The present invention provides a method, system and apparatus for controlling the movement of insects such as termites by using a vibration device that produces mechanical vibrations within a certain frequency range. The frequency range may be chosen to attract or repel. The source may be coupled with insect food sources or other attractants. The present invention can be used to protect a natural or man-made structure from termite infestation. The present invention can also be used for controlling activity of other social insects such as ants, bees and wasps.

1. Field
This disclosure relates to the field of insect control technology, and more specifically, to methods and apparatus for controlling termite activity, movement and population using radio waves (e.g., electromagnetic fields) and/or mechanical vibrations within a certain frequency range. The methods and apparatus may be used to protect a structure from termite infestation.
2. Background of the Technology
Untreated termite infestations lead to irreversible structural damage in buildings throughout the world. As a result, a myriad of treatments to control or destroy termite populations have been developed. Because of the potential negative environmental impact of insecticides, environmentally friendly alternatives have been the primary focus of the latest research.
A significant amount of prior art focuses on the use of electromagnetic fields to control (repel and/or negatively affect) termites. U.S. Pat. No. 5,473,836, issued to Liu discloses a method for removing insects from "hidden places" by inducing an electromagnetic field to create physical vibrations. U.S. Pat. No. 5,930,946 issued to Mah discloses a method for creating an electromagnetic field to which pests react adversely. U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,876 issued to Pederson discloses a method for controlling termites by heating the area where termites are located to temperatures which are lethal to living organisms by means of electromagnetic energy. U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,779 issued to Bergerioux et al. discloses a method in which a low frequency, randomly varying magnetic field is generated by a device such that it interacts with the earth's geomagnetic field to eliminate (repel) rodents and similar pests located above and below ground level in the area surrounding the device.
The use of electrical energy has also been employed in efforts to eliminate (repel and/or negatively affect) termites. U.S. Pat. No. 5,210,719 issued to Lawrence discloses an apparatus and method which uses a sweep-frequency, high voltage generator coupled to an applicator gun for feeding electric power into pest-infested dielectrics, for example termite-infested wood. U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,644 issued to Lawrence discloses a method that involves the application of broadband radio frequency or multi-frequency high-voltage electrical energy to termite shelter tubes, galleries and nests and to the bodies of termites in those areas. The '644 patent describes methods to kill termites directly by electroshock or indirectly by creating interference with the digestive processes of termites. U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,623 issued to Lawrence discloses an apparatus and method, which uses a phase-locked high voltage, high frequency pulse generator capable of "quasi-unlimited" power output and an applicator gun for feeding electric power into pest-infested dielectrics, for example termite infested wood. U.S. Pat. No. 4,223,468 issued to Lawrence discloses a method that involves killing termites by the application of broadband, high voltage electrical energy to habitats of termites.
The application of microwave energy has also been employed in the attempt to control (repel and/or negatively affect) termites. U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,106 issued to Martin et al. discloses a method of using low voltage "microwave horns" to kill termite populations. U.S. Pat. No. 5,896,696 issued to Stokes et al. discloses an apparatus and method for generating and radiating energy at specific wavelengths for the purpose of adversely affecting the nervous systems of "small insects."
While these environmentally friendly methods of controlling termites have avoided the use of conventional pesticides, they have failed to adequately protect termite-susceptible structures from infestation.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,837,001 to Amburgey et al. describes a method to attract termites to a selected area using radio waves and thereby provide protection from termites for other adjacent areas. The frequency of the radio waves ranged from about 1-100 megahertz with intensities 1-100 K watts. While this method has proven to be successful, it requires equipment capable of generating radio waves at high frequencies.
Each of the methods and system discussed above suffer from one or more drawbacks that make their use less than optimal under all circumstances. Accordingly, there exists a need for alternative methods and apparatuses for directing the movement of termites.

Termite control system, method and apparatus

Mississippi State University Research and Technology Corporation


In general, one aspect of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented on a computer system. A quantity of slots associated with one or more publications can be received from/identified by a publisher. Slot properties for each of the slots in the received quantity of slots can be determined including determining the permitted expansion directions for the slots based on the slot properties. Content items can be selected for publishing from one or more expandable content items based, at least in part, on the possible expansion directions of the slots.

This disclosure relates to information presentation.
Publications (e.g., electronic publications, websites, etc.) may include third party content items (e.g., advertising), for example, to financially support a resource provider's (e.g., website publisher) operations. Some resource providers do not maintain a third party content infrastructure, and thus depend on content serving entities to recruit third party content sponsors and to serve the content items. Content serving entities can maintain data about user traffic viewing content, and user interaction with served content. Typically, a served content item occupies a predefined portion of a publication, or slot.


A protective coating for ceramic materials such as those made of silicon carbide, aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, aluminoborosilicate and silicon dioxide, and a thermal control structure comprising a ceramic material having coated thereon the protective coating. The protective coating contains, in admixture, silicon dioxide powder, colloidal silicon dioxide, water, and one or more emittance agents selected from silicon tetraboride, silicon hexaboride, silicon carbide, molybdenum disilicide, tungsten disilicide and zirconium diboride. In another aspect, the protective coating is coated on a flexible ceramic fabric which is the outer cover of a composite insulation. In yet another aspect, a metallic foil is bonded to the outer surface of a ceramic fabric outer cover of a composite insulation via the protective coating. A primary application of this invention is as a protective coating for ceramic materials used in a heat shield for space vehicles subjected to very high aeroconvective heating environments.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a novel coating for use as a protective coating for ceramic materials such as ceramic fabrics made of silicon carbide, aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, aluminoborosilicate and silicon dioxide. This invention also relates to a re-usable thermal control structure comprising a ceramic material as a s substrate having coated thereon the protective coating of this invention which provides excellent resistance to high temperatures and repeated thermal shock at temperatures up to 1650.degree. C. In another aspect of this invention, the protective coating may be coated on a flexible ceramic fabric, which ceramic fabric is the outer cover of a composite insulation. In yet another aspect, the protective coating of this invention can also be utilized as a high temperature adhesive to bond metallic foils to ceramic fabrics and composite insulations. A primary application of this invention is as a protective coating for ceramic materials used in a heat shield for space vehicles subjected to very high aeroconvective heating environments.
To retain the thermal control structure for reuse capability under such space and atmospheric conditions, it was necessary to develop a high density protective surface coating. The requirements for this protective coating included a match of the thermal expansion with the substrate material and imperviousness to moisture, resistance to abrasion and mechanical damage, high emissivity at high temperatures in the critical wavelengths below 3 .mu.m, capability of surviving cyclic heating to 1650.degree. C., and good thermal shock, vibration and acoustic performance. Furthermore, the protective coating has to be applied thinly in order to retain the flexibility of a coated ceramic fabric and to avoid o excessive weight gain.
The present invention provides increased total hemispherical emissivity and decreased catalytic efficiency of the thermal control structure surface when subjected to a high temperature environment. Particularly, the protective coating of this invention lowers the surface temperature of the thermal control structure and reduces heat transfer through the surface so that the underlying ceramic material is protected from degradation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Protective coatings suitable for use on ceramic insulations are known in the art. D. Mui and H. M. Clancy in "Development of a Protective Ceramic Coating for Shuttle Orbiter Advanced Flexible Reusable Surface Insulation (AFRSI)", Ceramic Engineering and Science Proceedings, Vol. 6, No. 7-8, pp. 793-805 (July-August 1985), disclose such compositions and structures which were proven to be successful on Space Shuttle flights. While these glass coatings have good physical and optical properties in the convective heating environment encountered during reentry, they are limited as follows: (1) The protective coating of Mui and Clancy provides adequate protection only up to 1800.degree. F. (982.degree. C). (2) When heated above this temperature, cristobalite formation may result in a cracked coating. (3) The emittance of the coating is close to that of pure silicon dioxide, such that the coating does not enhance the emittance of the underlying fabric. Therefore, the temperature capability of the system is not increased.
The above described prior art coating typically contains two ingredients of known high purity, namely ammonia-stabilized colloidal silicon dioxide in deionized water, and ground silicon dioxide. The coating is easily applied on ceramic fabrics and insulations such as the Advanced Flexible Reusable Surface Insulation (AFRSI) used on the Space Shuttle Orbiter. This prior art coating can not be used on reentry space vehicles such as the Advanced Space Transfer Vehicle (ASTV), since it is unstable at the high temperatures (e.g., 1600 .degree. C.) which would be produced during reentry of these vehicles. The ASTV is described in Walberg, G. D., "A Survey of Aeroassisted Orbit Transfer", J. Spacecraft & Rockets, Vol. 22, No. 1 (January-February 1985).
On the other hand, the RCG (reaction cured glass) high temperature coating described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,771 was designed primarily for rigid ceramic insulations and is not suitable for flexible ceramic fabrics and insulations which must remain flexible during installation and reentry. In order to be effective as a protective coating, the above noted prior art coating must be fired for a minimum firing time of one hour. When this coating having a final weight of 0.07 g/cm.sup.2 is fired on a ceramic fabric, the fabric becomes extremely fragile and non-flexible. This coating also requires an organic binder (e.g., methylcellulose) to hold itself together before firing. The organic binder will volatilize and coat adjacent surfaces in a space vehicle when the unfired coating is first heated.
The protective coating of U S. Pat. No. 4,093,771 typically contains two ingredients of known high purity, namely, borosilicate glass and silicon tetraboride. The coating is applied only on rigid ceramic insulations such as Fibrous Reusable Composite Insulation (FRCI) used on the Space Shuttle Orbiter. Furthermore, this coating relies on the oxidation of its emittance agent (i.e., silicon tetraboride) and the fluxing of the glass by the boron oxide to seal the coating and to prevent further oxidation. As discussed below, the present invention does not rely on this mechanism to seal the glass and therefore does not require firing prior to use.
Other coatings known in the art are the two layer coatings described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,381,333. These two layer coatings oonsist of a base Coating such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,771 and a reflective surface overlay. The reflective surface overlay consists of fused silicon dioxide, borosilicate glass, and an organic carrier solution. These coatings, which are used primarily on rigid ceramic insulations, must be fired before use and suffer from the same limitations as discussed above when applied to flexible ceramic fabrics and insulations.
Thus, while the art of protective coatings for ceramic insulations is a well developed one, a need remains for further development of a lightweight surface coating especially adapted for use on heat shields for space vehicles subjected to extreme heating environments.

