This invention is concerning an etchant composition used to etch a silicon-containing film formed on a target substrate. The etchant composition includes at least one selected from the group consisting of an organic compound containing a hydroxyl group, an organic compound containing a carbonyl group, an inorganic acid and inorganic salt, hydrofluoric acid, ammonium fluoride and an organic acid.

Fabrication processes of semiconductor devices, typified by LSI (Large Scale Integrated circuits) and MOS (Metal Oxide Semiconductor) transistors, include an etching process for removing an insulating film, which is a silicon-containing film such as a silicon oxide film (SiO2), formed over a silicon substrate. The etching process is a process, for example, for partially removing the insulating film over the silicon substrate to obtain a desired pattern. In some cases, an aluminum (Al) film or an alloy film of aluminum and other kinds of metal, which will serve as a wiring layer, is formed over a target substrate, and the etching process is performed on the substrate with both the metal film and silicon oxide film exposed.
One of the etching techniques for removing the insulating film is wet etching in which a silicon substrate to be treated is immersed in an etching solution for a predetermined period of time. A typical etching solution required for wet etching contains hydrofluoric acid, ammonium fluoride and water. However, this type of etching solution lacks an adequate property to prevent corrosion of metal films, such as aluminum film and aluminum alloy film. More specifically speaking, the etching solution strips off a large part of the metal film, or the aluminum film, in a short time at an early stage of the etching process.
Techniques concerning the wet etching of insulating films are disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication Nos. S49(1974)-84372 (PTL1) and S59(1984)-184532 (PTL2), Japanese Patent No. 4397899 (PTL3), Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. S52(1977)-108351 (PTL4) and Japanese Patent No. 3292108 (PTL5). PTL1 to PTL3 introduce a mixed solution of hydrofluoric acid, ammonium fluoride and acetic acid for etching. According to PTL4 and PTL5, etching processes are performed with a mixed solution of hydrofluoric acid, ammonium fluoride and polyalcohol.


According to an embodiment, a pattern data generation method is provided. In the pattern data generation method, when a resist on a substrate is exposed using a mask, an optical image at a designated resist film thickness position is calculated using a mask pattern. Feature quantity related to a shape of a resist pattern at the resist film thickness position is extracted, based on the optical image. Also, whether the resist pattern is failed is determined, based on the feature quantity, and pattern data of a mask pattern determined as failed is corrected.

With the miniaturization of semiconductor devices, it is becoming difficult to form resist patterns with sufficient lithography margins. Thus, when manufacturing a photomask, the pass or fail of mask pattern data is verified in advance by a lithography compliance check (LCC) or the like, and a photomask is manufactured using mask pattern data having passed the LCC.
A conventional LCC obtains an optical image within a resist by using mask pattern data, exposure conditions, and process conditions (resist film thickness and the like). At that time, the optical image is averaged in a resist film thickness direction. A dimension of a resist, when viewed from a top surface side of a resist pattern, is derived using the optical image obtained in this way, and the pass or fail of the mask pattern data is determined based on the dimension of the resist.
However, in such an LCC, a slope of a collapsed resist pattern or the like could not be checked. As a result, until the resist pattern is actually formed, poor formation of the resist pattern could not be verified. Therefore, it is desired to accurately determine the quality of the mask pattern data.

Pattern data generation method, pattern verification method, and optical image calculation method


Methods for treating or preventing gastritis or gastric injury are disclosed, comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of an amylin or an amylin agonist. Methods are also disclosed for the treatment of pain, fever, inflammation, arthritis, hypercoagulability, or other conditions for which a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug would be indicated, comprising administering an amylin or amylin agonist in conjunction with administering a therapeutically effective amount of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent. Pharmaceutical compositions comprising an amylin or amylin agonist and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug are also disclosed.

