A screening arrangement in a vibrating screen for screening of material, such as crushed stone, gravel or the like. The screening arrangement is a cross-tensioned or longitudinally tensioned screening media including elements arranged on top of the screening media for stirring or mixing the screened material, the stirring elements being raised portions, which are arranged transversely to the travel direction of the screened material.

In mining and stone industries, it is in many cases important to fractionate crushed stone and gravel into fractions of stones with different sizes. Normally, a deviation from the size is permitted according to industry standards, e.g., 10 percent oversized particles and 15 percent undersized particles.
In most cases, fractionating is done by supplying an unfractionated stream of crushed stone or gravel to a vibrating screen provided with a screening deck including screening holes for allowing stones smaller than the screening holes to pass through the holes. The vibration pattern and the inclination of the vibrating screen are arranged so that the crushed stones continuously flow in one direction on the screen, ultimately leaving it on one side or falling through the holes in the screening deck.
To improve the screening of the unfractionated material and to get a thicker material layer on the screening deck some screening devices are provided with raised portions, see e.g., SE-C2-524 179 and EP-B1-0 680 386. In SE-C2-524 179, stiffening longitudinal beams are arranged on top of the screening deck to reduce the wear on the screening holes and to make undersized particles to pass faster through the screening deck. In EP-B1-0 680 386, a curved surface in the form of longitudinal ridges has been arranged on top of the screening deck, where the curved surface is a fine screening screen. The curved surface aims to provide a larger screening surface and to prevent material from being screened to migrate toward the lower sides of the screen.
Another application of a non-flat screening deck is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,607,080 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,629,610, where systems for separating particles from a mix of particles and fluids by a screen with shale shakers used in the drilling industry are shown. The screen is designed with a flat screening deck and with ramps so that a portion of the fluids will pass over the ramp, whereas the screen will separate the particles from the remaining portion containing both particles and fluid.
The problem with the above prior art solutions and screening devices having only a flat screening deck is that none of them reduces the traveling speed of the material to be stratified as it passes over the screening deck. Furthermore, they do not include elements for stirring or mixing the material to improve the screening.
Faced with the above prior art screening systems and the disadvantages and problems therewith, the object with the present invention is to provide a solution to improve screening efficiency in a simple way with a screening assembly for a vibrating screen for screening of unfractionated material, such as crushed stone and gravel.


Recovery from failure of a working path for communications traffic in a connection-oriented network, where the working path has a preplanned recovery path, involves initiating recovery by requesting computation of a new recovery path for the communications traffic to avoid the failure. If the recovery is not successful within a time limit, recovery is carried out using the preplanned recovery path. Determining if the recovery is not successful and initiating the recovery using the preplanned recovery path can be controlled by an ingress node of the working path. By trying to compute a new recovery path first, network resources can be used more efficiently, as the new recovery path is likely to reuse most of the working path, since it is computed knowing the location of the fault.

In a connection-oriented network with a Generalised Multi-Protocol Label Switching (GMPLS) control plane it is possible to establish a connection, called a Label Switched Path (LSP), between network nodes. It is desirable that a network is resilient to the failure of a span (link) between nodes, or to a node. GMPLS includes signalling extensions which support recovery. Recovery provides a way of detecting a failure on a working path, signalling the occurrence of the failure, and then transferring traffic from the working path LSP to a recovery path.
It is possible to recover an end-to-end Label Switched Path (LSP). This is called end-to-end recovery and is defined in IETF document [RFC4872] "RSVP-TE Extensions in Support of End-to-End Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching (GMPLS) Recovery". It is also possible to recover a part of an end-to-end LSP. This is called segment recovery and is defined in IETF document [RFC4873] "GMPLS Segment Recovery".
Known recovery methods include using pre-planned (PP) recovery paths, or using pre planned with a back up in case of failure of the pre-planned route. The back up can be a computation on the fly (OTF) of a new recovery path. Alternatively the OTF can be the primary recovery path without any back up PP path.


The method pertains to a peptide including the amino acid sequence SEQ ID NO: 1, or a peptide including an amino acid sequence having 93%, in particular 95%, particularly 98% sequence identity homology with the sequence SEQ ID NO: 1, in order to obtain a transporter intended for the internalization of a molecule of diagnostic or therapeutic interest into the target cells.

Biodrugs, i.e. the drugs originating from biotechnologies, play an increasingly important part in the treatment of human pathologies. These biodrugs are represented by the therapeutic proteins (enzymes, growth hormones, monoclonal antibodies, growth factors, protein vaccines), nucleic acids (siRNA, DNA, oligonucleotides), peptides (PNA) and derivatives. In certain cases, they require transporters in order to be internalized into the target cells. In recent years the internalization of the therapeutic molecules has been the subject of numerous research and development projects aimed at increasing the efficiency of the internalization of transporters, their targeting of the cells and of the organs and also reducing their potential side effects.
Thus, families of transporters have been identified, firstly based on the intracellular transfer properties of the TAT protein of the HIV virus (Fawell, S., Seery, J., Daikh, Y., Moore, C., Chen, L. L., Pepinsky, B., and Barsoum, J. (1994) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 91(2), 664-668; Vives, E., Brodin, P., and Lebleu, B. (1997) J Biol Chem 272(25), 16010-16017), but also penetratin originating from the third helix of the Drosophilia Antennapedia protein (Derossi, D., Joliot, A. H., Chassaing, G., and Prochiantz, A. (1994) J Biol Chem 269(14), 10444-10450), the VP22 protein of the herpes simplex virus (Elliott, G., and O'Hare, P. (1997) Cell 88(2), 223-233; Nishi, K., and Saigo, K. (2007) J Biol Chem 282(37), 27503-27517) and synthetic peptide compounds of repetitions of basic amino acids such as arginine or lysine (Matsui H, Tomizawa K, Lu Y F, Matsushita M. Curr Protein Pept Sci. (2003) April; 4(2):151-7). These natural or synthetic peptides called PTD (for Protein Transduction Domain) or CPPs (for Cell-Penetratin Peptides) have the ability to transport and transfer molecules such as peptides or nucleic acids by a cell mechanism called endocytosis. Nevertheless, the internalization by endocytosis of the therapeutic molecules can have consequences for the activity and the intracellular evolution of these molecules. In fact, it is necessary for the endocytosis vesicles to be ruptured in order to allow the therapeutic molecule to be delivered into the cell. This rupture of the membrane of the endocytosis vesicles is often carried out at an acid pH potentially leading to a modification of the structure and the activity of the therapeutic molecule associated with the transporter. On the other hand, only a small proportion of the therapeutic molecules associated with the transporters will therefore be able to escape from the endosomes in order to return to the cytoplasm reducing the effect of the molecules.
Another mechanism of internalization of the molecules into the cells consists of the formation of cellular pores. In fact, a small number of PTDs or CPPs constituted by hydrophobic amino acids (MPG, Pep-1, Pep-2, Pep-3, SSHR [Sequence Signal Hydrophobic Region derived from human FGF4 and integrin β3]) are capable of penetrating through the plasma membrane forming cellular pores. These pores, depending on their size, can thus allow the direct diffusion of the therapeutic molecule into the cytoplasm without passing through the endocytosis vesicles (Langel, Ü. (2006) Handbook of Cell-Penetrating Peptides, 2 Ed.; Hawiger J. Curr Opin Chem. Biol. 1999 February; 3(1):89-94; Yan Liu X, Robinson D, Veach R A, Liu D, Timmons S, Collins R D, Hawiger J., J Biol. Chem. 2000 Jun. 2; 275(22):16774-8). The formation of the pores, if too numerous or too large, can in certain cases prove harmful to the cell, leading to cytosol leakage to the extracellular matrix resulting in cell death.
Rothe and Lenormand (Curr.t protoc. in Protein Sci., 54: 18,11, 1-18.11.29, 2008) describe a method for producing fusion proteins comprising a segment of the ZEBRA protein (extending from the amino acid in position 170 to the amino acid in position 222) and the EGFP protein or β-galactosidase. Said fusion proteins are capable of being internalized into HeLa cells at a concentration of 0.01 μM to 0.3 μM.
The ZEBRA protein, represented by the sequence SEQ ID NO: 42, is a transcriptional activator originating from the Epstein-Barr virus. It is a protein of 245 amino acids comprising an N-terminal transactivation domain (TAD), a DNA-binding domain (DB) and a leucine zipper type dimerization domain (DIM) (FIG. 1). The C-terminal domain of said protein interacts with the leucine zipper domain leading to the formation of a hydrophobic pocket which stabilizes the ZEBRA protein/DNA complex.
Until now, the internalization routes taken by the transport peptides, known to a person skilled in the art, such as endocytosis and macropinocytosis, require significant energy expenditure in order to produce this intracellular penetration mechanism. Furthermore, this internalization by endocytosis often results in the degradation of the transported polypeptide. Only a small fraction of the transport peptides are released into the cytosol after rupture of the endosomal membrane, allowing the transported polypeptides to exert their action at cell level. As a result, on an industrial production scale, in order to ensure the efficiency of the transduction of polypeptides of interest, it is necessary to produce a large quantity of transporter and polypeptides of interest, which sometimes requires a stringent production or purification procedure, and cannot be achieved for all types of polypeptides of interest.
As a result, there is a great need to make available a transporter intended for the internalization of molecules of interest into the target cells which, on the one hand, makes it possible to transport molecules of interest into the target cells at a low concentration with high efficiency, whilst retaining the partial or total degradation of the molecules of interest inside the target cells and, on the other hand, exhibits weak cytotoxicity vis-à-vis the target cells.