Protective coating for ceramic materials

The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration


A liquid crystal display includes first and second substrates, first and second alignment layers, and a liquid crystal layer between the alignment layers and including liquid crystal molecules. The liquid crystal molecules on a surface of the first alignment layer have a first pretilt angle in a direction which is vertical with respect to a horizontal plane surface parallel to the first substrate, and a first alignment angle in a direction which is horizontal with respect to a horizontal line parallel to the horizontal plane surface. The liquid crystal molecules on a surface of the second alignment layer have a second pretilt angle in the direction which is vertical with respect to the horizontal plane surface and different from the first pretilt angle, and a second alignment angle in the direction which is horizontal with respect to the horizontal line and different from the first alignment angle.

1. Field
The invention relates to a liquid crystal display and a method of manufacturing the same. More particularly, the invention relates to a liquid crystal display having improved response speed and a method of manufacturing the liquid crystal display.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a liquid crystal display includes a lower substrate on which a thin film transistor is disposed, an upper substrate on which a color filter is disposed, and a liquid crystal layer having an anisotropic dielectric constant between the lower and upper substrates. The liquid crystal display applies an electric field to the liquid crystal layer to control an arrangement of liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer, and thereby controls a transmittance of light passing through the liquid crystal layer to display an image thereon.
The liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer are aligned in an optically compensated bended ("OCB") mode or an optically compensated splay ("OCS") mode. In the OCS mode, the liquid crystal molecules are arranged in a bended state before an initial electric field is applied thereto, and then the arrangement of the liquid crystal molecules is changed to a first splay state when the initial electric field is applied. Then, when an electric field which is relatively larger than the initial electric field is applied to the liquid crystal molecules, the liquid crystal molecules are arranged in a second splay state in which the liquid crystal molecules are more parallel to a substrate of the liquid crystal display than in the first splay state.
However, since the initial electric field is applied in the OCS mode to maintain the arrangement in the first splay state of the liquid crystal molecules, and since a difference between the arrangement of the liquid crystal molecules in the first splay state and the arrangement of the liquid crystal molecules in the second splay state is relatively small, the gray-scale expression is extremely restricted. In addition, when no initial electric field is applied to the liquid crystal molecules, it may take an undesirably large amount of time such as one minute or more to switch the arrangement of the liquid crystal molecules from the bended state to the second splay state. Therefore, there remains a need for an improved liquid crystal display which reduces a time period for switching the arrangement of the liquid crystal molecules from an initial bended state to a splay state.

Liquid crystal display including liquid crystal with different pretilt angles and method of manufacturing the same


A reference microplate is described herein which can be used to help calibrate and troubleshoot an optical interrogation system. In one embodiment, the reference microplate has a frame with an array of wells each of which contains an optical biosensor and each optical biosensor is at least partially coated with a substance (e.g., elastomer, optical epoxy). In another embodiment, the reference microplate in addition to having its optical biosensors at least partially covered with a substance (e.g., elastomer, optical epoxy) also has a controllable heating device attached thereto which is used to heat the optical biosensors.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the biotechnology field and, in particular, to a reference microplate (standard microplate) which can be used to help calibrate and/or troubleshoot an optical interrogation system.
2. Description of Related Art
Label independent detection (LID) technology is used today in biological research/studies to help perform highly sensitive and time-constrained assays. In these assays, an optical interrogation system uses LID technology to interrogate an optical sensor (e.g., resonant waveguide grating biosensor) so one can determine if a biomolecular binding event (e.g., binding of a drug to a protein) occurred on a surface of the optical biosensor. Basically, the optical interrogation system directs a light beam (e.g., broadband light beam) towards the optical biosensor, collects the light beam which is reflected from the optical biosensor and then analyzes the collected light beam to monitor changes/variations in the refractive index (optical resonance) of the optical biosensor as a biological substance (e.g., drug) is brought near a target molecule (e.g., protein) located on the optical biosensor. The bio-chemical interaction between the biological substance (e.g., drug) and the target molecule (e.g., protein) alters the optical resonance of the optical biosensor. It is this alteration in the optical resonance that enables one to use the optical biosensor to directly monitor a biomolecular binding event (e.g., binding of a drug to a protein) without needing to use expensive and problematic fluorescent labels/dyes.
As can be appreciated, the optical interrogation system is a sophisticated piece of equipment which performs a sensitive measurement when it interrogates an optical biosensor. And, like most sophisticated pieces of equipment, the optical interrogation system needs to be calibrated/tested so it can properly interrogate the optical biosensor. In fact, the optical interrogation system typically interrogates multiple optical sensors at once where the optical biosensors are located in the bottoms of wells in a 96-well or 384-well microplate (which adheres to Society for Biomolecular Screening (SBS) standards). And, in this case, it is particularly important that the optical interrogation system be calibrated/tested so it can properly interrogate the optical biosensors which are located within the microplate.
In the past, the optical interrogation system has been calibrated/tested by interrogating the optical biosensors which are located within a microplate that had its wells filled with distilled water. There are several drawbacks associated with this scheme: (1) the distilled water over time may cause degradation of the optical and physical coatings used for the optical biosensors (2) the distilled water undergoes evaporation; and (3) the distilled water is subject to spillage if the microplate is not carefully handled. Accordingly, there is a need for a reference microplate which addresses these shortcomings and other shortcomings so one can properly calibrate/test an optical interrogation system. These needs and other needs are satisfied by the present invention.

Reference microplates and methods for making and using the reference microplates


A steel rule die for cutting cloth and synthetic materials. The cutting die includes a primary substrate and a plurality of cutting units that are removably attachable to the substrate in such a manner that they are easy to adjust, remove and replace. The cutting units include secondary substrates with lengths of steel rule attached to them. The cutting units are secured to the primary substrate. Each steel rule is fixedly attached to a secondary substrate that is substantially harder than the primary substrate. The secondary substrate distributes the cutting load applied to the rule over a large surface area on the primary substrate to prevent the cutting units from diving into the soft primary substrate. Substantially the entire length of the steel rule is supported by the secondary substrate, thereby yielding a rigid cutting unit that is not susceptible to deformation. The cutting units can also include bent internal cutting sections and adjustable and removable internal cutting units that allow scrap material to flow through the cutting die. Moreover, the secondary substrates can include openings for reducing the overall weight of the die without effecting the support it provides to the steel rule.