Publications and other materials including patents and patent applications used to illuminate the specification are hereby incorporated by reference.
Amylin
The structure and biology of amylin have previously been reviewed. See, for example, Rink et al., Trends in Pharmaceutical Sciences, 14:113-118 (1993); Gaeta and Rink, Med. Chem. Res., 3:483-490 (1994); and, Pittner et al., J. Cell. Biochem., 55S:19-28 (1994).
Amylin is a 37 amino acid protein hormone. It was isolated, purified and chemically characterized as the major component of amyloid deposits in the islets of pancreases of human Type II diabetics (Cooper et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA 84:8628-8632 (1987)). The amylin molecule has two important post-translational modifications: the C-terminus is amidated, and the cysteines in positions 2 and 7 are cross-linked to form an N-terminal loop. The sequence of the open reading frame of the human amylin gene shows the presence of the Lys-Arg dibasic amino acid proteolytic cleavage signal, prior to the N-terminal codon for Lys, and the Gly prior to the Lys-Arg proteolytic signal at the C-terminal position, a typical sequence for amidation for protein amidating enzyme, PAM (Cooper et al., Biochm. Biophys. Acta, 1014:247-258 (1989)). Amylin is the subject of United Kingdom patent application Ser. No. 8709871, filed Apr. 27, 1987, and corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,052, issued Nov. 22, 1994.
In Type 1 diabetes, amylin has been shown to be deficient, and combined replacement with insulin has been proposed as a preferred treatment over insulin alone in all forms of diabetes. The use of amylin and other amylin agonists for the treatment of diabetes mellitus is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,145, issued Dec. 29, 1992. Pharmaceutical compositions containing amylin and amylin plus insulin are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,124,314, issued Jun. 23, 1992.
Amylin is primarily synthesized in pancreatic beta cells and is secreted in response to nutrient stimuli such as glucose and arginine. Studies with cloned beta-cell tumor lines (Moore et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 179(l) (1991)), isolated islets (Kanatsuka et al., FEBS Letts., 259(l), 199-201 (1989)) and perfused rat pancreases (Ogawa et al., J. Clin. Invest., 85:973-976 (1990)) have shown that short pulses, 10 to 20 minutes, of nutrient secretagogues such as glucose and arginine, stimulate release of amylin as well as insulin. The molar amylin:insulin ratio of the secreted proteins varies between preparations from about 0.01 to 0.4, but appears not to vary much with acute stimuli in any one preparation. However, during prolonged stimulation by elevated glucose, the amylin:insulin ratio can progressively increase (Gedulin et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 180(1):782-789 (1991)). Thus, amylin and insulin are not always secreted in a constant ratio.
It has been discovered and reported that certain actions of amylin are similar to non-metabolic actions of CGRP and calcitonin; however, the metabolic actions of amylin discovered during investigations of this recently identified protein appear to reflect its primary biologic role. At least some of these metabolic actions are mimicked by CGRP, albeit at doses which are markedly vasodilatory (see, e.g., Leighton et al., Nature, 335:632-635 (1988)); Molina et al., Diabetes, 39:260-265 (1990)).
The first discovered action of amylin was the reduction of insulin-stimulated incorporation of glucose into glycogen in rat skeletal muscle (Leighton et al., Nature, 335:632-635 (1988)); the muscle was made "insulin-resistant." Subsequent work with rat soleus muscle ex-vivo and in vitro has indicated that amylin reduces glycogen synthase activity, promotes conversion of glycogen phosphorylase from the inactive b form to the active a form, promotes net loss of glycogen (in the presence or absence of insulin), increases glucose-6-phosphate levels, and can increase lactate output (see, e.g., Deems et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 181(l):116-120 (1991)); Young et al., FEBS Letts, 281(1,2):149-151 (1991)). Amylin appears not to affect glucose transport per se (e.g., Pittner et al., FEBS Letts., 365(1):98-100 (1995)). Studies of amylin and insulin dose-response relations show that amylin acts as a noncompetitive or functional antagonist of insulin in skeletal muscle (Young et al., Am. J. Physiol., 263(2):E274-E281 (1992)). There is no evidence that amylin interferes with insulin binding to its receptors, or the subsequent activation of insulin receptor tyrosine kinase (Follett et al., Clinical Research, 39(1):39A (1991)); Koopmans et al., Diabetologia, 34:218-224 (1991)).
It is believed that amylin acts through receptors present in plasma membranes. Studies of amylin and CGRP, and the effect of selective antagonists, suggest that amylin acts via its own receptor (Beaumont et al., Br. J. Pharmacol., 115(5):713-715 (1995); Wang et al., FEBS Letts., 219:195-198 (1991 b)), counter to the conclusion of other workers that amylin may act primarily at CGRP receptors (e.g., Chantry et al., Biochem. J., 277:139-143 (1991)); Galeazza et al., Peptides, 12:585-591 (1991)); Zhu et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 177(2):771-776 (1991)). Amylin receptors and their use in methods for screening and assaying for amylin agonist and antagonist compounds are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,264,372, issued Nov. 23, 1993.
While amylin has marked effects on hepatic fuel metabolism in vivo, there is no general agreement as to what amylin actions are seen in isolated hepatocytes or perfused liver. The available data do not support the idea that amylin promotes hepatic glycogenolysis, i.e., it does not act like glucagon (e.g., Stephens et al., Diabetes, 40:395-400 (1991); Gomez-Foix et al., Biochem J., 276:607-610 (1991)). It has been suggested that amylin may act on the liver to promote conversion of lactate to glycogen and to enhance the amount of glucose able to be liberated by glucagon (see Roden et al., Diabetologia, 35:116-120 (1992)). It is most likely that amylin has no direct effect on liver cells. (Pittner, R. A., Eur. J. of Pharm. (1997) (in press)).
In fat cells, contrary to its action in muscle, amylin has no detectable actions on insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, incorporation of glucose into triglyceride, CO2 production (Cooper et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 85:7763-7766 (1988)), epinephrine-stimulated lipolysis, or insulin-inhibition of lipolysis (Lupien and Young, "Diabetes Nutrition and Metabolism—Clinical and Experimental," Vol. 6(1), pages 1318 (February 1993)). Amylin thus exerts tissue-specific effects, with direct action on skeletal muscle, and indirect (via supply of substrate) effects on liver, while adipocytes appear "blind" to the presence or absence of amylin.
It has also been reported that amylin can have marked effects on secretion of insulin. In isolated islets (Ohsawa et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 160(2):961-967 (1989)), in the perfused pancreas (Silvestre et al., Reg. Pept., 31:23-31 (1990)), and in the intact rat (Young et al., Mol. Cell. Endocrinol., 84:R1-R5 (1992)), some experiments indicate that amylin inhibits insulin secretion. Other workers, however, have been unable to detect effects of amylin on isolated β-cells, on isolated islets, or in the whole animal (see Broderick et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 177:932-938 (1991) and references therein).
Amylin or amylin agonists potently inhibit gastric emptying in rats (Young et al., Diabetologia, 38(6):642-648 (1995)), dogs (Brown et al., Diabetes, 43(Suppl 1):172A (1994)) and humans (Macdonald et al., Diabetologia, 38 (Suppl 1):A32 (abstract 118) (1995)). Gastric emptying is reportedly accelerated in amylin-deficient type 1 diabetic BB rats (Young et al., Diabetologia, supra; Nowak et al., J. Lab. Clin. Med., 123(1):110-6 (1994)) and in rats treated with the selective amylin antagonist, AC187 (Gedulin et al., Diabetologia, 38 (Suppl 1) :A244 (1995)). Methods for reducing gastric motility and slowing gastric emptying comprising the administration of an amylin agonist (including amylin) are the subject of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/118,381, filed Sep. 7, 1993, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/302,069, filed Sep. 7, 1994 (and corresponding PCT application, Publication No. WO 95/07098, published Mar. 16, 1995). The effect of amylin on gastric emptying appears to be physiological (operative at concentrations that normally circulate). Supraphysiological levels of amylin have also been studied with regard to the inhibition of gastric acid secretion (Guidobono, F., et al., Peptides, 15:699-702 (1994) and in regard to protection from gastritis. (Guidobono et al., Brit. J. Pharm., 120:581-86 (1997)). The latter authors reported that subcutaneous injections of amylin had no effect on ethanol- or indomethacin-induced gastritis in rats, although intracerebroventricular injections did have an effect. The same authors also concluded that any gastroprotective effects of amylin were distinct from effects to inhibit acid secretion.
Non-metabolic actions of amylin include vasodilator effects which may be mediated by interaction with CGRP vascular receptors. Reported in vivo tests suggest that amylin is at least about 100 to 1000 times less potent than CGRP as a vasodilator (Brain et al., Eur. J. Pharmacol., 183:2221 (1990); Wang et al., FEBS Letts., 291:195-198 (1991)). The effect of amylin on regional hemodynamic actions, including renal blood flow, in conscious rats has been reported (Gardiner et al., Diabetes, 40:948-951 (1991)). The authors noted that infusion of rat amylin was associated with greater renal vasodilation and less mesenteric vasoconstriction than is seen with infusion of human α-CGRP. They concluded that, by promoting renal hyperemia to a greater extent than did α-CGRP, rat amylin could cause less marked stimulation of the renin-angiotensin system, and thus, less secondary angiotensin II-mediated vasoconstriction. It was also noted, however, that during coninfusion of human α-8-37CGRP and rat amylin, renal and mesenteric vasoconstrictions were unmasked, presumably due to unopposed vasoconstrictor effects of angiotensin II, and that this finding is similar to that seen during coinfusion of human A-CGRP and human α-8-37CGRP (id. at 951).
Injected into the brain, or administered peripherally, amylin has been reported to suppress food intake, e.g., Chance et al., Brain Res., 539:352-354 (1991)), an action shared with CGRP and calcitonin. The effective concentrations at the cells that mediate this action are not known. Amylin has also been reported to have effects both on isolated osteoclasts where it caused cell quiescence, and in vivo where it was reported to lower plasma calcium by up to 20% in rats, in rabbits, and in humans with Paget's disease (see, e.g., Zaidi et al., Trends in Endocrinol. and Metab., 4:255-259 (1993)). From the available data, amylin seems to be less potent than human calcitonin for these actions. Interestingly, it was reported that amylin appeared to increase osteoclast cAMP production but not to increase cytosolic Ca2+, while calcitonin does both (Alam et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 179(l):134-139 (1991)). It was suggested, though not established, that calcitonin may act via two receptor types and that amylin may interact with one of these.
It has also been discovered that, surprisingly in view of its previously described renal vasodilator and other properties, amylin markedly increases plasma renin activity in intact rats when given subcutaneously in a manner that avoids any disturbance of blood pressure. This latter point is important because lowered blood pressure is a strong stimulus to renin release. Amylin antagonists, such as amylin receptor antagonists, including those selective for amylin receptors compared to CGRP and/or calcitonin receptors, can be used to block the amylin-evoked rise of plasma renin activity. The use of amylin antagonists to treat renin-related disorders is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,376,638, issued Dec. 27, 1994.
It has also been found that amylin and amylin agonists have an analgesic effect; methods for treating pain comprising the administration of an amylin or an amylin agonist with or without a narcotic analgesic are described in U.S. application Ser. No. 08/767,169, filed Dec. 16, 1996.
In normal humans, fasting amylin levels from 1 to 10 pM and post-prandial or post-glucose levels of 5 to 20 pM have been reported (e.g., Hartter et al., Diabetologia, 34:52-54 (1991); Sanke et al., Diabetologia, 34:129-132 (1991); Koda et al., The Lancet, 339:1179-1180 (1992)). In obese, insulin-resistant individuals, post-food amylin levels can go higher, reaching up to about 50 pM. For comparison, the values for fasting and post-prandial insulin are 20 to 50 pM, and 100 to 300 pM respectively in healthy people, with perhaps 3-to 4-fold higher levels in insulin-resistant people. In Type 1 diabetes, where beta cells are destroyed, amylin levels are at or below the levels of detection and do not rise in response to glucose (Koda et al., The Lancet, 339:1179-1180 (1992)). In normal mice and rats, basal amylin levels have been reported from 30 to 100 pM, while values up to 600 pM have been measured in certain insulin-resistant, diabetic strains of rodents (e.g., Huang et al., Hypertension, 19:I-101-I-109 (1991); Gill et al., Life Sciences, 48:703-710 (1991)).
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or agents (NSAIDS) are useful analgesics, however, they have the adverse property of inducing various gastric effects in a large fraction of patients; such gastric effects include gastritis, gastric ulcer, epigastric distress, nausea, vomiting, and hemorrhage. (Woodbury, D. M. and Fingl, E. Analgesic-antipyretics, anti-inflammatory agents, and drugs employed in the therapy of gout, in The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics (Goodman, L. S., and Gilman, A., eds.) 325-43 (1975)). Such NSAIDS include salicylate, phenylbutazone, indomethacin, acetominophan, phenacetin, naproxen, and ibuprofen. This side effect is particularly a problem in patients that must continually ingest NSAIDs, such as in patients with chronic inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Method for treating or preventing gastritis using amylin or amylin agonists


The present invention relates to the use of Styrenated Phenol Ethoxylates as surfactants in emulsion polymerization. The present invention further relates to the use of both anionic and nonionic Styrenated Phenol Ethoxylates in emulsion polymerization. Latexes with small average particle and narrow particle size distributions are obtained. Prepared latexes also have low coagulum levels and exhibit excellent mechanical and chemical stability.

