Filling foam composition capable of providing excellent rustproofing and also suppressing reduction of a foam ratio of the filling foam composition even when reusing unwanted parts thereof and inferior goods thereof; a foam filling member using the same filling foam composition; and a filling foam produced by foaming the filling foam composition. The filling foam composition is prepared by mixing foamable polymer, a foaming agent, and a basic oxide in such a mixing ratio that a ratio of the basic oxide can be in the range of 0.05-70 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of foaming agent. The mounting member for the filling foam composition to be mounted in an internal space of a hollow member is produced by mounting a mounting member on the filling foam composition obtained. The filling foam is formed by fitting the foam filling member in the internal space of the hollow member and, then, foaming the filling foam composition by the application of heat.

It is generally known that foam is filled in a hollow member formed in a closed cross section, such as a pillar of a vehicle, as a filling material, in order to prevent transmission of vibrations and noises of an engine of the vehicle or fluttering sounds of the vehicle to an interior of the vehicle.
Polymer foams comprising various kinds of resins and rubbers are used as the foam to be filled. The polymer foams are used for example in such a manner that prefoam of the polymer foams is set in an internal space of the hollow member before foamed and, then, the prefoam is foamed and crosslinked by application of heat and the like in a baking finish process of the hollow member, to thereby form the foam in the internal space of the hollow member, so as to fill up the internal space, without leaving any space therein.
For example, JP Laid-open (Unexamined) Patent Publication No. 2002-79955 proposed a space filling material comprising at least polymer, a foaming agent, and a cross-linking agent. It also proposed a space-filling-material fixing jig, formed of resin, for holding the space filling material securely in the interior space of an object to be filled.
JP Laid-open (Unexamined) Patent Publication No. Hei 10-95869 proposed cross-linking foam for reinforcing a vehicle body having the composition comprising 50-200 parts by weight of an inorganic filling material, 1-50 parts by weight of a thermally decomposable foaming agent, and 2-10 parts by weight of an organic peroxide per 100 parts by weight of diene synthetic rubber component.
After the components of the prefoam used for forming the foam are kneaded, the prefoam is molded to conform to a shape of the hollow member by an injection molding or by a press molding. However, in these molding processes, unwanted parts, such as runners in the injection molding and burrs in the press molding, are produced incidentally. Also, inferior goods may be produced due to a dimensional error and the like.
These unwanted parts and inferior goods are disposed by burning or by landfill.
In this prefoam (space filling material, cross-linking foam for reinforcing vehicle body, etc.), the foaming agent is decomposed by application of heat in the foaming process, to thereby produce acid. When the acid produced contacts with an inside surface of the hollow member to be filled up with the foam, rust may be formed in the inside surface of the hollow member.
To solve this problem, JP Laid-open (Unexamined) Patent Publication No. 2002-79955 proposed a space-filling-material fixing jig comprising a base for holding the space filling material, supporting legs projected from the base, and valved lugs extended at tip ends of the supporting legs. In use, the base is disposed in the internal space so that the space filling material can be held by the base. On the other hand, the valved lugs are engaged with the hollow member so that the space filling material can be spaced from the inside surface of the hollow member in the internal space of the hollow member to prevent the space filling material from contacting directly with the inside surface of the hollow member before the rustproofing process.
However, when the internal space of the hollow member is so narrow that a sufficient spacing cannot be provided between the space filling material and the inside surface of the hollow member, the space filling material and the inside surface of the hollow member may be put in direct contact with each other and, as a result, rust may still be formed in the inside surface of the hollow member.
Meanwhile, recycling of the unwanted parts and inferior goods can advantageously provide an improved yielding percentage and thus improved cost efficiency. The recycling of the unwanted parts and the inferior goods can impart, in addition to a heat history for original material to be kneaded, an additional heat history for the original material to be re-kneaded and molded. Due to this, a foam ratio of the foam produced by using the recycled material may be decreased at the sequent foaming, as compared with that of the foam produced by using the original material.
The foaming agent is partly decomposed by the application of heat in the kneading and molding processes to thereby produce acid. But, when organic peroxide is mixed to the foaming agent, the organic peroxide is not radical decomposed but is ion-decomposed. As a result, the cross-linking of the foam composition does not proceed in the foaming process, so that sufficient foam of the foam is not obtained.
It is an object of the present invention to provide filling foam composition capable of providing excellent rustproofing and also suppressing decrease of a foam ratio of the foam composition even when reusing unwanted parts thereof and inferior goods thereof; a foam filling member using the same filling foam composition; and a filling foam produced by foaming the filling foam composition.

Filling foam composition, foam filling member, and filling foam


A flexible conduction trace includes a flexible line; and a plurality of conductive particles arranged in the form of pillars within the flexible line.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for forming a flexible conduction trace, a flexible conduction trace, and a flexible electronic device using the same.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Flexible electronic devices have been recently spotlighted. These electronic devices are freely bent in comparison with other electronic devices according to the related art and thus have been remarkably spotlighted in the field of bio engineering.
Conduction lines used in flexible electronic devices according to the related art are formed on a substrate having elasticity. Thus, when the substrate is extended or compressed, the conduction lines are extended or compressed accordingly.

Method of forming flexible conduction trace, flexible conduction trace and flexible electronic device using the same


A methyl iodide adsorber, comprising a zeolite containing at least one iodide-adsorbing metal or a compound thereof, wherein the zeolite is a hydrophobic zeolite. Also, a use of the adsorber and a method for the adsorption of methyl iodide.

In nuclear power plants all components that come into contact with radioactive substances are contained in the so-called "nuclear island". This comprises the safety container (inner containment) with primary circuit, the flood basin and the core catcher. In the top part of the safety container catalytic recombiners or recombiner systems can be installed, for example with Pd on Al2O3, which are meant to limit the proportion of hydrogen in the atmosphere, in order to prevent hydrogen explosions.
In fission reactors, during normal operation, but in particular in the event of a failure, in addition to the solid decay isotopes of uranium, or daughter isotopes arising from the uranium fission and higher isotopes resulting from neutron capture, gaseous radioactive compounds also occur, which must on no account be released into the environment. The most important of these, in addition to hydrogen, are radioactive iodine and methyl iodide.
Hydrogen is produced in small quantities in normal operation and in large quantities in the event of failures which are associated with a significant increase in temperature due to the reaction of water with the metal casing of the fuel rods. This hydrogen can then, in a detonating gas explosion, lead to the destruction of the safety container and to the release of large quantities of radioactive material (e.g. the accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima). In order to avoid such disasters, more recently nuclear power plants are being equipped or retrofitted with recombiner systems. These are passive systems, the object of which is to catalytically reoxidize hydrogen formed at room temperature under atmospheric conditions, to form water vapour and thus avoid the production of explosive atmospheres. Recombiners can also be used for spent fuel pools and fuel element containers, ensuring that the hydrogen released can react to form water before it reaches an explosive concentration.
From the fission products caesium and iodine, caesium iodide is also produced in the fuel rods, which, unless it is retained in the fuel rods, collects in the reactor sump. Due to radiolysis or at hot spots (e.g. at hot spots in hydrogen recombiners) elemental iodine is formed from caesium iodide in the reactor sump, and can escape from the reactor sump due to its volatility, even in normal operation. Due to its reactivity with organic substances from the reactor environment (e.g. dye), free iodine can then react to form methyl iodide. These volatile radioactive substances accumulate in the gas stock inside the reactor shell and have to be adsorbed from there. Many of the compounds formed are also present aerosol-bound and are released in the event of a failure.
A majority of the radioactive iodine isotopes formed have a short half-life and thus, due to the high radiological activity in the event of a failure, contribute very significantly to the danger to life. Iodine is taken up in the thyroid gland and, at high concentrations, causes thyroid cancer. In particular iodine 131 with a half-life of 8 days may be mentioned here.
There is therefore a need for radioactive methyl iodide adsorbers that are stable even under high humidity, for equipping nuclear reactors or for retrofitting in safe operation or to ensure the safety of the reactor when shut down or during or after decommissioning.
Based on new knowledge and safety conditions, the retention of organic methyl iodide has now become a challenge, which is also a lesson learnt from the Fukushima incident of 2011. Until now there has been no technical solution. However, various approaches have been pursued. Adsorbent materials for the deposition of elemental iodine are known, such as e.g. aluminium oxides loaded with silver. However, due to inhibition, these are not very useful under water vapour.
Until now there has been no operational technically sophisticated measure for depositing methyl iodide. It is known that silver-containing adsorbent materials are suitable for the adsorption of methyl iodide. The silver iodide formed has a melting point of ca. 600° C. and a boiling point of ca. 1500° C., and is therefore largely stable under normal conditions. However, in the case of known adsorbent materials, under high water vapour concentrations, it is possible for water to be incorporated in the porous structures of the adsorber and thus inhibit the adsorption of methyl iodide. A possibility for preventing this inhibition is silanization of the outer adsorber surface by means of organic silane compounds. This method is expensive and presents serious technical problems. The silane layer decomposes as from ca. 180° C., generating considerable heat. This means that, starting from this temperature no further adsorption of methyl iodide can take place and furthermore, any hydrogen that may be present will possibly be ignited due to the highly exothermic conditions, which may lead to the undesired concomitant phenomenon of an explosion.

