An apparatus for measuring the bending on a drill bit operating down hole in a well may comprise at least three pockets circumferentially spaced equidistantly around the drill collar of the drill string to which the drill bit is attached. Four strain gauges are equidistantly circumferentially spaced around each of the pockets so as to form first and second sets of strain gauges. The strain gauges in the first set are connected into one Wheatstone bridge while the gauges in the second set are connected in a second bridge. Each of the strain gauges that are oriented similarly within each of the pockets are connected in series within a single leg of a bridge so that the output voltage of the bridge is unaffected by bending in the drill string. The output of first bridge is used to determine the bending on the drill bit. Further, an apparatus for measuring the bending, weight, and torque on a drill bit operating down hole in a well may comprise at least three pockets circumferentially spaced equidistantly around the drill collar of the drill string to which the drill bit is attached with twelve strain gauges that are equidistantly circumferentially spaced around each of the pockets so as to form first and second sets of strain gauges. The arrangement of the twelve strain gauges allow for a bending on bit measurement that cancels out the affects of the weight on bit and torque on bit.

In underground drilling, such as gas, oil, or geothermal drilling, a bore is drilled through a formation deep in the earth. Such bores are formed by connecting a drill bit to sections of pipe, referred to as "drill pipe," so as to form an assembly commonly referred to as a "drill string" that is suspended from a rig at the surface and that extends down to the bottom of the bore. The drill bit is rotated so that it advances into the earth, thereby forming the bore. In rotary drilling, the drill bit is rotated by rotating the drill string at the surface. In directional drilling, the drill bit is rotated by a down hole mud motor coupled to the drill bit; the remainder of the drill string is not rotated during drilling. In a steerable drill string, the mud motor is bent at a slight angle to the centerline of the drill bit so as to create a side force that directs the path of the drill bit away from a straight line. In any event, in order to lubricate the drill bit and flush cuttings from its path, piston operated pumps on the surface pump a high pressure fluid, referred to as "drilling mud," through an internal passage in the drill string and out through the drill bit. The drilling mud then flows to the surface through the annular passage formed between the drill string and the surface of the bore.
Depending on the drilling operation, the pressure of the drilling mud flowing through the drill string will typically be between 0 and 25,000 psi. In addition, there is a large pressure drop at the drill bit so that the pressure of the drilling mud flowing outside the drill string is considerably less than that flowing inside the drill string. Thus, the components within the drill string are subject to large pressure forces. In addition, the components of the drill string are also subjected to wear and abrasion from drilling mud, as well as the vibration of the drill string.
Throughout the drilling operation, a drill bit may be subject to various loads that act on the drill string. The fundamental loads acting on the drill string are: axial tension, torsion, bending, pressure and temperature. All of these loads result in strain being applied to the drill string. These loads may be static or dynamic and fluctuate during the drilling process. The axial tension loads are due to applying a drilling weight to the drill bit. This is normally referred to "weight-on-bit" or WOB. The actual amount of weight-on-bit depends on the entire weight of the drillstring and the amount tensile load applied at the rig. This is typically referred to as "hook load". Secondary loads that effect the weight applied to the bit are hydrostatic loads and friction loads. The hydrostatic loads depend on the depth at the bit and the density of the drilling fluid. There are also friction loads along the length of the drillstring due to contact between the drillstring and the borehole. Torsion loads are applied to the drill string to provide adequate cutting torque at the bit. Bit torque may is applied by two means; by a motor at the rig that rotates the drill string that in turn rotates the bit, and/or by a down hole motor that rotates the a drive shaft just above the bit. Drill string bending comes from the well path curvature, sagging of the drill string due to gravitational forces and buckling. Typically, as the well is drill deeper the temperature increases. However, there may be temperature variations within different formations. The annulus temperature and the temperature within the fluid within the bore of the drill string may be slightly different. Bore temperatures tend to be slightly cooler than the annulus temperatures.
The loads applied to the drill string strain the drill string material. Strain gauges can be used to measure these loads. The strain gauges are positioned on a drill collar such that the are subjected to certain strains. The gauges are connected in a bridge arrangement such that the measure the desired load while eliminating the effects of other loads. For example, the gauges can be mounted on a drill collar and connected to one another such that the bridge measures only the bending load, subtracting out tensile and torque loads. Pressure and temperature stains can not be cancelled out. Therefore, these loads and measured and a correction factor is applied to the measurement. The measurements may be recorded down hole and/or transmitted to the surface by mud pulse or wired pipe.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,016, entitled "Apparatus for Measuring Weight and Torque on a Drill Bit Operating in a Well," hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, provides methods for calculating weight on bit and torque on bit in such a way that the effects of bending do not effect the calculations, but does not include any manner for measuring the effects of bending.

Apparatus for measuring bending on a drill bit operating in a well


First and second dielectric constants, e1 and e2 respectively, for first and second dielectric materials forming a MOS (metal oxide semiconductor) stack are determined. First and second test MOS stacks having first and second total effective oxide thickness, EOTA and EOTB, respectively, are formed. The first and second test MOS stacks include first and second interfacial structures comprised of the second dielectric material with first and second thickness, T2A and T1A, respectively. In addition, the first and second test MOS stacks include first and second high-K structures comprised of the first dielectric material with first and second thickness, T2B and T1B, respectively. The thickness parameters EOTA, T1A, T2A, EOTB, T1B, and T2B of the test MOS stacks are measured. The dielectric constants, e1 and e2, are then determined depending on relations between values of EOTA, T1A, and T2A, and between values of EOTB, T1B, and T2B.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to MOS (metal oxide semiconductor) devices, and more particularly, to a mechanism for determining the respective dielectric constant of each of the dielectric materials forming a MOS (metal oxide semiconductor) stack.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, in a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) stack 100, a conductive structure 102 comprised of a metal (or other types of conductive material such as polysilicon for example) is formed on a high-K structure 104 comprised of a dielectric material having a dielectric constant higher than that of silicon dioxide (SiO22). An interfacial structure 106 is disposed between the high-K structure 104 and the semiconductor substrate 103 to provide a smooth structural transition from the high-K structure 104 to the semiconductor substrate 103.
For example, the conductive structure 102 is comprised of aluminum, the high-K structure 104 is comprised of a metal oxide, the semiconductor substrate 103 is comprised of silicon, and the interfacial structure 106 is comprised of silicon dioxide (SiO2). The high-K structure 104 comprised of a dielectric material having a dielectric constant higher than that of silicon dioxide (SiO2) is used as MOS device dimensions are further scaled down including the thickness of the dielectric materials between the conductive structure 102 and the semiconductor substrate 103. For a given capacitance, a dielectric material with a higher dielectric constant has a higher thickness.
When the high-K structure 104 comprised of a dielectric material having a dielectric constant higher than that of silicon dioxide (SiO2) is used, a higher thickness of the dielectric materials (including the high-K structure 104 and the interfacial structure 106) between the conductive structure 102 and the semiconductor substrate 103 is used than if simply silicon dioxide (SiO2) alone were to be used. A higher thickness of the dielectric materials between the conductive structure 102 and the semiconductor substrate 103 is advantageous for minimizing tunneling current through such dielectric materials. As MOS device dimensions are scaled down such that the thickness of the dielectric materials between the conductive structure 102 and the semiconductor substrate 103 is in a range of tens of angstroms, tunneling current may be a significant source of undesired leakage current for the MOS device.
With formation of the dielectric stack including the interfacial structure 106 typically comprised of silicon dioxide (SiO2) and the high-K structure 104, determination of the effective dielectric constant of the high-K structure 104 and of the interfacial structure 106 is desired. When the thicknesses of the high-K structure 104 and the interfacial structure 106 are scaled down to tens of angstroms, the effective dielectric constants for the dielectric materials of the high-K structure 104 and the interfacial structure 106 may deviate significantly from the dielectric constant of such dielectric materials in bulk.
Accordingly, in a general aspect of the present invention, the dielectric constants of the interfacial structure and the high-K structure forming a MOS (metal oxide semiconductor) stack are determined by forming test MOS (metal oxide semiconductor) stacks.
In a general aspect of the present invention, in a system and method for determining a first dielectric constant, e1, for a first dielectric material and a second dielectric constant, e2, for a second dielectric material forming a MOS (metal oxide semiconductor) stack, a first test MOS (metal oxide semiconductor) stack and a second test MOS (metal oxide semiconductor) stack are formed. The first test MOS stack has a first total effective oxide thickness, EOTA. The first test MOS stack includes a first interfacial structure comprised of the second dielectric material having the second dielectric constant, e2, and having a first interfacial thickness T2A. The first test MOS stack also includes a first high-K structure comprised of the first dielectric material having the first dielectric constant, e1, and having a first high-K thickness, T1A. The first interfacial structure is disposed on a semiconductor substrate, and the first high-K structure is disposed between the first interfacial structure and a first conductive structure.
Similarly, the second test MOS stack has a second total effective oxide thickness, EOTB. The second test MOS stack includes a second interfacial structure comprised of the second dielectric material having the second dielectric constant, e2, and having a second interfacial thickness T2B. The second test MOS stack also includes a second high-K structure comprised of the first dielectric material having the first dielectric constant, e1, and having a second high-K thickness T1B. The second interfacial structure is disposed on the semiconductor substrate, and the second high-K structure is disposed between the second interfacial structure and a second conductive structure.
After formation of the first and second test MOS stacks, the first total effective oxide thickness, EOTA, of the first test MOS stack and the second total effective oxide thickness, EOTB, of the second test MOS stack are measured. In addition, the first interfacial thickness, T2A, of the first interfacial structure and the first high-K thickness, T1A, of the first high-K structure are measured. Also, the second interfacial thickness, T2B, of the second interfacial structure and the second high-K thickness, T1B, of the second high-K structure are measured. The first dielectric constant, e1, and the second dielectric constant, e2, are then determined depending on relations between values of EOTA, T1A, and T2A, and between values of EOTB, T1B, and T2B.
For example, the relations between values of EOTA, T1A, and T2A and between values of EOTB, T1B, and T2B are as follows:
EOTA=T1A*(eox/e1)+T2A*(eox/e2)
EOTB=T1B*(eox/e1)+T2B*(eox/e2),
with eox, being the dielectric constant of silicon dioxide (SiO2).
The present invention may be used to particular advantage when the first total effective oxide thickness, EOTA, of the first test MOS stack and the second total effective oxide thickness, EOTB, of the second test MOS stack are measured using a capacitance and voltage measurement system or a current and voltage measurement system. In addition, the first interfacial thickness, T2A, of the first interfacial structure and the first high-K thickness, T1A, of the first high-K structure are measured using a HRTEM (high resolution transmission electron microscopy) system, according to one embodiment of the present invention. Similarly, the second interfacial thickness, T2B, of the second interfacial structure and the second high-K thickness, T1B, of the second high-K structure are measured using a HRTEM (high resolution transmission electron microscopy) system, according to one embodiment of the present invention.
In this manner, the interfacial structures and the high-K structures of the first and second test MOS stacks are formed to be comprised of the first and second dielectric materials. The first dielectric constant, e1, for the first dielectric material and the second dielectric constant, e2, for the second dielectric material are determined from measuring the thickness parameters EOTA, T1A, T2A, EOTB, T1B, and T2B of the first and second test MOS stacks. Thus, the first dielectric constant, e1, for the first dielectric material and the second dielectric constant, e2, for the second dielectric material are effectively determined even when the interfacial structure and the high-K structure of a MOS stack are formed to be relatively thin in the range of tens of angstroms.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood by considering the following detailed description of the invention which is presented with the attached drawings.