Emulsion polymerization is the most important industrial method for manufacture of aqueous dispersion of polymers. Emulsion polymerization is typically performed in an aqueous medium in the presence of a surfactant and a water soluble initiator and is usually rapidly producing high molecular weight homo or copolymers at high solids content and low dispersion viscosity. Its application requires the emulsification of the monomer in a medium, usually water, through the use of emulsifiers. These are supplied in addition to the other ingredients that go into most polymerizations, such as the initiator and chain transfer agents. The use and type of emulsifier determines many of the characteristics of the produced polymer or copolymer, which is typically a latex (stable colloidal suspension of polymer particles in a continuous phase, usually water). Moreover, the emulsifier usually cannot be completely removed from the latex. For this reason, and because of the great unpredictability of the efficacy of a given surface-active agent as an emulsifier in polymerization, many compounds that would theoretically be useful are not.
It is also known that emulsion polymerization requires the use of a surfactant to form a stable emulsion of monomers and to prevent coagulation of the product polymer. Surfactants are generally categorized into two types: either non-polymerizable, or polymerizable, that is co-polymerizable with the monomers for polymer formation. A problem which has arisen with the use of non-polymerizable surfactants is that they remain as a residue in the product polymer and, as they can be extracted by water, they make the product sensitive to water. Surfactants are also categorized as anionic, cationic, non-ionic or zwitterionic depending on their chemical makeup.
With the customary emulsion polymerization processes, suitable latices have been difficult to obtain since the latices usually contain particles of varying size and are either too fine or too large. Various proposals have heretofore been made to overcome these difficulties but not with the ultimate success desired. For example, the use of various different emulsifiers and catalysts have been proposed. Also, varying the conditions of polymerization has been suggested. However, in most of these cases, too much coagulation occurred with the resulting latex containing too much coagulum or partially agglomerated particles which precipitate reducing the yield. Further, the shelf life of such latices leave much to be desired. It is desirable to have latices which change very little during storage with respect to viscosity and have and maintain good heat stability.
The final product resulting from emulsion polymerization is normally an opaque, grey or milky-white dispersion of high molecular weight polymer(s) at a solids content of typically 30-60% in water. Said dispersion typically comprises acrylic, methacrylic and crotonic acid homo and copolymers, methacrylate and acrylate ester homo or copolymers, vinyl acetate homo or copolymers, vinyl and vinylidene chloride homo or copolymers, ethylene homo or copolymers, styrene and butadiene homo or copolymers, acrylamide homo or copolymers, butadiene-acrylonitrile copolymers, styrene-acrolein copolymers and/or where applicable carboxylated versions. Traditional applications for such aqueous dispersions are adhesives, binders for fibres and particulate matter, protective and decorative coatings, dipped goods, foam, paper coatings, backings for carpet and upholstery, modifiers for bitumens and concrete and thread and textile modifiers. More recent applications include biomedical applications as protein immobilisers, visual detectors in immunoassays, as release agents, in electronic applications as photoresists for circuit boards, in batteries, conductive paint, copy machines and as key components in molecular electronic devices.
Ethoxylated Styrenated Phenols have been widely disclosed as effective and efficient pigment dispersants in a variety of applications. U.S. Pat. No. 6,736,892 (2004) discloses anionic Sytrenated Phenol Ethoxylates as pigment dispersants in water based ink and coating applications. U.S. application 0235877 A1 (2005) discloses fatty acid esters of Styrenated Phenol Alkoxylates as effective and efficient pigment dispersants for solvent based systems. U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,785 (1991) discloses nonionic Styrenated Phenol Ethoxylates as effective and efficient pigment dispersants in electrodeposition baths. The dispersants were also found to increase film build and dramatically improve film appearance and maintain the improved film appearance in this application. Thus the utility of Styrenated Phenol Ethoxylates, both anionic and nonionic, in separating and stabilizing pigment particles against aggregation has been well known and demonstrated in both aqueous and non-aqueous systems. In these applications, these surfactants are added as part of the formulation comprising the resin used as a binder or film former, the pigment paste or dispersion, and other additives such as coalescing aids, viscosity modifiers, and other additives well known to those familiar with the art.
In emulsion polymerization of ethylenically unsaturated monomers, it is well known to those familiar with the art that surfactants are necessary and essential ingredients required for the polymerization reaction to occur in the aqueous phase. It is also well known to those familiar with the art that surfactants further function by stabilizing the latex particles against aggregation from shear or mechanical force and also stabilize the latex particles from aggregation due to the addition of electrolyte to the latex. In the emulsion polymerization process, since the radical polymerization takes place inside the surfactant formed micelles, the surfactants in emulsion polymerization are essential components in the manufacture of the latex. Benjamin B. Kline and George H. Redlich, "The Role of Surfactants in Emulsion Polymerization", Surfactant Science Series, 26, 1988) It is also well known to those skilled in the art that the selection of surfactant type and level is also the determining factor in many emulsion properties, in particular the particle size of the latex particles. Low particle size is highly desirable in pigmentation and results in higher gloss in the final film or coating.
We have now found that the Styrenated Phenol Ethoxylates are useful as surfactants in the emulsion polymerization of ethylenically unsaturated monomers. The use of both anionic and nonionic Styrenated Phenol Ethoxylates in the emulsion polymerization process provides latexes with small particle size and small particle size distributions. Furthermore, latexes prepared using Styrenated Phenol Ethoxylates have excellent mechanical and chemical stability. The Styrenated Phenol Ethoxylates of the present invention may also be used in combination with conventional surfactants to improve latex properties.

Styrenated phenol ethoxylates in emulsion polymerization


An elastic drainage pavement comprising waste-polyurethane chips for use on existing roads and a paving method using the same, which uses a binder specially developed to secure the binding between an upper polyurethane-chip layer and a lower existing-pavement layer as well as the binding among the waste-polyurethane chips, resulting in excellent strength and durability, and uses recycled polyurethane chips to provide elasticity and permeability suitable for sports activities, walking, and outdoor exercises.

When a heavy rain falls on conventional existing asphalt or concrete pavement, the rain does not sink into the ground, but flows through roadside drainage system to river, stream, waste water treatment plant or public water area. However, in case of a localized torrential downpour for a short period of time or a heavy rain for a long period of time during the rainy season, the drained rain and water may overflow the river and stream, causing very dangerous and unstable situation. Also, as the rain and water cannot permeate into the conventional existing road or pavement, it obstructs safe passage and causes a lot of inconvenience to pedestrians.
Therefore, in order to overcome such disadvantages of the conventional asphalt or concrete pavement, a permeable concrete pavement comprising aggregates of the size generally less than 13 mm to maintain suitable porosity and strength, and allowing water to seep into the ground through a surface layer and a base layer of the pavement has been suggested and used.
Specifically, the permeable concrete allows rain or water to seep into the ground through pores among the aggregates, fostering the growth of trees and plants, and also prevents flooding of the river by allowing heavy or torrential rain to flow under the earth. Further, as the rain or water does not stay on the permeable concrete pavement, it provides less slippery and much safer walking, jogging or driving conditions.
For these reasons, the permeable concrete pavement has come into use more widely, especially on trails at parks, bicycle paths, tracks for in-line skating, golf-course trails, etc.
Conventional permeable pavements are divided into permeable asphalt concrete and permeable cement concrete. However, the asphalt concrete has disadvantages in that the surface deforms considerably due to high temperatures during the summer season and the pores get clogged up due to the viscosity of the asphalt. Also, the cement concrete is so rigid that people get hurt when they fall on it.
In addition, the conventional permeable-concrete pavement is covered with epoxy pigments for cosmetic view of the surface, but a ramp covered with such epoxy pigments is more slippery than a normal concrete pavement, which causes problems in safety.
Further, because the surface of the concrete pavement is rugged, the surface can peel or break off, and when the pores are covered with dust, the pavement's permeability deteriorates, requiring additional maintenance costs for declogging the pores, i.e. removal of the dust.
As an example to improve the disadvantages of the conventional permeable concrete, Korean Patent No. 404679 (patented on Oct. 27, 2003 entitled "pavement using waste tire chips") discloses an elastic permeable pavement which comprises a land layer, a filter layer, a rubble layer, a permeable concrete layer, a waste-polyurethane chip layer, and a surface layer from the bottom to the top. Specifically, the filter layer is constructed by spreading small aggregates (sand), and the rubble layer is constructed by pouring and hardening concrete rubbles of the particle size 25 mm or less onto the filter layer. The permeable concrete layer is made by blending aggregates of the particle size 5–13 mm, cement and admixture products with water, and pouring this mixture on the rubble layer and curing it. As a result, the permeable concrete layer has the compressive strength of 100 kg/cm2 or more and the permeability coefficient of 1×10−3 cm/sec or more. Further, the waste-tire chip layer is formed by pouring and spreading in the thickness of 10–20 mm a mixture including waste-tire chips of particle size 2.5–7 mm; a binder comprising 10–25 g of urethane resin, epoxy resin or acrylic resin based on 100 g of the waste tire chips; and 1–4 g of an inorganic pigment on the same base. Furthermore, the surface layer is colored by spraying with the urethane resin, epoxy resin or acrylic resin on the waste-tire chip layer.
The elastic permeable pavement as disclosed in the above patent allows rain or water to penetrate into the ground, and the pavement is resistant to slipping and reduces diffused light-reflection resulted from the water staying on the pavement, thus securing safe passage of pedestrians and providing comfortable vision. Also, as using waste tires which have been one of the environmental pollutants, the pavement not only absorbs impact on foot, but also contributes to the protection of environment and recycling of resources.
However, since the waste tire's smell of rubber lasted for a long time, the pavement using the waste tire could not provide a pleasant sense of smell. Further, since the urethane, epoxy and acrylic resin binders used in the above patent were those available in the market, there have been demands for a special binder which enhances the adhesive strength among pavement materials and maintains the strength and durability of the pavement for a long time.
Further, since the elastic permeable pavement in the above patent used a method of piling up the land layer, the filter layer, the rubble layer, the permeable concrete layer, the waste-polyurethane chip layer and the surface layer from the bottom, in a case where it was not necessary to dig open an existing pavement to newly pave it again, or in a case where there was no sufficient budget for such a pavement, such a pavement construction method of piling up the layers would not be economical in terms of process, time and cost.
Instead, although the existing pavement is not permeable, if it is covered with a permeable pavement so that the rain can pass through the permeable pavement and drain, it would not only be possible to prevent the overflow of the river or stream, but also be very economical since the existing pavement can be used as it is.
Therefore, the inventor of the present invention studied and researched into materials and binders for the elastic permeable pavement, and as a result, the inventor completed the present invention by using waste-polyurethane chips in place of waste-tire chips as a main component of the elastic pavement and developing a binder to secure the binding between an upper polyurethane-chip layer and a lower existing-pavement layer as well as the binding among the waste-polyurethane chips.