Methyl iodide adsorber, use thereof and method for the adsorption of methyl iodide


A system and method for power management in a hard disk drive (HDD) assembly incorporating two or more read sensors includes directing a read/write head to follow a track; depowering one or more read sensors and readpath circuits associated with the read sensors; reading an analog readback signal through the first read sensor; processing the signal through an analog front-end to generate an input signal; sampling the input signal through an analog to digital converter at a first frequency to generate a first sampling signal; sampling the input signal through a second analog to digital converter at a second frequency to generate a second sampling signal; and generating a digital output signal from either or both sampling signals at a third sampling frequency through a digital signal processor. The method may additionally comprise adjusting a sampling frequency when power level reaches a threshold.

Hard disk drive (HDD) systems are being developed in which multiple read sensors read a single recorded track. In such an HD assembly, readback signals from multiple sensors can be processed jointly to yield an equalized signal with better signal to noise ratio than if only a single read sensor were used. Processing multiple readback signals, however, requires additional analog and digital circuitry, which in turn consumes more power than a comparable read channel processing only a single readback signal.
In some applications it may be desirable to revert to a low power mode utilizing only a single readback sensor by disabling additional circuitry associated with the second read sensor.

System and method for power saving modes in multi-sensor magnetic recording


A method for dry-cleaning garments or fabrics in carbon dioxide comprises contacting a garment or fabric article to be cleaned with a liquid dry cleaning composition for a time sufficient to clean the article, said liquid dry-cleaning composition comprising a mixture of carbon dioxide, water, a first surfactant, and a second surfactant, and then separating the article from the liquid dry cleaning composition. The first surfactant comprises a CO.sub.2 -philic group covalently joined to a hydrophilic group; and the second surfactant comprising a CO.sub.2 -philic group covalently joined to a lipophilic group. In the alternative, a single surfactant containing all three of a CO.sub.2 -philic group, a lipophilic group, and a hydrophilic group covalently joined to one another may also be employed. Systems useful for carrying out the foregoing are also disclosed.

Commercial dry cleaning systems currently employ potentially toxic and environmentally harmful halocarbon solvents, such as perchloroethylene. Carbon dioxide has been proposed as an alternative to such systems in U.S. Pat. No. 4,012,194 to Maffei. A problem with carbon dioxide is, however, its lower solvent power relative to ordinary solvents.
PCT Application WO 97/16264 by The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill describes dry cleaning systems that employ liquid or supercritical carbon dioxide in combination with a surfactant that contains a "CO.sub.2 -philic" group. The term "CO.sub.2 -philic" was first coined in conjunction with such surfactants by J. DeSimone and colleagues. See, e.g., J. DeSimone et al., Science 265, 356-359 (Jul. 15, 1994).
PCT Application WO96/27704 (Sep. 12, 1996) by Unilever, describes dry cleaning systems using densified carbon dioxide and special surfactant adjuncts. The term "densified carbon dioxide" means "carbon dioxide in a gas form which is placed under pressures exceeding about 700 psi at about 20.degree. C." (pg. 5, lines 1-3). The surfactants employed have a supercritical fluid CO.sub.2 -philic moiety connected to a supercritical fluid CO.sub.2 -phobic moiety (pg 3, lines 30-32). In the method and apparatus described, a vertical rotating drum 5 (FIG. 1) containing soiled fabrics, surfactants, modifier, enzyme, peracid and mixtures thereof is charged with densified CO.sub.2 fluid at a pressure ranging between 700 and 10,000 psi. The CO.sub.2 is then heated to its supercritical range of about 20.degree. C. to about 60.degree. C. by a heat exchanger 4 (pg. 36 line 26 to pg. 37 line 8) and the cleaning cycle initiated. Other densified molecules that have supercritical properties, ranging from methane and ethane through n-heptane to sulfur hexafluoride and nitrous oxide, are noted that may also be employed in the described process, alone or in mixture with CO.sub.2 (pg. 6 lines 25-35). See also U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,473 to Jureller et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,977 to Jureller et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,705 to Jureller et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,705 to Smith et al. describes a precision cleaning system in which a work piece is cleaned with a mixture of CO.sub.2 and a co-solvent. Smith provides an entirely non-aqueous system, stating: "The system is also designed to replace aqueous or semi-aqueous based cleaning processes to eliminate the problems of moisture damage to parts and water disposal" (col. 4 line 68 to col. 5 line 3). Co-solvents that are listed include acetone and ISOPAR.TM. M (col. 8, lines 19-24). Use in dry cleaning is neither suggested nor disclosed. Indeed, since some water must be present in dry-cleaning, such use is contrary to this system.
In view of the foregoing, there is a continuing need for effective carbon dioxide-based dry cleaning systems.

Combination surfactant systems for use in carbon dioxide-based cleaning formulations


A method for automated alignment of electronic components with respect to one or more inspection devices for inspecting the electronic components, each electronic component having a plurality of side surfaces. The method comprises: positioning each electronic component relative to an imaging device; determining, by the imaging device, an angular offset and a linear offset between each side surface of the electronic component and the one or more inspection devices; positioning each electronic component relative to the inspection devices; effecting alignment between each side surface and the one or more inspection devices in accordance with the respective angular and linear offsets; and inspecting each side surface after effecting alignment between the side surface and the inspection devices.

Electronic components or devices are extracted from wafers or substrates of semiconductor material for semiconductor assembly and packaging subsequently. The electronic components in the wafers which may not have moulding compound encapsulation protection are subjected to potential defects, such as cracks and chipping, during dicing processes wherein the electronic components are separated or singulated from the wafers. Presence of such cracks or chipping defects in a separated electronic component are likely to propagate around the electronic component. Due to stresses induced by environmental thermal cycling, the defects may eventually cause premature failure of the final semiconductor product assembled with the electronic component, thereby leading to quality issues of the final semiconductor product.
Manufacturers of semiconductor products or chips rely on automated optical inspection machines to inspect the defects on top and bottom surfaces of the separated electronic component. However, with reference to FIG. 1, if the electronic component 10 has crack defects 12 initiated on one or more of the side surfaces 14 of the electronic component but have not yet propagated to the top surface 16 or the bottom surface 18, the top and bottom surfaces 16, 18 would be absent of defects. The inspection machine inspecting only the top surface 16 and/or the bottom surface 18 would incorrectly pass the electronic component 10 as being free of defects. As such, defective electronic components 10 with defects on the side surfaces 14 but not on the top surface 16 or the bottom surface 18 cannot be screened out from non-defective electronic components 10.
One existing solution to this problem is the use of an inspection station in association with a turret-type die sorting machine to inspect defects present at four side surfaces 14 of electronic components 10. With reference to FIG. 2, there is shown such a turret-type die sorting machine 100 having a turret 102 and a plurality of pick heads 104 arranged circumferentially around the turret 102. The machine 100 includes an inspection station 106 for inspecting the electronic components 10 after the pick heads 104 pick and transfer the electronic components 10 to the inspection station 106. The inspection station 106 has four mirrors 108 that make use of inspection optics to inspect the four side surfaces 14 of each electronic component 10. Specifically, each mirror 108 is paired with a side surface 14 such that the four mirrors 108 capture images of the four side surfaces 14 to a camera inside the inspection station 106.
Typically, the electronic components 10 are fed to the machine 100 by using a feeding mechanism, such as a wafer table, a detaper feeder, a tray loader, a bowl feeder or a conveyor. The electronic components 10 are then separated and picked individually by the pick heads 104 to be transferred by the turret 102 to the inspection station 106. No matter which feeding mechanism is utilized, each electronic component 10 may have a different angular and translational positional offset with respect to the center of a pick head 104 after the electronic component 10 has been transferred to the pick head 104, due to an offset introduced during the die pick up process. To increase processing speed, the electronic components 10 are fed in bulk and they may be in various orientations when they are fed to the pick heads 104. Thus, both the positions and the orientations of these electronic components 10 will not be consistent with respect to the turret 102 when they are picked up and transferred to the inspection station 106, resulting in misalignment between the electronic components 10 and the inspection station 106.
As shown in FIG. 2, the machine 100 includes a precising station 110 to align the electronic components 10 with respect to the inspection station 106. The precising station 110 is positioned before the inspection station 106 such that an electronic component 10 held by a pick head 104 is first aligned to a position with respect to the focal distance and angle of the four mirrors 108 in the inspection station 106, so as to ensure the captured images of the side surfaces 14 are well-focused. Referring to FIG. 3A, the precising station 110 has motorized clamps 112 to mechanically align the electronic component 10 in terms of position and angular orientation with respect to the mirrors 108 in the inspection station 106 after the precising station 110. FIG. 3B illustrates the electronic component 10 with the side surfaces 14 being aligned with respect to the mirrors 108.
If the precising station 110 does not align the electronic component 10 before transferring to the inspection station 106, the side surfaces 14 will not be aligned in the correct focal distance and angle with respect to the mirrors 108, as shown in FIG. 4A. The misalignment will result in images that are out of focus and blur. On the other hand, if the precising station 110 aligns the electronic component 10 first, the side surfaces 14 can be aligned appropriately, as shown in FIG. 4B. The alignment will result in images that are focused and clear.
However, the machine 100 has a disadvantage when high optical resolution microscopic grade optics are used for detecting very small chipping and fine crack defects. This is because the depth of field of microscopic grade optics is limited to around ±15 μm for an optical resolution of approximately 2 μm. This means that the precising station 110 has to achieve a very high standard of precision when aligning the electronic component 10 in order to ensure that the side surfaces 14 can be accurately aligned in terms of position and angular orientation with respect to the mirrors 108 of the subsequent inspection station 106.
To achieve this standard of precision, the clamps 112 have a very low tolerance such that they can clamp the electronic component 10 tightly with very limited, or no clearance. However, this tight clamping of electronic components 10 is undesirable for wafers without protection from molding compound encapsulation as the bare die is prone to defects such as cracks or chipping caused by the mechanical clamping action. Another problem is that due to the low tolerance of the clamps 112, they cannot handle electronic components 10 with variations in sizes and dimensions. FIG. 5 illustrates the inspection station 106 inspecting an electronic component 10 with a different size which may be caused by cutting offsets arising from variation of dicing blade thickness. This size difference results in one of the side surfaces 14 (affected side surface 14′) being at a different distance from the corresponding mirror 108′ as compared to the distances between the other side surfaces 14 and their respective corresponding mirrors 108. As such, the focal distance between the affected side surface 14′ and the corresponding mirror 108′ is not ideal and the image of the affected side surface 14′ will be out of focus and blur. The image cannot be used to determine the presence of small chipping or fine crack defects on the affected side surface 14′.
Therefore, in order to address or alleviate at least one of the aforementioned problems and/or disadvantages, there is a need to provide a method and apparatus for aligning and inspecting electronic components, in which there is at least one improvement and/or advantage over the aforementioned prior art.

