A chemical resistant copolymer useful in electronic applications, said copolymer is a polyimide containing a 3,3',4,4'-tetracarboxybiphenyl dianhydride (BPDA) moiety, at least one other dianhydride moiety, and at least one diamine.

This invention relates to copolymers and, more particularly, to chemical and solvent resistant polyimides containing 3,3',4,4'-tetracarboxybiphenyl dianhydride (BPDA) moieties.
Aromatic polyimides and polyamide-imides have found extensive use in industry as fibers, composites, molded parts and dielectrics (insulators or non-conductors) due to their toughness, flexibility, mechanical strength and high thermal stability. In the electronic industry, polyimide coatings are widely used as dielectrics in the fabrication of microelectronic devices. The advantages of using polyimides over inorganic dielectrics such as silicon dioxide or silicon nitride, are a low dielectric constant, ease of application, crack resistance, and a tendency to planarize substrate topography better than most inorganic materials.
Dielectrics typically are coated with thin films of a patterned conducting material. As such, they are used to provide an electrical network to interconnect the individual semiconductor devices of an integrated circuit. These electrical networks provide electrical power to, and transfer electrical signals between, individual semiconductor devices. In other words, the dielectrics can be used as a component in a system that provides an electrical interconnection network for an individual semiconductor device which is composed of integrated circuits built on a common substrate. The dielectrics can also be used to form interconnection networks of integrated circuits as part of a multi-chip module or multi-package module.
Essentially, the layers of the interconnection network are layers of patterned conducting material which are separated from the substrate and from each other by layers of dielectric, typically a non-conducting polymer. The conducting layer is etched to form a pattern of current carrying conducting material, typically referred to as conducting lines or traces, over the surface of the underlying dielectric layer. Thereafter, a subsequent layer of dielectric is applied to cover both the trace and the uncovered portions of the underlying dielectric layer. In practice, the subsequent layer of polymer is applied over a topographical (i.e., nonplanar) surface. Where the dielectric is a polymer, the polymer tends to planarize the substrate topography. However, some topography will remain and there will be some areas where the polymer is thinner than other areas. For example, the polymer layer over the trace will be thinner than the polymer layer over the uncovered portions of the underlying dielectric layer.
If the polymer thickness is further reduced by the chemicals or solvents used in subsequent process steps, the thinner regions of polymer coating can be removed to the extent that the conducting material is exposed through the polymer coating. Such exposed conducting material can cause short circuits between conductors. In addition, extremely thin areas or layers of polymer coating can lead to large electric fields which can contribute to the breakdown of the insulating properties of the dielectric.
In addition, two key electrical characteristics, the network capacitance and the speed of signal propagation, are controlled by the dielectric coating thickness. The network capacitance determines the amount of electric charge the semiconductor device must supply to the network in order to transmit a signal. The electronic components are designed to handle a predetermined capacitance and when the polymer coating thickness decreases the capacitance goes up such that it can increase beyond the capability of the electronic components to handle that increase. As a result, the electronic components will not be able to propagate a signal.
Polymer coating thickness can also affect the speed of signal propagation. The integrated circuit is designed to operate at a particular speed of signal propagation and, if signals do not propagate as required, the performance of the integrated circuit will be reduced. In this case, uneven layers of dielectric will impair the electrical performance of the semiconductor device.
Thus, the dielectric coating thickness must be controlled both during the dielectric coating deposition process and during subsequent semiconductor device fabrication processing steps. When the dielectric is a polyimide, the fabrication processing steps, for example, in the case of a typical interconnect network fabrication process, requires a multistep procedure. In this case, the polyimide must be resistant to the chemicals and solvents used in the many steps of the fabrication process.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved polyimide composition for microelectronic applications. Another object of the present invention is to provide a polyimide composition which is resistant to the chemicals and solvents used in the many steps of the interconnect fabrication process. A still further object of the present invention is to provide a polyimide composition having advantageous properties. These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description.

Polyimide copolymers containing 3,3',4,4'-tetracarboxybiphenyl dianhydride (BPDA) moieties


An outboard-motor closed-loop cooler system apparatus providing a retrofit substitute for the midsection and the lower unit of a standard outboard motor, having a substitute closed-loop cooling system with an exterior heat exchanger, a substitute oil reservoir, a substitute exhaust system, and a substitute propulsion system, allowing an existing standard outboard-motor powerhead to be used in conditions not conducive to standard open-loop water cooling, such as shallow-water, muddy-water, obstructed-water, seawater, or corrosive-water conditions.

The apparatus of this invention provides a retrofit substitute for the midsection and the lower unit of a standard outboard motor, having a substitute closed-loop cooling system with an exterior heat exchanger, a substitute oil reservoir, a substitute exhaust system, and a substitute propulsion system, allowing an existing standard outboard-motor powerhead to be used in conditions not conducive to standard open-loop water cooling, such as shallow-water, muddy-water, obstructed-water, seawater, or corrosive-water conditions.
The apparatus of this invention was designed in part because boats that navigate inland waterways, coastal marshes, and swamps encounter areas that are shallow, sometimes filled with invasive vegetation, or silted up with mud that is too soft to walk in or use any other sort of vehicle to access. Boats, particularly shallow draft boats, are the only vehicle practical to access these areas, but outboard motors become useless once they travel outside channels deep enough for cooling and exhaust systems to work properly. Also, the lower unit gearbox section is not designed to deflect obstructions, or is designed intended for rugged use when encountering submerged obstructions such as mud, logs, sand, and so forth.
There are boat motors built for use in these areas and situations, called "shallow water outboards" or, alternatively, "mud motors." The powerheads used presently are air-cooled engines, commonly used on lawn mowers, portable generators, and pressure washers. A well-known problem in the art is that these engines are very limited in horse power, with the highest-available horsepower engine in this class quite low in comparison to conventional outboard motors on the same size and type of boats. The demand for higher horsepower shallow-water outboard motors has been present for many years with no solution.
Outboard motors have been in production and use for over 100 years, and have become very popular, efficient, and reliable. However, they are limited to clean, deeper channels.
Outboard motors would be an acceptable alternative to the limited horsepower air-engines, but were designed and are built specifically for raw water cooling outboard lower ends. As part of this design, the outboard engine crankshaft has no external shafting. The crankshaft does not extend out of the engine base like the presently used air-cooled engines, and only accepts the driveshaft of its intended mate, the outboard motor lower unit. It is water cooled, with its water pump being built into its mate, the lower unit. The outboard-motor powerhead has no exhaust system except for its mate, the conventional lower unit and midsection. The exhaust travels through the midsection and out of the lower unit. This hot exhaust is cooled by raw cooling water after it has been supplied to the powerhead, and exiting the cooling jackets of the powerhead. Thus, while the outboard-motor powerhead is compact, lightweight, and reliable, it is not considered to be an option for shallow water outboard motors, or any other machinery, because it was designed and built with the outboard motor midsection and lower unit as a necessary part of the complete operable engine.

