A system and method for locating optimal routes between source and destination nodes in a communications network, in particular, a wireless ad-hoc communications network by employing a link reliability algorithm that estimates the reliability of links between nodes using a prediction mechanism and a variable-weight filter. The prediction can be based on signal strength, signal-to-noise ratio or any statistic collected at the physical layer that is deemed representative of the quality of a link, and the weighting filter adjusts the predicted value based on the traffic conditions (e.g., idle, light traffic, moderate traffic or heavy traffic) being experienced by the nodes whose link quality is being estimated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved system and method for locating optimal routes between source and destination nodes in a communications network, in particular, a wireless ad-hoc communications network. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for identifying optimal routes between source and destination nodes in a communications network by estimating the a posteriori packet completion rate.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wireless communication networks, such as mobile wireless telephone networks, have become increasingly prevalent over the past decade. These wireless communications networks are commonly referred to as "cellular networks", because the network infrastructure is arranged to divide the service area into a plurality of regions called "cells". A terrestrial cellular network includes a plurality of interconnected base stations, or base nodes, that are distributed geographically at designated locations throughout the service area. Each base node includes one or more transceivers that are capable of transmitting and receiving electromagnetic signals, such as radio frequency (RF) communications signals, to and from mobile user nodes, such as wireless telephones, located within the coverage area. The communications signals include, for example, voice data that has been modulated according to a desired modulation technique and transmitted as data packets. As can be appreciated by one skilled in the art, network nodes transmit and receive data packet communications in a multiplexed format, such as time-division multiple access (TDMA) format, code-division multiple access (CDMA) format, or frequency-division multiple access (FDMA) format, which enables a single transceiver at a first node to communicate simultaneously with several other nodes in its coverage area.
In recent years, a type of mobile communications network known as an "ad-hoc" network has been developed. In this type of network, each mobile node is capable of operating as a base station or router for the other mobile nodes, thus eliminating the need for a fixed infrastructure of base stations. Details of an ad-hoc network are set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,943,322 to Mayor, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
More sophisticated ad-hoc networks are also being developed which, in addition to enabling mobile nodes to communicate with each other as in a conventional ad-hoc network, further enable the mobile nodes to access a fixed network and thus communicate with other mobile nodes, such as those on the public switched telephone network (PSTN), and on other networks such as the Internet. Details of these advanced types of ad-hoc networks are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,072,650 entitled "Ad Hoc Peer-to-Peer Mobile Radio Access System Interfaced to the PSTN and Cellular Networks", granted on Jul. 4, 2006, in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/815,157 entitled "Time Division Protocol for an Ad-Hoc, Peer-to-Peer Radio Network Having Coordinating Channel Access to Shared Parallel Data Channels with Separate Reservation Channel", filed on Mar. 22, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,807,165, and in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/815,164 entitled "Prioritized-Routing for an Ad-Hoc, Peer-to-Peer, Mobile Radio Access System", filed on Mar. 22, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,873,839, the entire content of each being incorporated herein by reference.
As can be appreciated by one skilled in the art, since certain nodes of the ad-hoc network are mobile, it is necessary for the network to maintain connectivity with those nodes. Transmitted data packets typically "hop" from mobile device to mobile device, creating a transmission path, or route, until reaching a final destination. However, transmission paths between mobile devices are often subject to change as devices move, therefore ad-hoc network communication must be able to adapt to achieve optimum performance while addressing the limited capabilities and capacities of mobile individual devices.
In a typical wireless communication network, the number of hops between the source and the destination is used as the routing metric, with the route having a lesser number of hops typically being a more preferred route. However, this can lead to selection of un-optimal routes, as there can be a better route with a greater number of hops but better link quality or data rate.
Examples of types of routing protocols are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,654, and in U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/476,237 referenced above, the entire contents of both documents being incorporated herein by reference. In these techniques, each node calculates a route metric to its destination, possibly using alternate routes. The aim is to select the best route by selecting the route with the lowest metric.
As described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,654, the metric is simply the number of hops. However, as described in U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/476,237, the metric is a more elaborate value and relies on a "link reliability" calculation that is based on signal strength. The "link reliability" is a more refined component of a routing metric because, instead of adding "1" for each hop, the algorithm adds an integer value which is larger (e.g., 20) if the link cannot be used to its fullest potential. Thus, each node assigns an integer value which is minimal (e.g., 1) for the best radio links and larger (e.g., 20) if the radio link is degraded due to, for example, multipath, fading, congestion, distance, shadowing, interference, and so on. Other examples of techniques for determining link quality are set forth in published U.S. Patent Application No. 2004/0022223 and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,522,881, the entire contents of both being incorporated herein by reference.
Although the technique described in the provisional patent application referenced above is suitable for many radio networks, including wireless ad-hoc peer-to-peer networks, certain drawbacks of the technique may become apparent when used in a network comprising mainly low-cost wideband radios. For example, sporadic traffic errors such as those encountered in a normal radio channel (such as static multipath) do not usually cause the link reliability to be adjusted, since signal strength and signal-to-noise ratio are unaffected. Also, in the particular case of a fading channel, the low-cost wideband radio is not able to properly track the variations in signal strength that are encountered at the receiver's end. This is partly due to the fact that the measurement depends on the sensitivity of the radio, and partly due to the fact that the receiver can only make sporadic measurements (such as one particular point in time when the packet is received), which provides partial information about actual signal strength variations.
Accordingly, a need exists for an improved system and method for discovering optimal routes between source and destination nodes in a communications network in an efficient way using factors other than the number of hops or received signal strength as the sole metrics.

Method to provide a measure of link reliability to a routing protocol in an ad hoc wireless network


A semiconductor device including a temperature sensor includes a pull up circuit, a pull down circuit, a first additional current path, and a second additional current path. The pull up circuit is configured to generate a pull up current that contributes to generation of a first output current. The pull down circuit is operably coupled to the pull up circuit at an output node and configured to generate a pull down current that contributes to generation of a second output current. The first additional current path, when enabled, is configured to combine a first additional current with the pull up current to comprise the first output current. The second additional current path, when enabled, is configured to combine a second additional current with the pull down current to comprise the second output current. Respective enablement of the first additional current path and the second additional current path is complementary.

In modern high frequency integrated circuits, operating temperature has become increasingly important. Generally, semiconductor devices are specified to operate in a certain temperature range within which the device has been characterized. Additional heat created on a semiconductor device due to higher operating frequencies may affect power consumption and system performance. Temperature sensors may be implemented in a device to report the current temperature to a controller, which may modify operational parameters that affect temperature such as temporarily adjusting clock rate or running the device in a different power mode. These adjustments may bring the temperature back within the desired temperature range for the device and the operational parameters may then be returned to their previous values.
For semiconductor devices such as Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) devices, a temperature sensing circuit may be used to monitor temperature in order to control the refresh rate of the memory cells. With DRAM devices, a charge representing stored data may be lost due to leakage, and therefore must be periodically refreshed since charge leakage is very dependant on temperature. As operating temperature is variable, maintaining a constant refresh rate may result in either data loss or a waste of power if the refresh rate is performed at a different rate than the temperature demands. As temperature increases, charge leakage also increases, and the memory cell charge must be refreshed more frequently. As temperature decreases, charge leakage also decreases, and refreshing may be performed less frequently. As a result of these problems, it is important that a temperature sensor accurately and efficiently determine the current operating temperature.
One conventional approach to temperature sensing includes comparing an output voltage (Vout) of a circuit to a reference voltage (Vref) and enabling a switch if the output voltage (Vout) is greater than the reference voltage (Vref). By monitoring the percentage of times (X %) that the switch is enabled, a number or measure of output counts can be calculated and stored in a counter, which may be set to represent, for example, one count per 1° Celsius. The temperature then may be calculated by comparing the number or measure of output counts in the counter by some offset constant.
As a result, there is a need for a temperature sensor that can more efficiently obtain a set of linear temperature readings while adding little additional circuitry.