Use of peptides as transporters intended for the internalization of molecules of interest into target cells


An air-conditioning apparatus includes a drain pan that receives water, and a detector including an ultrasonic sensor that emits and receives ultrasonic waves. The detector analyzes a response signal from the ultrasonic sensor to detect a contaminant generated in the drain pan. A bottom flat surface portion that forms a bottom of the drain pan is located parallel to a flat surface portion that forms a receiving surface of the ultrasonic sensor.

In general, as a method for measuring an adhered state of a marine organism to the inside of a pipe, it is known that the thickness of adhered part of the marine organism is measured by bringing a probe of an ultrasonic flaw detector into contact with one point of an outer periphery of an inspecting pipe, measuring echoes from the body of the pipe and echoes from a surface of the marine organism, and reading a propagation distance of the echoes from the surface of the marine organism (see, for example, Patent Literature 1). Furthermore, it is known as an inspection method that ultrasonic waves are emitted to a contact surface with a lining portion in a vertical direction, and waves reflected from the contact surface are received, to thereby measure the thickness of the lining portion along with the degree of adhesion, as in a nondestructive inspection method for a lining portion (see, for example, Patent Literature 2).
However, the methods of Patent Literatures 1 and 2 are both intended to measure the thickness of a deposit and the degree of adhesion, and these documents neither disclose nor suggest a motive to applying these methods to detection of a contaminant or contaminants, such as a biofilm, generated on a drain pan of an air-conditioning apparatus. The biofilm is a semisolid slimy substance generated by multiplication of microorganisms in water collected in a drain pan or other locations. The properties of contaminants such as biofilms, for example, the thickness and size, vary from one contaminant to another. Contaminants such as biofilms may clog a drain pump or a drain hose, and from a hygiene standpoint also, the presence of contaminants such as biofilms is undesirable. Furthermore, the drain pan, which is also referred to as waste pan, is a target of a legal inspection under the Act on Maintenance of Sanitation in Buildings, and therefore needs to be regularly cleaned and maintained. Furthermore, since the drain pan is formed integral with a drain pump, etc., in the air-conditioning apparatus, the air-conditioning apparatus thus to be disassembled in order that the drain pan be cleaned and maintained. Therefore, for example, in the case where the air-conditioning apparatus is installed above a ceiling or in similar places, it requires a lot of time and involves a high cost, for example, to clean and maintain the drain pan.

Air-conditioning apparatus including detector to detect contaminant adhered to drain pan


In a secondary air delivery device for an internal combustion engine comprising a secondary air charger with a compressor and a turbine which is driven by the vacuum generated in the engine intake duct and which drives the compressor that delivers secondary air to the engine exhaust duct, wherein the engine intake air duct includes an air filter for filtering the air supplied to the engine, a separate air filter structure is provided for filtering the air supplied to the compressor and to the turbine which air filter structure is accommodated in the housing of the secondary air charger.

The invention relates to a secondary air delivery device for an internal combustion engine including a secondary air charger with a compressor connected to a turbine which is driven by the vacuum present in the engine intake duct, the compressor delivering secondary air to the engine exhaust gas.
A secondary air delivery device for an internal combustion engine is disclosed in DE 199 37 781 A1 in which both a compressor and a turbine are connected via separate lines 22, 33 to an intake duct 11 downstream of an air filter 12 for the internal combustion engine. The extraction point for the clean air for the compressor and for the turbine is located downstream of the air filter for the intake duct. Due to the lines 22, 33, there is only slight variability of the installation location for the secondary air charger normally composed as a construction unit including a compressor and a turbine, since very long feed lines may possibly result, depending on the proportions by volume of the internal combustion engine. However, such long feed lines entail the risk that air contaminated by leakages can pass into the secondary air charger. In addition, the provision of long feed lines is complicated and costly.

Secondary air deliver device for an internal combustion engine


There is provided an electricity grid, system having a substation connecting two grid parts, preferably at different levels in the grid hierarchy, wherein flow control means is provided for controlling the flow of electricity between the two parts in dependence on the level of stress of the respective grid part of the network.

The present invention relates to electricity power supply grids and, in particular, substations connecting the synchronised parts of a grid.
Modern Electricity Grids are inherently unstable. In most circumstances and for most of the time, the inherent instability can be contained and controlled by a variety of control actions and so, for most of us most of the time, the lights stay on.
Unfortunately, failures of equipment do occur. If the failure possibility has not been anticipated and planned is for in the configuration of the Grid, then it can trigger consequent changes in the behaviour of the Grid and flows of electricity that in turn can trigger a cascade of further failures. Various control strategies and actions are designed to minimise the possibility of such cascades, and to minimise their extent when they do occur. No known control strategy can provide guarantees against such failure cascades arising, or their potential extent. Total failure of a Grid and blackout of all supply remains a possibility, although effective implementation of good practice can make this prospect remote, and can shorten the period of a blackout. In Autumn of 2003 we have seen the consequences of this inherent instability in four significant blackouts. A huge blackout in the US, a short but high impact failure in London. A major failure in S. Scandinavia, and a blackout in Italy.
The inherent instability arises from fundamental features of electricity that have driven the Grid design:                Effective instantaneity of transmission. Electricity travels through wires at fractions of the speed of light. Although various equipment delays the propagation of effects, the effects will still propagate much faster than any status or control data needed if control is to react to actual events.        The synchronisation of the Grid. The instantaneity of transmission allows all components of the Grid to be locked in or synchronised to the single Grid frequency. The Alternating Current (or A/C) that is core to this is also the basis for many of the features that make A/C the fundamental basis of all electricity Grids.
It is A/C that allowed the founders of the electricity industry to transmit power long distances, and to generate electricity at the large scale that made the early technologies more efficient. A/C can be transformed into very high voltages for efficient long distance transmission, and then transformed back to the lower voltages that are safe and useful for industrial or domestic uses. Subsequent evolution has now created Grids, all synchronised to the same common frequency, and a hierarchy of transmissions services (and thus voltages). Each level of the hierarchy links with lower and higher levels through substations.
Substations consist primarily of switches interconnecting the transformers which convert or transform the voltage. In general transformers are designed to provide one of two services:                "step up" transformers, so that the lower voltages at which electricity is generated is transformed into the high voltages of the long distance high capacity transmission network, or        distribution transformers, which convert from higher voltages to the lower voltages suitable for more local networks. Several distribution voltage levels will normally exist before reaching the 230 volts now standard for domestic and office use in Europe.
Electricity Grids have generally been designed on the assumption that power will flow from the high voltage Grid, down through the hierarchy to local demand. Large generators will be providing the power, and are assumed to feed their power into the highest voltage levels, usually via step up transformers.
In Grids, electricity flows according to the physical properties of the network, and any or all electrical path between two points may carry electricity, albeit sometimes with its voltage transformed en route. With sufficient knowledge of the network; the sources and sinks of electricity; and the configuration of the switches the flows can be modelled and so predicted with reasonable accuracy.
There are means of influencing the resulting flows by active or passive control of voltage and reactive power. This control is exercised through generators (adjustment of gensets for voltage and power phasing); transformers (by choice of winding); by power converters (originally motor generator sets but more commonly now Static Converters or STATCONS), and even by judicious selection of transmission circuits.
Grid managers exercise much effort in predicting flows in event of particular component failures and thus involuntary reconfiguration of the network, and using these predictions to define and set configurations that are tolerant of component failures. Depending upon the planning and security objectives, these configurations are normally designed to avoid significant interruptions from any single possible failure. When failures do occur, replanning and manual switching to restore the levels of security become a high priority, so that once again the system is able to cope with single failures.
This replanning depends critically upon a proper understanding of what has actually happened. This understanding can often only be achieved by indirect means, depending upon a range of status signals fed back to the planners and operators. Such status signals are always slower than the effects they are measuring and can be inaccurate and unreliable so it can be hard or impossible to determine the root cause—the actual failure—from such indirect measurements. This makes automatic prediction and thus control too slow to be able to prevent cascades of failure.
Since the potential damage that can arise to the infrastructure from inappropriate electricity flows can be catastrophic for the equipment, automatic protections tend to be tuned to equipment protection, and this is most easily achieved by disconnection and shutdown—and thus blackout.
The scale of potential blackout extends to the whole Grid. So long as the Grids are interconnected by A/C, the flows in all parts are influenced by all other parts. If one part gets disconnected, this impacts the rest, and the configuration will often then be inappropriate for the new circumstances. So further overloads and failures are triggered.
In synchronised Grids as a whole, the frequency plays a central control role. It indicates the balance between generation and load. If there is too much generation, the frequency rises and if too little, it falls. A traditional role of the Grid manager is to ensure that there are controls in place, usually from the generators, so that the generation changes according to frequency. That is, if frequency rises, generators reduce output, and vice versa. An alternative and better way of managing the frequency is to have load devices that operate by a duty cycle, such as refrigerators, adjust their duty cycle according to the frequency. UK Patent Number GB2361118 describes such a system. This control is known as Response, and is a key pre-occupation of Grid managers to ensure that there is enough to respond to the normal random changes in demand as well as exceptional events, such as failures.
When failures cause part of a Grid to be lost or separated (this is known as islanding) from other part or parts of a Grid this will usually mean that the supply (generation) and demand (load) on the remaining part(s) is unbalanced. If there is not enough Response available, this imbalance will be reflected in changes in the frequency. If the frequency deviates too far from its central setting, then further protective relays will open, and further parts of the Grid will be lost.
If the response is not appropriately balanced across the Grid, then this can result in increased electricity flows at the points or circuits (ie substations) where different parts of the Grid are interconnected, and this is often a cause of a further failure in a cascade.
If two parts of a Grid become disconnected, then the frequency of the two parts will tend to differ, and the phasing of the A/C in the two parts will diverge. If there remain any interconnections between the two parts of the Grid (even if these are at quite different levels in the voltage hierarchy), this phase difference will cause unpredictable (and usually very harmful) behaviours where they meet. Later reconnection must also take place only when the two phases are coincident, and must have sufficient capacity to carry the flows that are needed to keep the two reconnected parts in on-going synchronisation. This is hard, and needs additional specialised equipment at various switching substations.
Until very recently, it has been the habit of Grid controllers to manage the system as a single Grid and a single frequency, and to shut down (and have automatic control systems that shut down) all generation and load in any separate islands that might form by separation from the "single" Grid. More recently, the possible reliability benefits of permitting separate islands to remain have been recognised, and there are efforts to form control systems that allow separate islands to survive. Certainly, higher densities of distributed generation make the single island control philosophy less appropriate.
Grids operating at different frequencies can be interconnected, and this is usually done by long distance DC circuits. These operate by converting the A/C from one Grid into DC; carrying the DC a short or long distance; and converting the DC back to A/C at the frequency of the receiving Grid. Recently great strides in the electronics to do this have been made, with semiconductors (transistors and diodes etc.) able to take larger and larger currents. This is a well established field, and so called "digital transformers" and power converters are available for many purposes and in many sizes.
Most DC interconnections are engineered to enable power to flow in either direction, commonly so that peak loads on one Grid can be met in part by power from another Grid whose peaks are a different times. This is most useful if the distance is substantial. Long distance DC transmission lines are used to connect the separate N American electricity Grids, and the cross channel link between the UK Grid and the European continental Grid is extensively used (albeit mostly to import electricity from France).
Power converters are also an increasingly important component of many generating and consuming devices. For example, many wind turbines will include power electronics to modulate their contribution to the Grid.
Substations exist wherever there is a connection between different levels in the Transmission and distribution hierarchy. At the top is the highest voltage level—the Transmission Network—operating in the UK at 400 kV. Other countries use different voltages. Most large generating stations inject electricity into the Grid at this level via step up transformers. This will carry electricity around the country to Grid substations. In most countries, the Transmission Grid has multiple voltage levels—in the UK the lower voltage Grid is 275 kV—and Grid Substations will transform the electricity for this network.
At each level, the Grid can, at least in theory, be partitioned into multiple separate networks interconnected via the higher level network. So separate 275 kV networks can run in different parts of the country. In practice, such networks usually have direct connections also.
The higher voltage transmission network supplies electricity to distribution networks at lower voltages via substations, usually with a further reduction in voltage. Grid Supply Points (GSPs) are also often points where the transfer is metered, and there may be a change in the ownership of the infrastructure now carrying the electricity.
Multiple distribution networks may be fed from a single GSP, and carry the electricity to the many points at which it is consumed, again through a succession of lower voltage networks, with substations where they interconnect.
Individual distribution networks may take their electricity from multiple GSPs, so removing their dependence upon any single supply point (and so ensuring they are unhurt by any single failure.) This invariably means that there is some sort of electrical path, outside the higher voltage transmission network, by which electricity can flow between different GSPs. These multiple electrical paths are one of the features that drive the desire to synchronise as much of the network as possible to the single Grid frequency.
The network control assumption has generally been that electricity flows from the high voltage network to the lower voltage one, reflecting the concept that big power stations achieved the greatest efficiencies. More recently the smaller generators, feeding electricity into the distribution network have become attractive. Electricity from this "embedded generation" is generally assumed to be consumed within the distribution network to which it is connected, doing no more than reducing the flows from the higher voltage network. However, as more distributed generation is installed, at whatever level in the network, this will, at times, generate more power than is consumed within the Distribution Network, so making export to the higher level Grid necessary.
This makes the Grid control problem even more complex and potentially unstable than the simple one way electricity flows. How should the embedded generation be controlled, and how should the electricity flows from distribution networks up to the transmission network be decided? What should happen when there is a fault in any of these networks, and how can these faults be minimised?
The present invention seeks to solve the problems identified above.