Determination of dielectric constants of thin dielectric materials in a MOS (metal oxide semiconductor) stack


The invention includes methods of incorporating partial SOI into transistor structures. In particular aspects, dielectric material is provided over semiconductor material, and patterned into at least two segments separated by a gap. Additional semiconductor material is then grown over the dielectric material and within the gap. Subsequently, a transistor is formed to comprise source/drain regions within the additional semiconductor material, and to comprise a channel between the source/drain regions. At least one of the source/drain regions is primarily directly over a segment of the dielectric material, and the channel is not primarily directly over any segment of the dielectric material. The invention also includes constructions comprising partial SOI corresponding to segments of dielectric material, and transistors having at least one source/drain region primarily directly over a segment of dielectric material, and a channel that is not primarily directly over any segment of the dielectric material.

Dynamic random access memory (DRAM) is utilized in numerous electronic systems. A continuing goal is to increase the level of integration, with a corresponding goal to decrease the size of memory devices. As the design rule of memory devices decreases, channel doping within transistors associated with memory increases to alleviate short channel effects. However, the increased channel doping can cause increased leakage at junctions, which can render it increasingly difficult to obtain sufficient data retention time within the memory devices.
One approach being considered for reducing leakage at junctions is to utilize partially-insulated transistors, and more specifically to utilize partial SOI to alleviate leakage at source/drain junctions. It would be desirable to develop economical methods for incorporating such approach into the fabrication of memory devices. Accordingly, it would be desirable to develop new methods for incorporating partial SOI into memory constructions. It would also be desirable to develop improved memory constructions containing partial SOI.
Although the invention was motivated, at least in part, by a desire to improve memory constructions (such as, for example, DRAM constructions), it is to be understood that the invention described herein can have additional applications besides utilization for memory constructions, and accordingly that the invention is to be limited only by the claims that follow.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Methods of forming semiconductor constructions


An adaptive optical apparatus comprising: a shielding unit configured to shield diffracted light that is generated at an aberration correction unit that is irradiated with returning light, wherein the returning light returns from an object to be examined that is irradiated with light; a detection unit configured to detect an aberration of the returning light through an aperture of the shielding unit; and a control unit configured to control the aberration correction unit based on a detection result of the detection unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adaptive optical apparatus, an image obtaining apparatus, a method for controlling the adaptive optical apparatus, and a storage medium, and particularly relates to a technology for correcting aberrations generated by an object to be examined.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, the technology of adaptive optics (AO) that corrects even higher-order wavefront aberrations using an active optical element has been put to practical use and applied in various fields. This technology successively measures wavefront aberrations of probe light or signal light, which may be generated due to the characteristics of a measurement target itself, variations in a measurement environment, and the like, using a wavefront sensor and corrects the wavefront aberrations using a wavefront corrector such as a deformable mirror (hereinafter referred to as "DM"), a spatial light modulator (hereinafter referred to as "SLM"), or the like, and is receiving attention especially in the field of systems for examination of the eye's retina.
As examples of such ophthalmic devices, in addition to a fundus camera, an SLO (Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope) that obtains a two-dimensional image of the retina and an OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) that obtains a tomographic image of the retina are known. The SLO and the OCT scan a light beam one- or two-dimensionally on the retina using a scanning unit, receive reflected and backscattered light from the retina, and obtain a two-dimensional image or a three-dimensional image of the retina.
Japanese Patent No. 4157839 discloses an SLO in which while a scanning unit two-dimensionally scans light from a light source on a retina, a wavefront detector receives a part of returning light reflected from the retina and detects a wavefront, an aberration corrector corrects the wavefront of light irradiated onto an eye to be examined and the wavefront of the returning light, and a part of the returning light is received to form an image.
Here, generally, a DM of a type having a configuration in which a plurality of micromirrors are periodically and two-dimensionally arrayed or a liquid crystal type SLM in which a plurality of micropixels are periodically arrayed in a two-dimensional matrix is used as the aberration corrector that corrects the wavefront aberrations. Since these aberration correctors have a structure in which gaps are periodically distributed among the plurality of pixels, diffracted light will be generated when the aberration corrector is irradiated with light. If the wavefront detector is irradiated with the diffracted light, precise wavefront detection may be affected, resulting in a decrease in the accuracy of aberration correction, and thus there is a possibility that the image quality of the obtained image may also decrease.

Adaptive optical apparatus, image obtaining apparatus, method for controlling adaptive optical apparatus, and storage medium


Systems and methods for monitoring and characterizing fluids in a subterranean formation are provided. In one embodiment, a method for monitoring fluids in a well bore penetrating a subterranean formation is provided, the method comprising: determining an actual buoyed hookload of an apparatus at least partially disposed in the well bore wherein a first set of fluids are present therein; comparing the actual buoyed hookload to a calculated buoyed hookload of the apparatus, wherein the calculated buoyed hookload is based in part on the unbuoyed hookload of the apparatus, and the properties of a second set of fluids that are assumed to be present in the well bore; and determining at least one property of the first set of fluids based in part on the comparison of the actual buoyed hookload to the calculated buoyed hookload.

The present disclosure relates to subterranean operations and, more particularly, to systems and methods for monitoring and characterizing fluids in a subterranean formation.
Performance of subterranean operations entails various steps, each using a number of devices. Many subterranean operations entail introducing one or more fluids into the subterranean formation. For instance, drilling operations play an important role when developing oil, gas or water wells or when mining for minerals and the like. During the drilling operations, a drill bit passes through various layers of earth strata as it descends to a desired depth. Drilling fluids are commonly employed during the drilling operations and perform several important functions including, but not limited to, removing the cuttings from the well to the surface, controlling formation pressures, sealing permeable formations, minimizing formation damage, and cooling and lubricating the drill bit.
Similarly, other treatment fluids may be used when performing subterranean operations. One common production stimulation operation that employs one or more treatment fluids is hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing operations generally involve pumping a treatment fluid (e.g., a fracturing fluid) into a well bore that penetrates a subterranean formation at a sufficient hydraulic pressure to create or enhance one or more cracks, or "fractures," in the subterranean formation. Other examples of treatment fluids used in subterranean operations include, but are not limited to, preflush fluids, afterflush fluids, wellbore cleaning fluids, consolidating fluids, gravel packing fluids, acidizing fluids, and the like.
Maintaining fluid pressure in the well bore is often critical to these and other subterranean operations in a well bore. However, fluids placed in a well bore may migrate or flow into another portion of the subterranean formation other than their intended location, for example, in an area of the formation that is more porous or permeable. Fluid loss may result in, among other problems, incomplete or ineffective treatment of the formation, increased cost due to increased volumes of fluid to complete a treatment, and/or environmental contamination of the formation. While treatment fluids are often formulated and wells are often constructed so as to reduce the likelihood or amount of fluid loss into the formation, fluid loss still may occur, particularly in damaged or highly permeable areas of a subterranean formation or well bore.
Conventional methods of detecting fluid loss typically involve measuring the amount of fluid pumped into the well bore and comparing that with the amount of fluid circulated out of the well bore. However, such methods are usually only performed after the operation using the fluid has been completed, and do not give an operator enough information during the operation to make adjustments to attempt to compensate for the fluid loss or otherwise remedy whatever is causing the loss of fluid. This may require performing the same treatment or operation on the same well bore multiple times until it can be performed without significant fluid loss. Moreover, such methods typically are not capable of identifying the specific fluid that was lost into the formation, the identity of which may be important in order to compensate for the lost fluid and/or remedy or prevent additional problems (e.g., formation damage, environmental problems, etc.) that may result from the loss of particular fluids into the formation.
While embodiments of this disclosure have been depicted and described and are defined by reference to example embodiments of the disclosure, such references do not imply a limitation on the disclosure, and no such limitation is to be inferred. The subject matter disclosed is capable of considerable modification, alteration, and equivalents in form and function, as will occur to those skilled in the pertinent art and having the benefit of this disclosure. The depicted and described embodiments of this disclosure are examples only, and not exhaustive of the scope of the disclosure.

