffic control method comprising receiving a message that comprises multicast group information and distribution tree root information from a tree root node in a first network area, determining the border network node is a designated forwarder for the second network area, sending an announcement message that comprises the multicast group information and the distribution tree root information within the second network area, receiving multicast group membership information for a multicast group computing a multicast group membership summary for the first network area and the second network area, sending the multicast group membership summary to first network area and the second network area, computing a distribution tree using the multicast group information and the distribution tree root information, pruning the distribution tree to generate a multicast tree, and communicating multicast data traffic between the first network area and the second network area along the multicast tree.

A data center (DC) network virtualization may comprise end-points in a network to decouple from a DC physical infrastructure network, for example, in terms of address space and/or configurations. It may be desirable in a DC network virtualization solution for DC physical networks to carry a plurality of traffic types including multi-destination traffic. Conventional internet protocol (IP) network technologies may support unicast traffic transport, but may not support multi-destination traffic forwarding. A variety of protocol independent multicast (PIM) solutions may be designed to carry IP multicast traffic over IP networks. However, using PIM for multicast transport may have several drawbacks that may unnecessarily consume network resources. Applying PIM to a DC IP network that supports network virtualization overlays may be challenging. For example, a solution may require multicast support in the underlying network to simulate an overlay layer 2 broadcast capability, where every node in an overlay virtual network is a multicast source and receiver. An overlay virtual network topology may be sparse and/or dynamic compared to the underlying IP network topology. PIM solutions may also be unable to scale with a large number of overlay virtual networks in a DC.

Multi-destination traffic control in multi-level networks


A device for dispensing one or more active agents, the device including: a housing (112) having an opening; at least one active agent (118) located within the housing; a driving means (124) located within, or at the closed end of the housing, including an expandable material; and one or more permeable fluid conveying passage(s) adapted to convey fluid from outside the housing to the driving means.