Outboard-motor closed-loop cooler system apparatus


Semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus capable of raising detection sensitivity of a leakage current detection circuit and improving response. A semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus has a substrate voltage control block that supplies a substrate voltage to an internal circuit and controls NchMOS transistor threshold voltage of the internal circuit, and a leakage current detection circuit constituted by a leakage current detection NchMOS transistor supplied with a high potential side supply voltage to a drain, that has a source connected to a constant current source, and that is applied with an arbitrary stabilizing potential to a gate in such a manner that the substrate voltage is controlled by the substrate voltage control block, and a comparator comparing the source potential of the leakage current detection NchMOS transistor and a predetermined reference potential.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus that controls MIS (Metal Insulated Semiconductor) transistor threshold voltage, and particularly relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus capable of controlling substrate voltage of fine-detailed MIS transistors operating at low power supply voltages.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, methods of lowering power supply voltage are well-known as important methods for making semiconductor integrated circuits low in power consumption. However, by lowering the power supply voltage, fluctuations in threshold voltages of MIS transistors or MOS (Metal Oxide Semiconductor) transistors have a substantial influence on operating speed of semiconductor integrated circuits.
With regards to this problem, in the related art, circuit technology for making variations in threshold voltage small has been developed. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the following operation is carried out using a leakage current detection circuit where a stabilizing potential generated by two NchMOS transistors M1n and M2n operating in a sub-threshold region is applied to a gate of NchMOS transistor MLn for leakage current detection use and a constant current source is connected to a drain of the transistor MLn, and a substrate bias circuit. First, when the threshold voltage is lower than a target value, leakage current increases to more than a target value and the detected leakage current therefore becomes larger than a set value. As a result, the substrate bias circuit operates, the substrate bias becomes deeper, and the threshold voltage is corrected to be higher. Conversely, when the threshold voltage is higher than a target value, leakage current falls to less than a target value and the detected leakage current therefore becomes smaller than a set value. As a result, the substrate bias circuit makes the substrate bias shallower, and the threshold voltage is corrected to be lower (refer to patent document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei. 9-130232).
Further, as shown in FIG. 13, integrated circuit body 16B, monitor section 15B monitoring drain current of at least one of a plurality of NchMOS transistors, and substrate voltage regulating section 14B controlling substrate voltage BN of a semiconductor substrate in such a manner that drain current becomes fixed are provided on the semiconductor substrate. The drain of NchMOS transistor 11B is connected to constant current source 12B, the source is connected to earth potential VSS terminal, the gate is set to an arbitrary voltage 17B, and the voltage of reference input IN1 of comparator 13B is set to a power supply voltage value. Input IN2 that is the subject of measurement side of comparator 13B is connected to the drain of the MOS transistor 11B (refer to patent document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-165649).
Further, in patent document 2, as shown in FIG. 14, integrated circuit body 16A, monitor section 15A monitoring drain current of at least one of a plurality of PchMOS transistors, and substrate voltage regulating section 14A controlling reference voltage BP of a semiconductor substrate are provided on the semiconductor substrate. The monitor section is comprised of a constant current source 12A, and a comparator section 13A comparing source potential of a PchMOS transistor for monitor use and a reference potential determined in advance in a state where a drain of PchMOS transistor 11A for monitor use formed on the same substrate as the plurality of PchMOS transistors and drains of a plurality of PchMOS transistors or NchMOS transistors of the integrated circuit body are connected to a terminal of earth potential VSS terminal. Results of the comparison are then fed-back to the substrate voltage of the PchMOS transistor for monitor use.
Further, as shown in FIG. 15, a monitor section monitoring drain potential of an NchMOS transistor where a gate and drain are connected to a constant current source and a substrate voltage regulating section controlling substrate voltage Vbn of a semiconductor substrate in such a manner that substrate potential becomes constant are provided. The drain of the NchMOS transistor is then connected to one side of the comparator, and the other is connected to reference potential Vgsn (constant potential). Output of the comparator is then inputted to the substrate voltage regulating section and a reference voltage Vbn is generated from the substrate voltage regulating section. Refer, for example, to (Sumita, M. et al., "Mixed Body Bias Techniques With Fixed Vt and Ids Generation Circuits" IEEE JOURNAL OF SOLID-STATE CIRCUITS, VOL. 40, NO. 1, JANUARY 2005).
However, semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus of the related art have the following three problems. A first problem is that, in the methods of patent document 1 and patent document 2, as these are both methods for detecting fluctuation of drain potential of a leakage current detection NchMOS transistor, if there is no drain potential fluctuation from an initial potential to a potential exceeding a reference potential for detecting fluctuation of drain potential, it is not possible to detect change in leakage current. This also limits detection sensitivity for leakage current detection and improvement of response.
Further, in a second problem, with the PchMOS transistor substrate voltage control disclosed in patent document 2, restrictions exist in connecting a drain of a PchMOSFET for monitor use and drains of a plurality of PchMOSFETs or NchMOSFETs of an integrated circuit body to an earth potential VSS terminal. This results in the drawback of limitations such as circuit connection limitations being placed on the circuit design.
Further, in a third problem with the method of patent document 2 and patent document 3, because a comparator employing a comparator or operation amplifier is used, a DC offset error of the comparator becomes a threshold voltage setting value error.

Apparatus for controlling substrate voltage of semiconductor device


A vehicle rail assembly has an extending longitudinal rail with a kick down area. A kick down area enabler is positioned in the rail at the kick down area. The kick down area enabler includes a foot rest portion, an outer part portion and a kick down portion all contacting the rail. The outer part portion and kick down portion part are cantilevered from the foot rest portion via welding. The kick down area enabler provides additional energy absorption for the rail to prevent intrusion into a passenger compartment.

Frames for vehicles are generally constructed by longitudinal rails. These longitudinal rails include a kick down area generally with an open C section. The kick down area is at the junction of the cabin foot rest and dash panel of the interior components. The longitudinal rail provides energy absorption in order to reduce passenger compartment intrusion. Various types of enablers exist in the art. However, these enablers are only concerned with deformation in the foot rest area. Thus, it is desirable to provide a kick down area enabler that provides for foot rest area deformation as well as deformation in the dash/firewall area to absorb more energy.


An electric rotating machine, including a stator including circumferentially arranged stator teeth, inner and outer rotors disposed coaxially with the stator inside and outside thereof, an inner armature coil group including a plurality of inner armature coils wound on the stator teeth on a side of the inner rotor, the inner armature coil group being energized to drive the inner rotor, and an outer armature coil group including a plurality of outer armature coils wound on the stator teeth on a side of the outer rotor, the outer armature coil group being energized to drive the outer rotor. The inner and outer armature coil groups have electric connections between the inner armature coils and between the outer armature coils so as to prevent occurrence of magnetic interference between the inner and outer armature coil groups, respectively.

The present invention relates to an electric rotating machine including a stator and inner and outer rotors disposed inside and outside the stator, respectively.
Japanese Patent Application First Publication No. 2001-103717 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,639,337) discloses an electric rotating machine including a stator having a plurality of circumferentially arranged stator teeth with armature coils, an inner rotor coaxially disposed inside the stator, an outer rotor coaxially disposed outside the stator, and an inverter connected to the stator. The inner and outer rotors are independently driven by supplying a composite current to the armature coils of the stator.


A cart for carrying a cut-off saw having a saw blade. The cart includes a frame with upper and lower portions, a wheel arm pivotably coupled to the lower portion about a first axis, and a rear wheel assembly coaxial with the first axis and coupled to the frame and the wheel arm. The cart includes a front wheel coupled to an end of the wheel arm opposite the rear wheel assembly, an adjustment lever pivotably coupled to the upper portion about a second axis, and a link having a first end pivotably coupled to the adjustment lever and spaced from the second axis, and a second end pivotably coupled to the wheel arm between the first axis and the front wheel. Pivoting the adjustment lever about the second axis pivots the wheel arm about the first axis to adjust a vertical position of the front wheel relative to the upper portion.

Power tools such as, for instance, cut-off saws, generally have many applications. Cut-off saws can be held directly by a user or supported by a cart. The cart allows the saw to make precise cuts into a floor surface such as concrete or asphalt. In order to do so, the cart needs to be able to support the saw and its associated equipment, adjust aspects of the saw, such as cutting depth, and control activation of the saw.


An Online Charging System (“OCS”) that processes charging on a telecommunications network receives an indication of usage of a telecommunications service by a subscriber. In response to the indication, the OCS determines a configured offering for the service, where the configured offering includes a time period, and a credit and/or debit. The OCS determines if the usage of the service is a first usage within the time period, and when the usage is the first usage, applies the credit and/or debit. The OCS then determines a charge for the usage based on credit and/or debit.

Service providers/operators typically provide numerous voice and/or data services to subscribers using wireline and/or wireless communications networks. Examples of such services include cellular telephony, access to the Internet, gaming, broadcasting or multicasting of audio, video, and multimedia programming, etc. User equipment such as cell phones, personal data assistants, smart phones, text messaging devices, global positioning system ("GPS") devices, network interface cards, notebook computers, and desktop computers, may access the services provided by the communications networks over an air interface with one or more base stations.
Operators or "service providers" use offline and online charging functions to keep track of the charges incurred by each device for using the various services. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project ("3GPP"/"3GPP2") standards groups have defined a set of specifications that may be used to implement online charging systems and offline charging systems to cover charging in the various network domains (e.g., a circuit switching network domain, a packet switching network domain, and/or a wireless domain), IP multimedia subsystems ("IMS"), and emerging 3G/OMA application services.
Subscribers of telecommunications services, such as cellular voice and data subscriptions, typically pay a monthly fee for services that often include allowances. For example, a monthly allowance for a number of minutes, a number of Short Message Service ("SMS") texts, gigabytes of data, etc. However, service providers, particularly in the telecommunications domain, are increasingly interested in offering subscription periods that are significantly shorter than a month in order to better manage subscriber spending patterns and to address a customer segment that might not be able to afford paying a month at a time.

Usage triggered telecommunications charging


The present invention relates to an isolated polypeptide having beta-lactamase activity and nucleic acid sequences encoding the polypeptide. The isolated polypeptide of the invention is a VIM-2 variant with improved properties such as improved protease stability.

Many antibacterial products, in particular antibiotics, may be used in the treatment of bacterial infections. However, antibiotics do not only attack pathogens at the infection site, but also affect the normal bacterial flora which can be found in healthy subjects, and in particular in the gut. The alteration by antibiotics of the colonic commensal flora (also called intestinal microbiota), which is composed of more than ten trillion bacteria from over 500 species, may lead to adverse side effects such as selection of resistant bacteria and potential colonization by resistant bacteria, disruption of normal digestive processes, colonization and infection of the intestine by opportunistic intestinal pathogens such as Clostridium difficile, antibiotic-associated diarrhea or other diseases related to the intestinal dysbiosis. These side effects can be reduced by administering enzymes capable of degrading residual antibiotics in the intestine, more particularly in the late ileum and colon. This approach is described in particular in WO2004/016248 or US20050249716.
However, enzymes are fragile macromolecules sensitive to a number of physico-chemical factors, such as the presence of proteases leading to their degradation, temperature, ion strength, availability of metal cofactors or presence of chelators. In addition, enzymes with improved specific activity would be advantageous in order to increase their efficiency and/or reduce the amount necessary to use for obtaining an efficient degradation of residual antibiotics in a patient in need thereof. Finally, it would be advantageous to obtain improved production yields for such antibiotic-degrading enzymes.


