A converter is provided in which the cost and size of which are reduced by a decrease in current consumption with no need of large elements or radiation fins. The converter has a switching element (Q1) being connected to a DC power source through a primary winding (P) of a transformer (T), a control circuit (4) for turning on/off the switching element (Q1), a diode (D51) and a capacitor (C51) for rectifying/smoothing the voltage induced in the secondary winding (S) of the transformer (T) to extract DC output, and a starting circuit (5) for starting the control circuit (4). The starting circuit (5) operates as a constant current circuit (Q2, R1, R2, ZD1, D1) while starting the control circuit (4), and as a constant voltage circuit (Q2, R1, R2, ZD2, D1) after starting the control circuits (4).

FIG. 1 shows an example of a conventional DC-DC converter of that type. In FIG. 1, a sinusoidal wave voltage from an AC power source 1 is rectified and smoothed by a full-wave rectifying circuit 2 and a capacitor C1, to produce a DC voltage. The produced DC voltage is passed through a switching element Q1 and is applied to a primary winding P of a transformer T. The switching element Q1 is ON/OFF-controlled according to a drive signal from a control circuit 4. Although not shown, the control circuit 4 can control various circuits such as an output voltage feedback circuit, an output current feedback circuit, an output overvoltage protection circuit, an output voltage decrease detection circuit, and an overheat protection circuit.
The DC voltage generated by the capacitor C1 turns on a constant-current start-up circuit 5 consisting of a switching element Q2 made of a MOSFET, a resistor R1, a resistor R2, a Zener diode ZD1, and a diode D1. Namely, the DC voltage is passed through the resistor R1 and is applied to a gate of the switching element Q2 to turn on the switching element Q2, to thereby pass a constant current through a route of the switching element Q2, resistor R2, diode D1, and capacitor C2. This results in charging the capacitor C2. When the voltage of the capacitor C2 reaches a start-up voltage (for example, 16 V) of the control circuit 4, the control circuit 4 starts to output a drive signal to the switching element Q1.
In response to the drive signal, the switching element Q1 starts to turn on and off. When the switching element Q1 is ON, the voltage is applied to the primary winding P of the transformer T, which accumulates energy.
When the switching element Q1 is OFF, the energy accumulated in the transformer T is discharged as electrical energy from a secondary winding S of the transformer T. This voltage is rectified and smoothed by a diode D51 and a capacitor C51, to provide a required DC voltage. The transformer T has a tertiary winding C serving as a power source for the control circuit 4. A voltage generated by the tertiary winding C is rectified and smoothed by a diode D2 and the capacitor C2, to provide a source voltage for the control circuit 4.
The start-up circuit 5 consumes large power because it receives a current from the high-voltage power source. If a large start-up current is needed to shorten a start-up time of the DC-DC converter, it will involve increased energy. Accordingly, a start-up control circuit 6 having a diode 3, a resistor R3, a resistor R4, a capacitor C3, and a switching element Q3 detects a start of the DC-DC converter (corresponding to a start of the control circuit 4) according to a voltage generated by the tertiary winding C of the transformer T, and according to the detected voltage, turns on the switching element Q3. This brings a gate bias voltage of the switching element Q2 nearly to a ground voltage, to turn off the switching element Q2. This results in turning off the start-up circuit 5. In this way, the start-up circuit 5 is turned off after a start of the DC-DC converter, to reduce unnecessary power consumption.


A non-destructive inspection apparatus includes a magnetic field applying device and a magnetic sensor. The magnetic field applying device is adapted to apply DC and AC magnetic fields to an object to be inspected. Degradation/damage of the object is detected by measuring a magnetic characteristic of the object in a state in which the DC and AC magnetic fields are applied. Also, a non-destructive inspection apparatus includes as a magnetic sensor a plurality of pickup coils and a SQUID(s) connected to the pickup coils and decides the form of a defect of an object to be inspected by producing a difference between outputs of the pickup coils or SQUIDs.

The present invention relates to an inspection apparatus which non-destructively inspects degradation (artificial aging embrittlement) and/or strain damages, or defects in a structure or a practical equipment member by use of a SQUID (superconducting quantum interference device).
One example of the conventional method for detection of the embrittlement (or degradation) of a metal material is disclosed by JP-A-54-61981. In the disclosed method, the presence/absence of the embrittlement of a weld metal of austenitic stainless steel is decided in accordance with whether or not the quantity of .delta. ferrite has been reduced from its initial value by at least 5%.
Non-destructive inspection of defects using SQUID's is discussed by Weinstock et al. in SQUID'85-Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices and their Applications, 853-856, 1985 Walter de Gruyter & Co. , Berlin-New York printed in Germany. The other prior art references relevant to non-destructive inspection of defects using SQUID's include JP-A-63-235876 JP-A-63-32384, JP-A-60-147646 and JP-A-60-58565. These references disclose the use of pickup coils having a higher-order differential coil structure.

Apparatus for inspecting degradation/damage of a material using an AC magnet, a superconducting DC magnet and a SQUID sensor


Clean, safe and efficient methods, systems, and processes for utilizing thermolysis methods to processes to convert various e-waste sources into Clean Fuel Gas and Char source are disclosed. The invention processes e-waste sources, such as for example whole circuit boards, to effectively shred and/or grind the waste source, and then process using thermolysis methods to destroy and/or separate halogen and other dangerous components to provide a Clean Fuel Gas and Char source, along with the ability to recover precious metals and other valuable components from the Char.

The global e-waste market creates over 50 million tons per year with an estimated 3% (1.5 million tons) in printed wiring boards (PWB), also referred to as printed circuit boards (PCB) and an estimated 30% (15 million tons) in plastic resins. The U.S. alone contributes between about 28-33% of the global e-waste totals. The e-waste market is expected to continue to increase an estimated 10-15% annually with the global consumer demand appetite for newest electrical and electronic equipment. Simply put, the world is awash in e-wastes. The result is a critical and worsening economic environment in need for solutions to discarded e-waste products. Globally, the values of precious metals, copper and aluminum (predominant in e-waste sources) have fluctuated significantly further reducing the interest in effectively recovering or recycling components from the ever-growing e-waste recycling/recovery market. In addition, various state regulations aim to restrict or limit landfill dumping of e-waste sources, resulting in significantly reduced incentives for processing e-waste sources.
Accumulating e-waste sources present a number of difficulties in developing processing techniques. Different approaches have been used for processing waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), a term broadly referring to the spectrum of products ranging from computers, printers and faxes, to washing machines. In particular, WEEE are classified into 14 distinct categories including: Large household appliances; Small household appliances; IT and telecommunications equipment; Consumer equipment; Lighting equipment; Electrical and electronic tools; Toys, leisure and sports equipment; Medical devices; Monitoring and control instruments; Automatic dispensers; Display equipment Refrigeration equipment; Gas discharge lamps; and Photovoltaic panels.
The four major categories of e-waste which are included in the WEEE classifications include: Printed Wiring Boards (PWBs), e-plastics, Flat screen displays (FSDs) and toner cartridges. As one skilled in the art ascertains, myriad other types of electrical and electronic devices such as cell phones, laptops, handhelds, appliances, and other devices are all included within these classifications. Electronics recycling is historically a very labor intense operation. This is a result of the diverse compositions making up e-waste sources. Plastic housings from electronic devices are ineffectively recycled as collection, sorting, re-pelletizing and shipping costs may be twice as high as the costs for virgin raw materials based on natural gas-based feed stocks. FSDs containing mercury provide another example of expense to process e-waste sources. Each flat screen display requires approximately 20 minutes' disassembly to remove the delicate mercury lamps. In addition to the ultra-high costs associated with this recycling process, the frequent mercury contamination from poor disassembly processing and breakage present a huge issue to recyclers. These examples demonstrate that the manual recycling of e-waste sources does not provide a cost-effective solution to the accumulating e-waste supply.
There are also safety concerns with processing e-waste sources. A significant percentage of the recycled polymers contain toxic compounds, including halogenated hydrocarbons and organics, antimony oxides and other polymer additive flame and/or fire and/or fire retardants. Description of hazards of halogenated substances in electrical and electronic equipment is described by Watson et al., Greenpeace Research Laboratories Technical Note, January 2010. These components are formulated in plastic housings and other components of e-waste sources to provide fire retardancy, as required to meet the global UL-94 flammability regulations. As a result, the housings cannot easily be landfilled due to the toxic flame and/or fire retardants. In the U.S. the EPA will not allow smelters to process circuit boards and release these toxins into the environment. Such toxins result from the combustion of halogenated hydrocarbons and organics generating toxic byproducts such as aromatics and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), halogenated dibenzodioxins, halogenated dibenzofurans, biphenyls, pyrones, and the like. Combustion processes generate these toxic materials which then must be removed downstream of the process and thereby render incineration approaches unsuccessful and/or not economical. As a result, large volumes of e-waste are shipped off-shore to smelters, which are becoming less economically attractive due to high transportation, processing and environmental costs. Moreover, the smelting process is inefficient and a large percentage of metals can be lost in the smelting process.
There remains a need for efficient processing of a variety of e-waste sources. A 2013 World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) patent landscape report titled E-Waste Recycling Technologies identify a myriad of end products and components, including the following categories and descriptions:
Batteries (containing hazardous cadmium and other toxins), Printed Wiring Boards and Wires or Cables.
Capacitors—components making up a large proportion of electronics on a circuit board and contain exotic and often hazardous materials used as dielectrics
LEDs—another common. Printed Wiring Board sub-component and typically in a discrete package, these components also contain a mix of material classes, such as semiconductors, ferrous and non-ferrous metals and plastics.
Magnetic components—an interesting class in that these are likely a primary of rare earth elements, in particular neodymium.
Computers/laptops; Hand-held Devices; Displays; Household Appliances—these topics are the primary "end product" types mentioned in the WIPO landscape. The displays are somewhat of a hybrid source as they can be both end products in television or computer monitor form, or components, such as part of a mobile device, laptop or tablet device.
Telecom equipment—this grouping of e-waste is one of high priority. Driven by the subscriber business model and rapid obsolescence of the mobile device industry, mobile phones, tablets and other devices make up a very large proportion of the e-waste streams in most countries. In addition to phones and tablets other telecommunications equipment is also included, such as smartphones, switch gear, interconnect sewers, mobile phones, stationary landline phone and hubs, for example.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the claimed invention to solve the long-standing problem and need in the art for efficient methods for processing a myriad of e-waste sources.
A further object of the invention is to provide methods, systems, and/or processes for utilizing thermolysis methods to safely and efficiently convert various e-waste sources to a Clean Fuel Gas and Char source without generation (and further the removal of) toxic byproducts, including small molecules, including those chlorinated polymers commonly used in these waste input streams. Toxic byproducts further include, for example, VOCs, aromatics and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), dioxins and furans, including halogenated dibenzodioxins and halogenated diberizofurans, biphenyls, pyrenes, cadmium, lead, antimony, arsenic, beryllium, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), mercury, nickel and other organic compounds. As a result, the methods, systems, and/or processes of the invention meet even the most rigid environmental standards.
A further object of the invention is to provide methods, systems, and/or processes for utilizing thermolysis methods to safely and efficiently convert various e-waste sources to a Clean Fuel Gas and Char source. In particular, the generation of a Clean Fuel Gas provides a desirable waste-to-energy pathway from a previously unutilized waste source through the recycling of tars and oils to generate Clean Fuel Gas to thereby reuse the energy that went into the original fabrication. In a further application, the generation of the Char source is suitable for further recycling and/or use of the Char source for further separation of desirable components for various applications as disclosed pursuant to the invention.
A further object of the invention is to utilize thermolysis methods to destroy (and beneficially not generate any additional) toxic halogenated organic compounds present in certain components of the waste sources.
A further object of the invention is to utilize thermolysis methods to generate clean, useable fuel gas sources substantially-free or free of halogenated organic compounds (including VOCs).
A further object of the invention is to utilize thermolysis methods to generate Char containing valuable electronic metals, precious metals, glass reinforcement and other materials, all of which are substantially-free or free of halogenated organic compounds (including VOCs).
Other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Multistage thermolysis method for safe and efficient conversion of e-waste materials


