A water sensing wire for a cable. The water sensing wire has a conductor and a water permeable insulation surrounding the conductor. The conductor is formed by a plurality of metal wires. The water sensing wire may also have a plurality of filaments contained inside the water permeable insulation. Longitudinal and/or radial application of stresses cannot cause damage to the water sensing wire because damage can be avoided by the deformable cross section of the sensor conductor and by the reinforcement provided through the filaments. The water sensing wire is particularly useful in power cables but may also be used in telecommunication cables or optical fibers.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a water sensing wire for a power cable and a power cable using such a water sensing wire. Power cables contemplated by the invention relate generally to the high and extra high voltage range of 40 to 500 kV. However, the present invention may also be applied to power cables in the medium and low voltage range such as 500 V to 40 kV or telecommunications cables.
In power cables water sensing wires are generally used in order to detect a water intrusion into the power cable, something which presents a critical condition for the power cable mechanically as well as electrically. Due to the construction of the power cable the water sensing wire is exposed to various kinds of mechanical influences during the manufacturing of the power cable, during the installment of the power cable in a system and even after many years due to environmental influences such as temperature, vibrations etc., substantially shortening the lifetime of the water sensing wire or substantially decreasing the mechanical and/or electrical properties of the water sensing wire.
The present invention in particular aims at providing a water sensing wire and a power cable having an increased lifetime.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 4 shows a typical example of a conventional power cable PCA comprising one or more water sensing wires WSW. As shown in FIG. 4, the power cable PCA is typically composed of a core consisting of the central conductor PC and an insulation layer PI over which a bedding PBE, the cable screen PSC and the outer sheath PSH are arranged in the stated sequence. Typically, the conductor PC is made of copper, the insulation PI is made of polyethylene, the bedding PBE is made of some kind of semiconductor fabric wrapped around the core PC, PI whilst the screen PSC consists of a plurality of wires, as will be explained below. Thus, the high power cable PCA is surrounded by an insulating and water proof sheath PSH and in many cases this sheath PSH consists even of a double layer of a metal or metal foil layer in combination with an outer layer of plastic (layered sheath).
With such a construction it is hoped that intrusion of water—also in form of water vapor—into the cable core PC, PI can be prevented. The water intrusion leading to so-called "water treeing effects" must be prevented because water accelerates aging processes in the insulation materials of the insulation PI (and the outer sheath PSH) made of cross-linked polyethylene. Therefore, such water intrusion leads to an early failure of the cable.
However, since it cannot be guaranteed that no water intrusion occurs, more recently power cable technology has employed a water intrusion sensing mechanism to be able to at least detect the water intrusion if such water intrusion does occur. Thus, a shutdown of the power cable system or the adjustment of electrical conditions can be performed. Such water intrusion detection mechanisms are also capable of locating the exact position of the water intrusion such that a portion of the cable can be cut out and replaced by a new one if a water intrusion failure occurs.
For this purpose the power cable is equipped with one or more water sensing wires WSW, which are, as shown in FIG. 4, arranged within the cable screen PSC, which itself is grounded at the end and/or beginning of the power cable PCA.
At the beginning or end of the power cable detection circuitry is connected for detecting and locating a water intrusion into the cable. Such detection circuitry is for example disclosed in DE 195 44 391 A1, DE 195 27 172 and EP 0 011 754 by Pirelli Cavi e Sistemi and DE 100 19 707 A1 and DE 100 19 430 A1 of the German company Lancier. In the applications by Pirelli Cavi e Sistemi a single water sensing wire is located in each power cable of a three-phase power transmission system.
As also described in a summary article by L. Goehlich et al. in Elektrizitätswirtschaft, Heft 26, 2000, pages 1–8, the core measurement principle in such water monitoring systems is that a current source feeds a current into the water sensing wire or water sensing wires. In the normal operation condition with no water intrusion there will be no current flow between the water sensing wire and the cable screen PSC, which itself is grounded at the cable beginning or cable end.
However, during water intrusion, as illustrated in FIG. 5, water intrudes into the outer sheath PSH, the cable screen PSC and into the water sensing wire WSW such that a measurement current flows from the water sensing wire through the screen to ground. Performing such a measurement from the cable beginning as well as from the cable end allows that also the location of the failure position can be determined. For further information regarding the water monitoring process, reference is made to the above patent applications and the articles, which are herewith incorporated into the present application via reference.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, typical water sensing wires consist of a conductor WC, for example made of Cu or any other metal, and a water permeable insulation WI surrounding said conductor WC. It should be understood that conventionally the insulation WI tightly fits onto the conductor WC, however, is water permeable in order to allow the aforementioned current flow during a water intrusion. A typical diameter of the water permeable insulation and thus of the water sensing wire WSW is about 1 mm. By means of the water permeable insulation the water sensing wire is electrically insulated from the cable screen PSC in case of no water intrusion whilst in a wet condition the water sensing wire is electrically connected to the cable screen PSC in order to allow the water monitoring measurement.
However, due to the construction of the water sensing wire as shown in FIG. 5 there are certain conditions where the lifetime of a water sensing wire can be reduced. This is due to the arrangement of the water sensing wires in the screen. As shown in FIG. 6, typically the cable screen PSC is provided on the cable core (more precisely on the bedding PBE) and the cable screen PSC consists of a plurality of screen wires, which are wrapped around the bedding PBE in a stranded manner, with a pitch length of about 3 times the core diameter i.e. the screen wires PSC extend substantially parallel. The cable screen wires PSCW typically have a diameter of 0.9 mm and between the cable screen wires PSCW the water sensing wires WSW are arranged. Around this arrangement a type of conducting band PSCB is wrapped under a different wrapping pitch by comparison to the screen wires PSCW in order to contact the individual cable screen wires PSCW to each other.
For mechanical stability and electrical properties the diameter of the central conductor WC of the water sensors is only slightly smaller than the diameter of the adjacent cable screen wires PSCW. Due to the necessary water permeable insulation WI the total outer diameter of the water sensing wire is, however, slightly larger than the diameter of the adjacent screen wires PSCW. Thus, the water sensing wires WSW slightly project from the plane formed by the plurality of power cable screen wires PSCW. Therefore, obviously the conducting holding band PSCB presses onto the water sensing wires at the crossover positions PX shown in FIG. 6.
It is easily understood that during severe external mechanical influences such as deformations, temperature changes etc. the insulation WI of the water sensing wire may be unduly pressed and deformed, in particular at the positions PX, leading to mechanical and/or electrical failure of the water sensing wire. For example, a water intrusion may be detected due to a failure of the water sensing wire insulation WI by contacting the conductor WC to a screen wire PSCW leading to an incorrect detection of water intrusion. Of course, many environmental influences can cause such a reduced lifetime of the water sensing wire, because even when all conditions are appropriately set during the manufacturing of the power cable, over some time later the material of the insulation may become brittle leading to a deterioration of the insulation and consequently to mechanical and/or electrical failure.
Whilst the major impact of compressing the insulation is in the radial direction, also stresses in the longitudinal direction of the water sensing wire WSW can cause a failure. FIG. 3 shows the deformation (stretching) of a conductor made of Cu and an insulation made of polyester of a water sensing wire WSW according to the prior art ({circle around (1)}). Since the conventional combination of the Cu conductor WC and the insulation WI made of polyester, the Cu conductor WC is subjected to a plastic deformation whilst the insulation WI is still subjected to an elastic deformation when a stretching force Fo in the longitudinal direction is applied. If the force is again reduced the polyester insulation WI shrinks and bends the excess length of the plastically deformed Cu conductor WC within the polyester insulation WI. This can lead to a loop in the Cu conductor WC and this conducting loop of Cu can penetrate through the insulation WI and can thus make contact with the screen wires PSCW. This leads to fatal damage of the water sensing wire and to an incorrect detection of water intrusion.

