Plural AFM probes with different resolutions are implemented on an apparatus for scanning a nearly free-standing nanometer-scale specimen. The apparatus identifies the location and the shape of the nano structure on a specimen piece using a high resolution AFM probe, and then measures a three-dimensional shape of the identified nano structure using an atomic resolution AFM probe.

Recently, microstructures with micro or nano scales are used for a micro electro mechanical system (MEMS), a micro electronic device, a photo-electronic device, or the like. To design and manufacture such devices, it is required to identify the shapes of the microstructures used for the devices and to test the mechanical properties of the microstructures.
Generally, an atomic force microscope, i.e., AFM, was developed to measure the surface shape of a specimen piece of microstructures. As it has been realized that an AFM can be utilized for a high resolution test on a micro load and displacement of a microstructure, however, it additionally provides a function for testing mechanical properties, e.g., a nano-indentation test function.
As an AFM additionally provides a nano-indentation test, it can measure mechanical properties such as elastic modulus or hardness of a microscale specimen piece that was not measurable with any existing testing device.
However, most of conventional devices for scanning a nano structure using AFM probes merely have a single AFM probe with a fixed resolution, and thus, they have problems that they are incapable of measuring a nano structure with various resolutions and, as they use a single AFM probe, the AFM probe can be easily contaminated by impurities during operations such as rotating or rolling the nano structure to the right orientation.

Apparatus for scanning nano structure with plural AFM probes and method thereof

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology


Systems and methods are described to provide fault tolerant folded Clos networks. A folded Clos network is disclosed including a set of tier 1 routers interconnected with a set of tier 2 routers. Tier 1 routers are configured to view a set of tier 2 routers as a single aggregate router. Accordingly, tier 1 routers are unaware of faults between tier 2 routers and additional tier 1 routers. A throwback router is connected to each tier 2 router to facilitate handling of data under such fault conditions. When a tier 2 router receives undeliverable data, the data is passed to a throwback router, which retransmits the data to an additional tier 2 router. Data that is retransmitted multiple times can be disregarded by the throwback router.

Generally described, computing devices utilize a communication network, or a series of communication networks, to exchange data. Companies and organizations operate computer networks that interconnect a number of computing devices to support operations or provide services to third parties. The computing systems can be located in a single geographic location or located in multiple, distinct geographic locations (e.g., interconnected via private or public communication networks). Specifically, data centers or data processing centers, herein generally referred to as "data centers," may include a number of interconnected computing systems to provide computing resources to users of the data center. The data centers may be private data centers operated on behalf of an organization or public data centers operated on behalf, or for the benefit of, the general public.
Interconnection of computing devices may be facilitated by networking technologies, such as wired Ethernet connections. Computing devices may be interconnected according to a number of topologies (e.g., ring, star, tree, etc.). In order to provide greater flexibility in configuration, networks may utilize networking devices configured to facilitate communication between devices. For example, a hub, switch or multi-port router may facilitate communication between multiple computing devices or other networking devices. Generally, the cost and complexity of the networking device increases greatly as the number of connectable devices increases. Therefore, networking topologies may attempt to utilize multiple, low-connectivity (and therefore low cost) networking devices in place of a single high-connectivity, high cost networking device. Such solutions generally increase the complexity of routing communications over a network.


A vaccine is described which comprises an assembly-deficient herpesvirus. The mutant herpesvirus is capable of infecting and undergoing DNA replication in the cells of a susceptible mammal, but is defective in capsid assembly and formation of mature virion particles. The assembly-deficient herpesvirus is avirulent and capable of generating a protective immune response in a vaccinated mammal.

There is a great need for therapies for the treatment of viral diseases. While antiviral drugs such as zidovudine, used in the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and drugs such as ganciclovir, acyclovir, and foscarnet are used in the treatment of herpesvirus infections, significant side effects often limit their effectiveness. The selection and spread of drug-resistant viruses also limits the effectiveness of small molecular weight antiviral drugs. This is a particularly significant problem for drugs targeted against RNA viruses such as HIV, which have a relatively high mutation rate compared to most DNA viruses.
Antiviral vaccines are a viable alternative to postinfection antiviral drug treatments. Ideally, antiviral vaccines protect against primary disease and recurring infections. Efficacy against a particular disease is crucial to the development of a vaccine strategy. Regulatory concerns, particularly related to the safety of vaccines intended for prophylactic use in healthy individuals, must also be considered.
While herpesvirus vaccines have been an active area of both academic and commercial interest, induction of a good, protective immune response in humans has been challenging [R. L. Burke, Current Status of HSV Vaccine Development, in The Human Herpesviruses, 367-379, (B. Roizman, R. J. Whitley and C. Lopez, eds. 1993)]. Live virus vaccines have the risk of establishing latency and reactivating. Live virus vaccines also have the potential of recombining with natural isolates.
Attenuated recombinant viruses and subunit vaccines have been investigated to avoid these risks. Meignier et al describe a recombinant virus resulting from the removal of a region of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) required for virulence and the insertion of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) glycoprotein genes [J. Infect. Dis., 158:602-614 (1988)]. The viruses had reduced pathogenicity and induced immunity in a number of animal models.
More recently, recombinant herpes simplex viruses with deletions in essential immediate early or early genes have been described. These recombinant viruses are described as being efficacious in inducing immunity and reducing acute replication and establishment of latency of the challenged wild-type virus in mice. Nguyen et al describe replication-defective mutants of HSV-1 that have mutations in the essential genes encoding infected cell protein 8 ("ICP8") or ICP27 [J. Virol. 66:7067-7072 (1992)]. The ICP8 mutant (d301) expresses the products of the .alpha. and .beta. genes while the ICP27 mutant (n504) expresses the products of the .alpha., .beta., and .gamma..sub.1 genes in the cells that the viruses can infect. Both viruses induced antibody responses that were lower than parental (KOS 1.1) virus, but the level induced by the ICP27 mutant was higher than that induced by infection with the ICP8 mutant. Morrison and Knipe later demonstrated that injection of these viruses protected mice against development of encephalitis and keratitis, and decreased the primary replication of virulent challenge virus [J. Virol. 68:689-696 (1994)]. WO95/18852 describes similar replication-defective herpesvirus mutants and WO94/03207 describes vaccines based on these mutants.
Another recombinant virus has been described that has a deletion in the glycoprotein H (gH) coding region [Forrester et al, J. Virol. 66:341-348 (1992); WO92/05263]. This virus forms virions after infection of non-helper cells, but the viruses fail to infect in a subsequent round. Inoculation of mice with the gH deletion virus resulted in a more rapid clearance of the wild-type challenge virus compared to vaccination with chemically-inactivated virus [Farrell et al, J. Virol. 68:927-932 (1994)]. Inoculation of guinea pigs with the gH deleted recombinant virus resulted in reduced primary vaginal disease and reduced recurrences [McLean et al, J. Infect. Dis. 170:1100-1109 (1994)].
Most viruses encode proteinases that function in the processing of viral proteins during infection [W. G. Dougherty and B. L. Semler, Microbiological Reviews, 57:781-822 (1993)]. Biological and biochemical studies have shown that HSV-1 possesses a proteinase that can process another viral protein, the capsid assembly protein (also known as p40, ICP35 and VP22a). Similar proteinases are encoded in the genome of other members of the Herpesviridae. This family of DNA viruses includes HSV-1, HSV-2, human and simian cytomegalovirus (HCMV, SCMV), varicella-zoster virus (VZV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), human herpesvirus types -6, -7, and -8 (HHV-6, HHV-7, and HHV-8), pseudorabies virus (PRV), bovine herpesvirus (BHV), equine herpesvirus (EHV), and rhinotracheitis virus, among others.
Early work by Preston et al, [J. Virol. 45:1056-1064 (1983)] showed that a temperature-sensitive (ts) mutant in HSV-1 (ts1201) failed to cleave the capsid assembly protein to its lower molecular weight forms at the nonpermissive temperature. This mutant also failed to package viral DNA. By marker rescue, the defect was mapped to a region of the genome in what is now known as the UL26 open reading frame (ORF) [McGeoch et al, J. Gen. Virol. 69:1531-1574 (1988)]. Subsequent analysis showed that two transcripts initiate in the UL26 region, a primary transcript of about 2.1 kb which encodes a protein of 635 amino acids, and a more abundant transcript which is initiated within the UL26 ORF, about 1000 nucleotides 3' of the primary transcript initiation. This smaller transcript encodes a predicted protein of 329 amino acids and is 3' coterminal with the larger 80 kDa ORF encoded by the larger transcript [F. Y. Liu and B. Roizman. J. Virol. 65:206-212 (1991)]. The defect in the ts1201 mutant maps in the 5' region of the longer transcript which has been shown to encode a proteinase activity in HSV-1 [F. Y. Liu and B. Roizman. J. Virol. 65:5149-5156 (1991)] or in simian cytomegalovirus [Welch et al, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 88:10792-10796 (1991)].
Superinfection/transient expression [F. Y. Liu and B. Roizman. J. Virol. 65:5149-5156 (1991)], transient expression [Welch et al, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 88:10792-10796 (1991)], and infection [Preston et al, Virol. 186:87-98 (1992)] studies with the protease domain and the capsid assembly protein domain showed that the proteinase cleaves the capsid assembly protein near its carboxyl terminus. Further studies with the proteins produced in E. coli confirmed that the full-length protein of the UL26 ORF is capable of cleaving itself at two sites as well as cleaving the capsid assembly protein [Deckman et al, J. Virol. 66:7362-7367 (1992)]. DiIanni et al later located the cleavage sites between amino acids 247/248 and 610/611 of the UL26 ORF [J. Biol. Chem. 268:2048-2051 (1993)].
Although the results with ts1201 suggest that the defect in the virus is in its ability to cleave the capsid assembly protein and subsequent encapsidation of DNA, it is not known whether this phenotype is the result of a defect in the protease activity per se, or whether the 5' region of the UL26 ORF encodes some other functions required for capsid assembly and maturation. The processed proteinase domain of the 80 kDa precursor (designated as "VP24" or "N.sub.o ") has been identified in B-capsids [Davison et al, J. Gen. Virol. 73:2709-2713 (1992)] and is retained in A-capsids and C-capsids [F. J. Rixon, Structure and Assembly of Herpesviruses, in Seminars in Virology, vol. 4, 135-144, (A. J. Davison, ed. 1993)] suggesting a structural role for this domain. B-capsids are immature capsids in the nucleus of the infected cell that contain the capsid assembly protein, but not viral DNA. These capsids are thought to be the precursors of A-capsids which fail to package DNA and C-capsids which package DNA with concomitant loss of the capsid assembly protein [B. Roizman and A. Sears, Herpes Simplex Viruses and Their Replication, in Human Herpesviruses, 11-68, (B. Roizman, R. J. Whitley, and C. Lopez, eds. 1993)]. Gao et al constructed and characterized a null mutant virus ("m100") that contains a deletion within the protease domain of the HSV-1 UL26 gene [J. Virol. 68:3702-3712 (1994)]. The mutant virus could be propagated on a complementing cell line but not on noncomplementing Vero cells, indicating that the protease domain of UL26 is essential for viral replication in cell culture. DNA replication occurred at near wild-type levels, but the viral DNA was not processed to unit genome length or encapsidated.
We have generated a recombinant virus to further investigate the role of this domain with respect in vivo effects. The recombinant virus is avirulent in vivo and induces immunity to challenge by wild-type HSV-1.