Elastic drainage pavement comprising waste polyurethane chips for use on existing roads and a paving method using the same


Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for insuring data consistency within a network of computer systems. The method includes, in a network, sending a first data object from a first system to a second system, storing a copy of the first data object in the second system, generating a second data object from the first data object, sending the second data object and the copy to the first system, and determining a match of the copy with a current state of corresponding data of the copy in the first system.

In collaborative business processes, several different and separate computer based systems are typically involved, such as in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. These systems communicate with each other using a network, forming a computer system landscape. Within such a system landscape data is exchanged between and replicated in the systems involved, and continual efforts are needed to maintain consistency of the data involved in long term transactions within the landscape.

Conflict detection in a distributed system landscape


Remote control devices borne by potential passengers are alerted to initiate a request for elevator service by beacons in the building. The beacon alert message includes a tag identifying the floor on which the beacon is located and a position on the floor at which the beacon is located. The floor description tags prevent transmissions of the remote device from being recognized on floors other than the floor on which the device was alerted by a beacon, whereby transmission power of the remote devices may be quite high to assure reception anywhere on the floor, while being ignored on adjacent floors. Tags descriptive of the location on the floor (such as east, west, or lobby area) allow early assignment of a call to an elevator, without causing a car to stop for that particular passenger unless the call is verified by the passenger being sensed in the immediate vicinity of the elevator, and a car call is not entered for the destination floor unless the passenger is sensed as being within the elevator cab, due to a remote device message including a cab descriptor tag.

Elevator systems have recently been provided with two features which are thought to save considerable passenger time and increase the carrying capacity of a given elevator installation. The first of these is utilizing destination calls, by which the passenger does not simply call an elevator to his floor, but at the same time informs the elevator of the intended destination floor. This allows the dispatcher (typically a suitably programmed computer) to allocate the call to the most appropriate car, taking into account not only the origin, but also the destination of the passenger.
A second feature causes passengers to enter their calls while still at some distance (equivalent to about ten seconds, in one case) from the elevator, whereby the dispatcher can attempt to cause the elevator to arrive at nearly the same time that the passenger reaches the elevator. The advance calls are entered either automatically by, or in response to pressing keys on, personal radio transmitters which transmit an identification (ID) number utilized to automatically enter a prearranged destination call or a key-selected call.
Typical problems with these systems include calls caused by the person desiring to go to a destination other than his passively-entered, prearranged destination, or deciding not to enter the elevator yet (such as to purchase a newspaper on the way in), or simply changing his mind. Another problem is establishing a correct level of transmission power. If a remote call device transmits with too much power, the call may be entered on the floor above or the floor below the floor on which the passenger carrying the device is located. On the other hand, if the power is too low, calls may not be registered in a desired remote location, thereby upsetting the call allocation scheme of such a system. If multiple receivers are used, then the system must be able to distinguish between independent requests, and an identical request received by more than one receiver. Furthermore, especially during busy periods on a busy floor, many remote devices may be transmitting at once. Although such devices may use conventional spread spectrum transmission or conventional randomly timed transmission to assure that each message will be distinctly recorded, separately from the others, mixup in transmitted messages as between requests for service, notification of call allocation, and the like should be mitigated to reduce the number of false calls.

Remote elevator call requests with descriptor tags


A cytokine activity enhancer comprising an ethanolamine derivative of the following general formula (I) or a salt thereof, or comprising it along with cytokine or a cytokine production promoter; and also a medicine for diseases with lowered cytokine activity, comprising, as the active ingredient, the cytokine activity enhancer: ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 is H, --CH.sub.3, --CH.sub.2 CH(CH.sub.3)OH or --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 OH; R.sub.2 is H, --CH.sub.3, --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 or --COOH; and R.sub.3 is H, --CH.sub.3, --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.3 or --CH.sub.2 NH.sub.2.

It is known that the restoration of aged skin tissue or chapped skin tissue to its original condition is closely associated with cytokine activity. In addition, it is known that changes in cytokine activities are closely correlated with certain diseases. Various attempts to use cytokines to treat these diseases have been and are being actively pursued.
Cytokines may be administered to patients orally or by parenteral administration, such as by injection or endermic application. However, these methods require continuous administration of a large amount of expensive cytokines to the patient until complete recovery is achieved. These methods are therefore costly and time-consuming.
Alternatively, a substance that promotes the production of cytokines may be administered. Like direct administration of cytokines, the substance may be administered to the patient orally or by parenteral administration such as injection or endermic application. However, like the administration of cytokines, the administration of cytokine production enhancers are costly and time-consuming.
The administration of large amounts of cytokines for extended periods of time is further problematic in that the treatment often disrupts the patient's overall metabolism. In addition, external application of cytokines are ineffective in achieving a local effect, due to decomposition or poor absorbability of the compound. Therefore, a safer method for treating aged or chapped skin is desirable.

Cytokine potentiator and pharmaceutical formulation for cytokine administration


A resonator includes a piezoelectric layer comprising a piezoelectric material, the piezoelectric layer having a first surface and a second surface; an inner electrode disposed on the first surface of the piezoelectric layer, the inner electrode connected to a circuit; and an outer electrode surrounding the inner electrode on the first surface of the piezoelectric layer, the outer electrode left floating or connected to ground. The inner electrode and the outer electrode are separated by at least one gap smaller than an acoustic wavelength. One single piece electrode or multiple piece electrodes may be disposed on the second surface of the piezoelectric layer. The outer electrodes are configured for optimal modal confinement of an acoustic resonance while the inner electrodes are configured to produce a higher motional resistance than the interconnect resistance for maintaining high Q.