Systems and methods for monitoring and characterizing fluids in a subterranean formation using hookload


The quick change insert system of the present invention utilizes a removable locking pin and an insert sleeve to permit easy replacement of an insert pin within a sleeve. Insert pin replacement occurs by removing the locking pin. After removing the locking pin, the insert sleeve is removed together with the insert pin. The insert pin is separated from the insert sleeve, and a replacement insert pin is put in its place. The new insert pin and the insert sleeve slide back into the sleeve, and the locking pin secures the insert pin and the insert sleeve to the sleeve. The present invention does not require the removing or re-adjusting of the sleeve during insert pin replacement. Furthermore, the present invention permits easy replacement of other sleeve assembly parts during part to part changeover and eliminates costly inventory of sleeve assemblies.

Cold-forming involves the manufacture of a variety of metal parts and component, such as screws and bolts, at room temperature. The cold-forming process starts with a coil of wire or rod that is fed into a cold header. The cold header cuts the wire at an appropriate length and progressively forms the cut-off portion or slug into a specific shape through a series of punches and dies.
Cold-forming provides several advantages over other methods for manufacturing similar parts. Cold-forming wastes less materials because almost all of the material is reshaped to form the finished part, leaving virtually no scrap behind. The cold-formed part is stronger than parts made from other manufacturing processes because cold-forming causes the grain flow to follow the part configuration. Cold-formed products have consistent strength and dimensional accuracy and maintain a good appearance and finish. Other manufacturing processes require a finishing operation. Cold-forming also has phenomenal production rates when compared with other production processes and is the fastest production process for many parts. Additionally, cold-forming permits the combining of separate parts into a one-piece component that is stronger than the combined separate parts and reduces assembly operations required of other manufacturing processes.
Cold-forming is performed in a cold header or cold former in reference to the fact that they form steel into specific shapes at room temperature. Coiled wire or rod is fed into the cold header. The cold header cuts the wire or rod into cutoff slugs or blanks of a specified amount. The cold header forms these cut-off slugs into the specific shape of the final product. A blow or ram side of the cold header forces the cut-off slugs into a die in the die side of the cold header and causes the slug to conform to the shape of the die.
The ram side includes a sleeve assembly that is secured to a bolster plate on the ram side. The sleeve assembly includes a sleeve that surrounds packing and a frequently replaced insert pin. The ram side and the sleeve assembly move between a back position and a forward position while the die side of the cold header remains stationary. In the back position, the ram side is separated from the die side of the cold header, and a cut-off slug is positioned between the insert pin of the sleeve assembly and an opening to the die on the die side of the cold header. In moving to the forward position, the insert pin of the sleeve assembly rams the cut-off slug into the die on the die side of the cold header. As the insert pin pushes the cut-off slug into the die, the slug is extruded to the shape or diameter required. When the ram side returns to the back position, an ejector pin ejects the slug and completes the cold-forming operation. A cut-off slug may require a succession of cold-forming operations for a completed part.
During these cold-forming operations, insert pins commonly break and packings become damaged, requiring replacement. The current design of the blow assembly requires that the entire sleeve assembly be removed from the bolster plate on ram side of the cold header in order to replace the insert pin and the packings. After the sleeve assembly is removed and replaced, a significant time is spent in re-adjusting the location of the sleeve. The current sleeve assembly wastes time and money because the current sleeve design does not provide for part replacement without removing the entire sleeve assembly.
Moreover, the current sleeve assembly presents certain cost inefficiencies. The present cold-headers require that a new sleeve and insert pin be made and kept in inventory for each new job. New jobs require different insert pins because the diameter of the insert pin changes for different jobs. The sleeve assembly remains assembled in inventory because the sleeve, the packing and the insert pin are all part specific. Thus, the present sleeve assembly is cost inefficient because the current sleeve assembly design requires a large inventory of sleeve assemblies for a cold-forming manufacturer.


A highly specific type of hooked materials, when applied to the shoulder of a tennis racquet, have been found to tangentially hook onto the nap of a tennis ball and allow the ball to be lifted from the court. Hooked materials characterized as comprising a series of heat-treated nylon monofilament hooks in a rowed relationship (300/inch2) of an average diameter of 8.5 mil, 1.91 mm mean height, 1.13 mm mean width and 0.71 mm mean hook depth are particularly effective for retrieving all common types of tennis balls.

The prior art provides a very interesting history of the arts' unsuccessful attempt to utilize Velcro®-type materials in combination with a tennis racquet to serve as a ball retriever. The purpose of such a retriever, when attached to the tennis racquet, would permit the tennis player to merely extend the tennis racquet to retrieve the tennis ball from the court. Early patents such as French Patent No, 2,594,037 by Gene Muslin theorized that a cloth wrapper with hooks including catching elements made of smooth layers of fastening retention threads attached to a tennis racquet would allow the tennis player to retrieve the ball without bending down or stooping. The French patentee disclosed numerous positions for attaching the cloth with hooks to the tennis racquet. The French patentee fails, however, to provide any enabling guidance as to what type of cloth with hooks could be utilized for this purpose. The patent literature collectively reveals that the positioning and configuration of the retrieving element upon the racquet by the French patentee would not lend itself to effective grasping and retrieval of a grounded tennis ball.
Another early patent to Peter Ross (U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,666) proposes the use of what is referred to as mid-temp Velcro®. Apparently, as indicated in the patent, the Ross retriever includes an outer surface equipped with stainless hooks which, when emplaced upon a tennis racquet, will hook onto the nap of a tennis ball. A subsequent patent, U.S. Pat. No, 4,834,393, to Joseph A. Feldi in discussing the shortcoming of the Ross retriever indicated that the stainless steel hooks as taught by U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,666 to Ross, had two major drawbacks. First, it was extremely difficult to pick up a tennis ball with the Ross system with success only in one out of five tries. The second problem was indicated that "after just a few retrievals using the standard tennis ball the ball covering becomes fuzz and no longer useful in normal play." In order to overcome this inability to effectively retrieve a tennis ball with a hooked material attached to the tennis racquet, Feldi proposed to completely alter the outer covering of the tennis ball to a nap consisting entirely of a different looped material more compatible with the hooks which, in turn, then would allow a hooked material of conventional Velcro®-type hooked fabric affixed to the end of tennis racquet to effectively pick up a tennis ball. Thus, Feldi's suggestion was change the tennis ball nap so that it could be retrieved with the conventional hooked fabric materials.
Another early patent to Steven M Schubert entitled "Racket Mounted Tennis Ball Retriever" of U.S. Pat. No. 4,210,327 makes reference to a tennis ball retriever sold under the trademark "GRAB-R" which consisted of an adhesive strip containing countless tiny hooks for adherence to the rounded frame at the head of the racquet. Schubert indicated that in order to permit the GRAB-R to retrieve the tennis ball, the tennis player must first secure the ball under the foot to keep if from scooting away and then engage the racquet retriever onto the ball and twist the racquet so as to snag the hooks into the covering pile.
Recognizing the inability for hooked fabric materials, such as Velcro® hooks, to effectively retrieve a tennis ball when attached to a flat or convex surface, the Schubert patentee, as well as many others, proposed to attach a cup-shaped retriever onto the butt end of the tennis racquet. The cup provided an internal cavity of a concave configuration conforming substantially to the configuration of the arcuate periphery of a tennis ball. By compressing the grounded tennis ball against the cup, an improved interlocking engagement of the hooked and curling looped fabrics was achieved by simply decompressing the tennis ball (i.e. lifting) which action apparently allowed the hooks and tennis pile to interlockingly intermesh onto one another. This design significantly increases the contacting surface of the hooks allowing the weak hooking efficacy of many hooks to provide sufficient attachment to lift the ball from the ground. Schubert indicates that if the fabric section is placed on the convex surface or even on a planer surface, which would be applied tangentially against the ball, the retriever would be ineffective for snagging the hooks into the piled loops of the ball and lifting the ball. Because of the increased surface exposure by cupping the ball, the ineffective hooks are numberly increased so as to enable the hooks to snaggingly engage the curly pile of the ball so it may then be lifted from the ground. The proposal by Schubert is not the most desirable way for attaching a ball-retrieving device to a tennis racquet. The handle of the tennis racquet is normally held by the tennis player. Consequently, when it is desired to retrieve a ball, the tennis player must grasp the head of the tennis racquet and then force the handle butt end and attached the tennis ball retriever against the courted tennis ball.
A somewhat similar ball-retrieving apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,712 to Kenneth J. Urwin. Similar to the Schubert patent, the Urwin patentee relies upon a cup-shaped gripping section of an arcuate shape conforming to the spherical shape of a tennis ball, which enables the enlarged portion of the gripping hooks to more effectively contact, attach and securely grip the tennis ball.
Another early version of a ball retriever of a cup shape for attachment to the butt end of the tennis racquet handle may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,881 to David A. Norton. The Norton patent relies upon a concave recess equipped with clip means preferably formed from a resilient material, which includes a plurality of radially extending arms. The arms are turned so as to extend in a substantially parallel relationship to the sidewalls of the receiving cup for the tennis ball. The free ends of the arms include a plurality of hook means disposed in a nap-engaging relationship to the corresponding portions of the tennis ball. The hook means are generally disclosed as teeth. The patentee alternatively mentions, but does not show, that a strip of Velcro® tape could also be used.
In summary, the prior art generally teaches that Velcro®-type hooked materials (i.e. fabric hooks) of a polymeric material construction, such as a nylon, necessitate substantial interfacial contact with the tennis ball cover in order to effectively be utilized as a ball retriever. Consequently, the prior art has taught the utilization of cup-shaped attachments to the tennis racquet which generally conform to the configuration of the tennis ball so as to provide an increased concave surface area for more effectively hooking and retaining the tennis ball. Since these cup-shaped retrieving devices are relatively bulky, they cannot be affixed to the tennis racquet head but must rather necessarily placed upon the butt end of the tennis racquet handle. The prior art consistently teaches that such hooked fabric materials are ineffective when utilized simply as a flat strip attached to the surface of the racquet rim or as an attachment upon the convex surface of the tennis racquet head. The prior art solution to the ineffectiveness of Velcro®-type fasteners is to increase the interfacing surface by designing the retriever to extensively cup the ball so that the ineffective hooks are then present in sufficient numbers to allow the ineffective hooks to lift the tennis ball.
In each of these situations, the prior art teaches that the tangential contact and use of such a retainer fails to provide a sufficient number of hooks so as to effectively grasp and retain the tennis ball. The applicant desired to utilize a hooked fabric attachment which could be removably attached to the flat or convex surfaces of the tennis racquet and allow for retrieval of the tennis ball simply by tangential contact of the tennis ball therewith. Unexpectedly, the applicant has discovered that a very narrow range of hooked fabric materials which, when attached to the tennis racquet, possess unexpectedly superior ball-retrieving efficacy notwithstanding making only tangential contact between the hooked material and the tennis ball nap. The discovery permits a lightweight, adhesively and removable ball retrieving element to be placed upon the tennis racquet head without adversely affecting the player's use of the racquet. The retriever is light in weight and does not alter the balance of the tennis racquet. When it is desired to retrieve a courted ball, the tennis player merely extends the retrieving head so as to tangentially contact the surface of the tennis ball with the retriever and tangentially hook onto the nap of the ball with the retrieving hooks and lift the tennis ball therewith The retrieving device exhibits extraordinary hooking and lifting efficacy. Simply tangential contact results in a surprisingly superior engagement efficacy upon initial contact with the tennis ball. The retrieving device has been effective upon all of the major brands of tennis balls.