A method and apparatus for reduction of reference data transfer and coding efficiency improvement. The method includes performing pre-analysis on a decimated version of an image, and utilizing the predictions of the pre-analysis to transfer smaller reference area.

In video processing, minimizing the amount of data transfer from external memory to internal memory for motion estimation (ME) and motion compensation (MC) is critical to reduce power consumption. In general, there is a trade-off between the amount of data transfer and internal memory size, i.e., the amount of data transfer can be reduced by increasing internal memory size and vice versa.
However, because internal memory size is fixed based on silicon area, the amount of data transfer needs to be minimized for a given internal memory size. Thus, there is a need for a reference data transfer method and apparatus that minimizes the amount of data transfer using pre-analysis information for a given internal memory size and that improves coding efficiency.

Method and apparatus for reference area transfer with pre-analysis


The present disclosure provides a color filter substrate including: a base substrate; and a filter layer on the base substrate and including a plurality of color resist units of a plurality of colors. Orthographic projections of adjacent color resist units of different colors on the base substrate have an overlapping region. Therefore, the color filter substrate has at least one of the following advantages: the structure is simple; the production cost is reduced; the aperture ratio of the display device including the color filter substrate is improved; and the defect caused by static electricity is solved.

A liquid crystal display can convert represented image signals into electronic signals, these electronic signals will be converted into tiny pixel points on a liquid crystal molecular layer, and the tiny pixel points then come into a state of allowing backlight light to pass therethrough or a state of blocking light. Each pixel can not only show a change in brightness/darkness but also present a color picture, and thus the liquid crystal display displays an image through a large number of pixel units. The liquid crystal display includes a display panel formed by assembling a color filter substrate with an array substrate, the color filter substrate includes a color resist layer and a black matrix, the color resist layer enables the display panel to display a color picture, and the black matrix can avoid color mixture and light leakage.
However, the conventional color filter substrate and the fabricating method thereof, as well as the display device still leave something to be desired.

Color filter substrate, fabricating method thereof, and display device

ORDOS YUANSHENG OPTOELECTRONICS CO., LTD.


A method and apparatus for holding and adornment of hair which makes use of a base member with first and second ends and a central base with a securement line secured to each end to define a hair holding opening therebetween. A first securement member and a second securement member are detachably securable with respect to the first base end section and the second base end section, respectively, to detachably secure the ends of the securement line thereto to facilitate ease in installing of the apparatus and responsive to removal of the securement members to facilitate removal thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention deals generally with the field of devices for holding of hair as well as adornment thereof. Numerous devices have been patented which are designed for the purpose of holding hair in a desired position. Most usually women's hair or men with longer hair use such hair holding devices adjacent ponytails or long bundles of hair extending usually from the rear of the head of the user. The present device also includes various aspects for possible adornment making use of the hair holding member for holding hair up in a lifted position off of the shoulders and neck of the user.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous prior art devices have been patented such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,301,266 patented Jan. 31, 1967 to E. Hoffmann and assigned to Tip-Top Products Company on a "Hair Holder"; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,635,228 patented Jan. 18, 1972 to N. Helkes and assigned to Pantec Development Company on an "Adornment Device"; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,307,908 patented Dec. 29, 1981 to H. Donaldson on a "Bead-Stringing Implement And Method Of Use"; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,859 patented Nov. 27, 1990 to E. Noviello et al on a "Hair Securement Device"; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,544 patented Mar. 12, 1991 to S. Obergfell on a "Combination Headband And Ponytail Holder"; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,870 patented Aug. 6, 1991 to T. Edmark on a "Hair Styling Tool"; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,245 patented Dec. 1, 1992 to D. Harriett on a "Hair Tying Apparatus And Method Of Use"; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,834 patented Mar. 1, 1994 to L. Lawrence on a "Ponytail Tool"; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,293,884 patented Mar. 15, 1994 to R. Chapman et al and assigned to Full Moon Fashion Accessories, Inc. on a "Loop Strap Hair Tie"; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,318,054 patented Jun. 7, 1994 to K. Neilson et al on a "Spiral Spring Hair Barrette Assembly"; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,230 patented May 23, 1995 to D. Wood and assigned to Lee Innovations, Inc. on "Hair Styling Tools And Methods For Their Use"; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,030 patented Nov. 7, 1995 to M. Avellanet on a "Twist Hairdo Roller"; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,795 patented Mar. 12, 1996 to L. Hibbard on a "Method And Apparatus Of Braiding Hair"; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,638 patented Mar. 19, 1996 to J. Ripley on a "Hair Holding Device"; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,690 patented Oct. 22, 1996 to H. Shih-Ming on a "Hair Clip"; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,668 patented Jan. 7, 1997 to J. Macy on a "Hair Braiding Method And Device"; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,953 patented Apr. 29, 1997 to E. McDowell on a "Hair Styling Tool And Method"; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,776 patented Aug. 19, 1997 to B. Espenschied on a "Hair Stitching Shaft For Decorating Hair"; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,955 patented Dec. 9, 1997 to C. Grooms on a "Hair Holding Device"; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,399 patented Sep. 23, 1997 to C. Camp, Jr. et al and assigned to Hair Hoops, Inc. on a "Hair Forming Device"; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,706,837 patented Jan. 13, 1998 to H. Iwata on a "Hair Bundling Core And Method Of Using The Core"; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,575 patented Mar. 17, 1998 to R. Rontal on a "Hair Securing Device".

Method and apparatus for hair holding and adornment


A motor vehicle window lifter is provided with a twistable or bendable guide rail on which a driver to be coupled with a window pane is shiftably mounted and which includes fastening points which are connectable with fastening receptacles of a carrier element. Between the fastening receptacles of the carrier element at least one supporting point is provided. When bracing the fastening points of the guide rail with the fastening receptacles of the carrier element, the guide rail supports on the supporting point and twisting of the initially straight guide rail with a specified degree of twisting and/or bending of the guide rail with a specified bending radius is effected.