A friction coupling assembly for a gear drive unit. The friction clutch assembly comprises an input member and at least one output member, a friction clutch for selectively coupling the input member with the at least one output member and an actuator assembly for selectively engaging the friction clutch. The actuator assembly includes a fluid pump operatively connected to the input member or the at least one output member through an auxiliary clutch, a fluid pressure accumulator in fluid communication with the fluid pump for storing a pressurized fluid generated by the fluid pump, and a fluid clutch actuator in fluid communication with the pressure accumulator for loading the friction clutch.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to friction coupling assemblies for gear drive units, and more particularly to a friction coupling assembly comprising a fluid pump actuated through an auxiliary clutch and a fluid pressure accumulator charged by the fluid pump for loading a friction clutch.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, gear drive units, such as automotive differentials or transfer cases, well known in the prior art, are arranged in a mechanical power transmission system to operatively couple an input shaft to one or more output shafts. Such a device essentially distributes the torque provided by the input shaft between the output shafts. Usually, the gear drive units use a frictional clutch assembly between the input and output shafts. The frictional clutch assembly may be selectively actuated by various hydraulic actuator assemblies. The hydraulic actuator assemblies often include displacement pumps. The displacement pumps are usually in the form of internal gear pumps, such as gerotor pumps adapted to convert rotational work to hydraulic work. In the internal gear pumps, an inner gear having outwardly directed teeth cooperates with an external gear having inwardly directed teeth so that fluid chambers therebetween increase and decrease in volume as the inner and outer gears rotate. By connecting the inlet and outlet of the device to the proper location along the sides of the gear set, the variable displacement chambers receive and discharge hydraulic fluid so that the device can function as a pump. A shaft or other mechanical device can be connected to either the inner or outer gear depending upon the type of device. The hydraulic actuator assemblies further include a hydraulic piston member for frictionally loading the friction clutch.
Recent advances in the art may require the disabling of the 1 frictional clutch assembly in the certain conditions. One such system is the yaw stability control, which uses the vehicle's brakes to correct the trajectory of the vehicle during a turn. The impulse braking of the yaw stability control feature generates a speed difference between the wheels on either side of the vehicle. The limited slip feature will engage due to this speed difference and may interfere with the performance of the yaw stability control feature. There is therefore a need to disable the limited slip feature of the hydraulic limited slip differential during specified conditions to ensure proper performance of the devices like yaw stability control while also allowing the limited slip feature to be enabled at other specified conditions where traction may be needed and where yaw control is not essential. There is a problem with current hydraulically actuated limited slip differentials in that they do not have a simple on/off capability which is separate and distinct from the hydraulic pressure supply/control circuit actuating the clutch assemblies.
It is the intent of this invention to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art by providing an external control of the hydraulic pressure generated within a hydraulically actuated frictional clutch assembly in which the hydraulic pump can either be turned on or off, or set at any intermediate condition by controlling the hydraulic pressure supplied to the clutch actuator.

Friction coupling assembly with auxiliary clutch control of fluid pump


An orthopedic prosthetic implant comprises a metal alloy stem element (13, 63, 113), which has one end portion (19, 69, 119) constructed to reside in the medullary cavity of a bone and an integral connector (23, 73, 123) at the opposite end to which crystalline brittle head (17, 67, 117), preferably made of pyrocarbon-coated graphite, is joined. The head interfaces with human bone, and its effective joinder to the stem element is achieved through a polymeric insert (15, 65, 115) of proportional shape and design which has selected elastic properties. The design and material of the polymeric insert allow it to be securely received within an interior cavity (35, 77, 131) of the pyrocarbon-coated graphite head and mated to the stem connector in an either rigidly or bi-polar arrangement. The method of joinder allows the construction of composite implants that utilize the most desirable properties of metallic and brittle crystalline materials.

The field of prosthetic implants to treat conditions of fracture, arthritis and other such conditions has grown greatly in the past 2-3 decades, and much work continues in these areas. Pyrocarbon-coated graphite materials have proved to be extremely wear-resistant and biocompatible, and they have become the materials of choice for certain applications where strength and other parameters can be met. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,645,605, 6,159,247, 6,217,616, and 6,699,292 and Published Patent Application No. 2005/0033426 are examples of prosthetic implants that can be used at biological joints in the human body or the like. Although these patents illustrate the use of integral structures for such implants, there is also interest in constructing bone implants, particularly those having an articular head, with a biocompatible metal alloy stem and a head of brittle crystalline material, such as pyrocarbon-coated graphite. Such a combination is considered to have certain advantages because the properties of pyrocarbon can be tailored to more closely match properties of bone where an interface will occur, generally at an articulating surface. However, the differences between the structural properties of metal alloy stems and pyrocarbon-coated graphite heads pose a problem in designing such implants that can be effectively assembled and will have long lifetime. U.S. Pat. No. 6,997,958 recognizes the problem and proposes to limit the amount of tensile stress that may be applied to a head of brittle material when a Morse taper connection is employed; however, such a solution leaves the brittle head subjected to residual stress throughout its lifetime which may not be desirable. As a result, other solutions to this problem have continued to be sought.


A method of making a structural iron-based article comprising: (a) blending a compressible base iron powder (max. particle size of 100 microns) a graphite powder to provide carbon in mixture, and a single master alloy powder (average particle size of 10 microns) meltable within the range of 900.degree.-1200.degree. C. (1690.degree.-2220 .degree.F.) to form a mixture, the master alloy powder being present in an amount of 1-5% by weight of the mixture and consisting of (i) hardenability enhancing alloying ingredients selected from Mn, Mo, Ni, Cr, Cu and Fe, with Fe being present only if Cr or Mo is selected and (ii) wetting agents selected from the group of B, Y, Si and rare earth misch metal, the master alloy being devoid of carbon and being proportioned to provide a desired amount of hardenability in the base powder; (b) compacting the mixture to a green density 7.1-7.4 g/cm.sup.3 to form a green part (c) machining the green part to a desired configuration if necessary; (d) sintering the green part to achieve liquification of the master alloy to densify the part to 7.3-7.5 g/cm.sup.3 without substantially varying the configuration of the green; and (e) cooling the sintered part at a controlled rate to form a desired microstructure such as essentially a bainite or ferrite/pearlite microstructure.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to the technology of producing high density metal powder alloy parts without forging and, more particularly to a process using liquid phase sintering that is dimensionally controllable to achieve a near net shape precision product with high density.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
High density forming of powder metal is desirable because it increases the mechanical properties of the compacted metal, such as tensile strength, fatigue strength and impact strength. Prior art approaches to high density forming have included: (i) double-press double-sinter with sintering temperatures of 1120.degree.-1200.degree. C., (ii) heated pressing of powders wit a ferro-alloy admixture followed by high temperature sintering, and (iii) high temperature supersolidus sintering of high carbon prealloyed mixtures, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,632.
The problem with the double-press double-sinter approach is the high cost of extra processing and multiple equipment costs. The problem with heated pressing (about 300.degree. F.) followed by high temperature sintering is the inability to control the swelling of the resulting metal since high temperature sintering of powders admixed with ferro alloys swells the compact undoing the benefits of heated pressing.
The problem with high temperature supersolidus sintering is the need for post-sintering operations to modify the shape of the carbide network formed during sintering and the need for delicate furnace controls to achieve only grain boundary melting; moreover the resultant compact is hard, containing carbide particles which are abrasive to tools and which present serious machining problems.

Liquid phase sintered powder metal articles


A method of removing gaseous organic sulfide contaminants from gaseous mixtures is provided where the method includes dissolving the organic sulfide contaminants in a solution of an acid-based catalyst to permit cleavage of the sulfur atom from the organic sulfide molecule, such that the cleaved sulfur atom can be further reduced electrochemically to elemental sulfur or alkali metal polysulfides.