Tennis racquet equipped with a tennis ball retriever


A system for maintaining a spaced relationship between two energetic sources is disclosed, which system including in a preferred embodiment a clamping mechanism securable to the energetic sources, a spacing system disposed between these sources, a pivot mechanism coupled to the spacing system and pivotally engageable to the clamping mechanism, and a shock absorption system coupled to the spacing mechanism and adapted to resiliently deform.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a means to maintain the position of two or more energetically moveable objects in a spaced relation vis-a-vis each other. More specifically, the present invention in a preferred embodiment relates to a system to maintain two marine seismic sources in a preferred, spaced orientation during continuous operation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Marine seismic exploration often utilizes seismic sources, airguns or waterguns, pulled behind a boat over submarine horizons of perceived interest. Upon actuation, these sources create a strong, primary pressure pulse which is useful in interpreting the strata comprising the sea floor.
To enhance this primary pulse, and hence advance the geological interpretation of the sea floor, it has become common practice to simultaneously fire a number of these seismic sources. In this connection, it has been discovered that marine seismic sources selectively positioned with respect to each other optimize the creation of the primary pulse while minimizing the creation of undesired secondary pulses. This optimization, generally known as the "cluster effect," relics on spacing between the sources given the parameters of volume, pressure, and depth.
In practice, however, realization of the benefits of the "cluster effect" has been difficult since seismic sources, due to the strong energy pulses created during actuation and recoil, are prone to substantial and energetic movements with respect to each other. Furthermore, the air bubbles created upon actuation of the marine acoustic generator ultimately collapses, forcing the sources together and thereby inducing significant damage on the gun lines and peripheral equipment.
Prior mechanical clamping systems have been designed to address this issue. Such clamping systems, however, if strong enough to prevent substantial movement of the sources with respect to each other, have generally been bulky and contribute to substantial drag on the towing source. In some instances, this drag may be of a sufficient magnitude as to foreclose their use as a towed array altogether.
Systems which are not as massive, and hence more streamlined, having been generally unable to achieve the rigidity and spacing necessary for optimization of the "cluster effect". Moreover, such systems are readily damaged through consecutive recoils of the seismic sources during operation.

Dynamic system for maintaining spacing between two or more objects


A display switch includes switch elements disposed on a display which is capable of electrically changing images displayed thereon. Above the switch elements are disposed a plurality of buttons formed of a transparent material and supported by a frame member. A depression is formed in each of at least two opposite side surfaces of each button, and the frame member has flange portions that engage with the depressions in order to limit movement of the buttons. Also, elastic members are disposed under the buttons in order to allow each button to move during operation while imparting a feel to a user and to automatically return the button to its original position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a switch for a display (herein after referred to as a "display switch") in which transparent buttons are disposed on the top surface of the display such that each button is depressable through a proper strokes thereby imparting a secure feel to a user upon operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional display switch of the above-mentioned type includes a touch panel switch 10 disposed on the top surface of a display 1 such as a CRT or an LCD. The electrical display is arbitrarily changed through operation of the touch panel switch 10. The touch panel switch 10 is formed through superimposition of a lower transparent sheet 5 having a plurality of transparent electrodes 2 formed on its upper surface, a spacer 6, and an upper transparent sheet 9 having a plurality of transparent electrodes 7 formed on its lower surface.
In the touch panel switch 10 in order to separate the transparent electrodes 7 of the upper transparent sheet 9 from the transparent electrodes 2 of the lower transparent sheet 5, dot spacers 3 are provided on the lower transparent sheet 5, in addition to the spacer 6.
Circuit patterns 4 and 8 are respectively provided on the lower and upper transparent sheets 5 and 9. These circuit patterns 4 and 8 are led to respective tail portions of the lower and upper transparent sheets 5 and 9 and are connected to the display 1.
However, in the above-described conventional display switch, feel of depressing movement cannot be imparted to a user when he/she depresses an operation portion. The lack of feel of depressing operation makes the operation dull, so that the user feels insecurity as to whether the operation is performed properly. Also, the user may erroneously depress the switch two or more times, and may depress the switch with a force greater than required.
Recently, such a display switch has often been used in automatic teller machines and ticket vending machines. Since sight-impaired persons cannot find the position of an operation portion of the switch with their fingers, the introduction of such a display switch has caused a social problem.


A switch for high rate transfer of data and/or telecommunications includes several switchport devices for traffic cells and a switchcore device connected to the switchport device for routing the traffic cells inside from one switchport device to another. The switchport devices are provided in several groups. The switchcore device is formed by several switchcore units provided in rows and columns in a matrix. Each switchcore unit has at least as many inputs and outputs as there are switchport devices in a group of switchport devices. The switchcore units in each row have their inputs connected to the switchport devices in an individual group. The switchcore units in each column have their outputs connected to the switchport devices in the group of switchport devices having the same order as the order of the column in the matrix.

In the future, the most common transfer mode for the broadband ISDN will be the ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode). ATM is a statistical multiplexing and switching method which is based on fast packet switching concept allowing an asynchronous operation between the sender clock and the receiver clock. The difference between the clocks is solved by providing temporary storage for input packages and by inserting or removing packets not containing useful information, i.e. emptying of assigned packets of data, in the information stream. ATM provides dedicated circuits for voice, data and video communications by dividing the information flow within each of these three types of traffic into individual traffic "cells", each being a kind of "package" including a header comprising an address or directions specifying the location to which the information carried within the cell should be delivered, and data about the information. Direction instructions are added to the information carried by the cell in the form of a label, which is processed by an ATM switch as the cell is routed through it.
A network having this kind of transfer mode is capable of transferring all sorts of services, for example low speed transfer, such as telemetry, telecontrol low speed data etc, medium speed transfer, such as hifi sound, video telephony etc, and high speed transfer, such as high quality video distribution or the like. Traffic cells are sent in a continuous data stream; traffic cells not containing useful information are inserted and/or removed in the datastream when necessary. No handshaking operations are provided in the network; instead the network has a low BER (Bit Error Rate). Nowadays, the concepts for telecommunications allow large Gigabit ATM switches to be designed based on a strictly non-blocking matrix. The matrix has then been simply increased to the desired size, by interconnecting switchcore chips. A 40 Gbps switch can most likely be made by using the proven technology of today.
However, as the volume of communication traffic increases, and particularly the demand for interaction between a customer and for instance the public data net INTERNET, demand has arisen for switches able to manage even higher rates.
According to the ATM principle a number of incoming links transport the ATM information to the ATM switch where depending on the value of the header of the incoming traffic cell the information is switched to an outgoing link. The incoming header and the incoming link number of the traffic cell are used to access a translation table in a switchcore. The result of the access to the translation table is an outgoing link and a new header value for the cell.
In a prior multiport controlled access ATM switch described in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,347 a multiport device included one switchcore circuit to which the ports were connected. This switchcore circuit was able to serve a number of A external links, where A for example is 16, up to a rate of 40 Gbps. There could be different inports and outports, or each port could be used as a combined input/output port.
However, nowadays there is a demand to be able to serve up to 128 links for rates up to and above 80 Gbps.
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 36, No. 11, November, 1993, (Armonk, N.Y., USA), "First-in First-out Queuing in Single Stage Switching Networks Built from Multiple Identical Packet Switching Modules", p. 517-520, discloses briefly on page 517 a modular switch structure, in which the modules can be constructed of small modules and when needed be combined to a matrix of four modules. At paralleled outputs there is provided a control logic which ensures that only one port is active at the time.