Method and apparatus for aligning and inspecting electronic components


A communication method, including receiving, by user equipment (UE), information about one or more backhaul links that is broadcast by different micro base stations, selecting, by the UE, a micro base station corresponding to backhaul link information that meets a preset condition, and accessing, by the UE, the selected micro base station when the selected micro base station is in an active state, or when the selected micro base station is in an inactive state, sending, by the UE, an activation signal to the selected micro base station, and accessing, by the UE, the selected micro base station after the micro base station is activated. Hence, a backhaul link can be used appropriately.

Development of wireless technologies causes a user to require better wireless network communication experience. Deployment of a ultra-dense network (UDN) evolving to a small cell is considered as an important approach to data rate improvement and user communication experience enhancement of a wireless network. A UDN is relatively large. Although each small cell consumes relatively low energy, high-density deployment means an obvious increase in power consumption of the entire network. To save energy, a micro base station that has no task and that is in a small cell usually needs to enter an energy-saving state.
In a UDN, a small cell generally has a relatively small coverage area. Some small cells are not directly connected to a core network and need to transmit data by means of a relatively large quantity of wireless backhauls or fiber-optic backhauls. That is, these small cells generally do not communicate directly with the core network. Instead, micro base stations corresponding to the small cells transmit data to a donor micro base station by means of wireless backhaul. These micro base stations are generally connected to a macro base station using an optical fiber. Alternatively, the micro base stations transmit data to a macro base station using an optical fiber. The donor micro base station or the macro base station transmits the data to the core network. During this process, multiple micro base stations may need to be used to transmit the data to the core network.
If a backhaul service is fixed, there may be sufficient backhaul link resources. Actually, user behavior is changeable. Consequently, access service variations and a complex interference environment and channel status are caused, and a backhaul service is always changing. This further results in insufficiency of backhaul link resources. That is, backhaul tasks of some micro base stations reach or exceed bearable load, whereas some nearby micro base stations may have relatively few backhaul tasks. As a result, resources are not fully used, and data communication is affected. Therefore, how to use backhaul link resources more appropriately becomes a technical problem that urgently needs to be resolved by a person skilled in the art.


The present invention features a system for cooling a plurality of circuit boards in a high density chassis. The system includes a circuit board enclosure assembly having a number of slots for supporting a plurality of circuit boards. A filter is disposed beneath the circuit board enclosure assembly for filtering air flowing into the circuit board enclosure. The filter also creates air turbulence, and provides a pressure head adjacent the plurality of circuit boards. An air flow is generated by a dual cage type blower that is offset from the circuit board enclosure assembly. The air flow to the circuit boards is at sufficient air pressure and air flow rate to carry heat from the circuit boards. A multi-channel plenum disposed between the dual cage type blower and the circuit board enclosure assembly diffuses and directs the air flow to the circuit board enclosure assembly in a substantially flat profile. The multi-channel plenum individually distributes the air to each of said circuit boards in a substantially equal volume to ensure uniform cooling of each circuit board in the circuit board enclosure assembly, despite an absence of circuit boards in any one of the slots of the circuit board enclosure assembly.

Enclosures and cages for circuit boards have found great popularity due to their modularity. In recent times, circuit boards themselves have become more densely populated. That is, the number of components per circuit board continues to increase.
With greater component density, more heat is generated. But the volume in which to house the circuit boards has not increased. In fact, for certain applications there is a greater demand for smaller and smaller circuit board cages.
Since heat is being generated at an ever increasing rate and the volume of the enclosure cavity continues to decrease, solving the circuit board cage and enclosure cooling problem has become more difficult. Circuit board cage design has become more complex, and cooling these cages has become an art.
The prior art is replete with systems that increase cooling capacity of circuit board cages. All of them, however, lack the sort of heat removal capacity that is now required in high density applications.
In a standard VME (Versa Module European) chassis, heat generated by 1,000 watts to 1,500 watts of power must be removed. It is desirable to operate such systems within a strict temperature range featuring a temperature rise of only approximately 10 degrees Fahrenheit from a quiescent state. This narrow temperature differential, while necessary to ensure long component life, is increasingly difficult to achieve. In some cage designs, this objective is almost all but impossible to accomplish. Standard air flow procedures and cage designs simply no longer provide enough cooling for these high density systems.
Traditionally, so-called Muffin fans have been used to circulate air in these environments. But Muffin (tubaxial) fans are notoriously inefficient, and do not provide even air distribution. They generally provide a dead distribution profile at the hub, and a greater air flow capacity towards the edges of the blades.

High density circuit board chassis cooling system


A novel biodegradable organic fertilizer comprising (A) dead leaves of any type, preferably dried, finely ground, and deciduous, (B) skim milk, dried and powdered and essentially fat free, and (C) water in an amount to give a kneadable mass, the composition being dried and granular, and its production and use, are disclosed. The proportions of A to B by volume are generally between about 1:1 and 10:1, usually between about 1:1 and 6:1, and preferably about 4:1. The fertilizer composition or "compound" is cost effective and readily manufactured, does not contaminate or burn the soil or plantlife, readily supports and improves plant growth, and improves seed and/or plant product yield.