The present invention relates generally to the use of botanical extract compositions, which contain ingredients with self-preserving properties for use in cosmetic or dermatological compositions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the use of botanical extract compositions, which contain ingredients with self-preserving properties for use in cosmetic or dermatological compositions. By self-preserving properties, it is meant that the composition incorporating the botanical extract will retard bacterial growth when compared to the composition without the botanical extract. Preservative-free and self-preserving products may be developed by understanding, and applying, the principles of preservation, as they relate to each product. Some of these principles include water activity, pH, the use of special lipids, chelating agents and solvents with known antimicrobial properties.
It is common to introduce into cosmetic or dermatological compositions chemical preservatives intended to retard the growth of microorganisms. Such microorganisms may have the potential to be harmful to consumers if they are likely to grow in the composition or if they are introduced thereto via the fingers repeatedly manipulating the product in a vessel.
Typical conventional cosmetic preservatives include, in particular, parabens and formaldehyde donors, (e.g. DMDM Hydantoin). Although effective against micro-organisms, these preservatives present the drawback of causing intolerance, when used in skin care products, such as irritation, and in particular on sensitive skin. This also is the case for alcohols and certain types of glycols, such as ethanol or propylene glycol, especially when they are used at a relatively high concentration.
Thus, there is a consumer need for cosmetic and dermatological products with self-preserving properties, which are free of conventional preservatives and do not present the drawbacks associated therewith.
2. Description of the Art Practices
U.S. Pat. No. 5,948,416 issued to Wagner, et al. Sep. 7, 1999 discusses skin care compositions comprising: (A) from about 0.001% to about 20% of an active ingredient, (B) from about 1% to about 20% of a stable, hydrophobic, structuring agent selected from the group consisting of saturated C16 to C30 fatty alcohols, saturated C16 to C30 fatty alcohols containing from about 1 to about 5 moles of ethylene oxide, saturated C16 to C30 diols, saturated C16 to C30 monoglycerol ethers, saturated C16 to C30 hydroxy fatty acids, and mixtures thereof, having a melting point of at least about 45 degree. C.; and (C) from about 0.05% to about 10% of a hydrophilic surfactant selected from the group consisting of anionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, zwitterionic surfactants, and mixtures thereof, and (D) from about 25% to about 98.949% water.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,925,364 to Ribier, et al. issued Jul. 20, 1999 relates to a cosmetic or dermatological composition comprising an emulsion of the oil-in-water type formed of oily globules which are each provided with a lamellar liquid crystal coating and are dispersed in an aqueous phase. The Ribier, et al. patent also states each oily globule containing at least one lipophilic compound, which is cosmetically or dermatologically active, is individually coated with a monolamellar or aligolamellar layer obtained from at least one lipophilic surface-active agent, from at least one hydrophilic surface-active agent and from at least one ionic amphiphilic lipid imparting to the emulsion a pH ranging from 5.5 to 7.5, the coated oily globules having a mean diameter of less than 500 nanometers. U.S. Pat. No. 6,066,328 to Ribier, et al. issued May 23, 2000 contains disclosures substantially similar to U.S. Pat. No. 5,925,364 to Ribier, et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,211,238 which issued to Castillo, et al. on Apr. 3, 2001 discloses anionic surfactants used in conjunction with an antifungal acid and a chelating agent to preserve topically administrable pharmaceutical compositions without the need for a conventional preservative such as benzalkonium chloride.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,495,498 Niemiec, et al. issued Dec. 17, 2002 discusses "two-in-one" detergent compositions comprised of at least one water soluble silicone agent, at least one cationic conditioning agent, and a detergent. These compositions, according to the Niemiec, et al. patent, are suitable for use in shampoos, baths, and shower gels. Also described in the Niemiec, et al. patent is a delivery system for depositing benefit agents into and onto the skin, nails, and/or hair comprised of at least one water soluble silicone and at least one cationic conditioning agent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,935 af Ekenstam, et al. issued Dec. 10, 1985 recites a germicidal composition which consists of an aqueous suspension of hydrophilic lipid crystals of 1-monolaurin, and preferably also 1-monomyristin, in a quantity of 20–30 percent by weight, and hydrogen peroxide in a quantity of 0.2–5 percent by weight. The hydrophilic lipid crystals stabilize the hydrogen peroxide, to the effect that the composition retains its germicidal power even after having been stored for a long time. According to the af Ekenstam, et al. patent, the peroxide disintegrates slowly when the composition has been applied onto skin or mucous membrane.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,736,574 granted to Burnier, et al., Apr. 7,1998 describes combinatory antimicrobial immixtures comprising at least one antimicrobial hydrolipid and/or lipid and an antimicrobially synergistically effective amount of at least one glyceryl monoalkyl ether are well suited for formulation, as preservatives, into a wide variety of pharmaceutical/cosmetic compositions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,744,062 Dahms, et al. issued Apr. 28, 1998 recites emulsifier blends that provide a stable oil-in-water emulsion of a preselected viscosity. The emulsifier blend contains an acyl lactylate as the primary emulsifier and a nonionic surfactant as the coemulsifier. A method of preparing an oil-in-water emulsion having a preselected viscosity also is disclosed in the Dahms, et al. patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,146,660 Terren, et al. granted Nov. 14, 2000 recites compositions comprising an aqueous dispersion of lipid vesicles having an aqueous core, wherein the dispersion comprises at least one uncoated pigment dispersed in the aqueous phase and wherein the lipid vesicles with an aqueous core and a lipid membrane formed from at least one fatty acid ester, these compositions being stable, of homogeneous color and containing no or virtually no lumps of pigment, and a process for dispersing a filler in an oil-in-water dispersion of lipid vesicles by means of a high-pressure homogenizer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,274,124 to Vollhardt issued Aug. 14, 2001 recites a method for imparting water resistance to or improving water resistance of a cosmetic or dermatological formulation, comprising adding an water resistance enhancing effective amount of 1,2-pentanediol to the otherwise conventional cosmetic or dermatological formulation comprising at least one cosmetic and/or dermatological active agent in a cosmetically and/or pharmaceutically acceptable carrier for topical application to the skin of humans.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,281,203 issued to Touzan, et al. on Aug. 28, 2001 describes a cosmetic and/or dermatological composition, which contains (i) salicylic acid and/or at least one salicylic acid derivative, (ii) at least one ester of a fatty acid and glucose and/or alkyl glucose, and (iii) at least one oxyethylenated ether of a fatty acid ester of glucose and/or alkylglucose. The composition allows a gentle treatment of the human skin. The composition is useful for treating the effects of skin aging, and treating skin disorders such as acne.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,296,859 Stoltz issued Oct. 2, 2001 describes a composition which comprises as one of the constituents at least one extract and/or of at least one tincture from plants of the Nympheacea family. The composition described in the Stoltz patent is stated to be useful in cosmetics.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,521,241 Minerath, III et al. Feb. 18, 2003 relates to a skin irritant sequestering composition comprising a tissue substrate, a hydrophilic skin irritant sequestering agent and a hydrophobic skin irritant sequestering agent. In one embodiment the sequestering agents are comprised of modified and non-modified clays. In one embodiment the Minerath III et al. patent states, the skin irritants are bound to sequestering agents present on a substrate. In another embodiment the Minerath III et al. patent states the skin irritants are bound to sequestering agents present on the skin.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,524,594 Santora et al. Feb. 25, 2003 recites a gelled oil composition containing an emulsifier, a gelling agent, an oil, and a surfactant which, when applied to the skin in the presence of water, produces a significant amount of foam. The Santora, et al. patent states that after the composition is rinsed from the skin, a non-greasy, oil residue is left thereon.
The reader is also directed to G. Dahms, "Properties of O/W Emulsions with Anisotropic Lamellar Phases," Cosmetics & Toiletries 101:113–115, (1986). The reader is also referred to G. M. Eccleston, "Multiple-Phase Oil-in-Water Emulsions", J. Soc. Cosmet. Chem. 41:1–22 (January/February 1990).
The reader is also directed to Chapter 3 "Water Activity and Self-Preserving Formulas" (Preservative-Free and Self-Preserving Cosmetics and Drugs Principles and Practice, Kabara and Orth, Marcel Dekker, 1997). A reference on liquid crystalline structures which have been reported to interact favorably with stratum corneum lipids, which themselves have been said to be in the form of an amphiphilic association is found in J. Soc. Cosmet. Chem., 41, 155–171, 1990). See also Chapter 3 "Water Activity and Self-Preserving Formulas" (Preservative-Free and Self-Preserving Cosmetics and Drugs Principles and Practice, Kabara and Orth, Marcel Dekker, 1997).
To the extent that the foregoing patents and references are relevant to the present invention they are herein incorporated by reference. Temperatures herein are given in degrees Centigrade and pressures are in gauge Kpa. Ratios and ranges may be combined.

