Semiconductor layers on active areas for transistors in a memory cell region (region A) and a peripheral circuit region (region B) are simultaneously epitaxially grown in the same thickness in which the adjacent semiconductor layers in region A do not come into contact with each other. Only semiconductor layer (10) in region B is also grown from the surface of a substrate which is exposed when only the surface of STI (2) in region B is drawn back, so that a facet (F) of the semiconductor layer 10 is formed outside the active area, followed by ion-implantation to form a high density diffusion layer (11) in region B. Accordingly, short circuit between semiconductor layers on source/drain electrodes of transistors in region A is prevented, and uniformity of the junction depth of the layer (11) of the source/drain electrodes including an ESD region in a transistor of region B is obtained, thereby restricting the short channel effect.

1. Field of the Invention
This application is a Continuation application of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/117,864 filed May 27, 2011, which claims the benefit of priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-125111, filed May 31, 2010, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
The present invention relates, in general, to a semiconductor device and, more particularly, to a semiconductor device such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) including a transistor having an elevated source/drain (ESD) structure in at least a peripheral circuit region.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a semiconductor device, two or more transistors with different characteristics are often mounted on a single substrate.
For example, a semiconductor device such as a DRAM includes, on a semiconductor substrate, a cell transistor connected to a memory device such as a capacitor, a transistor of an array circuit such as X and Y decoders for control of a memory cell, a transistor of a peripheral circuit for control of data I/O or an array circuit. Generally, from the viewpoint of providing a prescribed area of a memory cell region with cells as many as possible, transistors are closely packed rather than those of the array circuit and peripheral circuit.
Conventionally, it is general that the transistors of the array circuit and peripheral circuit (hereinafter such a transistor is referred to as a 'peripheral circuit transistor', and the region where the 'peripheral circuit transistors' are mounted is referred to as a 'peripheral circuit region'), which are required to operate at high speed, form a high density impurity diffusion layer so as to make source/drain have low resistance. In case of forming high density impurity diffusion layer, a problem of short channel effect is caused due to diffusion of impurities towards a channel. To solve this problem, it is proposed that an LDD structure or an extension region is provided. With advance of generation in development of a semiconductor device, there is a need that source/drain region has to be made shallower from the surface of a substrate than currently available depth.
Thus, a structure is proposed that an epitaxially growth silicon layer is formed on a source/drain region to elevate the source/drain region from an original position of a substrate surface, thereby both making the junction depth from the substrate surface shallower and securing practical junction depth of the source/drain region. Such a structure is called an elevated source/drain structure (ESD structure) (see JP 03-049259A).
Meanwhile, since transistors in the memory cell region are formed much finer and denser than transistors in the peripheral circuit region, a gate length and also a gate distance become shorter, so that there is a need to make a junction shallower for restricting the short channel effect and ensuring low leak current.
There is a tendency that as the cell size decreases, a contact size and junction depth decrease, so that it is difficult to secure an electrical characteristic of a device, particularly to make the contact resistance lower. To solve this problem, JP 2003-338542A proposed a landing plug structure in which a single crystal silicon layer is epitaxially grown on a semiconductor substrate, and a polysilicon plug is formed thereon. The epitaxially growth silicon layer is also called a landing pad. With the formation of the landing pad, the contact resistance occurring due to natural oxide on the substrate surface is restricted from increasing.
Further, JP 2008-130756A discloses a semiconductor device such as a DRAM, in which a first epitaxial semiconductor layer on source/drain of a MOS transistor in a memory cell region, and a second epitaxial semiconductor layer on source/drain of a MOS transistor in a peripheral circuit region are formed.
However, in terms of process-simplification in the manufacture of the DRAM, it is generally carried out that the cell transistor and the peripheral circuit transistor are manufactured in common. When attempting to form transistors in the memory cell region and the peripheral circuit region using a common process, as described in JP 2008-130756A, before a high density impurity diffusion layer is formed in a peripheral circuit region, i.e. before an interlayer insulating film is formed on a semiconductor substrate, a semiconductor layer that serves as elevated source/drain in the peripheral circuit region and also serves as a landing pad in the memory cell region is formed.
Here, the ESD structure formed in the peripheral circuit region will be described with reference to FIGS. 8-10. Meanwhile, the figures are drawn by the inventors for explanation of a problem to be solved, so they are not the related art itself.
As shown in FIG. 8, shallow trench isolation (STI) 2 is formed in semiconductor substrate 1 to define an active area. Conductive material 4 and cap layer 5 are formed in the active area with gate insulating layer 3 interposed therebetween, and are patterned to form gate electrode 6. Next, sidewall spacer 8 formed of an insulating material is formed on a sidewall of the gate electrode, and impurity ions having reverse conductive type of semiconductor substrate 1, e.g. if semiconductor substrate 1 is p-type silicon, low concentration n-type impurity ions, are doped using the sidewall spacer 8 as a mask, to form LDD layer (low density impurity diffusion layer) 7. Semiconductor layer 10 is formed on LDD layer 7 by means of selective epitaxial growth.
In the selective epitaxial growth, it is known that since an outer side (end) of the formed semiconductor layer is surrounded by STI 2 formed from silicon oxide layer, the epitaxial silicon layer is restricted from being grown in a lateral direction, forming a tapered profile called a facet.
FIG. 9 shows the portion indicated by "A" of FIG. 8 in a magnified scale. In FIG. 9, "F" denotes the facet. Impurities are ion-implanted into semiconductor substrate 1 through semiconductor layer 10, thereby forming high density impurity diffusion layer 11. Semiconductor layer 10 with impurities ion-implanted becomes elevated source/drain region 10′. Here, in the outside of the active area (near STI 2), the depth of high density impurity diffusion layer 11 from the surface of semiconductor substrate 1 becomes deeper than the depth in the other region, thereby form deep impurity region 11d, due to the effect of facet F. FIG. 10 shows the ESD structure after the formation of high density impurity diffusion layer 11.
FIG. 11 shows a plan view of a transistor, wherein an active area comparted by STI 2 is indicated by "K". High density impurity diffusion layer 11 is formed at deep impurity region 11d along the outer end of active area K. Thus, in region B adjacent to gate electrode 6, the source/drain electrode is formed by deep impurity region 11d, so that the short channel effect is ready to occur, making it difficult to obtain prescribed electric characteristics.
Meanwhile, in order to reduce the effect by the facet, it is considered that the epitaxially growth silicon layer is made thicker so as to make shallower the implantation depth in the semiconductor substrate. Further, since the facet is created at a contact surface between the epitaxially growth silicon layer and the silicon oxide layer to restrict the epitaxially growth silicon layer from being grown, there was a proposal to form the surface of the STI with a silicon nitride layer that does not restrict the epitaxially growth silicon layer from being grown, thereby preventing the formation of the facet. However, when attempting to form the epitaxially growth silicon layer on the source/drain electrode of the cell transistor using the same process, adjacent epitaxially growth silicon layers may contact each other to cause a short because the width of the STI separating the adjacent cell transistors from each other is narrower than the peripheral circuit region. This is because the epitaxial growth is carried out in a lateral direction. For example, this is because as the epitaxially growth silicon layer is made thicker, lateral projection also increases, and in addition, because in case that the silicon nitride layer hardly causing a facet is formed on the surface of the STI, lateral growth occurs in the same degree as the thickness of the epitaxially growth layer.

Semi conductor device having elevated source and drain


A housing for a light socket is made of stamped metal. It has a tubular shell that surrounds the light socket. A cap covers the bottom of the tubular shell. A threaded ring engages the bottom of the tubular shell and holds the cap in place. The shell and cap are made of stamped metal.

The standard light socket is a basic fixture in virtually every home and office. These are commonly used in standing floor lamps, light fixtures as well as in table-top or desk-top lamps. One popular design has a metal casing that holds the actual light socket. The metal casing consists of two parts: a shell and a cap. The shell is substantially tubular and the cap is shaped in the form of a cup that covers the bottom of the shell. The light socket is positioned inside of the shell. The cap is placed over the end. The shell and cap are crimped so that when pressed together they snap into place.


A wrinkle detection device (100) includes: a light projector (110) which, while moving relative to a layered body (40) formed by stacking electrodes (50) and separators (60), projects slit light onto an outermost one of the separators (60); a camera (120) which shoots a shape of the slit light on the separator (60); and a control unit (130) which calculates a gradient of the separator (60) on the basis of the shot shape of the slit light, and determines the existence of a wrinkle on the basis of the calculated gradient.

Secondary batteries have been used in various products in recent years. A secondary battery includes a battery element formed by stacking positive electrodes, separators and negative electrodes. In order to form the battery element, the electrodes and the separators are stacked alternately in the order of a positive electrode, a separator, a negative electrode and a separator, for example.
When the separator is stacked on the electrode, the separator is likely to form wrinkles, or to form swells which may develop into wrinkles later. Wrinkles of the separator, if any, make the stacking inhomogeneous, resulting in local application of pressure and variations in the distance between the electrodes. This makes the battery quality worse. For this reason, whether a wrinkle is formed or not is important for evaluating the battery quality. Although the existence of wrinkles can be visually determined, there is still a risk of overlooking wrinkles. In addition, the visual determination is undesirable from a cycle-time viewpoint.
Against this background, a technique has been known in which: a laser beam is emitted onto the surface of the separator; and wrinkles are detected in accordance with the intensity of light reflected off the surface (see Patent Literature 1).