According to various embodiments the present disclosure provides porous particles and methods and apparatus for forming porous microparticles. According to a specific embodiment, the present disclosure provides microparticles with multi-nodal porosity and methods for forming the same. According to a still further embodiment, the present disclosure provides microfluidic device-based methods for forming microparticles with multi-nodal nanoporosity. Furthermore, the present disclosure provides populations of monosdisperse mesoporous microparticles with multi-nodal nanoporosity and methods and apparatus for forming the same. According to a specific embodiment, the present disclosure provides populations of monodisperse mesoporous microparticles formed using a microfluidic device.

Emulsification of a polymer precursor followed by execution of the polymer chemistry within emulsion droplet reactors provides a facile and versatile method for producing microparticles. Not surprisingly, if a liquid-to-solid chemical reaction proceeds to completion within these drops, the resultant solid particles will possess the shape of the droplets. See, e.g., Nie, Z. H., et al., Polymer particles with various shapes and morphologies produced in continuous microfluidic reactors. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2005. 127(22): p. 8058-8063 and Dendukuri, D., et al., Controlled synthesis of nonspherical microparticles using microfluidics. Langmuir, 2005. 21(6): p. 2113-2116. Microfluidic flow-focusing devices (MFFDs) provide a straightforward and robust approach to the formation of highly monodisperse emulsion drops. See, e.g., Anna, S. L., N. Bontoux, and H. A. Stone, Formation of dispersions using "flow focusing" in microchannels. Applied Physics Letters, 2003. 82(3): p. 364-366. It has been demonstrated that microfluidic-generated drops can function as both morphological templates and chemical reactors for the synthesis of monodisperse polymer and biopolymer particles. See, e.g., Xu, S., et al., Generation of monodisperse particles by using microfluidics: Control over size, shape, and composition (vol 44, pg 724, 2005); Angewandte Chemielnternational Edition, 2005. 44(25): p. 3799-3799; 5. Ikkai, F., et al., New method of producing mono-sized polymer gel particles using microchannel emulsification and UV irradiation. Colloid and Polymer Science, 2005. 283(10): p. 1149-1153; Serra, C., et al., A predictive approach of the influence of the operating parameters on the size of polymer particles synthesized in a simplified microfluidic system. Langmuir, 2007. 23(14): p. 7745-7750; and Zhang, H., et al., Microfluidic production of biopolymer microcapsules with controlled morphology. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2006. 128(37): p. 12205-12210.
An appealing feature to engineer into emulsion-polymerized particles is porosity. Particles with well-defined pore morphology are essential for many areas of modern technology. Potential applications include catalysis and electrocatalysis, chromatography, and drug delivery. See. e.g., Cejka, J. and S. Mintova, Perspectives of micro/mesoporous composites in catalysis. Catalysis Reviews—Science and Engineering, 2007. 49(4): p. 457-509; Hartmann, M., Ordered mesoporous materials for bioadsorption and biocatalysis. Chemistry of Materials, 2005. 17(18): p. 4577-4593; Gasteiger, H. A., et al., Activity benchmarks and requirements for Pt, Pt-alloy, and non-Pt oxygen reduction catalysts for PEMFCs. Applied Catalysis B—Environmental, 2005. 56(12): p. 9-35; Gallis, K. W., et al., The use of mesoporous silica in liquid chromatography. Advanced Materials, 1999. 11(17): p. 1452-1455; and Vallet-Regi, M., et al., A new property of MCM-41: Drug delivery system. Chemistry of Materials, 2001. 13(2): p. 308-311. Precise control over the pore size and shape is crucial for the successful performance of the particles. It allows for optimization of fluid transport in a catalyst, determines the molecular release of solute by a drug delivery vehicle, or defines the size selectivity in chromatography. Templating of oxide materials with surfactant micelles is a powerful method to obtain mesoporous structures with controlled morphology. See e.g., Kresge, C. T., et al., Ordered Mesoporous MolecularSieves Synthesized by a Liquid-Crystal Template Mechanism. Nature, 1992. 359(6397): p. 710712. Oxide (e.g., silica) precursor solution (sol) is mixed with a templating surfactant, and evaporation of the solvent leads to an increase in the surfactant concentration. The surfactant forms supramolecular structures according to the solution phase diagram. This is known as evaporative induced self-assembly (EISA) and has been used to obtain bulk porous materials or microparticles using high temperature aerosol methods. See. e.g., Lu, Y. F., et al., Aerosolassisted self-assembly of mesostructured spherical nanoparticles. Nature, 1999. 398(6724): p. 223-226; Brinker, C. J., et al., Evaporation-induced self-assembly: Nanostructures made easy. Advanced Materials, 1999. 11(7): p. 579-585; and Bore, M. T., et al., Hexagonal mesostructure in powders produced by evaporation-induced self-assembly of aerosols from aqueous tetraethoxysilane solutions. Langmuir, 2003. 19(2): p. 256-264; Alternatively, mesoporous particle synthesis via EISA can be performed in water in oil emulsion droplets under milder temperature stresses. Recently, Andersson et al. demonstrated the synthesis of spherical mesoporous silica particles using an approach that combines previously established emulsionbased precipitation methods with the EISA method. See, e.g., Andersson, N., et al., Combined emulsion and solvent evaporation (ESE) synthesis route to well-ordered mesoporous materials. Langmuir, 2007. 23(3): p. 1459-1464; Schacht, S., et al., Oil-water interface templating of mesoporous macroscale structures. Science, 1996. 273(5276): p. 768-771; and Huo, Q. S., et al.,
Preparation of hard mesoporous silica spheres. Chemistry of Materials, 1997. 9(1): p. 14-17. This synthesis route, referred to as the emulsion and solvent evaporation method (ESE), produced well-ordered 2D hexagonal mesoporous silica microspheres. The advantages of this method are control of synthesis parameters such as emulsion droplet size, temperature, evaporation speeds, humidity, and the composition of the surfactant solution. In comparison to aerosol methods, the relatively slower evaporation rate of the solvent from the emulsion droplets allows a high-degree of homogeneity of the components in the liquid crystalline phase prior to fossilization of the structures by silica condensation. This is perhaps the most important distinction of the emulsion EISA method from aerosol-based EISA methods.
Surfactant self-assembly provides a powerful method for synthesizing mesoporous materials. However, these materials are limited to micelle-templated pores with diameters of a few nanometers, and mesoporous microparticles synthesized by aerosol and ESE methods enclose internal structures rendered inaccessible at the surface due to inherent formation of a solid material layer at the surface. See, e.g., Bore, M. T., et al., and Andersson, N., et al., cited above. To address the requirements of emerging technologies, the next generation of porous oxide materials must be highly structured and functionalized. Hierarchically porous structures offer advantages in design of materials where catalytic activity is to be utilized in immediate conjunction with transport of reactants. Templating approaches for hierarchical material fabrication are attractive, as they can be combined with other methods such as impregnation or precipitation to yield structures with controlled porosity, surface chemistry, and hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity. Interfacial phenomena such as spontaneous formation of complex microemulsion phases present exceptional and generally less-explored avenues for particle nanostructure templating. See e.g., Hu, Y. and J. M. Prausnitz, Molecular Thermodynamics of Partially-Ordered Fluids—Microemulsions. Aiche Journal, 1988. 34(5): p. 814-824 and Nagarajan, R. and E. Ruckenstein, Molecular theory of microemulsions. Langmuir, 2000. 16(16): p. 6400-6415.
Furthermore, developing pathways for fabrication of monodisperse oxide particles with hierarchical internal nanoporous structure provides additional opportunities and level of complexity of material structural design. Same-size spherical microparticles are essential for developing novel families of functional digital inks for printing catalysts, current collectors, and creating polymer/oxide composites at the microscale. Such inks are essential for miniaturization of devices for catalysis, sensing and detection, and microfuel cells. Manipulating the particle structure, pore morphology and surface chemistry allows for better control at the micro and nanoscale. Monodisperse spherical microparticles can be ordered in 2D and 3D arrays to create structures with hierarchical porosity. Such structures will exhibit a variety of characteristic pore dimensions: (i) nanoscale pores that are due to micelle (single nanometer) and microemulsion (tens of nanometers) templating and (ii) microscale pores determined by the voids between monodisperse microparticles in the array.

Monodispersed particles fabricated by microfluidic device


A method of image and video compression including data re-ordering to improve the performance of the core compression algorithm. In the inventive method, pixel values of at least part of an image are examined and then re-ordered into a new order that has greater compactability than the original pixel order. The re-ordered pixel values are then compressed, e.g., by block transform. In the particular case of a compression scheme employing a block transform, the inventive method reduces the complexity of the transform coefficients, resulting in more efficient compression. The method may be added to existing compression algorithms with only minor modifications to the bitstream and decoder architecture.

