A system includes of a main device and a recording medium device. The main device includes a reception unit that receives a digital work from an external distribution server, an internal storage area for storing the digital work, a playback unit that plays back the digital work, and a unique information storage area for storing information that is unique to the main device. The main device also includes an encryption unit that encrypts the digital work using the unique information, a decryption unit that decrypts, using the unique information, the encrypted digital work having been read from the recording medium device, a write unit that writes the encrypted digital work into the recording medium device which is portable, and a read unit that reads the encrypted digital work from the recording medium device.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique to distribute, receive, record, and play back digital works over a network.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Thanks to recent technological advances, digital works, such as digitized documents, music, images, and programs, have been distributed over a network typified by the Internet, which allows users to easily retrieve various digital works via a network, and record the retrieved digital works onto a separate recording medium to play back.
However, the above advantage that users are allowed to conveniently replicate digital works is inevitably attended with a problem in that the copyrights of digital works may be infringed easily.

Digital work protection system, record/playback device, recording medium device, and model change device


The present invention relates to passivation of a gallium nitride (GaN) structure before the GaN structure is removed from an epitaxial growth chamber. The GaN structure includes one or more structural epitaxial layers deposited on a substrate, and the passivation layer deposited on the structural epitaxial layers. In general, the passivation layer is a dielectric material deposited on the GaN structure that serves to passivate surface traps on the surface of the structural epitaxial layers. Preferably, the passivation layer is a dense, thermally deposited silicon nitride passivation layer.

Gallium nitride (GaN) offers substantial opportunity to enhance performance of electronic devices such as high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) and metal-insulator-semiconductor field effect transistors (MISFETs). Epitaxial growth of GaN structures leads to phenomena associated with surface traps, which degrade performance of electronic devices, on the surface of the GaN structure. The surface traps are open bonding sites, on the surface of the GaN structure caused by an abrupt termination of the GaN crystal structure. The reactions associated with surface traps degrade the performance of electronic devices fabricated using the GaN structure by causing radio frequency (RF) dispersion and current collapse.
In order to avoid degradation of electronic devices due to the surface traps, a passivation layer may be deposited on the surface of the GaN structure. Generally, the passivation layer is a dielectric material capable of passivating, neutralizing, or filling the surface traps. However, conventional methods of passivating the GaN structure, such as plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposited (PECVD) silicon nitride, occur after the growth of the GaN structure and outside of the growth chamber used to grow the GaN structure. Therefore, the GaN structure is exposed to the atmosphere prior to fabrication of the electronic device. By exposing the GaN structure to the atmosphere, oxidation may occur on the surface of the GaN structure, thereby decreasing the effectiveness and reproducibility of the ex-situ passivation process. Therefore, there remains a need for a GaN structure having a passivation layer deposited before the GaN structure is removed from the growth chamber.

Surface passivation of GaN devices in epitaxial growth chamber


Disclosed herein is a method of facilitating an insurance coverage determination for a property based on a plurality of characteristic elements relevant to the insurance coverage determination. The method includes receiving property data indicative of attributes of the property for the plurality of characteristic elements, determining a property risk score for the property based on the property data, and supporting the insurance coverage determination with the property risk score.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure relates generally to the processing of property insurance inspection data and, more particularly, to a system and method for processing such data with a risk assessment score.
2. Brief Description of Related Technology
A property inspection is one of a number of steps taken by an insurer considering whether to provide property insurance coverage to a property owner or policy applicant, i.e., the prospective insured. Property inspection reports, for instance, have long provided valuable information in the underwriting decision-making process.
Property inspections are typically performed by insurance agents or other designated individuals deployed in the field. Details collected about the property (e.g., the dwelling) are recorded on hardcopy or electronic forms designed to capture data related to a number of predetermined property characteristics. For instance, the inspector may utilize a number of checkboxes or placeholders on the form to identify attributes of the dwelling, such as the type of roof and siding.
Insurers have often outsourced the process of obtaining property inspections. For example, a commercially available service provided by the assignee of the present application (under the trademarks WIDE and MAPS) routes orders for property inspections in automated fashion to an appropriate individual (e.g., a local inspector) in the field. An inspection report is then generated in an automated fashion for electronic delivery to the insurer requesting the inspection. The service thus facilitates the front end, data gathering tasks, leaving most, if not all, of the analysis of the inspection data and information for the insurer. That is, such services generally did not directly assist the insurer in the processing of the inspection data and information.
One exception involves a replacement cost calculation that provides an estimated cost of rebuilding any structure in the event of a total loss of property. Replacement cost calculators, or calculation services, utilize one of many industry standard models, and are available from a number of providers, including Marshall & Swift, XactValue, and e2Value. In some cases, the cost estimate is provided to the insurer with the other inspection data and information. The calculation relies on certain data or information collected via the inspection. In any event, the manner in which the input data is provided to the calculator and the manner in which the resulting cost estimate are communicated have been automated by, or within, the above-described property inspection services. For example, the calculated estimate has been displayed as part of an inspection report provided to the insurer. The insurer then compares the estimate with a coverage level of the application or current policy to determine whether an underwriting referral should be generated. In some cases, the comparison has been conducted as part of the above-described property inspection services.
More recently, additional capabilities have been added to the inspection data collection process to assist the insurer in other ways. For example, functionality has been developed to provide convenient access to the inspection information and data. Specifically, the MAPS™ service made available by the assignee of the present application provides data integration capabilities so that insurers can download inspection data on-line and establish computer-to-computer data interfaces. Through such interfaces, an insurer analyzes the inspection data using database tools that support, for example, searching and sorting operations. In some cases, the inspection data has also been organized via a number of categories predetermined by the insurer. More specifically, such organization results in the placement of each inspected property (or the associated inspection report) in a category, or stack, according to criteria set by the insurer. For example, each policy renewal subject to a major condition (e.g., a rotting roof) may be placed in a separate category dedicated to those policy renewals requiring a letter to be sent to the insured to identify the repairs or corrections needed for renewal. While some rules previously set by the insurer have defined one or more categories based on an action to be taken by the insurer, other rules have been set to target a number of specific issues, such as the replacement cost estimate deviating from the policy coverage by more than 5%.
In either case, however, such inspection reporting services provide limited to no cumulative analysis of the inspection data and information. That is, the presence or absence of various issues, a simple binary decision repeated over all of the property characteristics, merely results in a number of flags for each property. The categorization or organization of each property into stacks based on any one of those flags fails to consider the cumulative effect of them all. Such limited analysis therefore leaves a considerable amount of risk assessment analysis to a non-automated, or manual, assessment of the inspection data at the insurer, which may lead to inconsistent or incorrect underwriting referrals or other incorrect insurance coverage determinations. Moreover, as insurers consider a greater number of characteristics in these determinations, the assessment of the cumulative effect of multiple flags, i.e., issues uncovered by the inspection, will be increasingly driven by subjective judgment calls prone to error and inconsistencies.

Property insurance risk assessment processing system and method


System, method, and computer product embodiments are described for populating and managing a polymorphic favorites list from a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI provides an interface that allows a user to efficiently populate a favorites list and quickly access the favorites list via a global access point in a GUI, from anywhere in an application. The method enables the user to view objects in the favorites list, add objects to the favorites list, remove objects, and rearrange objects from the user's current application view as the user navigates across applications. The favorites list is configured to include a plurality of objects of a plurality of object types.

Software applications often provide user interface functionality that enables users to flag objects within the application as a "favorite." Particularly, a user may flag an object for storage in a personalized list to later access, view, and interact with the object in a more direct and efficient manner.
A favorites list enables users to quickly access information from a specific object. But, typical user interfaces have favorites lists that are monolithic in structure or implementation, and are limited to a uniform set of objects. A user must therefore normally manage multiple favorites lists across applications, delaying efficient access to a favorite object.
In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical or similar elements. Additionally, generally, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference number first appears.

Single tap control for adding and managing favorites


A computer system stores data according to a plurality of different error handling schemes. The computer system includes a memory controller with a plurality of different error handling modules, each of which can be selectively associated with one or more memory blocks. Each of the error handling modules is structured to write data to and read data from its associated memory block according to a different error handling scheme. A memory controller includes a separate configuration register for each of the plurality of memory blocks. Each configuration register stores an indication of the error handling module that will be employed to write data to and read data from the memory block associated with the configuration register.