Raw natural gas comes from three types of wells: (1) oil wells—natural gas that comes from oil wells is typically termed 'associated gas'. This gas can exist separate from oil in the formation (free gas), or dissolved in the crude oil (dissolved gas); vast amounts of gases are produced as a by-product of the crude stabilization process, and often disposed of using flaring or re-injected; and (2) gas wells and (3) condensate wells—natural gas from gas and condensate wells, in which there is little or no crude oil, is termed 'non-associated gas'. Gas wells typically produce raw natural gas by itself, while condensate wells produce free natural gas along with a semi-liquid hydrocarbon condensate. Similarly, methane from anaerobic digestion of organic matter in landfills and waste-water treatment plants can also be purified to the composition required for natural gas used in pipelines or CNG applications.
Whatever the source of the natural gas, once separated from crude oil (if present) it commonly exists in mixtures with other hydrocarbons; principally ethane, propane, butane, and pentanes. In addition, raw natural gas contains water vapor, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), carbon dioxide, helium, nitrogen, and other compounds. While the ethane, propane, butane, and pentanes must be removed from natural gas, this does not mean that they must be wasted. In fact, associated hydrocarbons, known as 'natural gas liquids' (NGLs) can be very valuable by-products of natural gas processing. NGLs include ethane, propane, butane, iso-butane, and natural gasoline. Today it is commonly processed and fractionated into (i) methane (residue gas), or (ii) methane (residue gas), ethane, propane and butane (LPG) and condensate (C5+).
Natural gas processing consists of separating all of the various hydrocarbons and fluids from the pure natural gas, to produce what is known as 'pipeline quality' dry natural gas. The resulting NGLs are sold separately and have a variety of different uses; including enhancing oil recovery in oil wells, providing raw materials for oil refineries or petrochemical plants, and as sources of energy.
In a general trend to save and conserve the valuable energy resources of current oil fields, and eliminate flaring, the associated gases are being collected and processed as natural gas liquids (NGL) for sale in more and more oil fields around the world, both onshore and offshore fields. Major transportation pipelines usually impose restrictions on the make-up of the natural gas that is allowed into the pipeline. That means that before the natural gas can be transported it must be purified.
The actual practice of processing natural gas to pipeline dry gas quality levels can be quite complex, but usually involves four main processes to remove the various impurities: Oil and Condensate Removal, Water Removal, Separation of Natural Gas Liquids, and Sulfur and Carbon Dioxide Removal. Present methods of removal of hydrogen sulfide, for example, include employing an iron sponge or Sulfatreat™.
In addition to the four processes above, heaters and scrubbers are installed, usually at or near the wellhead. The scrubbers serve primarily to remove sand and other large-particle impurities. The heaters ensure that the temperature of the gas does not drop too low. With natural gas that contains even low quantities of water, natural gas hydrates have a tendency to form when temperatures drop. These hydrates are solid or semi-solid compounds, resembling ice like crystals. Should these hydrates accumulate, they can impede the passage of natural gas through valves and gathering systems. To reduce the occurrence of hydrates, small natural gas-fired heating units are typically installed along the gathering pipe wherever it is likely that hydrates may form.
As well as the impurities discussed above, landfills and sewage treatment plants contain carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, volatile organic sulfides and siloxanes. Waste from industrial and domestic source is often discharged into landfill sites and sewage treatment plants, along with a variety of biological organic matter. The organic matter in the waste decomposes to produce bio-gas containing various volatile organic compounds, such as methane, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and volatile organic compounds, such as siloxanes, organic halides and organic sulfides. The bio-gas can be used to fuel various combustion engines to produce power, or both heat and power. However, the bio-gas from landfill sites and sewage treatment plants is contaminated with siloxanes. When an engine burns siloxane-contaminated bio-gas, the siloxanes, on oxidation, forms precipitates of silicon dioxide. The precipitates are deposited on engine parts such as turbine blades, pistons, cylinders, heat exchangers and emission control equipment. The deposits increase the abrasion of engine surfaces, leading to a loss of engine efficiency and premature engine failure. The deposits also poison catalytic converters in emission control equipment. Similarly, the combustion products of organic sulfides and hydrogen sulfides are corrosive in nature, requiring increased maintenance and replacement of corroded parts like cylinder heads, pistons, turbine blades and wheels. It is desirable to remove these contaminants prior to the bio-gas entering the combustion chamber of the power generation system.
According to the EPA's most recent data (2007), the U.S. has over 1,700 active landfills. Though the number of landfills has significantly decreased over the last 20 years, the average size of landfills has increased. Landfill sites produce methane and carbon dioxide gases due to the natural decomposition of solid waste material. Solid waste landfills are the second largest source of human-related methane emissions in the United States, accounting for approximately 23 percent of these emissions in 2007. In fact, these methane emissions from landfills represent a lost opportunity to capture and use a significant energy resource. Instead of allowing landfill gas (LFG) to escape into the air, it can be captured, converted, and used as an energy source. Financial benefits and improved community relations now provide the landfill industry with multiple incentives to employ bio-gas conditioning systems in the management of these gases.
Similarly, approximately 14,000 wastewater treatment facilities (WWTFs) operate in the United States, ranging in capacity from several hundred million gallons per day (MGD) to less than 1 MGD. Roughly 1,000 of these facilities operate with a total influent flow rate greater than 5 MGD, but only 544 of these facilities employ anaerobic digestion to process the wastewater. Moreover, only 106 WWTFs utilize the bio-gas produced by their anaerobic digesters to generate electricity and/or thermal energy. If the remaining WWTFs were to install combined heat and power technologies, approximately 340 MW of clean electricity could be generated, offsetting 2.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. These reductions are equivalent to planting approximately 640,000 acres of forest, or the emissions of approximately 430,000 cars.
Utilization of bio-gas conditioning systems provides landfills and WWTFs with an opportunity to collect and dispose of the high levels of methane found in landfill and WWTF digester gases. Currently, many landfills and WWTFs are using untreated gas containing impurities such as sulfur, chlorine, silicon and moisture, to generate power and fire boilers. This untreated gas can make existing equipment such as boilers, engines, fuel cells and turbines susceptible to increased damages, increased maintenance costs and shorter life spans.
Purification of gas mixtures comprising a hydrocarbon gas with nitrogen, carbon dioxide and other gaseous organic contaminants like organic gaseous sulfides and siloxanes, is normally done by both the natural gas industry and the bio-gas industry by several processes. One process of purification is be done by absorbing the carbon dioxide in a suitable liquid, typically amines or glycols. The absorbing liquids, once saturated with carbon dioxide, are regenerated in a separate step by exposing them to higher temperatures and lower pressures, causing the absorbed carbon dioxide to volatilize and separate out. This technique is used for purification of bio-gas methane from its contaminating carbon dioxide, as well as in coal burning plant effluents for carbon dioxide sequestration. The capital and running costs of such purification plants tend to increase rapidly with increasing concentration and volumes of carbon dioxide. However, liquids employed as absorbents tend to be corrosive, and thus relatively high maintenance costs are typically associated with such plants. Accordingly, other methods of separating hydrocarbons from carbon dioxide have been used. Among such other methods are those involving liquefaction of the gas mixture and fractional distillation of the liquid to produce a product vapor fraction relatively lean in carbon dioxide.
Fractional distillation has also been employed to separate a mixture of various hydrocarbons in a natural gas stream. Thus, the natural gas stream may contain methane with various proportions of ethane, propane, butane, pentane and hexane (commonly called C2-C6 hydrocarbons), as well as other higher hydrocarbons, commonly termed Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs). Cryogenics, employed in conjunction with fractional distillation, enables condensation of the C2-C6 components, with or without pressure, and then step-wise distillation of the desired component, based on its boiling point at the said operational pressure. This process is commonly employed in the oil and gas industry, especially for removal of the higher value NGLs from the lower value natural gas (mainly methane, CH4), the latter being sent to the pipeline as the commonly available natural gas, with a calorific value of 950-1000 Btu/scf.
Pressure swing adsorption (PSA) is a known method of separating the components of a gaseous mixture by passage through a bed of adsorbent that preferentially adsorbs at least one component under pressure. A gaseous product that is relatively lean in the adsorbed component(s) passes out of the bed. The bed is regenerated by subjecting it to a lower pressure thereby desorbing the previously adsorbed component(s). The adsorbent is generally a molecular sieve, e.g. a zeolite or carbon molecular sieve. In more efficient commercial PSA processes, a plurality of beds is employed and the incoming gas stream for separation is switched between the beds so as to facilitate the continuous supply of gaseous products.
The equilibrium quantity of a gas adsorbed on a molecular sieve is not solely a function of pressure but also one of temperature. Indeed, some commercial gas separation processes effect separation by temperature swing rather than pressure swing. Although typical zeolite molecular sieves have gaseous adsorption equilibrium values that are achieved rapidly and then remain constant with time, carbon molecular sieves exhibit dynamic sieving behavior before coming to equilibrium (the former effects the separation); both kinds of sieves increase in temperature as gas is adsorbed since heat of adsorption is liberated, and decrease in temperature again when gas is desorbed. These changes in temperature are substantially equal. There is, however, an additional increase in temperature as a result of the compression of the incoming gas mixture for separation. A substantial proportion of the heat of compression is removed in an after cooler that is conventionally associated with the compressor. There is also a reduction in temperature associated with the reduction in pressure during the desorption step. It might be expected that the PSA process would therefore run at an average temperature below ambient in view of there being net refrigeration that is produced by the pressure reduction required to effect the desorption step. In practice, however, only a relatively small proportion of the refrigeration developed during the desorption step is employed to reduce the temperature of the bed of adsorbent, and most of the refrigeration generated during desorption is wasted in the gas that is vented to the atmosphere. Thus, in practice, the average temperature at which the pressure swing adsorption process operates is usually above rather than below ambient temperature. Because the equilibrium amount of gas that is adsorbed increases with decreasing temperature, the failure to efficiently use the refrigeration generated leads to unnecessarily high specific power consumption. Moreover, the temperature rise that takes place during adsorption is also undesirable since lower temperatures generally favor adsorption. The temperature fall that takes place during desorption is similarly undesirable since in general higher temperatures favor desorption.
Hydrogen sulfide, H2S, a common contaminant of bio-gas from landfills and anaerobic digester plants, as well as in some natural gas streams, is commonly removed from the gas stream by absorption into granular iron or sponge iron powder, or similar alloyed media. The hydrogen sulfide chemically reacts with the iron in the media to form iron sulfide, and leaves a gas stream substantially purified of the sulfide contaminant and thus less corrosive to combustion processes like power-plants for energy generation. The granular iron sulfide, however, cannot be regenerated without a substantial energy penalty, and is commonly disposed of in a landfill. Other methods for H2S removal include biological removal by bacterial species or hydrodesulfurization (HDS), which involves use of hydrogen gas with catalysts for removal of the sulfide species. Some gas streams, especially at landfills, but also some natural gas streams and associated gas from oil fields, have substantial amounts of organic sulfide species as a major constituent, in addition to hydrogen sulfide. In one example, a landfill in St. Louis, Mo., has a landfill gas flow of 6,000 scfm of bio-gas, with a content with more than 1500 ppmv of total sulfides, inclusive of almost 1200 ppmv of organic sulfides made up of dimethyl sulfide (DMS), dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), carbon oxysulfide (COS), carbon disulfide (CS2), mercaptans and thiopenes. These organic species cannot easily be absorbed in granular iron media or iron sponge, or even by bacterial species, using biologically activated media (BAM). This gas stream, if combusted or flared, creates substantial environmental pollution due to the formation of acidic sulfur oxide species, and can contribute to acid rain, as well as be extremely corrosive to materials and equipment. At 6,000 scfm of gas with 1500 ppmv of total sulfur for the landfill site being described, this amounts to almost 400,000 lbs per year of sulfur released into the atmosphere in its oxide form. Thus, there exists a need for being able to remove organic gaseous sulfides from gas streams.
All the above processes are either energy intensive, or consume raw materials which cannot be easily regenerated. Cryogenics and fractional distillation are prohibitively energy intensive for small-scale plants, while pressure and temperature swing adsorption (PSA and TSA) are prohibitively expensive for large-scale plants, and energy intensive for small-scale plants. HDS is commonly used in petroleum refineries, and is especially suitable only for large-scale plants. The present invention reflects efforts to solve at least some if not all of the above problems.