This invention relates to steel rule die cutting and more particularly to an improved multi-cavity die with movable and adjustable cutting units which can be easily and precisely spaced relative to each other and which provide even and consistent cuts.
Steel rule dies are commonly used for cutting cloth and cloth-like substances such as natural textiles and synthetic materials like vinyl. Steel rule dies are particularly advantageous in the repetitive cutting of a specific shape for use in clothing, furniture, shoes, and automotive trim panels. In brief, a steel rule cutting die typically comprises a base substrate or backing board in which grooves are cut and lengths of sharpened blade, known as steel rule, are formed to the same shape as the grooves and inserted in the grooves. The grooves are cut in the substrate in the pattern that is desired to be cut out of the material. Thus, when the steel rules are placed into the grooves, they form cutting edges in the shape of the desired patterns. These dies are used together with a cutting press that forces them against and into a stack of material in order to cut the material. Multiple layers of material can be cut with one pressing operation. Typically, one die will include several cutting unit cavities, each with a different pattern and defined by a closed length of rule, so that several multiple patterns can be cut during a single pass through the press. Multiple cavities on a single die are nested together in an efficient configuration to minimize scrap material.
One problem with typical steel rule dies is that, once the groove is cut into the substrate and the steel rule is placed into the groove, the cavities are permanently arranged in the die. If the pattern of one cavity needs to be modified in any respect, it is necessary to construct a completely new die at significant expense. In other words, there is no flexibility to change the patterns without performing the costly and time consuming procedure of making a whole new die. Additionally, the forces created on such a steel rule during cutting are concentrated on the narrow surface area of the rule that contacts the substrate. As a result, the steel rule is driven into the substrate during cutting operations until it can no longer perform a cutting function. Moreover, the rule can be torqued and damaged when the forces are unevenly distributed along the steel rule and only a portion of the rule is driven into the substrate.
A previous attempt at solving these problems is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/949,855, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,766, entitled "Steel Rule Die with Removable Cutting Units and Method for Using Same" which is herein incorporated by reference. The application discloses a die which provides flexibility in die cutting patterns by making the cavities part of different cutting units that are separate from, and removably attached to, a substrate. Removal of the cutting units from the primary substrate allows cleaning of scrap material and allows the shape of the cavities to be modified. However, when the cutting units are positioned on the substrate, the spacing between steel rules of the adjacent cutting units is not controlled, and in some instances, the steel rules of adjacent cutting units may be touching each other. Under this arrangement there is a possibility that scrap material can become lodged between and deform the adjacent lengths of the steel rules.
Large cutting dies used particularly in the automotive industry contain a primary substrate made of high grade plywood. The reasons for using plywood include that it is readily available, relatively inexpensive, light weight and easily maneuvered. However, as discussed above, positioning a steel rule with a very small surface area directly on a softer wooden substrate can result in problems, such as the steel rule diving into the wooden substrate under the loads created during cutting. As a result, the height of the steel rule will decrease and eventually the die will stop cutting. This requires that the cavities be moved to another place on the substrate, thereby resulting in significant maintenance costs. In addition, when a steel rules dives unevenly into the wood, the rule will tend to bend over sideways and become damaged. Attempts have been made to add a hard coating to the plywood substrate to prevent the rule from diving into it. While this helps, it does not solve the problem.
Attempts have been made to mount movable cavities with cross braces on top of wooden primary substrates. One such attempt is disclosed in WO 98/09781 to Geffros et al. The disclosed cutting knife assembly includes a plurality of cutting units with elongated strips serving as cross braces. Each cutting unit has a cutting rule and a plurality of cross members which include mounting holes for securing the cutting unit to the substrate. However, these cross members do not extend under the rule to prevent it from diving into the wooden substrate, nor do they distribute the forces applied to the rules during the cutting process over a widened surface area that is as large or larger than a cavity bounded by the steel rule. Instead, the forces remain highly concentrated along the lengths of the rule with some of the forces being transferred to the spaced cross members. Moreover, the portions of the rule that do not dive into the substrate can cause the rule to torque and deform. The elongated shape of the cross member makes the cross braced cutting units susceptible to deformation during the mounting and subsequent cutting operations, thereby effecting the quality of the final product. Consequently, the expensive and time consuming task of disassembling the die and replacing the substrate will need to be performed on a frequent basis.
Another problem with the current dies using replaceable cavities is internal cutouts. Material is ejected out of the top of the tool rather than through the back of the tool, requiring frequent cleaning of scrap material from the cutting die. In addition the solid cutouts are not themselves movable with respect to the outer perimeter of the cavity, thereby making adjustments and changes difficult.

Steel rule die with removable cutting units


The circuit, arranged between a source of higher voltage (VCC) and a source of lower voltage (ground), comprises an analog/digital converter (ADC) which has a resistor ladder (RL) connected between a top terminal (Vtop), a bottom terminal (Vbot) for supplying a series of reference voltages. According to the invention, this circuit includes a bias generator arrangement formed by a resistor (Rmid) connected on one side to the supply voltage source and on the other side to a reference current source (Ip0), and automatic control means (A2) for controlling a variable impedance element (T5) inserted between the connection (Vbot) at the bottom of the ladder and ground, which automatic control means are suitable for controlling the voltage (FS) at the terminals of the resistor ladder.

The present invention relates to an integrated circuit for being arranged between a source of higher voltage and a source of lower voltage, including reference current sources and an analog/digital converter with a resistor ladder connected between a terminal called top terminal and a terminal called bottom terminal for producing a series of reference voltages, the bottom terminal being connected to the source of lower voltage via a variable voltage element.
Such a circuit is used when one seeks to quantify an analog voltage, for example, in medical imaging in the domain of oscilloscopes and digital communication, notably television.
An analog/digital converter such as mentioned above is known from patent abstract JP-A-58-25717. In the analog/digital converter described in this document, the bottom terminal is connected to the source of lower voltage via an element that introduces a variable offset voltage, and for providing the influence of the fluctuation of this offset voltage, the high voltage is produced by a fixed voltage source connected to the bottom terminal.

Analog/digital converter with automatic control for controlling offset and gain


A method of manufacturing a punch, such as a socket punch, using wire EDM with at least six steps. The method involves forming a blank, holding the blank with an adapter, machining grooves in the blank, manufacturing a side relief of a working portion using wire EDM, milling the working portion to a final size, and forming a cone point on the end of the working portion. The method allows the punch to be manufactured more quickly and from a CAD model, therefore removing the need for over-specialized equipment and improving manufacturing times.

Punches are tools used to force a hole into a material, such as a work piece. Typically, the punch is operated in a "cold work" manner to punch a hole without the use of additional heat, as with hot extrusion or other "hot work" operations. Punches are forced or "punched" into the work piece, reforming the material to the shape of the punch.
Punches are manufactured in a variety of ways, but are normally formed by grinding a punch blank to a desired geometric configuration. However, grinding requires specialized grinding equipment, extended time to manufacture the punch, and additional quality control procedures to ensure that the finish punch product meets required specifications.


Formulations and methods for papermaking use one or more volatile debonders, where the volatile debonder forms a solution or an emulsion with water in a paper precursor, and where the volatile debonder is evaporable from the paper precursor before the paper precursor is completely dried to form a paper sheet during papermaking. Two volatile debonders having different boiling points can be used, where they are miscible in water and in each other, and where one volatile debonder has a higher molecular weight and the other volatile debonder has a lower boiling point.

Fast wicking for liquids is desirable in many commercial products such as diapers, personal hygiene, sanitary products etc. Fast wicking is typically achieved by converting paperboard products into defiberized fluff pulp that has a high surface area to enable fast wicking. Fluff pulp is then positioned within the product so that it can wick bodily fluids, for example, away from their point of deposition.
Fluff pulp is formed from paperboards made by conventional papermaking technologies. Once the paperboard sheet is manufactured, for example by a wet-laid process, it is defiberized mechanically, using a device like a hammermill. The defiberized fluff pulp can then be air-laid with particles of superabsorbent polymers or other super-absorbent materials. Such particles, capable of absorbing up to one hundred times their weight in water, are admixed with the defiberized fluff pulp to form the absorbent core for the product.
Formation of fluff pulp from paperboard typically uses mechanical means to break the strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds that form between neighboring cellulose fibers during the papermaking process. A significant amount of energy is required to overcome the strength of the intermolecular bonds and break a paperboard into individual fibers. Because the energy required for mechanical breakdown methods is expensive, alternate technologies have been employed to reduce the formation of hydrogen bonds during papermaking.
As an example, debonder compounds are used during papermaking for this purpose. Debonders bind to the fiber surface, preventing the formation of hydrogen bonds by acting as a spacer between neighboring cellulose molecules and fibers. A typical configuration for a debonder includes quaternary ammonium salts and a long hydrophobic chain. In such a debonder, the cationic ammonium group can attach the debonder molecule to the anionic fiber surface, while its hydrophobic chain acts as a spacer between cellulose fibers/molecules. With the debonder in place, fewer bonds form between the cellulose fibers. With fewer bonds holding the fibers together, less energy is required to break the fibers apart.
Although these debonders produce a paperboard that requires less mechanical energy for forming fluff pulp, the debonder and its hydrophobic moiety are retained within the paper product. Retention of the hydrophobic moiety in the final product can be undesirable. For example, the presence of the hydrophobic component decreases the wicking property of the resulting fluff pulp. Hence there is a need for an approach that reduces the hydrogen bonding among the cellulose fibers, so that they can be easily broken apart, but that does not affect the hydrophilic properties of the resulting fluff pulp. Desirably, an appropriate debonder would both decrease the energy of defiberization and maintain comparable or improved wicking speeds.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Volatile debonder formulations for papermaking


The precompressed sealing tape for sealing a joint has an elastically re-expandable foam strip. The sealing tape also has a sheet-like wrapping, which at least partially surrounds the foam strip, and a strip-like element, which is arranged in the area of a lower transverse surface of the foam strip and which has greater flexural strength than the foam strip. A first section of the sheet-like wrapping is arranged between the lower transverse surface of the foam strip and the strip-like element.