Botanical extract compositions and process for preparing same


An energy transfer apparatus includes a cable having first end with a first connector operably coupled thereto and a second end with a second connector operably coupled thereto. The energy transfer apparatus also includes a control unit coupled to the cable. The control unit includes a device interface module configured to determine a first energy parameter of a first portable device connected to the cable via the first connector and to determine a second energy parameter of a second portable device connected to the cable via the second connector. The control unit also includes an energy transfer module configured to facilitate energy transfer between the first and second portable devices based on the first and second energy parameters.

Portable devices such as mobile telephones, laptop computers, and the like often utilize rechargeable energy storage devices such as rechargeable batteries as a source of power. From time to time, the battery of a portable device will run low and a user will not have access to a charger to recharge the battery. This may be the case, for example, if a user is commuting on a transit vehicle. However, as such portable devices are becoming more and more ubiquitous, the user may have access to another portable device with ample energy.

Controllable energy transfer between portable devices


A motor starting device includes a starting unit, a driving unit, a floating point selecting unit, a back electromotive force (BEMF) detecting unit and a control unit. In a starting mode, the starting unit generates an initial starting signal having a plurality of phases according to a commutation sequence, the driving unit drives the motor with a first phase in the initial starting signal, the floating point selecting unit selects a floating phase of the motor that is not turned on according to the driving condition of the driving unit, the BEMF detecting unit detects whether the BEMF of the floating phase has a first voltage level or a second voltage level to generate a detection result, and the control unit outputs a phase changing signal to the driving unit according to the detection result.

Direct current (DC) brushless motors are common motors having advantages of high efficiency, lightness, thinness, shortness, and smallness, thus the DC brushless motors are widely used in various fields. In existing electronic products (e.g., personal computers, notebook computers, communication devices and household appliances), DC brushless motors are used. For example, fan motors for various electronic products and spindle motors for computer storage devices utilize DC brushless motors. In general, when driving a DC brushless motor, a position of a rotor of the motor must be detected to properly drive commutation switches for performing a commutation procedure.
An existing brushless DC motor system typically includes a three-phase brushless DC motor, a Hall sensor, and a driver. However, since the Hall sensor is easily affected by the external environment, the sensing accuracy may be lowered, and may even result in malfunctioning in some environments (e.g., an environment with an excessive temperature). On the other hand, the brushless DC motor system further includes the Hall sensor, and a volume of the system and manufacturing costs are therefore increased. Therefore, a sensorless driving method without using a sensor has been further provided.
In an existing sensorless driving method, after the motor is driven in an open circuit configuration, an excitation phase is set to drive the rotor of the motor to a certain position, and a commutation time and the corresponding shortening speed is then set, thereby speeding up the commutation of the motor until a rotation speed of the motor reaches a certain set speed, then enters a closed loop mode for driving.
However, in the above method, starting the motor by the open circuit configuration requires setting some inertia parameters of the motor, resulting in complicated settings, and requires multiple pins to control the above parameters or requires memory to be burned in, thereby increasing motor design costs and mass production costs. Moreover, when the motor ages, the driving method using the open circuit configuration is likely to cause a risk of being out of step in the driving process.
Therefore, there is an urgent need for a motor starting device and method that do not require adjustment of inertia parameters, while saving motor design time and decreasing mass production costs.


The invention provides a method of treating a premature infant at a statistical risk of sustaining an intraventricular hemorrhage. The method, or therapeutic protocol, can include at least one or more of the following steps: identifying premature infants at a statistical risk of having an intraventricular hemorrhage, collecting umbilical cord blood from the identified premature infant, separating totipotential stem cells (e.g., having the ability to proliferate and differentiate as neural stem cells) from the collected cord blood, storing the separated stem cells, establishing evidence of an intraventricular hemorrhage (preferably prior to Grade III/IV if possible) in the premature infant, and intrathecally administering the autologous cord blood derived stem cells to the premature infant.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for administering autologous stem cells in premature infants and, more particularly, to a method for intrathecal administration of autologous cord blood derived stem cells in premature infants sustaining intraventricular hemorrhages.
2. Description of the Related Art
Despite advances in the science of neonatal care and support of younger gestational age infants, these infants are at increasingly greater post-natal risks associated with their physiologic prematurity. It is well recognized that the incidence of peri- and intra-ventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is inversely proportional to gestational age. Although the incidence of hemorrhages in very low birth weight infants (<1500 grams) or in those less than 34 weeks gestation has been reported to be as great as 50 percent, the actual incidence in recent years has greatly improved to somewhere between 10 and 20 percent (although no firm data with regards to actual numbers or severity can be estimated). Improvements in and the availability of perinatal and postnatal care of these infants, as well as the use of indomethacin have contributed to the significant benefits recognized. However, it has been suggested that the actual number of premature infants who survive following an intraventricular hemorrhage is increasing since greater than 85% of infants between 700-1500 grams now survive. The risk of death and/or short term and long term complications to these premature infants, however, still exists.
Over 90 percent of intraventricular hemorrhages in premature infants occur within the first 72 hours of life, are most likely associated with physiologic changes within the premature neuro-circulation of the subependymal germinal matrix, as well as the potential contributing roles of abnormalities in primary and secondary hemostasis and other metabolic stress factors such as acidosis, oxygenation (hypoxia), intravascular nitric oxide and hydrogen sulfide levels and free oxygen radical formation. The initial signs and symptoms of an intraventricular hemorrhage are readily recognized by those routinely caring for the premature and include: apnea and hypoventilation, bradycardia, anemia, seizures, decreased muscle tone and activity, and a bulging anterior fontanel.
The diagnosis of an intraventricular hemorrhage is initially confirmed by a cranial ultrasound, usually performed in a serial manner to determine the extent, grade and progression of the hemorrhage (grades I-IV, as discussed infra). Alternative diagnostic considerations include the presence of sepsis, a pneumothorax (ventilated premature infant), cardiac disease, seizure activity, and/or metabolic and electrolyte disturbances.
Intracranial hemorrhages are classified into four grades, I-IV (as should be appreciated by those skilled in the art). These grades are defined by the severity of the hemorrhage as follows: Grade I—Hemorrhage limited to the subependymal matrix; Grade II—Hemorrhage extending into the ventricular system (<50%) without acute ventriculomegaly; Grade III—Hemorrhage extending into the ventricular system with acute dilatation due to "flooding" of 50% or more of one or both of the lateral ventricles; and Grade IV—Hemorrhage of grades I, II or III with extension into the brain parenchyma.
Although most hemorrhages are mild in nature, described as either grades I or II, and are associated with mild sequelae; hemorrhages of grades III and IV typically result in primary and secondary damage to the brain parenchyma and are associated with significant short term (e.g., post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus) and long term complications (Grade III/IV sequelae include: hydrocephalus frequently requiring shunting, seizures, developmental delay and mental retardation, porencephalic cyst formation and cerebral palsy). The pathogenesis of a Grade III/IV hemorrhage seems to differ significantly from the other lesser grades, appearing to result from hemorrhagic venous infarctions surrounding the terminal vein and feeder vessels, most likely related to increased venous pressure following or associated with the development of a lower grade hemorrhage. In most cases the medical management of hydrocephalus is necessary and a severe hemorrhage imparts significant co-morbid effects on the general care of the infant, involving their cardio-respiratory management and seizure control. The parenchymal damage caused by a Grade III/IV intracranial hemorrhage results in tissue necrosis and non-neuronal cyst formation. Non-neuronal cysts can evolve to become contiguous with adjacent ventricles leading to the formation of a porencephalic cyst (see FIG. 1). Such conditions can result in the secondary neurologic diagnosis of cerebral palsy, with or without mental retardation and seizures (as noted supra).
It should be noted that the structural damage of a severe hemorrhage, Grade III/IV hemorrhages, commonly affect the integrity and cellularity of the germinal matrix. The germinal matrix is the primary location of glial cell precursors (neuroblasts & glioblasts). Glial cell precursors have demonstrated to have proliferative potential following stroke or brain injury in adults. These precursors have also demonstrated stem cell plasticity and multipotential characteristics, including their ability to differentiate into hematopoietic stem cells.
Conventional methods of prevention of intraventricular hemorrhages and severity mitigation include indentifying at-risk infants, minimizing contributing factors, early identification, and pharmaco-protectants such as antioxidants, and COX inhibitors. Supportive therapy for the post-IVH child includes seizure control, shunt care and maintenance, developmental therapy, sensory deficit care, special education, and lifelong support, each of which can cause financial and social burdens and psychosocial issues.