Water sensing wire and power cable using a water sensing wire


A process and structure are disclosed for a programmable array for use in a read-only memory comprising diode elements and shorted diode elements. The elements are connected across bit and wordlines. The invention utilizes lateral polysilicon diodes and metal silicide layer bridging the junction of pre-selected diodes to short pre-selected diode elements. Programming is accomplished by either forming the silicide layer across the junctions of pre-selected diodes or removing the silicide layer from the junctions of pre-selected diodes.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor read-only memories (ROM). More specifically, it relates to a configurable array element for use in a read-only memory array and to a method of fabricating the array element.
2. Background Art
A ROM is a semiconductor device comprising an array of storage elements, or memory cells, and suitable addressing and sensing devices coupled thereto for determining the logic state of each storage element, or selected ones of the storage elements (selected by addressing or sensing means), when reading out data stored in the array. In one type of ROM array, diode elements are used as storage elements. One method of writing the information into the ROM is performed during fabrication of the ROM, sometimes termed mask programming. This type of ROM is capable of being fabricated with a high density of array elements. Typically, it is not possible to write to this type of memory after device fabrication is complete. Traditional uses of ROMs include storing BIOS or BASIC instructions in computers, character patterns for CRT display, or for storing security information.
Trends in semiconductor design are moving toward placing multiple circuit functions on the same die. The use of polysilicon diodes as ROM storage elements is attractive in a CMOS dual polysilicon gate technology because polysilicon diodes can be fabricated without additional process steps and without consuming crystalline silicon real estate.
Turning to the prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,223 to Erickson describes a lateral polysilicon diode used as a storage element in a mask programmed ROM array. FIG. 1 of the present application shows a schematic representation of the ROM device used in the prior art patent comprising bit lines 10, wordlines 12, and diode elements 14 connected to wordlines 12. Connecting circuit element 16 connects certain diodes to bit lines 10. The diodes are polysilicon and are coextensive with the wordlines, as will be described below. In this ROM device (FIG. 1) the programming of the ROM is done at the masking level used to define the vias, which vias act as the connecting elements 16 shown in FIG. 1. At least two additional levels of fabrication are required to complete the ROM device after this mask level programming step. For cost reasons it would be advantageous to delay this programming step until fabrication of the array is complete, thereby providing an inventory, or allowing stockpiling, of non-programmed devices until they are needed, and reducing part numbers, i.e. specially pre-programmed devices, in the manufacturing line.
The two logic states that must be sensed in this type of array are a diode junction or an open circuit. Using a CMOS inverter as a state sensor, the high state to be detected would be GND+V.sub.T and the low state V.sub.DD -V.sub.T giving a low-to-high signal margin defined as V.sub.DD -GND-2V.sub.T. Given a first case V.sub.DD =5v, GND=0v, and V.sub.T =0.7v the signal margin would be 3.6v. However as power supply voltages of modern semiconductor devices decrease, this signal margin will also decrease. Consider the second case: V.sub.DD =1.8v, GND=0v, and V.sub.T =0.5v where the signal margin would be 0.8v. Additionally, consider the third case V.sub.DD =1.3V, GND=0v, and V.sub.T =0.3v where the signal margin would be only 0.4v. Clearly, the trend of lower signal margins presents problems in detecting the logic state of arrays having diode junction and open logic states.
Therefore, there is a need in the industry for a ROM array formed of polysilicon diodes whose fabrication is compatible with CMOS device processing, possessing a high signal margin, and where programming of the ROM may optionally be delayed until post fabrication.

ROM storage cell and method of fabrication


A sender email client, in response to a request to send an email with attachment, determines whether a recipient of the email has distributed storage separate from an incoming email server of the recipient for storing email attachments. If so, a location server is consulted for the distributed storage's network address and its availability is determined. The send request is then serviced accordingly. An email service, in response to receiving an email with attachment, determines whether a recipient of the email has distributed storage for storing email attachments. If so, its network address and availability are likewise determined. The attachments are forwarded to the recipient's distributed storage for storage, when it becomes available. An email recipient client, in response to a request to access an email attachment, retrieves the attachment from the recipient's distributed storage or the incoming email server, as appropriate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of data processing. More specifically, the present invention relates to methods and systems associated with email service hosting and consumption.
2. Background Information
The popularity of Internet connectivity has contributed to the fast and persistent adoption of server applications in both the enterprise and the consumer space. The features and functionalities of a particular application are no longer confined to individual machines on which the application software is installed. Instead, these features can now be made available on the Internet or on the enterprise corporate network in an ongoing service model, accessible from any machines anywhere, anytime. Also, users do not have to keep up with the nuisance of software upgrades. Since new releases only have to be installed on the central server, users can immediately benefit from the feature upgrade via the Internet, without any of the complications of installation, configuration and system compatibility check. Some of the web-based applications that have become ubiquitous by now are email management and PIMs (Personal Information Management, including calendar, contacts and tasks).
However, such a convenience comes with a toll on bandwidth and storage cost, which are the primary cost drivers of server applications:
Bandwidth Cost
Since the processing power and database reside on the server, a high volume of data traffic is often created between server and client access points, and among servers themselves. To send bits from client A to client B, the supposedly straightforward data route from point A to point B now necessitates the intermediation of several servers in between, resulting in a significantly larger amount of traffic compared to a direct peer-to-peer connection.
As bandwidth is always subject to supply constraints due to its high capital cost and long lead time to deploy, ASPs and server applications have to strive hard for a way to reduce the data traffic while sustaining the same level of service to its customers.
Growth of Data Size
As server applications continue to upgrade their feature sets to include rich media formats (such as .JPG, .WAV and .MP3), the amount of data that needs to be transmitted and stored has grown significantly, to the point where the extra burden placed on bandwidth and storage has outpaced what can be viably offered by current-day technology. For instance, a textual email is typically only a few kilobytes in size; adding a 5-minute MP3-encoded song as an attachment can boost this size to about 5 megabytes, an increase of more than three orders of magnitude; video attachments add one more order of magnitude in size.
Storage Requirements
Storing copies of files for all subscribers on the server adds up to a hefty cost. In addition to directing and temporarily storing email before it reaches its final destination, some servers are also configured to keep backup copies of all email. For instance, the IMAP4 protocol keeps a copy of all received mail messages and attachments on the server unless instructed by the user to delete.
Such concentration of server storage model brings forth two problems:
First, there is a redundancy of storage beyond needs. For example, once an email is sent, the sender keeps the original copy of any attachments on his personal computer; the attachments also reside in the sent mail folder on his server. On the reception side, the receiver keeps a backup copy of the email and attachments on his mail server (which could be a operated by a different provider), and also downloads these to his desktop machine. Thus an attachment file meant for two parties now becomes populated on servers on both ends, exerting unnecessary burden on the storage needs of the intermediating servers. To wit, most web-based email services are currently only able to provide enough space to store one MP3-encoded song attachment per user mailbox; due to these size restrictions, users of these services cannot send video clips as email attachments at all
Second, multiple copies of the same document residing on both servers and client machines tend to cause confusion when changes are made. Data integrity has always been a difficult problem to tackle, especially in a world that promotes ubiquitous access to the same data. For example, when the receiver of an attachment makes certain changes and sends them back to the author via a web-based email system, the sender needs to upload the document again, no matter how small the change is; this cycles the new version of the document through the same storage duplication as the incoming route. Not only does this approach make it hard to keep track of changing data, but it also contributes to redundant storage of the same file over and over again, although each copy may be only marginally different from each other.
In order to save bandwidth and server space for data that cannot be handled otherwise, a huge opportunity exists to leverage the under-utilized storage space, processing power, and network bandwidth of the user machines themselves. This opportunity is based on a distributed computing model to assist certain server functions, and to allow server intermediation to be forgone as appropriate. Redundant storage of the same document can be minimized. This not only saves bandwidth and disk storage costs for the operators, but also enhances the performance of data transfer, and makes it easier to keep data distributed and synchronized at a much faster speed.

Enhanced email—distributed attachment storage


A system is provided that monitors at the wellsite injection of additives into formation fluids recovered through wellbores and controls the supply of such additives from remote locations. The selected additive is supplied from a source at the wellsite into the wellbore via a suitable supply line. A flow meter in the supply line measures the flow rate of the additive through the supply line and generates signals representative of the flow rate. A controller at the wellsite determines the flow rate from the flow meter signals and in response thereto controls the flow rate of the additive to the well. The wellsite controller interfaces with a suitable two-way communication link and transmits signals and data representative of the flow rate and other parameters to a second remote controller. The remote controller transmits command signals to the wellsite controller representative of any change desired for the flow rate.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to oilfield operations and more particularly to a remotely/network-controlled additive injection system for injecting precise amounts of additives or chemicals into wellbores, wellsite hydrocarbon processing units, pipelines, and chemical processing units.
2. Background of the Art
A variety of chemicals (also referred to herein as "additives") are often introduced into producing wells, wellsite hydrocarbon processing units, oil and gas pipelines and chemical processing units to control, among other things, corrosion, scale, paraffin, emulsion, hydrates, hydrogen sulfide, asphaltenes and formation of other harmful chemicals. In oilfield production wells, additives are usually injected through a tubing (also referred to herein as "conductor line") that is run from the surface to a known depth. Additives are introduced in connection with electrical submersible pumps (as shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,131 which is assigned to the assignee hereof and incorporated herein by reference) or through an auxiliary tubing associated with a power cable used with the electrical submersible pump (such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,824 (assigned to the assignee hereof and incorporated herein by reference). Injection of additives into fluid treatment apparatus at the well site and pipelines carrying produced hydrocarbons is also known.
For oil well applications, a high pressure pump is typically used to inject an additive into the well from a source thereof at the wellsite. The pump is usually set to operate continuously at a set speed or stroke length to control the amount of the injected additive. A separate pump and an injector are typically used for each type of additive. Manifolds are sometimes used to inject additives into multiple wells; production wells are sometimes unmanned and are often located in remote areas or on substantially unmanned offshore platforms. A recent survey by Baker Hughes Incorporated of certain wellbores revealed that as many as thirty percent (30%) of the additive pumping systems at unmanned locations were either injecting incorrect amounts of the additives or were totally inoperative. Insufficient amounts of treatment additives can increase the formation of corrosion, scale, paraffins, emulsion, hydrates etc., thereby reducing hydrocarbon production, the operating life of the wellbore equipment and the life of the wellbore itself, requiring expensive rework operations or even the abandonment of the wellbore. Excessive corrosion in a pipeline, especially a subsea pipeline, can rupture the pipeline, contaminating the environment. Repairing subsea pipelines can be cost-prohibitive.
Commercially-used wellsite additive injection apparatus usually require periodic manual inspection to determine whether the additives are being dispensed correctly. It is important and economically beneficial to have additive injection systems which can supply precise amounts of additives and which systems are adapted to periodically or continuously monitor the actual amount of the additives being dispensed, determine the impact of the dispersed additives, vary the amount of dispersed additives as needed to maintain certain desired parameters of interest within their respective desired ranges or at their desired values, communicate necessary information with offsite locations and take actions based in response to commands received from such offsite locations. The system should also include self-adjustment within defined parameters. Such a system should also be developed for monitoring and controlling additive injection into multiple wells in an oilfield or into multiple wells at a wellsite, such as an offshore production platform. Manual intervention at the wellsite of the system to set the system parameters and to address other operational requirements should also be available.
The present invention addresses the above-noted problems and provides an additive injection system which dispenses precise amounts of additives, monitors the dispensed amounts, communicates with remote locations, takes corrective actions locally, and/or in response to commands received from the remote locations.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Closed loop additive injection and monitoring system for oilfield operations