A precompressed sealing tape, which consists of an elastically re-expandable foam strip of rectangular cross section, which, in the compressed state, is completely surrounded by a wrapping formed by a sheet of plastic, is known from EP 1 131 525 B1. The sheet of plastic forms a tear-off tab extending in the longitudinal direction of the sealing tape, for which purpose the sheet is bonded to itself to form a predetermined tear site. To hold the foam strip inside the pocket formed in this way, it is adhesively bonded on its bottom surface to the wrapping, and the bottom surface of the wrapping in turn can be adhered to a frame profile by separate adhesive means such as double-sided adhesive tape.
Sealing tapes of this type are bonded to the frame profile to be sealed, and after the frame profile has been installed in the rough opening in the wall of the building, the wrapping is torn open to allow the foam strip to recover elastically and thus to seal off the frame profile against the wall. In the case of these known sealing tapes, however, it is disadvantageous that they can be produced only in relatively narrow widths, because otherwise the recovery force of the precompressed sealing tape produces an oval-to-round shape inside the wrapping, which is unsuitable for installation. In association with the continually increasing requirements on sealing in buildings, however, it is desirable to provide precompressed sealing tapes in any desired width to achieve higher sealing values, better thermal insulation, and better sound damping.
WO 98/45565 A describes a sealing strip of foam material, which is surrounded by a wrapping. A stiff layer of cardboard or plastic can also be provided in the wrapping. After the sealing strip has been loosely laid in the joint to be sealed, the sheet-like wrapping is opened, and the foam strip expands slightly into the joint.
These embodiments suffer from the disadvantage that the stiff layer remaining in the joint does not meet high demands on thermal insulation, nor does it provide high sealing values, and therefore the overall sealing element is unsuitable for long-term use.
A sealing tape which consists of a surface strip for attachment to a frame profile with a foam strip arranged on top of the surface strip is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,373. The foam strip is covered by a sheet of paper or plastic, which is adhered to the surface strip and holds the foam strip in the compressed state. Rip cords, which can be used to tear open the sheet after the frame profile equipped with the sealing tape has been installed in the building structure, extend along the edge of the cover sheet.
Shortcomings of these prior art designs include the large amount of space which the sealing tape occupies on both sides.


An ink droplet ejection array is assembled by a piezoelectric transducer and a plate member. The piezoelectric transducer has a surface formed with a plurality of ribs which define a plurality of grooves. The plate member is attached to the surface of the piezoelectric transducer to cover the grooves and to thus define a plurality of ink channels. Ink contained in the ink channel is ejected when the volume of the ink channel is instantaneously reduced resulting from deformation of the associated ribs. The plate member is flexible to the deformation of the ribs so as not to restrain the deformation thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink droplet ejection device, and more particularly to an ejection device for ejecting ink droplets utilizing deformation of a piezoelectric transducer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A piezoelectric ink jet printing head has recently been proposed in the art. In the printing head known as a drop-on-demand type, ink contained in an ink channel is ejected in the form of droplet from an orifice when the volume of the ink channel is reduced resulting from deformation of a piezoelectric transducer, and the ink is supplemented into the ink channel from a valve opposite an orifice plate when the volume of the ink channel is increased. A multiplicity of such ejection units are closely juxtaposed so that a desired character or image is formed by ejecting ink droplets from selected ejection units.
An ink droplet ejection device of the type described above is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,992,808, 5,003,679 and 5,028,936. FIGS. 1 and 2 show an arrangement of such a conventional ejection device. As shown, an ejector array is made up of a piezoelectric ceramic wafer 1 and a cover plate 21. The piezoelectric ceramic wafer 1 has an inner surface formed with a plurality of ribs 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d extending in parallel to one another. Metal electrodes 11c, 11d are separately formed on the surface of the rib 2b. Likewise, metal electrodes 11e, 11f are also separately formed on the surface of the rib 2c. The piezoelectric wafer 1 has been polarized in the direction indicated by an arrow 51. The cover plate 21 is made of metal, glass or ceramic. The cover plate 21 is face-to-face bonded to the piezoelectric ceramic wafer 1 through an adhesive layer 12, thereby forming a plurality of ink channels 31a, 31b, 31c arranged in a horizontal direction. Each of the ink channels has a rectangular cross-section. The ribs defining the ink channel are deformable in a direction perpendicular to both the ink channel extending direction and the polarization direction, i.e., in the direction transversal to the direction in which the ink channels extend.
To eject an ink droplet from, for example, the ink channel 31b in accordance with print data, electric fields are applied between the metal electrodes 11c and 11d and between the metal electrodes 11e and 11f. Since the direction in which the electrical field is applied is orthogonal to the polarization direction of the piezoelectric ceramic wafer 1, the ribs 2b and 2c are deformed inwardly of the ink channel 31b pursuant to piezoelectric thickness shear effect. Due to the deformation of the ribs 2b and 2c, the volume of the ink channel 31b is reduced and thus the ink pressure is increased, causing to eject an ink droplet from an orifice 42 (see FIG. 2) formed on an orifice plate 41. When the application of the electric fields are stopped, the ribs 2b, 2c are restored to the original states, whereat ink is supplemented into the ink chamber 31b from an ink reservoir utilizing the fact that the ink pressure in the ink channel is reduced at the time of restoration of the ribs 2b, 2c.
Next, the manufacturing process of the ejector array will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The piezoelectric ceramic wafer 1 which has been polarized in the direction of arrow 51 is ground by a rotary diamond cutting disc to form U-shaped grooves 3 serving as ink channels. Metal electrodes are formed on the surfaces of the ribs by way of spattering. Thereafter, the cover plate 21 is bonded to the top faces 4a of the ribs. The orifice plate 41 is then bonded to the side face 4b of the piezoelectric ceramic wafer 1 so that the orifices 42 are in alignment with the ink channel positions.
The conventional ink droplet ejection array thus constructed is involved with a problem that a high driving voltage is required for ejecting the ink droplets. This is due to the fact that the deformation of the ribs is restrained by the cover plate bonded to one side of the transducer. Therefore, the ribs cannot be deformed as desired if it is driven with a low driving voltage.

Low-voltage actuatable ink droplet ejection device


The present invention describes a process for manufacture of RFID tags. The RFID tag of the present invention includes a substrate, an antenna, and a die positioning structure disposed on the substrate that is cast and cured specifically for receiving a silicon die of the type typically used in RFID applications. The substrate is selected from a number of materials, the properties of which render it penetrable by electron beam radiation. The die positioning structure is a second material which is electron beam curable, and which is deposited and cured at high speed on the substrate in a novel fashion in accordance with the present invention in a highly efficient, reproducible and economical manner.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of wireless communications, and specifically to the use of radio frequency transmissions to track the movement of commercial goods, as well as other suitable applications.
2. Description of the Related Art
Consumers are familiar with electronic systems for recognizing, tabulating, and indexing the movement of goods through the chain of commerce. Everyday examples include bar codes combined with optical scanners as found in a supermarket. More recently, some products and their containers have been "tagged" with radio frequency identification (RFID) transponders, which in combination with a radio frequency reader and sophisticated computer systems, enable a commercial enterprise to track inventory from a distance. An RFID system includes a tag, a reader, and a computer network connected to the reader for compiling the relevant data.
RFID tags generally consist of a substrate material in which an antenna is located for receiving and transmitting radio signals. The antenna is connected to a silicon chip, or die, which is encoded with data concerning the object to which the tag is attached. The die itself can be of several varieties, including read-only memory (ROM), electronically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), and electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). Depending on the type of die used, a tag may be able to store data, transmit data to the reader, and be reprogrammed to adapt to new data inputs.
RFID tags come in two forms: active and passive. An active tag includes a power supply, such as a battery, that provides enough current to actively transmit the necessary data from the RFID antenna to a distal receiver. A passive tag is generally smaller than an active tag, and it does not include an independent power source. Rather, a passive tag derives its power from incoming radiation, such as that from an inquiring reader. Due to the advantageous size, weight, and cost of a passive tag, they are generally considered superior to active tags for use with highly mobile retail items and containers, including, for example, books and shipping boxes.
In spite of the advantages of the passive tag, there are numerous problems encountered with their maintenance, operation, and manufacture. In particular, given the sheer volume of commerce and the potential market for RFID tags, there are currently severe limitations in the manufacturing process that hinder the mass production of suitable tags.
In the manufacture of an RFID tag, the silicon die must be precisely placed and connected to the antenna. The placement of the die is generally done through robotics via optical alignment, at which time the bonds between the die and the antenna must be formed. Once the antenna is bonded to the die, the bond is cured. The curing process typically involves heat or ultraviolet (UV) radiation that interacts with a chemical photoinitiator in the bonding agent, thereby accelerating the hardening process. In a typical process, an epoxy containing a UV sensitive photoinitiator is used to bond the die to the antenna. The UV radiation then illuminates the bond site with sufficient fluence of photons of approximately 3 electron volts (eV) energy, and after several seconds, the epoxy hardens and the bond is formed.
The process outlined above presents a number of complications that hinder the large-scale production of RFID tags. First, as the economic demand for RFID tags reaches into the billions of units per year, the 8–10 second UV-curing process effectively limits the supply that manufacturers can theoretically muster. Secondly, once the die is bonded to the antenna, there is no simple method for removing the die if it fails to perform in the pre-shipment tests. Consequently, an estimated 20–40% of the RFID tags that fail the tests are irrevocably lost, further limiting the supply and increasing the cost of tags to businesses and consumers.
Given the foregoing, there is a need in the art for a reliable, cost-effective, and easily produced RFID tag that is usable over a range of commercial applications. Moreover, there is a need for a novel production method that is capable of large-scale cost effective production of RFID tags with reliable testing parameters and a high production yield.