Intrathecal administration of autologous stem cells to treat intraventricular hemorrhage in premature infants


A separating device for a gravity conveyor, comprising a conveying plane (E) along which an item (30) is conveyable in a conveying direction (F), and an actuating means (50), which comprises a first actuating member (51), which can be moved into an actuated position by conveyed items (30) being moved in the conveying direction (F), and a second actuating member (52), which can be moved into an actuated position by conveyed items (30) being moved counter to the conveying direction (F). When at least one of the first and second actuating members (50, 51) is actuated, a movement of the at least one separating stop (40) from the position above the conveying plane is blocked, and when the first and second actuating members (50, 51) are unactuated, a movement of the at least one separating stop (40) to a position below or flush with the conveying plane is enabled.

The prior art discloses gravity conveyors, in particular gravity roller conveyors, comprising a separating device which separates the conveyed items to be removed from the subsequent items to be conveyed. Document DE 20 2011 005 138 U1, for example, discloses a gravity conveyor in which the conveyed item entering the removal station actuates an actuating member. Actuating the actuating member causes a separating stop to be moved from a position below the conveying plane to a position above the conveying plane, thus preventing subsequently conveyed items from entering the removal station. The actuating member is tongue-shaped and inclined in relation to the conveying plane such that conveyed items entering the removal station pivot the actuating member about a pivot axis from a position above the conveying plane. In DE 20 2011 005 138 U1, the actuating member is reset manually by an operator, whereby the separating stop releases the subsequently conveyed items in order for them to enter the removal station.
The prior art also however discloses gravity conveyors in which the actuating member is automatically reset, for example by a spring force, from the actuated position to the unactuated position, as soon as the conveyed item has been removed from the removal station.
Known actuating members have the disadvantage that the actuating member can only be actuated in the conveying direction. In practice, it can very much occur that conveyed items are removed from the removal station, after which it is found that the items should not have been removed from the removal station at all, but rather different items from another gravity conveyor. In this case, the operator will want to return the conveyed items to the removal station. With known actuating members, however, there is a risk of them being damaged or destroyed when the erroneously removed conveyed item is replaced, since replacing it involves moving the conveyed item counter to the usually envisaged conveying direction, whereas the known actuating members are only designed to be actuated by conveyed items moving in the conveying direction and not by conveyed items moving counter to the conveying direction.

Actuating apparatus for actuating a separating device for a gravitational conveyor


A two-wavelength laser pick-up head used for accessing DVD, CD, CD-R and CD-E systems. The two-wavelength laser pick-up head includes a shorter wavelength laser optical path for reading the data from a DVD system, and a longer wavelength laser optical path for reading the data from a CD or CD-R system. The above two optical paths use the same collimator and the same objective lens. There is a compensator lens which is used in the longer wavelength laser optical path for correcting the spherical aberration due to the thick substrate of the CD or CD-R.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a pick-up head for Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), and more particularly, to a two-wavelength laser pick-up head which can be used for accessing DVD, Compact Disc (CD), CD-Recordable (CD-R) and CD-Erasable (CD-E) systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
The DVD pick-up head typically includes two focal points of different focal lengths. There are five different kinds of DVD pick-up heads described hereinafter. (1) FIG. 1, is a schematic diagram of a conventional DVD pick-up head of U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,529. As shown, this DVD pick-up head is a two-laser DVD pick-up head. One laser light of a single wavelength is used for writing. Another laser light is used for reading. Its disadvantage is that it is not applicable to the DVD systems. (2) The SONY DVD pick-up head is composed of two laser diodes and two pick-up heads. One is a DVD pick-up head, and another is a CD pick-up head. The disadvantage of the SONY DVD pick-up head is that it includes two objective lens. (3) The PANASONIC DVD pick-up head is composed of a laser diode and an objective lens. The disadvantage of the PANASONIC DVD pick-up head is that it includes an HOE objective lens which makes the efficiency of light lower. (4) The TOSHIBA DVD pick-up head is composed of a laser diode and two objective lens. (5) The SANYO DVD pick-up head is composed of a laser diode and an objective lens. Its disadvantage is the complicated design of the SANYO DVD pick-up head system.

Two-wavelength laser pick-up head for a DVD

Industrial Technology Research Institute


The invention provides a human hydroxypyruvate reductase (HHPR) and polynucleotides which identify and encode HHPR. The invention also provides expression vectors, host cells, agonists, antibodies and antagonists. The invention also provides methods for treating disorders associated with expression of HHPR.

Hydroxypyruvate reductase (HPR), a plant leaf peroxisomal enzyme in the glycolate pathway, catalyzes the conversion of hydroxypyruvate to glycerate with the oxidation of both NADH and NADPH. HPR recycles nucleotides and bases back into pathways leading to the synthesis of ATP and GTP. ATP and GTP are used to produce DNA and RNA and to control various aspects of signal transduction and energy metabolism. Transcripts of HPR are present in cotyledons and leaves. Since consumption of large quantities of fruit and vegetables is associated with a striking reduction in the risk of developing a variety of malignancies, it is of interest that a number of edible plants contain substantial quantities of compounds that regulate mammalian enzymes of xenobiotic metabolism.
Cytokinins play a critical role in the regulation and coordination of plant metabolism, growth, and morphogenesis. Altering the levels of endogenous cytokinins in transgenic plants indirectly demonstrates that cytokinins regulate gene expression. Experimental evidence indicates that there is a close association between the regulation of gene expression and cytokinin action (Chen et al. (1985) Plant Physiol. 77:99-103). One of the enzymes upregulated by the cytokinins is NADH-dependent hydroxypyruvate reductase (NHPR) from cucurbito pepo.
Inhibitors of purine nucleotide biosynthesis in general have long been employed as antiproliferative agents to treat cancer and viral diseases. It is possible to synthetically produce cytokines. Interferon (IFN), interleukin 2 (IL2), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and haematopoietic growth factors are cytokines that have been synthesized successfully. IFN has been used in the therapy of hairy cell leukaemia, Kaposi sarcoma associated with AIDS, and metastasis of malignant melanoma. IL2 allows for an increase in the cytotoxic activity of NK cells in producing LAK cells, lymphocytes which infiltrate tumors such as malignant melanoma or carcinoma (Goy et al. (1990) Rev. Mal. Respir. 7(3):195-201).
The discovery of a new human hydroxypyruvate reductase and the polynucleotides encoding it satisfies a need in the art by providing new compositions which are useful in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases associated with cell proliferation, in particular, cancers and immune response.


A nasal passage device comprising a pair of hollow nasal inserts shaped to conform to the wearer's nasal passages and worn inside the nose and having a handle portion which connects the pair of nasal inserts.