Wrinkle detection device and wrinkle detection method


An output power adjusting mechanisms for adjusting output power is provided on a wave guide of a high frequency output section coupled to an output cavity. The output power adjusting mechanisms is located at a position apart away from the output cavity by a distance of ⅛ wavelength or [(⅛ wavelength)×odd number]. The output power adjusting mechanism includes a reflection adjusting part which is provided in the tube wall of the wave guide so as to be displaceable in the inward and outward directions of the output tube. The output power is adjusted by displacing the reflection adjusting part.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a microwave tube having a high frequency output section coupled to an output cavity.
2. Description of the Related Art
A large power klystron has been known as a microwave tube using the linear beam. The klystron is composed of: a klystron body including an electron gun for generating an electron beam, an input section for inputting high frequency power, a high frequency interacting section for amplifying high frequency power through the interaction of the electron beam with a high frequency electric field, a high frequency output section with a high frequency window for outputting the high frequency power that is amplified by the high frequency interacting section, and a collector section for collecting the electron beam that is no longer needed; and a magnetic field focusing device, mounted to and around the klystron body, for reducing the diameter of the electron beam to be a given diameter (Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-149876, pages 2 to 3, FIGS. 1 and 2).
In some of this type of klystron, a plurality of high frequency output sections are coupled to the output cavity in order to cope with the power withstanding of the high frequency window or to meet client's requests.
If the coupling parts to the output cavity, the high frequency windows and the like, which are provided for one of those, for example, two high frequency output sections, are electrically and exactly the same as those for the other high frequency output section, the high frequency power output from one high frequency output section is exactly equal to that output from the other one. However, those high frequency output powers are minutely different from each other because of variations of the mechanical dimension of the coupling part to the output cavity and the high frequency window, variation of the relative permittivity of the dielectric member attached as the air-tight member to the high frequency window, and deformation of the wave guide. In the case where the matching of those high frequency output powers from the two high frequency output sections is lost, returning high frequency waves occur. This results in highering of VSWR (voltage standing wave ratio).
The difference between those two output powers is within 5% when the VSWR is low, in which case no problem arises. When the output power difference becomes a problem, a high frequency power mixer/divider 1 as shown in FIG. 7 is used. Generally, in the power mixer/divider 1, the high frequency powers output through two high frequency windows 2 are changed in traveling directions at corners 3, are mixed by a magic tee 4, and the mixed power is divided again into two high frequency powers at another magic tee 4, and those high frequency powers are changed in traveling directions at corners 5, and finally output to outside.
When the power mixer/divider 1 is used for the klystron, however, the external dimension of the klystron becomes large. Even when the power mixer/divider 1 is used, the two output powers could be exactly equal to each other if the electrical symmetry is secured. Actually, however, an output power difference inevitably occurs since the dimension accuracy variation of the magic tees 4 and other parts at the manufacturing stage is present.

Toshiba Electron Tubes & Devices, Co., Ltd.


A method of improving fault tolerance in a computing system arranged to find a computational solution, the method comprising: computing at least two versions of the solution by using a hierarchy of at least two different solvers in parallel; and if there is a fault during execution of a solver resulting in a missing value, substituting a value from a solver that is lower in the hierarchy to replace the missing value.

1. Field
The present invention relates to fault resilience in computing systems. Fault-resilient computer programs are required in a wide range of application areas, for instance from simple computations to image rendering and large-scale, complex simulations, including on-the-fly and offline processing. As one important example, mission-critical jobs (e.g. operational weather forecasting) or systems (e.g. the internet) must be resilient to failure. This invention addresses the whole gamut of these application areas, and is focused particularly on distributed, parallel computer programs running on very large high-performance computing systems with data distributed over a number of CPUs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computationally intense applications are usually carried out on high performance computer systems. Such high performance computer (HPC) systems often provide distributed environments in which there is a plurality of processing units or cores on which processing threads of an executable can run autonomously in parallel.
Many different hardware configurations and programming models are applicable to high performance computing. A popular approach to high-performance computing currently is the cluster system, in which a plurality of nodes each having one or more multicore processors (or "chips") are interconnected by a high-speed network. Each node is assumed to have its own area of memory, which is accessible to all cores within that node. The cluster system can be programmed by a human programmer who writes source code, making use of existing code libraries to carry out generic functions. The source code is then compiled to lower-level executable code, for example code at the ISA (Instruction Set Architecture) level capable of being executed by processor types having a specific instruction set, or to assembly language dedicated to a specific processor. There is often a final stage of assembling or (in the case of a virtual machine, interpreting) the assembly code into executable machine code. The executable form of an application (sometimes simply referred to as an "executable") is run under supervision of an operating system (OS).
Applications for computer systems having multiple cores may be written in a conventional computer language (such as C/C++ or Fortran), augmented by libraries for allowing the programmer to take advantage of the parallel processing abilities of the multiple cores. In this regard, it is usual to refer to "processes" being run on the cores. A (multi-threaded) process may run across several cores within a multi-core CPU. One such library is the Message Passing Interface, MPI, which uses a distributed-memory model (each process being assumed to have its own area of memory), and facilitates communication among the processes. MPI allows groups of processes to be defined and distinguished, and includes routines for so-called "barrier synchronization", which is an important feature for allowing multiple processes or processing elements to work together. Barrier synchronization is a technique of holding up all the processes in a synchronization group executing a program until every process has reached the same point in the program. This is achieved by an MPI function call which has to be called by all members of the group before the execution can proceed further.
Alternatively, in shared-memory parallel programming, all processes or cores can access the same memory or area of memory. In a shared-memory model there is no need to explicitly specify the communication of data between processes (as any changes made by one process are transparent to all others). However, it may be necessary to control access to the shared memory to ensure that only one process at a time modifies the data. In a "threaded" shared memory programming model, such as OpenMP, a single process can have multiple, concurrent execution paths (possibly one thread of execution per physical core available to the process).
The latest generation of supercomputers contain hundreds of thousands or even millions of cores. The three systems on the November 2012 TOP500 list with sustained performance over 10 Pflop/s contain 560,640 (Titan), 1,572864 (Sequoia) and 705,024 (K computer) cores. In moving from petascale to exascale, the major performance gains will result from an increase in the total number of cores in the system (flops per core is not expected to increase) to 100 million or more. As the number of nodes in the system increases (and especially if low-cost, low-energy nodes are used to maintain an acceptable power envelope) the mean-time-to-component-failure of the system will decrease—eventually to a time shorter than the average simulation run on the system. Hence, it will be necessary for exascale software to be resilient to component failure.
There are several methods that may be used to achieve fault-resilient exascale application software. These include:                Improvements to MPI to automatically handle component failure in a manner that is invisible to the application.        Development of new algorithms that can be implemented within software to allow it to compensate if one (or more) MPI task suffers a fault during execution.        Improved methods to frequently (and rapidly) checkpoint massively parallel simulations in order that they can be restarted from a point immediately prior to the fault.        Replication of work, so that tasks are identically executed by more than one processing element—if one processing element suffers a fault then the result from the other is generally still available.        The use of task pools with reassignment, where a master process coordinates the execution of independent tasks and can reassign a task where the processor originally assigned the work fails.
There are problems with each of these prior art methods. An automatic MPI response to a fault may not be optimal for a particular application, so a developer may prefer to retain control of how faults are dealt with. Checkpointing (especially on very large systems) is time consuming and—if a fault occurs just before a checkpoint is due (or during a checkpoint)—may result in a large amount of computation having to be repeated. Replication of work is also expensive—and if the entire program function must be duplicated for fault resilience then, in effect, the available computing power is halved. Task pools with reassignment avoid the need to duplicate so much work, but for some applications (especially the very large applications expected to run on exascale systems) it may not be possible to break the work up into sufficiently fine-grained independent tasks.
The inventor is aware of a related-art method for algorithm-based fault-tolerance based on the combination method. In this method, the combination method is used within a solver to overcome faults: solutions are computed on several coarse grids, and combined to produce a more accurate solution. A component failure in any one grid reduces the accuracy of the combined solution, but only within a known tolerance. However, there are drawbacks to this method also. In particular:                It assumes that there is an underlying grid in the simulation. This is not necessarily the case for a general application.        Failure of one node leads to other nodes also being unable to contribute to the solution (and nodes computing the solution on the coarse grid which the faulty node was working on are unused). If there are a large number of coarse grids this may not be a significant problem, but in general an application will want to exploit all resources available to it.
It is desirable to enable a simulation running over a plurality of processors to run to completion (and retain sufficient accuracy) even when one (or more) of the processors suffers a fault. This would be applicable particularly in exascale computing, in which applications such as simulations will be required to be run using many millions of processors and the likelihood of a small number of failures while the simulation is running is high.