1. Field of Invention
Fertilizers, Organic Fertilizers, Natural Biodegradable Organic Fertilizers.
2. Prior Art
World trade in fertilizers is dependent upon the availability of phosphate in as pure form as feasible (1).
(1) R. P. Sheldon, "Phosphate Rock", Sci. Am. 246(6), p. 45, June, 1982.
For the most part, farming, particularly in the developed countries, is highly mechanized, and the machines made to spread fertilizer call for a granulated product that does not become sticky in contact with moist air. As a result, current methods of manufacturing fertilizer ordinarily turn out chemically complex mixed compounds such as diammonium phosphate. Moreover, the fertilizers tend to be highly concentrated in order to cut down the amount of material that must be handled in the delivery system and by the farmer.
These practices impose rigorous standards of quality on the raw materials used in the manufacture of fertilizer by traditional means. For instance, some phosphate rock, of which there are large world reserves, contains varying amounts of the oxides of iron, aluminum and magnesium. Phosphate rock with excessive amounts of these elements cannot be used economically in modern manufacturing because the gels of such rock clog the filters and pipes of manufacturing equipment. More than this, such deposits cannot be mined economically.
There are several advantages to employing the improved method of the invention to manufacture a natural, biodegradable and cost-effective fertilizer over other methods currently in use.
Other fertilizer manufacturing methods have a need for the absence of metallic impurities such as iron oxide, alumina and magnesia, found in phosphate rock deposits. These cause the formation of gels which interfere with the manufacturing process, increasing costs of production.
In the present invention, powdered and dried skim milk which is essentially fat free is used as a principal ingredient because it is a natural source of phosphate in the form of free and structurally-bound phosphates, of free and structurally-bound calcium, and contains an abundance of nitrogen and potassium, all necessary to plant formation and growth.
In other methods, phosphate rock with excessive amounts of metallic elements, some essential for plant growth, cannot be utilized economically. The main processes for manufacturing phosphate fertilizers call for the dissolution of these elements in the phosphate rock by sulfuric acid, which is an energy-expensive commodity.
In the present invention, dried plant leaves which have completed their life cycles, i.e., dead leaves, and which have been ground to a powder in order to produce a great increase in surface area available for chemical reaction, have been chosen as a principal ingredient because, in this state, their trace metals and/or elements and nitrogen content, all necessary for good plant growth, are most readily available to the plant root and soil bacteria systems, once growing conditions have been established. The use of this ingredient, particularly in the powdered form, is a principal factor in rendering the manufacturing process and ultimate product highly cost-effective.
Much phosphate rock is shipped by sea, and so, in other fertilizer manufacturing methods, the grade of rock must be kept high in order to hold down the shipping cost per unit of phosphate. Also, shipping encounters wide variations of atmospheric conditions in heat and humidity, demanding that the final form of the shipped compound maintain high stability in order to remain cost-effective.
In the present invention, the third ingredient, water, when used minimally with the well-mixed powders of preferably deciduous leaves and dried and powdered skim milk which is essentially fat free, is believed to create a chemically-bonded substance or composition, the final form of which, when dried of excess moisture, yields a granulated "compound" resembling neither powder in the original form. No impurities to the natural organic fertilizer compound are present. The component content remains unchanged.
Water, whether pure, natural or treated, assists in or instigates a chemical bonding between the other two ingredients, yielding a new end-product composition or "compound". Upon removal of excess moisture by air or mild heat drying, the resulting composition or "compound" is a well-granulated, highly stable compound which remains so under wide variations or changes of atmospheric conditions of heat and humidity, all components necessary to plant growth remaining intact.
As will be and become apparent, the fertilizer composition of the present invention serves admirably in fulfilling a long-felt need and effectively accomplishes all of the objectives of the present invention, as set forth hereinafter.

Novel organic fertilizer and production thereof


The present invention is an apparatus and method for two-stage address generation that uses pipelining to avoid one level of latency in certain address-generation situations. The first level of the present invention contains redundant three-lever hardware that performs pre-add logic on 32-bit or 16-bit operands. The pre-add logic circuit for 32-bit operands comprises three carry-save adders. For 16-bit operands, the pre-add logic circuit comprises a four-port three-level 16-bit adder. The second stage comprises a three-logic level adder that adds two operands.. The method of the present invention avoids one level of latency for simple address generation, although both stages are always utilized. For complex address generation, both latency cycles are required. Regarding dependent generation, the present invention provides a single-cycle latency bypass datapath that also avoids one level of latency.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to digital computing, and more particularly to address generation in a computer's processor.
2. Description of the Related Art
A typical computer instruction must indicate not only the operation to be performed but also the location of the operand(s). An important function in microprocessors is the generation of operand addresses for load and store instructions. In RISC microprocessors, these addresses are typically determined by adding a pair of general purpose registers together, or by adding a constant displacement value contained in the load or store instruction itself to a general purpose register. Less common is the case where an address is filly indicated either by a register or a displacement and no addition is thus required. This less common case is treated as an addition where one of the addends is zero. In all of these cases, a single addition is performed, and the length of time to determine the address is constant.
This constant latency address generation is a feature of RISC processors but is not a feature of CISC processors. CISC processors support much more complex address generation, where more than two values are summed to obtain the operand address. One popular commercial architecture is the x86 architecture embodied in CPU's manufactured by the Intel Corporation of Santa Clara, California. In the x86 family of microprocessors, it is possible to add the contents of four registers in addition to a constant displacement from the load and/or store instruction. This allows the possibility of adding five 32-bit operands in order to obtain the operand address. Also complicating the process of address generation is the fact that one of the five operands, the index, can be multiplied by 1, 2, 4, or 8. These factors result in a more complex form of address generation than the constant latency approach of RISC processors. This additional complexity results in a slower operand addressing unit For example, if it is possible to add two 32-bit numbers in three levels of logic, it may require five levels of logic to add five 32-bit numbers.
In addition to CISC architecture and instruction sets, another feature available on some processors is pipelining. By placing latches at feed-forward cutsets, pipelining can increase the clock rate of the system. A latch refers to a storage unit or buffer or register. A cutset is a minimal electrical subnetwork, the removal of which cuts the original electronic network into two connected pieces. One effect of placing latches within a system to achieve the benefits of pipelining is that the system latency may be increased in certain situations.
The five components that may be added to generate an address within a CISC processor are the four register components plus the displacement value from the load or store instruction. The first register component relates to the feature of typical microprocessor systems that uses paging and segmentation of memory. This first register component is the base address value of the segment where the operand lies, called the segment_base. The other register components are the base, index, and bit_offset values. The bit_offset component is typically scaled by a constant value of 1/8th. Accordingly, the bit_offset component is typically shifted to the right by three bit positions to obtain a byte address. This results in the bit_offset component containing only 29 useable bits. The bits shifted out on the right are disposed of for the purposes of address generation.
CISC processors, including those of the x86 family, do not always add all five components. In fact, the most frequent operation is the addition of just two or three operands. Past designs of the x86 architecture have exploited fixed-latency operand address generators, which pay a time penalty in cases where the full generation complexity is not required. Such generators do not derive a benefit from the increased sample rate possible within pipelined systems. What is desired is an address generation unit that can take advantage of the nature of pipelined processing to allow address generation to take one cycle of latency in the simple cases, and two cycles of latency in the more complex cases. Due to the nature of pipelining microprocessors, the effect of the latency is to allow bypassing of results more quickly to following dependent operations, while the actual number of stages of the address generator is two for both simple and complex address combinations.

Method and apparatus for two-stage address generation


An integrated power device comprises a power transistor (26) and a plurality of sense transistors (38), (40), (42), (44), and (46). Sense transistors (38), (40), (42), and (44) are constructed around the periphery of the active area occupied by power transistor (26). Sense transistor (46) is located within the interior of the active area occupied by power transistor (26) and contact is made to the necessary source region (64) of transistor (46) using a second level of metal interconnect to form a source contact (74).

Large integrated circuit power devices are commonly used to provide large amounts of current to drive external loads. These devices can provide on the order of one-half amp to ten amps or higher and are commonly formed using large lateral or vertical MOS structures. A chief concern in circuits used to drive external loads is monitoring the current provided by the integrated power device. Conventional methods of sensing this current place a small resistor in series with the power device and measure the voltage drop across the resistor to determine the current output by the power device. This approach suffers from the problem that the resistor dissipates a great deal of power due to the high current levels passing through it and voltage drops across this resistor reduces gate drive resulting in an increase in the output resistance of the power transistor.
A more sophisticated approach to monitoring the output current involves the use of a sense device constructed and connected in parallel with the power device. The sense device is commonly a second MOS device which is constructed using the same processes as the power device but which is many hundreds times smaller than the power device. The sense device drives a current that is proportional to the current passing through the power device. As such, the sense device can be used to track and control the amount of current output by the power device. In order to accurately track the amount of current output by the power device, the sense device must be constructed proximate the power device. The power device commonly occupies a great deal of the surface of the semiconductor substrate. If the sense devices are put on the periphery of the area occupied by the power device, the sense device may not accurately track the operation of the power device due to thermal gradients present within the integrated device.
Accordingly, a need has arisen for a method of constructing an integrated device comprising a sense and a power device that reduces or eliminates disadvantages associated with prior configurations.


A non-slip undergarment is provided which includes comprising an undergarment having a top side defining a waistband, a front panel, a back panel, and a crotch line, the front panel, back panel and crotch line defining a pair of leg openings, the front panel, back panel, and crotch line together covering at least a portion of the lower abdomen and buttocks of a wearer of the undergarment. Each of the leg openings having, on the back panel, a corresponding anti-slip strip, each anti slip strip extending from the crotch line upwards only part-way along the corresponding leg opening on the back panel.

Undergarments such as panties or briefs are well known in the art, and are typically designed with elastic waistbands and elastic leg openings to fit the undergarment to the body of the user.
However, despite the use of such elastic waistbands and elastic leg openings, a problem exists in that the undergarment tends to rise upward from its initial position due to movement by the wearer, such as walking, sitting, standing, etc. Further, as the undergarment rises upward, it bunches up, forming visible lines through clothing commonly referred to as panty-lines.
It is known in the art to provide an anti-slip strip made, for example, of silicone along the entirety of each leg opening of the panty.