A cooling fan includes a fan housing (10) having a central tube (102) extending upwardly therefrom, a bearing (40) received in the central tube, a stator (20) mounted around the central tube, a rotor (30), and a cover (50). The bearing defines a bearing hole (47) therein. The rotor includes a hub (32), a plurality of blades (34) extending outwardly from the hub, and a shaft (36) extending downwardly from the hub into the bearing hole of the bearing. The cover is mounted around the shaft and arranged on the bearing to seal a top end of the bearing. The cover is made of powders by sintering and thus has a plurality of pores to generate capillary force to absorb lubricant oil leaking out of the bearing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cooling fan, and more particularly relates to a cooling fan having good lubricating characteristics.
2. Description of Related Art
With the continuing development of the electronic technology, electronic packages such as CPUs (central processing units) are generating more and more heat that requires immediate dissipation. Cooling fans are commonly used in combination with heat sinks for cooling the CPUs. Cooling fan performance mostly depends on performance characteristics of a bearing used thereby.
Referring to FIG. 6, a conventional cooling fan includes a rotor 1 having a shaft 2 extending downwardly from a central portion of the rotor 1, a bearing 3 defining an inner hole for receiving the shaft 2 therein, and a frame 4. A central tube 5 extends upwardly from a middle portion of the frame 4 and defines a through hole 7 therein. The bearing 3 impregnated with lubricant oil is secured in the through hole 7 of the central tube 5 to rotatably support the rotor 1. An oil retaining ring 6 is mounted around the shaft 2 and located above a top end of the bearing 3 when the cooling fan is assembled. A gap is defined between a circumferential surface of the oil retaining ring 6 and an inner circumference of a top end of the central tube 5. During operation of the cooling fan, the oil originating from the bearing 3 passes out through the gap and is lost. Lubrication of the bearing 3 is thus gradually diminished. The friction between the shaft 2 and the bearing 3 increases, resulting in noise or malfunctioning. Finally the performance of the cooling fan is reduced, and the life-span is shortened in result.
What is needed, therefore, is a cooling fan which can reduce or eliminate lubricant oil loss.

Fu Zhun Precision Industry (Shen Zhen) Co., Ltd.


A seat belt guide device for a passenger restraint belt of a motor vehicle is provided, wherein the seat belt guide device includes a fastening device with at least one spring-actuated catching device, with which the seat belt guide device can be snap-fitted or fastened to a motor vehicle in an assembly direction, wherein the seat belt guide device is preferably molded from at least one plastic injection.

A seat belt is a restraint system in motor vehicles, aircraft, and other means of transportation. In the event of vehicle deceleration caused by accident situations, the vehicle occupants are then restrained by stable belts connected to the vehicle body and thus cannot be flung around within or even out of the vehicle.
A three-point harness includes for example, buckle, latch, and the harness and retract mechanism. In addition, there are the deflectors (seat belt guide device) and the end fitting. To don the seat belt, also called buckling up, the end piece (latch) of the harness provided for this purpose is inserted into a buckle and engages therein. The harness comprises about 300 filaments which, when interwoven, yield a belt measuring 46 to 48 millimeters in width and 1.2 millimeters in thickness. The individual filaments in turn are spun from about 100 polyester fibers that are about twice as thick as a human hair.
An object of the present invention is to provide a deflector or a seat belt guide device that ensures safe and reliable operation.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an alternative to known seat belt guide devices.
In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide a seat belt guide device that is simple and/or inexpensive to manufacture.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improved seat belt guide device compared to the prior art.

Belt guide device for a passenger restraint belt of a motor vehicle


A method and apparatus for indicating functional areas of a graphical user interface are provided. A graphical interface in the form of an electronic program guide is generated. A non-textured portion of the electronic program guide is generated wherein the user can interact with functions of the electronic program guide. A textured background for the electronic program guide is generated wherein the user cannot interact with functions of the electronic program guide. The textured background of the electronic program guide is generated using a noise-pattern generator. The noise-pattern generator provides a tiled color pattern on the textured background. The tiled color pattern is randomly generated from a selectable number of colors using a selectable tile size and selectable colors.

Television broadcasting technology has improved tremendously since its inception. Today, television signals are broadcasted on the airwaves, through cables, and via satellite. The number of stations accessible today has increased to hundreds of stations. To select a program to view, many viewers simply "channel surf" until they find a channel that has a desirable program. Channel surfing refers to the process of using the channel "+" or "-" key to sequentially view each channel. Although some viewers find channel surfing among hundreds of stations enjoyable, most viewers prefer a more direct method for selecting a program to view.
Some prior art television channel selection guides provide a television channel selection guide which displays a listing of the channels typically in numeric order and the titles of the programs broadcasted or to be broadcasted on the channels. The viewer or user of the system may then select the channel by entering in the channel number or selecting a program. The system responds by removing the guide displayed and tuning to the station selected and displaying the broadcast signals of the station.
In the current generation of broadcasting system technology, a viewer is provided with many options regarding programs that are available for broadcast. These options include, but are not limited to, channel surfing among program descriptions while watching a particular program on one channel, on-demand selection of pay-per-view broadcasts, selection of a broadcast for automatic recording, and programming a broadcast system to tune to a preselected station at a designated time. These options are typically accessed through graphical user interfaces. As the number of viewer options increases, so to does the need for a user-friendly system interface. The prior art channel selection guides do not provide ready indications as to the functional areas of the system interface. In addition, as the channel selection guides become more interactive and provide the viewer with more selections, the lack of distinguishing features of interactive portions of the displays can lead to a great deal of viewer frustration.

Method and apparatus for indicating functional areas of a graphical user interface


The present invention discloses a security control method of network storage to ensure that the unencrypted data cannot be figured out from all information stored on the server. The method includes: encrypting, the private key of a user using a user credential and storing the encrypted private key in a server; encrypting data using a storage key, when uploading the data to the server, encrypting the decryption key corresponding to the storage key using the public key of the user, and submitting the encrypted data and the encrypted decryption key to the server.

Cloud storage (includes public cloud and private cloud) has been more and more of a trend. Cloud storage indicates a system that collects massive amounts of different storage devices on the Internet and makes them work together by using application software with functions such as cluster application, grid technology, or distributed file systems, for the purpose of offering data storage and business access services.
A new technology is needed to ensure that the unencrypted data cannot be figured out from all information stored on the server; so that unencrypted data cannot be accessed by other users even cloud storage service providers.

Security control method of network storage


A polarizing photonic band gap system has a photonic crystal emitter. The photonic crystal emitter has a crystal end surface. The photonic crystal emitter is configured to generate electromagnetic energy having a wavelength λ. The system has a polarizer. The polarizer is connected to the photonic crystal emitter. The polarizer has a polarizer surface. The polarizer surface is located within a distance of said crystal end surface. The distance is sufficient to quantum mechanically couple the polarizer surface with said crystal end surface at the wavelength λ.