Semiconductor device including a temperature sensor circuit


Process for preparing alkylhalosilanes are provided. The process involve reacting an alkyl halide with a solid body formed of silicon and a catalytic system.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to improvements relating to the industrial process employed for the direct synthesis of alkylhalosilanes.
2. Description of Related Art
The industrial process for the manufacture of alkylhalosilanes and, for example, of dimethyldichlorosilane, subsequently referred to as DMDCS, is a well known process which is described in particular in the U.S. Pat. No. 2,380,995 and in the work by Walter Noll, Chemistry and Technology of Silicones, 1968, published by Academic Press Inc., London, pages 26-41.
According to this "direct synthesis" or "Rochow synthesis" process, the alkylhalosilanes, for example DMDCS, are manufactured directly by reaction of methyl chloride with a solid contact body formed of silicon and of a catalyst comprising copper, according to the reaction:2CH3Cl+Si→(CH3)2SiCl2.
In reality, other coproducts, such as those mentioned below, are formed during the direct synthesis: other alkylhalosilanes, such as methyltrichlorosilane CH3SiCl3, subsequently referred to as MTCS, and trimethylchlorosilane (CH3)3SiCl, subsequently referred to as TMCS; halogenated alkylhydrosilanes, such as, for example, methylhydrodichlorosilane (CH3)HSiCl2, subsequently referred to as MHDCS; and heavy products which are polysilanes and in particular disilanes, such as, for example, trimethyltrichlorodisilane (CH3)3Si2Cl3 and dimethyltetrachlorodisilane (CH3)2Si2Cl4.
Among all the products obtained by direct synthesis, the dialkyldihalosilane, and for example DMDCS, is the main product, that is to say the product obtained in predominant amount. This product is highly desirable as, after hydrolysis and polymerization, it makes it possible to obtain oils and gums which are base products for the manufacture of silicones.
It is known to use copper, taken in the form of copper metal or in the form of copper-based chemical compounds, as catalyst of the direct synthesis reaction.
It is also known, for the purpose of bringing the performance of the direct synthesis to an economically viable level, to add, to the copper, a promoter combination comprising one or more promoter additive(s); these additives can be: zinc or a zinc halide (U.S. Pat. No. 2,464,033), aluminum (U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,403,370 and 2,427,605), tin, manganese, nickel and silver (British patent GB-A-1 207 466), cobalt (British patent GB-A-907 161), potassium chloride (Soviet patent SU-A-307 650) or arsenic or an arsenic compound (U.S. Pat. No. 4,762,940).
However, despite all the importance of the catalytic systems (copper catalysts as a mixture with a promoter combination) provided in the prior art, research continues in this field in order to obtain better performances than those obtained with the best catalytic systems known previously, in particular the catalytic system comprising copper, zinc and tin.
Various copper sources can be used, mainly, in addition to metallic copper (Cu°), cuprous chloride (CuCl) and oxidized copper.
CuCl is known for contributing a gain in activity or reactivity (evaluated, for example, by weight of the silanes obtained per hour and per kilogram of silicon initially involved) and in selectivity (evaluated, for example, by the percentage by weight of DMDCS formed with respect to the silanes obtained) in comparison with metallic copper. It also makes it possible to reduce the duration of the period of initiation of the reaction and also the amount of the byproducts formed during this initiation period; this is because, in order to carry out the direct synthesis reaction, there is advantageously carried out beforehand, as is well known, an initial stage of activation of the contact body (formed by the combination based on silicon+catalyst+optional promoters); one of the activation means which is highly suitable can consist in bringing said contact body to a certain temperature which can be lower or greater by a few degrees to a few tens of degrees than the temperature chosen for the direct synthesis reaction.
Numerous authors have taken an interest in this initiation period, which corresponds to the reaction between the CuCl and the silicon and which results in the formation of active sites. The mechanism of this reaction is not yet clearly defined after more than fifty years of study. Two reaction models are considered today:
Tamhankar S. S., Gokkarn A. N. and Doraiswamy L. K., 1981, Chem. Eng. Sci., 36, 1365-1372, propose a two-stage mechanism. The first stage is the reduction of the CuCl by the silicon to form metallic copper and SiCl4, followed by the formation of Cu3Si by diffusion of the copper into the silicon:nSi+4CuCl→(n−1)Si*+4Cu*+SiCl4 3Cu*+Si→Cu3Si
Weber G., Vile D., Souha M. and Guillot B., 1988, C.R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Vol. 307, Series II, pages 1155-1161, propose a reaction pathway where the metallic copper is the final product:7Si+12CuCl→Cu3Si+3SiCl4 31Cu3Si+12CuCl→7Cu15Si+3SiCl4 9Cu15Si+20CuCl→31Cu5Si+5SiCl4 Cu5Si+4CuCl→9Cu+SiCl4
Many factors influence the reaction between Si and CuCl: the concentration of CuCl, the operations of mixing and milling the powders, the thickness of the layer of SiO2 on the silicon, the temperature and the pressure.
Recent studies targeted at determining the initial stage of the reaction between the copper and the CuCl have been published; Acker J., Köhter S., Lewis K. M. and Bohmhammel K., 2003, Silicon Chemistry, 2, 195-206. The main conclusion of these studies is that the reaction between the copper chloride and the silicon takes place in the solid state. The slightest change in the surface properties in the CuCl thus results in a modification to the reactivity.
On the basis of these facts, it may be expected that the specific surface of the CuCl used is a key parameter in its reactivity which logically directs us towards the use of fine particles which offer a high surface area for contact with the silicon.
Nevertheless, for reasons of industrial use, the Applicant Company has tested a novel shaping of this product in the form of beads. These spherical beads have a smooth surface and result from an atomization or prilling process. They exhibit the advantage of offering better flow and low dusting in comparison with powders with a low particle size. On the other hand, the Applicant Company expected to obtain mediocre results in terms in particular of reactivity and of selectivity, given their low specific surface and the absence of irregularities on the surface which are known to promote the initiation of solid/solid reactions.

Process for the direct synthesis of alkylhalosilanes


The electronic wallet system comprises a plurality of devices interconnected through a local network and capable of conducting electronic business transactions on an open network. Each device contains a smart card reader. A plurality of smart cards represent electronic purses able to contain electronic money. One of the devices contains an entity, the server, which contains a list of data entries, each entry corresponding to a purse liable to receive electronic money, contained in tokens, from other purses of the system. The tokens transferred between purses are stored temporally by the server. In order to improve the security of the transactions, the messages which are exchanged between the devices and/or the smart cards during token transfer operations are protected by secret keys which are only stored in the smart cards of the system.

1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates generally to electronic wallets for performing electronic commercial transactions on open networks such as internet, and more particularly to a new electronic wallet architecture and to methods for transferring tokens (or electronic money units) between electronic wallets.
2. Description of the Related Art
Another European patent application No. 00400606.0 filed the same day as the present application (Mar. 7, 2000), in the name of the same applicant and having the following title: "electronic wallet system", describes an electronic wallet system having a client/server architecture and comprising a plurality of purses. The client and server applications are executed in devices, such as set-top boxes (STB) and the system allows secure inter-purses operations.
The present application proposes an alternative solution to secure inter-purses operations in the electronic wallet system.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Electronic wallet system with secure inter-purses operations


Disclosed is a portable latent fingerprint developing apparatus capable of visibly checking out an external shape of a finger print by using an UV LED lamp, after a fine spray of a fingerprint developing liquid is conducted by using a vibrator and providing the corresponding fingerprint image to an external terminal, after it is photographed by a camera.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable latent fingerprint developing apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a portable latent fingerprint developing apparatus capable of visibly checking out an external shape of a finger print by using an UV LED lamp, after a fine spray of a fingerprint developing liquid is conducted by using a vibrator and providing the corresponding fingerprint image to an external terminal, after it is photographed by a camera.
2. Description of the Prior Art
According to the supply the state-of-the-art digital equipment such as a color printer or a scanner etc., the counterfeit money has been rapidly increased all over the world.
Also, since the counterfeit money discrimination device, which is used all over the world, is very expensive and it is uncomfortable to use, there is a limit on the supply thereof.
In the meantime, according to data from the Bank of Korea, when 50,000 won large bills were issued in 2009, the probability of the counterfeit thereof is increased by the counterfeiters.
With the development of the office automation equipment, which is a computer peripheral equipment, various digital color output equipment (copy machine or printer) having superior resolution (400 dpi to 1,440 dpi) have been appeared. Accordingly, since banks and securities can be easily copied, various crimes such as the counterfeit thereof etc. have been increased.
In order to solve these problems, the anti-forgery techniques of the bills are studied. In the anti-forgery techniques, there are a silver coin, a silver wire, a fluorescent color fiber, an optically variable printing material, an intaglio printing, a fluorescent ink, an intaglio latent image, a fine lettering, and a line printing etc.
In the counterfeit discernment method of the techniques for counterfeit prevention applied to the banks and the securities, if it shines the bright light on the silver part, the special patterns or characters are appeared. Also, the face value, the characters, and the structure etc. can be checked out through a convex touch in the intaglio printing parts.
In case of the fluorescent ink, an ultraviolet light and an infrared light are irradiated on the banks by using an ultraviolet fluorescent lamp and an infrared fluorescent lamp, so that the inherent color of the fluorescent material is emitted, thereby discriminating the true currency and the fake currency. Also, in case of the magnetic ink applied to the banks and the securities, it judges the existence of the magnetic properties by means of the magnet, thereby discriminating the true currency and the fake currency.
However, after it makes an exquisite counterfeit using the color output equipment (copy machine or printer), since the anti-forgery techniques such as the silver coin, a partially exposing silver wire, a fluorescent color fiber, an optically variable printing material, an intaglio printing etc. are imitated and faked by means of a transparent ink, a powdered silver ink, an aluminum thin film, and an embossing machine etc., it is hard for the ordinary person to tell with the naked eye that the banks and the securities are counterfeit.
Also, the banks, the securities, and the identification can be faked by the international forgers.
Since the ordinary persons are always exposed to this risk, it is necessary to judge the true or the false of the security products such as the banks, the securities, and the copy prevention paper. Also, it is difficult for the ordinary person to use the precision machinery used in the bank, since it has problems in terms of a size, a cost, and a management thereof.
Accordingly, the development of a multifunctional counterfeit bill detector for judging the true or the false of various security products regardless of time and place has been required.
Also, in case of a fingerprint detector used in the scene of the crime, since a fingerprint developing liquid is applied or sprayed, the fingerprint is collapsed or disappeared. Accordingly, since it is a quite cumbersome to shine the UV LED light again after the spraying of the fingerprint developing liquid, it is hard to rapidly collect the evidence at the scene of the crime.