A method for disabling counterfeit cartridge operation is provided. The method includes detecting a cartridge in a blade enclosure. The method includes checking authentication credentials of the cartridge. The method includes determining the cartridge to be counterfeit. The method includes disabling the cartridge in response to determining the cartridge to be counterfeit.

Networked computing systems generally include host computing devices configured to provide resources such as storage, applications, databases, and the like. The host computing device may be a server such as a database server, file server, mail server, print server, web server, or some other type of server configured to provide services to client devices within a network.
A blade server is a server computer having a modular design optimized to minimize the use of physical space. Whereas a standard rack mount server can function with a power cord and network cable, a blade server has many components removed for the purpose of saving space, minimizing power consumption and other considerations, while still having all the functional components to be considered a computer. A multi-slot blade enclosure can hold multiple blade server cartridges and provide shared resources such as power, cooling, networking, various interconnects, and management. Each cartridge can function as a computer server configured to run one or more computing services.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP


One example method presents a synthetic view of data stored by a shared device file system. The synthetic view provides a “fictional” single namespace for data stored by the shared device file system. The method includes accepting a command to access data stored by the shared device file system. The command may be native to a user requesting the access. The command addresses the data stored by the shared device file system using the single namespace provided by the synthetic view. The method includes creating a replacement command(s) for accessing data stored by the shared device file system using one or more actual namespaces different from the single fictional namespace provided by the synthetic view. With the replacement command(s) prepared, the method proceeds to access data stored by the shared device file system using the replacement command(s).

Shared disk file systems have supported numerous applications in numerous environments. Hierarchical storage management systems have also supported numerous applications in numerous environments. Shared disk file systems and hierarchical storage management systems may even have co-operated to support applications in different environments. Shared disk file systems and hierarchical storage management systems may have supported these environments using multiple namespaces to accommodate storing data in multiple heterogeneous storage pools. Having multiple namespaces to accommodate multiple heterogeneous storage pools may have required maintaining multiple concurrent views of data. A namespace refers to an abstract container or environment configured to hold a logical grouping of unique identifiers (e.g., file names). Data storage devices may use directories as namespaces. Some systems may have presented a single namespace to an application independent of where content is stored even though the system may use multiple internal mechanisms to represent the storage locations.
Some storage pools may have been bound to a specific host (e.g., a local disk). Other storage pools may have been available to a group of hosts (e.g., shared disk). Yet other storage pools may have been available geographically, even globally (e.g., cloud storage). Some storage pools may have had specific access points (e.g., tape library) while other storage pools may have had unique representations (e.g., deduplication block pool). Storage pools may have been located using a Universally Unique Identifier (UUID). In one example, a file system may have included a set of storage pools. All these possibilities created complexity that may have compromised or limited the usefulness or interoperability of these diverse approaches.
A shared disk file system may have been installed, for example, on hosts that were connected to the same disk array in a storage area network (SAN). A shared disk file system may have relied on both SAN connectivity and local area network (LAN) connectivity. SAN connectivity may have facilitated high performance while LAN connectivity using clustered gateway systems may have facilitated efficiency and fan-out. Maintaining multiple concurrent views of data using these multiple types of arrangements may have been difficult


A superficial model with an inner reinforcing structure having communication ports formed for communication among cells defined by ribs constructing a honeycomb structure. For this purpose, a process of temporarily stopping light exposure is added in a light exposure process for modeling ribs. Alternatively, a process of offsetting phases of ribs is added in the light exposure process for modeling ribs.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvement in a photo-solidification modeling method and a photo-solidified object fabricated by the method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There has been proposed a photo-solidification modeling method for embodying a three-dimensional shape which is defined by a three-dimensional data designed by a three-dimensional CAD or the like. The photo-solidification modeling method is useful for embodying the three-dimensional shape which is defined in data but not embodied yet in an actual shape. The summary of the photo-solidification modeling method is disclosed in Rev. Sci. Instrum. Vol.52(11) November 1981, p.1770-1773.
In order to reduce the required time of the photo-solidification modeling method or to use the solidified method as a casting model, there has been proposed an improved technique of fabricating a hollow object (which may be referred to as a superficial model) by exposing a liquid photo-solidifying resin to a light only at a region corresponding to a desired contour or outer surface of a desired shape. In order to increase the strength of the superficial model or prevent distortion thereof, there has been also proposed a technique of fabricating a solidified object having a superficial skin with a honeycomb structure formed therein. These improved techniques are disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 4-118222 filed by the assignee of the present invention.
The technique disclosed in the above prior art publication uses a control system in which the space within the contour is spacedly exposed to a light so as to form a lattice of ribs within the superficial model.
When such a honeycomb structure is formed within the superficial model in accordance with the prior art, the space in the model is divided into a plurality of cells by the lattice of ribs of the honeycomb structure. When the ribs are arranged in a lattice, for example, in section taken in an X-Y plane of a three dimensional space (herein defined by X, Y and Z), extending uniformly in the Z direction, each of the cells defined by the ribs is of a square prism. Alternatively, if the ribs are arranged in a honeycomb in section taken in the X-Y plane, extending uniformly in the Z direction, each of the cells defined by the ribs is of a hexagonal prism. Further, if the ribs are arranged in a lattice in a section taken in any of the X-Y, Y-Z and Z-Y planes, each of the cells defined by the ribs is cubic.
Thus, the superficial model is reinforced by the ribs from inside thereof, assuring provision of a strong object with little distortion. Furthermore, the object of this construction is effective to reduce the fabricating time and the amount of a resin used for modeling in comparison with a solid model.
Though the superficial model with a honeycomb structure formed therein is advantageous as described above, it is accompanied with a problem that, as there is no communication among the cells defined by the ribs, the unsolidified liquid in the cells is confined therein and difficult to be ejected therefrom. In the known technique, such unsolidified liquid in the cells is individually ejected through small holes formed in the outer surfaces defining the respective cells, which requires a troublesome work and which is not so effective as to satisfactorily eject such unsolidified liquid. As the result, the amount of the resin used for modeling cannot be reduced so much as expected, and the unsolidified liquid not ejected from the cells will have an adverse effect when the solidified object is used as a casting model.

Method of making photo-solidified object having unsolidified liquid ejecting ports


A method and apparatus for supporting a computer chassis (12). A rack-mounted computer system is provided that includes at least two posts (16). A rail (20) is attached to each post (16). Each of the rails (20) includes two ribs (24) that together define a slot (26). One portion (28) of the slot (26) has a greater separation between the ribs (24). A computer component chassis (12) that needs to be mounted includes two faces (100,102) on its outer surface. Each face has at least one protuberance (104). The protuberances (104) are shaped to fit at least partially into the slot (26) of one of the rails (20) at the portion (28) having greater separation.

Computer systems shrink in size and increase in power at an astounding rate. While computer users were at one time willing to dedicate an entire floor or even building to computer components, today the market demands that computer power be provided with a small footprint. Footprint is the amount of floorspace that is taken up by the computer component. In order to minimize floorspace, large multicomponent computer systems are often arranged in racks. The computer components are provided in a standard-sized, rectangular chassis. Each chassis is stacked in a rack so that a large number of computer components can be stored in a space having the footprint of a single chassis.
A conventional rack may have two posts to which shelves are attached in between. The computer components can then be placed on the shelves. This arrangement wastes vertical space because the shelves separate each computer chassis from the ones above and below it.
Another conventional rack may have four posts arranged in a rectangle with each computer chassis attached to all of the posts. Unfortunately, this arrangement increases the labor necessary to perform computer administration, because the chassis is detached at each post when removed. When a chassis is fixed in position with neighbors above and below it, removal is necessary to access the inside of the chassis. Once the chassis is detached from the posts, it is no longer supported and may be dropped and damaged or else moved to a surface such as a table for work to be done.
A third conventional system may use ball bearing mounted, multi-part, sliding arms that are attached to the inside of a cabinet. The arms are then fixedly attached to the sides of a chassis. These mounting systems are very expensive. They may allow access to a chassis, but removing or adding a chassis may still involve the task of detaching screws or bolts.

