To select the frequency (SF) and/or time (ST) spreading parameters for a communication system using a quadrature amplitude modulation and implementing a CDMA technique and an OFDM multiplexing the attenuation coefficients of the propagation channel are estimated For all the F sub-bands of SF subcarriers and the T blocks of ST OFDM symbols, at least one asymptotic signal-to-interference+noise ratio (SINR) is determined, based on the attenuation coefficients of the propagation channel and the type of equalizer used by the receiver. From this, for each coded information block obtained from the modulation, the compressed asymptotic SINR is deduced, expressed by an analytical formula dependent on the frequency (SF) and time (ST) spreading parameters and the frequency (SF) and time (ST) spreading parameters which maximize the value of the compressed asymptotic SINR are selected.

The generic term OFDM-CDMA will be used hereinafter to denote a system using time/frequency spreading.
FIG. 1 illustrates the general architecture of a conventional OFDM-CDMA digital transmitter for a downlink from a base station to a mobile terminal.
The bits a0(n), . . . , aK−1(n) from the K users are first sent to a respective channel coding module 100, . . . , 10K−1. The channel coding module comprises an encoder, which can, for example, be a convolutional-type encoder, a turbocoder or an LDPC (low-density parity-check code) type coder. The channel coding module also comprises a punching device and a bit interleaver. It supplies as output data b0(n), . . . , bK−1(n).
The binary data b0(n), . . . , bK−1(n) is then sent to a respective I/Q modulation unit 120, . . . , 12K−1, which modulates the encoded bits, for example by a four-state quadrature amplitude modulation QAM-4 and supplies as output data d0(n), . . . , dK−1(n).
The data d0(n), . . . , dK−1(n) from the various users is then processed by a spreading module 14.
Then, the spread signals are processed by a chip allocation module 16, which places them on a time/frequency grid.
The resulting signal is then transmitted to an OFDM modulator, which comprises in turn a serial-parallel conversion unit 18, which supplies as output data x0(n), . . . , xN−1(n), N being the number of subcarriers, an inverse fast Fourier transform unit 20, a parallel-serial conversion unit 22 and a cyclic prefix insertion unit 24. The symbols obtained are sent over a transmission channel.
For a description of the conventional OFDM techniques, it is worth referring to the article by W. ZHENDAO and G. B. GIANNAKIS entitled "Wireless Multicarrier Communications—Where Fourier meets Shannon", IEPE Signal Processing Magazine, vol. 17, no. 3, pages 29 to 48, May 2000.
FIG. 2 details the spreading module 14 of the transmitter. Each symbol dK(n) of the user k (k=0, . . . , K−1) is first assigned an amplitude √PK by a module 26K. Then, in a module 28K, the rate is stepped up by a factor L and finally a digital filtering cK(z) is applied in a module 30k, the filtering coefficients being equal to the chips of the spreading sequence of the user k.
Each symbol dK(n) of the user k is spread by a sequence of L chips ck(Z). The spread signals of all the users are then added together by an adder module 32.
As described above, the chip allocation module 16 allocates the samples originating from the spreading module 14 over a time/frequency grid. It is assumed that the spreading factor L is equal to SF×ST, where SF is the spreading parameter in the frequency domain and ST is the spreading parameter in the time domain.
FIGS. 3 to 5 represent time-frequency grids respectively in the cases where ST=1 (FIG. 3), SF=1 (FIG. 4) and SF and ST are anything (FIG. 5).
FIG. 3 illustrates the case where ST=1. In this case, the characteristics of a conventional MC-CDMA system apply. F=N/SF data symbols are transmitted by code in an OFDM symbol.
FIG. 4 illustrates the case where SF=1. In this case, the characteristics of a conventional MC-DS-CDMA system apply. F=N data symbols are transmitted by code on ST OFDM symbols.
FIG. 5 illustrates the case where SF and ST are anything. In this case, F=N/SF data symbols are transmitted by code on ST OFDM symbols.
The chip allocation module 16 represented in FIG. 1 supplies as output a size vector N which can be expressed according to the equation (1), the size of this vector corresponding to the size of the fast Fourier transform:
                                          x            i                                          [                                          qS                F                            +              p                        ]                          =                              ∑                          k              =              0                                      K              -              1                                                                                P                k                                                                                d                k                                                          [                q                ]                                                                                c                k                                                          [                                                      pS                    T                                    +                  i                                ]                                                                        (        1        )            where:                i=0, . . . , ST−1 corresponds to the index of the OFDM symbol,        q=0, . . . , F−1 corresponds to the index of the sub-band,        p=0, . . . , SF−1 corresponds to the index of the subcarrier,        SF is the spreading factor in the frequency domain,        ST is the spreading factor in the time domain,        K is the total number of users,        Pk is the power associated with the kth user,        dk are the symbols associated with the kth user, and        ck is the spreading code for the kth user.
After transposition into the time domain via the inverse fast Fourier transform unit 20, a cyclic prefix is added by the cyclic prefix insertion unit 24. It contains NG≧W−1 samples, where W is the maximum duration of the impulse response of the overall channel.
FIG. 6 represents the structure of a conventional OFDM-CDMA digital receiver corresponding to the transmitter illustrated in FIG. 1.
A rough synchronization module 60 handles, on the one hand, the detection of the start of the OFDM symbol and, on the other hand, the initial estimation of the offset ΔF between the carrier frequencies of the transmitter and the receiver and the offset ΔT between the sampling clocks of the transmitter and of the receiver.
This estimation is called rough in the sense that the estimation variance is high. This makes it possible to enter into the operating range of the receiver, but requires a so-called fine correction, to achieve the desired performance levels. Thus, the synchronization is carried out in two phases.