Radio frequency identification tag and method of making the same


A cold trap includes a fluid conduit having a fluid flow path therethrough, a length along the fluid flow path and a width transverse to the fluid flow path. The width of the fluid conduit is greater than the length. A cryopumping array having an outer rim surrounding a central opening is positioned within the fluid conduit transverse to the fluid flow path such that the fluid flow path extends through the central opening of the array. The outer rim captures water vapor from the fluid flow path. The array has a transverse width and a rim width which are both greater than the thickness of the array. A conductive strut extends from the array through the fluid conduit transverse to the fluid flow path for a conductively coupling the array to a cryogenic cooling source which cools the array to cryogenic temperatures.

Vacuum pumps such as turbomolecular vacuum pumps are often employed for evacuating process chambers used in manufacturing. Although turbomolecular pumps are efficient in removing many gases from process chambers, they are not efficient for pumping water vapor. As a result, cold traps are commonly mounted in-line between the turbomolecular pump and the process chamber for improving the water pumping capabilities. Such cold traps remove water vapor from the process chamber by condensing the water vapor on a cryopumping array positioned in the fluid flow path.
Most cold traps include a fluid conduit having flanges at opposite ends for mounting between the process chamber and the turbomolecular pump. The cryopumping array is positioned within the fluid conduit and is cooled by a cryogenic refrigerator. Some cold traps such as presented in U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,803 are designed to provide minimal flow resistance for non-condensing gases passing therethrough such as nitrogen and argon by employing a thin walled tubular cryopumping array. The most common tubular array is about 8 inches in diameter by 6 inches long. A tubular array of this size results in a cold trap having a fluid conduit about 9 inches long. The water vapor condenses along the surfaces of the tubular array while allowing the non-condensing gases to pass substantially unrestricted through the open center of the array.

Low profile in line cryogenic water pump


A twist drill has double margins and a chisel edge angle of between 80 degrees and 100 degrees to maximize hole straightness and to minimize “walking” of the drill upon a workpiece. The drill may be modular having a removable tip body or the drill may be of a solid configuration. A tip body is consumable and may be removed and replaced as required.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a cutting tool, such as a twist drill, having a uniquely oriented chisel edge.
2. Description of Related Art
It is important in the drilling of brittle materials such as grey cast iron to drill a circular hole at a desired location and in a straight direction with "hole straightness". During the drilling process, not only is it possible for the drill to "walk" across the surface of a workpiece away from the target location but, furthermore, even when the drill is positioned at the proper target location, asymmetrical cutting forces upon the drill may cause the drill to wobble, thereby producing a non-circular hole, a hole that is not straight, or both. U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,807 issued Aug. 31, 1976, is directed to a double margin twist drill having a chisel edge that forms a chisel edge angle with the corner of the primary margin. While FIG. 2 of this patent illustrates this feature, it is difficult to discern the chisel edge angle because FIG. 2 is a perspective view. Nevertheless, the outer diameter of the primary margin reduces as the margin approaches the chisel edge and, as a result, some drill stability is sacrificed.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,267,514 issued Sep. 11, 2007, is directed to a self-centering bit drill with a pilot tip, wherein the drill has only a single margin. This patent discloses in FIG. 4, an arrangement, whereby the chisel edge is essentially parallel with the drill margin. While this reduces the "walking" of the drill, the same problem exists with respect to hole shape and hole straightness because the drill tends to wobble while drilling.
A drill design is needed that makes straighter and better located holes, and that stabilizes the drill within the hole during the hole making process.


A semiconductor package includes a leadframe forming a plurality of leads with a die attach site, a semiconductor die including a set of die contacts mounted to the die attach site in a flip chip configuration with each die contact of the set of die contacts electrically connected to leadframe via one of a set of solder joints, a set of solder joint capsules covering each of the set of solder joints against the leadframe, a clip mounted to the leadframe over the semiconductor die with a clip solder joint. The solder joint capsules restrict flow of the solder joints of the semiconductor die contacts in the flip chip configuration such that the solder remains in place if remelted during later clip solder reflow.

Current sensors may include a current path with a sensor coil and an adjacent magnetic sensor, such as a Hall effect sensor, which detects an electromagnetic field emanating from the sensor coil from current through the sensor coil. Within the present application and as currently described in the power circuits industry, low voltage is considered as below 50 volts, high voltage is defined as a voltage greater than 50 volts and less than 5,000 volts. Extra-high voltage is a voltage greater than 5,000 volts. Particularly with respect to high voltage and extra-high voltage, a sensor coil and sensor may be implemented separately within a semiconductor package rather than as part of an integrated circuit.

Semiconductor package with flip chip solder joint capsules


An object is to realize a base material nonwoven fabric for molding excellent in handling as a material, by preventing peeling between laminated components constituting the base material for molding; and even after the base material is reheated and molded, to provide a molded product having excellent elasticity resistant to external forces such as flying debris or the like, and while maintaining peeling resistance, capable of realizing excellent sound absorbing characteristics, by suppressing air permeability inhibition due to the adhesive component. A base material nonwoven fabric for molding in a predetermined shape by heat molding, characterized by having a two-layer structure of a long fiber nonwoven fabric layer comprising at least a polyester resin and a short fiber nonwoven fabric layer comprising a polyester resin, wherein a flow-solidified undrawn polypropylene layer is localized in the vicinity of an interface between the long fiber nonwoven fabric layer and the short fiber nonwoven fabric layer.

Underbody shielding materials are used everywhere on an auto body in order to reduce the unevenness of the underside of the auto body to minimize air resistance during movement, or to protect the auto body from flying debris scattered by tires.
As an example, JP 2012-245925 (Patent literature 1) proposes a body undercover for autos to be placed on the underside of the body of a car (hereinafter collectively referred to as underbody shielding material, and sometimes abbreviated as UBS). In this technology, a fiber molded product comprising at least: a base material layer, in which a fiber reinforcing material comprising an inorganic fiber such as a fiberglass or the like, and a first thermoplastic synthetic resin are mixed; and a nonwoven fabric layer of a thermoplastic synthetic fiber, both the layers being laminated, surface portions of both the layers being bonded by thermal fusion, and both the layers being compression-molded into a predetermined shape, is disclosed. The first thermoplastic synthetic resin of the base material layer has a melting point for melting in a heating process at the time of molding, and the nonwoven fabric layer includes a mixture of a second thermoplastic synthetic fiber having a melting point for melting in the heating process at the time of molding and a third thermoplastic synthetic fiber having a melting point for non-melting in the heating process at the time of molding.
In this technology, it is disclosed that since the first and the second thermoplastic synthetic resins are used for interlayer adhesion, it is possible to realize a UBS having a higher air permeability and excellent sound absorbing characteristics than when using an adhesive film.
As another UBS technology which does not use such an adhesive film, WO 2016/160264 (Patent literature 2) proposes a composite material technology for UBS comprising providing a first nonwoven fabric and a third nonwoven fabric of spunbond polyester comprising at least 50% by weight of an ester of an aromatic carboxylic acid, and a second nonwoven fabric obtained by entangling polyester staple fibers by needle punching; sandwiching the second nonwoven fabric between the first nonwoven fabric and the third nonwoven fabric; and entangling and integrating the laminate by needle punching. In the technology of this publication, an embodiment in which, as the polyester fibers constituting each layer, composite fibers, such as a sheath-core type or the like, are adopted for adhesion is disclosed. It is disclosed that, by applying this technology, peeling resistance can be given, because it is possible to bond fibers by needle punching in a state where their fiber components are oriented in the thickness direction between two layers in contact with each other at the interface; and that air permeability is unimpaired, and excellent sound absorbing characteristics are exhibited, because no film is used as an adhesive component.

Base material nonwoven fabric for molding and molded product obtained by the same


An image forming method of a silver halide light sensitive photographic material including a color image forming layer containing a silver halide emulsion and a dye providing material is disclosed, the image forming method comprising the steps of developing the exposed photographic material with a first processing solution and subjecting the developed photographic material to amplification with a second processing solution, wherein the first processing solution contains a black-and-white developing agent and a color developing agent.