This invention relates to a motor vehicle window lifter with a twistable or bendable guide rail and to several methods for attaching a twistable or bendable guide rail to at least one carrier, which are formed according to at least one of the apparatus claims.
From DE 199 42 643 C2, there is known a method for attaching a cable window lifter to a vehicle door as well as the vehicle door of a motor vehicle, which contains a cable window lifter with a twistable or bendable guide rail which shiftably supports a driver to be coupled with a window pane and at its ends includes fastening points which are braced with fastening points of the vehicle door. By bracing the fastening points of the guide rail with the fastening points of the vehicle door, twisting of the initially straight guide rail with a specified degree of twisting and/or bending of the guide rail with a specified bending radius is effected. The fastening points of the vehicle door lie in planes which intersect each other such that they include an obtuse angle with each other, with the sectional lines of the planes extending vertically or parallel to the direction of travel of the motor vehicle, i.e. in direction of the Z-axis or X-axis.
Since the degree of twisting and/or the bending radius of the guide rail required for guiding a window pane solely is achieved by the bracing of the fastening points, the twist and/or bend of the guide rail of a window lifter, which is arranged in a door gutter of the vehicle door, need not be accomplished before mounting the guide rail on the vehicle door or on a carrier mounted on the vehicle door. Thus, the guide rail no longer must be twisted or bent during press forming, but the straight guide rail, which can simply and easily be manufactured for example by extruding or roller burnishing, is only twisted and/or bent by bracing the fastening points of the guide rail with the fastening points of the vehicle door, which provides for an inexpensive manufacture and assembly of a window lifter into a vehicle door.
Beside a use of individual guide rails in a window lifter mounted in a vehicle door, there are also used door systems or door modules which contain an assembly carrier on which functional components, for example a window lifter unit, a loudspeaker, a side airbag, a door lock arrangement or the like are arranged, or a base plate for a window lifter unit, in order to create a pre-mountable, pre-checkable unit which can easily be mounted on a vehicle door. As parts of a window lifter unit, the base plate or the assembly carrier carries at least one guide rail, on which a driver connected with a window pane is guided.
Such door systems or door modules are used in all kinds of designs in different vehicles and vehicle types of a vehicle manufacturer, wherein each variant of a vehicle type necessitates a specific, individual formation of the door system or window lifter, because the vehicle doors of the different variants and vehicle types are formed differently and differ in their constructive design and configuration. In different vehicle doors, for example, window panes with different kinematics, i.e. different radii of curvature, different pull-off angles (which indicate whether a window pane is retracted into a vehicle door almost vertically or obliquely) and different adjustment paths including rotations about individual or several vehicle axes (X-, Y and Z-axis), are used and require a specific adaptation of the guide rails or of the guide rails integrated into a base plate or of the guide portions formed on an assembly carrier. For this purpose, individual guide rails or guide rails integrated into an assembly carrier or a base plate, which are formed as guide portions, for example are bent about the longitudinal vehicle axis (X-axis) and/or twisted about the vertical vehicle axis (Z-axis) when they are mounted in a vehicle door.

Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. KG, Hallstadt


Provided are a production process for a polymeric micelle which is stable and has a high drug content and a composition containing such polymeric micelle. Disclosed are a production process for a polymeric micelle, comprising the steps of dissolving a drug and a specific copolymer in a water non-miscible organic solvent to prepare a solution, mixing the resulting solution with water to form an O/W type emulsion and then slowly volatilizing the organic solvent from the solution, and a polymeric micelle composition charged therein with a water-scarcely soluble drug, which can be obtained by the above production process.

It is known to use a block copolymer having a hydrophilic segment and a hydrophobic segment for a drug carrier and how to charge a polymeric micelle formed by the above copolymer with a fixed drug (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 107565/1994 or U.S. Pat. No. 5,449,513). Further, know as well are a composition containing a homogeneous polymeric micelle charged therein with a water-scarcely soluble drug and a preparation method therefor (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 335267/1999).
Described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 107565/1994 is a method in which a micelle is charged therein with a drug by forming in advance a micell of a block copolymer in an aqueous medium, adding a drug to this micelle solution and, if necessary, mixing and stirring it under heating or supersonic treatment. Further, described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 335267/1999 is a method for preparing a micelle therein charged with a drug by dissolving a block copolymer and the drug in a water-miscible polar solvent (for example, dimethylformamide, dimethylsulfoxide and acetonitrile) and then dialyzing the solution against water.
According to the conventional techniques described above, it can be found that various advantages are present in use of polymeric micelles as drug carriers. However, there are a case where a content of a drug charged into a polymeric micelle can not be elevated so much depending on the kind of the drug, particularly a water-scarcely soluble drug and a case where a resulting polymeric micelle is not necessarily stable in water or a buffered aqueous solution.

Production process for polymeric micelle charged therein with drug and polymeric micelle composition


A transmitter with a flame arresting header senses a pressure of a process fluid with a diaphragm which is sealed to the header. The diaphragm transfers the pressure of the process fluid acting an outer surface of the diaphragm to a fill fluid that isolates an inner surface of the diaphragm, and a pressure sensor enclosed in the transmitter senses the pressure of the fill fluid providing an output representative of the pressure of the process fluid. The header includes a chamber on the header's outer face and a passageway extending from the chamber to a tapered opening inside the transmitter with a first portion adjacent to the tapered opening shaped to receive an inlet tube leading to the sensor and a second flame isolating portion open to the chamber. The fill fluid fills the chamber, the passageway, and the inlet tube and is sealed in with a tapered seal pressed into the tapered opening around the inlet tube. The second passageway portion is shaped for flame isolating the tapered seal from the process fluid.

The present invention relates to modular pressure transmitters with flame arresting or quenching headers coupled to process pressure lines.
Flammable mixtures are often present in an atmosphere outside of a pressure transmitter or in a process fluid which is being sensed by a pressure sensor in the transmitter. Various types of protection reduce the likelihood that an ignition of flammable gas inside the transmitter will ignite a flammable mixture outside the transmitter. For example, transmitter covers are fitted with flame quenching threads that cool ignited gas as the gas is vented from the transmitter to a temperature below the temperature needed to ignite a flammable mixture outside the transmitter.
Some transmitters are equipped with multiple protection arrangements to reduce the likelihood of igniting a flammable mixture outside the transmitter after one of the protection arrangements fails or is damaged. In some applications, a flame quenching path is desired that effectively contains ignition of a flammable mixture inside a transmitter housing even after resilient seals such as O-rings and thin foil barriers such as isolator diaphragms have been damaged or removed and after isolator fluids have leaked out and welds have failed.
In the Walish et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,970,898, assigned to the assignee of the present application, a transmitter is shown in which a plug includes a liquid-filled passageway shaped to provide flame quenching.
Some pressure transmitters utilize a modular construction such as the transmitter disclosed in the Frick et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,833,922, also assigned to the assignee of the present application, in which a tapered mechanical seal is used to couple process fluid from an isolator to a tube leading to a pressure sensor.

Modular transmitter with flame arresting header


A seal assembly and methods of use, wherein the seal assembly is formed of an elastomeric enclosure within which a primary cavity is defined. A second cavity in the form of a crushable container is deployed within the primary chamber. An elastomeric compound is contained in one cavity and an elastomeric hardener contained in the other cavity. Upon application of an external force to the elastomeric enclosure, the enclosure is elastically deformed from a first shape to a second shape, wherein the second shape positions the elastomeric enclosure into a sealing configuration between adjacent annular surfaces. The external force also crushes the container, to cause mixing of the elastomeric compound and elastomeric hardener. Once the reaction is complete, the hardened compound retains the deformed shape of the elastomeric enclosure to maintain a seal between the annular surfaces.

In the drilling and production of wellbores in the oil and gas industry, there is frequently a need to establish a seal in the annulus between two concentric structures, such as between the wellbore wall and a casing or between casing and tubing or between two concentric tubes, thereby inhibiting fluid flow along the annulus.
Elastomeric sealing elements are positioned in the annulus to be sealed and then actuated by various methods to radially expand into contact with the adjacent concentric structure. One common method for actuating a sealing element is to apply an axial load to compress the sealing element between two rings, forcing the sides of the sealing element to bulge radially outward. Typically, the axial load is applied either mechanically or hydraulically. Another common method for actuating a sealing element is to pump a pressurized fluid to an inflatable bladder of the sealing element causing the element to expand radially outward.
Although the above-described sealing elements can be used at any time during the drilling or production of a wellbore, these sealing elements are most often incorporated in downhole tools, such as plugs or packers, placed within a wellbore to isolate production fluid or to manage production fluid flow through the well. To the extent such sealing elements are deployed as part of a completion assembly in a wellbore, the sealing elements are typically permanent, remaining in place over the life of production and can only be removed by drilling or milling them.
An unset tool, whose sealing elements are not yet expanded, can be run down in the wellbore to a specific depth as part of a tool string via tubing or wire.

Two part bonded seal for static downhole tool applications


A projector in which a liquid crystal display panel modulates light emitted from a light source and the modulated image light is projected, the projector includes a temperature detector that detects a temperature in the projector and a controller that determines the amount of overdrive based on the temperature detected by the temperature detector in accordance with a driven state of the projector and performs overdrive control on the liquid crystal display panel based on the amount of overdrive.

The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-284757, filed Dec. 27, 2011 is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a projector that projects an image and a method for controlling the projector.
2. Related Art
Among methods for performing overdrive control of related art for improving the responsiveness of a liquid crystal display panel, there is a known method for performing overdrive control with the temperature of the liquid crystal display panel reflected in the overdrive control in consideration of the fact that a responsive characteristic of a liquid crystal display panel changes with temperature (JP-A-2006-195231 and JP-A-2006-162909, for example). According to the method described in JP-A-2006-195231, the amount of overdrive is outputted based on a lookup table and corrected by using a coefficient according to the temperature, and overdrive control is performed based on the corrected amount of overdrive. In the method described in JP-A-2006-162909, a display panel is divided into a plurality of areas, and the amount of overdrive is changed on a divided area basis.
To appropriately reflect the effect of temperature on the response characteristic of a liquid crystal display panel, it is desirable to accurately detect the temperature of the liquid crystal display panel. It is, however, not easy to accurately detect the temperature of a liquid crystal display panel. To this end, for example, the method described in JP-A-2006-162909 requires a plurality of temperature sensors. When the configuration of the related art described above is used in a projector including a liquid crystal display panel to perform overdrive control on the liquid crystal display, the following problems occur: A space where the plurality of temperature sensors are disposed needs to be provided in the projector; and using the plurality of temperature sensors complicates the control of the projector.