After a rough synchronization, the cyclic prefix is eliminated by a cyclic prefix suppression module 62 and the signal is conditioned into vectors of N samples ri(m), m=0, . . . , N−1, the index i indicating the number of the received OFDM symbol. The processing operations carried out to decode the symbols of the user k=0 are described below. The results obtained are presumed identical for the other users.
The samples ri(m) are then supplied to a serial-parallel conversion unit 64 and then to a fast Fourier transform unit 66 and a channel estimation unit 68, itself linked to a unit for estimating the propagation conditions of the channel 70.
The channel estimation unit 68 is also linked to a linear equalizer 72 which applies a coefficient gi[qSF+p] for each subcarrier. The equalizer 72 is linked to a correlation module 74, which supplies as output the estimated symbols {circumflex over (d)}0(n), . . . , {circumflex over (d)}K−1(n).
It will be assumed that the coefficients of the linear equalizer are calculated independently of the spreading codes. The equalizers can be MRC (maximum ratio combining), EGC (equal gain combining), ZF (zero forcing) or MMSE (minimum mean square error) linear equalizers, well known to those skilled in the art.
The estimated symbols obtained as output from the correlation module 74 can be expressed according to the equation (2):
                                                        d              ^                        0                                          [            q            ]                          =                                            ∑                              p                =                0                                                              S                  F                                -                1                                                                                ∑                                  i                  =                  0                                                                      S                    T                                    -                  1                                                                                g                    i                                                                          [                                                                  qS                        F                                            +                      p                                        ]                                                                                c                    0                    *                                                                          [                                                                  pS                        T                                            +                      i                                        ]                                                                                x                    i                                                                          [                                                                  qS                        F                                            +                      p                                        ]                                                                                h                    i                                                                          [                                                                  qS                        F                                            +                      p                                        ]                                                                                +                                    ∑                              p                =                0                                                              S                  F                                -                1                                                                                ∑                                  i                  =                  0                                                                      S                    T                                    -                  1                                                                                g                    i                                                                          [                                                                  qS                        F                                            +                      p                                        ]                                                                                c                    0                    *                                                                          [                                                                  pS                        T                                            +                      i                                        ]                                                                                w                    i                                                                          [                                                                  qS                        F                                            +                      p                                        ]                                                                                (        2        )            where:                gi[qSF+p] is the coefficient applied by the equalizer to the pth subcarrier of the qth sub-band of the ith OFDM symbol,        c0 is the spreading code of the user 0,        the sign * denotes the conjugate complex,        i[qSF+p] corresponds to the symbols supplied as output by the fast Fourier transform unit 66 on the pth subcarrier of the qth sub-band of the ith OFDM symbol,        i[qSF+p] corresponds to the attenuation of the channel for the pth subcarrier of the qth sub-band of the ith OFDM symbol, and        i[qSF+p] corresponds to the Gaussian additive white noise sample of variance σ2 on the pth subcarrier of the qth sub-band of the ith OFDM symbol.
The data is then sent to a flexible I/Q demodulation unit 76. The so-called "hard" I/Q demodulation operation consists in restoring the binary values transmitted based on the complex symbols derived from the linear detector. When a flexible-input channel decoder is used, the optimal values to be injected into the channel decoder are flexible values. The term "flexible values" is used to mean values that are not directly the hard values "0" or "1". Thus, if a QAM-16 (4-bit) modulation is used, the flexible I/Q demodulation consists in calculating four flexible values corresponding to the four bits of the QAM-16 modulation. The optimal flexible (or metric) values to be injected into the flexible-input channel decoder correspond to the likelihood ratio logarithm (LRL).