Substantially all modern electronic computers rely on semiconductor memory to store data for processing by a central processing unit (CPU). Such computers employing semiconductor memory vary from simple computers, such as those contained in telephone answering machines, to highly complex supercomputers employed for complicated scientific projects. In simple computers like those used for telephone answering machines, errors in one or more of the memory locations of the memory may not be fatal. For example, a mistake in the memory of the telephone answering machine likely would only cause the synthesized voice stored on the memory to be imperceptibly altered. However, one or more defective memory locations in a memory of a computer used to perform scientific calculations may cause substantial problems.
Although current manufacturing techniques have substantially reduced the number of defective memory locations, excessive numbers of defective memory locations are still sometimes produced during fabrication of computer memory. Those defective memory locations can be caused by any of numerous steps taken during manufacture of the memory chips, semiconductor crystallinity defects, electrical connector discontinuities, etc. Although memory chips with such defective memory locations typically represent a small portion (less than 1%) of the total number of memory chips produced, the actual number of such defective memory chips is substantial. In some cases, such defective memory chips could be sold at a greatly reduced price for applications that do not require perfect memory, such as for telephone answering machines. However, it would be beneficial if some of those memory chips could be employed in more critical applications, such as in personal computers.
Several prior art error handling schemes have been employed to compensate for defective memory locations. For example, one error handling scheme employs extra rows of memory cells, known as "redundant rows," that could be used to replace rows having defective memory cells. While the use of redundant rows is often successful in salvaging otherwise defective memory chips, the number of defective rows that can be replaced is limited to the number of redundant rows that are provided on the memory chip. The number of defective rows sometimes exceeds the number of redundant rows, thus preventing repair of some defective rows.
Another prior art error handling scheme, known as error detection, detects when a single bit of a data word is in error. Error detection typically adds a single parity bit to each data word written to memory in order to make the sum of the data word and the parity be an even number. If the sum of the data word and the parity bit is an odd number when the data word is read, then the error detection scheme determines that one of the bits of the data word is in error. Such parity-based error detection often is inadequate because only single bit errors are detected, the particular bit in error is not identified, and the particular bit in error is not corrected.
Yet another error handling scheme, known as error correction, overcomes some of the deficiencies in prior art error detection schemes. Hardware error correction schemes add to each data word plural error correction bits that enable the data word to be reconstituted in the event of an erroneous data bit within the data word. However, such prior art error correction schemes typically only reconstitute a data word if only a single bit of the data word is erroneous. Moreover, such error correction schemes add several extra data bits to each data word which results in high memory overhead. In addition, such error correction schemes could be extended to correct multiple erroneous data bits, but the memory overhead that would result likely would be unacceptable.
Although each of the prior art error handling schemes provide some protection for defective memory locations, none of them are perfect. Some require excessive memory overhead while others provide inadequate protection. Moreover, prior art error handling schemes are employed on a system-wide basis, that is, the entire working memory of a computer system is accessed according to a single error handling system regardless of the applications for which the computer system is being used.


A system for magnetic resonance imaging. The system comprises a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus having a pair of opposed elements spaced apart along a horizontal pole axis defining a patient-receiving space there between, a patient support apparatus having a rest member extending parallel to the horizontal pole axis, and a support arm connected to the patient support device and rest member, the support arm being operable to adjust the height of the rest member in a direction substantially perpendicular to the horizontal pole axis.

The present invention relates to magnetic resonance imaging systems, apparatus and procedures and, in particular, to apparatus and procedures for improving safety when performing magnetic resonance imaging.
In magnetic resonance imaging, an object to be imaged as, for example, a body of a human subject, is exposed to a strong, substantially constant static magnetic field. The static magnetic field causes the spin vectors of certain atomic nuclei within the body to randomly rotate or "precess" around an axis parallel to the direction of the static magnetic field. Radio frequency excitation energy is applied to the body, and this energy causes the precessing atomic nuclei to rotate or "precess" in phase and in an excited state. As the precessing atomic nuclei relax, weak radio frequency signals are emitted; such radio frequency signals are referred to herein as magnetic resonance signals.
Different tissues produce different signal characteristics. Furthermore, relaxation times are the dominant factor in determining signal strength. In addition, tissues having a high density of certain nuclei will produce stronger signals than tissues with a low density of such nuclei. Relatively small gradients in the magnetic field are superimposed on the static magnetic field at various times during the process so that magnetic resonance signals from different portions of the patient's body differ in phase and/or frequency. If the process is repeated numerous times using different combinations of gradients, the signals from the various repetitions together provide enough information to form a map of signal characteristics versus location within the body. Such a map can be reconstructed by conventional techniques known in the magnetic resonance imaging art, and can be displayed as a pictorial image of the tissues as known in the art.
The magnetic resonance imaging technique offers numerous advantages over other imaging techniques. MRI does not expose either the patient or medical personnel to X-rays and offers important safety advantages. Also, magnetic resonance imaging can obtain images of soft tissues and other features within the body which are not readily visualized using other imaging techniques. Accordingly, magnetic resonance imaging has been widely adopted in the medical and allied arts.
Many conventional magnetic resonance imaging instruments require that a patient lie on a horizontal bed that is then advanced into a tubular bore within a super-conducting solenoidal magnet used to generate the static magnetic field. Other conventional MRI imaging instruments use a magnet having a ferromagnetic frame defining a patient-receiving space. Considerable effort has been devoted to the design of such magnets in a manner which provides a relatively open patient-receiving space, as opposed to the claustrophobic tubular bore of the conventional solenoidal magnet. However, in these instruments as well, it has been the common practice to provide the patient on a bed which remains horizontal throughout the procedure.
Advancement in magnetic resonance imaging has resulted in imaging apparatus that supports a patient in any position between a vertical position and a horizontal position. As described in greater detail in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,414,490, and 6,677,753, a magnetic resonance imaging system can be provided with a patient support, such as a table, which can extend in a generally vertical direction so that the long axis of the patient is substantially vertical. For example, the patient may be in a standing posture, with his back, side or front leaning against a generally vertical patient support. Such a support may include a footrest projecting from the table at its lower end and the patient may stand on the footrest. In other arrangements, the support includes a seat projecting from the table so that the seat is in a horizontal plane when the table surface is vertical. In particularly preferred arrangements, the patient support can move relative to the magnet. For example, the patient support may be arranged to move vertically relative to the magnet so as to elevate a portion of the patient into the patient-receiving space of the magnet. Alternatively or additionally, the patient support may be arranged to tilt through a range of orientations between a generally horizontal orientation and a generally vertical orientation.
Where a patient is positioned on the patient support, the patient may sometimes require additional support members to prevent unwanted movement and injury. Unwanted movement can extend the time it takes to acquire images thereby reducing the throughput of the imaging apparatus. In addition, some patients may not be able to support themselves. This latter effect may sometimes occur with elderly patients. Furthermore, in some instances, additional support may be required because of the patient's condition. For example, a patient with a back condition may need support to maintain a desired imaging position, e.g., a substantially upright position.
In addition, in performing magnetic resonance imaging, an operator is usually not located next to the patient and usually needs to focus on the ancillary equipment, e.g., computers, etc., used to perform scanning. In such instances, mechanisms that may be used to provide additional safety and, for example, prevent a patient from leaving the patient receiving space without the aid of support personnel, are desirable.
Of utility then are methods and systems for preventing unwanted movement and enhancing the safety of a patient during magnetic resonance imaging.

Seated patient support and use thereof in magnetic resonance imaging


Male or female connector having at least one pair of pins for a two-wire, high-speed link. The connector comprises two parallel pins, an insulating insert, a metal casing and a connection printed circuit.

When it is desired to produce digital links comprising cables capable of carrying digital information at high speed (typically more than 100 Mbits/s) there is the problem of connecting such a cable, either to another similar cable, or to an electronic processing system, with the aid of powerful connectors designed not to adversely affect the quality of the transmitted signals. A shielded, two-wire transmission line, usually recommended for such signals, requires specific, high-performance connectors. They must for example provide good protection against external electromagnetic interference. They must also interfere as little as possible with the predetermined constant impedance of the transmission lines. It should be noted that shielded, two-wire cables used for these high speed links have a constant, characteristic impedance, for example of 100 ohms. The connector must be designed so that this impedance does not vary significantly at the coupling. The cables must notably be coupled, for example by soldering, in a sufficiently simple, reliable and repetitive manner, without requiring a particular skill of the technician responsible for assembling the cable and the connector, typically by solders.