With the development of more and more types of extracted, synthetic or genetically engineered hormone-like substances which are effective at very low levels of concentration, the need for implantable or ingestable controlled-release capsules has grown considerably and many designs for such devices have been proposed. One convenient form of implantable device is an open-ended cylinder or tube of a few millimeters in diameter (so that it can be implanted by the use of a hypodermic syringe) formed from material which is biocompatible but generally impervious to body fluids.
If the sustained release of a single drug dose is desired, the drug is simply mixed with a suitable excipient, loaded into the device and implanted. Whereupon, the action of the body fluids gradually dissolves, disperses or penetrates the excipient and releases the drug over a period of time. If pulsatory delivery is required, the capsule cylinder may be loaded with a succession or `stack` of alternating `active` and `spacer` layers each comprising a suitable excipient, carrier or matrix. Each active layer contains a dose, or a relatively high concentration of the drug(s) to be delivered, while each spacer layer contains no drug(s) or a relatively low concentration thereof. Dissolution, leaching or erosion of each successive layer (by body fluids after implantation) provides the desired pulsatory drug delivery, while the formulation of the excipient of an active layer determines the profile of the corresponding dose, and the formulation of a spacer layer determines the time interval between the doses of the adjacent active layers.
Such known capsules may be divided into those which are `active` (or `swellable agent`) and those which are `passive` (or `un-swellable agent`). In the latter, the timing and rate of release of the drug doses represented by the active layer(s) depends upon the formulation of the excipient(s) and drug(s) employed, given a particular composition of surrounding body fluid. In the former, the layer-stack is pushed or extruded gradually from the open end of the capsule by a `swellable agent` located at the other--and closed--end of the capsule, so that one layer after another is ejected for dissolution into the body fluids. Thus, the interval between doses--and to some degree, the dose profile as well--is determined by the rate of extrusion as well as the excipient formulation.
A basic form of pulsatory passive capsule is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,692 to Sumitomo. Here a hollow cylindrical casing of impermeable material contains a stack of alternating active and spacer layers in which the excipient is formed by a specially formulated bio-compatible polymer which can be leached or eroded by body fluids. The problem with such a design is that the dose profile and timing of the first layers tends to be quite different to those of the last layers due to the reduced diffusion-rates in a near-empty capsule. The problem is accentuated where long, thin multi-dose capsules are employed. To compensate, the formulation of the layers may be graded along the stack--but at the penalty of greatly increased manufacturing cost. Also, since the innermost layers of such a stack are likely to be highly permeable, the drug in those layers is likely to diffuse from one to another during storage thereby degrading the desired release profile.
An alternative form of passive capsule (e.g. WO9217165 in the name of the Victorian Pharmacy College) involves the encapsulation of a drug-excipient mixture with an erodable (but initially) impervious coating which gradually degrades in vivo to release the drug. But such an approach is notoriously non-linear unless the distribution of the drug within the excipient is carefully graded or many micro-capsules with different coatings are separately implanted or included in the one implanted macro-capsule.
Another form of passive capsule (exemplified by United Kingdom patent 2,241,485 to NRDC and U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,727 to Alza) uses a casing having one or more chambers connected in series with one another and to the external environment by apertures which are stopped with bioerodable plugs, each chamber containing a separate dose of the drug to be delivered. Reliance is thus placed upon the characteristics of the plug(s) to ensuring the desired timing of the dose(s), while the profile of the dose itself is--as before--determined by the formulation of its excipient and the drug. However, the release profile of the doses in the inner chamber will differ even more radically from those in the outer chambers than is the case with a layered-stack capsule.
In another form of chambered passive capsule, (e.g. NRDC United Kingdom patent 2,243,777) the connection between a single drug-containing chamber and the surrounding fluid of the body is restricted by the tube, the outer end of which is closed with a soluble plug. Such a capsule may be satisfactory where the delayed release of a sustained single dose is required, but its design obviously not suited to pulsatory delivery.
An alternative approach to the linearity problem is to employ a capsule casing which is formulated so that it erodes away only at the edge--that is, at the open end--to gradually successive expose active and spacer layers of the stack. However, the formulation of a casing of this type is extremely difficult and, to the applicant's knowledge, has not been achieved with practical success.
The active or pump capsule avoids the inherent linearity problem of the passive capsule by gradually pushing the layer-stack out of the open end of the capsule so that each successive layer becomes the top or outermost layer thereby ensuring that its release profile is essentially the same as that of the previous (and now dissolved or dispersed) layers. Also, in this way, the timing of the release of each dose is now determined largely by rate of extrusion (i.e. by the swellable agent design) rather than solely by the formulation and thickness if the spacer layer(s). The pump may be physical (e.g. driven mechanically, electro-mechanically or by gas pressure), physio-chemical (e.g. driven by an expanding hydrogel which imbibes fluid from the environment) or osmotic (e.g. driven by an expanding solute which imbibes a solvent--usually water--from the environment through an ion-selective membrane). The latter two forms of pump are preferred because of their relatively low cost and small size, because they generate a more uniform force over their stroke (in comparison with most spring or gas-operated swellable agents) and because their materials can be more readily made biocompatible. A range of osmotic pumps for this purpose are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,203,440, 4,203,441 and 4,203,442 to Alza.
The active devices of the prior art are designed to provide a constant rate of extrusion with the gradual diminution of swellable agent pressure being offset by the lowered friction of a shorter stack as delivery progresses. This allows the timing of the dose(s) to be made proportional to the thickness of the corresponding layer(s). This problem is said to be addressed by Merck in its Australian patent application 73310/87 where it is proposed that the spacer layers of a multi-dose active capsule should employ an expanding excipient formulation. While it is suggested the effective length of the capsule is made much greater than its physical length in this way, a little thought will show that the inclusion of expanding spacer layers must have the effect of increasing the average extrusion rate of material from the capsule, thus effectively shortening its effective length (compared to an equivalent capsule with non-expanding layers).