The flexible I/Q demodulation operation is followed by the channel decoding process, performed by modules 780, . . . , 78K−1. These modules perform bit disinterleaving, unpunching and decoding operations (for example, via a Viterbi decoder in the case of a convolutional coder in transmission, by the Max log-MAP algorithm in the case of a turbocoder or by the Min-Sum algorithm in the case of LDPC coding). This restores the transmitted binary data.
In the state of the art, the unit for estimating the propagation conditions of the channel 70 is used to evaluate the instantaneous signal-to-interference+noise ratio (SINR) and/or the maximum spread of the delays and/or the maximum Doppler frequency. These three parameters measure the propagation conditions of the channel. Depending on the values of these parameters forwarded to the transmitter by return loop, the transmitter can decide to adapt the spreading parameters SF and ST in order to improve the transmission quality.
Nevertheless, the methods of calculating the maximum spread of the delays and of the Doppler frequency are not easy to implement. Moreover, the instantaneous SINR is not an optimal criterion in the selection of the spreading parameters when a channel coding/decoding process is used.
The concept of asymptotic SINR is now introduced. When the dimensions of the system become large in terms of the number and size of the spreading codes, the random matrices theory offers very powerful analysis tools with which to obtain explicit SINR values at the output of the equalizer, while taking into account the property of orthogonality of the spreading codes. This asymptotic regime is, nevertheless, obtained for routine values of the spreading factors (for example, size 32).
The expression of the asymptotic SINR for the user of rank 0 of an OFDM-CDMA system for the sub-band of rank q is given by the following formula:
                                          SINR            o                                          [            q            ]                          =                                            S              0                                                  [              q              ]                                                          I                                            [                q                ]                                      +                          N                                            [                q                ]                                                                        (        3        )            where S0[·] corresponds to the power of the wanted signal after equalization and correlation, I[·] corresponds to the power of the multiple access noise created by the other spreading codes and N[·] corresponds to the power of the Gaussian noise filtered by the equalizer and the spreading sequence, with:
                                          S            0                                          [            q            ]                          =                              p            0                                                                                                        1                  L                                                                                ∑                                          p                      =                      0                                                                                S                        F                                            -                      1                                                                                ∑                                              i                        =                        0                                                                                S                          T                                                -                        1                                                                                g                          i                                                                                [                                                                                qS                              F                                                        +                            p                                                    ]                                                                                h                          i                                                                                [                                                                                qS                              F                                                        +                            p                                                    ]                                                                                                        2                                              (        4        )            where:                p0 is the power applied to the user of rank 0,        L=SF×ST,        gi[qSF+p] is the equalization coefficient for the pth subcarrier of the qth sub-band for the ith OFDM symbol, this equalization coefficient depending on the transmission channel, and        hi[qSF+p] corresponds to the attenuation of the channel for the pth subcarrier of the qth sub-band for the ith OFDM symbol.
                              I                                [            q            ]                          =                  α                                                                                p              _                                                  (                                                                    1                    L                                                                                ∑                                              p                        =                        0                                                                                S                          F                                                -                        1                                                                                ∑                                                  i                          =                          0                                                                                S                            T                                                    -                          1                                                                                                                                                                g                                i                                                                                [                                                                                qS                                    F                                                                    +                                  p                                                                ]                                                                                                                                    