Projector and method for controlling projector


A sensor coil serving as a sensor unit fitted and retained in a sensor retaining hole of a sensor housing and a circuit board stored in a board chamber provided inside the sensor housing are integrated by coating the outer surface of a lead and the circuit board with a resin layer formed by resin molding performed under the condition in which the sensor coil and the circuit board are connected with the lead. As a result, mounting of the sensor unit and the circuit board of a torque detecting apparatus in the housing is facilitated, the reliability of the connection part of the sensor unit and the circuit board is increased, and occurrence of connection defects due to the function of external force is prevented.

This application is a Divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/765,980 filed Jan. 29, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,086,295, which is a non-provisional application which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) on Patent Application No. 2003-024892 filed in Japan on Jan. 31, 2003. The contents of these applications are hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a torque detecting apparatus used to detect a rotational torque applied to a steering member for steering in, for example, an electric power steering apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
In an electric power steering apparatus which assists steering by driving a steering assist motor according to the rotational operation of a steering member for steering (for example, a steering wheel) and transmitting the rotational force of the motor to a steering mechanism, it is necessary to detect a rotational torque applied to the steering member for use in drive and control of the steering assist motor. In order to detect the torque, a torque detecting apparatus constructed at the middle of a rotary shaft (column shaft) connecting the steering member and the steering mechanism has been conventionally used.
In the torque detecting apparatus, the column shaft to be detected is divided into a first shaft and a second shaft which are connected on the same axis through a torsion bar with a small diameter. When the steering member for steering is rotationally operated, relative angular displacement occurs between the first and second shafts with a twist of the torsion bar caused by the function of the rotational torque. The torque detecting apparatus is constructed to detect the rotational torque by this relative angular displacement.
The detection of relative angular displacement is realized by, for example, a structure in which detection rings are externally fitted and fixed near the connected section of the first and second shafts, a sensor coil (sensor unit) is fitted and retained in a cylindrical housing supporting the column shaft so as to surround the facing section of the detection rings, a magnetic circuit passing through the facing section of the detection rings is formed by distribution of electric current to the sensor coil, and a change in the facing relationship between the respective detection rings corresponding to the relative angular displacement between the first and second shafts caused by the function of the rotational torque is fetched as an impedance change in the sensor coil due to an increase/decrease in the magnetic resistance of the magnetic circuit, through a circuit board mounted in a board chamber provided inside the housing (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-21433 (1995)).
The board chamber in which the circuit board is mounted is connected through a lead aperture to a sensor retaining hole formed to retain the sensor coil in the housing, and the sensor coil and the circuit board are connected through a connection lead which is extended from the sensor coil, passed through the lead aperture and guided into the board chamber.
The mounting of the torque detecting apparatus constructed as described above is realized by a procedure in which the sensor coil as the sensor unit is fitted into the sensor retaining hole, and fixed and retained in a predetermined position, the circuit board is mounted in the board chamber outside the housing, and the circuit board and the sensor coil are connected through the connection lead passed through the lead aperture as mentioned above.
In such a mounting procedure, however, the fitting of the sensor coil into the sensor retaining hole through an opening on one side in the axial direction and the mounting of the circuit board in the board chamber from outside in a radial direction of the housing are the operations of separate processes. Moreover, during these operations, it is necessary to connect the connection lead passed through the lead aperture to the circuit board. Thus, such a mounting procedure has the problem of requiring a number of mounting processes.
Further, since the torque detecting apparatus mounted as described above is used under severe condition in which external force such as vibration caused by driving of a vehicle is always applied, there is a possibility that connection defects may occur with the passage of time in the connection part of the circuit board and the sensor coil due to the function of the external force. In this case, there arise troubles in fetching the output of the sensor coil, and it becomes impossible to perform normal torque detection.
The torque detecting apparatus used for detecting a rotational torque applied to the steering member of an electric power steering apparatus is not limited to the above-mentioned structure comprising the detection rings externally fitted and fixed on the column shaft and the sensor coil fitted and retained in the sensor retaining hole of the housing, and has been applied to practical applications in various structures. However, in any of the structures, the sensor unit retained in the sensor retaining hole of the housing is connected to the circuit board mounted in the board chamber isolated from the sensor retaining hole to fetch the output of the sensor unit through the circuit board, and therefore it is very important to facilitate the mounting of the sensor unit and the circuit board in the housing, to increase the reliability of the connection part of the sensor unit and the circuit board, and to prevent occurrence of connection defects due to the function of external force such as vibration.


A method for controlling an in-flight entertainment (IFE) system using network protocols, such as TCP/IP, HTTP, or FTP. Control of a plurality of functions, including in-seat and broadcast audio and video, overhead reading light control, and flight attendant call, are implemented using a network client, a network server, and a network server program, each communicating with network protocols. The network client may be visible or invisible to a user of the in-flight entertainment system, depending on whether a web browser or a virtual web browser is used as a network client. The software for each line replaceable unit (LRU) may be designed, redesigned, or tested independently from other components within the IFE system. Particular functions of the IFE system can be made available only to particular parts of the IFE system, allowing different levels of access to the IFE system for different passenger classes.

Most commercial aircraft today are equipped with an IFE system. Typically, an IFE system includes a plurality of computers, which are connected to provide various functions. These computers include, for example, audio/video head-end equipment, area distribution boxes, passenger service systems (PSS), and seat electronic boxes. In the modular environment of an aircraft, each of these computers is referred to as a line replaceable unit ("LRU") since most are "line fit" on an assembly line when an aircraft is built and tested. At least some of the LRUs are connected directly to passenger seats, either individually or by seat groups. These LRUs are the interface between passengers on an aircraft and the IFE system, and provide access to a plurality of functions. A more sophisticated, multi-functional IFE system may include close to a thousand separate connected computers working together to perform the plurality of functions of the IFE system.
The LRUs within a conventional IFE system typically include relatively simple electronics and microprocessors for performing system functions. The channel and volume of the audio provided to a seat are conventionally controlled by a seat electronics box serving a group of seats, the seat electronics box including a microprocessor and signal conditioning electronics to handle audio/video input signal. In some known systems, the seat electronics box can be overridden by the cabin announcement system to allow for flight crew to interrupt audio or video with safety announcements for the passengers. IFE systems must meet strict requirements set by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for avoiding interference with safety critical flight electronics in the cockpit and elsewhere on board. In addition, the aircraft industry has set strict requirements on IFE systems, for example, on the power use, bandwidth, and weight of an IFE system. An IFE system provider is severely restricted in choosing particular hardware and software components for these reasons.
Methods and systems for controlling an IFE system have typically been implemented with software instructions executed in a "master-slave" architecture. Specific functions for the master-slave system have been implemented with proprietary, application specific, and custom software. Electronics used for more complex functions of the IFE system have typically included computers with microprocessors and memory. Custom software has been required for each master and slave computer, and for each function to be performed. Each piece of custom software must be integrated and tested within the system separately. For even the simplest function to be performed, integration and testing is labor intensive and error-prone.
Custom software has conventionally been used, for example, to implement a cabin management terminal, which interacts with other hardware such as tape players, digital media players, or game consoles. Each of the interfaces between the management terminal and the other devices within the IFE system has been programmed and tested separately. For each piece of hardware implemented within the IFE system, one interface (for example, the interface between a master computer and a particular type of slave computer) must be defined, and two software programs must be developed and tested (one for the master and one for the slave). If additions or changes to the system are later desired, such changes are time consuming and require a high degree of familiarity with the details of the original system design.
Attempts have been made to speed up design, testing, and maintenance of a conventional IFE system by combining software components that otherwise would have been separate, or by using software components designed for one device with a different device. Unfortunately, such efforts have resulted in a larger number of system errors and software bugs, and those software bugs have been more difficult to fix since the effects of changes to the software are more difficult to predict when the software runs on multiple types of hardware within the system.
Furthermore, due to the custom nature of the software in conventional IFE systems, as newer models of a system are developed, it becomes difficult for a system provider to support its legacy models. Engineers who designed older models may have left the system provider, and new engineers may not have the time or ability to learn how the older system was implemented. Diagnosing and fixing bugs in a system with a proprietary hardware and software architecture requires time and effort simply to learn how the system works. Maintenance resources are often wasted teaching new engineers how a highly proprietary system works.
A need, therefore, exists for an IFE system that has an architecture that is simple to implement, modify, diagnose, more modular, and easier to interconnect.

Method for controlling an in-flight entertainment system


An image encoding device including an input section inputting an input image constituting an encoding target; a reference image accumulation section accumulating a reference image; a reference image accompanying information accumulation section accumulating reference image accompanying information that accompanies the reference image; an encoding section modifying the reference image and the reference image accompanying information in accordance with the input image, generating a predictive signal for the input image, and encoding the input image; and an output section outputting, as encoded data, compressed data obtained by the encoding by the encoding section together with modification method information indicating a modification method for the reference image. Thereby, image information can be encoded/decoded more efficiently by generating an appropriate predictive signal.