Portable latent fingerprint developing apparatus


A box for a plumbing fixture includes first and second side panels, an end panel, and first and second corner panels, which are interconnected at parallel joints. In a first configuration, the box is collapsed and generally planar, the first side panel being folded at a central crease closer to a forward end than a rearward end thereof, and the second side panel being folded at a central crease closer to a forward end than a rearward end thereof. In a second configuration, the box is expanded such that (a) a cavity is defined between the first side, second side, end, first corner, and second corner panels, (b) the first and second side panels are generally planar, and (c) a sum of angles between the end and first corner panels and between the end panel and second corner panels is greater than 180 degrees.

Conventional packaging for plumbing fixtures, such as toilets and sinks, typically have a rectangular or square shape. For example, the packaging for a plumbing fixture can be a rectangular box 10, as shown in FIG. 1A.
Such conventional packaging may not provide an efficient use of packaging space. FIGS. 1B and 1C show an example of a rectangular box with its lid open to reveal a toilet inside the box, including a tank box 30. Panels 20 are inserted in the ends of the box to hold the tank box 30 and toilet 40 in place. However, there is a large amount of unused space 22, such as in the corners of the box.
In such conventional packaging, the corners of the box provide a large degree of the compression strength of the box, which measures the ability of a box to withstand compressive loads when such boxes are stacked on top of one another. Internal supports can be added to the box to reinforce its strength, but the addition of such internal supports increase the cost of such packaging.


The invention relates to an automotive vehicle element that is capable of receiving a safety cushion and that has an envelope equipped with a seam that can be ripped as the result of the effect of the cushion's inflation. According to the invention, it includes a pocket that is constructed so as to receive the cushion, the pocket having an opening whose edges are attached to the lips of the rippable seam.

Safety cushions for automotive vehicles are known. In the event of an impact, as detected by an accelerometer, these cushions emerge from their casing, in which they are stored in folded form, are suddenly inflated, and thus protect the passengers by interposing themselves between the passengers and any potentially hazardous structural elements of the vehicle.
The best known safety cushions, i.e. air bags, are the ones that are located in front of the front seat passengers, for example, in the steering wheel or in the dashboard. They protect the front seat passengers in the event of a frontal impact. However, safety cushions also exist whose purpose is to protect the passengers in the event of a side impact.
Specifically, these safety cushions can be encased in the vehicle seats and, yet more specifically, in the backs of the seats. In this case, a seam is provided in the seat envelope, with the strength of the seam being such that the seam can be rippled, or burst, as a result of the effect of the inflation of the cushion.
Furthermore, the seating elements of automotive vehicles are being manufactured more frequently through the use of the so-called "in situ" molding method. In this method, a filling or packing foam is injected directly into a mold whose inner wall is covered by the envelope of the seating element, which is usually a textile fabric. Thus, the element is produced immediately upon opening the mold, along with the foam that fills the envelope.
Unfortunately, it has been observed that the in situ molding method per se cannot be used to mold the safety elements that contain a safety cushion. In fact when the safety cushion inflates, an actual explosion occurs which not only causes the bursting of the seam provided for this purpose, but also ejects pieces of foam through the resulting aperture. Although these pieces of foam are light in weight, the speed is such that they can cause serious injury to the occupants of the vehicle, specifically to the eyes.

Safety cushion assembly, specifically in a seating element for an automotive vehicle


A method of hybrid stacked Flip chip for a solar cell onto which semiconductor layers of different materials are stacked in the Flip chip technology to solve the problem of lattices mismatch between the layers for further increase of the efficiency of solar cell.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and technology of a hybrid stacked flip chip for a solar cell and, particularly, to that of manufacturing a simple and higher efficient solar cell.
2. Description of Related Art
As shown in FIG. 4A, the solar cell comprises a substrate 60 of silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), or Si/Ge. On the substrate 60, a P-N junction semiconductor layer 61, such as Si/SiGe, that may absorb a long wavelength (e.g. infrared rays), is formed. It has an efficiency of around only 15%.
A compound solar cell is formed by a compound semiconductor on a substrate to absorb a medium wavelength solar spectrum. Owing to a direct bandgap, it has higher efficiency and absorbs the correspondent wavelength of around 25%. As shown in FIG. 4B, the solar cell comprises a substrate 70 of GaAs, AlGaAs, InGaP or GaP. On the substrate 70, a P-N junction semiconductor layer 71, such as GaAs/AlGaAs, GaAs/InGaP, GaP/GaP, GaAs/AlInGaP, and GaAs/AlGaAs, etc., that may absorb a medium wavelength (e.g. visible rays), is formed.
As shown in FIG. 4C, the solar cell comprises a substrate 80 of Al2O3 sapphire, silicon carbide, or ZnO. On the substrate 80, a P-N junction semiconductor layer 81, such as GaN/AlGaN, GaN/InGaN and InGaN/AlGaN that may absorb a short wavelength (e.g. ultraviolet rays), is formed.
However, each solar cell mentioned above may absorb only the correspondent long wavelength (as shown in FIG. 4A), medium wavelength (as shown in FIG. 4B), or the short wavelength (as shown in FIG. 4C), respectively.
Thus, recently, a tandem cell is provided in which materials of different bandgaps are stacked into the cell of multiple junctions.
As shown in FIG. 5A, the solar cell comprises a substrate 60 of Si, Ge, or Si/Ge. On the substrate 60, a P-N junction semiconductor layer 61, such as Si and SiGe, that may absorb the long wavelength is stacked so as to absorb rays of light, and an tunnel junction 10 is formed on the P-N junction semiconductor layer 61. On the tunnel junction 10, a P-N junction semiconductor layer 71, such as GaAs, that may absorb the medium wavelength, is then stacked, and the tunnel junction 10 is formed on the P-N junction semiconductor layer 71. On the tunnel junction 10, a P-N junction semiconductor layer 72, such as AlGaAs or InGaP, which may absorb the medium wavelength, is then stacked.
As shown in FIG. 5B, the solar cell comprises a substrate 70 of GaAs, As, or GaP. On the substrate 70, a P-N junction semiconductor layer 71, such as GaAs, that may absorb the medium wavelength, is then stacked, and the tunnel junction 10 is formed on the P-N junction semiconductor layer 71. On the tunnel junction 10, a P-N junction semiconductor layer 72, such as AlGaAs or InGaP, which may absorb the medium wavelength, is then stacked.
However, Si/SiGe, GaN/AlGaN, and GaAs/AlGaAs used for the semiconductors are quite different, so the semiconductor epitaxy when formed is easily polluted with each other, and lattice matching is also very different.
Typical tandem solar cell is comprised of a p-type semiconductor connected to an n-type semiconductor, and a parallel p-type semiconductor connected to an n-type semiconductor and has two terminals. Total voltage is a sum of V1 and V2. Current of the typical solar cell is no greater than Imin. Power P is a sum of (V1+V2)*Imin.
Consequently, because of the technical defects of described above, the present invention was developed, which can effectively improve the defects described above.

Method of hybrid stacked flip chip for a solar cell


The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of benzophenone derivatives and comprises a selective crystallization of alkali salts of compounds of formula (I) ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 is lower-alkyl and R.sup.2 is hydrogen, lower-alkyl or halogen,. from the isomeric alkali salts of the 3-hydroxy compounds of formula (II), ##STR2## wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are as defined above.

Benzophenones such as 3,4-dihydroxy-4'-methyl-5-nitrobenzophenone (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,236,952, 5,389,653, 5,476,875 and 5,563,371) are known catechol-O-methyl-transferase (COMT) inhibitors and are especially suitable for the therapy of Parkinson's disease and for the treatment of depressions and similar disease states.
Synthesis of 3,4-dihydroxy-4'-methyl-5-nitrobenzophenone (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,952, 5,389,653, 5,476,875 and 5,563,371 and Borgulya et al., Drugs of the Future (1991) 16, 719-721) is exemplary of benzophenone type COMT inhibitor synthesis.
The synthesis is based essentially on the reaction of 4-bromotoluene with 4-(benzyloxy)-3-methoxybenzaldehyde in the presence of butyllithium to give 4-(benzyloxy)-3-methoxy-4'-methylbenzhydrol. By oxidation to 4-(benzyloxy)-3-methoxy-4'-methylbenzophenone and subsequent debenzylation there is obtained 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-4'-methylbenzophenone. After regioselective nitration to 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-4'-methyl-5-nitrobenzophenone and subsequent hydrolysis of the methoxy group there is obtained the aforementioned inhibitor 3,4-dihydroxy-4'-methyl-5-nitrobenzophenone.
The above mentioned synthesis of other analogous catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitors is described by Borgulya et al. (Helvetica Chimica Acta (1989) 72, 952-968), for example there are described analogous compounds which have an unsubstituted phenyl ring.
This known synthetic route, and similar synthetic routes for related benzophenones, has considerable disadvantages, which are primarily associated with the high number of steps of the synthesis and the time/apparatus expenditure associated therewith. Moreover, relatively expensive starting materials, such as vanillin and 4-bromotoluene, are required for this synthetic route.
Surprisingly, it has now been found that these disadvantages can be largely avoided by subjecting a compound of formula (III) and a reactive acid derivative of formula (IV) to a Friedel-Crafts acylation, cleaving off one of the two substituents R.sup.1 and separating the resulting salts of compounds of formula (I) from the isomeric salts of compounds of formula (II) according to one of the processes described below.