2                                                                                                                                                                h                                i                                                                                [                                                                                qS                                    F                                                                    +                                  p                                                                ]                                                                                                                                    2                                                                                -                                                                                                                        1                        L                                                                                ∑                                                      p                            =                            0                                                                                S                              F                                                        -                            1                                                                                ∑                                                          l                              =                              0                                                                                S                                T                                                            -                              1                                                                                g                                i                                                                                [                                                                                qS                                    F                                                                    +                                  p                                                                ]                                                                                h                                i                                                                                [                                                                                qS                                    F                                                                    +                                  p                                                                ]                                                                                                                    2                                            )                                                          (        5        )            where:    α=K/L is the system load (K being the total number of users), and
      p    _              =            1              K        -        1                                ∑                  k          =          1                          K          -          1                                  p        k            is the average power of the interfering codes, and
                              N                                [            q            ]                          =                              σ            2                                          1            L                                                        ∑                              p                =                0                                                              S                  F                                -                1                                                                                ∑                                  i                  =                  0                                                                      S                    T                                    -                  1                                                                                                                                            g                      i                                                                                [                                                                        qS                          F                                                +                        p                                            ]                                                                                        2                                                                        (        6        )            where σ2 is the variance of the noise.
If the system under consideration is a multiple-cell system, the variance of the noise σ2 contains the power of the thermal noise N0 and the power received by the user of rank 0 originating from the other interfering base stations.
These different values are obtained independently of the value of the spreading codes, while taking into account the orthogonality property of the codes.
It is shown that the asymptotic SINR can be used to estimate precisely and easily the bit error rate (BER) before channel coding.
However, a real system employs a channel coder and its effect on system performance levels should be taken into account.
The article by N. MAEDA, Y. KISHIYAMA, H. ATARASHI and M. SAWAHASHI entitled "Variable Spreading Factor OFCDM with two dimensional spreading that prioritizes time domain spreading for forward link broadband wireless access", VTC Spring 2003, pages 127 to 132, Jeju Island, Korea, April 2003, reveals the impact of the modulation and coding scheme on the performance levels (BER) of an OFDM-CDMA system, according to the parameters of the propagation channel (bandwidth and coherence time of the channel) and the spreading parameters SF and ST.
Furthermore, in the article by N. MAEDA, Y. KISHIYAMA, K. HIGUCHI, H. ATARASHI and M. SAWAHASHI entitled "Experimental Evaluation of Throughput Performance in Broadband Packet Wireless Access Based on VSF-OFCDM and VSD-CDMA", IEEE PIMRC 2003, pages 6 to 11, the use of the instantaneous SINR measured by the above formula (3) to select the spreading parameters SF and ST is not very advantageous, because this SINR does not depend on the spreading parameters, since it is obtained by measuring the power of the wanted signal and the power of the interferences and of the thermal noise.
It cannot therefore be used to directly select the optimal spreading parameters SF and ST when the system uses a channel coding/decoding module. In practice, there are several SINR values representing one and the same coded data block incoming to the channel decoder. These multiple SINR values are due to the fact that the propagation channel varies in time and frequency within a coded information block. It is consequently ineffective to optimize the SINR given by the formula (3) because the channel coding and modulation must be taken into account.