Piezoelectric resonators are used for oscillators or sensing devices. In particular, a piezoelectric resonator can be used as an oscillator for a clock or any other application which requires small size, low cost, and ruggedness. The piezoelectric resonator can also be used for microprocessor applications. A piezoelectric resonator operates by resonating in response to a stimulus, which may be a physical event, such as acceleration or force or pressure, or an electrical signal. In the former usage, the resonator acts as a transducer, and in the latter case the resonator acts as a frequency source.
Prior resonators have been constructed in a number of ways. Oven controlled crystal oscillators (OCXO) are one of several well-known piezoelectric resonators in the industry. Although the discussion which follows highlights OCXOs for concreteness, the present disclosure is not limited in its application to OXCOs and is broadly applicable to piezoelectric resonators, in general. Generally, crystal resonators resonate at a frequency which varies with temperature. The magnitude of this variation is frequently controlled by using temperature compensation (TCXO) or by ovenizing the resonator by controlling the temperature of the resonator (OCXO). Heat is typically supplied by transistors or resistors through conduction. Small low power OCXOs are desired for many military and commercial markets such as small navigation systems, small atomic clocks, radar, and underwater exploration. Low phase noise and Allan Deviation (high stability) may be important for precise clock applications. In some conventional OCXOs, the piezoelectric resonator element is enclosed in a case having a heater. For example, some quartz resonators are packaged in metal-type cans (TO5 or TO8) and sealed in vacuums using cold weld or seam welding bonding. The sealed cans may be heated using a transistor and metal heat spreading rings. The resonators may be attached to a heated interposer substrate with an on-board temperature sensor (Magic Xtal) and the interposer may be clipped inside the can (e.g. TO8) for vacuum sealing. U.S. Pat. No. 9,167,351 discloses a heated quartz crystal oscillator having a number of regions: an active resonating region, a heater region, a strain relief suspension region that joins the active resonating region to the heater region, and a via and bond pad region that is joined to the heater region by a thermal resistive region.
Some conventional OCXO resonator designs have long traces or strips of interconnect metal from the resonator to the base substrate to be connected to the sustaining circuit. These long traces may lead to an effective increase in the motional resistance of the resonator (as defined by the traditional Van Dyke model of the resonator) and may contribute to a loss of quality factor (Q). That is, the resistance of the traces, when combined with the inherent motional resistance (R1) of the resonator, leads to an effective increase in the inherent motional resistance and a degradation of the quality factor Q. However, the quality factor Q is one of the most important parameters for improving the stability of the clock. For example, in an existing 32-MHz VHF SC-cut OCXO quartz resonator, the interconnects along the tethers can have resistance values near the values of the inherent motional resistance R1 of the resonator (near 7 ohms). It followed that increasing the inherent motional resistance R1 of the resonator to be roughly five times greater than the interconnect resistance was needed to maintain the inherent high quality factor Q of the resonator.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,903,629 teaches double-sided, single-sided and ring electrode mesa resonators with an electrode-free resonator area that serves as an energy-trapping area.
A. N. Lepetaev & A. V. Kosykh, "New method of multy-mode oscillations control in crystal resonators" 2012 IEEE International Frequency Control Symposium, IFCS 2012, Proceedings 6243743, pp. 141-144, suppresses the charge collection of one mode of the oscillation compared to the other modes by varying the geometry of a contiguous metal electrode. The SC-cut motional resistance of the temperature sensitive mode (B mode) is enhanced compared to the temperature and stress compensated mode (C mode).
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and transitional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present disclosure as set forth in the remainder of the present disclosure.

Piezoelectric resonator with multiple electrode sections


A trigger circuit comprises a first series circuit (16) defined by an electronic switch (17) and an electromagnetic actuator (10). A second series circuit (18) defined by a resistor (19) and a sensor (20) responding to danger situations is arranged in parallel to said first series circuit (16). A tap (24) of said second series circuit (18) is connected with a control electrode (25) of said electronic switch (17). The circuit is of simple configuration and ensures a reliable switching behavior. Even when said sensor (20) is closed again, the trigger state is maintained.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a trigger circuit for an electromagnetic actuator, comprising an energy storage located in the vicinity of the actuator, said energy storage being connected with a remotely arranged supply source via supply lines, at least one electronic switch defining, together with the actuator, a first series circuit, and a sensor responding to danger situations.
2. Description of Related Art
Trigger circuits for electromagnetic actuators are frequently used in the vicinity of potentially explosive areas, for example in the chemical industry. Typical electromagnetic actuators are actuators for valves, e.g. linear actuators for shutoff valves. In protective systems, these valves serve for very rapidly switching on or off mass and volume flows, or for very rapidly pre-controlling suitable shutoff devices and thus performing switching actions. The operation of electromagnetic actuators requires a very high power to be provided for a short time. If the energy required for the switching action must be transmitted through the potentially explosive area, the power involved must be transmitted in an explosion-protected manner.
For preventing high currents from flowing through the supply lines, it is common practice to arrange an energy storage in the vicinity of the electronic switch and, if the sensors responds, to discharge the energy storage via the series circuit defined by the then closed electronic switch and the actuator.
One aspect of the present invention is based on a trigger circuit of EP 1 498 912 A1 of the applicant company. The trigger circuit described here comprises two electronic switches connected in series with the actuator in the form of triacs. The triacs are controlled via optocouplers. The trigger command for operating the actuator has the effect that a polarity inversion of the supply voltage takes place, which is transmitted to the optocoupler. The known trigger circuit is expensive on the one hand, and susceptible to malfunction on the other hand, in particular since light emitting diodes and light-sensitive transistors may fail.

Trigger circuit for an electromagnetic actuator


A driving circuit of an active matrix liquid crystal display, including a gate driving circuit for applying gate driving signals, the gate driving circuit including a shift register and a buffer; a data driving circuit for applying data driving signals, the data driving circuit including a shift register, a buffer, a visual signal input line, and a plurality of pass gate transistors for outputting visual signals input from the visual signal input line in response to signals input from the buffer, a gate and a source of each pass gate transistor being connected to the buffer and the visual signal input line, respectively; and a data output representing unit connected to the gate driving circuit and the data driving circuit, the data output representing unit including a plurality of data bus lines and scan bus lines crossing each other, the data bus lines and the scan bus lines being connected to the data driving circuit and the gate driving circuit, respectively, a plurality of auxiliary thin film transistors, one of which is respectively connected at each intersection of the data bus lines and scan bus lines, gates and sources of the auxiliary thin film transistors being connected to the data bus lines and the scan bus lines, respectively, and a plurality of pixel thin film transistors, one of which is respectively connected at each intersection, gates and sources of the pixel thin film transistors being connected to drains of the auxiliary thin film transistors and the next data bus lines, respectively.