Many current display devices (such as liquid crystal displays (LCD) or liquid-crystal-on-silicon (LCOs)) are based on polarization of light. For example, randomly oriented light may be first polarized through a first polarizer. Then, the polarized light may pass through a liquid crystal film (a "pixel array") having pixels that can individually and selectively rotate the polarization of light passing therethrough depending on a control voltage applied thereto. Then, the selectively polarized light from the pixel array passes through a second polarizer (which is often called an "analyzer," and may be designated as such herein) such that the ratio of light that is transmitted through the analyzer (for each pixel) depends on the selective polarization rotation imparted by each pixel in the pixel array.
One problem with the current technology is that most or all of the non-transmitted light (due to the first polarizer) does not get re-transmitted through the first polarizer, thus reducing the total efficiency of the system. Another problem with the current technology is that the first polarizer is manufactured in a different process—and often in a different factory across the world—than the light source (such as an incandescent lamp), and the light source must be mated to the other elements of the display in a costly additional step.

Polarizing photonic band gap system with reflector

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


The present invention provides a tool holder which realizes an improved applicability to tools with different diameters and attains high sealability and is capable of efficiently supplying a fluid at a predetermined position even when a fluid of high pressure is supplied. The tool holder comprises: an engaging member 4 provided on the top end side of a tool holding portion of a holder body 2 and comprising an inclined face 15 constructed in a manner such that the inside diameter becomes smaller toward the top end of the tool 10 held by the holder body 2; and an elastic member 5 as a stopper provided between the inclined face 15 and the outside periphery of the tool 10.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tool holder. More particularly, this invention relates to a tool holder capable of supplying a fluid such as a coolant to a processing site between a tool tip and an article to be processed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Upon processing of articles by means of tools such as drilling and milling machines, various tool holders have been conventionally used which are capable of supplying fluids such as coolants at a processing site between the tip of a tool and an article to be processed.
An example of such a tool holder is disclosed in the official gazette of the Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open (Kokai) Publication No. HEI 7-17452. This tool holder is constructed in a manner such that it comprises: a holder body with a coolant passage formed therein; a collet to be mounted at the inside diameter portion of the holder body; a nut screwed at the holder body and for fixing the collet; and a nozzle disk provided between the nut and the tool and having a plurality of nozzle holes opened toward the tip of the top end of the tool or a clearance formed to provide a predetermined space from the outside peripheral portion of the tool.
This tool holder is constructed in a manner such that a coolant supplied into the coolant passage of the holder body will pass through the inside diameter portion of the holder body and slittings of the collet and will jet out of the plurality of nozzle holes or the clearance between the tool and the nozzle disk toward the tip of the tool.
With this tool holder, an O ring is provided, as a sealing member for preventing leakage of the coolant, at the back end of an engagement portion of the nut with the nozzle disk and between the tool and the nozzle disk.
Generally, there are various kinds of tools with regard to the shape of blades and the size, and processing conditions variedly differ depending on the shape or processing depth of an article to be processed. Regarding the tool holder as disclosed in the above-mentioned official gazette, if tools with different diameters are used, the tool holder will not be able to adjust to such tools and there is a possibility that the coolant might leak from between the tool and the nozzle disk. There is also a problem in that the sealability of the tool holder is weak for the supply of a coolant of high pressure.
In addition to the above-mentioned official gazette, examples of a conventional tool holder (device for supplying fluids to a tool) are disclosed in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open (Kokai) Publication No. HEI 7-51982, the Japanese Patent Laid-Open (Kokai) Publication No. HEI 6-277916, the Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open (Kokai) Publication No. HEI 6-27046, the Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open (Kokai) Publication No. HEI 1-170531 and the Japanese Utility Model (Kokoku) Publication No. HEI 7-18515. Regarding any of these tool holders, adaptability to tools with different diameters and an improvement of sealability upon supply of a coolant of high pressure are not properly taken into consideration.


To achieve an efficacy of allowing a shaft to spin in high speed without contacting the bearing in which the shaft is seated, a bearing is configured to comprise an inner ring which includes: at least two slant arc surface zones each spaced out from the surface of the shaft with a gap shrinking, in the spinning direction of the shaft, to a thickness approximately equal to a preset minimum value. The bearing may also be configured to further comprise at least two circular arc surface zones each spaced out from the surface of the shaft with a gap having a thickness approximately equal to the preset minimum value, each of the circular arc surface zones being seated between two of the slant arc surface zones, whereby the liquid substance in the gap between the shaft and the inner ring of the bearing is expelled, when the shaft is spinning, to flow through the gap of smaller thickness or the part of the gap which is between the shaft and the circular arc surface zones, thereby the shaft doesn't have to contact the bearing when it spins with high speed.

To reduce the friction between a bearing and a shaft spinning therein, a variety of bearing structures had been developed by suppliers and tried by industries. The practical experience in applying these bearing structures as well as the evolving requirements for spinning operation of a shaft, however, leaves users in the hope of a new bearing structure for effectively reducing the friction between a shaft and a bearing.

Bearing without contacting fast spinning shaft


There are provided a data processing apparatus, a data processing method, and a computer-readable recording medium, in which icons which enable the user to visually identify functions possessed by information processing devices on a network can be displayed on virtual system construction display screen. The data processing method has the steps of: discriminating the information processing device having a server function, storing information showing which server function the information processing device having a server function discriminated by the server function discriminating step has into server function type memory means, and when it is determined by the server function discriminating step that the information processing device has at least one server function, displaying such an information processing device onto the virtual system construction display screen by character information expressing such a function.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a data processing apparatus which can communicate with various computers and various peripheral devices connected on a predetermined network and to a data processing method and a computer-readable recording medium.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, in association with the rapid spread of computers (hereinafter, referred to as PCs) such as personal computers, workstations, and the like, various peripheral devices such as printer, scanner (image reading device or the like), digital camera, and the like as peripheral devices have rapidly been spread to individuals, offices, and the like. A network such as LAN or the like for mutually connecting them has also been spread. In association with it, for a long time, there have been many requests for a construction such that the printer, modem, scanner, and the like connected to the network are shared and used by a plurality of users on the networks.
For this purpose, in recent years, an environment which enables various apparatuses on the network as well as the peripheral devices such as printer, scanner, and the like to be shared and used by a plurality of users has widely been constructed in an office or the like.
Hitherto, the network environment as mentioned above has been expressed (virtual network display) on a screen of a PC (data processing apparatus) or the like. Various PCs and various peripheral devices (including peripheral devices locally connected to the PCs) are displayed as icons onto a line expressing the network, thereby realizing such a network environment. A display expressed (virtual network display) on the screen of the PC or the like as mentioned above is hereinbelow referred to as a virtual system construction display (screen). Various methods of forming the virtual system construction display (screen) were proposed in the past and their descriptions are omitted in the present specification.
In the conventional virtual system construction display screen such that the network environment has been expressed on the screen of the PC or the like, by referring to the displays (icons) of the various PCs and various peripheral devices connected to the network, identification of the device expressed by each icon (identification showing whether the device is a printer, a scanner, a PC, or the like), a function such as data input, output, or the like of each icon (device), and its status information can be obtained from a shape or the like of the icon.
In the conventional virtual system construction display screen, however, for example, although functions of the PC of the user himself are displayed with respect to the display regarding the PC, as for the other PCs, functions of any of the PCs are not displayed. When the PC having the function which is desired by the user is searched on the network, such a PC cannot be visually identified and the target PC cannot be easily discriminated. Also in case of distributing data to a predetermined group in the PCs, since the PCs belonging to the same group cannot be easily visually identified, the user needs to confirm a distribution destination by another method. Such an operation becomes a load (burden) when the user uses a data distributing function.
As mentioned above, in the conventional data processing apparatus, there is a problem such that when the user searches a PC having a desired function on the virtual system construction display screen, such a PC cannot be visually identified and the target PC cannot be easily discriminated.
Since the PCs belonging to the same group cannot be easily visually identified on the virtual system construction display screen, the user needs to confirm the distribution destination by another method. There is a problem such that such an operation becomes a burden when the user uses the data distributing function.


A reverse power feeding system for supplying power from a plurality of first devices to a second device, a first set of the plurality of first devices each being powered by a first type power source and a second set of the plurality of first devices each being powered by a second type power source different than the first type power source, the system constituted of: a plurality of power paths, each of the plurality of power paths arranged to transfer DC power between a respective one of the plurality of first devices and the second device; and a control circuitry, the control circuitry arranged to adjust the amount of power supplied by each of the second set of the plurality of first devices over the power paths responsive to the total amount of power supplied by the first set of the plurality of first devices over the power paths.