A method for managing received data by a radio link protocol layer for interfacing data between a radio communication terminal and a data processing terminal of a complex digital cellular terminal. Data of a newly received frame is stored in a ring-type frame content buffer in reception order, and the stored frame is managed by a frame control table. If the newly stored frame and a previously stored frame have not successive frame numbers, the newly stored frame is registered in a negative acknowledge control table.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to data services of a complex digital cellular terminal, and more particularly, to a method for managing received data.
2. Description of the Related Art
A complex digital cellular terminal represents a combined radio communication terminal and a data processing terminal. An example of such a complex digital cellular terminal is a a CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) terminal which can transmit and receive data by radio communication, is combined with a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) which can manage or process data.
In order to provide a facsimile service or an asynchronous data service, the complex digital cellular terminal should have an interface for transmitting data between a radio communication terminal and a data processing terminal. Namely, there should be a radio link protocol (RLP) layer serving as the interface between an upper point-to-point protocol (PPP) layer corresponding to the data processing terminal and a lower IS95-A layer corresponding to the radio communication terminal.
The RLP layer should satisfy the TIA/EIA IS95-A, TIA/EIA IS-99 and TIA/EIA IS-657 Standards. These Standards are known in the art and therefore no further description will be given.
FIG. 1 shows a memory map for managing a frame with two variable factors, that is, a frame rate and a frame sequence number in the RLP layer. Referring to FIG. 1, a reference symbol Vn denotes a frame sequence number for designating an area in which valid frames which have been sequentially received up to now are stored, and Vr denotes a frame sequence number for designating an area in which the next frame is to be stored. Frame data stored in a buffer has a half frame rate or a full frame rate since the frame rate of the frame data is determined by an RLP frame type.
An example of data bits corresponding to the RLP frame type specified in the TIA/EIA IS-99 Standard is shown in Table 1.
As indicated in Table 1, the data size (i.e., the frame rate in bits per frame), is determined by the received RLP frame type.
If an error occurs during transmission, the data size of a frame in which an error has occurred cannot be estimated. In such a case, if the frame is processed by a full frame rate of a maximum size in order to satisfy all the frame rates, this is undesirable in that it reduces the efficiency of memory maintenance. More specifically, when a buffer of a specific size is used, it cannot be utilized efficiently.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method for managing received data by sequentially storing the received data in reception order irrespective of a frame sequence number.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for additionally managing an invalid frame by a negative acknowledge control table.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method for deleting a received frame upon receiving an invalid frame which has been previously registered in a negative acknowledge control table.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a method for managing received data by a radio link protocol layer for interfacing data between a radio communication terminal and a data processing terminal of a complex digital cellular terminal, comprises the steps of: storing data of a newly received frame in a ring-type frame content buffer in reception order and managing the stored frame by a frame control table; and registering the newly stored frame in a negative acknowledge control table when the newly stored frame and a previously stored frame do not have successive frame numbers.

Method for managing received data in complex digital cellular terminal


A touch sensing device comprising a plurality of individually operable touch sensing elements having first and second overlapping and spaced conductive layers (12, 15) with the second conductive layer being displaceable towards the first conductive layer in response to a touch input. The device is fabricated by forming on a support a thin film multi-layer structure comprising the first and second conductive layers with an insulating layer (16) therebetween and in which the second conductive layer is provided with apertures at predetermined regions, and subjecting the structure to an etching process which removes insulating material between the conductive layers at the apertured regions via the apertures to form gaps (19). This leaves the second conductive layer (15) at each region supported in spaced relationship to the first conductive layer by the insulating layer around the periphery of the region. The device may be used, for example, as a keypad or, with larger numbers of elements arranged in a row and column matrix, as a graphics tablet or display overlay and operated with a stylus. The device can conveniently be integrated with a liquid crystal display panel using a substsrate of the panel as the support.

This invention relates to touch sensing devices having a plurality of touch sensing elements, each comprising first and second overlapping electrically conductive layers carried on a common support and in which the second electrode is spaced from the first electrode and is adapted to be displaced toward the first electrode in response to a touch input, and to methods of making such devices.
Touch sensing devices of the above kind can be used, for example, as user operable touch switches on electrical appliances or electronic equipment or in a keypad operable by a user's finger or other input element. Touch sensing arrays, comprising a large number of touch sensing elements arranged, for example, in a row and column matrix array, can be used as overlays for the display screen of a CRT, liquid crystal, or other display system providing a user interface through which inputs to the system, such as control commands, can be entered by touching appropriate touch sensing elements in the array. Similarly, an array of touch sensing elements can be used as a graphics tablet or like input device to a computer system enabling information according to graphical representations, such as drawings or handwriting drawn on the array, to be entered by the user. The touch input element in this case can be a hand-held stylus. A high resolution array can also be used, for example, as a fingerprint sensor which detects the position of ridges and valleys in a person's fingerprint.
An example of the above kind of touch sensing device and comprising a two-dimensional array of sensing elements is described in EP-A-0397244 in which each element comprises a first conductive layer that is supported on a substrate of glass and a second conductive layer that is common to all sensing elements and is carried on a flexible film overlying all the elements which is supported in spaced relationship over the first conductive layers by means of appropriately positioned discrete spacer elements disposed between the support and the film which maintain a predetermined gap between the layers. Upon touching, the pressure of the touch input causes the second layer to move into contact with the first layer of a sensing element at the point of touching. In this particular example, the first conductive layer comprises one side of a capacitor which is periodically charged and which is discharged upon the second conductive layer, which is held at a reference potential contacting the first conductive layer thereby enabling the touch input to be detected. The use of a carrier film for the second conductive layer and the need to provide spacing elements at predetermined locations to maintain the conductive layers in a normally spaced relationship both add to the complexity of the construction of such a touch sensing device.
In another known example of a touch sensing device array, a first set of parallel conductive strips is carried on an insulating support and a second set of conductive strips extending transverse to the strips of the first set is carried on a deformable membrane extending over, and spaced from, the first set. In response to input pressure as a result of touching, the membrane is locally deformed to bring a portion of a strip of one set, adjacent the point of touching, into contact with a strip of the other set in the manner of a switch whereby the x-y coordinates of the input can be determined. Instead of relying on electrical contact between the first and second conductive layers of the touch sensing device to detect a touch input, a capacitance sensing approach can be adopted in which a touch input is detected according to a change in the capitance of a touch sensing element resulting from one conductive layer being physically displaced relative to the other conductive layer due to touching. The membrane is typically suspended over the first set of strips by supports positioned around the periphery of the array so that the sets of strips are in close proximity. Consequently, the gap between the two sets of strips may not be uniform over the area of the array, particularly if the array is used horizontally in which case there is a tendency for the membrane to droop, so that erroneous operation can occur not only when capacitance sensing is used but also when contact sensing is used, especially if the array is subjected to vibration or mechanical shocks. Due to the use of a film or membrane separate from the support in the above kinds of touch sensing devices, there is a consequent need for an assembly operation in their manufacture. When used in conjunction with an article, for example as an overlay for a liquid crystal display device, then the assembly operation entailed in providing at least the film or membrane of the touch sensing device complicates manufacture.

Method and apparatus for a touch sensing device having a thin film insulation layer about the periphery of each sensing element


A dielectric interlayer, especially for a storage capacitor, is formed from a layer sequence subjected to a temperature process, wherein the layer sequence has at least a first metal oxide layer and a second metal oxide layer formed by completely oxidizing a metal nitride layer to higher valency.