1. Field of the Invention
The current invention relates to the fields of digital image and video compression. It further relates to the use of a novel data re-ordering scheme to improve the performance of the compression process.
2. Description of Related Art
Digital pictorial information, whether derived from an analogue source by a process of digitization or directly from a digital device, consists of huge volumes of data. As the ability of devices to capture higher resolution images improves so too does the amount of data required for their digital representation. If stored in raw format a single image may well require tens of mega-bytes of disk space.
The problem is further exacerbated when considering digital video data, especially for high definition video. A two-hour movie when stored in raw form at the highest resolution ATSC frame size (1920×1080 pixels at 30 frames per second) requires almost 641 Gbyte of disk space. At a data rate of almost 89 Mbyte/s the bandwidth required for transmission goes way beyond what is currently available.
Image compression may be thought of as a special case of video compression where an image is considered to be a video sequence consisting of a single frame.
The encoding operation may be considered to be a three-stage process. First, a block predictor, created from data already available to the decoder, is subtracted from the original data to form a prediction error signal. Second, the prediction error is block transformed and quantized. Finally, the transform coefficients are entropy coded to form a binary bitstream that constitutes the compressed frame. the transform coefficients are entropy coded to form a binary bitstream that constitutes the compressed frame.
The prediction stage may involve spatial or temporal prediction for video. For image compression, with no available temporal data, the only prediction mode available is spatial.
Many of the more successful algorithms have a two-dimensional block transform method at their core, partitioning each frame into rectangular blocks (usually 8×8 or 4×4) and applying the transform to each. Compression is achieved by coding the transform coefficients more efficiently than the original spatial data can be coded.
The premise of any compression algorithm employing a block transform is that greater coding efficiency is achieved by concentrating the signal energy into the smallest possible number of non-zero transform coefficients. A good transform and quantization strategy tends to ensure that it is the lower frequency coefficients that are non-zero, preserving structural form at the cost of losing textural detail. As the level of quantization increases the aim is to achieve a level of graceful degradation in the resulting image quality.
The Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) has received the most attention over the last thirty years or so, being the transform of choice in all of the MPEG video compression and the original JPEG image compression International Standards.
From the human visual perception standpoint, the lower frequency components account for the major structural framework and it is in the corresponding low frequency coefficients where most of the signal energy is concentrated. Higher frequency components fill in textural detail and enhance sharpness, but in real world material account for a relatively small proportion of the signal energy.
Blocks that contain very little textural detail and no sharply defined edges will have comparatively little high frequency content resulting in smaller magnitude, and fewer, non-zero coefficients. This results in more efficient entropy coding.

Method of improved image/video compression via data re-ordering


The present invention provides a solid golf ball, of which flight performance is improved, while maintaining good durability and good shot feel. The present invention relates to a solid golf ball comprising at least one layer of a core, and at least one layer of a cover formed on the core, wherein the core is formed from a rubber composition comprising a base rubber, a co-crosslinking agent, an organic peroxide and an organic sulfur compound, the base rubber comprises a polybutadiene synthesized using rare-earth element-containing catalyst, and the organic sulfur compound comprises a polysulfide compound having bromo group.

In golf balls commercially selling, there are solid golf balls such as two-piece golf ball, three-piece golf ball and the like, and thread wound golf balls. Recently, the solid golf balls, of which flight distance can be improved while maintaining soft and good shot feel at the time of hitting as good as the conventional thread wound golf ball, generally occupy the greater part of the golf ball market. In the solid golf ball, many techniques for further improving the performance thereof, such as technique for improving the rebound characteristics, technique for varying hardness distribution, have been suggested, and the solid golf balls having good shot feel while maintaining excellent flight performance have been provided (Japanese Patent Kokai Publication Nos. 149502/2001, 293996/2002, 355338/2002, 33447/2003 and the like).
In Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. 149502/2001, a golf ball comprising vulcanized molded article of rubber composition as a structural element is disclosed, the rubber composition mainly comprises a base rubber containing 10 to 100 mass % of polybutadiene containing a cis-1,4 bond of not less than 90%, and the polybutadiene has a 5 mass % toluene solution viscosity at 25° C., η (mPa·s) of not less than 200 and a ratio (Mw/Mn) of weight average molecular weight (Mw) to number average molecular weight (Mn) of 2.0 to 4.0.
In Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. 293996/2002, a rubber composition containing (a) 50 parts to 100 parts by weight of modified polybutadiene rubber having a 1,4-cis bond content of 80 mol % to 100 mol % and a 1,2-vinyl bond content of 0 mol % to 2 mol %, which is modified with an alkoxysilyl group-containing compound, (b) 50 part to 0 parts by weight of diene rubber other than the above-mentioned component (a) (wherein the total amount of component (a) and component (b) is 100 parts by weight), (c) 10 parts to 50 parts by weight of a crosslinkable monomer, (d) 5 parts to 80 parts by weight of an inorganic filler, and (e) 0.1 part to 10 parts by weight of an organic peroxide, is disclosed.
In Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. 355338/2002, a golf ball comprising a hot-molded product of a rubber composition comprising,    based on 100 parts by weight of a base rubber composed of (a) 20 to 100 wt % of a polybutadiene having a cis-1,4 content of at least 60% and a 1,2-vinyl content of at most 2%, having a 5 mass % toluene solution viscosity η at 25° C. of not less than 600 mPa·s, and satisfying the following relationship:10×B+5≦A≦10×B+60wherein A is Mooney viscosity (ML1+4(100° C.)) of the polybutadiene and B is a ratio (Mw/Mn) of weight average molecular weight (Mw) to number average molecular weight (Mn) of the polybutadiene, in combination with (b) 0 to 80 wt % of a diene rubber other than the component (a),    (c) 10 to 60 parts by weight of an unsaturated carboxylic acid and a metal salt thereof or both,    (d) 0.1 to 5 parts by weight of an organosulfur compound,    (e) 5 to 80 parts by weight of an inorganic filler, and    (f) 0.1 to 5 parts by weight of an organic peroxide:wherein the hot-molded product has a difference in JISC hardness between the center and surface thereof of more than 15 and up to 40 JIS-C hardness units, is disclosed.
In Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. 333447/2003, a solid golf ball comprising a core containing at least one layer, and a cover containing at least one layer and covering the core, wherein the at least one layer of the core is molded by vulcanizing a rubber composition including: (a) a base rubber, (b) a co-crosslinking agent, (c) an organic peroxide, and (d) a polysulfide compound represented by the following formula:
(where at least one of R1 to R5 and at least one of R6 to R10 are each Br, and n is an integer of not less than 2), is disclosed.
However, in the resulting golf balls described above, sufficient performances have not been accomplished, and therefore golf balls having further improved performance have been required. In addition, it has been problem in the golf balls that the durability and rebound characteristics are degraded by softening the core such that the difference between the surface hardness and center hardness is increased because of soft and good shot feel.


A system for controlling packet transfers includes a packet transfer core; an application layer coupled to the packet transfer core by an application interface; a buffer in the packet transfer core for receiving packets from a packet source and transferring the packets to the application layer over the application interface, the packets comprising one or more words; a register in the application layer for receiving packets from the application interface; and a client device for receiving packets transferred thereto from the register. When the client is unable to receive packets from the register, the client asserts a first wait signal to the register, causing the register to continue receiving packets from the interface and storing the packets without transferring the packets to the client. When the register is unable to continue receiving packets from the interface, the register asserts a second wait signal to the buffer over the application interface, causing the buffer to continue receiving packets from the packet source and storing the packets without transferring packets to the interface.

PCI Express is the next generation of PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect), which is a standard interconnection system that enables the transfer of data between a host device 112 and an attached application layer device 114 of a data transfer system 100, FIG. 1. The PCI Express protocol is implemented using PCI Express core 116. PCI Express core 116 is a hardware controller used to identify and resolve the PCI Express protocol layers: the physical/mac layer 118, the link layer 120 and the transaction layer 122. The data is delivered through an application layer interface 124 to the attached application layer device 114.
PCI Express protocol is a very fast, bandwidth rich protocol, enabling a variety of applications to be implemented through a PCI Express link. Application layer devices 114 can include bandwidth-consuming applications, such as file transfers and multimedia files, latency-sensitive applications, such as real-time video and voice streaming applications, and applications requiring both high bandwidth and low latency, such as video conferencing.
The application layer interface 124 connects the PCI Express core 116 to the application layer device 114. The application layer device 114 may be a single, common address/data bus having a few control signals to insure errorless handshakes between the host 114 and any type of application. For example, the application layer device may be a switch or router connected between the PCI Express core 116 and a number of clients that communicate with the host 112. The application layer device in such a case routes incoming packets to the appropriate client (not shown).
The application layer interface 124 is driven by the transaction layer architecture 122 of the PCI Express core 116. The transaction layer architecture 122 of the PCI Express core 116 typically consists of six FIFO buffers: a non-posted header buffer "NP H" 126, a non-posted data buffer "NP D" 128, a posted header buffer "P H" 130, a posted data buffer "P D" 132, a completion header buffer "C H" 134 and a completion data buffer "C D" 136. The six buffers 126-136 are needed to implement the PCI Express reordering rules for three different types of transfers: 1) posted transfers (typically memory write transfers); 2) non-posted transfers (typically memory read transfers); and 3) completion transfers (also called "read response" transfers). The PCI Express reordering rules are set by the PCI Express Standard and described in the PCI Express Base Specification.

Method and system for throttling data packets in a data transmission system


To locate an intermittent fault in a communication structure of an aircraft comprising pieces of equipment that are interconnected by cabling forming a plurality of communication media that are shared, an analyzer retrieves an error report relating to transmission errors observed on each of said communication media, performs a count of the transmission errors, per type of error and per communication chain, computes a median of the counts for communication chains comprising the same pair of wired pieces of equipment, and when, for a communication chain, the count exceeds a threshold equal to the median plus a predefined margin, generates an alarm indicating detection of an intermittent fault in association with the communication chain that led the threshold to be exceeded. Thus, intermittent faults are easily located and repaired.