A simplified airbag inflator providing a convoluted pathway for passage of inflation gases from the combustion chamber of the inflator to exhaust ports leading to an inflatable airbag is provided. The inflator has a U-shaped filter element and U-shaped diffuser attached to an inflator housing defining the combustion chamber. The combustion chamber is closed off with an end plate having generally axially aligned exit holes therein. Inflation gases would flow axially from the combustion chamber through the exit holes in the end plate, radially then axially through the filter element, and then radially out exhaust ports in the diffuser.

The present invention relates to inflators or gas generators that utilize the combustion of a solid fuel as a gas generant means for the purpose of rapidly inflating vehicle crash protection bags, commonly called airbags.
A variety of forms of gas generators or inflators for the above-noted airbags have been disclosed in a number of pieces of prior art. For example, one such inflator is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,547,342 to Adams, et al, which is assigned to the assignee of the present application and which is incorporated herein by reference. Another patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,086, cites the Adams, et al, patent and describes in some detail the process of manufacturing that particular airbag.
Another patent of interest with reference to the present application is U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,862 which discloses a gas generator for an airbag for crash protection in a vehicle and which includes a chamber provided around a cylindrical pressure reservoir filled with gas releasing materials.
While the devices of each of the above cited patents may have its own particular benefits or advantages, in keeping with the greater current emphasis on more simplified construction, the present invention seeks to minimize the number of parts involved in the construction of an airbag gas generator.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to significantly reduce the number of parts in the design of a inflator or gas generator for an airbag or the like.
Another object is to simplify the assembly of the parts of the inflator by providing the filter means in the form of a screen pack having a wire mesh design requiring no in-house assembly.
Another object is to provide an inflator wherein the securing of the parts of the inflator with each other and with the airbag may be accomplished most efficiently.
A specific object is to provide an improvement in the absorption of heat from the generating gas before it enters the airbag. A further specific object is to increase filtering action required by efficiently removing solid particulate material from the gas.
Yet another object is to provide a convoluted pathway for generated gas flow including a complete reversal of direction, but to extend that pathway, and to do so by a simplified construction when compared with the prior art.


A premixer for a combustor to entrain a selected volume of fuel in an oxidizer to be combusted to heat the oxidizer. The combustor is for a gas powered turbine which employs the hypergolic or high energy air stream which will allow a fuel to be combusted in the absence of an additional ignition source. A heat exchanger and a catalyst combusts a first portion of fuel in air without the production of undesired chemical species. The catalyst is employed to lower the combustion temperature of the fuel to substantially eliminate selected chemical species. The fuel premixed in the air then encounters the catalyst and the fuel is combusted to increase the temperature of the air to an auto-ignition temperature so that no other ignition source is needed to combust additional fuel added later.

It is generally known in the art to power turbines with gases being expelled from combustion chambers. These gas powered turbines can produce power for many applications such as terrestrial power plants. In the gas powered turbine a fuel, such as a hydrocarbon (for example methane or kerosene) or hydrogen, is combusted in an oxygen rich environment. The oxygen is generally provided from atmospheric sources which also contains nitrogen and other compounds. These combustion systems often have high emissions of undesirable compounds such as nitrous oxide compounds (NOX) and carbon containing compounds. It is generally desirable to decrease these emissions as much as possible so that undesirable compounds do not enter the atmosphere. In particular, it has become desirable to reduce NOX emissions to a substantially low amount and more preferably to a point where emissions are virtually eliminated. Emissions of NOX are generally accepted to be non-existent if they are equal to or less than about one part per million volume of dry weight emissions.
In a combustion chamber, fuel, such as methane, is combusted in atmospheric air where temperatures generally exceed about 1420° C. (about 2600° F.). This is especially true if flame holding zones or high temperature pilot flames are used to stabilize the combustion process. When temperatures are generally above about 1420° C., the nitrogen and oxygen compounds, both present in atmospheric air, undergo chemical reactions which produce nitrous oxide compounds. The energy provided by the high temperatures allows the breakdown of dinitrogen and dioxygen, especially in the presence of other materials such as various metals, to produce NOX or NOX compounds such as NO2 and NO.
Attempts have been made to reduce production of NOX compounds by initially heating the air before it enters the combustion chambers to an auto-ignition temperature. If the air enters the combustion chamber at or above an auto-ignition temperature, then pilot flames or recirculation flame holding zones are not necessary to combust the fuel. Auto-ignition temperatures are usually lower than pilot flame temperatures or the temperatures inside recirculation flame holding zones. One such method for heating air to the auto-ignition temperature is to mix the fuel in the air before it reaches the combustion chamber. This vitiated air, that is air which includes the fuel, is then ignited in a pre-burner where at least a portion of the entrained fuel is combusted. This raises the temperature of the air before it reaches the main combustion chamber. This decreases NOX production and emissions substantially. Nevertheless, NOX emissions still exist due to the initial pre-burning.
In view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that it is desirable to decrease or eliminate pre-burning, thereby substantially eliminating all NOX emissions. Although the air is heated before entering the main combustion chamber, it may still need to be ignited in the combustion chamber to combust the remaining fuel. Therefore, an additional flame or arc is used to combust remaining fuel in the main combustion chamber. This reduces the temperature that the igniter must be at but still increases the temperature of the combustion chamber. In addition, no fuel is added to the air as it enters the combustion chamber. Rather all the fuel has already been entrained in the air before it enters the combustion chamber to be combusted. This greatly reduces control over where combustion occurs and the temperature in the combustion chamber.
Other attempts to lower NOX emissions include placing catalysts in catalytic converters on the emission side of the turbines. This converts the NOX compounds into more desirable compounds such as dinitrogen and dioxygen. These emission side converters, however, are not one hundred percent efficient thereby still allowing NOX emissions to enter the atmosphere. The emission converters also use ammonia NH3, gas to cause the reduction of NOX to N2. Undesirably, some of this ammonia is discharged into the atmosphere. Also, these converters are expensive and increase the complexity of the turbine and power production systems. Therefore, it is also desirable to eliminate the need for emission side catalytic converters.
Changing the flow path of a fluid, such as a gas, also is problematic. In particular, in many combustion systems, the flow of gases must be changed to move the fluid from an original direction or orientation to a second direction or orientation to properly operate the apparatus. For example, when an oxidizer is drawn from the exterior of the apparatus, it then generally must be redirected to a combustor. This can decrease the pressure as the flow of the fluid changes direction. However, the combustors operate most efficiently with a high pressure of the fuel and oxidizer in the combustion area. Therefore, it is desirable to produce a system that will allow for the fluids to change direction without substantially decreasing the pressure.