Semiconductor memories, primarily DRAMs, are usually realized as a storage cell array on a semiconductor wafer. The storage cells comprises a storage capacitor and a selection transistor. In a read or write operation, respectively, the storage capacitor is charged or discharged, respectively, with an electrical charge corresponding to one data unit (bit) through the selection transistor. For this, the selection transistor is addressed through a bit- or wordline, respectively, by the aid of a peripheral logic having switching transistors.
A substantial center in the technological development of the semiconductor memories is the storage capacitor. In order to provide for sufficient storage capacity with small cross-sectional area, the storage capacitors are therefore realized in three-dimensional manner. As essential embodiments of three-dimensional storage capacitors, trench capacitors and stacked capacitors have gained acceptance. In trench capacitors, a trench is etched into the semiconductor substrate, which is filled with a dielectric interlayer and a first storage electrode layer, wherein a doped region of the semiconductor substrate around the trench serves as a second storage electrode layer. The selection transistor of the storage cell is usually formed on the semiconductor surface besides the trench capacitor as a planar field effect transistor, wherein the one transistor electrode is connected to the one electrode layer of the trench capacitor.
In contrast, stacked capacitors are formed on the surface of the semiconductor substrate, wherein a first storage electrode layer is realized in form of a crown, which is separated from a second storage electrode layer via a dielectric interlayer. The selection transistor of the storage cell is disposed in form of a planar field effect transistor below the stacked capacitor, wherein the one transistor electrode is connected to the crown-shaped storage electrode layer of the stacked capacitor.
Due to the continuously increasing downsizing of the semiconductor storage cells, also in three-dimensional storage capacitors, it is searched for additional possibilities to lower the area requirement and to increase the capacitor capacity at the same time.
Conventionally, in storage capacitors, material combinations of silica and/or silicon nitride are employed as the dielectric interlayer. However, for sub 100 nm structures, it is contemplated to replace the conventionally employed silica and/or silicon nitride layers by materials exhibiting a higher dielectric constant and thus allow increase of the storage capacity per unit area. As such so-called high k dielectrics, especially binary oxides such as alumina, tantalum oxide, hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide, oxides of the lanthanum group, alumina compounds and further single and mixed oxides are contemplated.
However, many of the contemplated high k dielectrics can only very difficulty be integrated into the standard process for producing storage capacitors within the bounds of the silicon planar technique, and especially only difficulty be formed as extremely thin layers. Further, the dielectric strength of many contemplated high k dielectrics is insufficient for employment in DRAM storage capacitors, especially concerning the long term stability. Furthermore, is has turned out that in many of the considered high k dielectrics, increased leakage currents occur with respect to the conventional material combinations of silica and/or silicon nitride, which entail shortened retaining time of the charge in the storage capacitor.
In employment of high k dielectrics within the bounds of the silicon planar technique, further, it has turned out that such layers result in high tensile stresses on the semiconductor surface, which in turn entails bending the semiconductor wafer. In employment of three-dimensional storage capacitors within the bounds of the DRAM production, due to the increased surface, therein, bends of several 100 μm can occur, whereby further processing the semiconductor substrate for device formation within the bounds of the silicon planar technique, wherein layers have to be applied consecutively precise in position, becomes nearly impossible. There is also the danger that the semiconductor wafer breaks due to the high stress.
These disadvantages especially apply to the employment of alumina (Al2O3) as a high k dielectric in storage capacitors, the preferred candidate for replacement of the conventional material combinations of silica and/or silicon nitride. Alumina distinguishes itself by being able to be relatively simply integrated into the standard process for producing storage capacitors within the bounds of the silicon planar technique. In producing storage capacitors with alumina as the dielectric interlayer within the bounds of the silicon planar technique, on a first capacitor electrode, which usually is a highly doped silicon layer, the alumina is deposited, which is subsequently thermally concentrated with a high-temperature process for improving the dielectric strength, for reducing the leakage current and for increasing the dielectric constant. Then, a second capacitor electrode layer, preferably a metal layer, is applied onto the alumina layer. In order to achieve sufficient dielectric strength with not too high leakage current at the same time, the concentrated alumina layer has to have a thickness of at least 5 nm, which results in high tensile stress on the substrate surface, which causes overlay problems in the subsequent processing.
With the employment of alumina, the dielectric constant of which is at 10, an increase of the storage capacity per unit area can be achieved over the conventionally employed dielectric interlayers of a material combination of silica and/or silicon nitride. However, compared to alumina, high k dielectrics with even substantially higher dielectric constant would be desirable for replacement of the conventionally employed silica and/or silicon nitride layers. Thus, e.g. titanium oxide (TiO) exhibits a dielectric constant of greater than 40. However, titanium oxide has only a low thermal stability. Further, in titanium oxide layers, high leakage currents occur, and the dielectric strength over the lifetime of the storage capacitor is insufficient. These disadvantages basically also result from most of the other contemplated binary metal oxides, such as tantalum oxide having a dielectric constant of 25, or hafnium oxide having a dielectric constant of 25 to 30.
In order to achieve dielectric interlayers of a high k dielectric with improved electrical and mechanical characteristics, therefore, increasingly, also mixed layers are employed. Preferably, they are produced in form of stacked layers with the aid of the atomic layer deposition (ALD) method, in which the mixed layer materials are applied separately from each other and mixed with a subsequent high-temperature process. Such an approach is described in US 2005/0233598 A1, among other things. Here, as the layer sequence, preferably, a metal oxide layer and silicon oxide or silicon oxy nitride are employed, respectively. However, the mixed layers proposed in US 2005/233598 A1 can only difficulty be integrated into the standard silicon planar technique methods. Further, the mixed layers also exhibit high leakage currents and an insufficient dielectric strength. However, primarily, the mixed layers result in high tensile stresses on the semiconductor surface and thus in strongly bending the semiconductor wafer.
There is a need for a method for producing a dielectric interlayer and for a storage capacitor with such a dielectric interlayer, which exhibit improved electrical and mechanical characteristics of the dielectric interlayer.

Method for producing a dielectric interlayer and storage capacitor with such a dielectric interlayer


An integrated circuit includes a first pipeline with multiple stages of asynchronous circuits. Note that a stage in the first pipeline communicates with a stage in a corresponding second pipeline with multiple stages of asynchronous circuits on another integrated circuit via connectors. Furthermore, a first state wire preceding the stage in the first pipeline provides advanced notice to a first state wire preceding the stage in the second pipeline of subsequent communication between the stage in the first pipeline and the stage in the second pipeline so that the stage in the second pipeline has time to amplify a signal received from the stage in the first pipeline, thereby facilitating approximately synchronous operation of the stages in the first and second pipelines.

1. Field
The present disclosure generally relates to integrated circuits. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to an integrated circuit that uses a pipeline of asynchronous circuits to provide advanced notice of the communication of timing signals to another integrated circuit.
2. Related Art
Existing approaches to proximity communication (such as capacitively coupled proximity communication) between adjacent chips or semiconductor die often rely on clock signals to communicate data. If both chips share a common clock, the sending and receiving chips can easily agree on when to sense data that appears on the capacitive coupling network. However, sharing a common clock may significantly increase power consumption and chip area and, thus, the cost of the integrated circuits.
In principle, this problem may be addressed by avoiding a common clock. However, without a common clock, it may be difficult for the receiving chip to know when to capture data from the capacitive coupling network. This is because proximity communication typically requires some agreement between the sender and the receiver about time. In particular, the sender usually must know when to present data values and the receiver must know when to capture them.
Hence, what is needed is an integrated circuit without the above-described problems.