Many pieces of equipment of an aircraft are connected by communication structures including wires and wired equipment interfaces. This may represent several hundred meters of wires within the aircraft. Such communication structures are, for example, constructed about a plurality of CAN (Controller Area Network) buses, as defined in standard ISO 11898.
To locate faults or defects in such communication structures, reflectometry tools are typically used. Reflectometry is a diagnostic method that is based on the radar principle. A probe signal is injected into the cabling, and when this probe signal encounters a discontinuity in impedance, some of its energy is reflected back toward the point of injection. A fine analysis of this reflected energy allows information on the characteristics of the cabling to be deduced. However, these reflectometry tools do not allow intermittent faults in wired equipment interfaces to be detected. Specifically, it is necessary to unplug any equipment connected to the cabling to test the cabling itself, this being particularly time consuming and possibly furthermore being a source of new electrical connection problems if the equipment is not reconnected with great care.
Certain faults in these communication structures have an intermittent character that makes them even more tedious to locate, in particular as regards the wires themselves.
It would thus be desirable to mitigate these drawbacks of the prior art. It would in particular be desirable to provide a solution that would allow the location and repair of intermittent faults in communication structures, including wires and wired equipment interfaces, already installed in or in the process of being installed in an aircraft, to be simplified.

Method for locating and repairing intermittent faults in communication structures of an aircraft


An adjustable back brace configured to aid in the correction of spinal curvature during a treatment period of a patient is provided. In some aspects, the adjustable back brace comprises a rod, an inferior segment, and a superior segment. The inferior segment is configured to stabilize a pelvic region of the patient. The superior segment is configured to apply pressure to one of a first lateral side and a second lateral side of the patient, proximate a thoracic region of the patient to provide a corrective force on the spinal curvature of the patient. The superior segment is also selectively adjustable to be selectively moved and fixedly positioned in a plurality of positions along at least one of the lateral direction or the vertical direction, wherein the plurality of positions are designed for periodic adjustment of the corrective force on the spinal curvature during the treatment period.

The field of the disclosure relates to braces used to correct scoliosis of the spine.
Scoliosis is a spine disorder that affects 2-3% of the population (approximately 9 million people) in the United States. Scoliosis is defined as idiopathic and can be caused by either genetics or environment. The popularity of unhealthy diets and decreases in sports activities among children results in deformed bones and spinal structure. It is important to be treating all cases of scoliosis to prevent further declines in health. Treatment for scoliosis can be surgical or nonsurgical (bracing). If left to natural development, the spinal curve may progress to a point that surgery is required for the patient. Severe curvature)(>50° will induce physical deformities and health risks that can affect heart and lung function.
Braces remain as custom products that have long production times, which can lead to ineffective or incorrect treatment. Currently, the Boston and Charleston back braces are being used to treat moderate to severe scoliosis in children and teens aged 8-16 years old. These braces help prevent curvature in the spine from progressing, but are usually made once per patient, and can therefore have a lead time of a few weeks up to a few months. As such, these braces cannot readily offer an effective medical treatment. Any time spent without treatment can have negative effects on a growing child and may limit the capability of a back brace to provide optimal treatment. Accordingly, this long lead time is undesirable.
The main people affected by scoliosis are young girls and boys with a ratio of 7:1, respectively. Traditional braces do not take into account the high growth rates of children during this time period. As such traditional braces, which are typically not updated or replaced during a treatment period, can be outgrown by the patient during the treatment period. When the patient outgrows their brace, it can lead to an incorrect application of corrective forces on the spine, resulting in the brace being ineffective, or in some instances, actually leading to a negative progression (i.e., an increase in spinal curvature).
Due to the extensive lead time and lack of adjustability, braces currently used during treatment have a success rate of 30%, defined by spinal curves that do not increase more than 6° throughout the treatment period. The low success rate observed with traditional back braces has a negative impact on the health and the quality of life of children, mainly young girls, with scoliosis and has been associated with the onset of depression.
Additionally, the cost of treatment for scoliosis can vary significantly. A single back brace can cost approximately two-thousand dollars. The total cost per patient for non-operative treatment for scoliosis during a 5-year period can be up to twenty-thousand dollars including the brace, examinations, and pain medications. Surgery is generally a last resort for spinal curves that progress above a 40° curve angle and cannot be treated with a brace. Surgical correction of severe spinal curves can raise the treatment cost to one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a brace capable of being adjusted periodically throughout the treatment period, which could also be made commercially to improve availability and decrease the required lead time.

Adjustable back brace and methods for use thereof


A unique filtration device (10) which continuously removes gas phase contaminants from an air stream through the use of partially hollow wicking fibers (20) impregnated with a fine solid powder and a selected chemisorptive liquid (18) which can capture the gas phase contaminants. The wicking fibers (20) are generally disposed to extend in the same direction and are formed into a filter element (12). The air stream to be cleaned is directed through filter element (12). The wicking fibers (20) include internal longitudinal cavities (22) filled with a fine powder and each having a relatively small longitudinal extending opening (24). The wicking fibers (20) are filled with the selected contaminant removing chemisorptive liquid through capillary action by which the individual wicking fibers (20) rapidly draw the selected chemisorptive liquid, with which they come into contact, through the internal cavities (22). The chemisorptive liquid and fine powder remains within the wicking fiber cavities (22) and generally does not enter the space between the wicking fibers yet through the longitudinal openings (24) the chemisorptive liquid is in full fluid communication with the air stream flowing past the fibers (20).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an air cleaning system and more particularly to an odor removal system using wicking fibers incorporating a dry fine solid powder with chemisorptive reagents.
2. Description of Prior Art
An example of an adsorptive technique for the removal of odors is the use of activated charcoal as an odor removing element in a device to purify an air stream. U.S. Pat. No. 4,130,487 shows a filter for liquid or gases which includes activated carbon for removing odors during air filtration. The activated carbon is in an additional layer which is added to the filter material.
Conventional carbon adsorbents have a broad range of effectiveness against odors. However, such activated carbon adsorptive techniques of removing odor from an air stream are effective only for a relatively short time period, are relatively inefficient at low odor concentration levels, have performance which declines rapidly at higher relative humidities, and frequently result in a relatively high pressure differential across the activated carbon filter element. As a result relatively large quantities of activated carbon are required in such filter devices, however, even with the larger amount of activated carbon the relatively large pressure differential problem will still remain. These prior devices are usually operated mechanical on a cyclic bases.
It is desirable to provide a compact, economical air filter for the continuous removal of odors which avoids the problems of reduced flow rates, reduced efficiency at high humidities, and reduced removal efficiency over time.

Wicking fiber with solid particulates for a high surface area odor removing filter and method of making

261
FSC 55
FSC 96
FSC 95
FSC 428
FSC 264


A combinatorial process for production of material libraries from a single sample, comprising forming a diffusion multiple in the single sample, wherein the diffusion multiple comprises a plurality of interdiffusion regions at interfacial locations of dissimilar metals, metal oxides, or alloys, and wherein the diffusion multiple comprises at least three layers of the metals, non-metals, metal oxides, or alloys; and evaluating properties of the diffusion multiple as a function of composition at about the interdiffusion regions.

This disclosure generally relates to a process for the combinatorial production of material compositions from a single sample, and more particularly, to a process which employs the use of diffusion multiples to create large numbers of compositions in the single sample.
Structural materials such as superalloys and steels provide the mechanical properties for building jet engines, power generation turbines, cars, and the like. Significant time and effort is typically required to discover and optimize new compounds. One of the problems affecting the rate of development is that it is oftentimes very difficult to predict the physical and chemical properties of various compounds or material combinations, particularly for compounds or material combinations that have been produced using different processing conditions. Traditionally, most of these properties and/or behaviors are evaluated one at a time from individual alloys or by the use of binary systems, i.e., diffusion couples. A diffusion couple generally comprises two dissimilar materials, e.g., metals, metal alloys, ceramics, and the like, that are placed in good thermodynamic contact with one another. The materials are then heated at an elevated temperature for a defined period of time. An alloy interdiffusion region will exist in location of the couple, where atoms have diffused into one another. Diffusion couples, which can provide greater amounts of data than analysis of individual alloys, have been used to determine phase diagrams and evaluate diffusion coefficients.
Extending the concept from the binary systems into multi-component systems, a diffusion multiple has been employed to generate libraries of multi-component compositions for combinatorial surveys of critical materials. Generally, a diffusion multiple is an assembly of three to four different metal (or ceramic) blocks, in intimate interfacial contact, and subjected to a high temperature to allow thermal interdiffusion. The diffusion multiple is typically fabricated by inserting quarter pie shapes of metals or metal oxides into a cylindrical sleeve of a pure metal. The cylindrical sleeve is then capped at both ends with the pure metal and the entire assembly is heated at an elevated temperature for a defined period of time to promote interdiffusion at the various interfaces defined by the quarter-pie shapes. As such, the data available by the diffusion multiple arrangement and geometry as described above, while a significant advance over one-at-a-time analysis and the use of binary systems, still tends to be limited.
Accordingly, there remains a need for more versatile diffusion multiple arrangements and geometries for providing even greater amounts of data.