Provided is an electrostatic image developing toner excellent in blocking resistance at high temperature and humidity, as well as in low temperature-fixing property, having a polyester resin toner binder. Provided is the electrostatic image developing toner containing at least one noncrystalline polyester resin and a crystalline polyester resin, wherein the polyester resins are formed in the presence of at least one titanium-containing catalyst expressed in the following Formulas:Ti(—X)m(—OH)n O═Ti(—X)p(—OR)q                 where X is a residue resulting from removing an H atom in one hydroxyl group from (poly)alkanolamine having 2 to 12 carbon atoms, R represents an H atom or an alkyl group that has 1 to 8 carbon atoms and may contain 1 to 3 ether bonds, m, n, p, and q are integers; m, n, p, and q are 1-4, 0-3, 1-2, 0-1, respectively; and the sum of m and n, and p and q are 4 and 2, respectively.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a toner for forming a visible image from an electrostatic image formed on a surface of an image bearing member such as a photoconductor in electrophotography or electrostatic recording and also relates to an image forming apparatus using the toner.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electrophotography used in image forming apparatuses such as laser printers and dry electrostatic copiers includes uniformly charging a photoconductive insulation layer (charging step), exposing the layer to light, forming an electrical latent image by eliminating charges on the portions exposed to light (exposing step), forming a visible image by further attaching colored, charged fine powder, which is called a toner, to the latent image (developing step), transferring the visible image thus obtained onto a transfer material such as transfer paper (transfer step), and then permanently fixing the transferred image by an appropriate fixation method such as heating, pressurizing, or the like (fixing step).
In the fixing step, for example, commonly carried out is contact type heat fixing such as heating roller fixing in which a transferred image is fixed by heating and melting using a heating roller, and noncontact type heat fixing such as oven fixing. Recently, with an increased demand for energy conservation, a request is increased for reducing electric power consumption in a fixing step, which occupies a considerable part of the total electric power consumed by a copier. In this regard, the contact type heat fixing is preferred to the noncontact type heat fixing, because the contact type heat fixing is superior in heat efficiency, is capable of lowering a required fixing temperature as compared to a fixing temperature required for non-contact type heat fixing, and is effective in energy conservation and in downsizing of copiers.
However, in the contact type heat fixing method, an offset phenomenon is likely to occur disadvantageously, in which a part of toner melted at the time of fixing is transferred to a heating roller and then transferred to successive transfer paper sheets, etc. For prevention of this offset phenomenon, conventionally, the surface of a heating roller is coated with a material superior in releasing property such as fluorine resin, or a releasing agent such as silicone oil is applied to the surface of a heating roller. However, when silicone oil, etc. is used, the fixing device is required to be larger and more complex, leading to high production costs and causing frequent failures of the device.
Alternatively when a heating roller is used at a lowered temperature for prevention of the offset phenomenon, a toner is not sufficiently melted to cause an insufficient fixation because of the lowered temperature of the heating roller.
From the viewpoint of conserving energy and downsizing apparatuses, a toner is desired in which the offset occurrence temperature is high (hot-offset resistance) and the fixing temperature is low (low temperature-fixing property). Furthermore, the toner is further requested to have enough heat resistant storage stability so as not to undergo blocking during storage under the atmospheric temperature and humidity in the apparatus.
For solving these problems, for example, a toner binder is developed in which two types of resins with different softening points are mixed (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 04-362956). However, in this method, as the mixing ratio of the amount of the resin with a lower softening point against the amount of the resin with the higher softening point is increased, blocking resistance and hot-offset resistance degrade, though low temperature-fixing property is improved, and in a region where the toner image is fixed at low temperatures, a difference between the softening temperature of the polyester with the lower softening temperature and the lower limit fixing temperature, becomes large, leading to an insufficient sharp melt property in the low temperature region. Therefore, in view of recent copiers' high-speed performance, down sizing, and saving of energy, a further improvement in low temperature-fixing property and offset resistance is desired.
Furthermore a toner is disclosed, which is obtained by dissolving and/or dispersing in an organic solvent a toner composition containing a modified polyester resin capable of reacting with an active hydrogen group-containing compound, and reacting the solution or the dispersion with a cross-linking agent and/or an elongating agent in an aqueous medium containing fine resin particles, in which a toner binder contains a crystalline polyester resin in addition to the modified polyester resin (see JP-A No. 2004-302458). In this case, since the crystalline polyester resin contained in the toner has crystallinity, the toner exhibits heat melting property that shows a sharp decrease in viscosity at a temperature close to the fixation beginning temperature, heat resistant storage stability is favorable because of the crystallinity immediately before the temperature at which the melting begins and at the melt beginning temperature, the viscosity of the toner sharply decreases (sharp melt property) and the toner is fixed. Therefore the proposal can provide a toner with excellent heat resistant storage ability as well as favorable low temperature-fixing property.
Further, an electrophotographic toner containing a toner binder and a colorant is disclosed, in which the toner binder contains three main components, that is, (A) a resin having a softening point in the range of 120° C. to 170° C., a glass transition temperature in the range of 58° C. to 75° C., and a rate of chloroform insoluble matter in the range of 5% by mass to 50% by mass, (B) a resin having a softening point in the range of 90° C. to 120° C. and a glass transition temperature in the range of 58° C. to 75° C., and (C) a crystalline polyester resin having a melting point in the range of 80° C. to 140° C.; the toner binder has a rate of chloroform insoluble matter of less than 30% by mass, and the toner contains a wax (W) having a penetration of 1.5 or less and a melting point in the range of 80° C. to 110° C. (see JP-A No. 2003-57875). In this case, to the two types of resins with different softening points, that is, resins (A) and (B), the resin (C) of crystalline polyester resin having a low melting point is melt-kneaded such that the resin (C) is uniformly dispersed in the resins (A) and (B) to thereby produce a toner excellent in hot-offset resistance and blocking resistance while maintaining excellent low-temperature fixing property.
A toner resin composition containing a crystalline polymer having a melting point in the range of 180° C. to 280° C. in which an absorption amount of heat at the melting point measured by a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) is in the range of 25 mJ/mg to 150 mJ/mg, and containing a noncrystalline polyester resin having a glass transition temperature in the range of 30° C. to 80° C. is disclosed, wherein the noncrystalline polyester resin contains first noncrystalline polyester resin having weight average molecular weights in the range of 3,000 to 20,000 and second noncrystalline polyester resin having weight average molecular weights in the range of 30,000 to 300,000 (see JP-A No. 2004-151709). When this toner resin composition is used, a toner can be prepared which is excellent in low temperature-fixing property, hot-offset resistance, and blocking resistance and enables favorable coloring. In this case, physically cross-linked structure is formed among crystalline components of the crystalline polymer having a high melting point in the noncrystalline polyester resin, meantime, the noncrystalline components in the crystalline polymer having a high melting point are entangled with the noncrystalline polyester resin to form a sort of network structure. By forming such a network structure, the toner makes it possible to exhibit favorable offset resistance without causing a substantial reduction in viscosity at high temperatures and without decreasing low temperature-fixing property and storage stability.
Furthermore, a toner is disclosed, in which, when a toner binder is composed of at least a toner binder component LR and a toner binder component HR, Tlr3 (° C.) is a temperature at which the melt viscosity characteristics of the toner binder component LR are 1×103 (Pa·S), Thr3 (° C.) is a temperature at which the melt viscosity characteristics of the toner binder component HR are 1×103 (Pa·S), and Tcr3 (° C.) is a temperature (a peak temperature of heat absorption measured by a DSC method) at which the melt viscosity characteristics of a crystalline resin component CR are 1×103 (Pa·S) (see JP-A No. 2005-164800), Tlr3 is in the range of 90° C. to 125° C., Thr3 is in the range of 155° C. to 210° C., and Tcr3 is in the range of 95° C. to 150° C. In this case, when the toner binder contains resin components having the above characteristics, a toner can be obtained which provides a favorable image quality, a wide range of fixing temperatures, and also favorable blocking resistance.
In the above related art, even when a plurality of resins having significantly different softening point ranges are mixed, by adding a crystalline polyester resin into one or more types of noncrystalline resins, each of original resin characteristics are maintained in each toner. However, in these cases, after crystalline polyester resin is added into noncrystalline polyester resin and the mixture is once heated, the noncrystalline polyester resin and the crystalline polyester resin dissolves each other, which results in inability to obtain each of the original resin characters. As a result, toner with satisfactory blocking resistance and image quality is difficult to obtain. Furthermore, in the related art, an organic or inorganic tin compound, which is environmentally problematic, is sometimes used as a catalyst for synthesis of polyester of a raw material for toner.

Electrostatic image developing toner and image forming apparatus using the same


Improved systems, methods, apparatus and compositions for generating, extracting and distributing the renewable heat energy produced by microbial decomposition of organic biomass within a contained and controlled environment. This heat energy is preferably transferred and distributed, preferably by the use of heat pipes, to the interior of a greenhouse or other structure to be heated, either directly or via heat exchange apparatus such as hot water heating systems. In one embodiment heat transfer and distribution mechanism customized to the application requirements of a greenhouse heating batch-type process is disclosed, along with a recipe for a readily available biomass material composition that will slowly decompose while it generates a substantial quantity of usable heat energy to be consumed in the elevation of temperature in a separated greenhouse basement confinement area. Additional continuous and batch process embodiments of biomass heating systems are also disclosed that extract heat energy from decomposing biomass for heating uses. In some embodiments gaseous products generated in a biological decomposition process, primarily CO2, are utilized to enhance plant growth in the greenhouse environment.