Method of improving fault tolerance in a computing system arranged to find a computational solution


A method includes steps of extruding rubber or synthetic resin mixed with short fibers from a sectionally annular mold opening, and molding a cylindrical body of rubber or synthetic resin with short fibers oriented in a predetermined direction. The mold opening has an expansion portion 9 whose diameter expands in an extrusion direction, and a flow passage width Wi of an inlet portion 6i of the mold opening, a flow passage width Wo of an outlet portion 6o, and radiuses Ri and Ro of the inlet portion 6i and the outlet portion 6o respectively that are coaxial with the mold opening satisfy a relation of Wo/Wi<Ro/Ri. The value of Ro/Ri is adjusted within a scope of 2≦Ro/Ri≦8 by changing the radius Ri of the inlet portion according to mechanical properties in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical body to be molded, so that orientation of the short fibers is adjusted.

With respect to the art of orienting short fiber mixed in rubber or synthetic resin, known is a method for extruding rubber or synthetic resin mixed with short fiber, from an expansion die for extrusion molding having a sectionally annular mold opening. As for the expansion die for extrusion molding, for example the next one is included. The mold opening comprises an inlet opening, a middle opening (expanded portion), and an outlet opening. A sectional area of the outlet opening is formed larger than that of the inlet opening, a flow passage width of the inlet portion is smaller than that of the outlet portion, the flow passage width of the outlet portion is less than that of the middle opening, and the middle opening is provided with an expansion opening portion having an expanded flow passage width (e.g. Japanese Patent Publication No. H6-9847 (Pages 2 to 4, FIGS. 1 to 5).
When rubber or synthetic resin mixed with short fiber is extruded from this expansion die for extrusion molding, the orientation rate of the short fiber in the circumferential direction and the radius direction in the middle opening increases so that a cylindrical body is formed in which short fibers are oriented at a predetermined rate in the extrusion direction and in the circumferential direction and the radius direction, respectively.
The thus formed cylindrical body is cut open in the longitudinal direction to be formed into a sheet, and subsequently cut in the predetermined length, and it is used for bottom rubber of a transmission belt, buffer material, seal material, shoe sole, floor material, caterpillar cover material, etc. Since the sheet material mixed with short fibers has high strength and modulus in the orientation direction, formed sheet material (i.e. cylindrical body) has a different balance in orientation rate in each direction according to application. For example, in the case of the sheet material used for bottom rubber of the V belt, where lateral pressure resistance against load laterally received is required to prevent deformation, the cylindrical body having a high orientation rate in the circumferential direction is formed and this is cut open in the longitudinal direction to the predetermined length and cut in the width direction at predetermined intervals. Thus the sheet material with short fibers oriented in the width direction can be obtained by cutting open the cylindrical body. Therefore the sheet material can be more efficiently molded compared with the conventional calendar molding method where the cut sheet materials are connected at width direction end portions.
Meanwhile, when the rubber or synthetic resin mixed with short fibers is extruded from the above described expansion die having the mold opening, the short fibers are apt to be oriented in the circumferential direction. However, it is more apt to be oriented in the extrusion direction and in the radius direction depending on the shapes of the mold opening, and the orientation rate in the circumferential direction is lowered. Therefore, it is difficult in some cases to form the cylindrical body that satisfies the mechanical property in the circumferential direction.

Method for manufacturing short fiber oriented rubber or synthetic resine and expansion die for extrusion molding


A terminal is formed by plating a terminal substrate in which a first material capable of being plated and a second material incapable of being plated are two-color molded. For example, by two-color molding an ABD resin and a PC resin to form a terminal substrate and plating the terminal substrate, a terminal having a conductive part corresponding to the ABS resin and a nonconductive part corresponding to the PC resin is obtained.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a terminal having a conductive part and nonconductive part, and to a mobile terminal apparatus mounted with the terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, telephone calls and transmission and reception of electronic mails with a cellular phone, and the like are widely used for communication with members of a family and friends. By using communication means such as telephone and electronic mail, one can easily contact any distant members of his or her family and friends whenever he or she wishes.
Further, in recent years, cellular phones and PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) are utilized not only as communication means, but also as image taking apparatuses for taking images of subjects computers for viewing Web sites, alarm clocks used on the road, or the like. With diversified applications of the mobile terminal apparatus such as a cellular phone and PDA, the number of various electronic parts mounted on the mobile terminal apparatus has increased and it has become necessary to provide the mobile terminal apparatus with a watertight function. Particularly, a gap between a housing of the apparatus and a battery terminal which is connected to a charger to supply electricity to a battery accommodated in the apparatus is required to be reliably shielded from water, because the battery terminal is exposed on the outer surface of the housing and is connected to various electronic parts in the apparatus.
Usually, a battery terminal is formed by attaching a conductive plate having a plus contact and a minus contact formed thereon and is fitted in a housing of the mobile terminal apparatus such that the plus and minus contacts are exposed in the opening of the housing. As a method to waterproof a gap between the battery terminal and opening, there has been used a technique that each of the plus and minus contacts is surrounded with a watertight member and then the watertight member is sandwiched between the housing and battery terminal (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 6-26330, 10-144275, and 2001-185280).
However, in order to obtain reliable waterproofness as well as electric conductivity, a plate for a plus contact and that for a minus contact should be attached on the terminal substrate such that they are spaced apart and are surrounded by a watertight member, which results in an increased adhesive area and thus an increase in size of the apparatus. On the other hand, if an area to which the watertight member is to be attached is reduced in order to avoid increase in size of the apparatus, waterproofness deteriorates. Alternatively, if an exposed area of the plate is reduced in order to avoid increase in size of the apparatus without reducing the area to which the watertight member is attached, electric conductivity deteriorates.
Moreover, when a battery terminal is formed by attaching a plate onto a terminal substrate, it is difficult to make thickness of a plate and an adhesive agent completely uniform. In order to secure waterproofness of such a terminal having a non-uniform thickness, a thick watertight member should be attached onto a wide adhesive area, which results in increase in size of the apparatus.


An actuatable fastener (50) includes a body (80) including a head (82) and a shank (84). The body (80) includes an interior chamber (120) partially defined by a side wall (132) extending from the head (82) into the shank (84) and an end wall (138) positioned in the shank. A member (140) is disposed in the chamber (120). An initiator (160) is actuatable to produce combustion products in the chamber (120) that act on the member (140) to move the member in a first direction in the chamber to strike the end wall (138). The member (140) strikes the end wall (138) creating a fracture (222) in the shank (84) separating at least a portion of the shank from a remainder (220) of the shank. The combustion products moving the member (150) beyond the fracture (222) at least a predetermined distance (226) to move the portion of the shank (84) at least the predetermined distance from the remainder (220) of the shank.

It is known to provide an air bag module including a vent for venting inflation fluid from the module. The air bag includes a vent cover that is actuatable from a closed position covering the vent to an open position uncovering the vent. Upon actuation, the vent cover moves to the open position to vent inflation fluid from the air bag module.
It is also known to provide an air bag module with a tether for limiting an air bag from reaching a fully deployed position. The tether is connected to the air bag module by means actuatable to release the tether. Upon actuation, the tether is released, which allows the air bag to inflate to the fully deployed position.


A printhead for a printer has actuating elements for ejecting fluid, and a drive circuit for selectively applying a drive waveform having several slopes, to an actuating element, according to a print signal. A resulting printhead has a lesser sensitivity to changes of slew rate in one slope of the drive waveform than a sensitivity to change in another. The drive circuit has a variable resistance circuit, and a control circuit to control the variable resistance circuit to adjust a slew rate of the slope of lesser sensitivity according to a trim signal. By making the adjustment less sensitive, the trim signal and trim control can have more relaxed tolerances, thus can employ simpler, cheaper circuitry.

Existing printhead circuits such as hot switch or cold switch driver ASICs for driving actuating elements have limitations in terms of their cost and power dissipation. So there is a question of how to provide electrical drive signals for an actuating element such as those having a piezoelectric actuator at the lowest circuit area (to reduce the cost) and with the lowest power dissipation while still meeting minimum drive requirements. Multiple drive methods for printhead actuating elements have been proposed and there are multiple different types in use today. Some are briefly discussed now.
Hot Switch: This is the class of driving methods that keep the demux function and the power dissipation (CV^2) in the same driver IC. This was the original drive method, before cold switch became popular.
Rectangular Hot Switch: This describes hot switch systems that have no flexible control over rise and fall time and only two voltages (0V and 30V for example). In some cases waveform delivery is uniform to all the actuating elements. The waveform has some level of programmability.
DAC Hot Switch describes a class of drive options that has a logic driving an arbitrary digital value stream to a DAC per nozzle, and outputs a high voltage drive power waveform scaled from this digital stream. In terms of driving flexibility, this option has the most capability. It is limited only by the number of digital gates and the complexity that system designers can use and/or tolerate.
Cold Switch Demux: This describes an arrangement in which all actuating elements are fed the same drive signal through a pass gate type demultiplexer. The drive signal can be gated at sub-pixel speeds.
It is also known to provide some factory calibration of differences between individual actuating elements and to provide compensation by "trimming" the drive signal applied to the different actuating elements. Such "trimming" may be effected by adjusting one or more of the drive waveform characteristics, for example voltage and/or slew rate. Patent application US20130321507 shows compensating for actuating element variations and changes by altering rise times of drive pulses for individual actuating elements which governs a rate of ejection of a droplet, and thus alters the appearance of a printed dot. The ejection rate is altered by changing an amount of series resistance or an internal resistance of a drive circuit according to a current sensing signal which indicates changes in actuating element capacitance from temperature or ageing effects.