Various communication standards, such as digital subscriber line (xDSL), very-high-bit-rate digital subscriber line 2 (VDSL2), G.hn, and G.fast, have been proposed or developed to provide high-speed data transmission from the service provider (e.g., a central office) to a customer premise over the existing twisted-pair copper wiring conventionally used for telephone service. Such technologies leverage modem technology to increase the data transfer bandwidth of the twisted-pair copper wiring. Typically, modems are provided on the ends of the subscriber line copper wiring to communicate between the central office and the customer premise. The manner in which the two modems communicate is established by the particular standard governing the communication. Because the existing telephone wire is used, the data signals are typically transferred out-of band with the voice band signals. Because different frequencies are used for the voice band and the data band, voice and data information can be concurrently transferred over the twisted-pair copper line.
Service providers have increased data bandwidth by installing fiber optic cabling between the central office and a distribution point unit (DPU) closer to the customers. A particular DPU may interface with a bundle of twisted pairs to service a relatively small number of customer premise connections. This approach shortens the length of the copper pair between the CO interface at the DPU and the customer, thereby allowing increased data rates. Thus the DPU will provided telephony and/or data to one or more customer premises equipment (CPE)
One difficulty arising from an optical connection between the central office and the DPU lies in the inability to provide a source of power for the DPU. Due to the remoteness of the DPU with respect to the central office, a local power supply is often unavailable or expensive to install.
Powering for a DPU may be provided by reverse power feeding, wherein power is supplied to the DPU from the various CPEs for which telephony and/or data services are provided from the DPU. A standard for reverse power feeding is being standardized by ETSI and the Broadband World Forum. In such an embodiment, a power supply in the DPU combines power contributions from multiple CPEs to power a main distribution unit (MDU) that handles the voice and data communication. This arrangement is referred to as a reverse power system, since the CPEs are the power sourcing equipment (PSE) and the DPU, particularly the MDU, is the powered device (PD).
During a power outage at some of the customer premises, the respective CPE will be powered by a battery. Supplying power to the DPU in such a case will drain the battery, which is undesirable. However, in the absence of reverse power, the MDU will have no source of power and thus will be unable to supply telephony or data services to all attached CPEs.


A litter tie-down apparatus is provided for quickly and easily securing a litter safely and securely in a transporting vehicle, the apparatus having a main body strap member arranged to engage the lift handles of a litter, the strap member mounting a pair of adjustable-length securement strap members arranged for connection to a securement fixture in a vehicle, and a ratchet winder assembly is provided to shorten at least one of the securement strap members and thereby tension the apparatus and litter against movement in the vehicle. A quick release arrangement selectively operates to immediately loosen the securement straps and allow the main body member to be slided off of the lift handles of the litter for emergency evacuation of the litter and patient from the vehicle.

This invention relates to litters used in the emergency transport of soldiers and other injured persons in field situations and more particularly to a litter tie-down apparatus to safely and effectively secure a patient-supporting litter in place in a vehicle to prevent from the litter from movement, rearward, laterally or vertically during operation of the vehicle in transporting the patient to a medical facility or other safe location.
Litters are well known patient transport devices particularly in field situations such as military battlefields and such, and typically comprise a pair of longitudinally elongated, laterally spaced apart poles which terminate in opposite end lifting handles, a sheet of flexible fabric material being secured in spanning condition between the pair of poles to form a bed-like surface upon which a patient is lain and strapped down. A pair of tending personnel, one disposed at each end of the litter, may then grasp the lifting handles and lift and carry the litter and reclined patient to a rescue aircraft or ground vehicle wherein the litter is secured in place prior to transport to a medical facility.
As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, it is critical that the patient-supporting litter be positively secured in the vehicle against any free movement that may result during operation of the vehicle and cause the litter to slide about or worse, tip over, tumble or otherwise become displaced with potential further injury to the already-injured patient. As will be recognized, travel in a ground vehicle in battlefield terrain can be extremely rough and precarious and travel in an aircraft is also a rough and turbulent ride at times.
Accordingly it is a well known practice to tie or otherwise secure litters down in vehicles in order to secure them against undesirable movements due to the vehicle's motions. However, while the releasable securement of litters is clearly an important aspect in the vehicle transport of litter-born patients, it is also essential that the litter be able to be quickly released from its securement in the event of accident, fire or other need for emergency evacuation from the vehicle. To this end, military requirements and regulations provide that a litter, when secured in the vehicle, must be able to be freed of its tied down securement in the vehicle within 30 seconds time, to assure for timely emergency evacuation of the litter and its occupant in the event of urgent need, such as fire, explosion, crash or other occurrence requiring immediate emergency evacuation of the vehicle.
The present invention provides a litter tie-down apparatus that is specifically arranged to provide for quick and simplified positive securement of a litter in place in a vehicle, and also is arranged to permit quick release and disconnection from the litter whereby the litter is completely freed in very short order for facilitated emergency evacuation of the litter and its occupant from the vehicle.


A method of assembling a gas removal system for an integrated gasification combined cycle is provided. The method includes coupling a first rich solvent tank in flow communication with the integrated gasification combined cycle to store a first emissions-rich solvent discharged from the integrated gasification combined cycle and coupling a first stripper in flow communication with the first rich solvent tank to facilitate removing gases from the first emissions-rich solvent. The method also includes coupling an absorber in flow communication with the first stripper to receive gases from the first stripper and create a second emissions-rich solvent and coupling a second rich solvent tank in flow communication with the absorber to store the second emissions-rich solvent.

This invention relates generally to integrated gasification combined cycles (IGCC) and, more particularly, to an acid gas removal (AGR) system to be used with an IGCC.
At least some known integrated gasification combined cycles use gasification to breakdown biomass feedstock to create synthetic gas (syngas) for use in a turbine engine. Moreover, steam produced during operation of the IGCC is used to operate a steam turbine. As such, known IGCCs can operate at efficiencies approaching 60%. After gasification, known IGCCs generally use an acid gas removal system to remove sulfur from the syngas created in the gasifier, thereby creating a low sulfur syngas that may be useable in the turbine engine.
More specifically, to remove sulfur from the syngas, at least some known IGCCs couple an absorber downstream from the gasifier. The absorber contains a solvent capable of absorbing hydrogen sulfide and carbonyl sulfide from the syngas, such that a sulfur-rich solvent is created. The sulfur-rich solvent is delivered to a stripper, wherein acid gases are removed from the solvent such that a sulfur-lean solvent can be recirculated to the absorber. The acid gases are then channeled to a sulfur recovery unit wherein a usable sulfur product is produced along with gases which can be recirculated to the gasifier.
At least some known acid gas removal systems may be incapable of meeting current emissions requirements during all operating conditions. For example, high sulfur start-up fuels may produce a large quantity of emissions. While many of the emissions generated are captured during the acid gas removal process, at least some emissions may be released into the atmosphere during system shutdowns, equipment failures, or sulfur recovery unit trips.
One known method to facilitate reducing emissions is to utilize low sulfur start-up fuels or methanol. However, such systems generally require additional inventory and handling equipment, which increase the costs associated with the IGCC. Other known systems include a start-up absorber to facilitate absorbing the syngas immediately following gasification. However, the solvents used in such an absorber typically operate at a low temperature and require low temperature syngas. As such, a start-up absorber is infeasible in at least some known systems. Moreover, known start-up absorbers are only capable of reducing emissions upstream from the acid gas removal system, but in many systems, emissions may be generated downstream from the acid gas removal system.

Methods and apparatus for reducing emissions in an integrated gasification combined cycle


The communication state is evaluated on the basis of the current positions, velocities, and moving directions included in information obtained from another mobile station by radio communications and information of the own mobile station, and the electric field strength Bi of the radio communications (S31 to S34). When the obtained evaluation value is smaller than the relative distance Li between the mobile stations (S35), processing for generating a message in the own mobile station is done in correspondence with the current position (S36 to S42), or processing for generating a message in the other mobile station is done in correspondence with the direction the other mobile station is traveling (S43 to S48).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a navigation apparatus for performing route search and route guidance to the selected destination and, more particularly, to a navigation apparatus connected with a radio communication equipment, and its navigation method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Navigation apparatuses using the position detection technique based on a GPS (global positioning system) have been remarkably developed. Especially, in recent years, in addition to route guidance to a certain destination, a scheme that allows a plurality of mobile stations each mounting a system built by connecting a navigation apparatus and communication apparatus to exchange each other's position information and messages via the communication apparatuses has been proposed, as disclosed in, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-68650.
However, in the above prior art, when the distance between the mobile stations exceeds the communication range of their communication apparatuses, the mobile stations can hardly maintain their communications, and cannot detect each other's position information.

Assurance of intercommunication and position recognition between mobile stations with navigation apparatuses


Generating an environment information map from a wireless communication system having directional communication capabilities. A plurality of features are extracted and logged resultant from a communication link attempt at multiple beam directions and training at least one machine learning model based on the plurality of extracted features from the first beam direction and the at least one additional beam directions to infer an environment information map of the area between the first transmitter and the receiver.

The present invention is directed to cellular communications and more particularly to using directional communication capabilities to enable environment sensing and mapping.
Current environment sensing systems such as those using radar are not usable in a cellular communication system because such radar systems do not have communications functions and do not have access to a radio access network or radio network metadata. In addition, such radar systems need separate infrastructure deployment and therefore cannot leverage cellular infrastructure.

Method for extracting environment information leveraging directional communication

International Business Machines Corporation


A 69 kD protein, designated PM-1, is expressed in human pancreatic islet cells and a human insulinoma. The amino acid sequence of the protein has been determined. Autoantibodies to the PM-1 protein have been found in sera of prediabetic patients. Natural, synthetic or recombinant forms of the PM-1 protein can be used in immunochemical assays to detect anti-PM-1-autoantibodies and to identify patients at risk of developing diabetes.