Synchronizing timing of communication between integrated circuits


The present disclosure relates to a catalyst having metal catalyst nanoparticles supported on natural cellulose fibers and a method of preparing the same, whereby natural cellulose fibers are subjected to specific pretreatment to increase a surface area and form defects on the surface thereof and metal catalyst nanoparticles are then supported on the cellulose catalyst support in a highly dispersed state, thereby providing improved catalysis while allowing production of the catalyst at low cost. The catalyst may be utilized for various catalytic reactions.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a catalyst having metal catalyst nanoparticles supported on natural cellulose fibers and a method of preparing the same, whereby natural cellulose fibers are subjected to specific pretreatment to increase a surface area and form defects on the surface thereof and metal catalyst nanoparticles are then supported on the natural cellulose fibers in a highly dispersed state, thereby providing improved catalysis while allowing production of the catalyst at low cost.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of catalysts, two major issues have been actively studied in recent years. One is to prepare a support having a large surface area and a uniform pore distribution adequate for a corresponding reaction while guaranteeing physical and chemical stability and the other is to prepare a catalyst exhibiting maximum activity at minimum cost by supporting catalyst nanoparticles in a highly dispersed state. The present disclosure relates to preparing a catalyst support having good porosity and a large surface area from a biomaterial while allowing easy support of nanocatalyst.
Various methods of processing various biomaterials into carbon materials through pretreatment have been proposed. O. Ioannidou et al. (Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 11 (2007)1966-2005) disclose a procedure for processing various agricultural residues into activated carbon. Applicable agricultural residues include wheat, corn straw, olive pits, bagasse, birch wood, miscanthus, sunflower shells, pine cones, rapeseed, cotton residues, olive residues, Eucalyptus maculata, sugar cane bagasse, almond shells, peach pits, grape seeds, straw, oat husks, corn stover, apricot pits, cotton stalks, cherry pits, peanut shells, nut shells, rice husks, corncobs, corn husks, hazelnut shells, pecan shells, rice husks, rice straw, etc., which are activated and processed into materials with a surface area of hundreds to thousands of m2/g. It should be noted that, since the raw materials have significantly varying characteristics, different materials are used for different purposes. It is also disclosed that materials containing more lignin tend to have more macropores after activation and those containing more fibers (cellulose) tend to have more micropores following activation.
Fibrous biomaterials like henequen fibers are suitable for use as a catalyst support having physical/chemical durability because of their characteristic fiber bundle structure. Since henequen contains a lot of cellulose components, however, it yields a lot of micropores. Thus, special surface treatment is required to provide more mesopores than the micropores for application to catalytic reactions.
The inventors of the present disclosure carried out research to process fibrous biomaterials such as henequen having a lot of micropores due to rich cellulose components into physically/chemically durable catalyst supports, in particular, those appropriate for catalytic reaction. As a result, we found out that, through a series of electron beam treatment, heat treatment at high temperature and chemical surface treatment using henequen fibers as a raw material, a cellulose catalyst support could be prepared which has a large surface area and uniform pore distribution and allows easy support of metal catalyst in a highly dispersed state through introduction of functional groups to the surface thereof.

Catalysts having metal nano-particle catalyst supported on surface-treated natural cellulose fibers and preparation method thereof


A communication system, comprising: a communication apparatus controlling transmission and reception of data in a network connecting a server and a user terminal; and a management apparatus, the network including an edge apparatus, the communication apparatus including a relay unit which has a queue for each communication flow, and controls the transmission and reception of data using the queue, the management apparatus including a monitoring unit which identifies a communication flow where data loss has occurred, calculates modifications for settings for communication control used for a queue corresponding to the identified communication flow, and transmits to the communication apparatus a modification command including the modifications, and the relay unit modifies settings for communication control using the queue corresponding to the identified communication flow on the basis of the modifications included in the modification command.

The present invention relates to a communication system, a communication control method, and a communication apparatus that suppresses packet loss resulting from burst traffic or the like within a network.
In recent years, due to an increase in network traffic resulting from the development of video distribution services and the like, there is demand for accommodating greater bandwidth lines at core nodes within a network. However, in typical networks, lines where edge nodes accommodate users and the like are slower than lines accommodated by core nodes. Thus, packet loss resulting from the difference in line speeds is an issue for edge nodes.
The technique disclosed in JP 2017-188870 A is known as a technique in which a function for solving this issue is applied to a communication apparatus such as a network switch serving as a core node, for example.
JP 2017-188870 A discloses a "communication apparatus that transmits packets addressed to the user that are delivered from a server and transmits packets received through a network to the server, in which the packets addressed to the user are transmitted to the user from an edge apparatus located at an edge of the network, and the communication apparatus has: a packet relay unit that relays packets transmitted/received between the server and the network, controls the packet bandwidth, and extracts packet-related information included in the packet; a virtual queue length calculation unit that calculates and stores a virtual queue length, which is an estimated value of the length of a transmission queue addressed to each of the users in the edge apparatus on the basis of the packet-related information and bandwidth information of a line between the edge apparatus and the user, and determines whether or not bandwidth control is required for each user on the basis of the virtual queue length and predetermined conditions; and a control unit that controls the packet relay unit and the virtual queue length calculation unit so as to perform bandwidth control for packets addressed to the users for each user in the packet relay unit on the basis of results of the determination by the virtual queue length calculation unit."

Communication system, communication control method, and communication apparatus


A improvement to video compression techniques is described in which blocks of video input information are compared in their respective pixel values to corresponding blocks of immediately preceding frames. The blocks are analyzed to determine whether change has occurred in accordance with two tests. First, the pixel values of the block are compared to the pixel values of a preceding block and if a threshold number of pixel values in the block exceed their counterparts by a threshold amount, then the block is assumed to have changed and is communicated via a standard communication protocol, compression technique and media. Second, even if the threshold number of pixels in the block has not changed, the pixel values are compared with their prior frame counterparts to determine if any one pixel value has changed in magnitude more than a second threshold amount. Again, one such pixel is identified, then the block is assumed to have changed and is communicated.

In its raw form, video is a high volume form of data. Communication bandwidth in its variety of forms can be quickly consumed by the transmission of raw video information. Video compression techniques are known that attempt to retain the highest reproducibility of the original video while reducing the data volume required to transmit the information.
One form of video compression involves run length encoding in which patterns of pixels in a serial run of pixel information are identified, encoded, and transmitted by the code rather than by the individual pixels. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/260,534, entitled "Video Compression System," filed on Oct. 1, 2002 (the '534 patent application) describes in some detail various kinds of run length encoding combined with some other types of novel pattern encoding. The entire contents of the '534 patent application are incorporated herein by reference. The algorithms referred to in the '534 patent application are sometimes referred to herein as "DVC compression."
Another form of video compression divides video information into larger blocks of pixels and then transmits information about the block of pixels, rather than about the individual pixels themselves. In such systems, video received by a computer or other video source is usually loaded into a frame buffer. From there, blocks of information are compared to corresponding prior frame blocks to determine whether changes have occurred within the blocks. Video compression occurs because information about blocks without detected change need not be transmitted to the receiving end. Instead, the receiving end, employing the known compression algorithm used at the compression end, assumes that the pixels within a block remain the same from frame-to-frame until told otherwise by the compression end.
In an example block-by-block algorithm 8-bit video is captured and divided into 64×16 bit blocks of video for comparison with corresponding prior blocks. When video in a block is detected as changed, the information for that block is communicated to the receiving end. If no change is detected, no transmission occurs with respect to that block.
Such algorithms are presently employed in the computer environment to permit remote access to computer systems from non-proximate workstations. Keyboard, mouse and other (low volume) serial device information is communicated from the workstation to the remote computer via a communication link, and resultant (potentially high volume) video information is communicated back from the computer to the workstation via the communication link. Such systems and the methods they employ for such communications are by now well-known to the artisan.
In that computer environment, it is important that the computer video not "lag" behind the user's keyboard and mouse movements. It is unacceptable for a user to hit a key or move a mouse and see the results of that on the workstation monitor with any perceptible lag. In the remote computer environment, that means that the serial device information must communicated to the remote computer (usually a relatively easy task due to the low data volume), the computer's video processor must act on the information to create new video, and the computer's communication system must communicate the video back to the user—all before the user can detect lag between the moment the keyboard/mouse is used and the moment the resultant video is returned.
The block-by-block video encoding is one way that the video from the computer to the workstation is moved quickly back to the workstation such that no perceptible lag exists to the user. In the computer environment, many blocks within the computer screen of information may not change from frame to frame (such as on a desktop background, word processing document background, or other "inactive" location of the computer screen). With the block-by-block encoding, such blocks could be effectively ignored by the computer when sending the video information to the workstation because the workstation would assume that the blocks were not changed unless specifically told that they had been.
Block analysis occurred by evaluating pixel values within the block. One method provided a transmission of the block whenever a block change was detected, but a more improved method provided a number of pixels that had to change before the block transmission occurred. Thus, in the situation where blocks were 64×16, for example, a threshold number of six of the 1024 pixels had to change before the block was considered different enough to warrant the block transmission. The threshold gave the system room to accommodate a noise floor such that blocks could be ignored unless a change in the number of pixels exceeded a number that might be expected in a typical, noisy environment.
The block analysis was very effective in eliminating lag between keyboard/mouse entry and the corresponding video presentation. A problem developed, however, in which blocks would experience an important substantive pixel change that would go unreported to the workstation because the substantive pixel change did not cause the block to the exceed the noise threshold of, for example, six pixels changed. Examples of such occurrences included the tip of a mouse pointer moving through one or two pixels of a block. Because the number of pixels in the block that changed (the one or two pixels defining a piece of the mouse tip, or perhaps even three or four pixels once some noisiness was taken into consideration) failed to exceed the threshold, the block changes were unreported to the workstation. The effect was a lack of clarity in the mouse tip displayed at the workstation. The same situation occurred with respect to characters in a word processing document or on the desktop. If a two or three pixels of a changed character, such as the end of the hook in an "r" stretched into a block that was otherwise unchanged, the pixels would not be communicated and the end of the "r" would be deleted.
So, if the number of pixels changed within the block was set to one for the changes to be communicated, noise within the system would cause truly unchanged blocks to be communicated anyway. But, if the number of pixels changed within the block was set to more than one, potentially important pixel changes were lost.