Method and device for selecting spreading parameters for an OFDM-CDMA system


A technique capable of suppressing an adhesion of deposits to an inside of a reaction vessel of a substrate processing apparatus is described. According to one aspect thereof, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: a substrate retainer provided with a substrate support region; a heat insulator provided below the substrate support region; and a reaction vessel of a cylindrical shape in which the substrate retainer and the heat insulator are accommodated, wherein the reaction vessel includes: an auxiliary chamber protruding outward in a radial direction of the reaction vessel and extending along an extending direction from at least a position below an upper end of the heat insulator to a position facing the substrate support region; and a first cover provided in the auxiliary chamber along a plane perpendicular to the extending direction of the auxiliary chamber so as to divide an inner space of the auxiliary chamber.

As a part of a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, a film-forming process of forming a film on a substrate accommodated in a process chamber of a substrate processing apparatus may be performed.
When the film-forming process serving as a part of the manufacturing process of the semiconductor device is performed, for example, using a process gas, the process gas supplied into a reaction vessel may cause deposits to adhere to an inside of the reaction vessel. Since the deposits in the process chamber may cause a generation of a substance such as particles, it is preferable to suppress an adhesion of the deposits to the inside of the reaction vessel.

Substrate processing apparatus, method of manufacturing semiconductor device and substrate processing method


A protective safety cover for fifth wheel pin has a main panel having at least one edge, and an opening adapted to receive the king pin of the trailer therethrough; a perimeter wall extending perpendicularly to the at least one edge of the main panel; and a retainer member connected to the main panel and adapted to securely and removably attach the safety cover to the goose neck of the trailer and around the king pin, to thereby surround the king pin and protect a person from accidentally hitting the king pin.

Fifth wheel trailers have been in use for decades. They are usually hooked onto the saddle of a hitch located in the flatbed of a pickup truck. When a fifth wheel trailer is unhooked from its towing vehicle and parked, the protruding pin box and king pin that hook into the saddle are exposed and someone may hurt himself if colliding with them. This represents a risk of serious injuries to someone circulating around the unhooked trailer.

Protective safety cover for the pin box and the king pin of a fifth wheel type trailer


A method for manufacturing a field-effect transistor includes the steps of forming a source electrode and a drain electrode each containing hydrogen or deuterium; forming an oxide semiconductor layer in which the electrical resistance is decreased if hydrogen or deuterium is added; and, causing hydrogen or deuterium to diffuse from the source electrode and the drain electrode to the oxide semiconductor layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a field-effect transistor having an oxide film as a semiconductor layer, a method for manufacturing the field-effect transistor, and a display apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, thin film transistors (TFTs) including a channel layer of a polycrystalline transparent conductive ZnO-based oxide thin film have actively been developed (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-76356).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-76356 stated that because the thin film can be formed at a low temperature and is transparent to visible light, a flexible transparent TFT can be formed on a substrate such as a plastic plate or a film.
However, a ZnO-based compound cannot form a stable amorphous phase at room temperature, but forms a polycrystalline phase. It is therefore difficult to increase electron mobility because of scattering at grain boundaries. Furthermore, the shape and the interconnection of polycrystalline grains vary widely with the film-forming method. This also produces variations in the characteristics of TFT devices.
Recently, a thin film transistor containing an In—Ga—Zn—O amorphous oxide has been reported (see K. Nomura et. al., Nature 432, 488 (2004)). This transistor can be formed on a plastic substrate or a glass substrate at room temperature. In addition, the transistor has a field-effect mobility approximately in the range of 6 to 9 cm2/Vs and normally-off characteristics. Furthermore, the transistor is transparent to visible light.
The present inventors studied TFTs containing oxides, including amorphous In—Ga—Zn—O, and found that the transistor characteristics of the TFTs sometimes varied, although the transistor characteristics depend on the composition and the manufacturing conditions of the TFTs.
The variations in transistor characteristics can cause variations in operation of organic light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and liquid crystals driven by the transistors, for example, in a pixel circuit of a display.
The variations may be caused by parasitic resistance generated between a source electrode and a channel and between a drain electrode and a channel.

Field-effect transistor and method for manufacturing the same


N-arylsulfilimine compounds, such as S,S-dimethyl-N-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)sulfilimine, were prepared and found to catalyze the reaction of aromatic sulfonyl chloride compounds, such as 2-chlorosulfonyl-7-fluoro-5-ethoxy[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-c]pyrimidine, with aromatic amine compounds, such as 2,6-dichloroaniline, to form N-arylarylsulfonamide compounds, such as N-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-7-fluoro-5-ethoxy[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-c]-pyrimidine- 2-sulfonamide. The aryl moiety of the N-arylsulfilimine catalyst and the aryl moiety of the aromatic amine compound were generally chosen to be identical.