Process for the preparation of benzophenone derivatives


The invention relates to an electronic device and a method for updating firmware in a number of electronic devices connected to a data network. First, a firmware in a first electronic device of said plurality of electronic devices is configured. Then, a firmware update file is generated in said first electronic device, based upon said configured firmware by using a firmware update file generator. Next, the firmware update file is transmitted from the first electronic device to a number of electronic devices via a data network. Finally, the firmware is updated in the number of electronic devices by executing said firmware update file in each of the electronic devices.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method for updating firmware in a plurality of electronic devices, an electronic device, a user interface apparatus, a system comprising electronic devices and a user interface apparatus, and a computer program product.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many electronic products of today are possible to customize, i.e. the electronic products are possible to configure according to the needs of the specific customer. However, customizing electronic products may be difficult, especially for a user not familiar with the technology involved.
However, if a plurality of electronic products is connected to each other via a network, new problems arise. For instance, if the software of some of the electronic products are to be updated, a proper process for such updating must be available. Such a process may comprise a step of manually update the electronic products.
If a great number of electronic products is to be updated, a large amount of time will be needed to manually update the electronic products, which of course is a drawback. Another drawback is the risk of errors, or in other words mistakes made by the user.
Moreover, in many cases the customization is requested or desired by a company not being the manufacturer of the product. Such a company may for instance be a company providing services for the electronic products in question, a company that uses such electronic products, etc. Those companies will hereinafter be referred to as customizing companies.
Today much of the customization of electronic products may be achieved by changing the firmware of the electronic product. However, in order to get such a customized firmware the customizing companies either have to make the manufacturer prepare and program a customized firmware or make the manufacturer provide information and means for preparing and programming the customised firmware. To prepare and program a customized firmware, or any firmware, generally requires a lot of work and good knowledge of both the software and hardware system of the electronic product to customize.
Hence, there is a need for a solution that makes it easy to update a large number of electronic products. A further need is to reduce the risk of mistakes made in association to the updating.

Method and system for upgrading a plurality of devices


One embodiment of a disclosed system, method, and computer readable storage medium provides dynamic filtering in application searches. Partner systems leverage search functionality of an application search system configured to perform searches for applications. In one embodiment, partner systems select application categories to be associated with search queries submitted to the application search system via the partners' websites. When users submit search queries to the application search system via a partner system, the users' queries are associated with the partner system's application category selection. Alternatively, the search queries may implicitly or explicitly specify an application category. In response to receiving the queries, the application search system returns search results from the selected application category.

Field of Art
The disclosure generally relates to the field of application search, and more particularly to providing customizable application search.
Description of the Related Art
In recent years, use of computers, smartphones, and other Internet-connected devices has grown exponentially. Correspondingly, the number of available applications for such devices has also grown. Today, many diverse applications can be accessed on any number of different devices, including, but not limited to, smartphones, personal computers, wearable devices, refrigerators, automobiles, and televisions. These diverse applications can range from business driven applications, games, educational applications, news applications, shopping applications, efficiency applications, messaging applications, video chatting applications, media streaming applications, social networking applications, and so much more.


Disclosed herein are catalyst compositions useful in selective decomposition of organic oxygenates. A feed comprising an organic oxygenate may be contacted with a catalyst comprising (a) at least 0.1 wt % of an oxide of an element selected from Group 3 of the Periodic Table of Elements, wherein Group 3 includes the Lanthanide series; (b) at least 0.1 wt % of an oxide of an element selected from Group 6 of the Periodic Table of Elements; and (c) at least 0.1 wt % of an oxide of at least one element selected from Group 4 of the Periodic Table of Elements, wherein the wt % s are based upon the total combined weight of the oxides in (a) through (c) and excludes any other components.

Phenol is an important product in the chemical industry, with utility in, for example, the production of phenolic resins, bisphenol A, ε-caprolactam, adipic acid, alkyl phenols, and plasticizers. Phenol is currently produced by the selective catalytic decomposition of cumene hydroperoxide although other alkylaromatic hydroperoxides, particularly cyclohexylbenzene hydroperoxide and sec-butylbenzene hydroperoxide, are attractive precursors in the production of phenol.
Current commercial processes for the cleavage of alkylaromatic hydroperoxides almost exclusively use sulfuric acid as the catalyst, even though this yields phenol selectivities of only 92% to 96% of the theoretical yield. In addition, of course, there are many disadvantages inherent in the use of sulfuric acid. Thus, sulfuric acid is corrosive, especially in the presence of water, potentially requiring expensive material for reactor construction. In addition, sulfuric acid needs to be neutralized before product separation, which involves the use of additional chemicals, such as phenates, caustic, and/or organic amines. Moreover, the salts generated by the neutralization require separation and disposal and generate waste water which needs to be treated. There is therefore significant incentive to replace sulfuric acid with a solid acid catalyst that can alleviate or eliminate these problems.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,297,406 discloses a process for producing phenol and acetone from cumene hydroperoxide comprising the step of contacting cumene hydroperoxide with a solid-acid catalyst comprising a mixed oxide of cerium and a Group IVB metal, such as zirconium. A similar process is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,169,215 but using a solid-acid catalyst comprising a mixed oxide of a Group IVB metal and a Group VIB metal, such as chromium, molybdenum, and tungsten.
International Publication No. WO2010/042261 discloses that other alkyl aromatic hydroperoxides, such as cyclohexylbenzene hydroperoxide and sec-butylbenzene hydroperoxide, can be cleaved to produce phenol in the presence of a catalyst comprising an oxide of at least one metal from Groups 3 to 5 and Groups 7 to 14 of the Periodic Table of the Elements and an oxide of at least one metal from Group 6 of the Periodic Table of the Elements. Generally, the catalyst comprises an oxide of at least one metal from Group 4 of the Periodic Table of the Elements, such as zirconia, and an oxide of at least one metal from Group 6 of the Periodic Table of the Elements, such as an oxide of molybdenum and/or tungsten. In one embodiment, the catalyst further comprises an oxide of at least one metal from Groups 8 to 11 of the Periodic Table of the Elements, such as an oxide of iron and/or copper.
The conversion of dialkyl ethers to their corresponding alkenes and alkanols is also an important reaction in a number of commercial processes. Thus, for example, this reaction is used to remove ethers, such as isopropyl ether, produced as the by-products of other processes, such as the hydration of propylene to produce isopropanol. In addition, an important route for the production of tertiary olefins involves reaction of mixed olefins with an alcohol over an acid catalyst to selectively produce a tertiary alkyl ether, separation of the ether from the remaining olefin stream, and decomposition of the ether to the desired tertiary olefin. This latter process relies on the fact that tertiary olefins react with alcohols more rapidly than either secondary or primary olefins and hence provides an effective method for extracting tertiary olefins, such as isobutene and isoamylene, from a mixed olefin stream. For the purposes of this invention, a tertiary olefin or isoolefin will be understood to be an olefin containing at least one carbon atom that is covalently bonded to three other carbon atoms.
Current commercial processes for the selective decomposition of dialkyl ethers, such as methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), frequently employ a fluoride-treated clay, such as hydrofluoric acid (HF) treated attapulgite (HFA), as the catalyst. However, the relatively high operating temperatures required by the HFA catalyst tends to increase the concentration of impurities such as dimethyl ether (DME) and isobutane in the product, as well as promoting side reactions, for example, diisobutylene dehydrocyclization and isobutene oligomerization and polymerization, that lead to fouling of the catalyst. As a result, the cycle length of the HFA catalyst normally ranges from only a few weeks to 30 or more days, which is a major disadvantage in that the loss of catalyst activity results in considerable losses in production time and leads to high catalyst replacement and disposal costs. There is therefore significant interest in finding alternative catalysts for the selective decomposition of ethers.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,102,037 discloses a process for selectively converting a dialkyl ether to the corresponding alkene and alkanol, the process comprising contacting a feed containing at least one dialkyl ether with a catalyst comprising an acidic mixed metal oxide having the following composition:XmYnZpOq where X is at least one metal selected from Group 4 of the Periodic Table of Elements, such as zirconium, Y is at least one metal selected from Group 3 (including the Lanthanides and Actinides) and Group 6 of the Periodic Table of Elements, such as chromium, molybdenum, or tungsten, and Z is at least one metal selected from Groups 7, 8, and 11 of the Periodic Table of Elements, such as iron, manganese, or copper; m, n, p, and q are the atomic ratios of their respective components and, when m is 1, n is from about 0.01 to about 0.75, p is from 0 to about 0.1, and q is the number of oxygen atoms necessary to satisfy the valence of the other components.
According to the present invention, it has now been found that a ternary metal oxide system based on metals of Groups 3, 4, and 6 of the Periodic Table provides a solid acid catalyst in which the acid site density and strength can be tuned by control of the composition and synthesis conditions of the catalyst. The resulting catalyst can be tuned to be both active and selective for the decomposition of organic oxygenates, such as alkylaromatic hydroperoxides and dialkyl ethers.

Mixed metal oxide catalysts and use thereof


A method of forming a primary coat, which consists of a V- or Ti-containing film, formed on the surface of a subject on which holes or the like have been formed, according to the CVD technique, while using, for instance, a tetravalent amide-type vanadium-containing organometal compound as a raw gas and using, for instance, tertiary butyl hydrazine as a reducing gas, and a copper-containing film is then formed on the primary coat, according to the CVD technique, to thus fill the holes or the like with the copper-containing film and to thus form copper distributing wire, which is excellent in the hole-filling properties and excellent in the adhesion to a primary coat, this process can be applied to the field of copper distributing wires used in the semiconductor industries.