Video ID photo printing apparatus corrects the complexion of a person serving as an object into a desired color without any influences caused by controlling an illumination light source and the various control section of a video image pickup apparatus, printer characteristics, and the like. In order to extract the complexion data of the person serving as an object photographed by a color TV camera, a skin-color portion in a face image is detected by a detection point setting unit. A comparator compares the detected data value with a data value of a desired standard skin color formed in advance and stored in a standard color memory. The skin color of the picked up face image is converted into a desired skin color by a look-up table in accordance with a comparison result, and the data of the desired skin color is written in a frame memory. Thereafter, the face image which is subjected to color conversion is printed by a full-color printer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a video photo system and a complexion converting apparatus and, more particularly, to a video ID photo printing apparatus and a complexion converting apparatus capable of correcting or converting the complexion of a person as an object into a desired color.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a known apparatus, an ID photo print is printed out by a full-color video printer on the basis of a portrait image signal received by a video image pickup apparatus or is stored in a filing device and arbitrarily read to be displayed on a monitor or printed out.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a video ID pickup apparatus disclosed in Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. 63-316275. In FIG. 1, a face image of a person 2 as an object is picked up by a color television (TV) camera 4 to obtain an RGB signal. The RGB signal is converted into a digital signal by an A/D converter 6 and temporarily stored in a frame memory 8. The image data stored in the frame memory 8 is calculated by an image processor 10 having a look-up table memory 10a, a look-up table 10b, an adder 10c, and the like to remove a color impurity caused by incorrect spectral light-absorbing factors of a color medium.
Image data output from the image processor 10 is supplied to a full-color video printer 12 having a look-up table memory 12a, a video RAM 12B, a D/A converter 12c, a selector 12d, a CRT controller 12e, a CRT display 12f, a printing unit 12g, a development process unit 12h, and the like. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 14 denotes a controller for controlling the system as a whole. The controller 14 controls a memory 16, a keyboard 18, a floppy disk 20, and the like.
In an ID card printing apparatus with the above arrangement, a full-color image obtained by synthesizing and editing a picked up video image and a graphic image electrically produced at the portion of the controller 14 is printed out by the video printer 12.
In the above video ID photo printing apparatus, it is important that a printed complexion of a person is optimal and that an operation and handling for keeping the complexion optimal are easily performed.
Reproduction of a complexion is influenced by an illumination light source, controls of adjusting means of the video image pickup apparatus, and printer characteristics of the video printer. More specifically, when a photo studio is not used, the optical quality of an illumination is largely changed. The number of portions to be controlled of video image pickup equipment such as a color TV camera is increased. In addition, an image observed through a monitor and a printed image are largely different from each other in impression. In addition, a long time is required for printing the image. For this reason, it is very difficult to perform the adjusting operation.
An apparatus of this type is used by professionals specializing in card formation, and the above difficulty is overcome. However, when cards are unusually formed by ordinary persons, the stability and maintenance of reproduction of a complexion are very difficult. Therefore, operations for stabilizing and maintaining the reproduction are very complicated and require a long time.

Video ID photo printing apparatus and complexion converting apparatus


The present invention is directed to an ink jet recording media containing a substrate having a liquid sorptive coating coated on a surface thereof. The liquid sorptive coating contains a hydroxyalkyl methylcellulose and at least one nitrogen-containing component. The hydroxyalkyl methylcellulose is preferably present in the coating in an amount of about 70 to about 98%, based on the amount of solids in the coating. The hydroxyalkyl methylcellulose also preferably has a hydroxyalkyl content of from about 3% to about 15%, preferably about 7% to about 12%, and a methoxyl content of from about 15% to about 28%, preferably about 19% to about 24%.

Coatings used for ink jet recording media have to meet a number of performance requirements. These requirements include dry time, color density, resolution, tack, color fidelity, lightfastness, as well as cost. For pigment based inks, ink layer cracking is also an important performance parameter. There are many materials, both organic and inorganic, that have been proposed for this application. Among them, cellulose derivatives have shown promising performance. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,555,437 describes a hydroxyethylcellulose coating, U.S. Pat. No. 4,269,891 describes a carboxymethylcellulose coating and a hydroxyethylcellulose coating, U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,465 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,141,797 describe hydroxypropyl cellulose, U.S. Pat. No. 4,592,954 describes a mixture of carboxymethyl cellulose and a polyethylene oxide, U.S. Pat. No. 4,092,457 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,868,581 generally mention cellulose ethers and cellulose derivatives. However, not all cellulose derivatives perform well or equally. As a matter of fact, none of the specific cellulose derivatives described in the above-referenced patents give satisfactory performance. The success of a design based on cellulose derivatives depends upon the chemical nature and physical properties of the cellulose derivatives, such as functionality. Furthermore, cellulose derivatives alone seldom offer a design that is suitable for most commercial applications. Other functional components are usually needed to achieve desired results.

Liquid sorptive coating for ink jet recording media


The present disclosure provides a method of notifying a user of a friend's wager allowing the user to place the same wager or the opposite wager to bet with or against their friends. The method includes being able to add friends on a wagering app, determining the current wager market that the user is in, and using the friend data stored to determine if one or more of the user's friends are in the same wager market or participating in wagering on the same live event and then notifying the user if one or more of their friends places a wager through a notification on the wagering app.

Currently, an issue with play-by-play wagering networks is that a user is not notified in a timely fashion when and if one of their friends places a wager on the same game or wager market in which they are currently playing.
Also, there is no easy way for a user to determine wagers placed by their friends unless they exit a wagering market to view the friends wagering history, and in doing so, the user does not have enough time to place the same wager or opposite wager.
Lastly, it is difficult for users to play together as friends unless they communicate in some fashion to discuss the wagers they are making. In a play-by-play environment, communicating this can be extremely difficult due to the time constraints on the wagers.
Thus, there is a need in the prior art to notify users of friend wagers quickly and efficiently.

Method of notifying user of a known contact's wager


A high-resistance rare earth magnet having a metal structure in which a rare earth magnet phase is dispersed throughout a compound phase comprising at least one compound selected from the group consisting of fluorides and oxides of Li, Na, Mg, Ca, Ba and Sr. The fluorides and oxides are effective for increasing the electrical resistance of a rare earth magnet to a level sufficient for practical use while maintaining high magnetic properties of the magnet.