Printhead drive circuit with variable resistance


A control valve for applying a spring-loaded brake pressure to spring-loaded parts of a rear-axle wheel brake is pneumatically activated as a function of a parking-brake braking demand and a service-brake braking demand. A first control chamber is connected via a first control piston to a control arrangement in the control valve. During an adjustment of the first control chamber via the service-brake control pressure, the spring-loaded brake pressure at the working output is a function of the service-brake control pressure or of the parking-brake control pressure. The first control piston is connected to a third control chamber, wherein the pressure in the first control chamber acts on the first control piston in one direction, and the pressure in the third control chamber acts on the first control piston in the opposite direction. The first control chamber is selectively connectable to the third control chamber via a switchable bypass valve.

Conventional electronically controllable brake systems have pressure modulators which are assigned to individual vehicle axles and are activated electrically during normal operation in order to implement a certain service-brake braking requirement at the respective wheels in a service-brake circuit. The electric control takes place here proceeding from a central module which activates the respective pressure modulators via a control signal corresponding to the service-brake braking requirement.
In the event of an electric failure or defect of the electric activation, the pressure modulators are conventionally provided with pneumatic redundancy. For this purpose, a pneumatic control pressure can be transmitted to pneumatic redundancy connections of the respective pressure modulators by a service-brake valve which receives the service-brake braking demand from the driver. In the event of a failure or a defect in the electrically controlled implementation of the braking operation, the pressure modulators ensure air quantity boosting of the control pressure and application of the brake pressure to the respective service brakes. By this way, a pneumatic redundancy can be formed.
Furthermore, in addition to the service-brake circuit, such brake systems have a parking-brake circuit in which a parking-brake brake requirement from the driver can be received via a parking-brake valve. As a result, a parking-brake control pressure is released by the parking-brake valve to a control valve and, via the latter is released as a spring-loaded brake pressure with an air quantity boosting to spring-loaded parts of the wheel brakes, preferably the rear-axle wheel brakes. The spring-loaded parts are, as is known, constructed in such a manner that they apply the wheel brake by via spring pre-tensioning when the spring-loaded brake pressure is low and, when the spring-loaded brake pressure is higher, open the wheel brake counter to the spring pre-tensioning. Therefore, at least at the rear wheels, a braking action can be achieved via a membrane part as a function of the membrane braking pressure output—electrically or pneumatically redundant by the rear-axle pressure modulator, and via the spring-loaded part as a function of the spring-loaded brake pressure.
What is disadvantageous here is that, in order to form the pneumatic redundancy at the rear axle, pressure modulators which can be activated pneumatically are required. The pressure modulators, firstly, are constructed in a technically complicated manner and, secondly, a high outlay has to be expended on installing pressure lines to the rear axle, the pressure lines being required only for the redundancy.
WO 2014/161671 A1 and US 2014/0103237A1 each describe a combination of a relay valve and of a parking-brake valve connected upstream of the relay valve, the relay valve and the parking-brake valve being arranged separately from each other and being able to influence each other. Via the relay valve, a spring-loaded part of a wheel brake can be activated in accordance with a parking-brake braking requirement. When a required pressure set-point value is changed as a result of the parking-brake braking requirement, a reservoir pressure or an atmospheric pressure with which the relay valve is subsequently activated can be predetermined in a targeted manner for the parking-brake valve via a solenoid valve device. For this purpose, when there is a change in the pressure set-point valve, first of all an initial pulse is formed via the parking-brake valve and conducted to the relay valve and then the operation is continued with the ventilation and a venting cycle. The initial pulse causes the pressure set-point value to be reached substantially more rapidly than with pulses of a constant cycle time and constant duty cycle.

Control valve, electronically controllable brake system and method for controlling the electronically controllable brake system


Methods and devices that utilize segmental fixation between several adjacent vertebrae, thus allowing each vertebrae to be adjusted independently, are provided. In general, the device includes a spinal anchoring element that is adapted to seat at least one spinal fixation element, and a closure mechanism that is adapted to mate to the spinal anchoring element to lock the at least one spinal fixation element in a fixed position relative to the spinal anchoring element.

For a number of known reasons, spinal fixation devices are used in orthopedic surgery to align and/or fix a desired relationship between adjacent vertebral bodies. Such devices typically include a spinal fixation element, such as a relatively rigid fixation rod, that is coupled to adjacent vertebrae by attaching the element to various anchoring devices, such as hooks, bolts, wires, or screws. The fixation elements can have a predetermined contour that has been designed according to the properties of the target implantation site, and once installed, the instrument holds the vertebrae in a desired spatial relationship, either until desired healing or spinal fusion has taken place, or for some longer period of time.
Spinal fixation elements can be anchored to specific portions of the vertebrae. Since each vertebra varies in shape and size, a variety of anchoring devices have been developed to facilitate engagement of a particular portion of the bone. Pedicle screw assemblies, for example, have a shape and size that is configured to engage pedicle bone. Such screws typically include a threaded shank that is adapted to be threaded into a vertebra, and a head portion having a rod-receiving element, usually in the form of a U-shaped slot formed in the head. A set-screw, plug, or similar type of fastening mechanism is used to lock the fixation element, e.g., a spinal rod, into the rod-receiving head of the pedicle screw. In use, the shank portion of each screw is threaded into a vertebra, and once properly positioned, a rod is seated through the rod-receiving member of each screw and the rod is locked in place by tightening a cap or other fastener mechanism to securely interconnect each screw and the fixation rod.
Recently, the trend in spinal surgery has been moving toward providing minimally invasive devices and methods for implanting spinal fixation devices. One such method, for example, utilizes two percutaneous access devices for implanting an anchoring device, such as a spinal screw, into adjacent vertebrae. A spinal rod is then introduced through a third incision a distance apart from the percutaneous access sites, and the rod is transversely moved into the rod-engaging portion of each spinal screw. The percutaneous access devices can then be used to apply closure mechanisms to the rod-engaging heads to lock the rod therein. While this procedure offers advantages over prior art invasive techniques, the transverse introduction of the rod can cause significant damage to surrounding tissue and muscle.
Accordingly, there remains a need for improved methods and devices for introducing spinal fixation elements, spinal anchors, and/or other spinal devices into a patient's spine.

Minimally invasive spinal fixation guide systems and methods


The present invention relates to a stable composition for hair dye, which comprises at least one compound selected from dihydrocitronellyl nitrile, 2,2,6-trimethylcyclohexane carboxylic acid ethyl ester, 2-ethyl-4-(2,2,3-trimethyl-3-cyclopenten-1-yl)-2-buten-1-ol, 2,2,6-trimethylcyclohexyl-3-hexanol, 1-(2-methyl-2-propenyloxy)-2,2,4-trimethylpentan-3-ol, thioglycerin, dibutyl sulfide, thiogeraniol, thiocineol, 2-methyl-4-propyl-1,3-oxathian, 4-methoxy-2-methyl-2-butanethiol and the like. The stable composition for hair dye has a superior effect in masking a malodor originated from components such as ammonia formulated in hair dye composition such as composition for hair dye, and is also stable in an alkaline product and an acidic solution product.