The present invention relates to an active matrix liquid crystal display, and more particularly to a driving circuit of the point at a time type active matrix liquid crystal display in which charge time of all pixels connected to the end of the gate bus lines is the same so that the quality of a picture is improved.
There, in general, are two driving method of the active matrix LCD(AMLCD) arrangements for driving the LCDs, the line at a time type and the point at a time type. In the line at a time type, a signal voltage is simultaneously applied to pixels connected to one scan bus line and then stored to each pixel while the signal voltage is being applied to one scan bus line. To drive the LCD, therefore, sample and hold circuits which charge the signal voltage corresponding to one scan bus line and then apply to the pixels are needed. In addition, since the distortion of the charged signal voltage must be eliminated, the drive circuit becomes complex. Accordingly, the line at a time type drive circuit is used for an amorphous silicon thin film transistor(a-Si TFT) LCD in which driving integrated circuits(ICs) are attached around the periphery of a liquid crystal panel.
In the point at a time type, the signal voltage is orderly applied to the scan bus lines according to the order of the signal. This type, thus, is employed to poly silicon(p-Si) TFT LCD in which the driving circuit is manufactured on the liquid crystal panel.
FIG. 1 is a view showing the conventional circuit of the point at a time type AMLCD. In this figure, reference numbers 10 and 20 indicate a data driving circuit and a gate driving circuit, respectively.
The data driving circuit 10 comprises a shift register 11 having n output lines, a buffer 12, for outputting the signal input from the shift register 11, having n output and input lines, and pass gate transistors SW1, . . . , SWn to be driven by the signal inputted from the buffer 12. The gates of the pass gate transistors SW1, . . . , SWn are connected to the output lines of the buffer 12, the sources are connected to a visual signal input line 13, and the drains are connected to data bus lines Y1, . . . , Yn of a data output representing unit 30.
The gate driving circuit 20 comprises a shift register 21 having m output lines and a buffer 22, for outputting the signal input from the shift register 21, having m output and input lines. The output lines of the buffer 22 are connected to scan bus lines X1, . . . , Xm of the data output representing unit 30.
The data output representing unit 30 includes an orthogonal array of m horizontal(or, vertical) scan bus lines X1, . . . , Xm and n vertical(or, horizontal) data bus lines Y1, . . . , Yn with a pixel formed at each intersection, where m and n are related to vertical and horizontal resolution of the LCD, respectively.
At the intersection of the scan bus lines X1, . . . , Xm and the data bus lines Y1, . . . , Yn, in the pixels, the TFTs 31 of which the sources are connected to the data bus lines Y1, . . . , Yn. The drains of the TFTs 31 are connected to one electrode of storage capacitors 32, that is, a pixel electrode, and one electrode of an auxiliary storage capacitor 33 in parallel.
The storage capacitor 32 consists of common electrode formed on the upper substrate and the pixel electrode formed on the lower substrate, TFT array substrate, which are facing with liquid crystal. Further, the auxiliary storage capacitor 33 is connected to the storage capacitors 32 in parallel to store charge, so that the flicker caused by the leakage of the TFT is decreased and the variation of the pixel voltage caused by the interference of the signal of the scan bus lines is also decreased.
Since the TFT 31, the storage capacitor 32, and the auxiliary storage capacitor 33 are formed in each pixel, the total number of these is horizontal resolution(m).times. vertical resolution(n), respectively.
Accompanying FIG.1 and 2, the operation of driving circuit in the conventional AMLCD is described in detail as follows. In this case, only the pixel connected to the ith scan bus line is described for convenience.
When the horizontal synchronous signal is applied to the gate driving circuit 20, not shown in figures, the gate driving signal Vgi which is applied to the ith scan bus line from the shift register 21 and the buffer 22 of the gate driving circuit 20 is activated. The gate driving signal Vgi is activated for the period that the visual signal Vs is being applied to all pixels Pi1, . . . , Pin formed at the intersection of the ith scan bus line Xi and the data bus lines Y1, . . . , Yn. Thus, the TFTs of pixels Pi1, . . . , Pin connected to the ith scan bus line Xi is turned on for this period.
Subsequently, the visual signal Vs is inputted to the data bus lines Y1, . . . , Yn through the visual signal input line 13, and at the same time the data driving signal Vd1 that is activated through the shift register 11 and the buffer 12 of the data driving circuit 10 for a short period is inputted to the first pass gate transistor SW1, so that the first pass gate transistor SW1 is turned on. For the period that the first pass gate transistor SW1 is turned on, the visual signal Vs is inputted to the storage capacitor 32 and the auxiliary storage capacitor 33 through the first data bus line Y1 and the TFT 31.
When the data driving signal Vd1 applied to the first pass gate transistor SW1 is not activated, the first data bus line Y1 maintains a uniform voltage V11. The first data bus line Y1 maintains this uniform signal, in other words, until the new activated data driving signal Vd1 is applied to the first data bus line Y1 again. Further, the pixel voltage Vp1 of a uniform level, applied from the first data bus line Y1, is kept in the storage capacitor 32 until the next signal has been applied to the pixel.
By de-activating of the first data driving signal Vd1 and activating of the second data driving signal Vd2, the same operation that is carried out in the first data bus line Y1 and the pixel Pi1 is repeated in the second data bus line Y2 and the pixel Pi2.
Repeating this behavior n times, when the gate driving voltage Vgi applied to the ith scan bus line Y1 is not activated and then the next horizontal synchronous signal is applied to the (i+1)th scan bus line X(i+1), the gate driving voltage Vg(i+1) applied to the scan bus line is activated, so that the above behavior is repeated.
While the data driving signal Vdn for driving the pass gate transistor SWn connected to the nth data bus line Yn is activated in the activated state of the gate driving signal Vgi applied to the ith scan bus line Xi, in the aforementioned drive circuit, the visual signal Vs is sufficiently applied to the nth data bus line Yn as the waveform shown in FIG.2. However, because the pixel TFT 31 is smaller than the pass gate transistor, the current driving capacity of the pixel TFT 31 is smaller than that of the pass gate transistor. To store a sufficient signal Vs to the storage capacitor 32, therefore, the signal Vs is continuously stored for a time. In this case, however, the gate of the pixel TFT 31 is turned off before the sufficient signal Vs is not applied to the pixel, so that the signal Vs is partially stored to the storage capacitor 32 and then the signal Vs is distorted.
When the 60 signals is applied to each pixel per 1 second, the activation time of the gate driving signal Vgi is 1/60.times.1/m(sec) and the activation time of the data driving signal Vdj, where j=1,2, . . . , n, is 1/60.times.1/m.times.1/n(sec).
The pass gate transistor SWj is turned on by the data driving signal Vdj to apply the visual signal Vs to the data bus line Yj, and at the same time the visual Vs is delivered to the pixel Pij through the pixel TFT 31. However, because the visual signal Vs of desired magnitude cannot be applied to the pass gate transistor SWj and pixel TFT 31 by the small current delivering capacity of the pass gate transistor SWj and the pixel TFT 31, the data bus line Yj and the pixel Pij require the same charge time for perfect charge. Since the charge time of the pixel, into which the signal is applied through the pixel TFT 31, is longer than that of the data bus line Yj, in addition, the visual signal Vs is continuously charged into the pixel after the disable of the data driving signal Vdj.
The gate driving signal Vgi, for turning on the pixel TFT 31, is kept in an activated state until the last data driving signal Vdn has been de-activated. Accordingly, the visual signal Vs is delivered to each pixel from the data bus line for 1/60.times.1/m-1/60.times.1/m.times.1/n(sec) after non-activation of the data driving signal Vdj applied to the jth data bus line Yj.
In the first pixels connected to each scan bus line, for example, after the data driving signal Vdj is applied to the data bus line Yj and then disabled, there is a remaining time, 1/60.times.1/m-1/60.times.1/m.times.1/n(sec), that the visual signal Vs is delivered to the pixels. In the last pixels Pin, however, the visual signal Vs is applied to the pixels for applying time of the data driving signal Vdj to the data bus line. Therefore, there is a problem that the sufficient signal cannot be applied to the pixels, in which the visual signal is sampled late, and then the quality of a picture is deteriorated.

Driving circuit of an active matrix liquid crystal display


An engine start control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle includes: an engine start control section configured to crank the engine by using the motor as a starter motor while the hydraulic clutch is slip-engaged when the discharge pressure from the oil pump is ensured by driving the motor, when the engine is started after an ignition switch is switched to an ON state, the engine start control section being configured to drive the oil pump by the motor at a no load during a predetermined time period after the engine is stopped when the ignition switch is in an OFF state.

This invention relates to an engine start control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle which cranks an engine by using a motor which is for running, and which is provided in a drivetrain, as a starter motor, by engaging a normally-open hydraulic clutch provided between an engine and the motor.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0069104 A1 (corresponding to Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-32808) discloses a conventional hybrid driving apparatus including a drivetrain including an engine, a motor, a normally-open hydraulic clutch disposed between the engine and the motor.
In this hybrid driving apparatus, when the engine is started in accordance with an engine start request after an ignition switch is switched to an ON state, operations are performed as follows.
(1) A motor is driven. A clutch hydraulic pressure generated based on a discharge pressure from an oil pump driven by the motor is ensured.
(2) The engine is cranked by using the motor as a starter motor while a hydraulic clutch is slip-engaged.
(3) The hydraulic clutch is fully engaged after the engine start is finished.
In the above-described process (1), the oil pump (for example, vane pump) has a generally well-known structure which sucks the hydraulic fluid stored in an oil pan through a strainer, and thereby generates the pump discharge pressure. When the pump discharge pressure is increased to a target hydraulic pressure, the clutch hydraulic pressure is ensured.

Engine start control apparatus for hybrid vehicle


When a multi-step process reaction is carried out in a solution, it generally requires several treatments and purification procedures to go through with after the reaction, however, the inventive method for preparing 2,2′-disubstituted-3,4-dihydro-7,8-disubstituted-6-amino benzopyran derivative using a solid-phased synthetic method simplifies the treatment and purification procedures after the reaction, which makes possible to efficiently construct numerous drug-like libraries. In particular, since the inventive method of the present invention comprises the steps of introducing a carbonate linker of formula 2 into Wang resin used as a common solid support (Step 1); synthesizing various benzopyran in a carbamate form of formula 3 as a key intermediate by reacting various amino benzopyran derivatives with the carbamate resin of formula 2 (Step 2); synthesizing 2,2′-disubstituted-3,4-2H-6-substituted benzopyran resin of formula 4 (Step 3); and synthesizing 2,2′-disubstituted-3,4-2H-6-alkylamino benzopyran derivative of formula 1 using a dichloromethane solution containing TFA or an organic solvent containing an organic acid, the inventive method is capable of efficiently synthesizing various 2,2′-disubstituted-3,4-2H-6-alkylamino benzopyran derivatives.