Method and apparatus for supporting a computer chassis


Upon entry into a host cell, retroviruses direct the reverse transcription of the viral RNA genome and the establishment of an integrated proviral DNA. The retroviral integrase protein (IN) is responsible for the insertion of the viral DNA into host chromosomal targets. The IN catalyzes two specific biochemical reactions: (i) cleavage of the 3'termini of the viral DNA to produce 3'-OH ends, and (ii) joining of the two newly generated 3'-termini to the 5'-phosphates on each strand of the target sequence in a concerted strand-transfer reaction. The yeast two-hybrid system was used to identify a novel human gene product, herein designated integrase interactor 1 or INI-1, that binds tightly to the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) integrase in vitro. Approximately 10.sup.6 complementary DNAs (cDNAs) of the HL60 macrophage-monocytic cell line were expressed as GAL4AC (activation domain) fusions and tested for coactivation of a reporter gene together with a GAL4DB (DNA binding) IN fusion. Overlapping cDNA clones were identified and their nucleotide sequences ascertained. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that INI-1 displays limited amino acid homology to the yeast SNF5 protein, a transcriptional activator required for high-level expression of many disparate cellular genes. Nucleotide sequences encoding the INI-1 gene product will prove useful for the generation of biochemical reagents and the development novel HIV-1 antiviral agents.

In the first few hours after entry into a host cell, retroviruses direct the reverse transcription of the RNA genome into DNA, and then the insertion of that DNA into the host genome to form the integrated provirus (Goff, 1992; Weiss et al., 1984). The integration reaction is essential for the successful expression of the viral DNA to give rise to progeny virus, and is responsible for the ability of the virus to persist in the infected cell. The reaction is a highly efficient and orderly process. Specific inverted repeat sequences at the termini of the linear viral DNA, required in cis, are joined to the host DNA. The reaction is associated with specific alterations at the junctions: a small number of base pairs, usually two, are lost from each of the termini of the unintegrated viral DNA, and a small number of base pairs initially present only once at the target site are duplicated so as to flank the integrated provirus.
A single virally encoded enzyme, integrase (IN), is required for the establishment of the integrated provirus. This enzyme is encoded by the 3' portion of the pol gene (Schwartzberg et al., 1984) and is packaged inside the virion particle in the course of virion assembly. During the early stages of infection, the protein remains associated with the viral nucleic acid in a nucleoprotein complex (Farnet and Haseltine, 1991) and performs several specific reactions: first, the 3' termini of the viral DNA are cleaved to produce recessed 3'OH ends, and second, the two newly generated 3' termini are joined to the 5' phosphates on each strand of the target sequence in a concerted strand transfer reaction (Fujiwara and Mizuuchi, 1988). Only one strand of the viral DNA at each terminus is joined to each strand of the target DNA. The positions of attack by each 3' OH end on the two target DNA strands are staggered, such that the initial product contains gaps; host repair enzymes are thought to be responsible for removing unpaired bases, filling in gaps, and ligating the second strand. These repair steps result in the formation of the target site duplication flanking the provirus.
It is possible that some host proteins are directly involved in promoting the integration reactions occurring after viral infection. Although recombinant integrase preparations can carry out all the steps known to be required for processing and joining the viral DNA (Bushman and Craigie, 1991; Bushman et al., 1990; Craigie et al, 1990; Katz et al., 1990), some aspects of the reaction are not fully recapitulated in vitro. For example, the isolated proteins show only very low specific activity for both cutting and joining of DNA (Bushman et al., 1990; Craigie et al., 1990). Furthermore, joining reactions carried out with oligonucleotide substrates for some viruses result in the transfer of only one 3'OH to the target DNA yielding a Y structure, rather than the concerted transfer of two 3'OH termini to the target (Bushman et al., 1990). These inadequacies of the in vitro systems may reflect problems with proper oligomerization of the IN protein, or with the absence of stimulatory cofactors. For some viruses, host proteins might be responsible for stimulation of the overall reaction in vivo, and, especially, for the concerted integration of the two termini at a single locus.
Integration of retroviral DNA occurs on many chromosomes and with no apparent local sequence specificity (Dhar et al., 1980; Hughes et al., 1978; Shimotohno and Temin, 1980; Shoemaker et al., 1981). Several studies, however, suggest that there may be preferred sites for integration. Proviral DNAs established by infection, rather than by transfection with cloned DNAs, seem to be more highly and consistently transcribed, implying that integration sites are selected from transcriptionally active areas of the genome (Hwang and Gilboa, 1984). A significant bias for insertions into open chromatin was detected at high frequency insertion near DNAse hypersensitive sites (Rohdewohld et al., 1987; Vijaya et al., 1986) and into transcriptionally active regions (Scherdin et al., 1990). In addition, there may be a small number of "hot spots", or preferred sites, which are frequently targeted (Shih et al., 1988). Measurements of the frequency of insertional inactivation into particular genes have been shown to give fewer events than predicted, suggesting that there may be "cold spots" as well (King et al., 1985; Varmus et al., 1981). In vitro studies of the integration into SV40 minichromosomes showed that the origin region and linker regions between the nucleosomes tended to exclude insertions, while nucleosomal regions were efficiently targeted; phasing of the insertions in the chromatin could be observed, with a 10-bp periodicity (Pryciak et al., 1991). These results suggest that the presence of DNA binding proteins and histones on DNA can significantly perturb the target choice.
Many of the features of retroviral integration are similar to those associated with transposition of eucaryotic and prokaryotic mobile elements. Analogous studies in various retrotransposon systems also suggest that target sites for integration are non-random. The Ty elements in yeast have been shown to exhibit significant target site biases; Ty1 insertions tend to cluster near the 5' end of some target genes (Natsoulis et al., 1989) and within 400 bp of tRNA genes (Ji et al., 1993), and Ty3 insertions are highly restricted to specific positions relative to polymerase III promoters (Chalker and Sandmeyer, 1990; Chalker and Sandmeyer, 1992). In these cases the integration events are not thought to be affected by the sequence itself or by transcriptional activity, but rather are more likely to be profoundly restricted by host chromosomal proteins, with the potential candidates for the target proteins being the TFIIIB or TFIIIC transcription factors bound to the promoter (Sandmeyer et al., 1990).
The identification of host proteins that might target proviral integration, stimulate integration activity, or affect the incoming retroviral DNA in other ways would provide an important lead into new areas of research. In an attempt to find such proteins, the yeast two hybrid system has been used (Fields et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,173) to screen a cDNA library for proteins that interact with the HIV-1 IN. The search resulted in the recovery of a single novel gene, termed ini-1 for integrase interactor 1 (SEQ ID NO.1). The predicted amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO.2) of the ini-1 protein shows an unexpected sequence similarity to SNF5, a yeast transcriptional activator required for the high-level expression of many genes (Laurent et al., 1990). The product of the ini-1 gene may serve as an internal receptor for the HIV-1 IN, and may be responsible for targeting integration to active regions of the chromosome.

Nucleic acids encoding a human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) integrase interactor protein (INI-1)

The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York


The excess length of optical fiber (31) in an optical fiber harness assembly (10) is accommodated by a doughnut-shaped accumulation chamber (17) in which the fiber (31) is coiled with one or more turns, the chamber being proportioned so that all of the excess length of fiber (31) may be accommodated when there is no tension on the conduit (13) of the harness (10), and when the conduit (13) is stretched under tension the fiber (31) will be bent to a radius no less than that at which the fiber will be damaged or the signal transmitted attenuated unduly.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the accommodation of excess optical fiber length in an optical fiber harness.
2. Description of Related Art
In optical fiber systems for controlling components of aircraft or automobiles, or for other types of equipment, it is desirable to group a number of optical fibers in a harness assembly. This offers advantages in production, installation and maintenance, as well as affording protection to the fibers under service conditions. However, in a harness system, the conduit that receives the optical fibers cannot be made the same length as that of the fibers. This is because the conduit will stretch under tension, which occurs during installation or at times of repair or maintenance. The optical fibers must be made at least as long as the dimension the conduit will assume when under a tensile load. However, when there is no tension on the conduit, as during normal service, the length of the conduit decreases meaning that there is an excess length of the optical fibers In the past these fibers simply have been pushed down inside the conduit in the hope that they will coil evenly in the process. However, this cannot be assured and in some instances the fibers can be caused to kink or to be bent to an excessively small radius. This can damage the fibers or cause excessive attenuation of the light signal transmitted by them. Hence, there has been an acute need for an arrangement to accommodate the excess length of optical fibers in an optical fiber harness system without damaging the fibers or creating unacceptable optical losses.