A lot of hair dyes are constituted from two types of preparations called a first preparation (to be referred sometimes to as "hair dye first preparation" hereinafter) and a second preparation (to be referred sometimes to as "hair dye second preparation" hereinafter). The first preparation contains dye intermediates including, e.g., an alkaline agent such as ammonia or an alkanolamine and a surfactant, and the second preparation contains, e.g., an oxidizing agent such as hydrogen peroxide and a pH adjusting agent. The main role of the first preparation is to effect penetration of the dye intermediates and oxidizing agent into hair through swelling of hair by the alkaline agent, and the main role of the second preparation is to remove melanin pigment from hair, develop a color through mutual binding of molecules of the dye intermediates and thereby fix the pigment into hair.
Various types of deodorant compositions for hair dyes have been examined in order to mask malodors originated from the malodors such as of ammonia or the alkanolamine formulated in the first preparation. However, since the first preparation generally shows an alkalinity of from pH 8 to 11 due to large amount of the formulated ammonia, it is required that a fragrance to be formulated has a property of being stable to the alkaline nature.
To date, stability and masking effect of various types of fragrance components have been examined, and deodorant compositions containing specified fragrance have been reported. For example, a method for masking an ammoniacal malodor or a solvent malodor of an aromatic alcohol by using a hair dye treatment composition containing cis-3-hexenol as a fragrance is disclosed (Patent Document 1). Further, methods in which specified fragrances are used are also disclosed (Patent Documents 2 to 6). These methods in which the above-described fragrances such as cis-3-hexenol are merely used can improve the malodor at the time of filling a hair dye product in a container. However, these methods have problems in that, after such filling, the masking effect becomes weak and cannot be exerted for a long period of time due to the change of the odor quality, and further, after the treatment, the masking effect becomes weak due to the weakness of the retention property of odor. Therefore, these methods cannot be regarded to be fully satisfied.
On the other hand, a dye component in hair dye base materials is high in reactivity, and therefore, there has been an inconvenience that, even at a stage in which the hair dye is stored before it is applied to hair, a polymerization occurs in the presence of oxygen in the air and thereby color is developed. Accordingly, various types of improvements for solving the above inconvenience have so far been made.
As one method, there may be mentioned a method in which the hair dye is blocked from air. Namely, an improvement has been made such that the hair dye is produced or allowed to be a commercial product in an atmosphere in which the hair dye is hardly in contact with oxygen by removing oxygen dissolved in a base material or by purging a container to which the base materials are stored with an inert gas which does not cause a reaction or the like. For example, in Patent Document 7, it is described that a mixing operation of components constituting a hair dye composition is conducted in an atmosphere in which an oxygen concentration is 0.00015% or less. However, in order to perform such an operation as described above, there is a problem in that economical burden is large. Furthermore, since highly-reactive dye compounds are apt to be degenerated and hair dying effect comes to be deteriorated along a passage of time, it is necessary to pay a great effort for keeping a value as a commercial product.
As another method, there may be mentioned a method of using a medicament. Namely, there is a method in which a given type of reducing agent, for example, a sulfite, vitamin C (ascorbic acid and salts thereof) or the like is added to the base materials and an active species generated in the base materials is trapped for preventing a deterioration of a hair dyeing effect over time by preventing a degeneration or the like of a highly-reactive dye compound (for example, Patent Documents 8 and 9). Although the above method is effective to a given extent, when an amount of the medicament to be used is large, for example, when it is more than 1% by weight, the dye is subjected to a reducing action to cause a problem in color development or an irritation to the skin, which is not preferred (for example, Patent Document 10). Moreover, since some of medicaments to be used have high penetrability into hair and are likely to cut a keratin protein through the reduction reaction, there is a fear that decrease of hair strength arises (Patent Document 11).
Still further, a method in which stabilization is realized by suppressing bonding or reaction between dye molecules by the addition of a surfactant is disclosed (for example, Patent Document 10). However, the effect of stability is not sufficient.
Patent Documents cited herein are as follows.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-2002-97122
Patent Document 2: JP-A-2000-344629
Patent Document 3: JP-A-2003-137758
Patent Document 4: JP-A-2003-277246
Patent Document 5: JP-A-2003-321697
Patent Document 6: JP-A-2004-107208
Patent Document 7: JP-A-2000-344638
Patent Document 8: JP-A-9-136818
Patent Document 9: JP-A-7-309732
Patent Document 10: JP-A-7-82121
Patent Document 11: JP-A-9-315948


The subject disclosure pertains to layering of a plurality of type systems. A development environment and language compilers can support multiple data models and their type systems in the same program. Elements of a program such as expressions can then be associated with several types from the multiple type systems. Compilers can employ the information provided by additional type systems to improve static type checking. Furthermore, the information can be bubbled up to a user in a plurality of forms including but not limited to intelligent assistance, auto-completion, tool tips, error information, and return types to enhance the program development experience.

Computer programmers create computer programs by editing source code files and passing these files to a compiler program to create computer instructions executable by a computer or processor-based device. In the early days, this task was most commonly accomplished by using several unrelated command-line utilities. For example, the source code files are written using a text editor program. The source code files are compiled into object code files using a separate compiler program. A linker utility, sometimes a part of the compiler program, combines the object code files into an executable program. Larger software projects may require a build-automation utility to coordinate the compiling and linking stages of the software build. A separate debugger program may be used to locate and understand bugs in the computer program.
An Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is computer software adapted to help computer programmers develop software quickly and efficiently. An IDE provides features to create, modify, compile, deploy, and debug computer programs. An IDE normally consists of a source code editor, a compiler or interpreter, build-automation utilities, and a debugger tightly integrated into a single application environment. Modern IDEs often include a class browser and an object inspector to assist in object-oriented development with a programming language such as C# or Java™. Some IDEs also include the capability to interface with a version control system such as CVS or Visual SourceSafe or various tools to facilitate the creation of a graphical user interface (GUI).
An IDE offers a quick and efficient way to develop computer software. Learning a new programming language becomes easier through the use of an IDE since the details of how component parts piece together is handled by the IDE itself. The tight integration enables greater productivity since different steps of the development process can happen concurrently and/or automatically. For example, source code may be compiled in the background while it is being written, thus immediately providing feedback such as syntax errors. This integration also allows for code completion features so that the IDE can provide the programmer with valid names for various elements of the language based on the initial input of the programmer, thus reducing the time spent reviewing documentation.


A highlight detecting circuit for detecting a highlight segment within a video signal includes a pitch-tracking module for estimating a plurality of pitch values for an audio signal; a pitch difference detecting module coupled to the pitch-tracking module for computing a plurality of pitch difference values according to the pitch values; and a highlight detecting module coupled to the pitch difference detecting module for determining a starting point and a stopping point of the highlight segment according to the pitch difference values.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to video content detection, and more particularly, to a highlight detecting circuit and related method for video highlight detection utilizing an audio signal to determine a highlight segment within a video signal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Consider a video program containing large segments of content that are uninteresting to a viewer but the same video program also contains individual events interspersed within that contact that the viewer finds very interesting. Extracting the interesting events while discarding the boring and uninteresting content allows the viewer to less thoroughly watch the video program. The viewer can spend more time viewing only the video segments that are considered exciting. For example, during a baseball game, most of the time the audience is waiting. It takes some time for a next hitter to walk up to the plate after a previous hitter is called out. It takes some time for a pitcher to exchange signals with a catcher before they reach a consensus on what kind of ball is going to be delivered. It also takes some time for a change of inning when both teams switch the roles as offense and defense sides. Exciting events, such as home runs, scoring, and double plays exist sparsely in long baseball games. For baseball fans or regular viewers, it is difficult for them to always have plenty of time to be sitting in front of a TV and watching the whole game thoroughly. Baseball highlight detection could help extract those exciting moments and skip those waiting times.
Some prior art methods have been proposed to deal with these kinds of highlight detection problems. These methods utilize a probabilistic framework to deal with this problem and need training data to estimate the parameters of probability models. In this way, the computational complexity is very high, and the execution speed is slow, resulting in difficulty in implementing the prior art method on an embedded system.

Highlight detecting circuit and related method for audio feature-based highlight segment detection


An optical biosensor has a total reflection plate so as to totally internally reflect and transmit an incident light, a first grating and a second grating disposed separately on the total reflection plate, and a sensing membrane that is containing an enzyme and a chromogenic reagent and is sandwiched by the first and second gratings on the total reflection plate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for measuring a specific molecule included in a specimen and in particular to an optical biosensor.
2. Description of the Related Art
A planar lightwave circuit sensor using optical waveguide phenomenon is widely spread as the sensor to measure the amount of the bio molecules existing in body fluid such as blood. As shown in FIG. 1, the planar lightwave circuit has a light source 6 , a substrate 1 receiving a light from the light source 6, a first grating 3 delineated on the substrate 1 so as to receive an incident light, a second grating 4 delineated on the substrate 1 so as to diffract the incident light in the direction of the exterior, and the photo detector 7 receiving the diffracted light. Further, the planar lightwave circuit sensor has a single optical waveguide membrane 2 disposed on the substrate 1 so as to transmit the incident light, and a glucose oxidase (GOD) membrane 5 disposed on the optical waveguide membrane 2. The GOD membrane 5 identifies the bio molecules and transforms the information about the amount of the identified bio molecules to a change of an optical intensity.
An existing method for analyzing the bio molecules existing in the blood by the planar lightwave circuit sensor is as follows. At first, the blood is collected from vein with a syringe. The collected blood is dropped on the GOD membrane 5. The laser light is emitted from the light source 6 and diffracted by the first grating 3. The diffracted light penetrates the optical waveguide membrane 2. The evanescent wave is generated at the interface between the optical waveguide membrane 2 and the GOD membrane 5. The intensity of the evanescent wave changes by reaction between the dropped bio molecules contained in the blood and the GOD. The photo detector 7 receives the diffracted light from the second grating 4 and detects the changes of the evanescent wave intensity to analyze the bio molecules contained in the blood as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Hei9-61346.
However, manufacturing the evanescent wave generates requires precision apparatus and techniques. This is because the incident light reaching at the interface should be diffracted at appropriate angle to measure the change of the evanescent wave intensity precisely.


Provided are methods for the regulation and modification of lipid and glucose metabolism by administering to a subject a dopamine D1 agonist, optionally in combination with a dopamine D2 agonist, an alpha-1 adrenergic antagonist, an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist, or a serotonergic inhibitor, or optionally in combination with a dopamine D2 agonist coadministered with at least one of alpha-1 adrenergic antagonist, an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist, or a serotonergic inhibitor, and further administering the subject a serotonin 5HT.sub.1b agonist.