Many methods and apparatus are known in the art for the purpose of decomposing, in an economical and environmentally acceptable manner, waste products resulting from agricultural and forestry, vegetable production and horticulture, landscape and park maintenance, as well as excrement and the like, by anaerobic fermentation and/or aerobic decomposition and of simultaneously producing a good fertilizer, as well as heat for heating purposes or the like. However, so far as is known, such systems have not been designed, utilized and controlled to primarily develop heat energy for hygienically heating an air space of an enclosed structure, such as a greenhouse, in a passive manner through a self-powered heat transfer mechanism from a biomass material heat generating source.
The most common method of heating a greenhouse in a commercial setting is with the use of fossil fuels such as natural gas, fuel oil, etc. However, there is an on-going need for any alternative that will provide a more efficiently controlled interior environment suitable for plant production. It has long been known that burning biomass will generate energy that can reduce dependency on fossil fuel sources. However, environmental and economical restrictions have impeded these developments within the commercial industry. Burning biomass, in itself, can be viewed as an inefficient use of energy; the fuel is consumed quickly, causing a rapid energy release, much of which can be lost up the exhaust stacks.
The present invention, therefore, has responded to the challenge to research a renewable and environmentally sustainable alternative, and has done so by extracting the heat of decomposition from biomass over an extended period of time. This passive system of the invention thus provides a significant means of respite to the energy intensive greenhouse industry.
Under normal circumstances, the basic principles of composting are quite simple and adhering to them will result in an efficient and successful outcome. Composting has become an excellent way to manage certain wastes responsibly, prevent the wasting of natural resources, and produce a value-added, inexpensive soil amendment product. Composting also generates another valuable resource that may be recaptured and re-used, namely, heat energy.
However, harvesting this heat energy source for a commercial use such as greenhouse heating, presents new challenges. This form of heat energy is unlike any standard within the heat transfer industry. To heat a greenhouse structure from this heat energy source, it must be viewed in three separate components:                a) heat energy generation,        b) heat transfer, and        c) heat distribution/use.
Heat distribution and use within a greenhouse facility is well documented with much information and data available. However, modifications should be pursued to enhance heat retention and use within these structures to maximize the heat re-capture benefits.
The most critical and difficult challenge in the development of the present invention comes in the heat energy generation phase. It has been proven that temperatures, in the best enhanced aerobic composting situations, can reach up to 180° F. by intensive aeration (oxygen replenishment) on a continual basis; this methodology is commonplace in the production of compost as a growing media used in mushroom operations. These high composting temperatures are a requirement for the safe destruction of any contained pathogens within the organic composting components used in mushroom growing operations. However, this particular method of composting may not be practical for the purpose pursued in the system of the invention because of the constant need to, in mushroom operations, mechanically aerate by turning and fluffing the piles or windrows. This form of composting is very rapid, causing the components to be "consumed" very quickly.
The underlying challenge in each case is to establish composting systems that will function within the designed confinement criteria. For greenhouse heating the need is for presenting a consistent temperature range of 140–160° F., sustainable for a practical time frame of up to 20 weeks, while mitigating the negative effects of the generated by-products. Compost component selection, means of aeration, moisture content maintenance, and by-product management are all of great importance to the development of a satisfactory biomass heat generation system that can present a suitable and affordable alternative to traditional heat energy sources, while demonstrating a positive effect on the environment. Further, to successfully accomplish this goal, engineering designs of the heat transfer and distribution systems need to be successfully customized to the needs of the particular and varying structural applications and parameters.


A referencing system to assist a receiver aircraft in relative positioning during in-flight refueling operation that includes an array of references congregated on a spot of the tanker aircraft, wherein the array of references provide a distinguishable visual indicator depending on the sector where the receiver aircraft positions.

In refueling operations, a tanker aircraft stores fuel which, via a hose and drogue system, is transferred in-flight to another aircraft—the receiver—which receives it through its probe.
Hose and drogue refueling systems generally comprise a drum configured to wind/unwind the hose during the refueling operation. This drum is normally further equipped with a fuel pipe connected to a fuel line in connection with a fuel tank, in order to allow this fuel to pass through.
Furthermore, a coupling and a drogue are installed at the end of such hose. The coupling has the function of connecting with the receiver aircraft probe and includes a valve for the fuel system. The drogue has the function of generating the aerodynamic drag necessary to trail and stabilize the hose and to hold the coupling as the receiver pushes forward on the coupling to connect with the tanker.
Different drogues can be used depending on the application, within the typical airspeed range 105-325 knots, i.e. around 195-602 km/h. In any scenario, these drogues provide a drag force up to typically 600 pounds-force (lbf), i.e. about 2.7 kilo-Newtons (kN).
During aerial refueling, for safety reasons, special attention should be drawn to keep a correct relative position between the tanker and receiver aircraft. Correct relative positioning assists in avoiding collisions between the aircraft. Also, correct relative positioning between the aircraft reduces risks of a collision between the hose and the receiver aircraft especially during hose deployment from the tanker towards the receiver aircraft and during disconnection of the hose from the receiver.
Conventionally, two solutions have been typically applied to keep a correct relative position between receiver and tanker aircraft. The first solution is to add marks on the hose which marks are used to estimate the deployed length of the hose and estimate the distance between aircraft. The second solution is a device fitted around the hose tunnel outlet that gives discrete indications of the hose deployed length.
During probe contact with the hose and drogue system, normally only longitudinal indications (based on hose length) are measured. Lateral and vertical relative distances are estimated by receiver aircraft pilot by using visual references on the tanker aircraft.
The pilot of the receiver aircraft is responsible for maintain a correct separation between tanker and receiver aircraft. The receiver pilot normally takes visual clues of the separate by using visual references on any part of the tanker, such as the horizontal stabilizer or the wing of the tanker. The effectiveness of these visual references on the tanker aircraft depends on where the fuel receiving probe on the receiver aircraft is located with respect to the receiver pilot's field of view. The ability of a receiver pilot to use a visual reference on a tanker aircraft may be influenced by whether the fuel receiving probe is above or below the pilot's field of vision, and the relative position of the receiving probe to the tanker along the receiver pilot's line of sight.
Using conventional measurements of deployed hose length and visual references on the tanker provides sufficient references for the receiver pilot as the receiver approaches the tanker and connects to the hose coupling. However, when the receiver disconnects from the hose coupling, the end of the hose switches from being under tension and captured by the receiver to being free of tension and freely moving in the airspace. This switch creates a risk that as the tension in the hose is released and the end of the hose freely moves, the hose collides with the receiver aircraft. The relative position between the receiver aircraft and the hose and the tanker is thus most critical during the hose disconnection phase.
The drogue may hit the receiver aircraft if the relative position of the receiver with respect to the tanker with the hose and drogue system is far from the nominal position. The nominal position is defined as that position of the hose and drogue system in which there is a force equilibrium in free flying, accounting inter alia for weight (dependent on hose length), hose tension, drogue drag (dependent on tanker speed), and possibly other aerodynamic parameters.
A proper relative position between a receiver helicopter and a tanker has special importance because the receiving probe on the helicopter is typically below the rotor blades of the helicopter. During release from a helicopter receiving probe, there is a risk that the release of tension in the hose could allow the hose to swing into the rotor blades if the relative position is incorrect between the helicopter and tanker.