Combinatorial production of material compositions from a single sample


A method according to an embodiments includes administering at least two Cyclic Variations in Altitude Condition (CVAC) sessions to a mammal disposed in a pressure vessel unit. The at least two CVAC sessions each have a duration of at least twenty minutes. The at least two CVAC sessions each include a start point of ambient pressure at a delivery site, an end point of ambient pressure at the delivery site, and a plurality of atmospheric pressure targets executed between the start point and the end point. The administering is configured to treat at least one of loss of sensation and chronic pain.

Hyperlipidemia, hyperlipoproteinemia or dyslipidemia is the presence of elevated or abnormal levels of lipids and/or lipoproteins in the blood. Lipids (fatty molecules) are transported through and around the body in the blood. Easily recognizable categories of these lipids include low-density lipoproteins, high-density lipoproteins, and cholesterol. Lipid and lipoprotein abnormalities are extremely common in the general population, and are regarded as a highly modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease due to the influence of cholesterol, one of the most clinically relevant lipid substances, on atherosclerosis.
Hyperlipidemia becomes most seriously symptomatic when interfering with the coronary circulation supplying the heart or cerebral circulation supplying the brain, and is considered the most important underlying cause of strokes, heart attacks, various heart diseases including congestive heart failure and most cardiovascular diseases in general. Atheroma in the arm, or more often leg, arteries often produces decreased blood flow and is called peripheral artery occlusive disease (PAOD).
Cholesterol is also the main building block of in the process of steroidogenesis. Steroidogenesis involves the synthesis of steroid compounds, including the hormones testosterone and estrogen, as well as mineralocorticoids and glucocorticoids. Dysregulation of steroid and hormone synthesis results in detrimental effects on men and women. For example, dysregulation of testosterone can result in changes in body composition, increases in fat mass, and decreases in lean body mass. [Kupelian, V. et al., Low Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin, Total Testosterone, and Symptomatic Androgen Deficiency are Associated with Development of the Metabolic Syndrome in Non-Obese Men, J. Clin. Endocdr. & Metabol., 91(3): 843-50 (2007).] Similar problems occur in women, and hormone dysregulation related to estrogens and menopause is well documented. Thus, steroidogenesis and hormone dysregulation are a continuing health problem.
Additionally, infection with the human immunodeficiency virus ("HIV") can have complications such as dysregulation of steroidogenesis. Androgen deficiency is known to be prevalent among HIV-infected men with low weight and wasting. Initial estimates demonstrated that androgen deficiency occurs in 50% of men with AIDS-related wasting, and more recently has been shown to be present in, on average, 20% of men who receive highly active antiretroviral therapy ("HAART"). Similarly, testosterone levels are reduced among women with HIV disease as compared with levels in age- and sex-matched control subjects. [Steven Grinspoon, Androgen Deficiency and HIV Infection, Clin. Infect. Diseases, 41; 1804-05 (2005).]
Abnormalities in the process of steroidogenesis (including the modulation of steroid levels) are commonly treated with pharmaceuticals. Examples of such pharmaceuticals include, but are not limited to, supplemental testosterone, estrogens, and other hormones. There is a need for alternative therapies for the modulation of steroidogenesis and serum lipid levels. There is also a need for modulation of steroid levels in HIV infected individuals.
Chronic pain, which can be characterized as pain that extends beyond an expected period of healing (e.g., such as more than three or six months), is a widespread health problem that affects millions of people. Types of chronic pain include headaches, back or neck pain, arthritis pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, fibromyalgia/fibrosis, myofascial pain, neuropathy and neuralgia pain, phantom limb pain, reflexive sympathetic dystrophy syndrome, and pain or other discomfort associated with bowel disorders (e.g., constipation), among others. In some cases, chronic pain results from an illness or condition such as, for example, adiposis dolorosa, diabetes, osteoporosis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, scoliosis, endometriosis, scleroderma, disturbances in the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, and bowel disorders (e.g., constipation). In many cases, however, the underlying cause of a person's chronic pain is unknown.
Known treatment methods for chronic pain generally include using pharmaceutical pain relievers, such as acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), changes to diet, exercise, and/or sleep habits, and complementary medicine therapies, such as acupuncture, massage, or meditation. Such traditional pain treatment methods, however, often fail to provide adequate relief to sufferers of chronic pain.
Another known treatment for decreasing pain associated with neuropathy (such as diabetic neuropathy) includes the use of a hypobaric chamber for subjecting an arm or leg of a user to a vacuum. In use, the user places the desired body part through a port and into a hollow chamber of the device. A seal is inflated between the device and the body part, then pressure within the hollow chamber is adjusted by a physician to a desired level. Use of such a hypobaric treatment device is inefficient, however, because it is limited to treatment of a single body part per session, it does not provide for multiple and/or varying pressures throughout a session, and also because it requires the presence of a physician or other healthcare practitioner during the treatment session.
As such, there is also a need for improved chronic pain treatment methods, including improved methods for the treatment of chronic pain using whole body hypobaric or hypoxic conditioning and/or vaso-pneumatic compression that utilizes multiple and/or varying pressures throughout a treatment session and that can be executed without direct physician supervision. Additionally, such an improved method will maximize beneficial effects associated with hypobaric conditioning within short treatment periods that do not lead to the detrimental effects of such conditioning as found with current methods of static hypobaric conditioning.

Combination pressure therapy for treatment of loss of sensation


Magnetic iron nitride nanoparticles, such as Fe16N2 nanoparticles, are made by subjecting iron nanoparticles synthesized from iron oxide or iron carbonyl precursor to a solid-gas reaction with a nitrogen-containing gas.

Iron nitride magnets offer a low cost alternative to rare earth magnets. In addition, the questionable stability of rare earth magnets on the nanoscale is avoided in the binary iron phases.
It has been shown that the low nitrogen content phases such as γ-Fe4N, ε-Fe2-3N, α′-Fe8N and α″-Fe16N2 are ferromagnetic compounds having exceptionally well characterized stoichiometry and electronic properties and are attractive compounds for magnetic functional nanomaterials. The synthetic routes for commercial production are also well-documented.
Ferromagnetic materials exhibit parallel alignment of moments resulting in large net magnetization even in the absence of a magnetic field. In particular, α″-Fe16N2 phase is the most important compound and can be a possible candidate for high-density magnetic recording media owing to its very high magnetic moment, which is even larger than that of the pure α-Fe. The saturation magnetization and the coercivity of these ferromagnetic phases for iron thin films have been studied by many researchers, since the saturation magnetization is an intrinsic property of materials. Except for the phases of a-Fe8N and α″-Fe16N2, the saturation magnetization of the other ferromagnetic phases is generally lower than that of the a-Fe, which has been proven by most above-mentioned researchers.
These iron nitride nanoparticles can find applications in magnetic memory devices, medical hyperthermia, magnetic drug carriers, and the like. For example, colloidal suspensions of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) called ferrofluids have been proposed for a range of biomedical applications such as magnetic gradient-guided drug carriers for targeted drug delivery, cancer thermotherapy, and MRI contrast agents. In thermotherapy, the response of MNPs to AC magnetic field causes thermal energy to be dissipated into the surroundings, killing the tumor cells. Additionally, hyperthermia enhances radiation and chemotherapy treatment of cancer.
Magnetic hyperthermia results from domain switching upon AC EM radiation application. Our previous work investigated iron oxide nanoparticles for heating applications, however, the major mechanism involved in the temperature increases in this particular nanomaterial has, only now, been uncovered. Such applications require a material with a large magnetic moment as well as control of the magnetic properties imparted by superparamagnetism. Therefore, iron-containing nanomaterials with high saturation magnetic moments are attractive. The iron oxides, specifically, have demonstrated high biocompatibility and low systemic toxicity. Others have reported the efficacy of tumor therapy using similar particles and found that the side effects of this therapeutic approach were moderate, and no serious complications were observed. Iron oxide nanoparticles have received FDA approval for use in humans as contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) hold potential as drug carriers, since they may be guided (and potentially removed when no longer needed) by the magnetic field toward a specific area of interest, thereby reducing the present effective dose and eliminating systemic side-effects. It is anticipated that other inorganic magnetic materials having higher saturation magnetizations may be of interest as drug carriers, however due to the low LD50 of cobalt and the unknown in vivo biocompatibility of the rare earth elements, iron nitride is an alternative.
There is a need for a better method of manufacturing magnetic iron nitride nanoparticles, especially magnetic Fe16N2 nanoparticles.

Method of making magnetic iron nitride nanoparticles


At least one embodiment of the invention pertains to a whip mast including a rod, a flag at one end of the rod and a luminescent element wound or spiraled around the rod. The luminescent element may be coupled to the rod to provide illumination, light, and/or glow to enhance the appearance and/or visibility of the whip mast to alert other people or vehicles of its presence. The luminescent element may include an electrical interface to bring power to the luminescent element. The whip mast may be securely coupled to a vehicle by using a fastener or mounting device.

Safety flags and whip masts are commonly used on off-road vehicles to warn other drivers of the vehicle's presence. In fact, many off-road terrains legally require whip masts to be used to warn other drivers and prevent accidents. Typically, whip masts are eight to ten feet in length, are attached to the vehicle, and have a flag on the top to warn others. Although conventional whip mast flags may be effective to warn others during the daytime, their usefulness is very limited during twilight or darkness since its visibility is impaired. In sand dunes, and other off-road terrains, simple driving lights on the vehicles are often insufficient to warn others of the presence of a vehicle in the vicinity. As such, accidents may occur. In an open, off-road vehicle, accidents can be particularly lethal. Accordingly, a whip mast and/or flag are needed that can warn others in both daylight and darkness conditions.