Many people are afflicted with some degree of snoring. Snoring is not only an annoyance to others, but may be symptomatic of an underlying breathing problem. Snoring happens when turbulent air causes the uvula, soft palate, and base of the tongue to vibrate against the posterior wall of the pharynx, producing the rough snoring noise. Snoring noise levels can range from the barely audible to almost 90 dB. Snoring can cause the snorer humiliation, embarrassment, and emotional distress in addition to the daytime sleepiness, listlessness, and reduced disease resistance caused by lack of restful sleep in both the snorer and those around him.
Snoring can occur as a result of partially blocked or obstructed nasal passages, such as an occlusion of the pharynx over an area extending from the base of the tongue inferiorly to the uvula and soft palate superiorly. The obstructions can either directly increase the turbulence of the air flowing from the nasal passages or urge breathing through the mouth. Both situations can result in vibration of the uvula, soft palate, and tongue against the pharynx wall to produce snoring.
In the former case, air is drawn through the nostrils into the nasal cavities. The air proceeds through the tapering cavities, through a narrow nasal valve, and then through a widening passageway that ultimately leads from the nose to the lungs. Most obstructions occur at or near the nasal valve where the air flow is most constricted. The tissue comprising the walls of the nasal cavity can become so loose that during inhalation the walls are drawn in and collapse into the nasal valve, partially or completely blocking it. When this happens during sleep, snoring can result. A more serious result of nasal passage obstruction is that the sleeper may get insufficient oxygen. In the extreme case this condition is known as sleep apnea. People suffering from sleep apnea do not receive the full restful benefits from sleep and tend to be tired throughout the day.
In the latter case of preferential mouth breathing, throat and lung irritation may result from the inhalation of air that has not undergone warming and/or filtration through the nose. Such physical irritation may lead to sore throats, coughs, or increases incidence of infection due to the presence of foreign particles that would otherwise be filtered by the nose, in addition to sleep disturbances.
A further problem that may be experienced is the inability to breath through the nose during eating. Such a problem may result in both physical (choking) and social consequences.
Perhaps the most common prescribed treatments of serious and chronic nasal obstruction are corrective surgery and adherence to a strict and demanding medical regimen. However, these options are not acceptable to all patients, and may not be appropriate for those with more minor afflictions. In addition to being expensive, these treatments are often only partially successful and the problem may recur and worsen over time.
Devices known as nasal dilators have been developed as alternatives to surgery. One class of dilators are those worn on the exterior of the nose. These dilators attach to the outside of the nose and exert a tensile force on the nose to pull the nasal passages open. Examples of these in the prior art include U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,224 to Johnson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,605 to Muchin, U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,503 to Doubek et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,103 to Johnson. While useful, these external dilators have the drawbacks of being unsightly and uncomfortable. They are also limited to addressing obstructions located under the skin that the dilators attach to on either side of the nose. Finally, the amount of tensile force the external dilator may apply must be less than the adhesive force used to attach it to the exterior of the nose.
Examples of internally worn nasal dilators in the prior art include U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,104 to Lee, U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,977 to Rezakhany, U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,299 to Russo, U.S. Pat. No. 4,105,035 to Rella, U.S. Pat. No. 3,710,799 to Caballero, U.S. Pat. No. 3,424,152 to Kuhlman, U.S. Pat. No. 2,672,138 to Carlock, U.S. Pat. No. 2,335,936 to Hanlon, and U.S. Pat. No. 1,597,331 to Thurston et al. These include nasal inserts of various designs, such as cages, frameworks, tubes, and balls to be inserted into the nasal passages.
Hence, there is a need for an improved nasal cavity insert.

Nasal insert device for improving breathing


A cathode active material and non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery. The non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes a positive electrode and a negative electrode which are electrochemically doped and dedoped with lithium; and an electrolyte disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. The positive electrode contains a cathode active material including a mixture of: a first cathode active material represented by a general formula: LitCoMsO2 where M represents a metal, 0≦s≦0.03, and 0.05≦t≦1.15; and a second cathode active material represented by a general formula: LixNi(1-y-z)CoyMnzAaO2 where A represents a metal, 0.05≦x≦1.15, 0.15≦y+z≦0.70, 0.05≦z≦0.40, and 0≦a≦0.10.

The present invention relates to a cathode active material containing a lithium composite oxide and a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery using the cathode active material in a positive electrode.
In recent years, as the semiconductor integration technique is advanced, various electronic devices, such as portable phones and laptop computers, are being reduced in size and weight. For this reason, as a portable power source for these electronic devices, there is desired a high performance secondary battery which is small in size and lightweight and which has a long life. As examples of secondary batteries meeting the demands, there can be mentioned nickel-hydrogen batteries, nickel-cadmium batteries, and lithium ion secondary batteries, and especially lithium ion secondary batteries have a voltage and an energy density as high as those of a 4-V grade battery, and hence can be mounted on an electronic device causing large power consumption. Thus, the lithium ion secondary batteries are mounted on portable electronic devices which primary batteries cannot deal with.
A feature of the lithium ion secondary battery resides in that a positive electrode having a high oxidation-reduction potential and a negative electrode having a low oxidation-reduction potential are combined to achieve a large capacity, i.e., large energy density, as compared to those of other batteries. Many electronic devices are actually used not only in an environment at room temperature but also in environments at temperatures in a wide range of from a low temperature to a high temperature, and the energy density varies depending on the way of using the device. In addition, when discharging at a large current is conducted, the quantity of electricity which can be taken out is reduced, and the voltage is also lowered due to the internal resistance.
In the lithium ion secondary battery, as a cathode active material, a lithium-cobalt composite oxide is mainly used (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-242976 and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-319652). The reason for this is that the lithium-cobalt composite oxide has advantages in that the average discharge potential is high, and the like.
However, the lithium-cobalt composite oxide has problems in that the cycle characteristics are poor, and that the voltage is markedly lowered when discharging at a large output is conducted at a low temperature, for example, when a personal computer is used in a cold district, the computer cannot be started up due to a lack of the output of the power source.
Recently, as the application of the lithium ion battery is expanded, not only the further improvement of the cycle characteristics but also the increase of the output at low temperatures are demanded, and therefore a non-aqueous electrolyte battery excellent in both cycle characteristics and low-temperature load characteristics is desired.
It is desirable to provide a cathode active material and a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, which are excellent in both cycle characteristics and low-temperature load characteristics.

Cathode active material and non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery


Address translation circuitry for translating virtual addresses to physical addresses for a data processor in response to access requests from said data processor targeting virtual addresses is disclosed. The address translation circuitry comprises: a data store comprising a plurality of entries for storing a plurality of mappings of ranges of virtual addresses to ranges of physical addresses for said data processor and additional data associated with each of said plurality of mappings within a table; updating circuitry for updating said table in response to an access request for a virtual address that is not mapped by said table, said updating circuitry being responsive to receipt of a mapping for said virtual address to: select a plurality of entries in said table suitable for storing said received mapping; and determine one of said plurality of selected entries to be overwritten by said received mapping in dependence upon at least a portion of said additional data stored in said one of said plurality of selected entries.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates to data processing and in particular to the conversion of virtual addresses produced by a processor to corresponding physical addresses in order to access data stored in a physical address.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known in data processing systems for processors to refer to storage locations using virtual addresses, while the data itself is stored in a location identified by a physical address. When accessing this data any virtual address produced by the processor will need to be converted to a physical address. This can slow the procedure, as the data cannot be accessed until it is converted to a physical address.
A known way of converting a virtual address to a physical address is by the use of a translation lookaside buffer (TLB). The TLB receives a virtual address from a processor and converts it to a physical address. The TLB is quick and easy to access and therefore performs the conversion relatively quickly. However, the TLB does not store a complete mapping of virtual to physical addresses only storing a subset, this subset generally being mappings that have been used recently. Thus, it may be that a data access requests a virtual address that is not stored in the TLB. In such a case the data processor will need to retrieve this information, usually from a table in main memory. Compared to the TLB access this is a relatively lengthy and power costly operation. The TLB will then be updated with this recently accessed information. To do this an entry to be overwritten will need to be selected.
The TLB may be arranged in a number of ways. In a fully associative TLB all entries in the TLB are available for selection, while in a set associative TLB there is a smaller selection of possible storage locations for an entry. In systems of the prior art the selection of which entry to overwrite has conventionally been made either randomly, or in a "round robin" way such that the oldest entry is selected, or in a way such that the least recently accessed entry is selected. The choice has an impact on performance as a miss in the TLB will require a memory access and extra time and power to be consumed, thus, overwriting an entry that would later have been used will damage performance.
It would be desirable to be able to consistently select entries that are unlikely to be used again soon.

Translation of virtual to physical addresses


A method of manufacturing a solar cell electrode comprising steps of: preparing a semiconductor substrate, applying a conductive paste onto the light receiving side of the semiconductor substrate, wherein the conductive paste comprises (i) a conductive powder, (ii) a glass frit, (iii) an organic polymer comprising an elastomer and (iv) an organic solvent; and firing the applied conductive paste.

Solar cell electrodes formed on the front light-receiving side of a crystalline silicon wafer of a photovoltaic cell reduce the amount of light reaching the wafer. It is desirable to form fine electrode lines on the front side of the silicon wafer in order to enlarge the light receiving area.
US2013011959 discloses a method of manufacturing a solar cell electrode comprising steps of: applying onto a semiconductor substrate a conductive paste comprising (i) a conductive powder, (ii) a glass frit, (di) ethyl cellulose as an organic polymer and (iv) an organic solvent comprising 30 to 85 weight percent (wt %) of 1-phenoxy-2-propanol based on the weight of the organic solvent; and firing the conductive paste.


This invention is a process for producing diisobutylene from isobutylene. The process comprises first contacting a sulfonic acid resin with a reaction feed comprising isobutylene and tertiary butyl alcohol to produce a product stream comprising diisobutylene, isobutylene, tertiary butyl alcohol, and water. The product stream is distilled to produce a first overhead stream comprising water and isobutylene and a first bottoms stream comprising diisobutylene and tertiary butyl alcohol. Water is separated from the first overhead stream, and the resulting isobutylene-enriched stream is recycled back to the reaction step. The first bottoms stream is distilled to produce a second overhead stream comprising tertiary butyl alcohol and a bottoms product stream comprising diisobutylene.