With respect to the distributing wires required when fabricating a semiconductor element (such as an LSI or IC element or the like), it is common that a barrier and/or adherent layer as a primary coat in or on contact holes and grooves which permit the connection between lower and upper distributing wires. This barrier layer has frequently been formed, between layers of a wire material and an insulating material, for the purpose of preventing any mutual diffusion between the wire material and the insulating material and hence preventing the occurrence of any deterioration of the characteristic properties of such a semiconductor element, while the adherent later has likewise frequently been formed, between layers of a wire material and an insulating material, for the purpose of preventing any peeling of films at the boundary between the layers of the wire material and the insulating material.
There has recently been proposed the use of a copper material having a lower specific resistance as a material for forming distributing wires within contact holes and/or grooves, in place of the conventionally used Al materials. In this case, a barrier layer is formed between copper distributing wires and a silicon oxide film or the like, in order to prevent any diffusion of copper into an insulating layer consisting of, for instance, a silicon oxide film serving as a primary coat for the copper distributing wires.
Incidentally, there has conventionally been used the plating technique in the formation of such copper distributing wires described above. However, the size of contact holes or the like has become longer and narrower as the reduction of the scale of the distributing wires of, for instance, LSI elements, and an additional problem arises, such that it would be difficult for a plating solution to penetrate into even the deep depth or interior of, for instance, such long and narrow contact holes having such a high aspect ratio. Accordingly, this makes the formation of copper distributing wires from such a plating solution, quite difficult.
For this reason, there has been investigated, under the existing circumstances, a method which makes use of a gas, represented by the CVD technique as a substitute for the plating technique, as a means for forming copper distributing wires.
In the copper distributing wire-forming process, which makes use of the CVD technique, however, the formation of the copper film is greatly affected by the surface characteristic properties of the material used for forming a primary coat and more specifically, the process suffers from various problems in that (1) it is difficult to form initial nuclei and it takes a long period of time to form such initial nuclei; and (2) the film is apt to undergo the so-called island-like growth. Accordingly, it would be quite difficult to form a continuous film by the use of the foregoing process. For this reason, when the hole diameter: φ is not more than 0.2 μm and the width of the groove is not more than 0.2 μm and when the aspect ratio of these holes and/or grooves is not less than 4, the filling of, for instance, a hole would be accompanied by the formation of voids and accordingly, it would in fact be difficult to completely fill such a hole or the like. Thus, any CVD technique cannot be used for filling holes or grooves each having a diameter of not more than 0.1 μm, whose filling by the plating technique becomes difficult and this would result in a serious problem in the future.
The process likewise suffers from a problem in that it is difficult to ensure any excellent adhesion between the copper-containing film formed through the CVD technique and a barrier layer or the like.
The formation of a continuous film according to the CVD technique requires the acceleration of the nuclei-forming rate at the initial step of a film-forming process and an increase of the density of nuclei thus formed and accordingly, the role of a barrier layer (adherent layer) used as the primary coat would become quite important. At the same time, it is likewise important to ensure good adhesion between the barrier layer (adherent layer) and the copper-containing film for the formation of copper distributing wires.
When using a copper film formed according to the CVD technique as distributing wires, there has been known a method which comprises the steps of forming, in advance, a vanadium nitride film according to the reactive sputtering technique or the CVD technique and then growing a film of a copper material on the vanadium nitride film by the CVD technique to thus form a barrier layer having good adhesion to the copper film and having a small internal stress (see, for instance, Patent Document 1 specified later). In this case, bis(cyclopenta-dienyl) vanadium(III) is, for instance, used as a raw material for forming a barrier layer, but any satisfactory barrier layer has not always been prepared. Moreover, there has been used known materials such as (hexafluoro-acetyl acetonato) copper(I) trimethyl vinyl silane [Cu(hfac)(tmvs)] as the raw materials for forming copper-containing films, but the hole is not always completely filled therewith when the diameter of the hole is small, under the existing circumstances. This would possibly be resulted from the characteristic properties of the primary coat.
The conventionally used Cu(hfac)(tmvs) described above suffers from additional problems such that any desired copper-containing film cannot be prepared in good reproducibility (any stable filling of, for instance, holes cannot be ensured when the size of the opening of the hole: φ is not more than 0.2 μm and when the aspect ratio is not less than 4), which would possibly be resulted from the characteristic properties of the primary coat, and that voids are generated due to the annealing treatment after the step of filling the holes or the like.
FIGS. 6 and 7 schematically show voids possibly generated when a copper-containing film is formed according to the conventional techniques. More specifically, FIG. 6 shows the voids generated when copper distributing wires are formed by applying a conventional copper-containing film on a conventional barrier layer to thus fill holes or the like present thereon with the same, while FIG. 7 illustrates the conditions of voids generated during the annealing treatment carried out after the conventional step of forming copper distributing wires.
When forming copper distributing wires, the foregoing problems would arise and accordingly, the conventional techniques would never produce any LSI element provided with highly reliable distributing wires. Thus, one of the causes for this would be believed to be the instability of the raw materials typical of the Cu(hfac)(tmvs) complex described above and for this reason, there has been desired for the development of a raw material for forming copper-containing film, which is excellent in hole- or groove-filling properties and which can satisfy other characteristic properties as well.
Moreover, there have likewise been known special copper complexes as raw materials for forming copper-containing films according to the CVD technique (see, for instance, Patent Document 2 specified below). When using the copper complex, however, there are many problems remaining unsolved. For instance, any condition required for forming a desired copper-containing film has not yet been elucidated.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Un-Examined Patent Publication 2003-17437 (Claims);    Patent Document 2: Japanese Un-Examined Patent Publication 2003-292495 (Claims).

Method for forming copper distributing wires


An apparatus and method for recognizing deformed speech signals outputted from a microphone includes a module for comparing deformed signals with simulated deformed signals that are generated from non-deformed speech signals that have previously been digitized and stored in a memory. Frequencies of the formants of simulated deformed signals are about two-three times the frequencies of the formants of digitized non-deformed signals.

The present invention relates to a method and to a system for processing a speech signal.
The technical field of the invention is that of methods and systems for processing signals.
The invention relates more particularly to a method and to apparatus for processing speech signals in order to facilitate the recognition of speech signals that have been disturbed or deformed, in particular speech uttered by an undersea diver.

Method and apparatus for recognizing deformed speech


Compositions are disclosed comprising (i) a high molecular weight base polymer, and (ii) a relatively low molecular weight ester copolymer comprising an olefin and a copolymerizable ester, wherein the ester copolymer has a pour point less than 40° C. In certain embodiments, the high molecular weight base polymer and the relatively low molecular weight ester copolymer are both selected from ethylene-based copolymers such as ethylene-vinyl acetate and ethylene-n-butyl acrylate.

This invention relates to adhesive compositions and methods wherein the viscosity of the adhesive in a hot melt is reduced so that it can be applied with less energy and better wet out the surface of the substrate.
A hot melt adhesive (HMA) is a thermoplastic polymer system applied in a molten state. The molten adhesives are applied to a substrate and then placed in contact with another substrate. The adhesive cools and solidifies to form a bond between the substrates. Hot melt adhesives are widely used in the packaging industry, for example, to seal and close cartons or to laminate multilayer papers.
A wide variety of thermoplastic base polymers, particularly ethylene-based polymers such as ethylene-unsaturated ester copolymers, including ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) and ethylene-n-butyl acrylate (EnBA), have traditionally been used in HMA, but often the adhesive formulation requires substantial use of low molecular weight ingredients such as wax and tackifier to adjust the viscosity and glass transition temperature to useful ranges. Thus, ethylene-unsaturated ester copolymer formulations are typically exemplified by a wax with either a low molecular weight or a low crystallization temperature.
The base polymer selection has largely influenced the flow and mechanical properties: (a) viscosity and rheology characteristics; (b) cohesive strength; (c) flexibility; and (d) adhesive strength. The viscosity of the copolymer has typically been a few orders of magnitude higher than the viscosity of the wax. Low viscosity wax has been used to reduce the high viscosity of the copolymer and resin to ensure efficient mixing. This viscosity reduction is particularly important during the mixing and application stages. In the mixing stage, low viscosity is advantageous because it reduces the energy required to mix the adhesive. In the application stage, a low viscosity HMA is required to pump the molten adhesive from the storage tank to the application area and to ensure proper sprayability and/or surface wetting when applied.
The HMA attributes required for good bonding strength, cohesive strength and low viscosity generally conflict with each other. Generally selecting optimum performance is a matter of trading off one property against another, for example, reducing viscosity decreases adhesion and/or cohesive strength. It is challenging to obtain the desired balance between bonding strength and low viscosity.
The adhesion industry continues to search for adhesive compositions having a balance of properties. Accordingly, there exists a current and long felt need for adhesive compositions that overcome known deficiencies in conventional compositions and have advantageous processing properties.


A concrete dowel device including a sleeve and plate in which the sleeve includes break-away alignment tabs at the opening of the sleeve to ensure proper alignment of the plate within the sleeve during field installation. The tabs are positioned at the sleeve opening, rather than along the length of the socket, to avoid misalignment of the plate in the sleeve, simplify use and reduce manufacturing costs of the product. The sleeve and plate may include additional alignment surfaces on the plate, at the rear corners, or along the rear side of the plate and sleeve. To facilitate manufacturing, the break-away alignment tabs may be formed as molded components rotated and snapped into position. Alternatively, the break-away alignment tabs may be formed as part of an insert plate manufactured apart from and attached to the flange of the sleeve.