The present invention relates to a rare earth permanent magnet for use in rotary equipments, electronic parts or components, electronic equipments, etc.
A ferrite magnet has been widely used in a permanent magnet rotary equipment due to its low cost. However, a rare earth magnet has recently come to be used in place of the ferrite magnet to meet the recently increasing demand for reducing the size and improving the efficiency of the rotary equipment. For example, an Sm--Co magnet having a good heat stability and corrosion resistance and a high-performance Nd--Fe--B magnet are used depending on the application use. Of the Sm--Co magnets, Sm.sub.2 Co.sub.17 magnet is advantageous because the properties thereof is not deteriorated by machining and the protective coating is practically not necessitated. Formerly, the maximum energy product, (BH)max, of the Nd--Fe--B magnet was about 35 MGOe at most. However, at present the (BH)max of the Nd--Fe--B magnet has reached 40-45 MGOe. In addition, although the former Nd--Fe--B magnet involved a problem of insufficient heat resistance, this heat resistance has been improve to a certain extent in some application use.
However, the Nd--Fe--B magnet still involves various disadvantages to be removed in view of practical use, such as a large thermal coefficient of the residual magnetic flux density (Br) and the coercive force (iHc), a low Curie temperature, unavoidable protective coating of the magnet surface and a low electrical resistance.
Of the above disadvantages, the low electrical resistance is the most difficult one to be solved because the rare earth magnet comprises electrical conductive metallic substances. If the electrical resistance is low, the rare earth magnet generates a large amount of heat due to eddy current to reduce the efficiency of a rotary equipment such as a motor, when used under a condition in which the amount of magnetic flux changes periodically. Although it is difficult to increase the electrical resistance of a metallic substance, it has been expected that the application field of the rare earth magnet can be more expanded if the electrical resistance thereof is increased. To increase the electrical resistance of a magnet made of a metallic material, JP-A-4-125907 teaches to deposit by sputtering an insulating thin film such as SiO.sub.2 film on fine powder of a metal such as Fe--Co alloy, and sinter the resultant powder. JP-A-5-121220 teaches to coat a resin-bonded magnet powder with an inorganic binder by sol-gel method and subject the resultant powder to a direct compacting in a molding die while passing electrical current, thereby producing a full density magnet. However, the characteristics of the rare earth magnets reported therein are still insufficient and necessary to be further improved.

Rare earth magnet of high electrical resistance and production method thereof


Hair care products for providing long-lasting conditioning, moisturizing, split end repair, body, volume, shine and increased hair strength benefits are disclosed. The products can be in the form of shampoos, conditioners, serums or oils, and comprise a compatible hair care carrier together with an unsaturated oil having an iodine value of at least about 80, and wherein the oil is selected from glycerol triesters of fatty acids wherein the fatty acids have a composition selected from:    (a) less than 18% oleic acid (C18:1) and greater than 30% linoleic acid (C18:2);    (b) less than 10% oleic acid (C18:1) and greater than 65% linolenic acid (C18:3);    (c) greater than 50% eleostearic acid; and    (d) mixtures thereof.

Hair conditioning products are well-known; they are used to provide a wide range of benefits to the user. Examples of such benefits include conditioning, moisturizing, split end repair, and enhanced body, volume, shine and/or strength. These types of products are frequently used as leave-on products, i.e., they are applied after the hair is washed, and left on the hair until the next washing. However, combination products which provide both cleaning and a hair conditioning benefit are also quite well-known.
A variety of materials have been used in the art to provide these hair care benefits. Examples of such materials include silicones, waxes (see, for example, U.S. Published Patent Application 2007/0184007), quaternary ammonium materials, pre-formed polymers, and monomeric materials which are not polymerized (see, for example, U.S. Published Patent Application 2009/0104136). While each of these components can be formulated to provide desirable hair care and hair conditioning benefits, each also has certain formulational and usage limitations. For example, silicones, waxes and quaternary ammonium materials can leave hair with a greasy/oily look and feel, if not used correctly, and at precisely the correct levels. Further, polymers in hair care products can exhibit efficacy and longevity issues. For example, many existing hair care treatments are not robust (i.e., long-lasting) and can lose their efficacy over the course of a day. Many treatments lose their efficacy upon exposure to water or excess humidity. In addition, many hair treatments weigh down hair, flake off, leave unsightly residues, fail to dry and set quickly, do not provide adequate hold, and are not effective for hard to treat hair, such as naturally curly hair. Treatments have been developed which overcome some of these issues; however, they typically involve permanently treating the hair with reducing and/or oxidizing agents, which can damage hair. Thus, there remains a need for hair treatments that withstand the rigors of a typical user's daily routine and can maintain efficacy in a variety of environments without damaging hair fibers. There is, therefore, a desire to formulate a composition which provides styling and/or conditioning benefits to hair using simple molecules which are easy to obtain and formulate, provide long-lasting benefits, and avoid the build-up of waxy, oily or scaly residue on the hair.
Conjugated unsaturated oils, derived from vegetables, nuts or fish, are generally known. Such materials include, for example, sunflower oil, soybean oil, peanut oil, rapeseed oil, linseed oil, canola oil, walnut oil, corn oil, tung oil, and flaxseed oil. They are frequently used for cooking and, even, furniture finishing. Some vegetable and nut oils have been used in hair care products. Examples of such oils include olive oil and linseed oil, which have been used in hair conditioning products; see, for example, The Body Shop Rainforest Radiance Conditioner (linseed oil); Softee Extra Virgin Olive Oil Hair and Scalp Conditioner; and Kiehl's Since 1851 Sunflower Oil Color Preserving Conditioner. Those oils do not have high iodine values (i.e., they are not sufficiently unsaturated) and are not formulated to polymerize to any significant degree on the hair.
Drying oils, having high iodine values, are known for use in formulating oil paints, varnishes and other coating compositions. They provide this coating effect after application to a surface by polymerizing when exposed to oxygen in the atmosphere. Drying oils have not heretofore been used in hair compositions in a formulation which allows crosslinking and polymerization thereby providing a styling and/or conditioning benefit to the hair; such compositions provide enhanced efficacy and longevity of the conditioning benefit.
U.S. Published Patent Application 2007/0184007, Walter et al, published Aug. 9, 2007, describes a form of wax composition which is said to be non-yellowing and which can advantageously be used in hairstyling products. The materials disclosed are fully esterified di- or oligosaccharide polyesters, and particularly octaesters of sucrose with C8-C30 fatty acids, such as benenic acid and fatty acids derived from cotton seed oil.
U.S. Published Patent Application 2009/0104136, Anderson et al, published Apr. 23, 2009, defines a method of obtaining hair conditioning and styling through the application of specific compounds, such as octafluoropentyl methacrylate (OFPMA). The disclosed method, which utilizes these materials, does not rely on heating of the hair or application of a free-radical initiator or a heat-activated initiator to polymerize the materials. In fact, it is taught that the materials do not polymerize on the hair.

Hair care products containing conjugated unsaturated oils

Abstract: The method of conditioning hair using the defined products is also disclosed.


An analogue of lutenising hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) having the amino acid sequence: pGlg-His-Trp-Ser-Tyr-X-Len-Arg-Pro-Gly-Y-Z. wherein X represents Gly or a D-amino acid, Y represents one or more amino acid residues, which may be the same or different, and Z represents Cys or Tyr, such that the solution conformation of said analogue is substantially similar to that of native LHRH. The analogues may be used to prepare vaccines for reducing fertility in mammals.