The present invention relates to the use of N-arylsulfilimine compounds as catalysts in the reaction of aromatic sulfonyl chloride compounds with aromatic amines to form N-arylarylsulfonamide compounds and to novel N-arylsulfilimine compounds.
The preparation of N-arylarylsulfonamide compounds by the reaction of aromatic sulfonyl chloride compounds with aromatic amine compounds typically gives unsatisfactory results because the reaction is slow and the yields are poor. The preparation of such compounds wherein the aromatic amine compound and/or the aromatic sulfonyl chloride compound possesses one or, especially, two ortho substituents is often particularly unsatisfactory because of the steric deactivation effect and, when the substituents are electron-withdrawing, the electronic deactivation effect of ortho substituents. Pyridine, picolines, and lutidines have long been known to catalyze the reaction of many sulfonyl chloride compounds with amines to form sulfonamides. Recently, it was reported that a mixture of a pyridine base and dimethyl sulfoxide gave improved results in many instances (U.S. Pat. No. 5,177,206). Many N-arylarylsulfonamide compounds are known in the art to be valuable herbicides and methods of obtaining them more readily and in improved yields are desirable.
A number of substituted N-phenylsulfilimine compounds are known, for example from J. Org. Chem., 39, 3365-3372 (1974), and the preparation and some of the chemistry of these compounds has been reviewed in the literature, for example in Russian Chemical Reviews, 59, 819-831 (1990). Certain of these compounds have been reported to be useful intermediates for further synthesis. For example, rearrangement of such compounds having at least one unsubstituted ortho-position to obtain 2-alkylthiomethylaniline compounds has been reported in U.S. Pat. No. 4,496,765. The use of N-phenylsulfilimine compounds as catalysts for the preparation of sulfonamides has not been reported.

N-arylsulfilimine compounds and their use as catalysts in the preparation of N-arylarylsulfonamide compounds


The present invention provides a method for flip chip packaging co-design. The method comprises steps of: providing an I/O pad information of a chip and a connection information of a PCB; performing a first I/O pad placement according to the I/O pad information of the chip and the connection information of the PCB; utilizing a RDL routing analysis device to perform a bump pad pitch analysis for the first I/O pad placement of the chip to generate a bump pad pitch analysis result; performing a bump pad planning for a package according to the bump pad pitch analysis result to generate a bump pad planning result; and performing a second I/O pad placement for the chip according to the bump pad planning result to generate an I/O pad placement result.

The disclosed embodiments of the present invention relate to a method for flip chip packaging co-design, and more particularly, to a method for flip chip packaging co-design which can provide a bi-directional flip-chip co-design flow, analyze chip-aware bump pitches, simulate IR-aware bump counts/locations, speed up design cycle, as to increase design quality, and lower design cost.
Conventional methods of using regular bump patterns to do flip-chip co-design have already been disclosed and discussed in various literatures, such as U.S. Pat. No. 7,117,467. However, the conventional methods do not consider Input/Output (I/O) pad and/or redistribution layer (RDL) requirements and cannot handle non-uniform power domains to improve IR drops since the I/O information, the RDL routing information, and/or the power domain information of the chip and the connection information of a PCB are not provided in advance.
Therefore, the conventional methods require more design cycles and larger chip size, and result in worse IR drops.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for flip chip packaging co-design and co-designed flip chip package


[Problem] It becomes possible to realize more efficient communication in a wireless local area network (LAN) system.

A wireless communication system that performs communication between an access point (hereinafter, referred to as "AP" for convenience) and a station (hereinafter, referred to as "STA" for convenience) has been known. For example, a wireless local area network (LAN) that employs carrier sense multiple access/collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) has been widely known. In the wireless LAN, there is frequency multiplex communication in which transmission to a plurality of STAs or reception from a plurality of STAs is simultaneously performed using different frequency components for each STA as communication resources.
In the present document, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) in which frequency components are defined as resource units including one or more subcarriers (may be referred to as "subchannels", "resource blocks", "frequency blocks", or the like) and transmission to a plurality of STAs or reception from a plurality of STAs is simultaneously performed using the resource units as communication resources is mainly considered. By performing OFDMA communication, an overhead in a data packet is reduced and a throughput is improved.