One moving image encoding device that exists is a moving image inversion encoding device that performs encoding after symmetrically inverting an input image in a vertical direction, a horizontal direction, or a vertical and horizontal direction frame by frame beforehand as mentioned in Non Patent Document 1. This is because input images generally have non-uniform characteristics within the frames and, therefore, in cases where predictive encoding with directional dependence from the top left to the bottom right is performed in raster scan order, the encoding efficiency can be improved by inverting the image in the direction of higher predictive efficiency.
The encoding device according to Non Patent Document 1 inverts the input image by choosing from four types of options, namely, no inversion, vertical inversion, horizontal inversion, and vertical and horizontal inversion. (a) of FIG. 1 shows the input image; (b) of FIG. 1 shows an image resulting from the non-inversion of the input image; (c) of FIG. 1 shows an image obtained by inverting the input image in a vertical direction; (d) of FIG. 1 shows an image obtained by inverting the input image in a horizontal direction; and (e) of FIG. 1 shows an image obtained by inverting the input image in a vertical and horizontal direction. Furthermore, in inter-predictive encoding which makes predictions between frames, the encoding device inverts the reference image which is a locally decoded image of an image which has been previously encoded in the same direction as the input image and performs encoding by using the inverted reference image to generate a predictive signal for the inverted input image constituting an encoding target. Compressed data obtained by encoding are output together with an identifier which indicates the inversion direction of the input image. In addition, the compressed data obtained by encoding are locally decoded, inverted in the opposite direction from the inversion direction of the input image, translated in the same direction as the input image, and saved as a reference image for the next frame and subsequent frames. (f) of FIG. 1 shows an image obtained by inverting the input image ((b) of FIG. 1) resulting from non-inversion of the input image in the opposite direction. That is, (f) and (b) of FIG. 1 show the same image as (a) of FIG. 1. (g) of FIG. 1 shows an image which is obtained by inverting an image ((c) of FIG. 1) obtained by inverting the input image in a vertical direction in the opposite direction. (h) of FIG. 1 shows an image which is obtained by inverting an image ((d) of FIG. 1) obtained by inverting the input image in a horizontal direction. (i) of FIG. 1 shows an image which is obtained by inverting an image ((e) of FIG. 1) obtained by inverting the input image in a vertical and horizontal direction in the opposite direction.
Furthermore, in inter-predictive decoding which makes predictions between frames, the decoding device which appears in Non Patent Document 1 discriminates the inversion direction by obtaining an identifier that indicates the inversion direction of the input image from code which is transmitted by the encoding device and inverts a reference image which is a previously decoded image in the same direction as the inversion direction of the input image. Further, the decoding device uses the compressed data obtained from the code transmitted by the encoding device and the inverted reference image to decode the inverted image and then inverts the inverted image in the opposite direction from the inversion direction of the input image to translate the image in the same direction as the input image and generate a decoded image, and saves the decoded image as a reference image for the next frame and subsequent frames.
[Non Patent Document 1] Murakami et al, "Expanded encoding system that utilizes directional dependence of a H.264/AVC Baseline Profile", IEICE 2005

Dynamic image encoding device, dynamic image decoding device, dynamic image encoding method, dynamic image decoding method, dynamic image encoding program, and dynamic image decoding program


A method, a device, and a system for resource allocation are provided to improve network capacities. The method implemented by an access network device includes: obtaining a first quantity of repetitions M and a first MCS order that are of a scheduling resource of a first terminal, and a second quantity of repetitions N and a second MCS order that are of a scheduling resource of a second terminal; calculating overlapping areas of first and second total scheduling resources based on the first and second quantities of repetitions and the first and second MCS orders, respectively; determining a maximum overlapping area of the first total scheduling resource based on the calculated overlapping areas; and allocating to the second terminal, N consecutive scheduling resources overlapping with the first total scheduling resource, wherein an overlapping area is less than or equal to the maximum overlapping area.

As the internet of things (IoT) develops rapidly, major operators around the world use the internet of things as a key development strategy one after another. To help an operator quickly seize an IoT market and reuse long term evolution (LTE), a cellular cell internet of things (CIoT) technology is proposed. The CIoT technology mainly features deep coverage, an ultra-large quantity of user connections, and the like. To implement the feature of deep coverage of the CIoT technology, a repetition technology is proposed. The repetition technology may mean that same data is scheduled in a same resource block in consecutive subframes (that is, consecutive scheduling resources), and a receive end obtains a higher combining gain through hybrid automatic retransmission (HARQ) combination, to achieve the deep coverage.
Currently, a quantity of repetitions of a scheduling resource used for scheduling UE in a CIoT system is determined based on a quantity of repetitions defined in a protocol. Generally, to ensure transmission reliability, the quantity of repetitions used for scheduling the UE in the CIoT system is greater than or equal to a quantity of repetitions required by the UE that is obtained through evaluation based on an actual measurement result. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a repetition quantity set of an uplink resource defined in the protocol is {1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128}, but an optimal repetition quantity that meets frequency efficiency and that is obtained through evaluation based on a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) of UE is 5. However, an option of 5 is not included in the repetition quantity set defined in the protocol. Therefore, it is determined, according to the protocol definition, that the repetition quantity used for actually scheduling the UE needs to be greater than the optimal repetition quantity 5, to be specific, the repetition quantity 8 is selected. In this way, scheduling resources are wasted, and network capacities are reduced.

Resource allocation method, device, and system


Provided is a method for obtaining high-purity scandium oxide efficiently from a solution containing scandium. The method for producing high-purity scandium oxide of the present invention has a first firing step S12 for subjecting a solution containing scandium to oxalation treatment using oxalic acid and firing the obtained crystals of scandium oxalate at a temperature of 400 to 600° C., inclusive, a dissolution step S13 for dissolving the scandium compound obtained by firing in one or more solutions selected from hydrochloric acid and nitric acid to obtain a solution, a reprecipitation step S14 for subjecting the solution to oxalation treatment using oxalic acid and generating a reprecipitate of scandium oxalate, and a second firing step S15 for firing the reprecipitate of obtained scandium oxalate to obtain scandium oxide.

In recent years, scandium that is attracting attention as a high-performance alloy with aluminum or a material for a fuel cell is mainly purified from titanium purification residues or a leachate obtained by leaching a nickel oxide ore with sulfuric acid, and recovering of scandium as a by-product has been advanced.
In such recovering of scandium in the related art, mainly, production of a high-purity product is performed by a solution purification treatment in which impurities are separated. That is, since scandium exists in a solution (for example, a leachate or the like) in a main step as mentioned above at a low concentration, it is necessary that scandium is gradually concentrated by performing methods such as an ion exchange method and a solvent extraction method in multiple stages, so that the concentration of scandium in the solution increases. By using those methods, the purity is increased to a grade necessary for an alloy, for example, a grade of 99.9% (3N product) or more, but it takes considerable time and effort, and this causes cost required for purification to remain high.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method in which scandium oxide of a low grade is heated and dissolved with nitric acid, this nitric acid solution is brought into contact with an anion-exchange resin to allow adsorption of impurities existing in the solution, hydrochloric acid is further added to the solution and brought into contact with an anion-exchange resin to allow adsorption of other impurities by the resin, thereby separating scandium and impurities. In this method, it is described that oxalic acid or hydrofluoric acid is further added and the obtained precipitation product is fired to obtain high-purity scandium oxide.
However, in the method of Patent Document 1, since impurities coexisting in the same amount as scandium or coexisting in a far larger amount than scandium are separated, there are problems in that time and effort and cost required for separation of impurities increase, and impurities are unable to be completely separated.
As the method for separating impurities, a method for performing purification by redissolving and precipitating impurities which have been purified once is known, and is also widely used in industrial fields. However, even if an attempt is made to use such a method with respect to scandium oxide, scandium oxide is sparingly soluble in an aqueous solution of acid or the like, so that it is necessary to use a high concentration of acid in order to dissolve scandium oxide.
Further, even if scandium oxide can be dissolved, the acid concentration is high, so that only a solution having a scandium concentration of about 1 g/L to 3 g/L can be obtained. Further, even if an attempt is made to perform oxalate formation again, since the acid concentration is high, it is necessary to add about 12 equivalents of oxalic acid in order to obtain an actual yield of about 80%, and thus a problem arises in that the cost of chemicals increases.
As described above, in the method of related art, in the case of obtaining high-purity scandium oxide, it takes considerable time and effort and the cost increases, and further, there is an issue that handling of high concentration of acid causes a safety problem.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. H8-232026

Method for producing high-purity scandium oxide


Systems and methods for improving the contrast of image frames are disclosed. In one embodiment, a system for improving the contrast of image frames includes a control module configured to create an intensity histogram for an image frame, define a set of markers on an intensity range of the histogram, assign a blend factor to each marker, calculate a blend factor for each original pixel of the image, obtain a first equalized pixel output value, calculate a final equalized pixel output value using the blend factor, the first equalized pixel output value, and an original pixel value, and output new pixel values that constitute the output image.

1. Field of the Invention
The systems and methods disclosed herein relate generally to contrast enhancement of images and video.
2. Description of the Related Art
Contrast enhancement is used to make images and video look "better" or more pleasing to the viewer, typically by enhancing details that are found in darker portions of an image. Methods for contrast enhancement range from very simple and non-content adaptive solutions (e.g., luma stretch, gamma curves) to very complex solutions (true localized methods, e.g., large scale unsharp masking or window-based histogram equalization). However, when the intensity values of an image already span the entire intensity range, some of these schemes may not be effective. Some of these schemes may also cause brightness shifts in large regions of the picture which is not desirable.