There is evidence that insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the presence of autoantibodies such as cytoplasmic islet cell antibodies (ICA), anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) autoantibodies and anti-insulin autoantibodies are found years before the clinical onset of the disease (Eisenbarth, G. S. (1986) N. Engl. J. Med. 314:1360-1368). A common feature of Type I diabetes and other autoimmune diseases is a humoral immune response that can be manifested by the appearance of autoantibodies against cellular proteins (Tan, E. M. (1991) Cell 67:841-842). To date, only a few autoantigens associated with Type I diabetes mellitus have been identified, namely insulin (Palmer, J. P. et al. (1983) Science 222:1337-1339), GAD (Baekkeskov, S. et al. (1990) Nature 347:151-156) and carboxypeptidase H (Castano, L. et al. (1991) J. Clin. Endocr. Metab. 73:1197-1201), and the glycolipids GT3 (Gillard, B. K., et al. (1989) Journal Immunol. Methods 142:3826-3832) and GM2-1 (Dotta, F., et al. (1992) Endocrinology 130:37-42).
Recently cDNA encoding a fragment of carboxypeptidase H, a granule-associated enzyme, has been reported to react with sera from prediabetic patients (Gillard, B. K., et al., supra) and another protein expressed in a .lambda.gtll phage from a human islet library appear to be recognized by IDDM sera (Rabin, D. U., et al. (1992) Diabetes 41:183-186). Cellular proteins of unknown sequence whose molecular weights are 38 kD (Roep, B. O., et al. (1991) Lancet 337:1439-1441), 52 kD (Karounos, D. G., and J. W. Thomas (1990) Diabetes 89:1085-1090), and 69 kD (Martin, J. M., et al. (1991) Ann. Med. 23:447-452), have also been reported to be recognized by a humoral and/or a cellular immune response. It is of interest that almost all patients with Type I diabetes have elevated levels of IgG anti-bovine serum albumin (BSA) antibodies which precipitate a M.sub.r 69,000 islet peptide which may represent a target antigen for cow milk induced islet autoimmunity (Martin, J. M., et al., supra; and Dosh, H-M, et al. (1991) Pediatr. Adolesc. Endocrinol. 21:). The identification of additional antigens associated with the development of diabetes could improve the ability of clinicians to evaluate the risk of development of the disease.

Antigen associated with type I diabetes mellitus


A storage device includes memory cells each including a magnetic element, where the memory cells include a first memory cell connected between a first voltage and a sense node, and at least second and third memory cells connected in parallel between the sense node and a reference voltage. A sampling circuit is coupled to the sense node, with the sampling circuit configured to receive a first voltage sample corresponding to an original state of the first memory cell, and to store a second voltage sample corresponding to a known state of the first memory cell after the first memory cell has been written to the known state. A differential amplifier compares the first and second voltage samples in their analog forms.

In computing systems, such as desktop computers, portable computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), servers, and others, storage devices are used to store data and program instructions. One type of storage device is a disk-based device, such as a magnetic disk drive (e.g., a floppy disk drive or hard disk drive) or an optical disk drive (e.g., a CD or DVD drive). Disk-based storage devices have a rotating storage medium with a relatively large storage capacity. However, disk-based storage devices offer relatively slow read-write speeds when compared to operating speeds of other components of a computing system, such as microprocessors and other semiconductor devices.
Another type of storage device is a solid state storage device, such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) device, static random access memory (SRAM) device, flash memory device, and electrically erasable and programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) device. Another variant of a solid state storage device is a magnetoresistive solid state storage device, such as a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) device. A typical MRAM device includes an array of memory cells (each memory cell made up of a magnetoresistive element) that are selected by word lines extending along rows of the memory cells, and bit lines extending along columns of the memory cells. In one conventional implementation, each memory cell is located at a cross point of a word line and a bit line.
Examples of magnetic memory cells include tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) memory cells, giant magnetoresistance (GMR) memory cells, or colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) memory cells. These types of memory cells are commonly referred to as spin valve memory (SVM) cells.
An SVM cell includes two magnetic layers that are separated by a dielectric layer. The orientation of magnetization of one of the magnetic layers can be altered, while the orientation of magnetization of the other magnetic layer is fixed or "pinned" in a particular orientation. The magnetic layer having alterable magnetization is typically referred to as a "data storage layer" or "sense magnetic layer," while the magnetic layer that is pinned is typically referred to as a "reference layer" or a "pinned magnetic layer." The dielectric layer is an insulating tunnel barrier sandwiched between the magnetic layers.
The SVM cell exhibits tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR), giant magnetoresistance (GMR), or colossal magnetoresistance (CMR), in the presence of the magnetic field provided by the magnetic layers. Relative orientation and magnitude of spin polarization of the magnetic layers determine the resistance of the SVM cell. Generally, resistance of the SVM cell is a first value R if the magnetic layers have a parallel magnetization orientation, and the resistance is increased to a second value R+ΔR if the magnetization orientation is changed from parallel to anti-parallel.
The two magnetization orientations, parallel and anti-parallel, of an SVM cell represent different data states, such as logical "0" and "1." The orientation may be changed from parallel to anti-parallel, or vice-versa, by applying the proper magnetic field to the SVM cell. Typically, the orientation of magnetization of a storage cell is a stable orientation that does not change until a magnetic field is applied to change the orientation of magnetization. Therefore, an MRAM device is able to provide non-volatile storage. The magnetization orientation of a selected memory cell is detected by measuring the resistance of the SVM cell associated with the selected memory cell.
Typically, an MRAM device includes sense amplifiers to detect states of memory cells. Some conventional sense amplifiers include digital comparators that perform comparison of states of a memory cell during a read operation. Analog-to-digital conversion is performed on signals received from the storage cell, with the outputs of the analog-to-digital conversion provided to the inputs of the digital comparator. The analog-to-digital conversion process performed at the inputs of the comparator is relatively time consuming, which may result in reduced read access speeds in MRAM devices that employ sense amplifiers with digital comparators.

Sensing the state of a storage cell including a magnetic element


The hydration of clays and shale in drilling operations may be inhibited by employing an aqueous based drilling fluid comprising a shale hydration inhibition agent having the formula: (Formula I should be inserted here.) wherein R is hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbons, R1 is an alkylene group having 1 to 12 carbons, and R2 is an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbons. The shale hydration inhibition agent should be present in the aqueous based drilling fluid in sufficient concentration to reduce the reactivity, such as swelling, of clays and shale when exposed to water-based drilling fluids.

In the rotary drilling of wells a drilling fluid circulates throughout the underground well to carry cuttings from the bit and to transport these cuttings to the surface. Contemporaneously, the drilling fluid cools and cleans the drill bit, as well as reduces friction between drill string and the drilled hole, and also stabilizes uncased sections of the well. Usually drilling fluids form a low permeability filter cake in order to seal any permeability associated with the surrounding geological formations.
Drilling fluids may be classified according to their fluid base: oil based fluids with solid particles suspended in an oil continuous phase and, possibly, water or brine may be emulsified with the oil. Alternatively, water based fluids contain solid particles suspended in water or brine. Various solids may be added, deliberately or otherwise, to water based drilling fluids: a) organic polymers or clays used to impart viscosity and filtration properties; b) insoluble inorganic minerals to increase the fluid density as well as help decrease fluid loss; c) soluble salts used to increase the mud's density; and d) during the drilling operation formation solids may disperse into the drilling fluid.
Formation solids that become dispersed in a drilling fluid include cuttings from drilling, soil, and solids from surrounding unstable formation. When the formation yields solids that are clay minerals which are reactive, for example swell, disperse, migrate or undergo swelling-induced migration, this can potentially compromise drilling time and increase costs.
Clays are typically composed of sheets or layers of aluminosilicate minerals having exposed surface hydroxyls. The basal plane of the clay surface is negatively charged and as such cations are readily adsorbed onto the surface. These cations may be exchangeable. Substitutions within the clay structure and the presence of exchangeable cations affect the tendency of the clay to swell in water. For example surface hydration gives swelling with water molecules adsorbed on clay surfaces. Many types of clays can swell in this manner.
Another type of swelling is called osmotic swelling, when interlayer ion concentration leaches water between the clay unit layers, swelling the clay. Only some clays can undergo osmotic swelling. All types of clay and shale instability, such as swelling, can cause a series of problems. For example, drag between the drill string and the sides of the borehole may be increased. This can cause loss of fluid circulation and sticking of the drill string and bit.
This is why development of effective clay instability inhibitors is important to the oil and gas exploration industry. The present invention works towards a solution to these difficulties.
Many types of clay inhibitors are known including the use of inorganic salts such as potassium chloride. Numerous patents have been filed which describe techniques or products which can be used to inhibit clay swelling. Without completely summarizing the patent literature, and by way of example, we can cite the inhibitor compositions based on: a) inorganic phosphates, described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,068; b) polyalkoxy diamines and their salts, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,484,821; 6,609,578; 6,247,543; and US 20030106718; c) choline derivatives described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,908,814; d) oligomethylene diamines and their salts, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,771,971 and US Publication No. 20020155956; e) the addition product of carboxymethyl cellulose and an organic amine, in WO 2006/013595; f) 1,2-cyclohexanediamine and/or their salts, in WO 2006/013597; g) salts of phosphoric acid esters of oxyalkylated polyols, in WO 2006/013596; h) the combination of a partially hydrolyzed acrylic copolymer, potassium chloride and polyanionic cellulose, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,818 (Halliday William S., et al.); i) quaternary ammonium compounds, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,544; j) polymers based on dialkyl aminoalkyl methacrylate, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,091,159; k) aqueous solutions containing a polymer with hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,728,653; and l) the reaction product of a polyhydroxyalkane and an alkylene oxide, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,544,933.

Glycol ether amines for use as clay and shale inhibition agents for the drilling industry


A light-beam scanning device includes a base plate having a torsion beam portion formed therein, and a mirror portion supported by the torsion beam portion and adapted to be oscillated. The light-beam scanning device includes one of a piezoelectric member, a magnetostrictive member and a permanent magnet member, which is fixed to or formed as a portion of the base plate. The mirror portion supported by the torsion beam portion is oscillated by a plate wave that is induced in the base plate by applying a voltage or electric field to the piezoelectric, magnetostrictive or permanent magnet member. The light-beam scanning device can efficiently generate a torsional oscillation in the mirror portion in a simplified structure.