Arrangement for accommodating excess length of optical fibers


An improved toothbrush with a secure grip, a more effective bristle arrangement, and a specially shaped head is disclosed. The handle is formed with opposed gripping portions, and fits securely in the hand of the brusher, facing either up or down, imparting to the user a very secure and comfortable feeling. The toothbrush has a narrow and thin head for maximum access to the oral cavity, and a novel bristle arrangement which is highly effective for the removal of plaque from teeth with manual brushing. In one embodiment, the brush head is tapered to a narrow portion, and then optionally flares out again. In another embodiment, the head is formed with a wavy profile. In yet other embodiments, the brush head may also be provided with an upwardly curved or an angled tip. The head may also have a rubberized lower portion to effectuate gum massage, a gum stimulator, and a head with visibly different utilization areas.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of oral hygiene has made exceptional strides in improving overall oral health. Various toothpaste formulations, mouthwashes, dental flosses, water rinse apparatuses, and toothbrushes are on the market, and each, to a certain extent, contributes to overall oral hygiene when used properly and regularly.
However, the problem often encountered is proper use and regularity of use while toothpastes taste better than ever today, and mouth rinses promise fresh breath, the foundation for appropriate hygiene in the oral cavity is the removal of debris from the tooth, at the gumline and in between teeth. Further, the innermost reaches of the oral cavity are regularly where problems start.
Thus, there has been and continues to be a need for a toothbrush which satisfies many categories:
it must provide effective surface area cleaning, including the top of the crown of the tooth and the frontal planar portions. PA1 it must provide cleaning at the gumline, where debris often accumulates out of the reach of normal tongue cleaning action. PA1 it must provide effective cleaning between teeth. PA1 it must be able to reach the most confined regions of the oral cavity easily. PA1 it must be capable of directing force at teeth and surfaces individually, while simultaneously allowing brushing of larger surface areas. PA1 it must provide comfortable and convenient use to the brusher. PA1 it must effectively remove plaque.
2. The Prior Art
The prior art is aware of several toothbrush elements which attempted to remedy the situation and make toothbrushing by a user more comfortable and effective. Certain toothbrushes currently marketed provide for an angled head, said to be similar to dental instruments, for reaching back teeth. Adjustable angled heads were disclosed in GB 216,735. Other toothbrushes use different bristle types or lengths to accomplish a staggered effect which is said to improve overall brushing effects. See, e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,794,711 to Jacobs, 2,618,003 to Robey, and 3,742,549 to Scopp which provide bristles of varied length for an angled effect. GB 216,735 and U.S. Pat. No. 1,676,703 to Nuyts disclose a longer tuft of bristles at the utilization end in their drawings.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,527,853 to Ferdon, 1,497,495 to Finke, and 1,456,535 to Cartwright each disclose a contoured bristle arrangement.
However imaginative these arrangements may be, there remains a need for a toothbrush which can provide all the features required for proper oral hygiene.


A testing method for testing mobile communication devices comprises transmitting, by a testing front end module, a testing profile associated with a Universal Integrated Circuit Card, UICC, to a mobile communication device, activating the testing profile on the mobile communication device, setting, by a testing controller, the configuration of the mobile communication device to a testing mode according to the information of the activated testing profile of the UICC, and performing operational tests on the mobile communication device using a testing front end module of a testing system while the configuration of the mobile communication device is set to the testing mode.

Mobile communication devices often use modules for authentication of a user, commonly referred to as Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC). A UICC comprises a smart card inserted into and internally connected to a mobile communication device. The UICC includes a storage module for storing personal information of a user and operator information about any mobile networks that the user is subscribed to. For example, the stored personal information on the UICC may include an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) identifying the user. Other terms for relating to a UICC may be a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card or a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) card.
UICCs that may be physically inserted into and subsequently removed from a mobile user terminal may conveniently store pre-defined user information that is not subject to changes. An authentication of the user can be automatically performed by using the information stored in the UICC.
Non-removable UICCs are enjoying widespread use as so-called "embedded UICCs" (eUICC). Personalized user information may be stored in the eUICC in a form of IMSI which may be pre-assigned to a specific mobile network operator designated in the manufacturing step of the mobile user terminal and, hence, the eUICC as integral part of the terminal.
With eUICCs it is desirable to update or change user information about subscribers of various mobile network operators in remote fashion. eUICCs thus carry profile management modules for managing different profiles in a eUICC associated with different users and/or different mobile network operators.
For example, document DE 10 2009 037 234 A1 discloses a method for exchanging data between a PC and a central server having user IDs stored thereupon. Document DE 10 2009 008 948 A1 discloses a method of activating a subscriber identity module to primary services in a mobile communication network with a service profile of limited functionality. Document CN 103 428 745 A discloses a test system and a test method of a Cu interface between a UICC and a WCDMA mobile terminal.
Electronic equipment, such as mobile communication devices, is subject to various electronic tests after production. Such tests are generally necessary to ensure proper configuration, calibration and functionality of various elements of the devices under test (DUT). For testing purposes, specific testing devices are employed which simulate a testing environment under predefined testing conditions. For example, testing devices may employ one or more specific testing routines with predefined testing schedules. Those testing schedules regularly involve input of particular test signal sequences into the DUT and/or reception of responses to testing signals input to the DUT. Such responses may be evaluated for consistency, constancy, timeliness and other properties of an expected behaviour of the DUT.
It would be desirable to find solutions for testing mobile communication devices that allow for efficient and reliable testing and flexible testing management.