Obesity and Lipid Metabolism Disorders--Body Fat Loss
In humans, obesity can be defined as a body weight exceeding 20% of the desirable body weight for individuals of the same sex, height and frame (Salans, L. B., in Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2d Ed., McGraw-Hill, New York 1987, pp. 1203-1244; see also, R. H. Williams, Textbook of Endocrinology, 1974, pp. 904-916). In other animals (or also in humans) obesity can be determined by body weight patterns correlated with prolactin profiles given that members of a species that are young, lean, and "healthy" (i.e., free of any disorders, not just metabolic disorders) have daily plasma prolactin level profiles that follow a pattern characteristic of the species. This pattern is highly reproducible with a small standard deviation. Members of a species suffering from lipid and/or metabolism disorders, however, have aberrant prolactin profiles that depart from the normal (or healthy subjects') pattern by at least 1 SEM in at least two spaced apart time points or by at least 2 SEM (standard error of the mean) in at least one time point.
Obesity, or excess fat deposits, correlate with and may trigger the onset of various lipid and/or glucose metabolism disorders, e.g. hypertension, Type II diabetes, atherosclerosis, retinopathy etc.
Even in the absence of clinical obesity (according to the above definition) the reduction of body fat stores (notably visceral fat stores) in man, especially on a long-term or permanent basis would be of significant benefit, both cosmetically, physiologically and psychologically.
The reduction of body fat stores in domestic animals (as well as pets), especially on a long-term or permanent basis, would also obviously be of considerable economic benefit to man, particularly since farm animals supply a major portion of man's diet; and the animal fat may end up as de novo fat deposits in man.
Whereas controlled diet and exercise can produce modest results in the reduction of body fat deposits, prior to the cumulative work of the present inventors (including the prior co-pending patent applications and issued U.S. patents referred to below), no truly effective or practical treatment had been found for controlling obesity or other lipid metabolism disorders.
Hyperlipoproteinemia is a condition in which the concentration of one or more of cholesterol- or triglyceride-carrying lipoproteins (such as chylomicrons, very low density lipoproteins ("VLDL"), and low-density lipoproteins ("LDL") in plasma exceeds a normal limit. This upper limit is generally defined as the ninety-fifth percentile of a random population. Elevated levels of these substances have also been positively correlated with atherosclerosis and the often resulting cardiac infarction, or "heart attack", which accounts for approximately half of all deaths in the United States. Strong clinical evidence has been presented which correlates a reduction in plasma lipoprotein concentration with a reduced risk of atherosclerosis (Noma, A., et al., Atherosclerosis 49:1, 1983; Illingworth, D. and Conner, W., in Endocrinology & Metabolism, McGraw-Hill, New York 1987). Thus, a significant amount of research has been devoted to finding treatment methods which reduce levels of plasma cholesterol and triglycerides. High LDL and/or VLDL accompanied by high triglyceride levels in the blood constitute most important risk factors for atherosclerosis. Reduction of one or both of lipoproteins and triglycerides in the blood would reduce the risk of atherosclerosis and cardiac arrest, or retard their development.
Another subset of the plasma lipoproteins found in vertebrates are high density lipoproteins, HDL ("HDL"). HDL serve to remove free cholesterol from the plasma. A high HDL concentration, as a percentage of total plasma cholesterol, has been associated with a reduced risk of atherosclerosis and heart disease. Thus, HDL are known in the lay press as "good" cholesterol. Therefore, therapeutic strategies involve attempts both to reduce plasma LDL and VLDL content (that is, reduce total plasma cholesterol), and to increase the HDL fraction of total plasma cholesterol. Several lines of research indicate that simply increasing HDL is of benefit even in the absence of LDL or VLDL reduction: Bell, G. P. et al., Atherosclerosis 36:47-54, 1980; Fears, R., Biochem. Pharmacol. 33:219-228, 1984; Thompson, G., Br. Heart J. 51:585-588, 1989; Blackburn, H. N.E.J.M. 309:426-428, 1983.
Current therapies for hyperlipoproteinemias include a low fat diet and elimination of aggravating factors such as sedentary lifestyle. If the hyperlipoproteinemia is secondary (i.e., incident to e.g., a deficiency of lipoprotein lipase or LDL receptor, various endocrine pathologies, alcoholism, renal disorders, or hepatic disorders) then control of the underlying disease is also central to treatment. Hyperlipoproteinemias are also treated with drugs, which usually alter the levels of particular components of the total plasma cholesterol, as well as reduce the total plasma lipid component. Among the most recently introduced drugs to treat hyperlipoproteinemia is lovastatin (MEVACOR.RTM.) which selectively inhibits an enzyme involved in cholesterol production, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase. This drug specifically reduces total cholesterol and can cause a modest (5-10%) increase in HDL concentrations. However, benefits from these therapies vary from subject to subject.
Moreover, use of the HMG-CoA enzyme inhibitor is sometimes accompanied by side effects such as liver toxicity, renal myoglobinuria, renal shutdown, and lenticular opacity. The risk of such side effects necessitates close monitoring of the patients (e.g., liver function is tested monthly).
Another drug prescribed against hyperlipoproteinemia is clofibrate. The effectiveness of clofibrate also varies from subject to subject and its use is often accompanied by such side effects as nephrotic syndromes, myalgia, nausea, and abdominal pain.

Treatment of lipid and glucose metabolism disorders with dopamine and serotonin agonists


A bookmark editor in an Internet web browser application allows a user to create symbolic links between bookmarks and bookmark folders. The bookmark editor may also detect when a bookmark already exists for a document and prompt the user to create a link rather than a new bookmark for the same document. The user may then keep a folder, subfolder, or bookmark and link to it via a symbolic link. When a bookmark is added to a folder or subfolder, the user does not need to duplicate that bookmark for a linked folder or subfolder.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to network data processing and, in particular, to bookmark editing in a web browser. Still more particularly, the present invention provides a method, apparatus, and program for creating bookmark symbolic links (symlinks) in a web browser.
2. Description of Related Art
The worldwide network of computers commonly known as the "Internet" has seen explosive growth in the last several years. Mainly, this growth has been fueled by the introduction and widespread use of so-called "web browsers," which enable simple graphical user interface-based access to network servers, which support documents formatted as so-called "web pages." A browser is a program that is executed on a graphical user interface (GUI). The browser allows a user to seamlessly load documents from the Internet and display them by means of the GUI. The browser gives some means of viewing the contents of web pages (or nodes) and of navigating from one web page to another.
Bookmarks are stored locations for quick retrieval at a later date. Web browsers provide bookmarks that contain the addresses of favorite sites. Most electronic references, large text databases and help systems provide bookmarks that mark a location users want to revisit in the future. Bookmarks may also be referred to as "favorites" or "favorite places."
Often, however, users may wish to maintain duplicate bookmarks or folders for consistency and improved organization. For example, a user may have a bookmark folder for IBM and a subfolder for Linux which stores bookmarks relating to Linux at IBM. The user may also have a folder for Linux. Thus, the user may also wish to keep a subfolder for IBM under the Linux folder. However, this requires an inconvenient duplication process. Furthermore, every time a bookmark is added to one of the subfolders, the bookmark must also be added to the duplicate subfolder.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a mechanism to create a symbolic link (symlink) for a bookmark or bookmark folder in a bookmark editor.

Method, apparatus, and program for creating bookmark symlinks

International Business Machines Corporation


An automobile safety glass breaker tool is held against an automobile safety glass window and fired to break the window. The tool is armed by sliding a firing pin piston to the rear against a spring and fired by releasing the firing pin piston. The firing pin piston hits a 0.22 blank cartridge to fire the blank cartridge. The blank cartridge drives a striker piston forward, and a striker point on the striker piston impacts and shatters the automobile safety glass window. The striker point is limited to reach about 0.06 inches forward and out of the tool to prevent injury to a user.

The present invention relates to controlled breaking of glass and in particular to a tool for breaking automobile safety glass windows.
Automobiles involved in traffic accidents often are damaged to the extent that the occupants cannot easily escape the automobile. When there is a fire or risk of a fire, or the automobile is submerged or becoming submerged, or there is a risk of the automobile sliding down a slope, a rapid escape by the occupants is very important.
Various tools are known for breaking automobile window glass to allow escape. U.S. Pat. No. 6,418,628 issued Jul. 16, 2002 discloses a spring actuated tool for fire fighters and emergency personnel for breaking automobile glass. Unfortunately, such spring actuated tools do not always break the glass, and over time, the springs may weaken. Other similar tools do not always provide the necessary result.