In the related art, a light beam scanner for scanningly deflecting a light beam, such as a laser beam, is used in various optical apparatuses, such as barcode readers, laser printers and head-mounted displays, or as a light pickup element of an optical input device for infrared cameras or the like. In connection with this type of light beam scanner, there has been proposed a light beam scanner designed to rotationally oscillate a micromirror prepared using silicon micromachining techniques.
For example, FIG. 14 shows a light beam scanner having a silicon micromirror which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 11-52278 (hereafter "JP '278"). This light beam scanner is fabricated using silicon micromachining techniques, so as to have the total area on the order of several millimeters square. A support substrate 1 is formed of a rectangular thick plate. The support substrate 1 has a central region formed as a concave portion 1a, and a mirror 2 formed of a silicon thin film and supported by the support substrate 1 so as to be located inside the concave portion 1a. This mirror 2 is integrally formed with two torsion bars 3a, 3b protruding, respectively, from two opposite edges thereof The distal ends of the torsion bars 3a, 3b are each fixed to the support substrate 1, and two pads 4a, 4b are electrically connected, respectively, to the distal ends of the torsion bars 3a, 3b. This structure allows the mirror 2 to be rotationally oscillated in a direction perpendicular to an in-plane direction of the mirror 2 in conjunction with a torsional deformation of the torsion bars 3a, 3b. At least a peripheral region or a surface of the mirror 2 is subjected to impurity ion-implantation or diffusion, or coated with an aluminum or silver film or an organic thin film having electrical conductivity. This peripheral region serves as an electrode portion 5 having electrical conductivity.
Further, two fixed electrodes 7a, 7b are disposed on a top surface of the support substrate 1 through an insulator 6, respectively, on opposite sides of the concave portion 1a. These fixed electrodes 7a, 7b are made of a conductive material consisting of a semiconductor or organic material. Each inner edge of the fixed electrodes 7a, 7b is disposed close to the electrode portion 5 at a corresponding one of opposite lateral edges of the mirror 2, so that a capacitor is formed between the electrode portion 5 and each of the fixed electrodes 7a, 7b.
When a prescribed voltage is applied between a pad 8a of the fixed electrode 7a and each of the pads 4a, 4b of the torsion bars 3a, 3b, the prescribed voltage is also applied to the electrode portion 5 of the mirror 2 connected to the pads 4a, 4b, to allow electric charges to be stored in the surface of the fixed electrode 7a and the surface of the electrode portion 5 of the mirror 2 in opposite polarities, so as to form a capacitor therebetween. Thus, an electrostatic attraction acts between the fixed electrode 7a and the electrode portion 5 of the mirror 2 to induce rotation of the mirror 2. Subsequently, when the mirror 2 is returned to its original position, a prescribed voltage is applied between the fixed electrode 7b and the electrode portion 5 of the mirror 2 to rotate the mirror 2 in the opposite direction. The above operation is repeated to allow the mirror 2 to perform a rotationally oscillating movement in which the mirror 2 is rotated up to respective maximum counterclockwise and clockwise rotational positions repeatedly and alternately.
There is also a related art light beam scanner for rotationally oscillating a micromirror fabricated using silicon micromachining techniques as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-197819 (hereafter "JP '819"). As shown in FIG. 15, this light beam scanner comprises a plate-shaped micromirror 1 for reflecting light, a pair of rotating support members 2 aligned in a straight line to support opposite edges of the micromirror 1, a frame 3 surrounding the periphery of the micromirror 1, and a piezoelectric element 4 for producing a translational movement of the frame 3. The center of gravity of the micromirror 1 is located at a position deviated from the straight line connecting the pair of rotating support members 2.
The piezoelectric element 4 elongates and shrinks, or vibrates, in a Z-axis direction, in response to a prescribed voltage applied thereto. This vibration is transmitted to the frame 3. Thus, the micromirror 1 has a relative movement with respect to the driven frame 3. Specifically, when a Z-axis directional vibration component is transmitted to the micromirror 1, a rotational moment is produced in the micromirror 1 around the rotating support members 2 on an X-axis, because the micromirror 1 has mass components laterally asymmetric relative to an axial line defined by the rotating support members 2 on the X-axis. In this way, the translational movement of the frame 3 produced by the piezoelectric element 4 is converted to a rotational movement of the micromirror 1 around the rotating support members 2 on the X-axis.
The light beam scanner in JP '278 is fabricated using silicon micromachining techniques to have a total area on the order of several millimeters square. Moreover, it is required to have the electrode portion 5 formed in at least a peripheral region or a surface of the mirror 2, the pads 4a, 4b connected to the torsion bars 3a, 3b, the fixed electrodes 7a, 7b disposed, respective, on opposite lateral sides of the top surface of the support substrate 1 through the insulator 6, and the pads 8a, 8b connected to the fixed electrodes 7a, 7b.
The requirement of having the electrode portion 5 formed in at least a peripheral region or a surface of the mirror 2, the pads 4a, 4b connected to the torsion bars 3a, 3b, the fixed electrodes 7a, 7b disposed, respective, on opposite lateral sides of the top surface of the support substrate 1 through the insulator 6, and the pads 8a, 8b connected to the fixed electrodes 7a, 7b, causes structural complexity, and increases in factor causing failures, lost manufacturing time and increased cost.
The light beam scanner in the JP '819 is designed to convert the translational movement of the frame 3 produced by the piezoelectric element 4 to the rotational movement of the micromirror 1 around the rotating support members 2 on the X-axis. Thus, the center-of-gravity position of the micromirror 1 must be deviated relative to the axial line defined with respect to the rotating support members 2. Moreover, a thickness of this light beam scanner is inevitably increased in not only the X-Y directions but also the Z-axis direction, which causes difficulties in achieving a thin structure.

National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology


Unsaturated coconut and/or palm nut fatty alcohols having an iodine number in the range from 65 to 85, which essentially comprise unsaturated fatty alcohols and mixtures of saturated fatty alcohols of the formula (I):R1OH   (I)in which R1 is a saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched alkyl radical having 12 to 20 carbon atoms, obtainable by fractionating coconut and/or palm nut fatty acid methyl esters to obtain a fraction containing predominantly C16-C18 portions, fractionating the C16-C18 fatty acid methyl ester fraction into a predominantly saturated distillate and a predominantly unsaturated bottom product, and hydrogenating the bottom product with retention of the double bonds to give the corresponding alcohols; are disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to unsaturated fatty alcohols which are obtained by subjecting coconut or palm nut fatty acid methyl esters to a two-fold fractionation and then hydrogenating, and to a process for the preparation of these fatty alcohols.
2. Statement of Related Art
Unsaturated fatty alcohols are important intermediates for a large number of products of the chemical industry, such as, for example, for the preparation of surfactants and skincare products. A review on this topic can be found, for example, by U. Ploog et al. in Seifen-Öle-Fette-Wachse [Soaps-Oils-Fats-Waxes] 109, 225 (1983). They are prepared from more or less unsaturated fatty acid methyl esters which can be hydrogenated, for example, in the presence of chromium- or zinc-containing mixed catalysts [Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, Verlag Chemie, Weinheim, 4th Edition, Vol. 11, p. 436 ff]. The prior art is a large-scale process, as has hitherto also been carried out by the applicant, according to which animal fats and oils are used, and the unsaturated fatty alcohols produced after the hydrogenation are distilled at a still temperature of e.g. 220 to 250° C. and a reduced pressure of from 1 to 20 mbar—measured at the top of the column. Since the preparation of unsaturated fatty alcohols is associated with high costs, distillation has been carried out with as low a raw material loss as possible. In fact, in this way, it was possible to achieve a yield of about 90% of theory, and correspondingly a loss of 10%, although the products exhibited a marked intrinsic odor. A further disadvantage is that the fatty alcohols of the prior art have unsatisfactory storage and low-temperature behavior.
For application reasons, unsaturated fatty alcohols having iodine numbers of from 50 to 80 are particularly preferred since these have a solidification point which is favorable for use in cosmetic products. Unsaturated fatty alcohols having iodine numbers in the abovementioned range are currently largely based on animal raw materials. The desired iodine number range is set by blending different products having differing iodine number ranges. Adjustment of the iodine number range by distillative methods is not possible since the iodine number or iodine number range of animal-based fatty acids or fatty alcohols remains virtually constant during fractionation. However, animal fats have the disadvantage that they have a very heterogeneous structure. For example, animal fats contain nitrogen-containing compounds, such as amides or steroids, such as, for example, cholesterol, which are directly or indirectly responsible for the abovementioned unpleasant odor of the products. The nitrogen-containing compounds can become involved in secondary reactions, which impairs product stability, in particular oxidation stability, and leads to discolored products. In addition, because of the continuing BSE debate, products which are prepared using beef tallow are viewed extremely critically by the consumer. In the cosmetics market, there is therefore a continuous need for ever purer raw materials of ever higher quality, a demand which can usually only be met by ever more complex industrial processes and additional purification steps. In the case of unsaturated fatty alcohols, there is, in particular, the need for products having improved color and odor quality and a more advantageous low-temperature behavior. Added to this is the fact that in recent years consumer behavior has changed to the effect that consumers place very great value on purely vegetable products. The known vegetable fatty alcohols have iodine numbers in the range below 20 or very high iodine numbers above 100. Fatty alcohols having iodine numbers in the abovementioned range between 20 and 95, which is particularly preferred with regard to application technology, are not known. The blending of fatty alcohols having very different iodine numbers does not lead to satisfactory products. German Laid-open Specification DE-A1 4335781 (Henkel) discloses a process in which the triglycerides present in the vegetable fats or raw materials are firstly cleaved by pressurized cleavage into glycerol and fatty acids, and the latter are esterified with methanol, or the starting materials are directly transesterified to give the fatty acid methyl esters and then the esters are hydrogenated to give the alcohols, either the fatty acid methyl esters or the hydrogenation products being fractionated by removal of an amount of forerunnings such that the end product has an iodine number of from 20 to 110 and a conjuene content of less than 4.5% by weight. Whilst the process can be used for vegetable raw materials such as palm nut oil or coconut oil for the preparation of unsaturated fatty alcohols in the iodine number range 50 to 65 without problems, if said raw materials are used to produce unsaturated fatty alcohols in the iodine number range from 65 to 85, results are obtained which are surprisingly not entirely satisfactory.
The object of the present invention was consequently to provide unsaturated fatty alcohols based on coconut and/or palm nut oil which have iodine numbers in the range from 65 to 85 and, compared with animal-based unsaturated fatty alcohols, have greater oxidation stability and comparable or better low-temperature behavior. The aim was also to obtain extremely pure coupled products.