Silver halide light sensitive photographic materials (hereinafter, referred to as photographic materials), which have enhanced properties such as high sensitivity and excellent tone reproduction as compared to other print materials, are widely employed. An image forming method has been known, employing amplification development of a silver halide photographic material, in which advantageous effects of the silver halide photographic material are displayed, in which consumption of silver halide can be reduced, and which is preferable in terms of effective use of natural resources. As an example of the amplification development is cited a method in which an oxidized color developing agent is formed by using an oxidizing agent such as hydrogen peroxide or a cobalt (III) complex in the presence of developed silver as a catalyst and subsequently, a dye image is formed upon reaction with a coupler. Of these, the amplification development by the use of hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizing agent is preferred in terms of high amplification efficiency and reduced environmental load.
Amplification development is comprised of a silver developing process which forms catalytically active silver nuclei and an amplification process of amplification development catalyzed by the silver nuclei. WO 93/11460 and JP-A 7-159960 and 7-175190 (the term, JP-A refers to an unexamined and published Japanese Patent Application) disclose an image forming method by the use of an amplification developing solution concurrently containing a developing agent and an oxidizing agent (alternatively, denoted as a single solution type amplification development). Since the silver development and amplification processes simultaneously proceed in the single solution amplification development, there occur problems such that an optimum condition for each process can not be simultaneously achieved, making it difficult to obtain images with satisfied photographic performance, and the developing solution concurrently which contains an oxidizing agent and a reducing agent which deteriorates more quickly and is inferior in aging stability. Further, WO 92/07299 and 93/01524, JP-A 61-8, 61-80150, 61-88259, 6-313954, 7-77788, 9-106052 and 9-127664 disclose image forming methods, in which to separate the amplification process from the silver development process, plural processing solutions are employed, the silver development is performed in the first processing solution, and the amplification is performed in the second processing solution (hereinafter, denoted as dual solution type amplification development).
In the image forming method by employing conventional color development which is the prevalent trend of development in the market, the use of high chloride containing silver halide emulsion results in shortened processing time, however, further rapid access is still desired. Through improvements of equipments such as automatic processors and printers, photographic processing solutions and photographic materials, so-called mini-labs have widely spread. Such mini-labs can be installed in a small area and are easily operated. There is still desired, however, a mini-lab with a low price and capable of forming stable and high quality images.
In the dual solution type amplification development described in JP-A 61-80149, 61-80150, 61-88259, 6-313954 and 7-77788; WO 92/07299 and 93/01524, it is difficult to simultaneously achieve both shortening of the amplification developing time and sufficient density, and therefore further improvement in these area is still desired. Further, in the dual solution type amplification development described in JP-A 9-106052 and 9-127664, it was proved that when being continuously processed, the density in the midscale density portion tended to fluctuate and its improvement is still sought.


An ergonomic storage tray with enhanced stability to secure beverage storing cups and food items is provided. The storage tray includes a tray having a top surface, a bottom surface, a first pair of opposing side surfaces, a second pair of opposing side surfaces, and a plurality of compartments designed to store beverage storing cups and food items. The tray includes an off-center thumb hole and a cutout on a side surface in the first pair of opposing side surfaces. The thumb hole in the tray receives the thumb of the user, the cutout in the tray receives the upper arm and elbow of the user, and the bottom surface of the tray contacts the forearm of the user, thereby securely supporting the beverage storing cups and food items in the tray.

The embodiments herein relate generally to cup and food holding trays and devices.
During sporting events, concerts and other entertainment shows, spectators have to carry and juggle one or more beverage storing cups and/or food items from the concessions to the seating area. This often involves carrying and balancing these food and drink items up or down stairs and around other spectators in a row before reaching a designated seat. This is difficult to accomplish as the beverage storing cups and/or food items can easily tilt or slip out of the individual's hands, thereby spilling and/or dropping the items on other spectators or the floor.
In some circumstances, a concession will provide trays to store these beverages and food items. However, these trays do not provide proper designated hand holding areas to improve the balance and weight distribution of the carrier and any cups or food items stored thereon. This makes it difficult to maneuver the carrier and results in the increased frequency of spillage of beverages and/or food items due to a tilted tray. These accidents create burdens on individuals to clean up beverages or food stains on their clothing, and venue staff to clean spills on the seats or floor at the venue.
Several plates and trays for supporting cups, glasses or food items are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2014/0231438, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 10,238,224, 6,622,885 and 5,947,011. However, these plates and trays are limited in that they do not provide the support, stability, ease-of-use and/or ergonomics to enable a user to effectively balance and transport a plurality of beverage storing cups and food items through crowded and closed quarters at a stadium or other venue.
As such, there is a need in the industry for an ergonomic food and drink storage tray that addresses the limitations of the prior art, which effectively allows a user to maneuver and balance the tray and any beverage storing cups or food items placed thereon. There is a need for the storage tray to be designed for use at crowded venues during sporting events, concerts or other entertainment shows.


An arrangement for counting liquid scintillation samples on bottom-window multi-well sample plates in a liquid scintillation counter. The sample plates include a plurality of samples wells having light impermeable side walls and a light permeable bottom sheet which covers and forms the bottoms of said sample wells. The liquid scintillation counter includes at least one photomultiplier tube and a sample plate holder. The sample plate holder includes a device to hold sample plates of different sizes and a device to enable transporting of the sample plate holder by the scintillation counter. For preventing light passage between sample wells in the permeable bottom sheet a light permeable adhesive foil provided with black lines or other light passage preventing treatment between the sample wells is attached to the bottom side of the sample plate. In cases where the samples on the sample plate are measured from the top by a single photomultiplier tube the foil is reflective to reflect scintillation light to the photomultiplier tube. In cases where the samples on the sample plate are measured from the bottom by a single photomultiplier tube a reflective adhesive foil is attached to the top of the sample plate to reflect scintillation light to the photomultiplier tube.

Liquid scintillation counters are mainly used for measuring low energy beta radiation emitting samples, which are of, for example, biological or medical interest.
The range of the low energy beta particles in the sample is generally few tens of micrometers at the most. As a consequence, the sample to be measured has to be placed in direct contact with the scintillation medium, which comprises a solvent or solvents and a solute or solutes present in a small portion by weight of the solutions. In this interaction process most of the kinetic energy of the interacted beta particle is absorbed by the solvent and then transferred to the solute which emits scintillation photons, whose amount is proportional to the energy of the interacted beta particle. These scintillation photons are detected usually by two, in coincidence operating, photomultiplier tubes that produce electric pulses. The heights of the pulses are proportional to the amount of emitted scintillation photons and thus proportional to the energy of the interacted beta particle.
Traditional liquid scintillation counters are designed to count samples--one at a time--deposited with scintillation liquid into sample vials. The volume of the sample vial is typically 6 or 20 ml. The sample vials are deposited into vial racks, which have separate compartments for individual sample vials. The sample racks are placed on the conveyor of the automatic sample changer system of the counter.
Because the above mentioned liquid scintillation counter is designed to count vials, whose volume is up to 20 ml, serious difficulties are encountered, when the sample volume is only few hundred microliters or less. Typically, these samples are prepared in minivials which are then inserted into normal vials. In addition, the handling of separate sample vials is very time consuming and includes potential risks of mis-identification. The sample changing mechanism of such an instrument is also rather complicated, because the vial must be removed from the sample rack and must be positioned into a light tight radiation detection chamber, and after counting it must be returned to the same position in the sample rack.
A novel liquid scintillation counter, which counts samples directly from multi-well sample plates is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,061,853 (Lehtinen et al), which apparatus counts liquid scintillation or corresponding samples directly from sample plates which comprises several separate sample wells or vials. The apparatus has one or several detectors in order to count one or several samples at a time. The sample plate is placed, in the counting position or before counting position, manually or automatically on a rigid plate holder made of photon attenuating material and having holes for the wells of the sample plate. As a consequence, an optically isolated compartment is formed around each sample well of the sample plate. The walls of the holes are reflecting or scattering in order to guide the photons from the liquid scintillation sample to the detectors, built of two photomultiplier tubes operating in coincidence and situated on the opposite sides of the holes of the plate holder. The wells of the sample plate can be closed by an adhesive transparent tape. The apparatus can be used also for counting gamma radiation emitting samples if the holes of the sample plate are surrounded by gamma radiation sensitive detectors. A detailed construction of this kind of liquid scintillation counter is shown in PCT patent application no. PCT/F190/00124 (Sonne et al.).
Another novel liquid scintillation counter, which counts samples directly from multi-well sample plates is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,860 (Yrjonen et al.), which is an apparatus for counting liquid scintillation samples and which includes a sample plate containing a plurality of cup-shaped sample wells, a photomultiplier assembly over the tops of said cup-shaped sample wells, a photomultiplier assembly beneath the bottoms of said cup-shaped sample wells and light reflective tubes extending upwardly from said lower photomultiplier assembly and surrounding each cup-shaped sample well. In order to prevent light from travelling between the sample wells inside the material of the sample plate, one or both of the surfaces between the wells of the sample plate are painted black or this region is treated in some other way which prevents light from travelling between the sample wells inside the material of the sample plate.
Third novel scintillation counting system for in-situ measurement of radioactive samples in a multiple-well plate is presented under European Patent Publication Number 0425767A1 (VanCauter et al.). This apparatus is provided with multiple photomultiplier tubes positioned adjacent to the sample wells containing the scintillator for simultaneously measuring the radioactivity of multiple samples with only a single photomultiplier tube sensing the scintillations from each well and converting the sensed scintillations into corresponding electrical pulses. The electrical pulses from each photomultiplier tube are processed to discriminate between pulses attributable to sample events within the wells and pulses attributable to non-sample events such as photomultiplier tube noise. The discrimination is effected by determining whether a selected number of electrical pulses occurs with a prescribed time interval, the occurrence of the selected number of pulses within the prescribed time interval signifying a sample event. Only the electrical pulses attributable to sample events are supplied to a pulse analyzer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,554 (Lehtinen et al.) describes a method of producing a carrier for a plurality of radioactive samples to be monitored in a liquid scintillation counter, where wells are provided in a rigid plate of a photon attenuating material in that holes disposed in a matrix configuration are covered from one side of the plate by a first photon permeable foil, sample carrying cut-out from sorption sheet on which samples have been deposited are placed in said wells, a scintillation fluid is added to the wells, and the wells are sealed by a second permeable foil to keep the cut-outs and the scintillation fluid within the respective wells.
A commercial product of a multi-well sample plate which is provided with light impermeable well walls but light permeable bottoms is manufactured by Polyfiltronics Ltd., UK. In this patent application this kind of plate is called as a bottom-window multi-well sample plate.