Tanker aircraft comprising a referencing system


A method for multiplying the frame rate of an input video signal having a line rate fHin and a frame rate fVin, comprising the steps of: propagating the input video signal through just enough memory to delay the input video signal by a fraction of a frame period 1/fVin; speeding up the delayed video signal to a first line rate faster than fHin; speeding up the input video signal to a second line rate faster than fHin; supplying the speeded up video signal and the delayed speeded up video signal sequentially, one line at a time; and, writing the sequentially supplied lines into a liquid crystal display at the faster line rate, thereby writing at least some of the lines multiple times within each the frame period. A corresponding apparatus can comprise: a partial frame memory; two speedup memories; a multiplexer; and, a source of clock and control signals.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention arrangements relate to the field of LCOS (liquid crystal on silicon) and/or LCD (liquid crystal display) video display systems, both reflective and transmissive.
2. Description of Related Art
Liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) can be thought of as one large liquid crystal formed on a silicon wafer. The silicon wafer is divided into an incremental array of tiny plate electrodes. A tiny incremental region of the liquid crystal is influenced by the electric field generated by each tiny plate and the common plate. Each such tiny plate and corresponding liquid crystal region are together referred to as a cell of the imager. Each cell corresponds to an individually controllable pixel. A common plate electrode is disposed on the other side of the liquid crystal. Each cell, or pixel, remains lighted with the same intensity until the input signal is changed, thus acting as a sample and hold. The pixel does not decay, as is the case with the phosphors in a cathode ray tube. Each set of common and variable plate electrodes forms an imager. One imager is provided for each color, in this case, one imager each for red, green and blue.
It is typical to drive the imager of an LCOS display with a frame-doubled signal to avoid 30 Hz flicker, by sending first a normal frame (positive picture) and then an inverted frame (negative picture) in response to a given input picture. The generation of positive and negative pictures ensures that each pixel will be written with a positive electric field followed by a negative electric field. The resulting drive field has a zero DC component, which is necessary to avoid the image sticking, and ultimately, permanent degradation of the imager. It has been determined that the human eye responds to the average value of the brightness of the pixels produced by these positive and negative pictures.
The drive voltages are supplied to plate electrodes on each side of the LCOS array. In the presently preferred LCOS system to which the inventive arrangements pertain, the common plate is always at a potential of about 8 volts. This voltage can be adjustable. Each of the other plates in the array of tiny plates is operated in two voltage ranges. For positive pictures, the voltage varies between 0 volts and 8 volts. For negative pictures the voltage varies between 8 volts and 16 volts.
The light supplied to the imager, and therefore supplied to each cell of the imager, is field polarized. Each liquid crystal cell rotates the polarization of the input light responsive to the root mean square (RMS) value of the electric field applied to the cell by the plate electrodes. Generally speaking, the cells are not responsive to the polarity (positive or negative) of the applied electric field. Rather, the brightness of each pixel's cell is generally only a function of the rotation of the polarization of the light incident on the cell. As a practical matter, however, it has been found that the brightness can vary somewhat between the positive and negative field polarities for the same polarization rotation of the light. Such variation of the brightness can cause an undesirable flicker in the displayed picture.
In this embodiment, in the case of either positive or negative pictures, as the field driving the cells approaches a zero electric field strength, corresponding to 8 volts, the closer each cell comes to white, corresponding to a full on condition. Other systems are possible, for example where the common voltage is set to 0 volts. It will be appreciated that the inventive arrangements taught herein are applicable to all such positive and negative field LCOS imager driving systems.
Pictures are defined as positive pictures when the variable voltage applied to the tiny plate electrodes is less than the voltage applied to the common plate electrode, because the higher the tiny plate electrode voltage, the brighter the pixels. Conversely, pictures are defined as negative pictures when the variable voltage applied to the tiny plate electrodes is greater than the voltage applied to the common plate electrode, because the higher the tiny plate electrode voltage, the darker the pixels. The designations of pictures as positive or negative should not be confused with terms used to distinguish field types in interlaced video formats.
The present state of the art in LCOS requires the adjustment of the common-mode electrode voltage, denoted VITO, to be precisely between the positive and negative field drive for the LCOS. The subscript ITO refers to the material indium tin oxide. The average balance is necessary in order to minimize flicker, as well as to prevent a phenomenon known as image sticking.
In the following description, the term fHin is used herein to denote the horizontal scanning frequency of an input video signal. The term fVin is used to denote the vertical scanning frequency of an input video signal. In the standard definition interlaced NTSC system, fHin might be 15,750 Hz (1fH) or 31,500 Hz (2fH). Typically, fVin is 60 Hz for NTSC and 50 Hz for PAL. High definition formats have been defined by the ATSC. The term 480p refers to a video signal having 480 lines of video in each progressive (non-interlaced) frame.
A 720p video signal has 720 lines of video in each frame. The term 1080i refers to a video signal having 1,080 interlaced horizontal lines in top and bottom fields, each field having 540 horizontal lines. In accordance with this convention, the term 720i would denote 720 lines of interlaced video per frame and the term 1080p would denote 1,080 lines of progressive horizontal lines in each frame. Typically, such high definition systems have an fHin ≧2fH.
The letter n is used herein to denote a multiple of fHin or fVin. Assume, for example, that a 480p input video signal is speeded up by the multiple n=2. Since fHin=2fH the horizontal scanning frequency is doubled to 4fH. Assume, for example, that the same 480p input video signal is subjected to a 1/n-frame delay, also where n=2. Since the 480p input video signal has an fVin=60 Hz, the delay is 1/120 second. The multiple n need not be an integer. If fHin=2.14fH, and n=2, the video signal is speeded up to 4.28fH. A 720p video signal, for example, has fHin=3fH. If fHin=3fH and n=2, the video signal is speeded up to 6fH.
In order to avoid visible flicker, it is common practice to use a higher vertical scanning frequency, or frame rate, to suppress flicker. In an NTSC system, for example, if n=2 a frame rate of 60 Hz is doubled to a frame rate of 120 Hz. In a PAL system, a field rate of 50 Hz is doubled to a field rate of 100 Hz. However, the higher frame rate or field rate makes adjustment of the common mode electrode voltage more difficult because the flicker is not visible to the human eye. An operator can not make the necessary adjustments without special instruments.
Faster frame rates have required frame rate doublers, that is, a circuit that can cause each picture to be scanned twice within each frame period of the incoming video signal. A 60 Hz frame rate has a frame period of 1/60 second. Doubling a frame rate of 60 Hz requires scanning at 120 Hz. A 120 Hz frame rate has a frame period of 1/120 second. If an incoming video signal has a horizontal scanning frequency of 2fH, where fH is for example a standard NTSC horizontal scanning rate, and a standard frame rate of 60 Hz, the pictures must be displayed at 4fH and 120 Hz. In other words, each picture must be displayed twice during each 60 Hz frame period, that is, in every 1/60 second. Each line must be written to the display at 4fH.
In accordance with the prior art, frame rate doublers utilize two full frame memories in a so-called ping-pong arrangement. A frame is written into one memory as another frame is read out of the other memory, and vice versa, in an alternating manner. This technique always incurs a full frame period of video delay because neither of the ping-pong frame memories can be read out until a full frame has been written in. Accordingly, the audio signal must be delayed to match the video delay. It was known that the memory requirements could be reduced to one full frame memory by proper utilization of the memory in a correctly implemented video speedup arrangement. However, for any frame multiplication greater than doubling, the alternative use of one full frame memory is not workable. Two full frame memories are always required in such a situation.

Frame rate multiplier for liquid crystal display


A device for processing media content obtains data from a box within a file conforming to a file format for a video codec, the box comprising a syntax structure that includes the data, the file being associated with the media content and the media content being coded according to the video codec; and determines, based on the data obtained from the box, whether to accept or reject the media content associated with the file. A device for generating media content generates data in a box within a file conforming to a file format, the box comprising a syntax structure that includes the data, the file being associated with the media content, wherein the data is for use in determining whether a client is to accept or reject the media content associated with the file; and outputs the file.

Digital video capabilities can be incorporated into a wide range of devices, including digital televisions, digital direct broadcast systems, wireless broadcast systems, personal digital assistants (PDAs), laptop or desktop computers, tablet computers, e-book readers, digital cameras, digital recording devices, digital media players, video gaming devices, video game consoles, cellular or satellite radio telephones, so-called "smart phones," video teleconferencing devices, video streaming devices, and the like. Digital video devices implement video compression techniques, such as those described in the standards defined by MPEG-2, MPEG-4, ITU-T H.263, ITU-T H.264/MPEG-4, Part 10, Advanced Video Coding (AVC), the ITU-T H.265, High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard, and extensions of such standards. The video devices may transmit, receive, encode, decode, and/or store digital video information more efficiently by implementing such video compression techniques.
Video compression techniques may perform spatial (intra-picture) prediction and/or temporal (inter-picture) prediction to reduce or remove redundancy inherent in video sequences. For block-based video coding, a video slice (e.g., a video frame or a portion of a video frame) may be partitioned into video blocks, such as coding tree blocks and coding blocks. Spatial or temporal prediction results in a predictive block for a block to be coded. Residual data represents pixel differences between the original block to be coded and the predictive block. For further compression, the residual data may be transformed from the pixel domain to a transform domain, resulting in residual transform coefficients, which then may be quantized.
After video data has been encoded, the video data may be packetized for transmission or storage. The video data may be assembled into a video file conforming to any of a variety of standards, such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) base media file format and extensions thereof.

Signaling of important video information in file formats


Implant inserters and related methods are disclosed herein, e.g., for delivering a fusion cage or other implant to a spinal disc space and for rotating or articulating the implant within the disc space. An exemplary instrument can include a slider that is slidably mounted to a body to define an implant clamp. A locking mechanism can allow the slider to be quickly disassembled from the body and for fast and convenient loading and unloading of an implant to the instrument. An actuation knob can be moved between a first position in which the implant is locked from rotating relative to the instrument and a second position in which the implant is retained to the instrument but allowed to rotate relative to the instrument.

There are a number of surgical procedures in which an implant is delivered to a location within a patient. In spine surgery, for example, a fusion cage, disc prosthesis, or other implant may be delivered to a disc space defined between two vertebrae. Insertion and proper positioning of the implant can be challenging for the surgeon, particularly when the implant is delivered through a narrow working channel, e.g., in the case of minimally-invasive approaches to the spine.
By way of further example, in some procedures it can be necessary to insert an implant in a first orientation and subsequently manipulate the implant into a second orientation after insertion. When inserting through a narrow working channel, for example, it can be necessary to insert an implant such that its smallest cross-sectional area faces distally or in the direction of insertion. Once through a narrow working channel and within a patient, however, it can be necessary to manipulate the implant into a different orientation for optimal or intended performance. In some cases, it can also be desirable to perform such manipulation of an implant without releasing the implant from an inserter in case additional manipulation, removal, or other revision is required to properly position the implant.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved implant inserters and related methods that can facilitate insertion and proper positioning of an implant within a patient.


This invention relates to a pharmaceutical formulation containing z-butylidenephthalide and a polymer, e.g., a polyanhydride. Also disclosed is use of this formulation to treat tumor.

n-Butylidenephthalide (Bdph) is a chemical compound isolated from Angelica sinensis. It can be used to treat various tumors, e.g., gliobastoma multiforme and breast cancer. See, e.g., Tsai et al., Clin. Cancer Res. 2005, 11(9): 3475-3484 and Tsai, et al., J Neurochem. 2006, 99(4): 1251-62. However, delivering n-butylidenephthalide to the cancer site in a selective and sustained manner is critical for its use in effective cancer therapy. This is especially important for treating brain cancer, where the drug is difficult to reach the disease area because of the blood brain barrier. There is a need of developing effective ways for delivering the drug.


A semiconductor substrate that includes a relatively thin monocrystalline useful layer, an intermediate layer transferred from a source substrate, and a relatively thick layer of a support present on one of the useful layer of the intermediate layer. The support is made of a deposited material that has a lower quality than that of one or both of the intermediate and useful layers. A bonding layer may be included on one of the intermediate layer or the useful layer, or both, to facilitate bonding of the layers an a thin layer may be provided between the useful layer and intermediate layer. These final substrates are useful in optic, electronic, or optoelectronic applications.

The invention relates to methods of fabricating substrates, in particular for optics, electronics, or optoelectronics, and also to substrates obtained by such methods. More particularly, the substrates can be used to make Microsystems, sensors, light-emitting or laser diodes, and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,374,564 discloses a method of fabricating substrates in which a thin layer of a material is transferred from a source substrate onto a support. The operation of bonding the thin layer to the support is often achieved by molecular adhesion, and in order to obtain a good adhesive interface the surfaces that are to be bonded together must be specially prepared prior to being brought into contact. Such preparation generally includes polishing, planarizing, physical-chemical treatment, fabrication of intermediate layers, and the like, which can be relatively lengthy and complex. This is particularly true when the supporting substrate is polycrystalline.
Thus, improvements in such substrate preparation methods are desired, and certain new and useful methods are provided by the present invention.