Process for making unsaturated coconut and/or palm nut fatty alcohols


According to the present invention, a method and apparatus for playing a poker game with a unique betting format is disclosed. A card game played according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is somewhat similar in spirit to traditional poker. However, using the present invention, the individual players can place a multitude of different types of bets that aren't normally associated with traditional poker. For instance, individual players can choose to bet on which hand will win, players can bet on which group of adjacent players' stations will contain the winning hand, players can bet on which combination of cards will win, and, finally, players can bet on certain specialty bets, such as betting that the winning hand will be at least three-of-a-kind comprising jacks or better.

1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to the field of gaming and more specifically relates to a method of playing cards.
2. Background Art
Five card and seven card poker are games that almost everyone knows how to play. As a leisure time activity, poker and other card games have fascinated the public for many years. A vast majority of the many developed poker variations use the same basic priority or ranking of winning poker hands (i.e., Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, and High Card(s) in a Hand). For various reasons, it has been difficult to adapt the game of poker into a casino table game in which each player wagers against the house.
In an informal "family type" poker game, each player is dealt a poker hand by the "dealer" who is usually one of the players at the table. Frequently, each player/dealer has the option to choose what type of game (i.e.--five card stud, five card draw, seven card stud, hi-low, Texas Hold 'Em) is played during the deal. This feature is called "dealer's choice." The player with the highest hand, based on the established priority of poker hands, wins that hand. After a player deals, the deal moves around the table in a clockwise fashion, ensuring that each player gets a turn as dealer. It is also common to introduce wagering into the game through the use of tokens or poker chips that usually, but not necessarily, have a monetary value.
Many locations, both within and without the United States, have legalized various forms of gambling. Poker is one of the most popular games of chance and is presently offered in most gaming establishments, such as casinos, that also offer craps, roulette, blackjack, slots, etc. and also in cardrooms which provide for card playing only. Indian casinos and riverboats generally also offer poker, and these venues may or may not offer craps, roulette, slots, etc.
In a conventional cardroom poker game played at a commercial gaming facility, the casino or "house" provides a dealer, the playing cards, the table, the chairs, and, most likely, the gaming chips. Although the house provides the dealer, the dealer is not dealt any cards, nor does the dealer place any wagers. Instead, the dealer shuffles and deals the cards, monitors the betting activity of the players, and controls the overall flow and pace of the game. As compensation, the house typically collects a nominal percentage of each player's bet (the "rake"), or a percentage of the total pot (usually capped). Alternatively, the house may charge each player a set fee per hand or a fee for playing a specified length of time. Given these conditions, house profit is limited to a specific amount per hand played.
While very popular, many people do not like to play cardroom poker because each player is competing against his fellow players. Many people would rather attempt to win money from an impersonal source, i.e., the house or the casino, rather than from their fellow players with whom they may be acquainted. In addition, the actual game play and betting strategy associated with poker can be very confusing and intimidating for many individuals. Additionally, during peak times, potential poker players may have to wait a long time before actually getting a seat as either all the tables may be full, and/or no new tables will be started until there are at least seven to ten new players. These factors prevent many people from participating in conventional cardroom poker games and tend to limit the involvement of many casino patrons who might otherwise be inclined to play poker.
Further, traditional cardroom or casino poker games limit the payout for the winning hand to the amount of money wagered (minus the rake taken by the house) by all of the players. In some cases, a player may have a very strong hand but not win a very big pot because all of the other players "fold" or quit. In addition, there is no opportunity to receive a bonus payment for a particularly good hand. For example, while a Royal Flush is a rare occurrence and generates a thrill for any poker player when they are dealt this hand, the player collects the same total wager that they would have collected if all they needed to beat the other players was a hand containing Two Pairs.
One popular conventional form of live table poker is known as "Texas Hold 'Em" or "Hold 'Em." In this variation, each player at the table is dealt two cards, face-down. These cards are known as the "hole" cards. After a round of betting, the dealer deals three face-up cards, known as the "flop." Another round of betting follows, after which the dealer deals a fourth face-up card, called the "turn" or "fourth street" card. After a third round of betting, the dealer deals a fifth and final face-up card, called the "river" or "fifth street" card. Then, a fourth (final) round of betting occurs. Whenever the dealer deals one or more cards, the dealer may "burn" one or more cards prior to the deal. The burn card or cards are placed in a special spot on the table. Burn cards play no part in the game and are merely a ritual devised to inhibit cheating. Players may fold at any time during the four rounds of betting.
After all cards are dealt and turned face-up, each player uses his or her hole cards in conjunction with any three, four, or all of the five common cards to fashion the best poker hand possible. The winning player is determined by the highest ranking poker hand, once again using standard poker rank as the criterion for comparison. The pot is then awarded to the winning player, or split among two or more winning players possessing hands of equal poker rank. In another variation, the game is played "high-low split," with the total pot being evenly divided between the player having the highest poker hand and the player having the lowest poker hand.
In traditional variations of Hold 'Em, the players compete against each other rather than against the house, and each player must either participate with the two cards dealt to them or fold their cards and wait for the next hand. If s often tedious and boring when playing Hold 'Em to continually get two low, unsuited cards and fold hand after hand for long periods. Also, there is no possibility in such known Hold 'Em poker variants for more than one player to select or possess the identical hand. Later variations of Hold 'Em try to minimize these deficiencies by allowing each player to select a single hand from one of a multiplicity of hands existing on the table. The selections are made before the final communal or non-communal cards are dealt and a winner can be tallied. However, if one or more of the hands are not chosen, they are "folded" and removed from play. Still, even with these improvements, traditional Hold 'Em poker games suffer from not having enough variation in betting choices.

Method and apparatus for playing a poker game with a unique betting format


An irradiating apparatus includes a support member and a reflector supported by the support member to define a concave light energy reflector surface. A light source of radiating energy is disposed generally at the source focal point of the reflector. The support member has a passage for cooling air to flow therethrough and openings for distributing the cooling air to the apparatus. The support member, thereby, performs a dual function of supporting the reflector as well as providing a manifold for the cooling air.

Light energy irradiators or reflectors have been used for providing intense energy radiation in a wide range of applications. For instance, ultraviolet (UV) irradiators have been used in the curing of polymers such as photopolymer paints, the curing of inks and a variety of finishing coatings, the photo activation of adhesives, varied uses in the graphic arts and other areas in research and manufacturing. Curing is produced by a polymerization reaction initiated by ultraviolet light, changing a component of the coating from a liquid to a solid state almost instantaneously. A UV lamp or other light source can be used in such a manner to be supported adjacent a reflecting surface which is configured to provide a focused reflection of the light. When used for curing, a reflector system may have an elliptical profile reflector surface to provide a focused optical configuration wherein the light energy is concentrated into a narrow band of energy on the curing surface. Typically, because of the speed of curing, elliptical reflectors are used in systems wherein the object having a curable coating, for instance, is carried past the concentrated light band on a conveyor or other advancing conveying means.
One of the problems with irradiating apparatus of the character described above, which use intense energy radiation emanating from a UV lamp, for instance, or other light source, is that the source of energy radiation can develop considerable heat. This heat either must be dissipated or the apparatus must be cooled by some means causing air flow through or about the apparatus. For instance, a typical irradiator, such as a UV reflector, includes a rather bulky housing through which air or any other cooling medium flows to facilitate cooling the apparatus. The housing adds to the size, complexity and cost of the apparatus and results in the apparatus simply being a bulky and cumbersome structure. The present invention is directed to solving these problems by providing an irradiator or reflector with means for cooling the apparatus in an extremely streamlined and very cost effective structure.


The present invention relates to exendin-4 peptide analogs and their medical use, for example in the treatment of disorders of the metabolic syndrome, including diabetes and obesity, as well as reduction of excess food intake.