Concrete dowels are embedded into joints between adjacent slabs of concrete to prevent vertical displacement between the slabs to maintain a smooth pavement surface and increase the strength of the concrete in the region of the joint. While the dowels are provided to prevent excessive vertical displacement between the slabs, they are typically designed to allow a small amount of horizontal separation and lateral displacement between the slabs to relieve internal stress to accommodate drying shrinkage and thermal expansion and contraction of the slabs. This permits a normal amount of slab movement to prevent excessive cracking while still maintaining a smooth top surface of the pavement.
Traditionally, two foot lengths of rebar rods were used as the concrete dowels. But rod dowels tend to cause cracking in the concrete due to concentration of the stress on the relatively small surface area of the rods. Concrete dowels configured as larger bars and load plates were therefore developed to reduce cracking by increasing the surface area of the dowel. In comparison to rebar rods historically used as concrete dowels, larger dowel bars and plates provide a flat and significantly increased dowel surface area to improve the dowel's load transfer capability and reduce the tendency of cracking to form at the dowel location. U.S. Pat. No. 6,354,760 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/109,781 describe examples and the benefits of this approach.
To assist in embedding the dowels within adjacent slabs of concrete while the concrete is being poured, dowel devices including dowel bars (or plates) and sleeves have been developed. U.S. Pat. No. 6,145,262 describes this approach. The sleeved dowel bar has the benefit of permitting the bar to slide within the sleeve to accommodate a small amount of horizontal separation between the slabs to relieve internal stress. To accommodate lateral displacement between the slabs the sleeve is a little bit wider than the bar, which allows the bar to move laterally within the sleeve after the concrete slabs have cured. But simply making the sleeve wider than the bar removes positive registration between the bar and sleeve making it difficult to determine when the bar has been properly centered within the sleeve. As a result, construction workers have to install the bars carefully to ensure the proper spacing on either side of the plate within the sleeve, which can be a lot to ask of construction workers in some setting. To solve this problem, the sleeve described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,145,262 contains fins along the side walls of the sleeve to help align the dowel bar within the sleeve.
However, providing dowel sleeves with elongated fins along the interior side walls is an expensive solution. Including the fins along the internal surfaces of the sleeve complicates the manufacturing process and can require multiple molds to create the sleeve. Although a structure containing the fins may be manufactured separately and inserted into to the sleeve after the sleeve has been molded, this significantly complicates the manufacturing process and increases the cost of the dowel. For example, manual assembly steps may be required to insert and secure the fins within the sleeve.
In addition, even when fins are included, it is still possible with prior sleeved dowel devices to install the bar on a slant deflecting the fins prior to pouring the concrete slabs, which can reduce or eliminate the effectiveness of the fins. A plate installed on an angle within the sleeve with the fins deflected before the concrete is poured reduces or eliminates the lateral play that the dowel was designed to allow. With this system, it can also be difficult for the construction workers in the field to see whether the fins have been deflected when the plate is inserted, leading to some portion of the plates being installed without proper alignment within the sleeves.
As a result, there is a persistent need for a lower cost and more reliable concrete dowel solution and, more particularly, a need for a concrete dowel device to ensure proper registration of the plates within the sleeves without requiring cumbersome manufacturing or assembly procedures.

Concrete plate and sleeve dowel device with break-away alignment tabs


A honeycomb structure includes a honeycomb segment joined body comprising a plurality of honeycomb segments unitarily joined at joint faces thereof by means of a bonding material layer, and an outer peripheral coat layer, the honeycomb structure having a plurality of cells functioning as fluid passages disposed in parallel with one another in a central axis direction. A thickness of the outer peripheral coat layer at least at one portion of the portions (portions on end faces) located on end faces in longitudinal direction of the bonding material layer in a cross-section in a direction perpendicular to the central axis direction is larger than an average thickness of the portions other than the portions on end faces.

The present invention relates to a honeycomb structure having a plurality of honeycomb segments unitarily joined by means of a bonding material layer. More specifically, the present invention relates to a honeycomb structure useful as a trapping filter for exhaust gas, particularly as a diesel particulate filter (DPF) for trapping particulate matter or the like contained in exhaust gas from a diesel engine, and capable of effectively inhibiting generation of defects such as cracks due to thermal stress by lightening an influence of thermal stress generated upon production.
A honeycomb structure is incorporated in an exhaust system or the like of a diesel engine as a trapping filter for exhaust gas, for example, as a diesel particulate filter (DPF) in order to trap and remove particulate matter contained in exhaust gas from a diesel engine or the like. Such a honeycomb structure has a problem of generating defects such as a crack due to thermal stress generated on an outer peripheral coat layer (particularly, in a portion located on an end face in the longitudinal direction of the bonding material layer in a cross-section in a direction perpendicular to a central axis direction). Though it can be considered to lower a cooling rate in order to reduce such defects, it is not the best measure since it lowers productivity.
Particularly, a honeycomb structure of silicon carbide is expected because it is excellent in thermal resistance. However, it has a high thermal expansion coefficient (high thermal stress generated) and low thermal shock resistance in comparison with a cordierite honeycomb structure, and the aforementioned problem is amplified. Further, remarkable increase in thermal stress caused in accordance with recent increase in size of a filter causes more serious generation of defects such as a crack more frequently to higher extent.


An active area pattern is formed atop a deep trench pattern with a single exposure using an alternative phase-shift mask. To prevent adjacent spaces of opposite phase from intersecting one another at the ends of substantially opaque features of the active area pattern, one or more connectors are used to connect the ends of the substantially opaque patterns. Trench regions of the deep trench pattern are arranged such that the conduction path of the connectors are interrupted and prevent the lines from shorting to one another. Alternatively, a bit line pattern or a word line pattern having a lines and spaces array and a support region are printed with a single exposure using an alternating phase-shift mask. At one end of the array region, lines having a respective phase shift extend into the support region, and lines of the opposite phase shift are terminated. At the opposite end of the array, the lines that have the opposite phase shift extend into the support region, and the lines of having the respective phase shift are terminated.

The present invention relates to photolithography methods and, more particularly, to optical lithography methods for forming fine-sized patterns on a wafer or other substrates, such as using a photolithographic mask and a projection lens.
In existing projection systems used in optical photolithography, a quasi-monochromatic, spatially incoherent light source of wavelength λ is used to illuminate a photolithographic mask having various patterns, such as a periodic pattern of equally spaced lines. The illuminating beam is usually collimated to ensure a highly uniform intensity distribution at the plane of the mask, and an adjustable condenser stop is used to control the degree of coherence of the illuminating beam. The light is transmitted through the mask and collected by a projection lens which images the mask patterns onto a wafer located at the image projection plane, typically at a predetermined reduction ratio.
In such projection systems, a lines and spaces pattern on the mask diffracts the illuminating beam and forms a plurality of light beams that pass through a projection lens. An optical image of the lines and spaces pattern is formed on the wafer when the light beams interfere with each other. The smaller the pitch of the lines and spaces pattern on the mask, however, the larger the angle at which light diffracted by the mask spreads. Thus, if the pitch of the lines and spaces pattern is sufficiently small, the angle defined by two adjacent diffracted light beams is large enough for the first order and higher order diffracted light beams to impinge outside the projection lens so that no optical image is formed on the wafer.
To print such smaller lines and spaces patterns on a wafer, projection lenses having larger numerical apertures are used to accept larger incidence angles of diffracted light. The numerical aperture (NA) of a projection lens is defined as NA=sin θ, where θ is the half-angle of a cone that is subtended by the clear aperture of the projection lens at the wafer. As an alternative, the exposure wavelength is decreased to decrease the angle of diffraction occurring at the mask. In both methods, however, as the lines and spaces patterns that are to be printed approach submicron sizes, the contrast of the patterns formed on the wafer deteriorates, and the depth of focus decreases. As a result, neither alternative is practical at these smaller dimensions.
As an example, dynamic random access memory devices (DRAMs) typically include a semiconductor memory cell array formed of a plurality of memory cells arranged in rows and columns and include a plurality of bit lines as well as a plurality of word lines that intersect the bit lines. Each memory cell of the array is located at the intersection of a respective word line and a respective bit line and includes a capacitor for storing data and a transistor for switching, such as a planar or vertical MOS transistor. The word line is connected to the gate of the switching transistor, and the bit line is connected to the source or drain of the switching transistor. When the transistor of the memory cell is switched on by a signal on the word line, a data signal is transferred from the capacitor of the memory cell to the bit line connected to the memory cell or from the bit line connected to the memory cell to the capacitor of the memory cell.
Current DRAM technology often uses a buried capacitor DRAM memory in which memory bits are constructed in pairs to allow sharing of a bit line contact. The sharing of the bit line contact significantly reduces the overall cell size. Typically, the memory bit pair includes an active area (AA), a pair of word lines, a bit line contact, a metal or polysilicon bit line, and a pair of cell capacitors.
The bit line pitch, i.e., the width of the bit line plus the distance between adjacent bit lines, typically determines the active area pitch and the capacitor pitch. The active area width is typically adjusted to maximize the transistor drive and minimize the transistor-to-transistor leakage.
The word line pitch typically determines the space available for the bit line contact, the transistor length, the active area space, and the capacitor length. Each of these dimensions must be optimized to maximize device capacitance, minimize device leakage and maximize process yield.
As semiconductor devices become increasingly smaller, the active area pitch, the bit line pitch, and the word line pitch decrease accordingly. The segmented line mask patterns that define the features likewise are smaller and become increasingly difficult to print because of line shortening effects. Moreover, the active area, bit line and word line mask patterns not only include lines and spaces, which are used in the array areas of these levels, but also include small isolated spaces, which likewise are difficult to print because of the limited size of the open areas that can be printed using the masks, as well as larger sized features used in the support circuitry regions.
To form such finer lines and spaces patterns, a phase-shifting mask is used. The optical phase of light transmitted through some or all of the mask is changed by changing the thickness of various regions of the mask, either by depositing additional transparent material where needed or by removing a thin layer from the mask at specific locations, thereby selectively adjusting the transmitted optical phase at these locations. The phase-shifting mask diffracts the light transmitted by the mask pattern and causes it to interfere destructively or constructively based on the location on the mask pattern, thereby increasing the depth of focus and allowing for the printing of finer lines and spaces patterns.
Typically, an attenuated phase-shift mask (PSM) is used to print the active area pattern as well as other patterns. The dark areas of the mask typically transmit the incident light at a reduced intensity but with a 180 degrees phase shift relative to the clear areas of the mask so that the light transmitted by the dark areas interfere with the light transmitted by the clear areas. The use of attenuated phase-sift masks, however, requires off-axis illumination (OAI) and thus cannot be carried out using standard projection printing systems.
As an alternative, an alternating phase-shift mask may be used in which the light is transmitted only by the clear regions on the mask and in which adjacent clear regions have respective phase shifts of 0 and 180 degrees. The light diffracted into the line regions between the clear regions interfere destructively to improve the image contrast as well as the resolution and depth of focus. However, the active area, bit line and word line masks have patterns that include at lease one array area formed of equal lines and spaces as well as one or more support areas formed of various other patterns. At the ends of the array region, for example, the clear spaces between the solid lines merge so that if an alternating phase-shift mask is used, a space with a 0 degree phase change would intersect with a space having a 180 degree phase change.
To prevent the intersection of two spaces having different phases, one or more dark regions must be included at the ends of the lines to separate the two types of clear areas. However, the patterns printed using such a mask have lines that are shorted to each other and thus would require a second exposure using another mask pattern, typically a standard chrome-on-glass mask pattern, to remove the segments creating the shorts. Additionally, the layout in the support region may also require a double exposure. The double exposure required to incorporate an alternating phase-shift mask pattern requires an additional mask-to-mask alignment step that increases the possibility of introducing alignment errors as well as increasing fabrication costs and personnel expense. The added mask level also increases the possibility of introducing defects. As a result, the use of alternating phase-shift masks are limited to mask levels having only array type patterns that require only a single exposure or to mask levels in which the added cost of a double exposure step cannot be avoided.
It is therefore desirable to provide an alternating phase shift mask pattern that may be used to print a given mask level using only a single exposure.