A camera shake amplitude detecting device comprises a mechanical detector for detecting a shake acceleration when a camera body is shaken, and a mechanical shake calculation device for calculating a shake amplitude of the camera body based on the detection output of the mechanical detector. The mechanical shake calculation device discriminates a time point of change between a positive acceleration and a negative acceleration based on the detection output of the mechanical detector, calculates and integration constant, and calculates a velocity by integrating by time the acceleration detected by the mechanical detector.. In order to reduce the time required to calculate exact angular velocity, the constitution comprises an angular velocity sensor for detecting a shake of a camera, a high-pass filter for filtering off certain low frequency components of the output from the angular velocity sensor, a switch means for initializing the high-pass filter when the power source is turned on and a control means for detecting the time when the output of the angular velocity sensor becomes equal to 0 and switching the switch means to bring the high-pass filter in the active state.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device which detects a shake of a camera to prevent the shake.
2. Related Background Art
An optical detection method and a mechanical detection method have been known to detect camera shake.
In the optical detection method, a two-dimension image sensor or a plurality of one-dimension image sensors are used to detect a positional displacement of an object image by the shake.
The mechanical detection method includes an acceleration detection method in which an acceleration of the shake when a camera body is shaked is detected to calculate the positional displacement of the object image based on the acceleration, and an angular velocity detection method in which an angular velocity of the shake when the camera body is shaked is detected to calculate the positional displacement of the object image based on the angular velocity.
When the optical shake detection method is applied to the camera, it is necessary in a one-eye reflex type camera to drive a mirror up immediately before a photograph is taken so that all lights through an objective lens are directed to a film when the photograph is taken. As a result, in the optical shake detection method, the shake can be detected until immediately before the photographing but cannot be detected during the photographing.
When the mechanical shake detection method is applied to the camera, in the acceleration detection method, the shake cannot be detected during a constant velocity motion even if the shake is large, because it detects only the acceleration. Further, if a period of shake is long (a frequency of shake is low), the acceleration is low even if the shake is large, and the detected acceleration is small and detection error is large.
In the angular velocity detection method, a high precision gyroscope (for example, a laser gyroscope) used as a detector is large in size and expensive, and an inexpensive one is of low precision and difficult to determine if the velocity is zero or not. Further, when the period of shake is long (the frequency of shake is low), the angular velocity is low even if the shake is large, and the detected velocity is low and the detection error is large.
And in the conventional apparatus for detecting an unintentional movement of hands as shown in FIG. 11, an angular velocity sensor 201 detects angular velocity of a camera, a low-pass filter (hereinafter referred as "LPF") 202 filters off the high frequency components other than the unintentional movement of hands, and further a high-pass filter (hereinafter referred as "HPF") 203 consisting of a condenser C and a resistance R filters off the low frequency components other than the unintentional movement of hands including the direct current components. The output of the HPF 203 is amplified by a non-inverting type operational amplifier 204 and applied to an A/D conversion input terminal 205a of a control circuit 205 including a computer.
A connection point between the condenser C and the resistance R, which constitute the HPF 203, is connected with one terminal of a switch 206, while the other terminal of the switch 206 is earthed. The switch 206 is controlled, that is, turned on/off, according to a control signal output from a control terminal 205b of the control circuit 205.
In this constitution, when the power source (not shown) is turned on, the switch 206 is turned on to earth the connection point between the condenser C and the resistance R, thereby initializing the HPF 203. As the output of the non-inverting type operational amplifier 204 is arranged to be equal to 0 when the input value is 0, the output becomes equal to 0 V when the switch 206 is turned off.
The output of the angular velocity sensor 201 becomes static only some time after the power source is turned on, when the angular velocity can be detected. Therefore, after a predetermined time elapses, a control signal is output from the control terminal 205b of the control circuit 205 in order to turn off the switch 206 and bring the HPF 203 into the active state. Thus, a signal of the angular velocity of the unintentional movement of hands is output from the operational amplifier 204. Said signal is converted in the control circuit 205 into a digital signal in order to calculate the amount of the movement of hands.
FIGS. 12A to 12D are views showing waveforms obtained in respective units after the time (t=t0) when the power source is turned on, wherein the camera is shaken with the movement of hands. FIG. 12A shows the angular displacement, which is obtained by the angular velocity sensor 201, caused by the movement of hands. FIG. 12B shows the angular velocity v of the movement of hands, which is obtained as the output of the angular velocity sensor 201. FIG. 12C shows the output S of the LPF 202 and FIG. 12D shows the output OUT of the operational amplifier. Note that, in FIG. 12C, the broken line indicates the state without the movement of hands.
By the way, if the angular displacement .omega. caused by the movement of hands is represented as a sine wave as shown in FIG. 12A, the phase of the angular velocity v should be shifted theoretically from that of the angular displacement .omega. by 90.degree., as shown in FIG. 12B. In fact, however, only after the time (t=t1) for the angular velocity sensor to obtain stationary state elapses, the output of the angular velocity sensor 201 begins to correspond to the actual angular velocity, as shown in FIG. 12C.
When the switch 206 is turned off at time t2, when the time required for the angular velocity sensor 201 to obtain stationary state has already elapsed, the output OUT of the operational amplifier 204 at the time t2 is equal to 0 V. On the other hand, the output S of the LPF 202 is equal to 0 when there is no movement of hands, but becomes equal to the angular velocity .DELTA. v of the movement of hands when the movement thereof exists. Accordingly, when the movement of hands exists, the angular velocity v at the moment the switch 206 is turned off can not be obtained according to the output OUT of the operational amplifier 204.
More specifically, the angular velocity v when the movement of hands exists, which is indicated by the broken line in FIG. 12D, can be expressed as follows: EQU .DELTA. v 1-EXP{-(t-t2)/CR}!
If the angular velocity at the time when the output OUT of the operational amplifier 204 is equal to 0 V, the value of the error is obtained according to the above expression. Therefore, the greater the angular velocity .DELTA. v of the movement of hands when the switch 206 is turned off becomes, the longer the time T until the operational amplifier 204 outputs the exact angular velocity v becomes, which is troublesome.


A method of manufacturing an alumina-silicon carbide nanocomposite having particular application to improved ball bonding capillaries of a wire bonding device produces a structure with a 93-98 volume percent of .alpha.-alumina having an average diameter of 0.1-0.3 .mu.m, a 2-7 volume percent of .beta.-silicon carbide having an average diameter of 0.1-1.5 .mu.m, a bending strength of 340-550 Mpa, and a toughness of 3.3-4.1 Mpam.sup.1/2.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to an alumina-silicon carbide nanocomposite for ball bonding capillaries of a wire bonding device and method of manufacturing such an alumina-silicon carbide nanocomposite and, more particularly, to an alumina-silicon carbide nanocomposite, having high strength and toughness and being preferably used for ball bonding capillaries of a wire bonding device, the bonding device used for electrically connecting conductive traces to the input/output pads of a semiconductor chip during a semiconductor package manufacturing process.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As well known to those skilled in the art, an automatic wire bonding device in the fabricating processes of semiconductor packages is used for electrically connecting a lead frame, ceramic circuit board, printed circuit board, etc., which is used as an outer connecting passage of a package, to input/output pads or dies of a semiconductor chip with gold or aluminum wires. In such an automatic wire bonding device, a ball bonding wire, having a thickness of 1.0-1.3 mil(1 mil=1/1000 inch), is received into the fine hole of a capillary which is requisite for wire bonding processes. In such a wire bonding process, the capillary is primarily heated to about 200.degree. C. with a heat source. The capillary is secondly heated to about 270.degree. C. with vibrations of ultrasonic waves, which are generated by a transducer. The capillary is also operated under a discharge state caused by a high voltage discharge blade, thus forming bonding balls. That is, the capillary has to be subjected to a coarse atmosphere during a wire bonding process so that the capillary has to be made of ceramic, suitable for enduring such a coarse atmosphere.
A sintered alumina(Al.sub.2 O.sub.3) having a purity of 99.99% or more, has been used for such a ceramic capillary. Such a pure sintered alumina preferably has a high strength of about 330 MPa and is suitable for conserving the manufacturing cost of capillaries. However, such an alumina has a low rupture toughness of about 3.0 MPam.sup.1/2, thus deteriorating the operational reliability of resulting capillaries. Also, the durability of the alumina is deteriorated at a high temperature because the strength of the alumina is rapidly reduced at such a high temperature. Therefore, the life span of such a pure sintered alumina is shortened due to such a thermally reduced strength, thus increasing the manufacturing cost of packages.

Method for manufacturing an alumina-silicon carbide nanocomposite


A method and structure for forming a semiconductor structure. A semiconductor substrate is provided. A trench is formed within the semiconductor substrate. A first layer of electrically insulative material is formed within the trench. A first portion and a second portion of the first layer of electrically insulative material is removed. A second layer of electrically insulative material is selectively grown on the first layer comprising the removed first portion and the removed second portion.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a structure and associated method for fabricating a shallow trench isolation in a semiconductor device.
2. Related Art
During a manufacturing process, electrical structures within electrical devices undergo structural changes. The structural changes may cause the electrical device to be built incorrectly. Therefore there exists a need to correct structural changes of electrical structures within electrical devices during a manufacturing process.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Provided are a data processing method, device and node. The method includes: a second node determines that a first data sent from a first node exhibits data erasure; the second node sends feedback information to the first node, where the feedback information includes one of the following: an erasure rate, an erasure rate and an erasure position, the erasure rate is a proportion of resources that exhibit data erasure in resources corresponding to the first data, and the erasure position is a position of the resources that exhibit data erasure in the resources corresponding to the first data; the second node receiving a second data as determined according to the feedback information by the first node; the second node performs decoding according to the first item of data and the second data.