Systems and methods for localized contrast enhancement


A time division media access controller for use with a multi-port data switch and a method of controlling media access. In one embodiment, the time division media access controller includes a time division receive engine, a time division transmit engine and a time division arbiter coupled to the time division receive and transmit engines. The time division receive engine accepts data from a plurality of data ports and the time division transmit engine provides data to a plurality of data ports. The time division arbiter controls states of the time division receive and transmit engines based on throughput requirements of the data. In preferred embodiments, the time division media access controller complies with the IEEE 802.3 ethernet standard.

Access on an Ethernet is governed by a device's Media Access Controller (MAC) which is a six-byte number that is unique to each Network Interface Card (NIC). Typical bridges and switches in a computer network learn which devices are on by learning the MAC addresses of devices attached to various ports in the network. By learning a topology map of a network, bridges and switches may quickly switch packets between communicating devices.
Currently, Ethernet communication is designed as a single stream of data. A single MAC, therefore, is used to process each individual data stream on each of the network ports. For example, if there are twenty four ports of Ethernet based data streams, then twenty four MACs process the traffic.
With twenty four MACs, an Ethernet switch is effectively processing each data stream in a parallel fashion. The parallel processing increases the complexity on the die area of each chip in an Ethernet switch. In addition to the number of MACs employed, several multiplexors are employed in addition to the internal bussing.
Even with existing switches, Ethernet die cost is expensive and very crucial. In addition, there are demands to work at higher levels of integration with twenty four ports being a starting point. Parallel processing of the data streams limits the increase in port processing that the market requires. Presently, the number of ports that may be processed by a single silicon chip is limited due to the available die area on the chip.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a way to process data on multiple ports using a low density device.

Time division media access controller and method of operation thereof


The present invention is directed to a diltiazem formulation suitable for one a day administration. The formulation contains a blend of diltiazem beads having two differing dissolution profiles.

Diltiazem, (+) cis 3-(acetyloxy)-5-[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]-2,3-dihydro-2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1 ,5-benzothiazepin-4(5H)one, is a calcium antagonist that is marketed by Marion Merrell Dow under the tradename Cardizem.RTM.. The compound can be utilized in the treatment of cardiovascular disorders such as angina, arrhythmias, and hypertension. Typical doses range from 120-360 mg/day. Cardizem.RTM. is currently commercially available in two dosage forms in the United States. One of the forms is a rapid release tablet which must be administered from 3-4 times daily. The other is a sustained release tablet which is suitable for bid dosage regimens. A formulation suitable for once a day (qd) administration is not currently commercially available in the United States. Numerous studies have shown that patient compliance increases substantially with medication regimens requiring only one dose per day. Thus it would be a valuable contribution to the art to develop a diltiazem formulation suitable for qd administration.
The pharmacokinetics of a drug can have a considerable impact on whether a particular dosage form will produce satisfactory results after in-vivo administration. Orally administered drugs are absorbed and enter the capillaries and veins of the upper GI tract and are transported by the portal vein directly to the liver before entering the general circulation of the body. The entire absorbed dose of a drug is exposed to the liver during its first pass through the body. If a drug is subject to a high hepatic clearance (i.e. rapidly metabolized by the liver), then a substantial fraction of the absorbed dose is extracted from the blood and metabolized before it reaches the systemic circulation. This phenomenon is termed the first pass effect. The consequence of this phenomenon is a significant decrease in bioavailability. In some instances, the first pass effect is so large as to render oral administration of a drug ineffectual.
The pharmacokinetics of diltiazem have been studied extensively. Diltiazem is well absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and is subjected to an extensive first pass effect giving an absolute bioavailability of 40% (when compared with intravenous administration.) At therapeutic doses, approximately 60% of the administered diltiazem is metabolized before the compound has had a chance to reach its site of action. Compounds such as diltiazem which are subject to a first pass effect are considered to have non-linear pharmacokinetics. An increase or decrease in the dose administered will not necessarily produce the corresponding increase or decrease in observed blood levels. This is dependent upon whether the metabolic level of the liver has been exceeded.
Authors such as Urquhart et al have recognized that it can be difficult to design extended release formulations for compounds subjected to a first pass effect. CONTROLLED-RELEASE PHARMACEUTICALS, American Pharmaceutical Association (1979). Whereas a rapid release tablet allows saturation of the enzymes and a significant increase in blood levels, a sustained release tablet releasing similar quantities of drugs at a zero order rate will typically not produce such saturation of metabolic capacity. A larger percentage of the sustained release dose will be metabolized before it has had an opportunity to reach its site of action resulting in sub-therapeutic levels over a significant portion of the dosing period.
Controlled release formulations are designed to release significant quantities of drug only at specific timed intervals. If the release occurs at appropriate times, therapeutic levels will be maintained over an extended dosing period such as 12 or 24 hours. An inappropriate release pattern may subject the patient to toxic levels over part of the dosing period and sub-therapeutic levels over other portions of the dosing period. The particular time at which drug should be released varies significantly with each drug and is dependent upon its unique pharmacokinetics. The difficulty of correctly predicting an appropriate release pattern is well known to those skilled in the art.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,894,240 discloses a controlled release diltiazem formulation. The '240 patent states that its formulation is suitable for once a day administration. The formulation is prepared from diltiazem beads in which a diltiazem core is enveloped by a multilayer film in which the film is composed of a major component of a water insoluble polymer and a minor component of a water soluble polymer. Suitable water insoluble polymers include various cellulose esters, polyoxides, polyacrylates, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyurethane, polyvinyl, etc. A proprietary polymer composed of aryrlic resins sold under the tradename, EUDRAGIT, is also specified as being suitable. Suitable water soluble polymers include polyvinylalcohol, polyvinylpyrrolidone, methyl cellulose, and polyethylene glycol. A proprietary acrylate polymer sold under the trademark EUDRAGIT RL is also specified as being suitable. The '240 patent specifies that from 60-95% of the diltiazem should be released from the controlled release dosage form within 13 hours of administration. This release pattern produces peak plasma levels approximately 12-14 hours after administration. Minimal diltiazem is released from the formulation after 13 hours. Although the '240 patent is a valuable contribution to the art, it has been discovered that formulations manufactured with these beads do not maintain optimum blood levels of diltiazem over the entire 24 hour dosing period. Blood levels of diltiazem fall significantly before the next dose is administered resulting in a significant variance between peak and trough levels. Thus it would be a valuable contribution to the art to develop a diltiazem formulation that would optimize diltiazem levels throughout a 24 hour dosing period by minimizing the variance between peak and trough levels.


The Time to Live (TTL) field in an IP header is used as a covert channel in a communication system. More particularly the TTL field can be used to selectively mark packets with unique identifiers as they pass through an upstream station on their way to a downstream station. In this way the source of a traffic flow at least within a particular domain can be absolutely identified. This method of performing a traceback operation doesn't utilize additional resources as it relies on functionality which already exists in the system.