Single exposure of mask levels having a lines and spaces array using alternating phase-shift mask

International Business Machines Corporation


Disclosed herein is a process for forming a multilayer construction, and the multilayer constructions including at least one layer of an elastic meltblown fabric, the process comprising extruding one or more polyolefin polymer (e.g., a propylene-α-olefin copolymer) having a MFR from less than 90 dg/min through at least one die having a plurality of nozzles to form a plurality of continuous fibers, at least one die operating at a melt pressure from greater than 500 psi (3.45 MPa) to form at least one elastic meltblown fabric, and adhering the at least one elastic meltblown fabric to at least one extensible fabric.

The market desires a highly elastic, breathable, nonwoven fabric with the necessary aesthetic qualities that requires no form of mechanical activation. Existing products are complex laminates comprised of an elastic film: typically a styrenic block copolymer ("SBC") or polyurethane as the elastic film that has polyolefin skins coextruded onto the film to prevent blocking, and nonwovens in order to provide the correct aesthetic (a soft, fluffy, cushion-like texture) and in certain constructions a hot melt glue layer to bond the nonwoven to either side of the elastic film. These types of constructions, once formed, are often not elastic due to the constraining influence of the inelastic components such as the polyolefin skin layers and nonwoven facing layers.
In order to remove the constraining influence of non-elastic elements, many composites require a mechanical stretching or activation process in order to stretch or break the non-elastic components. The mechanical stretching removes the constraints and creates an elastic composite controlled by the SBC film. Furthermore, such composites require the film to be apertured in order to make these laminates breathable. This process involves the controlled puncturing/tearing of the film with the associated concerns for film failure and increased scrap rates.
Recently, film composites have arrived on the market that do not require mechanical activation. These products still comprise a SBC film layer with a highly extensible spunlaced layer attached to either side of the film using thin lines of hot melt glue. The regions between the glued areas are not constrained and therefore elastic because the film does not have a coextruded skin and the nonwoven is extensible and non-restraining. However, these products are not breathable, require adhesives, and like all of the film laminate products are costly to produce.

Polyolefin-based elastic meltblown fabrics


Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an assembly for sealing a rigid pipe, a furnace, and a gasket for use in an HVAC fluid conduit. Some embodiments include a furnace with an inducer blower drawing combustion air through the furnace, and the assembly is used to connect one or more flue conduit(s) and an exhaust pipe. In one embodiment, the gasket used in the assembly includes a tubular body, at least a portion of which is engaged along an inner surface of the fluid conduit, a rim extending outwardly from a tubular body end, and two or more ears extending from the rim, wherein the ears are spaced apart from the tubular body and extend in substantially the same direction as the tubular body. The ears further include a first rib located proximate a distal end of the ear.

Various sealing assemblies for joining conduit pipes exist, and many of these assemblies utilize gasket designs. These designs often focus on providing a seal at one or more locations while securing pipes together. However, problems exist with these designs, particularly in the unsealed configuration. For example, gaskets may only be designed to mate with a particular area or surface requiring sealing, and as a result, they may be loosely or awkwardly configured in a given sealing assembly prior to installation.
This issue is prevalent in sealing assemblies used in HVAC devices, particularly exhaust assemblies for gas-fired furnaces that utilize a male to female pipe connection. In these designs, a gasket may only be loosely arranged within a given pipe prior to installation, and the gasket may become dislodged and/or lost during shipping. In addition, these assemblies are typically coupled and uncoupled at least once prior to final installation. This often results in the male pipe pushing the gasket into the female pipe causing further challenges, and potentially, if not identified, significant harm to the operation of the underlying HVAC system.
As a result, there exists a need for an improved sealing assembly, which is able to accomplish the significant sealing requirements of a complex joint, while also allowing for efficient packaging and transportation in an uninstalled configuration. The sealing assembly should also be able to be coupled and uncoupled prior to final installation with a decreased risk of being dislodged.


A device for correcting flat, inverted or retracting human nipples includes a tube having a piston inserted into one end and a removable, reversible tip attached to the other end. The tip is constructed from a flexible clear or semi-clear material. The tip is configurable by reversing its position to fit particular nipple sizes and/or to perform particular functions. Suction pressure is applied to evert the nipple by pulling the piston out of the tube. A method of using the device is also disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to medical devices and methods, and, more particularly to a device for applying a gentle, controlled suction pressure to a human nipple/areola. The device and method are useful for correcting flat, inverted or retracting nipples to improve latch-on of an infant during breast feeding or for cosmetic reasons.
2. Background Information
A nipple flattens, retracts or inverts due to tiny bands of connective tissue, or adhesions, which attach the nipple to the breast tissue and pull the nipple inward. Flat, inverted or retracting nipples may be particularly troublesome to a woman who is attempting to breast feed her baby. If the baby is unable to latch onto the breast, the baby cannot feed and the lack of effective suckling could lead to lactation failure.
Various devices are known in the art for correction of flat, inverted or retracting nipples, i.e., devices which evert the nipple. One device used for treatment of inverted nipples is disclosed by Kesaree, et al., Treatment of Inverted Nipples Using a Disposable Syringe, J. Hum Lact 9(1), 1993, at 27-29. This device is constructed using a conventional syringe which is cut one centimeter from the nozzle. The piston is then inserted into the cut end and the smooth end is placed over the user's areola. The user then pulls out the piston to maintain a steady pressure and evert the nipple. A drawback of this device, however, is that it requires a cutting procedure to modify a syringe which is not designed to fit over a nipple. Further, if a user has a large nipple, the smooth end may not fit over the areola and the chances of damage to the nipple and surrounding tissue may be increased.
The NIPLETTE, which is manufactured by Cannon Babysafe, is also designed to correct inverted nipples. The Niplette includes a cap for placement over a nipple and a short tube connected to the cap. A syringe is connected to a valve at the open end of the tube to create suction pressure and evert the nipple. The syringe is then removed and the cap and tube are worn during the day and/or at night. A drawback of this device is that it must be worn continuously. In addition, the device may not be suitable for use on lactating breasts and is not recommended for use during the last two months of pregnancy. The device is also relatively expensive.
Another device for everting nipples is commonly known as a breast shell or milk cup. This device is worn prenatally and/or between feedings. A drawback of this device is that it sometimes promotes leakage of milk due to continuous pressure and is often not adequately ventilated, possibly causing skin breakdown. In addition, this device may cause mastitis due to pressure on tissue behind the nipple.
Another device which helps to evert the nipple is known as a nipple shield, which is worn over the nipple during breast feeding. Drawbacks of this device are that it decreases milk production with prolonged usage and may promote sore nipples and tissue breakdown by holding moisture next to the skin. Moreover, it is often necessary to use one hand to hold the device on the breast while breast feeding. Still another device for correcting flat, inverted or retracting nipples is a breast pump. This type of device often requires complicated assembly and may be quite costly.
Despite the need in the art for an apparatus and method of using the apparatus which overcome the disadvantages, shortcomings and limitations of the prior art, none insofar as is known has been developed.