Systems and methods for removal of organic sulfides and hydrogen sulfide contaminants from mixed gas streams


A tunable voltage isolation ground to ground ESD clamp is provided. The clamp includes a dual-direction silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) and trigger elements. The SCR is coupled between first and second grounds. The trigger elements are also coupled between the first and second grounds. Moreover, the trigger elements are configured to provide a trigger current to the dual-direction silicon controlled rectifier when a desired voltage between the first and second grounds is reached.

Power management parts typically have at least two power domains: Analog and Power. The analog domain is generally free of noise while the power domain, by definition, will have a lot of noise from the switching transistors (inductive transients).
Proper Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) protection for integrated circuits (IC's), such as power management parts, requires a defined current path between each pin combination. This requirement poses problems from a circuit design perspective when it is desired to keep the noisy switching power domain separate from the quiet analog domain. The supplies may be at different potentials (i.e. 5 V and 12 V) making coupling the power domains difficult.
The simplest solution, since both grounds are at zero volts, is to put anti-parallel diodes between the two grounds thereby tying the two domains together. This separates the grounds by a diode drop and the diode capacitance. Since transients, switching noise, on the power domain may exceed 3 volts, a single diode drop of 0.7 V will not provide adequate isolation so additional diodes may be needed. However, with each added diode the series resistance increases from an ESD perspective. If the resistance is kept the same, the diodes would have to be Nx in size for N diodes in series. To achieve 3 volt isolation with the anti-parallel diode solution, it would require approximately 5 to 6 diodes in series. This would result in an extremely large ESD protection structure, which would make it undesirable for most applications.
Another possible protection scheme is to provide cross coupled clamps between the two power domains. This has been used and does provide good Ground to Ground isolation but in effect doubles the number of clamps that are required to achieve optimum protection. For a circuit with many power domains this could become prohibitive since each quiet power domain would have to be coupled to each noisy domain. Another drawback with this approach is that the noise on the noisy domain could falsely trigger the ESD clamps required in the cross coupling resulting in an electrical overstress (EOS) event damaging the circuit in question.
For the reasons stated above and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need in the art for effective and efficient ESD clamp that uses a relatively small footprint.

Tunable voltage isolation ground to ground ESD clamp


Some embodiments of the invention provide a method of performing motion estimation for an array of image values obtained from a current image. The method starts with an initial estimate of the motion of the current image. The method then determines whether the initial estimate of the motion of the current image array between the current image and a reference image is acceptable. If not, the method specifies a first value for a parameter for performing the motion estimation. Otherwise, the method specifies a second value for the parameter. The method then performs a motion estimation operation based on the specified value of the parameter. One example of a specified parameter is the size of the window that the motion estimation operation uses. Another example is the starting level for a hierarchical motion estimation operation that it performs. A hierarchical motion estimation operation searches the reference frame at several different levels of granularity.

A motion estimator in an MPEG encoding scheme tries to identify a motion vector that specifies the difference in position of an image block in two different image frames. These two frames are a reference frame and a current frame. There are a variety of different motion estimation techniques. For instance, some motion estimators use a predicted motion vector to start their analysis, while others do not.
Also, some motion estimators are hierarchical in nature while others are not. Hierarchical motion estimators use coarse searches to quickly find a rough estimate of the motion vector, and then refine the vector estimate by performing additional searches at finer level or levels of granularity. Examples of such hierarchical techniques include techniques that examine image blocks at different image resolutions (e.g., examine down-sampled image blocks, and then examine image blocks at higher and higher resolutions).
Other hierarchical techniques are step-size reducing techniques. One such technique is the four-step technique. This technique initially examines eight image blocks within the reference frame that are two pixels away from an image block that a predicted motion vector identifies in the reference frame. If any of the examined image blocks is a better match for the image block of the current frame, the four-step process sets the best matching image block as the current best image block. In its subsequent iteration or iterations, the four step process continues examining eight image blocks that are two pixels away from the current best image block until, in one iteration, the process determines that none of the surrounding image blocks is a better match for the current-frame image block than the current best image block. When the process determines that the current best image block is a better match than each of the image blocks that are two pixels away from the current best image block, the process examines eight image blocks that are one pixel away from the current best image block in the reference frame. The process then defines the matching image block as the image block that this last examination identified as the best matching one.
Existing motion estimation techniques often statically solve each motion estimation problem in the same manner. For instance, the initial motion vector can identify an initial image block that may be, or may be close to, an acceptable match for the current-frame image block. Alternatively, the initial motion-vector might identify an initial image block that is far from an acceptable match. However, in both these situations, prior motion estimation techniques typically perform the same motion estimation operations irrespective of the quality of the initial motion estimation. Therefore, there is a need in the art for an adaptive motion estimation technique that treats different motion estimation problems differently.


Methods for treating CMV or a CMV-related disease are provided that use compounds having the formula:

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is an important human pathogen and a major opportunist which emerges to cause disease in the immuno-compromised such as AIDS patients, neonates, and individuals who have been given immunosuppressive drugs as part of a transplantation regimen. In these individuals, the consequences of CMV in acute or re-emerging infections can be dire, including retinitis, encephalitis, and pneumocystis, among other pathologies. Furthermore, in immuno-competent hosts, CMV establishes a persistent lifelong infection through which it has been linked to a variety of inflammatory conditions including coronary artery occlusion following heart transplant and atherectomy and restenosis following angioplasty. CMV interacts with leukocytes during acute infection of the host as well as during lifelong latency. As such, leukocytes are important players in CMV-induced disease and have been implicated in the acute phase of infection as vehicles for dissemination of virus and as sites of residence during lifelong latency.
CMV harbors in its genome an open reading frame (ORF), designated US28, which encodes a protein that acts as a functional receptor for certain human and viral chemokines. Upon infection of a cell by CMV, US28 is expressed on the surface of the infected cell and becomes capable of responding to chemokines in the environment. Because the virus on its own is inherently non-motile, and because chemokines and their receptors encoded by human cells are known to regulate the migration of leukocytes and other cells through the body, CMV US28 is thought to be encoded by the virus to facilitate the dissemination of CMV through the body during and after infection. Therefore, agents which block the binding of chemokines to US28 should prove useful in inhibiting viral dissemination during acute or re-emerging CMV infection.
CMV US28 has been shown to bind a variety of human, murine, and virus-encoded CC chemokines in a variety of assay formats. In addition, the CX3C chemokine, Fractalkine, binds with a very high affinity (KI˜50 pM) to US28. Fractalkine is expressed on certain endothelial cell surfaces and on populations of dendritic cells (DC), and may thus define a portal through which CMV infected cells go from the circulation to the tissue space, as well as find residence in the DC.
Since the US28 receptor is expressed on cytomegalovirus infected cells, and also in view of its ability to bind multiple chemokines, a small molecule inhibitor for this receptor would have significant use as an anti-CMV agent.

Bicyclic compounds as inhibitors of chemokine binding to US28

Abstract: wherein Ar is a substituted or unsubstituted 5–14 membered heteroaryl group having from 1 to 5 heteroatoms as ring members; R1 is selected from the group consisting of substituted or unsubstituted aryl(C1–C4)alkyl, heteroaryl(C1–C4)alkyl, —C(O)R11, and —C(O)NR11R12, wherein each R11 and R12 independently is substituted or unsubstituted aryl, substituted or unsubstituted aryl(C1–C4)alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted (C4–C8)cycloalkyl(C1–C4)alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted heteroaryl, substituted or unsubstituted heteroaryl(C1–C4)alkyl and substituted or unsubstituted hetero(C4–C8)cycloalkyl(C1–C4)alkyl; R2 is H or (C1–C8)alkyl; and ZN is a substituted or unsubstituted hetero(C6–C10)bicycloalkyl group.