The oligomerization of olefins such as isobutylene using a sulfonic acid-type ion exchange resin catalyst is well-known in the art. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,220 describes isobutylene oligomerization using a sulfonic acid resin catalyst and tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA) selectivity enhancing modifier to produce diisobutylene (DIB). In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 4,447,668 discloses isobutylene oligomerization using sulfonic acid resin catalyst A-15 with methyl t-butyl ether as solvent. U.S. Pat. No. 5,877,372 describes the selective oligomerization of isobutylene using a sulfonic acid resin catalyst, TBA selectivity enhancing modifier and isooctane diluent. U.S. Pat. No. 6,376,731 further discloses the oligomerization of isobutylene in the presence of a C3-C4 alkane diluent to enhance oligomerization selectivity and TBA to promote selectivity to DIB.
The DIB product may be used as such or may be hydrogenated to isooctane as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,877,372 and 6,376,731. DIB and isooctane are potential fuel blending compositions.
In the production of DIB, it is found that minimization of water is essential to reduce detrimental unit corrosion and catalyst deactivation. However, water is often fed to the reaction section as a reactant impurity. Water is also produced by the dehydration of co-fed TBA. Because isobutylene and/or TBA streams may be recycled back to the reaction section, water can accumulate within the process such that unwanted corrosion or catalyst deactivation may occur.
Previous processes have been taught to purify DIB product. However, none of these processes have effectively dealt with the detrimental effects of water. U.S. Pat. No. 6,863,778 teaches a process to separate DIB from TBA using two distillation columns. DIB is removed as bottoms from the first distillation column and unreacted C4's are removed as overheads. A side draw containing a DIB/TBA azeotrope is fed to the second distillation column and TBA is recovered as bottoms and recycled to the reactor. However, in processes using side draws, the inventors have found that water and TBA distribute between the overhead distillate and the side draw. Water is extremely difficult to remove from either stream since water and TBA are mutually soluble. Thus, the presence of at least 1 weight percent TBA in these streams makes water soluble enough that it cannot be removed with a simple decantation step.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,559,108 also teaches a two distillation column purification of a C4 hydrocarbon feed to produce a purified isobutylene stream and a high boiling component stream comprising tertiary butyl alcohol and diisobutylene. However, the TBA and DIB were not separated and there is no mention of water in the process.
In sum, new methods to produce diisobutylene by oligomerization of isobutylene over a sulfonic acid-type ion exchange resin catalyst are needed. Particularly needed are processes which limit the amount of water in the oligomerization reactor.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Disclosed is power amplifier circuitry having a bipolar junction power transistor with a base, a collector, and an emitter. The power amplifier circuitry includes bias correction sub-circuitry configured to generate a compensation current substantially opposite in phase and substantially equal in magnitude to an error current passed by a parasitic base-collector capacitance inherently coupled between the base and collector, wherein the bias correction sub-circuitry has a compensation output coupled to the base and through which the compensation current flows to substantially cancel the error current.

Power amplifiers are generally biased to operate in specific classes of amplifier operation. Therefore, it is desirable to maintain bias stability during operation. However, undesirable bias shifts away from a desired range of bias points may be caused by unwanted current paths due to parasitic capacitances inherent in power cell devices such as bipolar junction power transistors that are biased to amplify wide bandwidth signals associated with envelope tracking systems. Bias shift becomes increasingly problematic as power cells increase in size to provide higher power. The bias shift is also increasingly problematic as modulation bandwidth increases because slew rate is proportional to the derivative of envelope voltage. Thus, there is need for power amplifier circuitry that is configured to compensate for undesirable bias shifts.


A substrate processing pallet can cool a substrate. A substrate processing pallet can include a base member; an interface pad attachable to the base member, the interface pad having substantially the same coefficient of thermal expansion as the base member and adapted to facilitate cooling of the substrate; and a surface of the base member having features for aligning a substrate on the interface pad. A substrate processing pallet can also include a base member; an interface pad attachable to the base member; an electrostatic chuck for gripping the substrate during processing; an energy storage system for storing energy to sustain the electrostatic chuck at sufficient charge to sustain grip the substrate during processing; and a conduit for transporting gas to a backside of the substrate to facilitate cooling of the substrate.

Substrate processing, such as semiconductor wafer processing, can raise the temperature of the substrate above an optimal processing value. For example, substrate heating during physical vapor deposition (PVD) can cause residual thermal stress in a deposited film, lead to poor adhesion of the deposited film, and otherwise damage sensitive substrates.
Some substrate processing tools use batch processing, whereby semiconductor wafers are transported on pallets through the tool and processed while held by self-contained wafer holders. For example U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,530,733, 6,682,288, and 6,821,912, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, describe substrate processing pallets for batch processing, related substrate processing machines, and methods in which the pallets are exposed to various temperatures during processing.
In general, the temperature of substrates processed on a pallet depends on the processing power and the degree of thermal contact between the substrate and the pallet. Temperature control can be accomplished by reducing the processing power, but this reduces the tool throughput, which is not desirable because it increases the processing cost per substrate. It is preferable to control temperature by maintaining sufficient thermal contact between the substrate and the pallet.
Semiconductor processing is often accomplished at low pressures in a vacuum chamber. Films deposited by PVD, for example, are often deposited at gas pressures of a few mTorr. At these low pressures, the thermal contact between surfaces is often low, and may not provide sufficient cooling for high throughput processing.
Substrate Cooling Principles:
Several general principles can maximize substrate cooling on a pallet. These include using pallet materials with high thermal conductivity, ensuring that the substrate and pallet are parallel and in good physical contact, decreasing the roughness of the surfaces, increasing the pallet heat capacity and increasing the gas pressure at the interface.
Materials with good thermal conductivity include various metals and ceramics. Good physical contact can be maintained by having flat, parallel substrate and pallet surfaces and by increasing the pressure of the substrate onto the pallet. Decreasing the surface roughness is accomplished by use of smooth polished surfaces, since smooth surfaces typically have twice the solid spot conductance of rough surfaces for the same pressure of substrate onto pallet. Increasing the heat capacity of the pallet improves cooling, because for the same process heat loading, the equilibrium tray temperature remains cooler.
Increasing the gas pressure at the interface increases substrate cooling, because heat transfer across a gap is primarily due to gas conduction, which is essentially a linear function of gas pressure under typical processing conditions. Increasing gas pressure at the interface to facilitate cooling is known as active cooling using backside gas pressure. In contrast, employing smooth surfaces to facilitate thermal conduction and cooling is known as passive cooling.
The substrate can be clamped against the pallet by mechanical or electrical means to increase the gas pressure at the interface. Clamping is necessary because otherwise the gas can either escape or possibly lift the substrate off the pallet. The electrostatic chuck (ESC) is an electrical method that permits uniform holding over virtually the entire substrate area and avoids edge exclusion and particles associated with mechanical clamps.
Pallets with Passive Cooling:
The simplest pallet consists of a tray fabricated from a single block of metal, such as aluminum. An improved surface smoothness can be achieved by bonding ceramic or semiconductor pads to the metal pallets to act as the interface between substrate and pallet. Silicon wafers can be used as interface pads because they are relatively inexpensive and are typically have sub-micron surface roughness resulting from chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP). A surface polished with CMP is much smoother than a metal pallet, with a resulting increase in substrate cooling. Such a tray is available as Part No. K11007815: Aluminum Silicon Tray Assembly, from NEXX Systems, Inc. of Billerica, Mass.
There are significant limitations to the substrate cooling ability of passive-cooling pallets made from either single metal block or containing ceramic or semiconductor interface pads. The surface finish and the flatness that can be achieved cost-effectively using standard metal fabrication techniques limit the cooling of simple metal pallets. Pallets containing ceramic or semiconductor pad interfaces are not robust because of thermal expansion mismatch between the metal pallet and the ceramic or semiconductor. As listed in Table 1, silicon has a thermal expansion coefficient approximately eight times smaller than the pallet's aluminum base metal. When such pallets are heated, the higher thermal expansion of the metal pallet can cause cracking of the pad, creating a rough surface and requiring expensive pad replacement.
TABLE 1Thermal properties of materials used in substrateprocessing pallets over the 20° C.-80° C.pallet temperature use range. Values for aluminumare for a range of alloys. Values for alumina/PTFEare for a range of commercially available compositions.Thermal ConductivityThermal ExpansionInterface Pad Material(W/cm° C.)Coefficient (ppm/° C.)Aluminum1.5-2.421-25Silicon1.2-1.82.6-3.2Alumina/PTFE 0.01-0.02520-30compositePallets with Active Cooling:
A pallet can incorporate an electrostatic chuck (ESC) and active backside gas (BSG) cooling to facilitate cooling. Similar to capacitors, electrostatic chucks can hold a charge for a period of time after being disconnected from their power supply. The ESC self-discharge time depends on its material of fabrication and geometry, which determine the electrical resistivity and the ESC capacitance. Self-discharge times for ceramic or polyimide ESCs are shorter than the several minutes typical of semiconductor processing operations. This requires the ESC to be continuously connected to an energy source during processing.
Furthermore, pallets are transported through a tool, which prevents continuous electrical or gas connections. Instead, the connections are made and re-made as the pallet moves through the system. The electrical connections to the pallet can still be protected from plasma and arcing, just as in a fixed system, but in a way that allows for disconnection and re-connection.
Pallet Cleaning:
Pallets in a plasma processing environment require periodic cleaning. For example, thin films deposited on pallet areas not covered by substrates can be cleaned when the deposits exceed a certain thickness. A pallet can be removed from the tool and cleaned using mechanical or chemical means. Conventional pallets are often cleaned using grit blasting with abrasive media. However, such cleaning can harm delicate pallet features or embed abrasive media in areas from which they are difficult to remove. Chemical cleaning of the entire pallet is a preferable alternative to grit blasting, but pallets often contain adhesives or other polymeric materials which can be harmed by harsh chemicals used for cleaning.