Semiconductor substrates having useful and transfer layers

S.O.I.Tec Silicon on Insulator Technologies


A report layout reference mechanism for processing report layout references in a report is provided. The report layout reference mechanism comprises a report object model builder for generating a report object model of a report, a destination repository for storing the location of referenced objects, a report fetcher for obtaining reports having the referenced object, a specification repository for storing report specifications having the referenced object, and a content manager. The mechanism detects a layout component reference in a report fetching the component associated with the layout component reference, and adds the component to a complete report specification of the report.

The concept of referencing external components is used in programming languages such as C++ to re-use code included in header files. There is no built in support for overrides and circular inclusion avoidance in such programming languages.
Until now, referencing portions of saved reports in a new report was performed by copying the referenced report into the new report. For groups of reports where certain portions are mandatory, it may become very time consuming to replicate the same report objects in a new report layout specification. Moreover, reports could not be processed with references to components which contained references as well.

International Business Machines Corporation


A display backlight includes an illumination layer and an optical layer. The illumination layer includes a two-dimensional array of light sources, which generate illumination light. An image of the illumination light is captured and analyzed for light uniformity. In response to the analysis of the illumination light, ink patterns are printed on the optical layer of a display backlight to increase light uniformity of the illumination light.

Various technologies such as liquid crystal, micromirrors, and organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are utilized in displays. Displays are utilized as televisions, computer monitors, mobile device screens, and otherwise. Different display technologies may be utilized depending on the context and different performance metrics are more important in various contexts. Example display performance metrics include refresh rate, viewing angle, pixel density, contrast ratio, and brightness uniformity.

System and method for increasing light uniformity for a display backlight


A method is described that involves measuring a first set of interferometer fringe line disturbances against pre-determined measurement scale information in order to generate a first set of profiles that describe the topography of a sample that is placed upon a sample stage associated with the interferometer. The first set of profiles map to traces that run over a first axis of the sample and the sample stage. The traces have a recognized spacing between one another along a second axis of the sample and the sample stage. The method also involves adjusting the relative position of the traces to the sample so as to create a second set of fringe line disturbances. The method also involves measuring, the second set of interferometer fringe line disturbances against the pre-determined measurement scale information in order to generate a second set of profiles that describe the topography of the sample. The method also involves interleaving the first set of profiles and the second set of profiles to create a topography description of the sample that has a resolution along the second axis that is smaller than the spacing.

1.0 Basic Interferometry
Interferometry involves the analysis of interfering waves in order to measure a distance. Interferometers, which are measurement tools that perform interferometry, typically reflect a first series of optical waves from a first reflecting surface; and, reflect a second series of optical waves from a second reflecting surface. The first and second series of waves are subsequently combined to form a combined waveform. A signal produced through the detection of the combined waveform is then processed to understand the relative positioning of the reflective surfaces. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a type of interferometer that is often referred to as a Michelson interferometer.
Referring to FIG. 1, a light source 101 and splitter 102 are used to form a first group of light waves that are directed to a reference mirror 104; and, a second group of light waves that are directed to a plane mirror 103. The splitter 102 effectively divides the light 106 from the light source 101 in order to form these groups of light waves. Typically, the splitter 102 is designed to split the light 106 from the light source 101 evenly so that 50% of the optical intensity from the light source 101 is directed to the reference mirror 104 and 50% of the optical intensity from the light source 101 is directed to the plane mirror 103.
At least a portion of the light that is directed to the plane mirror 103 reflects back to the splitter 102 (by traveling in the +z direction after reflection); and, at least a portion of the light that is directed to the reference mirror 104 reflects back to the splitter 102 (by traveling in the −y direction after reflection). The reflected light from the reference mirror 104 and plane mirror 103 are effectively combined by the splitter 102 to form a third group of light waves that propagate in the −y direction and impinge upon a detector 105. The optical intensity pattern(s) observed by the detector 105 are then analyzed in order to measure the difference between the distances d1, d2 that exist between the plane mirror 103 and the reference mirror 104, respectively.
That is, for planar wavefronts, if distance d2 is known, distance d1 can be measured by measuring the intensity of the light received at the detector 105. Here, according to wave interference principles, if distance d1 is equal to distance d2; then, the reflected waveforms will constructively interfere with one another when combined by the splitter 102 (so that their amplitudes are added together). Likewise, if the difference between distance d1 and distance d2 is one half the wavelength of the light emitted by light source 101; then, the reflected waveforms will destructively interfere with one another when combined by the splitter 102 (so that their amplitudes are subtracted from one another).
The former situation (constructive interference) produces a relative maximum optical intensity (i.e., a relative "brightest" light) at the detector 105; and, the later situation (destructive interference) produces a relative minimum optical intensity (i.e., a relative "darkest" light). When the difference between distance d1 and distance d2 is somewhere between zero and one half the wavelength of the light emitted by the light source 101, the intensity of the light that is observed by the detector 105 is less than the relative brightest light from constructive interference but greater than the relative darkest light from destructive interference (e.g., a shade of "gray" between the relative "brightest" and "darkest" light intensities). The precise "shade of gray" observed by the detector 105 is a function of the difference between distance d1 and distance d2.
In particular, the light observed by the detector 105 becomes darker as the difference between distance d1 and distance d2 depart from zero and approach one half the wavelength of the light emitted by the light source 101. Thus, the difference between d1 and d2 can be accurately measured by analyzing the optical intensity observed by the detector 105. For planar optical wavefronts, the optical intensity should be "constant" over the surface of the detector 105 because (according to a simplistic perspective) whatever the difference between distance d1 and d2 (even if zero), an identical "effect" will apply to each optical path length experienced by any pair of reflected rays that are combined by the splitter 102 to form an optical ray that is directed to the detector 105.
Here, note that the 45° orientation of the splitter 102 causes the reference mirror directed and plane mirror directed portions of light to travel equal distances within the splitter 102. For example, analysis of FIG. 1 will reveal that the reference mirror and plane mirror directed portions of ray 107 travel equal distances within splitter 102; and, that the reference mirror and plane mirror directed portions of ray 108 travel equal distances within splitter 102. As all light rays traveling to detector 105 from splitter 102 must travel the same distance d3, it is clear then that the only difference in optical path length as between the plane mirror and reference mirror directed portions of light (that are combined to form a common ray that impinges upon the detector 105), must arise from a difference between d1 and d2; and; likewise, for planar wavefronts, a difference between d1 and d2 should affect all light rays impingent upon detector 105 equally. As such, ideally, the same "shade of gray" should be observed across the entirety of the detector; and, the particular "shade of gray" can be used to determine the difference between distance d1 and d2 from wave interference principles.
2.0 Interferometer Having A "Tilted" Reference Mirror
Referring to FIG. 2, when the reference mirror 204 is tilted (e.g., such that θ is greater than 0° as observed in FIG. 2), the optical intensity observed at the detector 205 departs from being uniform across the surface of the detector 205 because the differences in optical path length as between plane mirror 203 and reference mirror 204 directed portions of light are no longer uniform. Better said, the "tilt" in the reference mirror 204 causes variation in optical path length amongst the light waves that are directed to the reference mirror 204; which, in turn, causes variation in the optical intensity observed at the detector 205.
Here, as wave interference principles will still apply at the detector 205, the variation in optical path length that is introduced by the tilted reference mirror 204 can be viewed as causing optical path length differences experienced by light that impinges upon the detector 202 to effectively progress through distances of λ/2, λ, 3λ/2, 2λ, 5λ/2, 3λ, etc. (where λ is the wavelength of the light source). This, in turn, corresponds to continuous back and forth transitioning between constructive interference and destructive interference along the z axis of the detector 205. FIG. 3a shows an example of the optical intensity pattern 350 observed at the detector 305 when the reference mirror of an interferometer is tilted (as observed in FIG. 2).
Here, notice that the optical intensity pattern 350 includes relative minima 352a, 352b, and 352c; and, relative maxima 351a, 351b, 351c, and 351d. The relative minima 352a, 352b, and 352c, which should appear as a "darkest" hue within their region of the detector 305, are referred to as "fringe lines". FIG. 3b shows a depiction of the fringe lines that appear on a detector when the reference mirror of an interferometer is tilted. Here, ideally, fringe lines that run along the x axis will repeatedly appear as one moves across the z axis of the detector. The separation of the fringe lines is a function of both the wavelength of the light source and the angle at which the reference mirror is tilted. More specifically, the separation of the fringe lines is proportional to the wavelength of the light source and inversely proportional to the angle of the tilt. Hence, fringe line separation may be expressed as ˜λ/θ.

Interferometric topological metrology with pre-established reference scale


A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes providing a strained-silicon semiconductor layer over a silicon germanium layer, and partially removing a first portion of the strained-silicon layer. The strained-silicon layer includes the first portion and a second portion, and a thickness of the second portion is greater than a thickness of the first portion. Initially, the first and second portions of the strained-silicon layer initially can have the same thickness. A p-channel transistor is formed over the first portion, and a n-channel transistor is formed over the second portion. A semiconductor device is also disclosed.