A new cultivar of Codiaeum plant named ‘Revolutions’ that is characterized by tightly curled variegated leaves.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Codiaeum plant botanically known as Codiaeum variegatum and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name 'Revolutions'.
The new cultivar was discovered by the inventor in a cultivated area of Puerto Rico in 1989. 'Revolutions' was discovered as a naturally occurring branch mutation of Codiaeum variegatum 'Rams Horns' (not patented).
Asexual reproduction by terminal cuttings of the new cultivar 'Revolutions' was first performed in 1989 Puerto Rico. Since that time, under careful observation, the unique characteristics of the new cultivar have been uniform, stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.


A method and apparatus for wireless transmission from a mobile unit to a base station includes multiplexing a pilot signal and a data signal, wherein the data signal operates at a data rate by splitting the data signal into a plurality of data streams; applying a pilot gain to the pilot channel, wherein the data gain and the pilot gain are a function of the data rate; and combining the plurality of data streams and the pilot signal into a subset of sub-carriers. The subset of sub-carriers are transmitted using Discrete Fourier Transform Spread OFDMA.

In order for a receiver to coherently demodulate data signal, a known signal called a pilot signal is used. In the case of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), the pilot signal has been added in time and frequency. A set of pilot signals (often called pilot tones) and time slots must be reserved in order to do frequency domain estimation of the channel transfer response. The number of pilot signals needs to be large enough to yield a reliable prediction of channel response at the tones used for transporting data. The pilot signal is an overhead in the system and therefore, only adequate allocation of pilot signals and time slots are needed to obtain a good channel estimation which facilitates data demodulation. For the uplink or reverse link access (i.e., mobile unit to base transmission), pilot signaling may occupy a large portion of sub-carriers when many users are simultaneously transmitting since each mobile unit needs to transmit its own pilot signal. This causes the overall wireless system throughput to be significantly reduced if there exists many low data rate users.
Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to have method and apparatus that addresses the deficiencies found in the prior art.
Elements in the Figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the Figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first", "second", and the like herein, if any, are used inter alia for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequential or chronological order. Moreover, the terms "front", "back", "top", "bottom", "over", "under", and the like in the Description and/or in the Claims, if any, are generally employed for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for comprehensively describing exclusive relative position. Any of the preceding terms so used may be interchanged under appropriate circumstances such that various embodiments of the invention described herein may be capable of operation in other configurations and/or orientations than those explicitly illustrated or otherwise described.

Method and apparatus for hybrid CDM OFDMA wireless transmission


This invention relates to a recording node for receiving energy-related consumption meter data, for calculating consumption amount and consumption rate, and for storing such information. The invention further relates to networks into which the recording node is incorporated, or which can otherwise be accessed by the recording node. The recording node receives signals from a meter and calculates a current consumption rate value and a predicted consumption value for a time interval. At the end of the time interval, values calculated for the interval are stored in memory in the recording node and the recording node resets and begins calculating values for the next time interval. Price data may be received at the recording node from an external source, over a network, such as a distributed network, which includes the recording node. Consumption values and price data stored in the recording node are available to other nodes in the network. The network preferably does not include a central processor.

This invention relates to a recording node and to management systems using such recording node. The recording node of the invention receives meter outputs, and calculates and stores meter values, and stores data received from external devices. The information stored in the recording node can be made available to other nodes in a process control network and/or to other nodes in a distributed network, or in any type of network, to provide information useful for operations of the other nodes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,737 to Buscher et al discloses a metering system which synchronizes demand periods for a power provider and a customer. The system provides real time energy consumption data to a customer monitoring station.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,254,472 to Juengel et al discloses a remote metering system. A remote metering device monitors, collects, analyzes and displays data from a plurality of meter devices, and transmits the data to a central system receiving device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,510 to Hicks discloses a system for monitoring and displaying utility usage to a local user. The system displays the current cost of the energy used. A system controller projects monthly billing cost based on the current rate of consumption. Pulses are fed from a metering device to a central system controller for calculating the amount of energy being used. The central system controller can control energy consuming devices and can display the consumption-related data. The system projects the expected cost for the billing period, such as a month (Column 4, lines 4-24).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,442,492 to Karlsson et al discloses a system including a central control unit for ongoing reading and registration of customer power consumption at a customer location remote from the central unit. The system displays, at the remote location, the price, consumption and cost of energy currently being used. Price is changed in real time to adjust for real time changes in cost of producing the energy. Such price changes are transmitted to the remote customer location for real time monitoring by the customer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,362 to Liebl et al discloses an energy control system confined to a single premise, having a controller which uses time sensitive price tier data, entered and stored in the controller, on the premises, to control an appliance or HVAC system. The controller can control appliances based on the price in effect at any given time.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,108 to Yeh discloses a computer network in a building, sensing pre-set conditions in the building, and controlling utilities and/or intelligent apparatus in the building in response to the conditions sensed.

Recording and processing metered information


An example operation may include one or more of creating a child ledger for each new environment that is setup, updating a master ledger when a smart contract condition is met, and when the master ledger is updated, initiating deployment of an update to a plurality of managed environments.

A ledger is commonly defined as an account book of entry, in which transactions are recorded. A distributed ledger is ledger that is replicated in whole or in part to multiple computers. A Cryptographic Distributed Ledger (CDL) can have at least some of these properties: irreversibility (once a transaction is recorded, it cannot be reversed), accessibility (any party can access the CDL in whole or in part), chronological and time-stamped (all parties know when a transaction was added to the ledger), consensus based (a transaction is added only if it is approved, typically unanimously, by parties on the network), verifiability (all transactions can be cryptographically verified). A blockchain is an example of a CDL. While the description and figures herein are described in terms of a blockchain, the instant application applies equally to any CDL.
A distributed ledger is a continuously growing list of records that typically apply cryptographic techniques such as storing cryptographic hashes relating to other blocks. A blockchain is one common instance of a distributed ledger and may be used as a public ledger to store information. Although, primarily used for financial transactions, a blockchain can store various information related to goods and services (i.e., products, packages, status, etc.). A decentralized scheme provides authority and trust to a decentralized network and enables its nodes to continuously and sequentially record their transactions on a public "block", creating a unique "chain" referred to as a blockchain. Cryptography, via hash codes, is used to secure an authentication of a transaction source and removes a central intermediary. Blockchain is a distributed database that maintains a continuously-growing list of records in the blockchain blocks, which are secured from tampering and revision due to their immutable properties. Each block contains a timestamp and a link to a previous block. Blockchain can be used to hold, track, transfer and verify information. Since blockchain is a distributed system, before adding a transaction to the blockchain ledger, all peers need to reach a consensus status.
The responsibility to manage and maintain environments become more difficult as the number of environments and underlying components increase. Over time, the configuration of the manage environments begins to differ due to tooling, process, and people issues. Configuration drift can be addressed by a rigorous change management process leveraging blockchain to ensure consistency between the multiple environments.
Some techniques manage highly scalable continuous delivery pipelines. These techniques decentralize management, but do not manage multiple environments. Other techniques use resource provisioning in distributed computing environment. In those techniques, software deployments are polled and deployed to an environment from resource providers. However, these techniques do not provide management to environment for subsequent changes.
Thus, an alternative technique may be more beneficial.

Configuration drift prevention across multiple systems using blockchain

International Business Machines Corporation


A refractory ceramic stopper has therein a recess including an annular outwardly enlarged portion defining a stop surface. A stopper rod inserted into the recess in the stopper has a support surface. A plurality of spreadable members having opposite ends are positioned about the stopper rod and are inserted therewith into the recess in the stopper. The spreadable members are spread outwardly such that they enter the enlarged portion of the recess in the stopper with first ends of the spreadable members confronting the stop surface of the stopper and with second ends of the spreadable members confronting the support surface of the stopper rod. Thereby the spreadable members lock the stopper onto the stopper rod.