Exendin-4 is a 39 amino acid peptide which is produced by the salivary glands of the Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum) (Eng, J. et al., J. Biol. Chem., 265: 20259-62,1990; Ng, J. et al., J. Biol. Chem., 267:7402-05, 1992). Like GLP-1, exendin-4 is an activator of the GLP-1 receptor. Unlike GLP-1, exendin-4 has a prolonged glucose-lowering action in vivo (Eng J., Diabetes, 45(Suppl 2):152A (abstract 554), 1996).
The amino acid sequence of exendin-4 is shown as SEQ ID NO: 1:
HGEGTFTSDLSKQMEEEAVRLFIEWLKNGGPSSGAPPPS-NH2
The amino acid sequence of GLP-1 is shown as SEQ ID NO: 2:
HAEGTFTSDVSSYLEGQAAKEFIAWLVKGR
Its actions include stimulation of insulin synthesis and secretion, inhibition of glucagon secretion, and inhibition of food intake. GLP-1 has been shown to reduce hyperglycemia in diabetics.
There is also evidence that GLP-1 and exendin-4 may reduce food intake and promote weight loss (Buse J. B. et al., Lancet, 374:39-47, 2009). This effect would be beneficial not only for diabetics but also for patients suffering from obesity. Such patients with obesity have a higher risk of diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, cardiovascular disease, and musculoskeletal diseases.
Glucagon is a 29-amino acid peptide which is released into the bloodstream when circulating glucose is low. Glucagon has the amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO: 3:
HSQGTFTSDYSKYLDSRRAQDFVQWLMNT
During hypoglycemia, when blood glucose levels drop below normal, glucagon signals the liver to break down glycogen and release glucose, causing blood glucose levels to rise towards a normal level. Hypoglycemia is a common side effect of insulin therapy in patients with hyperglycemia (elevated blood glucose levels) due to diabetes. Thus, glucagon's most recognized role in glucose regulation is to counteract the action of insulin and maintain blood glucose levels.
Other peptides which bind and activate both the glucagon and the GLP-1 receptor (Hjort et al. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 269, 30121-30124, 1994) and suppress body weight gain and reduce food intake are described in WO 2011/075393, WO 2011/006497, WO 2011/152181, and WO 2011/152182, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.
The use of exendin-4 agonists has been proposed for the treatment of diabetes mellitus, reduce of gastric motility, delay of gastric emptying and the prevention of hyperglycemia (U.S. Pat. No. 5,424,286, U.S. Pat. No. 6,858,576, WO98/05351). The use of exendin-4 agonists for reducing food intake is described in WO98/30231, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.
Exendin-4 analogues have been described in WO99/43708, WO9/035540, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.


A current conductor for an electrochemical power device that includes an array of carbon nanotubes (CNT) anchored in a carbon nanotube metal composite layer and a structure that may incorporate nanoscale particles or thin film onto the current conductor is described. Additionally, a process for creating the structure using electrochemical plating of the metal layer onto the CNT array followed by separation of the structure from the substrate is provided. Another process includes creating the structure using co-electrodeposition of the CNT and metal from an electroplating bath using surfactants, physical energy, and a magnetic and/or electric field to orient the CNT and enhance the CNT density in the composite.

1. Field
This invention relates generally to structures and devices including an anchored array of carbon nanotubes (CNT) that extend from a conductive composite for application as a current conductor and fully or part of the electrode for an electrochemical power device such as a battery, supercapacitor, fuel cell, or the like. Additionally, the invention also generally relates to methods of manufacture of the structures and devices described above.
2. Related Art
Electrochemical power devices described herein generally include devices that can: store electrical energy in chemical form and release it back in electrical form on demand (for example, a Li ion battery that is used in mobile phones; convert chemical energy into electrical energy (for example, a fuel cell that can use a chemical fuel such as hydrogen or methanol and convert it into electrical energy); and/or store electrical energy and release it on demand (for example, a supercapacitor).
While the mechanism of energy storage and conversion maybe different in these devices, one common aspect of all these devices is the need for current conductors and/or electrodes. Each device typically has two electrodes, an anode, through which current flows into the device, and a cathode, through which current flows out of the device. Sometimes, a current collector, typically a metal such as copper or aluminum, is used in addition to or as part of an electrode for improved electrical conduction.
Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are generally known to have excellent electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, mechanical strength, and chemical resistance. Although CNT have been observed over half a century ago, recent predictions of the remarkable physical properties of CNT sparked widespread interest in this material and CNT have been touted as the new material of the 21st century. CNT have been studied widely and various groups have proposed potential applications for this material in composites for higher strength and thermal conductivity, nano-probes and nano-pipettes for biomedical applications such as targeted drug delivery, field emission devices such as light emitting diodes, energy generation devices such as solar cells, nanoscale contact probes, nanoscale semiconductor device applications, electrodes for electrochemical energy devices such batteries, fuel cells, supercapacitors, and so on.
In the area for electrochemical energy devices, for example, CNT based structures have been suggested as potential candidates for electrodes for batteries, fuel cells, and supercapacitors. In particular, in the Lithium Ion battery field, there are several examples of utilizing CNT in electrodes. U.S. Pat. No. 6,709,471 discloses a CNT-Boron Nitride battery, which includes a structure utilizing the walls of the CNT as electrodes with Boron Nitride as an intermediate dielectric layer. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 5,879,836 describes using carbon fibrils as lithium intercalation sites in an electrode. Yet another example includes U.S. Pat. No. 7,442,284, which describes the use of an array of CNT coated with a conductive polymer as an electrode for various devices including energy storage devices.
In the field of fuel cells, U.S. Pat. No. 7,585,584 describes utilizing CNT grown on a carbon substrate with catalyst particles deposited on the CNT. Further, in the field of supercapacitors, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,665,169 and 6,205,016, describe utilizing carbon nanofibers as electrodes to increase performance.
In addition to CNT, CNT based composites, which generally include conductive materials embedded with CNT, have been studied in an effort take advantage of the many desirable properties of CNT (see, e.g., "Carbon Nanotube Composites" Author: Harris P. J. F. International Materials Reviews, Volume 49, Number 1, February 2004, pp. 31-43(13)). Various CNT based composites and various techniques are known. For example, CNT-polymer composites are typically made by dissolving pre-treated CNT dispersed in a solution containing the polymer and controlled evaporation of the solvents (see, e.g., M. S. P. Shaffer and A. H. Windle: Adv. Mater., 1999, 11, 937-941; and D. E. Hill, Y. Lin, A. M. Rao, L. F. Allard and Y.-P. Sun: Macromolecules, 2002, 35, 9466-9471.), while CNT-ceramic composites are typically made by hot pressing ceramic powders with CNT (see, e.g., E. Flahaut, A. Peigney, C. Laurent, C. Marliere, F. Chastel and A. Rousset: Acta Mater., 2000, 48, 3803-3812; and A. Peigney, E. Flahaut, C. Laurent, F. Chastel and A. Rousset, Chem. Phys. Lett., 2002, 352, 20-25) and CNT-metal composites have been produced using hot drawing of CNT and metal powder (see, e.g., T. Kuzumaki, K. Miyazawa, H. Ichinose and K. Ito: J. Mater. Res., 1998, 13, 2445-2449), electroless plating (see, e.g., W. X. Chen, J. P. Tu, L. Y. Wang, H. Y. Gan, Z. D. Xu and X. B. Zhang: Carbon, 2003, 41, 215-222), co-electroplating a metal and CNT (see, e.g., "Effects of Additives on Cu-MWCNT Composite Plating Films," Susumu Arai, Takashi Saito, and Morinobu Endo, Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 157 (3) D127-D134 (2010); and "Fibrous Nanocarbon Metal Composite and Method for Manufacturing the same," U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/257,742, filed Oct. 25, 2005) and electroplating a metal onto an array of CNT (see, e.g., "Nanoengineered thermal materials based on carbon nanotube array composites," U.S. Pat. No. 7,273,095). All of the references cited in the present disclosure are incorporated by reference herein as if fully set forth in their entirety.

Carbon nanotube composite structures and methods of manufacturing the same


Provided are a low-defect semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same. The method includes forming a buffer layer on a silicon substrate, forming an interface control layer on the buffer layer under a first growth condition, and forming a nitride stack on the interface control layer under a second growth condition different from the first growth condition.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates to low-defect semiconductor devices and methods of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to small-sized semiconductor devices with reduced twist grain boundary generation, and methods of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Sapphire substrates or silicon carbide (SiC) substrates are widely used to manufacture nitride-based semiconductor devices. However, the sapphire substrates have low electrical conductivity, and are unsuitable for chip fabrication because they are expensive and hard. Also, when the sapphire substrates are epitaxially grown to have a large diameter, they warp at a high temperature due to their low thermal conductivity. Therefore, it is difficult to fabricate large-area sapphire substrates. In order to overcome these limitations, nitride-based semiconductor devices fabricated by using silicon substrates instead of sapphire substrates have been developed.
Since the silicon substrates have higher thermal conductivity than the sapphire substrates, they warp only a little even at a high temperature, at which a nitride thin film grows, and thus, may grow to have a large diameter. However, when a nitride thin film is grown on a silicon substrate, a dislocation density (or defect density) increases due to a lattice constant mismatch between the silicon substrate and the thin film and a crack occurs in the silicon substrate due to the thermal expansion coefficient mismatch therebetween. Therefore, methods for reducing such a dislocation density and methods for preventing such a crack have been extensively researched. However, when the dislocation density is reduced, a tensile stress occurs incidentally. Therefore, when the dislocation density is reduced, the crack occurrence is increased. On the other hand, when the crack occurrence is reduced, the dislocation density is increased. Thus, it is difficult to reduce both the dislocation density and the crack occurrence when the nitride thin film is grown on the silicon substrate.

Low-defect semiconductor device and method of manufacturing the same