Testing methods and systems for mobile communication devices


A magnetic-field sensor adapted to detect an external magnetic field. The magnetic-field sensor including a first chip, having a first magnetoresistive structure for detection of the external magnetic field, the first magnetoresistive detection structure including an electrical-contact pad and magnetoresistive element, and a second chip housing an integrated electronic circuit and a magnetic-field generator. The first and second chips being mutually arranged in such a way that the integrated electronic circuit can be electrically coupled to the electrical-contact pad of the magnetoresistive structure and in such a way that the magnetic-field generator can be magnetically coupled to the magnetoresistive structure.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a magnetic-field sensor, in particular to a sensor that uses anisotropic magnetoresistive (AMR) elements in order to detect a magnetic field that is external to the sensor and acts on the sensor itself.
2. Description of the Related Art
Magnetic-field sensors, in particular AMR sensors based upon anisotropic magnetoresistance, are used in a plurality of applications and systems, for example in compasses, in systems for detection of ferromagnetic materials, in the detection of currents, and in a wide range of other applications, thanks to their capacity for detecting natural magnetic fields (for example, the Earth's magnetic fields) and magnetic fields generated by electrical components (such as electrical or electronic devices and lines traversed by electric current).
The phenomenon of anisotropic magnetoresistivity occurs within particular ferromagnetic materials, which, when subjected to an external magnetic field, undergo a variation of resistivity as a function of the characteristics of the magnetic field applied. Usually, said materials are shaped in thin strips so as to form resistive elements, and the resistive elements thus formed are electrically connected together to form a bridge structure (typically a Wheatstone bridge).
Moreover known to the art is the production of AMR sensors with standard techniques of micromachining of semiconductors, as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,847,584. In particular, each magnetoresistive element can be formed by a film of magnetoresistive material, such as for example Permalloy (a ferromagnetic alloy containing iron and nickel), deposited to form a thin strip on a substrate made of semiconductor material, for example, silicon.
When an electric current is made to flow through a magnetoresistive element, the angle θ between the direction of magnetization of said magnetoresistive element and the direction of the flow of the current affects the effective value of resistivity of the magnetoresistive element itself so that, as the value of the angle θ varies, the value of electrical resistance varies (in detail, said variation follows a law of the cos2θ type). For example, a direction of magnetization parallel to the direction of the flow of current results in a maximum value of resistance to the passage of current through the magnetoresistive element, whereas a direction of magnetization orthogonal to the direction of the flow of current results in a minimum value of resistance to the passage of current through the magnetoresistive element.
AMR sensors further include a plurality of straps integrated in the sensors themselves, typically two straps, known as "set/reset strap" and "offset strap", which are designed to generate, when traversed by a current of an appropriate value, a magnetic field that couples in a direction perpendicular to the direction of detection of the sensors and in the direction of detection of the sensors, respectively; in this regard, see for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,278.
The set/reset strap has the function of varying, alternating it, the orientation of magnetization of the magnetoresistive elements in a first pre-defined direction (the so-called "easy axis" or EA). In use, the variation of the sense of magnetization is obtained by applying to the magnetoresistive element, via the set/reset strap, a magnetic field of an appropriate value for a short period of time, such as to force arbitrarily the orientation of the magnetic dipoles of the magnetoresistive element in the first pre-defined direction and with a certain sense ("set" operation), and then by applying to the magnetoresistive element a second magnetic field, similar to the previous one but with opposite sense, so as to force the orientation of the magnetic dipoles of the magnetoresistive element once again in the first pre-defined direction, but with a sense opposite with respect to the previous one ("reset" operation). The set and reset operations have the function of bringing each magnetoresistive element of the AMR sensor in a respective single-domain state before operating the AMR sensor, for example in order to carry out operations of sensing of an external magnetic field. The set and reset operations are used because as only in the single-domain state are the fundamental properties of linearity, sensitivity, and stability of the magnetoresistive elements controlled and repeatable. The aforementioned set and reset operations are known and described in detail for example in the document No. U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,278.
The offset strap is normally used for operations of compensation of the offset present in the AMR sensor (on account of mismatch in the values of the corresponding electrical components), and/or self-test operations, and/or operations of calibration of the AMR sensor. In particular, the value of the electrical quantities at output from the AMR sensor is, in the presence of the offset strap, a function both of the external magnetic field to be detected and of the magnetic field generated as a result of a current circulating in the offset strap. The offset strap is formed by turns of conductive material, for example metal, set on the same substrate as that on which the magnetoresistive elements of the sensor and the set/reset strap are provided (in different metal layers), and is electrically insulated from, and set in the proximity of, said magnetoresistive elements. The magnetic field generated by the offset strap generates a magnetic field component that tends to shift the orientation of the magnetic dipoles of each magnetoresistive element in a second pre-defined direction (the so-called "hard axis" or HA), orthogonal to the first pre-defined direction, which is the direction of sensitivity of the sensor.
FIG. 1 shows, in top plan view, a layout provided by way of example of an integrated circuit for a magnetic-field sensor 1 of a known type, comprising a plurality of magnetoresistive elements, connected to one another so as to form a Wheatstone bridge, for example as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,247,278 and 5,952,825, and obtained, for example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,847,584.
More in particular, each magnetoresistive element has a structure of the barber-pole type. The barber-pole structure for magnetoresistive elements is known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 6,850,057. In this case, each magnetoresistive element is in ohmic contact with a plurality of biasing elements with high electrical conductivity (for example, ones made of aluminium, copper, silver, or gold). The biasing elements are arranged inclined by a certain angle α (typically, α=45°) with respect to the axis of spontaneous magnetization of the magnetoresistive element.
The magnetic-field sensor 1 is formed on a semiconductor substrate 2 by means of micromachining processes of a known type. Four magnetoresistive elements 4, 6, 8, and 10, in the form of strips of ferromagnetic material (for example, deposited thin film comprising an Ni/Fe alloy), in a barber-pole configuration, are arranged to form a Wheatstone bridge. With reference to FIG. 1, the magnetoresistive elements 4, 6, 8, 10 are interconnected to one another and connected to pads 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25. The pad 21 is connected to the magnetoresistive element 4 by means of a conductive path 11, and the magnetoresistive element 4 is connected to the magnetoresistive element 6 by means of a conductive portion 17. The conductive portion 17 is electrically connected to the pad 22 by means of a respective conductive path 12. The magnetoresistive element 6 is then connected to the magnetoresistive element 10 by means of a conductive portion 18, and the conductive portion 18 is electrically connected to the pad 23 by means of a respective conductive path 13. The magnetoresistive element 10 is interconnected to the magnetoresistive element 8 by means of a conductive portion 16, and the conductive portion 16 is electrically connected to the pad 24 by means of a respective conductive path 14. The pad 25 is connected to the magnetoresistive element 8 by means of a conductive portion 15.
A resistive Wheatstone-bridge structure is thus formed, which provides a magnetic-field sensor 1 sensitive to components of magnetic field having a direction perpendicular to the strips of ferromagnetic material that form the magnetoresistive elements 4, 6, 8, 10. The pad 21 is connected to the pad 25, to form a common pad so as to connect the magnetoresistive element 4 and the magnetoresistive element 8 electrically together (in FIG. 1 said pads 21, 25 are shown separated for reasons of optimization of the layout).
In use, an input voltage Vin is applied between the pad 22 and the pad 24. Reading of the output voltage Vout is made between the pad 21 (common to the pad 25) and the pad 23.
With reference to FIG. 1, the magnetic-field sensor 1 further comprises a first strip of electrically conductive material extending on the substrate 2 and insulated from the latter by means of a layer of dielectric material (not shown in detail in the figure). Said first strip of electrically conductive material forms a first winding 19, of a planar type, which extends in a plane parallel to the plane in which the magnetoresistive elements 4, 6, 8, 10 lie, electrically insulated from the magnetoresistive elements 4, 6, 8, 10.
The magnetic-field sensor 1 further comprises a second strip of electrically conductive material, extending on the substrate 2 and insulated from the latter and from the first winding 19 by means of a layer of dielectric material (not shown in detail in the figure). Said second strip of electrically conductive material forms a second winding 20, of a planar type, which extends between a terminal 20a and a terminal 20b in a plane parallel to the plane in which the magnetoresistive elements 4, 6, 8, 10 and the first winding 19 lie, and is electrically insulated from the magnetoresistive elements 4, 6, 8, 10 and from the first winding 19.
The first winding 19 is used when it is desired to generate a magnetic field of known intensity interacting with the magnetic-field sensor 1, for example with purposes of self-testing of the sensor, biasing, calibration, and/or compensation of possible offsets due to the presence of undesirable external magnetic fields. In the latter case, the effect of the magnetic field generated by the first winding 19 on the output signal Vout of the magnetic-field sensor 1 is that of balancing the output signal due exclusively to the undesirable external field in order to generate a zero output signal.
In use, when the first winding 19 is traversed by electric current, a magnetic field is generated, the lines of force of which have a direction along the axis of sensitivity of the magnetoresistive elements 4, 6, 8, 10.
On account of the variability of the process of fabrication of the magnetoresistive elements 4, 6, 8, 10, said magnetoresistive elements 4, 6, 8, 10 can have structural characteristics that differ from one another. Once the bridge is supplied, these different characteristics, which can be equated to differences of resistance on the four branches of the bridge, generate an offset voltage Voff between the output terminals of the bridge. This voltage Voff does not have any relationship with the magnetic field that is to be detected but adds, in an undesirable way, to the signal generated by the transduction of the magnetic field that is to be detected in voltage. The offset voltage Voff can be of the order of the output voltage expected from the magnetic fields that are to be detected, and sometimes even greater. The offset signal Voff can be isolated and removed by appropriately using the second winding 20, during reading of the output signal Vout. In greater detail, in use, current pulses of a high value are made to flow in the second winding 20, in opposite directions with respect to one another (by appropriately biasing the terminals 20a and 20b of the second winding) so as to generate respective magnetic fields defined by respective lines of field having a sense opposite to one another. Said magnetic fields have an intensity such as to re-orient the magnetic dipoles of the magnetoresistive elements 4, 6, 8, 10 according to the lines of field generated, in particular with orientation defined by the orientation of the lines of the magnetic field generated. The effect of this orientation of the magnetic dipoles is basically to change the sign to the sensitivity of the sensor. For what has been said, instead, the offset signal Voff, which has purely electrical origins, is not affected by this change of orientation of the magnetic dipoles.
Following upon a first current pulse (referred to as "set pulse") through the second winding 20, a first magnetic field BS1 is generated such as to orient the magnetic dipoles of the magnetoresistive elements 4, 6, 8, 10 according to a first sense. A first reading of the output signal Vout of the sensor is then made.
Following upon a second current pulse (referred to as "reset pulse") through the second winding 20, a second magnetic field BS2 is generated (of intensity, for example, equal to that of the first magnetic field BO such as to orient the magnetic dipoles of the magnetoresistive elements 4, 6, 8, 10 in a second sense. A second reading of the output signal of the sensor is made. If the first and second readings are available and the difference is made between the values obtained from said readings, the offset signal Voff is erased, and it is thus possible to discriminate just the component of magnetic origin of the signal.
In order for the AMR sensor of FIG. 1 to be operated as described, it is coupled with an appropriate circuitry for power supply and generation and acquisition of signals (in order to supply the set/reset and offset straps and to acquire and process the output voltage signal Vout). For this purpose, electrical connections are provided that are designed to carry supply signals (e.g., input voltage Vin) to the pads 22 and 24, and acquire output signals (e.g., output voltage Vout) from the pads 21, 23 and 25.
Generally, the circuitry designed to generate the supply signal Vin and the output signal Vout is implemented in integrated form (for example, as ASIC) on a chip different from the chip on which the AMR sensor is formed. The connections between the chip carrying the circuitry for power supply and generation and acquisition of signals and the terminals of the AMR sensor are consequently formed by means of wire bonding or else using flip-chip techniques, through bumps. As may be clearly appreciated from FIG. 1, given a sensitive part having all things considered contained dimensions, the overall area of the magnetic sensor may be considerably larger on account of the presence of the straps, in particular the set/reset strap, and on account of the presence of the pads for communication between the sensor and the control/acquisition electronics. In addition, the process (which is relatively simple) of deposition of the ferromagnetic material, is rendered burdensome by numerous successive process steps to provide various metal levels, considerably increasing the manufacturing costs in terms of number of masks and process cost (machinery, process steps, manufacturing times). In addition, given the presence of current peaks of a high value, there may arise problems due to the contacts, in particular on account of generation of parasitic signals (parasitic currents and voltages, parasitic capacitances, etc.), and/or problems of reliability of the contacts provided by means of bonding and/or using bumps, which can jeopardize proper operation of the sensor.
What has been said must consequently be taken into account in the design of the AMR sensor and in the analysis of the output signal Vout acquired from the latter by the acquisition circuitry, which causes an increase of the hardware and/or software complexity of the AMR sensor and/or of the circuitry for power supply and generation and acquisition of signals.

Magnetoresistive sensor with reduced parasitic capacitance, and method