The present invention relates to a refractory ceramic stopper of the type employed to close, i.e. stop or plug, a discharge opening in a metallurgical vessel. The present invention also is directed to a stopper rod apparatus to be locked to the stopper with the stopper fitting over a stopper rod, thereby to support and enable movement of the stopper relative to the metallurgical vessel and the discharge opening thereof. The present invention also relates to an assembly of such stopper and such stopper rod apparatus.
Devices of this general type are known, for example as disclosed in European EP 0 358 353 A2. In such known system, a refractory ceramic stopper has built thereinto a metallic coupling having internal threads. A stopper rod having an outer thread can be screwed into the metallic coupling in the stopper. As a result, the stopper is mounted on the stopper rod. However, this known arrangement has a number of disadvantages.
For example, when the stopper is manufactured, the metallic threaded coupling therein is subjected automatically to the firing temperature for manufacture of the stopper, for example 1350.degree. C. During such firing, the threaded metallic coupling can become oxidized. Cracks also can be formed due to the different coefficients of thermal expansion of the ceramic material of the stopper and the metal material of the threaded coupling. All such occurrences have a negative impact on the function and operation of the threaded coupling.
Also in this known system, the thread of the threaded coupling and the thread of the stopper rod must be complementary to each other. As a consequence, when a given installation already has an existing stopper rod, then only stoppers having threaded couplings with precisely matching threads can be employed with such already existing stopper rod. Therefore, when there exist a number of stopper rods having varying threads, it is necessary to provide availability of stoppers with a number of matching threaded couplings. This is an impractical requirement.
Further, systems of this general type normally also are employed to feed gas into the stopper for various purposes. In the system of EP 0 358 353 A2, after the stopper rod has been screwed into the threaded coupling, it must be guaranteed that sealing surfaces of the stopper and the stopper rod are in sealing contact. However, this is possible only if the longitudinal axis of the threaded coupling and the longitudinal axis of the stopper rod are precisely coaxial. In practical operation, such precise coaxial alignment can be achieved only with difficulty. As a result, leaks can occur. Particularly, during a tightening process of a tightening nut employed in such system, a sealing surface of the stopper rod has a tendency to be moved relative to a sealing surface of the stopper. This is due to the fact that the mating threads of the screw coupling automatically have a certain amount of play. Leaks also can occur due to the different coefficients of thermal expansion of the ceramic material of the stopper and the metal material of the stopper rod. As a result, cracks can form in the ceramic material of the stopper. All such leaks are undesirable.

Refractory ceramic stopper, apparatus for support thereof, and assembly thereof


A semiconductor testing method capable of quickly counting semiconductor cells in which a seemingly horizontal or vertical line is drawn with a mouse, and raster rotation is performed in alignment with the closer axis. After that, the stage is horizontally moved, pattern matching is performed on an image on a position where the image should be disposed, and an angle is adjusted. The stage is moved evenly along the X-axis and the Y-axis, achieving a movement to a destination like a straight line. In synchronization with the smooth movement of the stage, a cell is surrounded in a rectangular frame by a ruler, and the number of cells is displayed with a numeric value.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor testing method and a semiconductor tester for testing a semiconductor or conducting a failure analysis with the function of a scanning electron microscope (SEM).
2. Background Art
As failure analyses conducted on semiconductors having basic patterns regularly disposed in a repeated manner, failure analyses are conducted on semiconductors through images obtained by scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) and focused ion beams (FIBs).
In recent years, semiconductor miniaturization has proceeded to 45/65 nm, which is a level higher than the accuracies of stopping stages. Thus it has become difficult to locate a failure even with high-powered microscopes. Further, some failures cannot be recognized at all from the appearances even through observation using SEM images. To be specific, such failures cannot be recognized until probes are brought into contact with the points of failures to measure device characteristics.
In this case, it is necessary to accurately count the positions of failures among completely identical basic patterns disposed in a repeated manner. This is because it is completely meaningless to measure the electrical characteristics of a cell adjacent to the position of a failure.
Particularly, examples of a method of accurately counting failed cells having repeatedly disposed basic patterns include, as described in JP Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2000-251824A, a pattern matching method, a method of reaching a location of measurement from absolute distance information about a stage, and a method of counting failed cells while moving a stage.
Since pattern recognition is used in the pattern matching method of the conventional art, it is necessary to divide, before recognition, a distance to a destination into units enabling image recognition. Further, since it is desired to keep the movement of a stage as long as possible, the maximum distance enabling image recognition is equivalent to one screen. Since a correction is made for each screen, when a specific cell A in a screen is moved with a stage substantially by one screen, the cell A may be placed out of a specific region for pattern matching due to semiconductor miniaturization. Further, the initial speed and stopping speed of the stage become unstable during the movement. Moreover, the stage is stopped for each screen, causing a drawback of a low speed in view of performance.
In other words, due to semiconductor miniaturization, the accuracy of stopping the stage may cause an error equal to or larger than a spacing between cells relative to the movement of the stage for each screen, so that the cells may be erroneously detected. Although it is convenient to count cells both in rows and columns at the same time, the stage simultaneously moves in both directions and thus an erroneously recognized adjacent cell cannot be visually confirmed. Therefore, such counting is hard to realize.
Further, in the method of reaching a location of measurement based on absolute distance information about a stage according to the conventional art, the position of a failure is calculated from a design drawing by using a CADNavi system and the like, and then the stage is moved. In this method, the accuracy of stopping the stage is larger than the spacing between cells and thus a failure cannot be accurately located. As a matter of course, it is preferable that the stage can be stopped with high accuracy and can be correctly moved. In either case, a failure has to be accurately located.
Further, in the method of counting cells while moving a stage according to the conventional art, several hundreds of thousands of counts are simply necessary. Such counting is practically impossible.
An object of the present invention is to realize a semiconductor testing method and a semiconductor tester which can quickly and accurately count semiconductor cells.

Semiconductor testing method and semiconductor tester


A rotating gantry includes a link frame for supporting a plurality of rollers which rotatably support the rotating gantry, a brake for releasing a braking force applied to at least one of the rollers upon supply of air and applying the braking force to the one roller upon discharge of air, and a solenoid valve for sealing the supplied air in the brake when closed, and discharging the air from the brake when opened. The solenoid valve is supported by a solenoid valve support member mounted to the link frame such that the solenoid valve is positioned just near the brake. The rotating gantry can be more quickly braked and stopped while maintaining high irradiation accuracy.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotating gantry of a particle beam therapy system, and more particularly to a rotating gantry suitable for use in a particle beam therapy system for irradiating an ion beam, such as a proton or carbon ion beam, to an affected part of the patient body for treatment.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is known a therapy method of setting an isocenter (irradiation target center) to an affected part of the patient body, e.g., a cancer, and irradiating an ion beam, such as a proton or carbon ion beam, to the affected part. A particle beam therapy system for use with that therapy method comprises, for example, an ion beam generator, a beam line, and an irradiation device installed in a rotating gantry. The ion beam accelerated in the ion beam generator reaches the irradiation device through the beam line and is irradiated to the affected part of the patient body from the irradiation device. At that time, the irradiation device is rotated around the patient body with rotation of the rotating gantry, thus enabling the ion beam to be irradiated to the affected part in accordance with the irradiation angle decided in a treatment plan.
Generally, the rotating gantry comprises a front ring, a rear ring, and a gantry barrel connecting the front ring and the rear ring by linear braces at plural points in the circumferential direction. The front ring and the rear ring are each supported by a plurality of rotatable rollers such that the rotating gantry is rotatable in the circumferential direction of the front ring and the rear ring. Reinforcing members of a truss structure are provided around the gantry barrel to which the irradiation device is mounted, to thereby provide a structure for increasing the strength of the gantry barrel. Further, the plurality of rollers are arranged along outer peripheral (circumferential) surfaces of the front ring and the rear ring by using link frames each made up of a parent link member rotatably attached to a bracket which is fixed to a pedestal, and two child link members rotatably coupled to the parent link member (see, e.g., Patent Document 1; U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,344).

Rotating gantry of particle beam therapy system


Embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a method, apparatus, device, and storage medium for processing a network request. The method comprises: activating a domain name server proxy based on local socket service in a preset application; in accordance with a determination that the preset application invokes a preset connect function, acquiring the preset connect function and replacing a destination file path in the preset connect function with a target file path corresponding to the domain name server proxy to establish a connection between the preset application and the domain name server proxy, wherein the target file path is pre-written in the preset application; receiving via the domain name server proxy a network request from the preset application, and parsing a domain name of the network request, and determining a first processing way of the network request based on a result of the parsing of the domain name. With the above technical solution, the domain name server proxy is implemented inside the application, and all network requests are taken over from the parsing of the domain name, which facilitates comprehensive detection and control of network traffic and avoidance of omissions.

With the rapid development of the Internet technology, many applications have networking capabilities.
At present, there are a large number of ways for applications to make network requests, for example using a system socket, using a third-party library or directly using an underlying network interface of a system, etc. The diversification of network request methods makes it difficult to cover all network requests when it is necessary to control network traffic and other related processing.

Method, apparatus, device and storage medium for processing network request

BEIJING BYTEDANCE NETWORK TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


A composition for treating fabrics, comprising: a) a fabric shrinkage reducing composition selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol, all isomers of propanediol, butanediol, pentanediol, hexanediol and mixtures thereof; b) a liquid cleaning/refreshment composition. The fabric shrinkage reducing composition and the liquid cleaning/refreshment composition are releasably absorbed in a substrate in a weight ratio of from about 1:2 to about 1:5. The fabric shrinkage reducing composition helps to reduce shrinkage of the fabrics treated in an in-home, non-immersion cleaning and refreshing process which is conducted in a clothes dryer, or the like apparatus. Also provided are non-immersion cleaning/refreshment processes using this composition, a kit containing the necessary items to conduct the processes of this invention and a sheet for releasably absorbing the compositions of this invention.