Arrangement for counting liquid scintillation samples on bottom-window multi-well sample plates


A simulation model for a system wherein data passes from a source domain to a destination domain, such source and destination domains operating with different, asynchronous clocks provided to the source and destination domains. The model includes a three-stage delay network fed by data from the source domain in response to clock provided to operate the source domain. The network operates in response to clocks provided to operate the destination domain. The model includes a selector having inputs fed by outputs of the three delays and an output fed to the destination domain, such selector randomly providing to the output of such selector outputs of the each of the delays from the three stage delay network. The selector output is randomly chosen only when the data in the source domain changes logical state from a logic low to high or from a logic high to low. Otherwise, if this were performed on every clock of the destination domain, the randomness would not be evenly distributed between all three-delay stages.

As is known in the art, one way to compensate for delays in passing data from a source (i.e., a source domain) to a plurality of different destinations (i.e., a destination domain) is to provide a flip-flop between the source domain and the destination domain. The flip-flop stores the data from the source domain and thus provides a data buffer. This buffered data is then available at a common time for each one of the different destinations, (i.e., the destination domain).
As is also known in the art, there is metastability in a flip-flop. To compensate for such metastability a design frequently includes a second flip-flop preceding the buffering flip-flop. Thus, a two flip-flop synchronizer is provided. This two flip-flop synchronizer approach allows for an entire clock period (except for the setup time of the second flip-flop) for metastable events in the first synchronizing flip-flop to resolve them before being latched in the second flip-flop.
As is also known in the art, it is frequently required that data processed in a first, or source domain, operating with one clock, be passed to a second, or destination; domain operating with a different, clock asynchronous with the first cloak, i.e., the two domains operate asynchronously.
As is also known in the art, prior to finalizing any design, the design is typically simulated. The inventors have recognized that with such an asynchronous system, there is a randomness of the arrival of the valid and stable signal in the destination domain that is not accounted for during the initial design simulation phase. That is, the inventors have recognized that it could take (one or two) clocks under one placement and routing condition or (two or three) clocks under a different placement and routing condition for the valid signal to arrive at the receiving block because of the relative phase between the clock operating the source domain and the clock operating the destination domain. This randomness is due to the possibility of the first stage of the two stage synchronizer of going meta-stable which occurs when a signal misses the required setup time of the synchronizer flip flop and of the fact that synthesis placement and routing of signals crossing clock domains are usually constrained in static timing as a multi-cycle path. Current verification approach of dealing with this issue has been to lock the arrival delay of the synchronized signal to two clocks (i.e., assume that the first stage flip flop never goes meta-stable) and perform verification based on that assumption. This approach could open up the possibility of masking a functional bug in the receive logic if it happens that the arrival time of the synchronized signal matter to that logic. i.e., if the destination domain would behave differently if the cross clock domain signal arrives two clocks delayed verses three clock delayed.
More particularly, traditionally, designers infer for the simulation, two back-to-back flip flops "synchronizers" in the register transfer level (RTL) "verilog" code to insure stable transition of signals crossing clock boundaries. This in turn fixes the delay in between the clock domains into two clocks, thus implicitly assuming that the first synchronization stage never goes meta-stable. Functional simulation of logic in the domains, normally progresses on this assumption. In reality, the first synchronizer stage would and could get meta-stable (this is the purpose of the meta-stable flip flops to begin with) and thus delay the arrival of the valid and stable signal by an extra clock cycle. The inventors have recognized this as a random event that could be affected by the phase alignment of the launch and receive clocks and have accounted for it in accordance with the present invention.
More particularly, the inventors discovered that in order to accurately simulate the behavior of signals crossing clock boundaries, it is essential to model the random behavior of the meta-stability phenomena encountered in such scenarios. Therefore, it is important to have a meta-stable logical block that has the capability of varying the cross clock domain delay by either one clock cycle, by two clock cycles, or randomly selecting between the two.
The random selection of the delay (1 or 2 clock cycles) insures covering the various state cases and transitions of the receive logic, by exposing any functional dependencies on the arrival of cross clock domain signals. This would cover any functional anomalies simulating at the register transfer level (RTL) level.
The inventors have also recognized that a second condition exists because of the fact that ASICs and modem FPGAs are running at faster and faster speeds which should be accounted for in the design simulation. That is, any path that crosses clock boundaries most likely does not consist of single cycle timing in regards to static timing analysis or synthesis, also referred to as multi-cycle path. This could cause the actual time to register through the back-to-back flip-flops to actually be either two clock cycles or three clock cycles. Thus it is important to randomly select the delay (2 or 3 clock cycles) as well.
In accordance with the present invention, a simulation is provided that considers both conditions into consideration; i.e., a 1 or 2 clock cycles delay as well as a 2 or 3 clock cycles delay. Since the synthesis, placement, and routing of the networks crossing clock domains determine which one of the two conditions exist, using a single condition of 1, 2, or 3 clock cycles is not valid since it would over-test the design. A single condition can be made of randomly selecting (1, 2, or 3 clock cycles) and never transitioning from (1 to 3 clock cycles) or from (3 to 1 clock cycles). This will then take into consideration the meta-stability nature of the double flip-flops as well as the single and multi-cycle paths of signals crossing clock domains.
In accordance with the present invention, a simulation model for a system wherein data passes from a source domain to a destination domain, such source and destination domains operating with different, asynchronous clocks provided to the source and destination domains. The model includes a three-stage delay network fed by data from the source domain in response to clock provided to operate the source domain. The network operates in response to clocks provided to operate the destination domain. The model includes a selector having inputs fed by outputs of the three delays and an output fed to the destination domain, such selector randomly providing to the output of such selector outputs of the each of the delays from the three stage delay network.
In one embodiment, the selector output is randomly chosen only when the data in the source domain changes logical state from a logic low to high or from a logic high to low. Otherwise, if this were performed on every clock of the destination domain, the randomness would not be evenly distributed between all three-delay stages.
The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

Method and apparatus for accurate modeling of multi-domain clock interfaces


In order to produce a cellulose ester film constructed of a front layer, an intermittent layer and a rear layer, a dope solution is doped on a supporter. In at least one of the front layer and the rear layer, a mass ratio of a cotton linter to a wood pulp (cotton linter/wood pulp) is between 5/95 and 0/100, and a solvent of the dope contains more than 15 wt. % alcohols and hydrocarbons whose carbon number each is 1–10. Further, a ratio of a solid content density of a solution for forming the front layer and the rear layer to a solid density of a solution for forming the intermittent layer is less than 0.9 wt. %, and a total thickness of the solutions for front and rear layers is more than 5% of the dope ribbon.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of producing of a cellulose ester film which is used for a deflector protect film and an optical compensation film.
2. Description Related to the Prior Art
A deflector protect film and an optical compensation film are produced of a cellulose ester film, such as cellulose triacetate film (hereinafter TAC film) and the like. The TAC film is produced in a method for producing a film from a solution. In the method additives are solved in a solvent to produce a high molecular solution (dope solution), and thereafter the dope solution is doped on a supporter with a die having a slit, dried for a predetermined time, peeled from the supporter, and further dried again to produce the TAC film.
When the dope solution is dried for a long time thereby, the solvent in the dope solution is evaporated to form a skinning of high molecular material on both edges of the slit of the die. The skinning prevents the doping of the dope solution, and causes the thickness in both edges of the dope solution on the supporter to become uneven. Further sometimes the skinning falls down from the both edges of the slit of the die. In this case, the skinning adheres on a feed roller to damage the TAC film dried from the dope solution on the supporter. In order to prevent the generation of the skinning, U.S. Pat. No. 3,112,528, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publications No. 2-208650 and 5-86212 describe methods in which the solvent is flown to solve solutes in the dope solution or a mixture of the evaporated solvent and air are blown.
However, in the above methods, the amount of the mixture and the solvent is hardly regulated. Accordingly vibration of edges of a dope ribbon between the die and the supporter causes to generate the skinning.
Further, the deflector protect film is applied to one of both side of a deflector. The deflector is formed of a polyvinylalcohol film (hereinafter PVA film). The PVA film is extended on a shaft for dieing in iodine or to color dyne, and otherwise after dying the PVA film is extended, and bridges with boron compound to produce the deflector.
Several types of the cellulose ester films are proposed. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 6-134933 proposes a cellulose triacetate laminate film having a cellulose triacetate film produced from cotton and pulp for easy peeling and improving the heat resistance. Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-19776 proposes a cellulose ester film whose averaged substitution degree is 2.88–3.00 to always prevent the generation of optical creases.