Global communications networks such as the Internet have evolved from an early research-based system with limited access to a truly world wide network with millions of users. The original Internet Protocol (IP) was designed on the basis that system users would connect to the network for strictly legitimate purposes. As a consequence, no particular consideration was given to security issues. In recent years, however, the incidence of malicious attacks on the Internet has grown to an alarming proportion. These attacks, which take on a variety of forms, often lead to a complete disruption of service for a targeted victim.
A DoS attack involves blocking somebody's ability to use a given service on the network. DoS attacks are common across the Internet with many being launched daily at various targets. One such attack is based on the concept of flooding a victim with so much traffic that the victim's server cannot cope, or with very effective malicious packets at lower rates.
Since identification of the source relies on the information provided by the sender itself, the Internet Protocol (IP) makes it extremely difficult to precisely identify the real source of any given datagram, and thus any given flow, if the source wishes to remain unknown. This peculiarity is often exploited, during a malicious Denial of Service (DoS) attack, to hide the source of the attack. Thus, if an attacker uses a spoofed source address—i.e. replaces its legitimate address with a different/illegitimate one—it is very difficult to trace the real source of the attack. It is expected that if attackers were open to identification the incidence of DoS attacks would decrease significantly. Mechanisms for tracing back anonymous network flows in autonomous systems are described in co-pending application filed Aug. 7, 2003 under Ser. No. 10/635,602 and entitled "Mechanism for Tracing Back Anonymous Network Flows" (Jones et al.). The contents of the earlier application are incorporated herein by reference.
The present application contemplates the use of covert channels to implement trace back functionality.
Covert channels are defined as "channels that use entities not normally viewed as data objects to transfer information from one subject to another." Although a covert channel is generally regarded as a breach in the security of a system, it is possible to isolate certain applications in which covert channels can be used to the advantage of a network system. In the general arena of computer networks, or more specifically in the case of the "Internet", a covert channel could provide, amongst other features, an efficient way to "mark" packets for a trace back solution.
Trace back is defined as the process by which a flow of packets is bound to its source, regardless of possible misleading efforts by the source to hide its location. In fact, due to their stateless nature packet switched networks, including the "Internet", do not easily accommodate tracing, or recording the path of a flow across the network. The source field contained in each packet is meant to provide this information. In reality spoofing the information contained in this field is generally a trivial operation and a very common practice among malicious users.
Covert channels in telecommunications, and specifically in computer networks, are a well known topic while automated trace back techniques in packet switched networks are a more recent topic.
Some prior art trace back solutions make an implicit use of covert channels within the IP header to mark packets. These techniques include Probabilistic Packet Marking and Algebraic Approach together with all their variations. An article by D. X. Song, and A. Perrig entitled "Advanced and Authenticated Marking Schemes for IP Traceback", IEEE Infocom 2001 provides greater details in connection with these schemes.
In general, regardless of the trace back mechanism adopted, the following marking schemes have been proposed using the IP header as the marking medium: i) a dedicated IP Option appended "in flight" (not a real covert channel) or ii) a semantic re-assignment of the 16-bit IP Identification field.
In the case of IP Options the main problem is that every marked packet will have its length increased during its journey. Packets already close in size to the Maximum Transfer Unit (MTU) of any given link on their path are likely to be fragmented if one, or more, IP Options field is added to them. On top of this, appending an IP Options field to an IP packet is a very expensive operation for a modern router; it usually cannot be carried out while the IP packet is in the "fast path" of the processing router, but requires the packet to be set aside and manipulated with special resources available only in the control plane ("slow path"). The packet will also generally be placed in the slow path of every subsequent router from this point on, since it carries an IP Option.
In the case of the IP Identification field the major problem is the semantic infringement leading to backward compatibility issues. The IP Identification field is used as a means to differentiate IP fragments that belong to different IP packets. If a packet is fragmented its identification field is replicated into each fragment so that the receiver can easily reassemble all the fragments into the original packet. Re-using the IP Identification field leads to two potentially dangerous scenarios as will be described next, together with the total loss of communication between any two legitimate hosts relying on this field.
Solutions based on assigning a new meaning to the 16-bit IP Identification field come in several flavors and often involve the use of hashing functions to overload the 16 available bits with more information at the cost of some conflicts.
The first one occurs when a packet is fragmented before it reaches any marking router. In this case, there is a chance that at every subsequent hop any of its fragments may be re-marked with trace back information. Thus, the receiver will fail to reassemble the original packet. The liabilities in this case are waste of bandwidth and network resources—spent to transmit all fragments of an IP packet that will never be reassembled together—and waste of buffering resources in the receiver, that will maintain all the fragments in vain, and potential connectivity loss.
The second scenario occurs when any IP packet is fragmented after it has been marked. In this case the trace back marking already present in the packet will be copied on all the fragments as a valid identification tag. A router is very likely to always mark packets with the same marking value. Since a receiver will buffer fragments of an IP packet until the whole IP packet is reconstructed, or for a certain interval, if any of the fragments does not reach the receiver it may be replaced by a fragment from a successive IP packet that was fragmented later on by the same marking router.
There is, therefore, a need to improve trace back efficiency in communication systems such as the Internet.

IP Time to Live (TTL) field used as a covert channel


The invention provides a method for providing an integrated circuit (6) having a substantially uniform density between parts (10, 12, 14 and 16) of the IC that are non-orthogonally angled. In particular, the invention provides fill tiling patterns (32, 34) oriented substantially parallel to electrical structure regardless of their angle. A method of electrical analysis based on this provision is also provided as is a related program product.

Current integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing techniques benefit from a uniform density of wiring or conductors within a layer. For example, uniform density is required to prevent different amounts of wear across a plane during chemical mechanical polishing. To provide uniform density, various techniques for filling of empty spaces have been developed.
One challenge in providing uniform density of wiring within a plane is addressing the effect of fill tiling patterns on the electrical properties, i.e., fill tiles acting as fringe capacitance, on an adjacent wire. In particular, fill tiles add complexity to the electrical analysis of the circuit because each shape represents a floating conductor coupled by capacitors to the wire. As a result, the fill tiles change the overall capacitance between the connected wires of the circuit, and modify the electrical analysis result. Conventionally, fill tile patterning is addressed by predicting the electrical impact of the fill tiles relative to all electrically significant shapes. By mathematically removing accounting for the impact of the fill tiles, new capacitances between the connected circuits can be established and then fitted to modified expressions. One conventional technique for predicting the impact of fill tiles is to assume a uniform fill tile environment around shapes based on the predicted behavior of the fill tile pattern creation program. This technique is used because it takes into account the fill tile pattern without increasing the amount of computational resources required to analyze the layout compared to actually explicitly adding the fill tiles to the layout.
This uniform fill tile pattern assumption, historically, yields acceptable results because of the orthogonal nature of the wiring and fill tiles. That is, most wiring has an orthogonal layout (i.e., wires meet at right angles) and the fill tiles are oriented parallel thereto. Advancements in processing technology, however, are now making mixed non-orthogonal and orthogonal wiring patterns possible. Unfortunately, the provision of mixed orthogonal and non-orthogonal wiring with orthogonal fill tile patterns makes the fill tile environment non-uniform. Accordingly, consistent assumptions about the impact on electrical properties of the fill tile patterns are no longer possible. To illustrate, FIG. 1 shows an IC including orthogonal and non-orthogonal wiring and an orthogonal fill tiling pattern throughout. In this situation, one can assume for analysis a uniform environment across much of the IC because of the orthogonal nature of the wiring and fill tiles. However, because the distance of the tiling pattern from the non-orthogonal (diagonal) wire varies along the wire's length, a number of additional parameters for each non-orthogonal wire segment must be known in order to make valid assumptions. For example, the precise length, the corresponding periodicity and angle of the fill, and the impact on the electrical properties must be ascertained for each segment of non-orthogonal wire. Consideration of all of these parameters makes analysis of the impact of the orthogonal fill tiling on the adjacent non-orthogonal wiring impracticable.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need in the art for a method for providing a substantially uniform density for an integrated circuit having mixed orthogonal and non-orthogonal electrical structure, an IC so formed and a method of electrical analysis incorporating the same.

IC tiling pattern method, IC so formed and analysis method

International Business Machines Corporation


Non-solid skin conditioning compositions comprising 12-hydroxy stearic acid, aminosilicone and water are disclosed. The compositions have a relatively low viscosity and are suitable for spreading on the skin.

Salts of 12-hydroxystearic acid, i.e. soaps, have been described in wash-off body cleansing compositions (JP 4,266,904; JP 59/227,999, JP 56/074,197). 12-hydroxystearic acid (hereinafter "12HSA") is reported to have a wide variety of beneficial cosmetic effects on skin, e.g. it is a known PPAR-alpha (peroxisome proliferator activated receptors sub-type alpha) activator, and a sebum secretion inhibitor. See e.g. Alaluf et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,423,325, Mayes et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,713,051, WO2006/056283 (Hindustan Lever), Minami et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,197,343, Granger et al. US2004/0043044. Madison US 2009/0317341 describes 12HSA as a skin lightening agent. As such, skin conditioning products obtaining 12HSA are highly desirable. JP 09-048962 describes the use of 12HSA or its salt as an effective constituent of a solidification inhibitor, to inhibit solidification of a liquid detergent or a liquid cosmetic; all the examples containing a fully neutralized salt of 12HSA. Unfortunately, 12HSA is a solid and has no water solubility and limited oil solubility. Indeed, 12HSA has traditionally been used as gelling agent e.g. in lipsticks and anti-perspirant stick compositions. See also EP 0129528, U.S. Pat. No. 6,680,285, Abbas et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,680,285, Tanner et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,759,524, WO95/31961 (Procter & Gamble), Kawa et al., US 2004/0044078 (describing the use of 12HSA to increase viscosity of cosmetic compositions), and JP 2010/138,110. Salts of 12HSA are only marginally more water-soluble. Thus, non-solid skin conditioning compositions containing 12HSA are highly desirable.

Skin conditioning compositions containing 12-hydroxystearic acid


When an intermediate lock by an intermediate lock mechanism is released, one of two lock keys, which restricts a shift in a direction opposite to a direction that valve timing of an intake valve has been controlled by controlling the valve timing of the intake valve to a phase-advance side with respect to an intermediate lock position, is pulled out of an engaging recessed portion. Thereafter, the other of the two lock keys is pulled out of an engaging recessed portion by controlling the valve timing of the intake valve to a phase-retard side with respect to the intermediate lock position. Therefore, the intermediate lock by the intermediate lock mechanism can be released, while avoiding the lock keys from being pushed against the respective engaging recessed portions.