5-Lipoxygenase (hereinafter referred to as 5-LO) is an enzyme involved in an arachidonic acid metabolism which synthesizes leukotriene by acting on the generatation of 5-HPETE from the arachidonic acid. LTB4, the most powerful chemottractant among thus synthesized leukotrienes, is a major cause for inducing several diseases such as chronic inflammation, rheumatic arthritis, allergy, asthma and psoriasis. When the cell content of leukotriene becomes increased, tissue and organ are acutly and chronically damaged by bacterial infection and an endotoxin generated thereby as well as inflammatory cells are activated, which then results in development of inflammatory diseases such as chronic inflammation and rheumatis.
Therefore, by developming a 5-LO inhibitor capable of preventing tissue and organ damages by inhibiting the activiation of inflammatory cells due to the increase in cellular leukotriene, it is made possible to prevent or treat several diseases caused by inflammation.
Since a natural product and synthetic compound having a benzopyran backbone show an antioxidant activity, they have been widely known as a privileged structure for developing a pharmacological therapeutic compound effective for treating nervous diseases, hypertension and diabetes and broadly employed in a medicinal chemistry field. However, there is no report that a compound having a benzopyran moiety as a privileged structure is developed as a therapeutic agent for an inflammatory disease.
Meanwhile, the construction of a benzopyran library having various derivatives using a combinatorial chemical synthetic method can be effectively used for screening a hit compound and lead compound at the early stage of a new drug development.
Particularly, it is very important to efficiently construct a large and focused library of small organic molecule, which is capable of introducing various derivatives within a molecule and does not significantly deviate from the range of Rule of 5 by Lipinsky, by using a combinatorial chemical synthetic method for securing molecular variety effective for the screening of a lead compound.
A combinatorial chemistry is a new synthetic thechnique for developing a new compound. While the conventional organic synthetic techniques can synthesize one kind of compound via a single reaction, the combinatorial chemical synthetic technique is highly efficient which can synthesize more various and numerous compounds at the same time or automatize the multi-step synthetic process. It has been easier to screen a hit compound and lead compound having a new structure and optimize their structure and activity due to the introduction of the combinatorial chemical synthetic method.
Further, the combinatorial chemical synthetic method carries out most reaction procedures on a solid support, which makes possible to automatize a successive multi-step reaction (and reaction procedure), and is capable of performing a high throughput screening (HTS) because it is very simple to purify final products.
Although the combinatorial chemical synthetic method solves the uneconomical and unefficient problems of the conventional synthetic methods, there are several reasons why this method does not be easily applied to an organic synthetic field. One representative reason among them is to cause an undesirable side-reaction because most chemical reactions carried on a solid support and used the excessive amount of reaction agents, and the other is to limit an employable solvent depending on the physical property of solid support, which makes narrow the range of chemical reaction to be selected. It has been widely employed Merrifield resin and Wang resin as the solid support in the combinatorial chemical synthesis. Since these solid supports show a significantly low swelling effect in high polar solvents such as alcohols and water, it is very restricted to select a solvent nessesary for the reaction. Accordingly, in order to synthesize various derivatives using solid-phase reaction, there is a need of selecting a solid support and linker, the examination of a reagent and reaction condition, and the selection of substituent group capable of diversly changing the chemical structure and physical property of a target compound. Consequently, for the construction of a target compound library using solid-phase synthesis, it has to be efficiently developed a reaction condition suitable for the characteristics of a target compound and a treatment procedure after a reaction.
The present inventors have found that 6-alkylamino benzopyran derivative significantly inhibits 5-LO activity. Further, the present inventors have endeavored to develop an optimized technique for screening a lead compound by constructing a library of 6-alkylamino benzopyran derivatives on solid-phase using a combinatorial chemical synthetic method. As a result, the conventional chemical reaction on solution-phase synthesizes a target compound by carrying out each reaction step for introducing a subtituent group, a purification step after the reaction and a structural confirmation test, while in oreder to synthesize a target compound library having various substituents using a solid-phase parallel synthesis, the present inventors have performed several reactions at the same time and an efficient treatment procedure after the reaction, to economically produce 6-alkylamino-2,2-disubstituted-7,8-disubstituted-2H-1-benzopyran library in a short period with high yields.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

6-alkylamino-2,2′-disubstituted-7,8-disubstituted-2H-1-benzopyran derivatives as 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor

Abstract: Consequently, the present invention has developed a new technique for constructing 2,2′-disubstituted-3,4-2H-6-alkylamino benzopyran library using a solid-phase parallel synthetic method and makes increased the applicability of combinatorial chemical synthetic method. Further, 2,2′-disubstituted-3,4-2H-6-alkylamino benzopyran derivative prepared by the inventive method has a high inhibitory effect to 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) activity, and therefore, can be effectively used for developing a new propylactic or therapeutic drug for leukotriene activation-related diseases such as chronic inflammation, rheumatic arthritis, colitis, asthma and psoriasis.

Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology


Dual core golf ball constructions achieving consistent and repeatable concentricity by incorporating/using an assembly of dual core components comprising a solid spherical inner core component and three outer core components that are collectively compression molded about the solid spherical inner core component to create an outer core layer thereabout. The three outer core components include a first half-shell, a second half-shell; and a ring-shaped securing plate such that the solid spherical inner core component is immovably centered within the outer core layer. Each of the first half-shell, the ring-shaped securing plate, and the second half-shell is comprised of the same rubber composition(s) and possess strong cohesive and adhesive bonds at parting lines between the three molded assembly parts and collectively create an outer core layer having one or more uniform property profile, such as a hardness gradient throughout, without interruption at parting lines between the three outer core components.

Both professional and amateur golfers use multi-piece, solid golf balls today. Basically, a two-piece solid golf ball includes a solid core protected by a cover. The core is made of a natural or synthetic rubber such as polybutadiene, styrene butadiene, or polyisoprene. The cover may be made of a variety of materials including ethylene acid copolymer ionomers, polyamides, polyesters, polyurethanes, and/or polyureas.
Three-piece, four-piece, and even five-piece balls have become more popular over the years. Golfers are playing with multi-piece balls for several reasons, including availability of lower-cost materials and the development of new manufacturing technologies which make it possible and cost-effective to produce a multi-layered golf ball having unique desirable resulting performance characteristics. In multi-layered golf balls, each of the core, intermediate layer and cover can be single or multi-layered, and properties such as hardness, modulus, compression, resilience, core diameter, intermediate layer thickness and cover thickness can be preselected and coordinated to target play characteristics such as spin, initial velocity and feel of the resulting golf ball.
The core is an important part of any golf ball because it acts as an engine or spring for the golf ball. Therefore, a core's construction and composition are key factors in determining the resiliency and rebounding performance of the ball. Furthermore, the golf ball's flight characteristics and performance will be inferior if the spherical inner core isn't centered properly within surrounding golf ball layers. In this regard, an improperly balanced golf ball can cause golf ball "hooking" or "slicing" when in flight after impact with a golf club face. Additionally, an improperly balanced golf ball can also roll out of alignment during putting.
In conventional dual core molding processes, first and second hemispherical shells are compression molded about a solid spherical inner core as an outer core layer. Unfortunately, there are no locking features to secure the solid spherical inner core in place within the hemispherical shells, which can result in the solid spherical inner core shifting within the pair of hemispherical shells, thereby producing a dual core having an inner core that is off-center.
Accordingly, there is a continued need for the development of compression moldable core parts that can reliably immovably center the solid spherical inner core within the outer core layer and finished golf ball. Such compression moldable core parts, improved golf balls incorporating same, and methods of making such golf balls, if meanwhile implementable within existing compression molding and golf ball manufacturing processes without interfering with important dual core characteristics such as pre-determined hardness profiles/gradients, would be particularly desirable and useful. The accompanying inventive dual core moldable assembly, improved golf balls, and methods of making same address and solve this need.

Dual core golf ball incorporating a solid spherical inner core component that is immovably centered within three outer core compression moldable parts and method of making same


This invention provides improved automated methods and systems for color processing on personal computers whereby an interactive user may intervene to introduce creative and selective choices. Various automatic coloring procedures process coloring. Visual color reproduction is standardized for visual image reproduction using a color gamut matching that of a computer monitor. The color artist may exchange groups of colors automatically en masse. For example, several colors of an image may be changed simultaneously by rotation of hues about a color wheel icon. The system has a novel operating system enriched by abstract notational format and visual shorthand icons. About 600 standardized sample colors proportioned across different color gamuts comprise color standard collections storing recipes for permitting faithful colored image viewing and reproduction of the sample colors on different output devices. Substantially any color can be reproduced in a color gamut spectrum by extending the available hues and color samples available within a basic framework of color sample niches. Abstract visual icon patterns of color groupings enhance the artist's color visualization, intuition and creativity automated coloring procedures. Both stored video image snapshots and abstract color groupings are viewable for automatic interactive adoption in color images. Thus, an artist friendly automated color change engine is provided for expediting creative coloring.