Substrate processing pallet with cooling


The present invention relates to a process for production of water-absorbing polymer structures comprising the process steps of providing an untreated, water-absorbing polymer structure (Pu) with a retention of at least about 35 g/g; and bringing this water-absorbing untreated polymer structure (Pu) into contact with a permeability-increasing agent. The invention further relates to the water-absorbing polymer structures obtainable by this process, water-absorbing polymer structures, a composite, a process for production of a composite, a composite obtainable by this process, chemical products comprising water-absorbing polymer structures or a composite as well as the use of water-absorbing polymer structures or of the composite in chemical products.

The present invention relates to a process for production of water-absorbing polymer structures, the water-absorbing polymer structures obtainable by this process, water-absorbing polymer structures, a composite, a process for production of a composite, a composite obtainable by this process, chemical products comprising water-absorbing polymer structures or a composite, as well as the use of water-absorbing polymer structures or of the composite in chemical products.
Superabsorbers are water-insoluble, crosslinked polymers, which are capable of absorbing, and retaining under a given pressure, large quantities of aqueous liquids, in particular body fluids, preferably urine or blood, by swelling and forming hydrogels. Because of these characteristic properties, these polymers principally find applications by incorporation into sanitary articles, such as, for example, baby diapers, incontinence products, or sanitary napkins.
Superabsorbers which are presently commercially available are mostly crosslinked polyacrylic acids or crosslinked starch acrylic acid graft polymers, in which the carboxyl groups are partially neutralized with sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide.
For aesthetic and environmental reasons, there is an increasing tendency to make sanitary articles ever smaller and thinner. In order to guarantee a consistent overall retention capacity of the sanitary article, this demand can only be accommodated by reduction of the proportion of voluminous fluff. This means that further tasks fall to the superabsorber in respect of transport and distribution of liquids, which can be summarized as permeability properties.
By permeability in superabsorber materials is understood the capacity, in the swollen state, to transport and uniformly distribute penetrating liquids within the swollen gel. This process occurs via capillary transport through spaces between the gel particles. Liquid transport through the swollen superabsorber particles itself follows the laws of diffusion and is a very slow process which plays no role in the distribution of liquid in the use situation of the sanitary article. For superabsorber materials which cannot accomplish a capillary transport because of lacking gel stability, a separation of the particles from each other, with avoidance of the gel blocking phenomenon, is effected by the embedding of these materials into a fiber matrix. In diaper constructions of newer generations, there is only little or even no fiber material in the absorber layer to support liquid transport. The superabsorbers used here must correspondingly have a sufficiently high stability in the swollen state for the swollen gel to have a sufficient amount of capillary spaces, through which liquid can be transported.
In order to obtain superabsorber materials with high gel stability, on the one hand, the degree of crosslinking of the polymer can be increased, which necessarily results in a reduction of the swell capability and of the retention capacity.
Furthermore, methods for post-treating of the surface of polymer particles for improvement of the superabsorber properties can be used. Surface treatments known from the state of the art are, for example, the post-crosslinking of the water-absorbing polymer structure at the surface, the bringing into contact of the surface with inorganic compounds, or the post-crosslinking of the surface in the presence of inorganic compounds.
DE-A-100 16 041 achieves a restoration of the gel permeability of water-absorbing polymers, which has been damaged by mechanical action, by post-treating such a polymer after a post-crosslinking with a solution of at least one salt of an at least trivalent cation.
WO-A-98/48857 discloses superabsorbent polymers having an improved Gel Bed Resiliency, which was obtained by the dry mixing of the polymers with a multivalent metal salt and the subsequent contacting of the mixture with a binding agent. A mixing of this type with inorganic, fine particulate substances has disadvantages, such as, for example, demixing or dust.
WO-A-98/49221 describes the rewetting of water-absorbing polymers with an aqueous solution of an additive comprising a mono- or multivalent metal salt after a heat treatment, which leads to polymers with improved processability.
The disadvantage of the water-absorbing polymer structures known from the state of the art is, however, among others, that absorbent structures, such as, for example, absorbent cores in diapers, comprise as absorption agents previous polymer structures with higher absorption capacity, which, upon sudden entry of particularly large amounts of body fluids, as can occur, for example, with adult diaper wearers or upon wetting of a diaper by an older child suffering from Enuresis nocturna ("bed-wetting"), are not capable of fully absorbing and further distributing within the absorbent structure the amount of fluid, in particular under a pressure caused by the lying diaper wearer.
In general, the invention has the object of overcoming the disadvantages arising from the state of the art.

Water-absorbing polymer structures with improved absorption properties


Structures for electrical communication with an overlying electrode for a semiconductor element and methods for fabricating such structures are provided. The structure for electrical communication with an overlying electrode comprises a first electrode having a lateral dimension, a semiconductor element overlying the first electrode, and a second electrode overlying the semiconductor element. The second electrode has a lateral dimension that is less than the lateral dimension of the first electrode. A conductive hardmask overlies the second electrode and is in electrical communication with the second electrode. The conductive hardmask has a lateral dimension that is substantially equal to the lateral dimension of the first electrode. A conductive contact element is in electrical communication with the conductive hardmask.

Magnetoelectronic devices, spin electronics devices, and spintronics devices are synonymous terms for devices that use effects predominantly caused by electron spin. Magnetoelectronic effects are used in numerous information devices, and provide non-volatile, reliable, radiation resistant, and high-density data storage and retrieval. The numerous magnetoelectronic information devices include, but are not limited to, magnetic random access memory (MRAM), magnetic sensors, and read/write heads for disk drives.
Generally, a magnetoelectronic information device is constructed with an array of magnetoelectronic elements (e.g., giant magneto resistance (GMR) elements, magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) elements, or magnetic sensors) that are separated by dielectric or other insulative material. The magnetoelectronic elements typically have a structure that includes ferromagnetic layers separated by a non-magnetic layer.
Typically, electrical connection to a magnetoelectronic element is made utilizing electrodes that overlie and underlie the element. Contact to the electrode overlying the magnetoelectronic element often is made utilizing a via that is created by etching a hole through a dielectric layer formed on the overlying electrode and depositing a conductive material in the hole. However, the creation of a via to the overlying electrode is challenging with present-day increases in aspect ratios. The overlying electrode typically defines the active portion of the magnetoelectronic element. Accordingly, to increase the number of magnetoelectronic elements in a given area, it is preferable to minimize the lateral dimensions of the magnetoelectronic element, and hence the lateral dimensions of the overlying electrode. However, as the dimensions of the overlying electrode decrease, the overlay tolerances of the via decrease and, thus, the difficulty of forming a via to the electrode increases. Decreases in overlay tolerances result in an increased number of shorted magnetoelectronic elements. In turn, this results in decreased yield and increased production costs. In addition, inherent stresses in the structure of the overlying electrode can adversely affect the magnetic properties of the magnetoelectronic element. Accordingly, it is preferably to make the overlying electrode as thin as possible. However, as the thickness of the overlying electrode decreases, the difficulty in making subsequent electrical contact to the electrode increases. Planarization to the overlying electrode often results in over-planarization past the overlying electrode.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an electronic structure for electrical communication with an overlying electrode for a magnetoelectronic element. It also is desirable to provide an efficient method for electrical communication with an overlying electrode for a magnetoelectronic element. In addition, it is desirable to extend use of this method to other structures in which electrical communication with an electrode is required. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.

Methods and structures for electrical communication with an overlying electrode for a semiconductor element


An object is to provide a semiconductor device that includes an oxide semiconductor and is suitable for a power device. An object is to provide a semiconductor device in which large current can flow. An object is to provide a highly reliable semiconductor device. A semiconductor device includes an oxide stack in which a first oxide layer, a first oxide semiconductor layer, a second oxide semiconductor layer, and a second oxide layer are stacked and has a structure in which a region that contains an element imparting conductivity and is provided in the first oxide semiconductor layer overlaps an electrode functioning as a source electrode and does not overlap an electrode functioning as a drain electrode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an object, a method, or a manufacturing method. In addition, the present invention relates to a process, a machine, manufacture, or a composition of matter. In particular, the present invention relates to, for example, a semiconductor device, a display device, a light-emitting device, a power storage device, a driving method thereof, or a manufacturing method thereof. The present invention particularly relates to a semiconductor device, a display device, or a light-emitting device each including an oxide semiconductor, for example.
In this specification, a semiconductor device generally means a device which can function by utilizing semiconductor characteristics. For example, a semiconductor element such as a transistor; a power device; an integrated circuit, a power supply circuit, or a power supply converter circuit each including a power device; an electro-optical device; a semiconductor circuit; and an electronic appliance may be included in a semiconductor device or may include a semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a semiconductor device used for a power device, a power device manufactured with the use of silicon is widely prevalent. However, the performance of a power device including silicon is reaching its limit, and it is becoming difficult to achieve higher performance.
In the case where silicon is used for a power device, there is a limitation on operation at a high temperature because the band gap of silicon is small. Thus, in recent years, a power device including SiC or GaN, which has a wide band gap, has been developed.
The use of an oxide semiconductor in a semiconductor device which is used as a power device for a high-power application is disclosed (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.