Method for producing of cellulose ester film


There is provided a fine pattern transfer, belt-shaped mold, with which a fine structure having a high aspect ratio can be formed rapidly and stably using nanoimprinting, and a fine pattern transfer system (a nanoimprint system) that employs this mold. According to the present invention, a nanoimprint mold includes: a belt-shaped support member; a plurality of stampers, for each of which a fine convex-and-concave pattern, to be transferred, is formed on one surface; and an adhesive member, to which the belt-shaped support member and the stampers are to be securely adhered, wherein the adhesive member includes a porous member and adhesive layers, which are deposited on either face of the porous member, for impregnating one part of the porous member, and wherein, for the porous member, a porous area that is not impregnated with the adhesive layers, is provided and positioned so as to sandwich the porous member between portions impregnated with the adhesive layers.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pattern transfer mold and to a transfer system for employing the pattern transfer mold, and relates particularly to a fine structure transfer mold, with which the nanoimprinting transfer of a fine pattern can be performed very accurately, at a low cost, and a fine structure transfer system for employing this mold.
(2) Description of Related Art
Conventionally, photolithography technology is employed for processing fine patterns required for semiconductor integrated circuits. However, in consonance with developments in the structural refinement and the integration of circuits, required element sizes have been reduced until they are the equivalent of the wavelengths of light sources used for photolithography exposure, and fabricating such fine patterns using photolithography is difficult. Therefore, instead of a system that employs photolithography, one that uses electron beam lithography, a type of charged particle beam lithography, has begun to be employed.
For the formation of a pattern using an electron beam, employed is a direct writing method, for which a light source such as an i-line (a type of ultraviolet ray) or an excimer laser is used, that differs greatly from the conventional full projection method. However, a fundamental disadvantage of the direct writing method is that whereas the time required to complete one pattern is normally not excessive, to complete a number of patterns an extended period is required, since the time needed would be a multiple of that for a single pattern. Thus, as the level of integration for semiconductor integrated circuits has been increased, throughput has been reduced, which has led to the development of a full pattern irradiation method, whereby, to increase the speed of the electron beam lithography system, variously shaped masks are employed together and are collectively irradiated by an electron beam to form a mask pattern having a complicated shape. However, with this system, when the situation is such that the refinement of patterns is continuous, associated system costs rise, i.e., the size of the electron beam lithography system is increased and accurate control means, for positioning the masks, must be provided.
On the other hand, a technique for the low cost forming of a fine pattern is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. A1-5,259,926 and A1-5,772,905 and in "S. Y. Chou et. al., Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 67, p. 3114 (1995)". According to this technique, a stamper is used to emboss a resist layer, deposited on the surface of a substrate, with a desired, but inverted, fine, convex-and-concave pattern to be formed on the substrate. As a result, the desired fine pattern can be transferred to the substrate, which, especially according to the nanoimprint technique described in U.S. Pat. No. A1-5,772,905 or "S. Y. Chou et. al., Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 67, p. 3114 (1995)", is a silicon wafer, to be employed as a mold, to which and on which a fine, 25 nanometer or smaller structure can be transferred and collectively formed.
Further, the following imprinting method is described in U.S. Pat. No. A1-5,772,905 and "S. Y. Chou et. al., Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 67, p. 3114 (1995)". According to this method, a mold is placed on a substrate on which a resin coat has been deposited, and the substrate is mounted on the stage of a parallel plate pressing system, which pressurizes and heats the substrate at the glass transition temperature for the resin, or higher. Then, the substrate is cooled at the glass transition temperature, or lower, and is released from the mold to complete the pattern transfer process.
Furthermore, an imprinting method that employs a roller to apply pressure is disclosed in "Hua Tan et al., J. Vac. Sci. Technol., B16(6), p. 3926 (1998)". According to this document, a mold is mounted around a roller and is used to imprint a fine pattern having a width of 700 nm and a height of 60 nm. Also in the description given in "Hua Tan et al., J. Vac. Sci. Technol., B16(6), p. 3926 (1998)", a roller is used to apply pressure to a flat plate mold to form a fine pattern line 70 nm wide and 40 nm long.
However, the following problem has been identified for the above described nanoimprint technique for accurately forming a fine pattern. For example, when the method described in U.S. Pat. No. A1-5,772,905 and "S. Y. Chou et. al., Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 67, p. 3114 (1995)" is employed to imprint a pattern on a substrate, the heating, pressure application, cooling and release processes must be sequentially performed. Therefore, an extended period of time is required for one pattern imprinting cycle, and it is difficult for this method to be employed for the mass production of a fine structure. As for the method described in "Hua Tan et al., J. Vac. Sci. Technol., B16(6), p. 3926 (1998)", the substrate is released (separated) from the mold immediately after the substrate has been heated and the pattern imprinted on the substrate. Thus, the aspect ratio (the pattern height/the pattern width) for a pattern to be imprinted tends to be low, e.g., 0.086 (60 nm/700 nm) or 0.57 (40 nm/70 nm), and it is difficult to use this method for a device, such as an optical device or a bio-device, that requires a fine structure having a high aspect ratio (e.g., an aspect ratio of 1 or greater).
As a measure for resolving these problems, a nanoimprint technique is proposed that employs a long belt mold on which a fine pattern has been formed (e.g., JP-A-2006-326948). According to this method, since the heating, pressure application, cooling and releasing processes for the pattern transfer can be sequentially performed, a pattern having a high aspect ratio can be rapidly transferred.
Generally, a semiconductor processing technique is required to form a fine pattern for which the size is several or fewer μm. However, at present, since the maximum diameter of a sample wafer to be processed is substantially 300 mm, it is difficult for a fine pattern to be directly formed on a long, large dimension belt-shaped mold. Therefore, there is a common request for a method whereby a long, highly reproducible belt-shaped mold, used for transferring a fine pattern, can be stably manufactured, i.e., for the provision of a long, belt-shaped mold, with which a fine structure having a high aspect ratio can be rapidly and stably formed (while the abnormal deformation or the snapping of a material, to which a pattern is to be transferred, is prevented).

Belt-shaped mold and nanoimprint system using the belt-shaped mold


A method for detecting ionizing radiation with the aid of a scintillation counter and a photomultiplier using an inorganic solid-matter scintillator that incorporates at least one decay time component greater than 100 ns and measures the photons emitted by the scintillator with a fast single-photon counter. The single-photon counter is composed of a fast photomultiplier with high internal amplification, a stabilized high-voltage supply and a fast amplifier/discriminator with standard pulse output. With this arrangement, the measurement of all types of radiation, like alpha, beta, gamma and X radiation, can be performed, with low manufacturing costs for the detector, a high degree of sensitivity especially with regard to low beta energies, only small sensitivity changes over a large temperature range of −20 to +50 degrees C., and good long-term stability.

1. Technical Background
The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for scintillation counting of ionizing radiation.
In radionuclide laboratories, in nuclear facilities and in general radiation protection, measurements are regularly conducted, e.g., for establishing radioactive contamination or the dose rate, as well as for activity measuring.
In process measurement technology, such as for measuring fill level, density, or weight per unit area, nuclear measuring processes are widely used as well. The detectors that are utilized are especially scintillation counters, counting tubes and ionization chambers.
2. Prior Art
The publication by KNOLL, entitled "Radiation detection and measurement", 2nd edition (p. 231 and 237) discloses that ZnS, and specifically ZnS(Ag), is the material of choice for detection of alpha radiation and has a high light output in response to that radiation. In contrast, ZnS(Ag) is apparently not suitable for detection of other types of radiation.
The prior art, which has already been described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,108, is thus as follows:
If only alpha radiation is measured, only ZnS(Ag) is used as the scintillator. If only beta radiation is measured, a plastic scintillator is used. However, if alpha and beta radiation are to be measured simultaneously and separately, a "sandwich" scintillator is used. It consists of a flat plastic scintillator with an applied layer of ZnS(Ag), with the latter facing the probe. The thickness of the ZnS(Ag) layer is selected such that preferably all alpha particles are stopped and generate light in the process, which is achieved with a ZnS(Ag) layer thickness of approximately 6 mg/cm2. In all embodiments, a light-proof radiation inlet window, usually a metallized plastic film, is located above the scintillator.
The scintillator may be mounted directly on the inlet window of the photomultiplier. This is not possible, however, with surface-contamination monitors since the scintillators have surface areas of typically 100-200 cm2, whereas the inlet windows of preferred photomultipliers have a diameter of only approximately 25 mm. The photons are thus bundled in this case from the scintillator with the aid of a reflector onto the photocathode.
The output pulses of the photomultiplier pass through a linear amplifier with pulse shaping times of typically 1-20 μs. The discrimination between alpha radiation on one hand, and beta/gamma/X-radiation on the other hand, takes place in the known process with sandwich scintillators based on amplitudes that are sorted by pulse amplitude discriminators into the corresponding channels.
This method has a number of shortcomings:
The sensitivity to low-energy beta radiation is low, since this radiation must first penetrate the ZnS(Ag) layer where it does not generate any signal that can be measured with conventional methods, before reaching, with its residual energy, the plastic scintillator. One also no longer obtains a visible plateau in this case, i.e., no stable operating point in dependence upon the pulse rate as a function of the high voltage.
Plastic scintillators with ZnS(Ag) coating additionally require a special and complex manufacturing process and, consequently, high costs for the detector and thus for the measuring system.

Method and apparatus for detecting ionizing radiation