Certain delicate fabrics are not suitable for conventional in-home immersion cleaning processes. Home washing machines, which provide excellent cleaning results for the majority of fabrics used in today's society, can, under certain conditions, shrink or otherwise damage silk, linen, wool and other delicate fabrics. Consumers typically have their delicate fabric items "dry-cleaned". Unfortunately, dry-cleaning usually involves immersing the fabrics in various hydrocarbon and halocarbon solvents that require special handling and must be reclaimed, making the process unsuitable for in-home use. Hence, dry-cleaning has traditionally been restricted to commercial establishments making it less convenient and more costly than in-home laundering processes. But, excluding cost and convenience, dry-cleaning processes remain generally superior to in-home, immersion laundering processes for minimizing fabric shrinkage.
Attempts have been made to provide in-home dry-cleaning systems that combine the fabric cleaning and refreshing of in-home, immersion laundering processes with the fabric care benefits of dry-cleaning processes. One such in-home system for cleaning and refreshing garments comprises a substrate sheet containing various liquid or gelled cleaning agents, and a plastic bag. The garments are placed in the sheet, and then tumbled in a conventional clothes dryer. In a current commercial embodiment, multiple single-use flat sheets comprising a cleaning/refreshing agent and a single multi-use plastic bag are provided in a package. Unfortunately, such in-home processes are sub-optimal with respect to fabric shrinkage. To be clear, these in-home, non-immersion processes are substantially superior to in-home, immersion processes with respect to minimizing fabric shrinkage. And these in-home, non-immersion processes are similar to commercial dry-cleaning processes with respect to minimizing fabric shrinkage, but some minor amount of shrinkage can occur as a result of either process. Thus, there is a continuing need to find improved in-home, non-immersion cleaning and refreshing processes, and cleaning and refreshing compositions for use therein, which provide acceptable cleaning while minimizing fabric shrinkage.
It has now also been unexpectedly discovered that certain organic compounds when used with a cleaning/refreshment composition within defined ratios, can reduce the amount of shrinkage that occurs during an in-home, non-immersion cleaning/refreshment process. The present invention provides such a composition, and when used in the processes of this invention, and with the kits of this invention, fabrics can be cleaned and refreshed with substantially less shrinkage than conventional in-home immersion laundering processes. When using the composition, processes and kits of this invention the fabric shrinkage levels are comparable to, and in some cases substantially better than, commercial dry-cleaning with a solvent immersion process.

Cleaning compositions that reduce shrinkage of fabrics


The dimension in the height direction of a reel braking mechanism to be disposed on the side of an S-side reel table in a video tape recorder is made small while making it difficult to disassemble an assembled state. The dimension in an axis line direction of a pin that engages an elongated hole of a brake member of a brake arm is lengthened, thereby penetrating the brake member and extending downward. The extended portion of the pin is made to pass through a cut formed in an edge of a slide chassis.

A video tape recorder (VTR) is made to perform recording and/or reproducing in conformity with the helical scanning system such that a head drum composed of a fixed drum and a rotating drum is helically wound with a magnetic tape on the periphery of the head drum to make the magnetic tape run at a constant speed by a capstan, and helically scans the magnetic tape by a magnetic head provided on the rotating drum to. That is, while the magnetic head performs scanning on a diagonal track to the length direction of the magnetic tape, the writing of a signal or the reading of a signal is performed.
Such a VTR is equipped with a supply-side reel table and a take-up side reel table which engage with a supply-side reel for reeling out the magnetic tape and a take-up side reel for taking up the magnetic tape, respectively. Here, each reel table is equipped with corresponding braking means, and performs a braking operation as the need arises, whereby each reel table gives aback tension to the magnetic tape, or blocks an unexpected rotation of the reels to prevents the looseness of the magnetic tape.
A reel brake provided on the supply-side reel table is suitable to perform the on-off operation of the brake in the state where the brake arm thereof is held at the same position. In order to express such a function, it is necessary to mount a brake member on the brake arm, and to make the brake member perform a moving operation between an active position and an inactive position against the brake arm. Moreover, the brake structure composed of a plurality of components including the brake member and the brake arm is needed to be small in shape, and in particular it is preferable to assemble the brake structure to be small in size in the axis line direction of the reel table. On the other hand, in the case where such a brake structure is combined as an assembly, the assembly should be a structure difficult to disassemble. That is, although making to be thin and difficult to disassemble contradicts each other, a braking device having a structure of being thin and difficult to disassemble the assembled state is required.
Moreover, the VTR composed of the magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus using the rotating head drum has the structure in which the magnetic tape is pulled out from a tape cassette to be helically wound around the rotating head drum, and the magnetic tape is made to travel in this state. Hereupon, with the aim of lessening the size in the depth direction, namely the loading direction of the magnetic tape, of the mechanical section of the magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus, the VTR adopts the structure such that the pair of reel tables on which the tape cassette is loaded is mounted on a slide chassis, the tape cassette is made to move in the direction of approaching the rotating drum at the time of loading, and a part of the rotating head drum is made to enter a concave pocket portion formed in the front part of the tape cassette.
In this kind of magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus, since the magnetic tape is pulled out from the inside of the tape cassette while performing the linear skate of the slide chassis, the take-up side reel table is rotated, which holds the reel of the tape cassette wound with the magnetic tape to be pulled out at the time of the pulling out of the magnetic tape. Therefore, in the VTR provided with a braking mechanism turning on and off the braking thereof according to the rotation direction of the take-up side reel table, it is necessary to coercively turn off the brake during the linear skate to remove the limiter resistance of the magnet clutch of the braking mechanism for making the brake free at the time of the completion of the linear skate of the slide chassis. Accordingly, in the case of providing the braking mechanism which switches according to the rotation direction of the reel as mentioned above in the take-up side reel table, a release mechanism making the brake free at the time of the completion of the linear skate is disposed on the main chassis. However, in the case of using such release mechanism, a mechanism performing the coercive release over the distance in which a slide chassis performs a minimum linear skating must be disposed, and the miniaturization of the mechanism section is prevented by such release mechanism.
The present invention is devised in view of such a problem. It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording and reproducing apparatus including a braking mechanism which is thin in the axis line directions of reel tables and is also difficult to disassemble an assembled state, or a braking mechanism including release means which does not prevent the miniaturization of the apparatus.


A liquid ejection apparatus and method of manufacture are disclosed. One apparatus includes a piezoelectric element corresponding to a pressure chamber in a channel substrate, a trace corresponding to the piezoelectric element. The piezoelectric element includes a piezoelectric layer, a first electrode, a second electrode disposed on a surface of the piezoelectric layer on a side opposite the channel substrate, and a protective film covering the piezoelectric layer and the second electrode. The second electrode includes a lead-out portion that extends to an area over the channel substrate where the piezoelectric layer is not disposed, and a contact portion that is provided in the lead-out portion and that is exposed from the protective film in the area. The trace is connected to the second electrode at the exposed contact portion.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a liquid ejection apparatus that ejects a liquid and a method for manufacturing the liquid ejection apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-123518 discloses, as a liquid ejection apparatus, an inkjet head that records an image and the like by discharging ink onto a recording medium. The inkjet head of Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-123518 includes a channel defining substrate in which a plurality of pressure chambers are formed and a piezoelectric actuator provided in a diaphragm of the channel defining substrate that covers the plurality of pressure chambers.
The piezoelectric actuator includes a plurality of piezoelectric elements that are disposed on the diaphragm so as to correspond to the plurality of pressure chambers. Each piezoelectric element includes a piezoelectric portion (a piezoelectric layer) formed of lead zirconate titanate, a lower electrode that is formed of platinum and iridium and that is disposed on a lower side of the piezoelectric portion, and an upper electrode that is formed of iridium and that is disposed on an upper side of the piezoelectric portion. A first lead electrode formed of aluminum is connected to an end portion of the upper electrode that is positioned on an upper surface of the piezoelectric portion. The first lead electrode is drawn out from the upper surface of the piezoelectric portion to above the diaphragm, and is extended along a surface of the diaphragm. Furthermore, the piezoelectric portion, the upper electrode, and the first lead electrode are commonly covered by a protective film formed of aluminum oxide. Furthermore, a second lead electrode formed of gold is formed on the protective film. Furthermore, the first lead electrode is connected to the second lead electrode on the protective film at a position away from the piezoelectric element through a contact hole formed in the protective film.
The piezoelectric actuator described above is manufactured by repeating deposition and patterning and by sequentially stacking each of the various films, such as the piezoelectric portion and various electrodes, on the diaphragm that covers the plurality of pressure chambers of the channel defining substrate. First, the lower electrode, the piezoelectric portion, and the upper electrode of each piezoelectric element are formed on the diaphragm in that order. Next, the first lead electrode that is connected to the upper electrode and that extends from the upper surface of the piezoelectric portion to the upper surface of the diaphragm is formed. Each first lead electrode is formed by depositing a metal film and then patterning the metal film. Next, the protective film is formed so as to cover the piezoelectric portion, the upper electrode, and the first lead electrode. Furthermore, patterning of the protective film is performed and a contact hole is formed in a portion of the protective film covering a terminal of the first lead electrode. Last of all, the second lead electrode is formed on the protective film and, at this point, the second lead electrode is brought in contact with the terminal of the first lead electrode through the contact hole.

Liquid ejection apparatus and method for manufacturing liquid ejection apparatus