A variable valve timing device of an internal combustion engine, which is provided with an intermediate lock mechanism that enables a phase of a camshaft relative to a crankshaft to be locked at an intermediate phase, is well known in the art.
For instance, the variable valve timing device of the internal combustion engine, disclosed in Patent document 1, has a housing configured to rotate in synchronism with the crankshaft, a rotor installed in the housing and configured to rotate together with the camshaft, and two lock pins, each of which is configured to be engageable with both the housing and the rotor. Also disclosed is an intermediate lock mechanism configured to restrict relative rotation of the camshaft with respect to the crankshaft and hold valve timing at a predetermined intermediate lock position, by inserting the top ends of the two lock pins from the housing side into respective lock grooves formed in the rotor.
The variable valve timing device of the Patent document 1 is configured to be changeable the valve timing by supplying operating oil (working hydraulic fluid) to a phase-advance side hydraulic chamber or a phase-retard side hydraulic chamber, defined between the housing and the rotor. When the intermediate lock mechanism is released, working hydraulic fluid is supplied repeatedly into the phase-advance side hydraulic chamber and the phase-retard side hydraulic chamber in turn, prior to hydraulically pushing the lock pins back to the housing side.
Therefore, in the Patent document 1, valve timing becomes kept stably at the intermediate lock position, so as to establish a specific state where relative rotation of the housing and the rotor from the intermediate lock position can be suppressed. Hence, it is possible to reduce frictional forces between each individual lock pin and each of the housing and the rotor, caused by the lock pins, each pushed against the housing and the rotor, thereby enabling the two lock pins to be easily pulled out of the respective lock grooves.
However, it is difficult to exactly equalize the hydraulic pressure in the phase-advance side hydraulic chamber with the hydraulic pressure in the phase-retard side hydraulic chamber by supplying working fluid repeatedly to the phase-advance side hydraulic chamber and the phase-retard side hydraulic chamber in turn. Therefore, due to individual differences of component parts, there is a possibility that the frictional forces between these component parts, caused by the lock pins, each pushed against the housing and the rotor, undesirably increase and thus the release of the intermediate lock mechanism fails.
Additionally, in the case of the intermediate lock mechanism having two lock pins, suppose that the hydraulic pressure in the phase-advance side hydraulic chamber is not exactly equalized to the hydraulic pressure in the phase-retard side hydraulic chamber. One of the two lock pins tends to be necessarily pushed against the housing and the rotor. Therefore, there is a very strong possibility that the release of the intermediate lock mechanism may fail.

Variable valve timing control device of internal combustion engine


An exemplary method of reconstructing a hidden surface area in an image includes the steps of: identifying a separation pixel gap in an image resulting from a repositioning of image pixels to create a three-dimensional image; identifying pixels from one or more images; and filling the separation pixel gap with the pixels. Replacement pixels can be retrieved from a single image in a search sequence of images, or from a plurality of images in the sequence. One or more pixel fill techniques can be employed to determine replacement pixels for the separation pixel gap which best match adjacent background pixels.

In the process of converting two-dimensional (2D) motion picture images into three-dimensional (3D) motion picture images, each frame of the motion picture has another perspective of the image created that perhaps was not originally recorded. This is referred to as a complementary image. Reconstructing the complementary image is done by applying algorithms that cause pixels to be shifted along the horizontal axis of the image.
In the process of creating a 3D perspective image out of a 2D image, various objects or portions of objects within the image are repositioned. If an image object requires repositioning along the horizontal, or X axis, to effectively position the object toward or away from the viewer, the repositioned object covers up existing pixels on one side of the object and creates a gap of missing pixels on the other side of the object. This gap of missing pixels may also be referred to as the pixel fill area. For example, if an object is placed in the foreground, that object in a newly-created right view will be positioned to the left, covering over pixels on its left edge. As objects shift their position, they cover up existing pixels in the direction that the object moves, and leave a gap of missing pixel information on the other side of the object.
In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/819,420, it was disclosed ("Repeat Pixel" feature) that the missing gap of pixels can be filled by repeating pixels from the edge of the background object that the object is moving away from. In many cases, this approach is sufficient even though the pixel repeat information is not an exact replica of the pixel information that should actually be present in the gap of missing information. As long as the pixel repeat gap is not extensively large (which would occur if the object happens to move a great distance toward or away from the viewer) and as long as the repeat pixel information does not exhibit any type of motion artifacts relative to its adjacent surrounding backgrounds, simply "pixel repeating" background pixels across the gap often goes unnoticeable.
One of the reasons that pixel repeating can go unnoticed is that the pixel repeating occurs in only one image and is therefore seen by only one eye. In effect, it is part of a three-dimensional disparity. The brain interprets depth by differences of what we perceive with our left and right eye of an image. The fact that the image seen by one eye contains pixel repeat information can, in many cases, go quite undetectable. Even in a real photographed 3D image, the edges of foreground against background result in edges differences between the left and right eye views.
It is the consistency and uniformity of the content along the edges of objects that the brain evaluates to determine whether an image should be accepted as a legitimate coherent 3D image, rather than an image with distracting artifacts. If the edges start to become out of context with the surrounding background, either by size or shape for example, the brain will tend to interpret and sense these areas of the image as artifacts. It is when the differences become too great and inconsistent with the flow of the image content that the brain stimulates human senses to consciously perceive such image artifacts as distracting and/or unreal.
There are some cases in the process of converting two-dimensional images into three-dimensional images where the background information around a surrounding object does not lend itself to pixel repeating. This may either be because the gap is too wide or because there may be too much activity of motion near the edge of the object by other objects. In this case, the area of pixel fill is simply not a good fit and results in a visual distraction.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to be able reduce or eliminate image artifacts that occur in the process of applying depth to objects during the conversion of 2D images into 3D images.

Method of hidden surface reconstruction for creating accurate three-dimensional images converted from two-dimensional images


An image capturing module is provided. The image capturing module includes: a lens assembly supporting at least one lens, moving along an optical axis of light indicating an image of a subject, and comprising guiding protrusions for guiding the moving the optical axis; a module supporting unit comprising guiding holes to which the guiding protrusions are inserted to guide the lens assembly; a lens driving unit comprising a winding vibration type piezoelectric motor and a piezoelectric motor supporting member, wherein the winding vibration type piezoelectric motor is disposed on the module supporting unit and moves the lens assembly along the optical axis and the piezoelectric motor supporting member supports the winding vibration type piezoelectric motor; a pressurizing member interposed between the piezoelectric motor supporting member and the module supporting unit; and a plurality of ball assemblies interposed between the module supporting unit and the lens assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
Apparatuses consistent with the present invention relate to an image capturing module, and more particularly, to an image capturing module using a winding vibration type piezoelectric motor having a thin small volume and capable of performing a zoom or automatic focusing (AF) function in a digital camera.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, camera modules having an automatic focusing (AF) function or a zoom adjusting function implemented in mobile electronic devices, such as mobile phones, are being widely used. As the thickness of a camera module implemented in a mobile phone increases, the thickness of the mobile phone also increases. Thus, camera modules implemented in mobile phones may have a large volume and thickness.
In order to zoom or to automatically focus, a lens barrel supporting a lens may be moved along a guiding unit. As a driving unit for moving the lens barrel, a step motor or a piezoelectric motor is used. The step motor is driven by a step waveform (signal) based on an input pulse. Also, the step motor, which may be stepped, is controlled by a direct current source and driven by an electronic circuit, and has a rapid response in short-distance controlling.
However, in a step motor, since the size of an operating module increases due to increasing implementation of application parts, such as a reduction gear and connection parts, and an increasing size of the motor itself, and a cost of the motor increases due to the increasing implementation of the parts, a lens driving method using an ultrasonic motor such as a piezoelectric motor is widely used in camera modules employed in small digital cameras or mobile phones due to current light-weighted and minimized products.
Use of an ultrasonic motor is being gradually increased since an ultrasonic motor may be used to obtain high torque while being driven at low speed, may be manufactured in a structure different from that of a related art motor, and may not have a size limitation.
However, when a lens barrel driving device in a related art employing an inertia type piezoelectric motor is used, a piezoelectric motor driving unit needs to be disposed at a side of a lens module or a shutter module. Accordingly, a volume (width) of a side of the camera module increases.
Moreover, when a lens barrel driving device in a related art employing a winding vibration type piezoelectric motor is used, a driving unit may be disposed in a limited space, a lens module may be minutely controlled, and a lens and an image sensor may be maintained parallel to each other. However, in this case, the number of parts increases and an assembly tolerance of each part may be hardly reduced.


Disclosed are simple, efficient, and scalable methods of patterning polymeric or metallic microstructures on planar or non-planar surfaces. The methods utilize initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) technology. Also disclosed are patterned articles produced by these methods, and methods of using the articles.

Patterning processes for functional polymeric materials play an important role in the fabrication of microelectronic devices, including sensors and imaging displays, optical devices, such as diffraction gratings and photonic crystals, and tools for biological research and engineering. The ability to pattern such materials on non-planar substrates enables development of devices with unique or enhanced properties; for example, one could fabricate hemispherical or ellipsoidal cameras with reduced aberration and wider fields of view, and biomimetic pressure sensors incorporated into the curved surfaces of artificial skin. Established methods, such as conventional photolithography, are not readily applied to non-planar substrates. Consequently, great effort has been devoted to developing novel patterning techniques applicable to non-planar substrates. Detachment lithography, micromolding techniques, self-assembly, and surfactant-induced pattern formation have been used to pattern polymeric materials on curved substrates; however, these methods often suffer significant drawbacks, including long processing times, large numbers of steps, and low throughput. Moreover, many such techniques require a cleanroom environment, or, in the case of chemically-driven methods, can only be used to produce patterns of limited types.
There exists a need for a simple, fast, and scalable method for patterning polymers on non-planar surfaces.

Three-dimensional photoresists via functionalization of polymer thin films fabricated by iCVD