Over the last few decades, the semiconductor industry has undergone a revolution by the use of semiconductor technology to fabricate small, highly integrated electronic devices, and the most common semiconductor technology presently used is silicon-based. A large variety of semiconductor devices have been manufactured having various applications in numerous disciplines. One silicon-based semiconductor device is a metal-oxide-semiconductor(MOS) transistor. The MOS transistor is one of the basic building blocks of most modern electronic circuits. Importantly, these electronic circuits realize improved performance and lower costs, as the performance of the MOS transistor is increased and as manufacturing costs are reduced.
A typical MOS device includes a bulk semiconductor substrate on which a gate electrode is disposed. The gate electrode, which acts as a conductor, receives an input signal to control operation of the device. Source and drain regions are typically formed in regions of the substrate adjacent the gate electrodes by doping the regions with a dopant of a desired conductivity. The conductivity of the doped region depends on the type of impurity used to dope the region. The typical MOS device is symmetrical, in that the source and drain are interchangeable. Whether a region acts as a source or drain typically depends on the respective applied voltages and the type of device being made. The collective term source/drain region is used herein to generally describe an active region used for the formation of either a source or drain.
As an alternative to forming a MOS device directly on a bulk semiconductor substrate, the MOS device can be formed on a strained-silicon layer. The process for forming strained-silicon involves depositing a layer of silicon germanium (SiGe) on the bulk semiconductor substrate. A thin layer of silicon is subsequently deposited on the SiGe layer. The distance between atoms in a SiGe crystal lattice is greater than the distance between atoms in an ordinary silicon crystal lattice. However, there is a natural tendency of atoms inside different types of crystals to align with one another where one crystal is formed on another crystal. As such, when a crystal lattice of silicon is formed on top of a layer of SiGe, the atoms in the silicon crystal lattice tend to stretch or "strain" to align with the atoms in the SiGe lattice. A resulting advantage of such a feature is that the strained silicon experiences less resistance to electron flow and produces gains of up to 80% in speed as compared to ordinary crystalline silicon.
MOS devices using a strained-silicon structure typically fall in one of two groups depending on the type of dopants used to form the source, drain and channel regions. The two groups are often referred to as n-channel and p-channel devices. The type of channel is identified based on the conductivity type of the channel which is developed under the transverse electric field. In an n-channel MOS (NMOS) device, for example, the conductivity of the channel under a transverse electric field is of the conductivity type associated with negatively charged electrons. Conversely, the channel of a p-channel MOS (PMOS) device under the transverse electric field is associated with positively charged holes.
One consideration when manufacturing NMOS and PMOS strained-silicon transistors is maintaining a proper channel length. The channel length can be shortened, for example, if the source/drain regions are exposed to excessive temperature and/or time during activation. This causes excess lateral diffusion of the dopants, which causes the channel length to shorten. NMOS and PMOS transistors are formed on a single chip and are therefore exposed to the same temperature/time profile during dopant activation. However, because the NMOS and PMOS transistors are formed using different dopants, which likely have different diffusion characteristics, the temperature/time profile for at least one of the NMOS or PMOS transistors will not be optimized. For example, the diffusivity in silicon of boron, a p-type dopant, is significantly greater than the diffusivity in silicon of arsenic, a n-type dopant. This creates a concern in semiconductor devices that contain both n-channel and p-channel transistors. Accordingly, a need exists for an improved method of forming devices on a strained-silicon structure that allows for improved performance and allows for separate optimization of separate transistors formed on the strained-silicon structure.

Strained-silicon device with different silicon thicknesses


A gas turbine engine includes a compressor section and a nosecone assembly. The compressor section includes an inlet guide vane assembly including an inner shroud, an outer shroud, and an inlet guide vane extending from the inner shroud to the outer shroud. The nosecone assembly is attached to the inner shroud.

The present disclosure relates generally to gas turbine engines and, more particularly, to nosecones for gas turbine engines.
A gas turbine engine is a type of power plant commonly used for generating thrust for aircrafts, power for land or sea based operations, or other applications. A typical gas turbine engine includes an inlet section for drawing in a large mass of air, a compressor section for receiving and compressing the large mass of air to provide high-pressure air, a combustion section for mixing and combusting air and fuel, and a turbine section for receiving combustion gases and causing turbine blades to rotate to generate the aforementioned thrust or power.
The inlet section of the gas turbine engine may employ a nosecone assembly attached to a support structure, such as a support structure attached to a rotor. The nosecone assembly is generally constructed of multiple pieces of a very specific shape which are manufactured and assembled to tight tolerances to provide aerodynamic flow of air into the gas turbine engine. The nosecone assembly often includes a nosecone and a separate end cap attached to the nosecone. A support structure is provided to allow the cap to be bolted thereto. Due to the nosecone being constructed of a thin metal sheet, it is difficult to attach the nosecone to the support structure and the cap to the nosecone without warping or breaking the nosecone. Furthermore, conventional support structures can disrupt the aerodynamic flow of air around the nosecone. Such support structures can be relatively bulky, heavy, and expensive.

Gas turbine engine with attached nosecone


It is an object to achieve a closed system that has a simple structure without resorting to large scale equipment and that sequentially carries out all of the step of separating useful cells, the step of culturing the useful cells separated in the separation step, and the step of washing and concentrating the cells cultured in the culturing step and to enable the preparation of useful cells having high safety and quality, while improving operability. A disposable set for cell culture includes a cell culture container (CC) having a liquid inlet (Lin) and a liquid outlet (Lout), a cell separation kit (A) that is for separating cells used for cell culture and is connected to the liquid inlet (Lin), and a cell collection kit (B) that is for washing and concentrating cultured cells in the cell culture container (CC) and is connected to the liquid outlet (Lout), and a cell culture device uses the disposable set for cell culture and includes flow path on-off valves and pumps provided at appropriate positions of pipelines of the disposable set and a controller controlling them.

In recent years, a treatment in which cells are collected from body fluid or tissue of a patient or a donor, cultured to be amplified and processed, and transplanted to an affected area, so-called, regenerative medicine and cell medicine have been drawing attention. In the regenerative medicine and cell medicine, in many cases, useful cells to be used for a treatment are separated from a cell group collected from body fluid or tissue, and then the cells are amplified by culture. The cells obtained by culture are transplanted to, for example, a skin, a bone, a cartilage, or a cornea and are established to be safe and effective in some diseases of these organs. Therefore, such a medicine is expected to be generalized as a beneficial treatment method for patients (for example, see Non-Patent Document 1).
In recent years, it has been revealed that bone marrow fluid, cord blood, and others include adherent adult stem cells having characteristics of capable of being differentiated into various cells, such as bone cells, cartilage cells, muscle cells, and adipose cells (for example, see Non-Patent Documents 2 to 4). The adult stem cells can be differentiated into a wide variety of cells and organs. On this account, a method of efficiently separating and amplifying the adult stem cells is very important from a viewpoint of the development of regenerative medicine. At present, the adult stem cells are typically separated by a density gradient centrifugation method such as Ficoll-Paque fractionation (for example, see Non-Patent Document 5). However, the method requires a complicated procedure in which cells are repeatedly washed using a centrifuge for separating cells from a separation liquid. In addition, the method is accompanied by the risk of damage to cells due to the centrifugation or of contamination due to operation in an open system.
It was reported that the separated adult stem cells are present at a very small frequency of one in 104 to 106 nucleated cells in adult bone marrow fluid (for example, see Non-Patent Document 5). Hence, the separated adult stem cells are required to be cultured and amplified until the number of cells reaches a required value for treatment. At present, adult stem cells are typically amplified by culture using, for example, a petri dish, a flask, a culture bag, or a cartridge for culture in a CO2 incubator at a temperature of 37° C. In this case, a culture medium exchange operation and a passage operation are carried out by an operator. Thus, each operation is accompanied with the risk of contamination and takes some time.
On this account, in recent years, automatic culture devices that automatically carry out culture operations such as seeding of cells and exchange of a culture medium and do not require labor have been developed (for example, see Patent Documents 1 to 3). However, current automatic culture devices have a single function of automatically culturing desired cells and do not have a function of separating desired cells from body fluid or tissue.
After amplifying intended cells until the number of cells reaches a predetermined value, the cells are treated with an enzyme such as trypsin or with a divalent cation chelating agent to be detached from a culture container and the detached cells are collected together with a liquid containing such an enzyme. Therefore, it is required to separately carry out an operation for removing the enzyme such as trypsin or the divalent cation chelating agent.
At present, a most common method of washing cells is centrifugation. In the method, cells are precipitated by centrifugation, a supernatant is removed, then a new washing liquid is added, the cells are re-suspended, and centrifugation is carried out once again. Such a procedure is repeated several times, thereby washing cells. However, for example, the procedure is complicated and a separate operation is not easy in a closed system. Therefore, the cell washing process is noted to involve the risk of contamination.
There is a method in which cultured cells are trapped using a separation material such as nonwoven fabric and the trapped cells are washed and then collected (for example, see Patent Document 4). However as with the centrifugation method, such a technique is used alone. Separation, culture, and collection of particular cells cannot be performed by a single device.

Disposable set for cell culture, cell culture device and cell preparation method