Apparatus and method for correcting flat, inverted or retracting nipples of varying sizes


The present invention provides a composition for forming a compressed solid dosage form that is a free-flowing compressible admixture of simethicone, an adsorbant, and an optional active agent, wherein the weight ratio of simethicone to adsorbent is at least 1:2.22. Also included are solid dosage forms made from a free-flowing compressible admixture of simethicone, an adsorbant, and an optional active agent, wherein the weight ratio of simethicone to adsorbent is at least 1:2.22.

Active agents, e.g., pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and the like, intended for oral administration are often provided in solid form as tablets, capsules, pills, lozenges, or granules. Oral dosage forms are swallowed whole, chewed in the mouth, disintegrated in the mouth and swallowed, or dissolved sublingually.
When administered orally, simethicone is used as an adjunct in the symptomatic treatment of flatulence, functional gastric bloating, and postoperative gas pains. The clinical use of simethicone is based on its antifoam properties. Silicone antifoams spread on the surface of aqueous liquids, forming a film of low surface tension and thus causing the collapse of foam bubbles. Thus, for self medication in over-the-counter preparations, simethicone is used as an antiflatulent to relieve symptoms commonly referred to as gas, including upper GI bloating, pressure, fullness, or stuffed feeling. It is often combined with other gastrointestinal medications, such as antacids, antispasmodics or digestive enzymes and various simethicone formulations are previously disclosed.
Simethicone can be administered orally as a liquid preparation or as solid form for example capsules, chewable or swallowable tablets. The advantage of tablets over liquids is the ease of portability. The advantages of swallowable tablets over chewable tablets include the ease of ingestion and lack of taste. Coated tablets are preferred for swallowable tablets.
Historically, in preparing solid simethicone dosage forms, difficulties have been encountered when attempting to incorporate substantial quantities of the liquid simethicone in the solid final blend for tableting. The difficulty has been to achieve sufficient flowability for processing and sufficient cohesion for compaction, particularly for direct compression tableting, so that the tablet will withstand the rigors of further processing, e.g., film coating, gelatin dipping, printing, packaging and the like. Likewise, difficulties have been encountered in assuring that the viscous liquid simethicone is uniformly distributed throughout the solid formulation and expeditiously dispersed upon administration.
Japanese Patent No. SHO 39[1961]-46451 to Kitsusho Yakuhin Kogyo KK discloses a method for preparing simethicone tablets by mixing and granulating simethicone with aluminium silicate, magnesium aluminum metasilicate, and magnesium silicate. In particular, the formulation disclosed by the above Japanese patent requires at most 25% simethicone and 75% or greater silicate, binder and dispersing agent. Binders were disclosed as being starch and lactose. Dispersing agent was disclosed as being carboxymethylcellulose. Further, the above Japanese patent discloses that when the amount of simethicone exceeds 25%, a portion of the simethicone can be carried away, therefore the tablet workability is not desirable.
JP 5097681 to Horii Yakuhin Kogyo KK discloses a preparation wherein simethicone is adsorbed to magnesium aluminate metasilicate and dextrin. Excipient was then added and the preparation was tableted. Following tableting a hydroxypropyl methylcellulose phthalate coating was added, followed by applying additional simethicone and gelatin. The amount of simethicone in the final tablet was about 15%.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,906,478 discloses a simethicone preparation including a powdered combinate of particulate calcium silicate and simethicone. U.S. Pat. No. 5,073,384 discloses simethicone preparations including combinates of water soluble agglomerated maltodextrin and simethicone. U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,886 discloses a free-flowing granular composition including titanium dioxide having specific particle size and surface area in combination with simethicone.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,103,260 describes the use of an admixture of simethicone and either one or both of granular anhydrous tribasic calcium phosphate or dibasic calcium, wherein the admixture in a uniform granular composition of not more than 1000 micron particle size, that is suitable for compression into a solid dosage form for oral administration. While the amount of simethicone in the final composition was disclosed as being 10% to 50%, the final tablet weight was in excess of 1000 mg.
What is needed, therefore, is a free-flowing compressible composition containing simethicone for forming a solid dosage, wherein either larger quantities of simethicone can be incorporated therein or smaller solid dosage forms containing the same amount of simethicone.
Surprisingly, it has been discovered that using silicified microcrystalline cellulose and magnesium aluminometasilicate as substrates onto which simethicone or other oil or liquid active is adsorbed provides such a composition. Thus, there is provided by the present invention a free-flowing compressible composition containing simethicone for forming a solid dosage form that contains either larger weight percentages of simethicone while maintaining substantially the same size than previously possible or the same weight percentage of simethicone in a smaller size. In addition, the present invention is directed to such solid oral dosage forms and related processes.


Methods of treating a subject suffering from a disease or a disorder associated with hyperproliferating cells. The method includes non-invasively administering to the subject ultrasound at a low intensity in a dose effective to selectively prevent the growth of the hyperproliferating cells or to eliminate the hyperproliferating cells in the subject, while substantially not affecting the cell viability of normal cells of the subject. The low intensity is pre-determined to be lower than a cavitational threshold intensity for a selected frequency.

Ultrasound has been used for several decades in the medical field, mostly as a diagnostic tool, and to a lesser extent as a therapeutic device.
In most therapeutic methods ultrasound has been applied topically, either externally (on the skin surface) or internally (tympanal, buccal, vaginal or nasal applications). The common feature in this type of application is that the therapeutic effect results from increasing the penetration of the membrane, thereby enabling the delivery of medicines and/or other therapeutic agents. Another application of ultrasound which relies on enhancing the skin permeability is to increase the delivery out of the skin (namely for sensing purposes), thereby enhancing the sensitivity of measurement techniques (for example, measuring glucose levels on the skin). All of these methods require low intensity ultrasound, so that to avoid damaging the skin more than needed to increase its permeability, and have a short range of impact.
In some cases, ultrasonic therapy uses focused, localized heating to selectively destroy tissue anomalies. Heating a tissue beyond a critical temperature for a period of time causes necrosis, the destruction of tissue. Therefore, another type of therapeutic application of ultrasound is by using High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU), which is used to affect inner organs, mostly by ablation, without affecting the skin or intermediate membranes and/or tissues. Clinical HIFU procedures are typically performed in conjunction with an imaging procedure to enable treatment planning and targeting before applying a therapeutic or ablative levels of ultrasound energy. When Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used for guidance, the technique is sometimes called Magnetic Resonance-guided Focused Ultrasound, often shortened to MRgFUS or MRgHIFU.
During the last decade many studies have concentrated on cancer treatment. Some of these studies focused on non-invasive, targeted treatment of cancerous cells by utilizing different triggers and drug carriers. Moreover, some applications, like ultrasound, have been tested for their ability to enhance drug release and carriers penetration into tumors. Other studies focused on identifying the effect of ultrasound on cancerous cells, albeit without comparing its effect on normal cells.
Specifically, ultrasound was used for cancer treatment in a number of methods which include: tumor exposure to ultrasound directly and indirectly (using HIFU) in order to increase drug or carrier/drug penetration into tumors, drug carriers exposure to ultrasound as a trigger for drug release and even tumor ablation by HIFU. For example, HIFU in the treatment of solid tumors is described by James E. Kennedy in Nature Reviews Cancer, published online 18 Mar. 2005, pages 321-327.
At high enough acoustic intensities both cavitation (abrupt microbubble formation as a result of liquid medium exposure to ultrasound) and temperature elevation can occur, which in turn, cause various kinds of tissue damage. Because the onset of cavitation and the resulting tissue damage can be unpredictable, it has generally been avoided in clinical applications. Furthermore, a disadvantage of methods relying on ablation and/or thermal elevation is that the tissue damage is not limited to the cancerous tissue, but unselectively affects all the neighboring healthy tissue within the treated area.
Several methods have been suggested to address this non-selectivity of ablation:                U.S. Pat. No. 7,481,781 disclosed the combined use of an electric field and ultrasound to ablate a cell or tissue.        PCT Publication No. WO 2006/051542 disclosed exposing nanoparticles to electromagnetic radiation under conditions wherein the nanoparticles generate microbubbles which emit heat when exposed to ultrasonic radiation.        US Patent Application No. 20130131432 disclosed a method to use Tuned resonant frequency ultrasound ("TRFU") at intensities as high as 107 W/cm2, for the treatment of cancer that selectively destroys neoplastic cells while leaving surrounding healthy tissue minimally affected. TRFU is based on the calculation of a resonant frequency according to the size of the cellular structure targeted for disruption. Namely, for certain types of cancerous cells, a resonance frequency is calculated, and the intensity is fitted accordingly, thereby reducing or eliminating the neoplastic cells. However, this method is "blind" to cancerous cells having the same size of normal cells, and furthermore the frequencies taught in this application are unconventionally high for therapeutic uses, and reach 16 MHz and higher.
However, none of the studies conducted so far have been able to provide a therapeutically non-invasive selective treatment method of cancer and/or other proliferative diseases, which will avoid causing damage to a healthy tissue, cells or organs, while being solely based on ultrasound at low intensities, as opposed to HIFU, which is also non-invasive, but uses high intensities of ultrasound, and avoided damage to tissues only by its focusing mechanism.
There is therefore a continuing need to find alternative therapeutically selective non-invasive treatment method of cancer and/or other proliferative diseases, which relies solely on ultrasound at low intensities.

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