Two technologies are used in wireless communication systems to control transmission errors: forward-error-control (FEC) and auto-repeat-request (ARQ) methods. The FEC uses an error correction code, which cannot guarantee that a transport block can always be decoded correctly, so it is difficult to obtain high system reliability. The ARQ uses a code with strong error detection capability. When a receiving end detects a data error, the receiving end notifies a sending end of the data error via feedback signaling, and the sending end resends the transport block until the transport block is correctly received. The ARQ provides high system reliability at the expense of certain transmission delay, signaling overhead, and error detection redundancy. A combination of the FEC and the ARQ technologies is a Hybrid-ARQ (HARQ) technology. The HARQ guarantees system reliability and controls the transmission delay, signaling overhead and error detection redundancy.
The HARQ technology is adopted in the long term evolution (LTE) system. The receiving end first performs decoding on the error correction code of the transport block, and detects the decoding result. If the detection result is correct, the acknowledgement (ACK) message is fed back; otherwise, the negative acknowledgement (NACK) message is fed back. When the sending side receives the NACK information, the corresponding transport block data is retransmitted until the transport block is correctly received; and when the sending side receives the ACK information, the transmission of the transport block ends.
In future communication systems such as the fifth generation wireless communication, some important application scenarios such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) require ultra-high peak rates, such as 20 Gbps. Correspondingly, a large transport block size will be required, and meanwhile a transport block may include many smaller code blocks. Long transport blocks are to be transmitted on larger time and frequency resources. Due to small-scale fading of the channel or other burst interference, different code blocks of a certain transport block or data on different time-frequency resources will experience quite different channel conditions. When the channel conditions are very poor, the corresponding data has little effect on decoding, or is even erased, which increases the possibility of decoding errors. According to the existing HARQ technology, when a decoding error occurs, the entire transport block will be retransmitted, which will bring a great waste of resources in the eMBB scenario, and also increase the decoding complexity and the transmission delay.
Therefore, in the related art, when a decoding error occurs in a transport block, the entire transport block is retransmitted, which causes a waste of radio resources, and increases decoding complexity as well as transmission delay.


A process quantity measurement method with which an engine output is accurately measured in a relatively simple manner. Torque of an engine is measured based on the amount of torsion of the output shaft of the engine, and an engine output is obtained based on the measured torque. On the other hand, an engine output is calculated based on input and output heat quantity, and a difference between the engine output based on the torque and the engine output based on the input and output heat quantity is obtained in advance. When the engine is operated, the previously obtained difference is added to the engine output that is based on the calculated input and output heat quantity to obtain the engine output.

A combined cycle thermal power plant has been used at a thermal power plant to improve thermal efficiency and operative efficacy for cost cutting of generating the electric power. The combined cycle thermal power plant has a gas turbine and a steam turbine as an engine, and drives an electric generator by both the gas turbine and the steam turbine. That is, high efficiency is achieved by burning fuel in a burner to drive the gas turbine, guiding the discharged gas from the gas turbine to an exhaust heat recovery boiler, and driving the steam turbine by the steam generated by the exhaust heat recovery boiler. Normally, the combined cycle thermal power plant is comprised of a plurality of units where each unit includes a gas turbine and a steam turbine, and forms a one-shaft configuration where each unit is connected to one electric generator.
Even for a high efficiency power plant such as a combined cycle thermal power plant, it is important, for the purpose of heat efficiency management, to investigate a cause of decrease in the heat efficiency. In such a case, it is necessary to know whether the decrease in the heat efficiency is caused by the gas turbine, the steam turbine, or other major constituents.
In order to identify the cause of the heat efficiency change in the combined cycle thermal power plant, an optical torque measurement apparatus has been developed that can detect torque of a driving shaft (rotating body) of the engine such as the gas turbine or the steam turbine. The torque measurement apparatus places a pair of reflectors which are spaced apart in the axial direction on the surface of the rotating body. A laser light is applied to the surface of the rotating body where the pair of reflectors is placed and the reflected light therefrom is received. A delay time of the reflected light from the reflector is measured. Based on the delay time of the reflected light from the reflector, the amount of torsion of the rotating body is detected. The torque of the rotating body is measured based on the torsion amount as shown, for example, in FIG. 1 of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-22564.
Since the torque measured by the torque measurement apparatus is accurate and the torque of the engine corresponds to the output of the engine, an output of an engine such as a gas turbine output or a steam turbine output can be measured accurately.

Process quantity measurement method and apparatus of engine output

The Tokyo Electric Power Company, Incorporated


A signal is modulated by generating a pulse-width modulation signal and applying the pulse-width modulation signal to an input of a switched-mode amplifier. An output of the amplifier is coupled to a filter operable to impart either differential mode oscillations or common mode oscillations at the amplifier output based on the duty cycle of the pulse-width modulation signal. The duty cycle of the pulse-width modulation signal is varied to impart amplitude modulations at the amplifier output.

The present invention generally relates to signal modulation, and particularly relates to imparting signal modulations using a switched-mode power amplifier.
In many fields, for example in third and higher generation base stations, bandwidth-optimized modulation schemes are used for transmitting information. Bandwidth-optimized modulation schemes require a non-constant envelope, and thus have a relatively high peak-to-average power ratio (PAR). Linear power amplifiers such as class AB amplifiers are typically used because they offer high linearity. However, class AB amplifiers must be driven with a high back-off to achieve good linearity across a wide operating range. Backing-off a class AB amplifier results in lower transmitted power, and thus reduced overall power efficiency. Class AB amplifiers must also be sized to handle peak power levels, but are often operated at much lower power levels. The efficiency of class AB amplifiers further suffers when operated below peak power levels.
Other conventional signal modulation techniques exist for Radio Frequency (RF) applications. However, each of the techniques suffers from poor power efficiency, poor linearity, complexity or other limitations. For example, supply voltage regulation techniques have poor power efficiency because the voltage regulator must have a large bandwidth. Linearity is problematic for Doherty amplifiers. Out-phasing, where two equally sized power amplifier outputs are combined via a power combiner, constantly dissipates power. Delta sigma modulators used in conjunction with a high-power output stage tend to be less efficient than their pulse-width modulator counterparts.
Pulse-width modulators conventionally drive a switched-mode power amplifier such as a class-D or class-J amplifier. Amplitude modulations are imparted at the amplifier output by varying the duty cycle of the pulse-width modulation signal applied to the amplifier input. However, switched-mode power amplifiers typically have a high-value inductor located between the amplifier output and the DC supply voltage for limiting RF currents at the DC power supply. The high supply-side inductance causes large voltage peaks at the drains of the amplifier switches, which can cause device damage. Moreover, the high supply-side inductance reduces the amplifier's reaction time to on-off and off-on transitions in the pulse-width modulation input control signal. This limits overall circuit performance because amplitude modulations are imparted based on how quickly the duty cycle of the pulse-width modulation control signal can be varied, i.e., how quickly the on-off/off-on transitions occur in the pulse-width modulation control signal.

Amplifier modulation method and apparatus


A two-phase immersion cooling apparatus may include an immersion tank with a primary condenser in thermal communication with an interior volume of the immersion tank and a vapor management system fluidically connected to the immersion tank. The vapor management system may enable the apparatus to effectively manage periods of high vapor production by removing vapor and other gases from a headspace of the immersion tank, condensing the vapor to liquid, and returning the liquid to the immersion tank.

Data centers house information technology (IT) equipment for the purposes of storing, processing, and disseminating data and applications. IT equipment may include electronic devices, such as servers, storage systems, power distribution units, routers, switches, and firewalls.
During use, IT equipment consumes electricity and produces heat as a byproduct. A data center containing thousands of servers requires a dedicated IT cooling system to manage the heat produced. The heat must be captured and rejected from the data center. If the heat is not removed, ambient temperature within the data center will rise above an acceptable threshold and temperature-induced performance throttling of electronic devices (e.g. microprocessors) may occur.
Data centers are energy-intensive facilities. It is not uncommon for a data center to consume over 50 times more energy per square foot than a typical commercial office building. Collectively, data centers account for about 3% of global electricity use.
Electricity use in data centers is attributable to a variety of systems, including IT equipment, air management systems, mechanical systems, electrical systems (e.g. power conditioning systems), and cooling systems for IT equipment. Examples of IT cooling systems include precision air conditioning systems, direct expansion systems, chilled water systems, free cooling systems, humidification systems, and direct liquid cooling systems. In some data centers, IT cooling and power conditioning systems account for over half of all electricity use.
Most data centers utilize precision air conditioning systems for IT cooling. Precision air conditioners employ a vapor-compression cycle, similar to residential air conditioners. Although air conditioning technology is well-suited for comfort-cooling office space, it is not well-suited for cooling thousands of relatively small, hot devices distributed throughout a large data center. Air has a relatively low heat capacity, which necessitates movement and conditioning of large amounts of air to cool IT equipment. Consequently, air conditioners suffer from poor thermodynamic efficiency, which translates to high operating expense. To reduce operating expense, there is a need to cool servers more efficiently.

Two-phase immersion cooling apparatus with active vapor management