The present invention relates to extended analogues of the mammalian hormone referred to as luteinising hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH). In particular, it relates to analogues of LHRH formed by adding to the C-terminus of the native LHRH amino acid sequence a short additional amino acid sequence ending with a cysteine residue, such that the conformation in solution is substantially unchanged, and polypeptide conjugates thereof suitable for raising anti-LHRH antibodies.
LHRH is a decapeptide having the amino acid sequence
pGlg-His-Trp-Ser-Tyr-Gly-Leu-Arg-Pro-GlyNH.sub.2 PA0 pGlg-His-Trp-Ser-Tyr-X-Leu-Arg-Pro-Gly-Y-Z
wherein pglg represents a pyroglutamate residue and GlyNH.sub.2 represents glycine-amide, In mammals, this hormone is secreted by the hypothalamus and is responsible for controlling the release of luteinising hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone from the pituitary (Schally et al., Science (1973) 179, 341-350; Guillemin, R., Contraception (1972) 5, 1-32). The latter hormones are directly involved in controlling the development and the normal physiological functioning of testes and ovaries. PA1 wherein X represents Gly or a D-amino acid, Y represents one or more amino acid residues, which may be the same or different, and Z represents Cys or Tyr, such that the solution conformation of said analogue is substantially similar to that of native LHRH.
Active immunisation of various mammals to LHRH, eg. rats, rabbits, sheep and cattle, has been shown to lead in the case of males to testicular regression, reduction of testosterone secretion and cessation of spermatogensis and in the case of females to loss of cycling and ovarian regression, and it has long been appreciated that active immunisation to LHRH could provide a desirable means for routinely reducing fertility in domestic mammals and farm animals, particularly bull calves. In a comparative study of steer calves and immunologically-castrated calves produced by active immunisation to LHRH, the so-called "immunocastrates" were found to be superior in terms of their carcase composition since in these animals anabolic influence of the testes was not totally abolished (Robertson et al., Veterinary Record (1982) 111, 529-531). Moreover, surgical castration involves a degree of risk of infection and trauma, particularly if attempted on other than very young animals. Nevertheless, active immunisation to LHRH using a polypeptide conjugate of LHRH has previously required deleterious adjuvants and moreover the polypeptide conjugates themselves have been immunogenically unsatisfactory.
Hitherto published procedures for the conjugation of LHRH to a polypeptide carrier, e.g. bovine or human serum albumin, tetanus toxoid or thyroglobulin, have generally involved condensation of the hormone with a water-soluble carbodiimide. The absence of free carboxyl or amino moieties in LHRH means that coupling in such methods is probably effected through the hydroxyl group of Ser.sup.4 or via a carboxy-methylated derivative of His.sup.2. As a result, the immunogen is poorly-defined and unlikely to retain all the structural features of free LHRH in solution as considered desirable from the point of view of obtaining anti-LHRH antibodies capable of blocking functioning of LHRH in vivo; there is a danger that the peptide is attached through a region important for immunological recognition. Effective immunisation of mammals using such conjugates to provide a high titre of anti-LHRH antibodies capable of significantly reducing the biological efficacy of endogenous LHRH has only been achieved in the presence of an adjuvant liable to cause undesirable side effects, most commonly Freund's complete or incomplete adjuvant. Freund's complete adjuvant interferes with the tuberculin test in cattle and in addition this adjuvant and also Freund's incomplete adjuvant cause a variable amount of chronic inflammatory reaction at the site of injection. Such procedures have accordingly achieved no practical importance.
A totally synthetic LHRH vaccine based on muramyl dipeptide (MDP) has recently been shown to be capable of effecting immunological castration in male mice (Carelli et al., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA (1982) 79, 5392-5395; Carelli et al., Int. J. Immunopharmacol. (1985) 7, 215-224). However, due to the apparent pyrogenic effects of MDP, this technique of immunological castration is also likely to prove unacceptable for general use in veterinary practice.


An agricultural machine for effectively mulching fodder within the space between crop rows with a single pass includes a frame having an adjustable tongue assembly for towing by a tractor at a preselected pitch and a retractable wheel assembly for transporting the machine over roads. Carriages attached to the frame carry freely rotating drums. Each carriage is slidable and rotatable on the frame for securing the carriage at a preselected orientation. Each drum has a rolling surface for engaging the ground being cultivated. Two carriages form a drum pair which straddles the crop row for permitting the drums within the drum pair to freely roll over ground on opposing sides of the crop row. A plurality of blades is carried on each of the rolling surfaces of the drums for penetrating the ground surface, with the blades extends radially outward from the axis of rotation. Each blade includes a cutting edge oriented with the blades on one drum orthogonal to the blades an the second drum of the drum pair. Multiple drum pairs may be carried by the frame. By rolling the drums on the ground surface, the plurality of blades mulch the fodder between crop rows and shape the crop row being straddled with ground material thrown by the rotating blades. The pitching of the frame and adding of water to the drums further enhances the mulching and cultivating.

The present invention relates to agricultural machines and operations, and in particular to a ground driven apparatus and method for mulching fodder remaining within valley portions of an agricultural bed as in a sugar cane field which has had sugar cane cut and harvested.
The preparation of crop rows for planting after one crop has been harvested has been an ongoing task for the agricultural ages. As described with reference to U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,224 to Shwez, it is well known that the residue of one crop must be disposed of in some manner before seedbed preparation can begin for the next crop. Shwez discloses an agricultural implement that cuts and shreds the stalks of plants by bending and pressing the stalks onto the ground and subsequently shredding them with swinging motor driven, hinged cutter blades. Cultivating the unplanted soil between crop rows to control weed growth, to mulch, and to aerate the soil is desirable for optimum plant growth, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,518,043 to Anderson et al., which discloses a power driven outrigger for driving a working tool to cultivate the soil through a circular stirring motion. A variety of implements and techniques are typically employed and may include, by way of example, using radially driven, rotating knife cutters and shredders, flail type stalk shredders, as well as stalk and root extracting and shredding. By way of further example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,044,841 discloses a rotary tiller having counter rotated rotors driven for chopping vegetation. Yet other techniques, like that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,659,188, operate to scoop up residue for chopping or mowing.
In spite of the many implements and method know in the art for mulching and cultivating the ground between crop rows, discing appears to remain the most popular. However, as inexpensive as a disc may be relative to other power driven mulching machines, it typically takes up to eleven passes, by way of example for a sugar cane field, along a crop row to adequately mulch and cultivate the soil. There is a need to mulch and cultivate such agricultural fields as sugar cane fields in a cost effective and straight forward manner, preferably within a single pass regardless of the soil type.
In view of the foregoing background, it is therefore an object of the present invention to mulch fodder within and cultivate an interspace between crop rows with a single pass over one crop row. It is further an object to fracture the ground within the interspace for enhancing underground lateral water flow and aeration.
These and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention are provided by an apparatus comprising a frame adapted for moving across an agricultural field and at least two drums rotatably carried by the frame. Each of the drums is freely rotatable about an axis of rotation, and each includes a rolling surface for operating on a ground surface above which the frame is moving. A plurality of blades extends outward from the rolling surface for penetrating the ground surface. Each of the plurality of blades has an edge in spaced relation to the rolling surface and is oriented at an angle between zero degrees and ninety degrees to the axis of rotation. One of the at least two drums includes the plurality of blades having one angle which differs from the angle for the plurality of blades of a second of the at least two drums. One embodiment of the apparatus includes the at least two drums, in combination, forming a drum pair, with one drum pair carried at a forward portion of the frame and a second drum pair carried at an aft portion of the frame. The weight of the frame and drums are generally sufficient to allow the blades to penetrate the ground with the rolling surface of the drum freely rolling on the ground surface. With extremely hard or compact soils, the drums may be filled with water for adding weight to the apparatus.
A method aspect of the invention comprises freely rotating first and second drums about their respective axis of rotation, wherein each of the first and second drums includes a rolling surface for operating over a ground surface and a plurality of blades extending from the rolling surface for penetrating the ground surface. The first drum has the blades angled orthogonal to the blades on the second drum. The first and second drums are straddled transversely across and proximate the crop row for permitting the first and second drums to freely roll on opposing sides of the crop row. The drums are then freely rolled over the ground surface for having the plurality of blades to mulch within opposing ground portions on each side of the crop row.

Apparatus and method for mulching and cultivating agricultural fields


A novel process for the preparation of aminochromans of the general formula: ##STR1## wherein R is a C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl group. In the process, a nitrochromanone of the general formula: ##STR2## is hydrogenated with hydrogen in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst. The resultant aminochromanone (III) is reduced using zirconium oxide/isopropanol to the aminochromene (IV). The latter is finally hydrogenated with hydrogen in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst to give the final product. The aminochromans are useful intermediates for the preparation of hypolipidaemic pharmaceuticals.

1. Field Of The Invention
The invention relates to a novel process for the preparation of 6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetraalkyl-2-(4-aminophenoxymethyl)chromans (aminochroman) of the general formula: ##STR3## wherein R denotes a lower alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms.
2. Background Art
It is known from European Published Patent Application No. 207,581 to prepare aminochromans of the general formula I by first converting a tetraalkyl-2-(4-nitrophenoxymethyl) chroman-4-one into the corresponding chroman-4ol using sodium borohydride, in a further step dehydrating the chroman-4-ol to the chroman-3-ene in the presence of p-toluenesulphonic acid and in the last step hydrogenating both the nitro group and the chromene double bond using a hydrogenation catalyst to give the final product. This reaction has the disadvantage that a considerable need for working up arises between the individual reaction steps, which impedes conversion of the synthesis to the industrial scale. Additionally, reduction using sodium borohydride is expensive in comparison with catalytic reductions and is problematic from an ecological point of view as the resulting effluents are polluted with boron.

Method for the preparation of 6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetraalkyl-2-(4-aminophenoxymethyl) chromans