The disclosure of copending U.S. Pat. No. 5,473,738 to Jay Hamlin, et al. for Interactive Color Harmonizing Methods and Systems is adopted herein in its entirety.
Computerized color selection, display and editing systems are well developed in the art. Thus, computer systems are known that provide generally for coloring and editing color images by interactive selection and substitution of colors being displayed in images one at a time while being monitored visually by a computer operator. Examples of these are: A. P. Gabor, U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,407 issued Apr. 7, 1992 for Apparatus and Method for Color Selection and H. Okawara, et, al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,317,678 issued May 31, 1994 for Method of Changing Color of Displayed Images by Use of Color Components. The Hamlin, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,473,738 has extended that art by introducing methods of processing several colors in unison.
Colors are commonly- synthesized -for color reproduction by instruments having unique color gamuts based upon a set of color coordinates comprising various combinations of basic colors. For example, the well known three color RGB system is commonly employed for reproduction of a gamut of colors on computer and television monitors. A gamut of reproducible colors substantially encompassing a visual color spectrum thus may be generated from the additive color emission characteristic of corresponding RGB phosphors. Similarly a CYMB color system is used for subtractive color characteristics in color printer output systems.
Hues are defined quantitatively by frequency and constitute attributes of color but are not to be confused with colors. Colors vary visually with black and white content. Even dilution from white "noise" such as may be present in a printed white paper sheet or in a phosphor screen color reproducer can effect changes of color, therefore. Thus, for example the colors pink and red may have a common hue, but pastel pink has a greater white constituency. Also, the nature of the prior art is that individual colors of existing color images may be subjectively modified by the personal choice of artists or intermediate computer technicians who prefer to modify coloring to subjective tastes, and further coloring may be contaminated from deterioration of colors incurred in various processing systems. Accordingly, it has been difficult in the computer arts to process and reproduce color artistry faithfully with standardized colors.
The Ostwald color reference system attempts to standardize colors by defining and, processing colors referenced to a comprehensive set of eight to twenty four standardized hue sample steps arranged in a spectrum array such as a color wheel. However, colors are defined by both their hue and black-white constituents. Accordingly the Ostwald system displays a set of colors for each hue, which colors include a range of white and black content. Such "Ostwald" colors are adopted in the Hamlin, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,473,738 system for computerized processing with visual reproduction of colors and color images on computer monitors. More explicitly, coordinated changes of several colors are converted simultaneously to different color combinations by mass rotation of corresponding hues about a multiple step Ostwald hue spectrum wheel. In the Hamlin, et al. patent, all of the hues were rotated and were kept separated the same number of steps apart about the spectrum wheel to preserve color harmony.
It has been a serious problem in prior art color computer processing that initial color creations of artists on a given color gamut are distorted by color compression or expansion over portions of the color spectrum when reproduced in another color gamut such as for a color printer. Thus, a standard set of color samples may not be proportionately distributed in the two color gamuts. Thus processing on a RGB phosphor monitor color gamut, where a set of color samples (standards) are proportionately spaced, will not assure proportionate spacing of colors when reproduced on printers or other systems having different color gamuts.
Furthermore, prior art interactive color processing by user/artists on personal computers involves myriads of tedious and precise operator induced manual steps, thus making likely operator neglect, fatigue or error and certainly distracting the artist from creative coloring procedure. Thus even the true colors of an original artistic creation may deteriorate during such computer processing. Accordingly there is a need for a computer system that is artist friendly, thereby encouraging artistic creativity.
Also to assure faithful rendering of artistic creations, there is a need for development of standardized color collections or samples with colors proportioned over a given color gamut that may be created and controlled with computerized systems and methods for faithful reproduction with similarly proportioned color samples over another color gamut.
Also in the aforesaid "Ostwald" color control system of the Hamlin, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,473,738, which controls the brightness or darkness along with the hue, thereby establishing definable standardized colors, there is no provision to process value. The value parameter is associated with the lightness/darkness attribute of each color apart from the color itself, for example the reproducible characteristics on a black-white print of a colored image. The value parameter thus supplements the "Ostwald" hue and black-white color constituents to define a feature of each color sample in the present invention.
Thus it is an objective of this invention to provide for color processing of a more comprehensive standardized collection of color samples in an abstract color operating system that is computer friendly and assures faithful storage, processing and reproduction of colored images without undesired mutation by interactive processing or distortion when reproduced in a different color gamut than that of the computer visual monitor upon which an image is colored by the artist.
The prior computerized coloring art is also deficient in providing the artist creator a way to develop color images with considerable aid and little interruption to the primary act of creative coloring of images. There is in essence so much tediousness and detail in computerized coloring of an image having complex combinations of colors, and in choosing compatible and artistic combinations of colors that the creativity of the artist is apt to be lost in the process when attention need be directed primarily to computer processing details. Thus, less extensive interactive routines are desirable for incorporating, viewing and comparing color changes in the development of colored images. A system is desired such that an artistic user may color images in the way a painter might use auxiliary sketches, and might make color observations by mixing just the right pigments to derive that desired color for a painting.
Accordingly it is an objective of this invention to provide a color engine that makes it simpler for the artist to make visual comparisons and selections of colors and combinations of colors, thereby providing automated routines for producing and editing color images without significant tedium and diversion.
Another prior art coloring deficiency is incurred when processing text set forth by the contrasts of two colors, since that contrast may change drastically when the colors involved in the lettering are changed. Thus should a combination of colors that includes text be rotated about an Ostwald hue wheel and a corresponding new combination of colors is created, the same text legibility is apt to be lost.
Accordingly a further objective of this invention is to provide improved color processing apparatus with apparatus and methods for automated control of the legibility of lettering portrayed by two colors when the colors are changed.
For viewing on different output devices having differing color gamuts, algorithmic adjustments have been made in prior art systems to adjust coloring. However, different gamuts do not assure that colors are proportionately located within diverse color gamuts thus avoiding color distortion by compression or expansion in portions of the visible color spectrum.
Therefore, it is a general object of this invention to provide color control apparatus and methods for processing standard color collections in a manner that those standards are proportionately distributed in different color gamuts.
Furthermore it is a general object to provide color processing systems having comprehensive automation procedures for enhancing the interactive creativity phases of coloring images and editing color images, thereby to eliminate tedium and fatigue of an interactive operator. In particular the elimination of many interactive manual coloring step details for making simultaneous color changes of groups of colors is an objective. A still further objective is to provide automatically dynamic color linkage frames between images of different color in dynamic sequences of colored images.
For example, automatic color changes are made feasible in the processing of dynamic color transitions between two significantly different colors of a moving image for a cartoon or moving picture. Thus, typical dynamic scenes such as ripening of cherries, require corresponding color changes from green through yellow to a dark red. Typically visible color jumps are noticeable in the transition from one color to another. Color discontinuities are visible in prior art fading process which passes through a gray color. The prior art does not afford automated interactively controlled system techniques for processing seamless intermediate color changes linking two different colors.
Another prior art problem is that color processing is so complicated that visual reference systems for monitoring coloring functions in process are inadequate. This is the case particularly when simultaneous changes occur with groups of colors.
Computerized coloring systems of the prior art are not generally capable of compactly storing, indexing and recalling for viewing and adoption catalogs of creative color combinations adaptable for color changes to facilitate automated coloring of live images.
A more general objective of this invention is to correct the foregoing problems and to provide improved comprehensive color processing methods and systems that will simplify coloring procedures and produce colored images that may be simply stored and recalled for visual monitoring and faithful color reproduction.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be found throughout the following description, drawings and claims.

Interactive computerized image coloring systems and methods for processing combinations of color with automated subroutines and color standardization for diverse color systems


An interface circuit in an electronic device (such as an access point) may provide a wake-up beacon to a recipient electronic device. During operation, the interface circuit may provide a wake-up beacon associated with a predefined sub-channel in one or more channels in a band of frequencies, where the wake-up beacon is for a wake-up radio in the recipient electronic device. Moreover, the wake-up beacon may be provided within an associated time interval, such as a keep-alive interval of the electronic device. In some embodiments, the wake-up beacon includes a field with channel information that specifies one or more second channels used by a main radio in the recipient electronic device. Alternatively or additionally, the wake-up beacon may include a field with service information that specifies one or more types of services and/or a field with information specifying a transmit power of the interface circuit.

Many electronic devices communicate with each other using wireless local area networks (WLANs), such as those based on a communication protocol that is compatible with an IEEE 802.11 standard (which is sometimes referred to as 'Wi-Fi'). However, a radio in an electronic device that communicates using wireless communication in a WLAN may consume a significant amount of power.
In order to address this challenge, a new radio technology called Low Power Wake Up Radio (LP-WUR) is being considered. The LP-WUR may be a companion to the main Wi-Fi radio in the electronic device. Notably, by using the LP-WUR, the electronic device may turn off its main radio and may wake up the main radio in response to the LP-WUR receiving an LP-WUR packet from an access point. For example, the access point may send the LP-WUR packet when there is a down-link packet for the electronic device.
However, the connection to the access point may be lost while the main radio is in a low-power operating mode. For example, the electronic device may roam outside of the range of the access point and, thus, may need to transition to another access point. When this occurs, the electronic device may need to awaken the main radio, and then may need to perform network/service discovery. The network/service discovery typically involves the main radio scanning through multiple channels, and performing multiple frame exchanges. Each scan may take, e.g., 100 ms to capture a beacon from the other access point. Moreover, after the beacon is received, the electronic device and the other access point may need to exchange: a probe request and response, an authentication request and response, an association request and response and/or a service-information request and response. Waking up the main radio to perform the scan and to exchange these frames may increase the power consumption and may delay the operation of the electronic device.