Wireless communication device and wireless communication method

Abstract: [Solution] There is provided a wireless communication device that functions as an access point of a wireless LAN, including: a generation unit that generates a wireless signal in which allocation information for allocating a plurality of stations to one resource unit is stored; and a transmission unit that transmits the wireless signal to the stations.


A signal processing apparatus includes a device for inputting an analog signal which includes digital information, a converter for converting the analog signal to a digital form, an adder for combining one output of the converter with another output of the converter, a detector for detecting an off-set of the analog signal based on an output of the adder, and a compensator for compensating for the off-set of the analog signal based on an output of the detector.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a digital signal processing apparatus and more particularly to an apparatus for receiving analog signals which represent digital information and which processes such analog signals with high precision.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of magnetic recording and reproduction, a magnetic recording medium, in which a digital recording format suitable for consumer electronics, has been developed and is being manufactured.
In order to reproduce a digital signal which is based on this digital recording format, it is necessary, by means of rotary heads, to trace oblique tracks formed on a magnetic recording tape.
In the reproducing system of this type of apparatus, a signal to be reproduced is in analog form but contains digital information. Accordingly, the reproduced analog signal must be restored to digital form. In order to do this, it is necessary to provide: automatic gain control (AGC) to control the gain of the reproduced signal; automatic phase control (APC) to generate clock signals which are synchronized with the reproduced signal; and automatic tracking finding (ATF) for controlling tracking based on a reproduced pilot signal.
Since the digital information which is recovered in such apparatus will be processed in a digital manner, the above mentioned AGC, APC and ATF should also be obtainable in a digital manner in order to keep the system simple.
The prior art includes several techniques for obtaining the foregoing AGC, APC and ATF. In these techniques, a reproduced analog signal is transformed to a digital form. Also, phase detection for APC and gain detection for AGC, etc., are carried out or executed by processing of the digital information.
However, time or temperature changes may produce direct current offset components, which can become added to the output of the AGC and introduce errors in the detection process. In such a case, it becomes impossible to execute the above mentioned AGC, APC and ATF exactly.
Also, if the AGC circuit were to be made independent of the APC and the ATF circuits, the overall size of the circuits would be too large.
Accordingly, it is desired to provide small size circuits which are capable of correctly executing AGC, APC and ATF and which can be incorporated in Large Scale Integrated (LSI) circuits.


Disclosed is an operating method of a metal sorting system using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), which may include: analyzing a metal component distribution for various metals using LIBS library information; setting multiple clusters according to the metal component distribution; performing first regression component analysis with respect to spectral data of a metal sample; calculating a probability that the spectral data will belong to each of the set multiple clusters using the first regress component analysis result; performing second regression component analysis with respect to the spectral data which belong to each cluster; and discriminating a type of metal sample by a weighted sum of the calculated probability and the second regression component analysis result.

Recently, recycling has been a national emphasis project on saving resources and has been being promoted not only in Korea hut also all over the world. Waste resource sorting technologies in the related art include plastic sorting using near-infrared rays, color sorting using visible light, and metal sorting using X-ray, but the usability is evaluated to be low. In the case of electromagnetic sensors, sorting of metals and nonmetals is possible, but sorting by metals is impossible. In order to replace the sorting, there is a growing global interest in a system that sorts automatically selected waste resources based on laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) accurately and quickly in real time.
Most of the metal materials used in the real world have many complex materials composed of various components. In addition, when the distribution of each component is examined, a feature that the concentration is concentrated at a specific concentration rather than a constant distribution may be confirmed. Looking at the distribution characteristics of each of the components of the metals, there are metals that exhibit a multi-dimensional correlation with respect to certain components. From the viewpoint of metal sorting, metal sorting according to a multidimensional correlation can increase the accuracy because lines of other spectra correlated more than spectral lines of a main component have a greater influence.
Korean Patent Unexamined Publication No: 10-2012-0063166, Publication date: Jun. 15, 2012, Invention Title: Metal Scrap Sorting and Recovery System
Korean Patent Unexamined Publication No. 10-2009-0094559, Publication date: Sep. 8, 2009, Invention Title: Device for Automatic Selection of Scrap
International Unexamined Publication No. WO/2008/122622, Publication date: Oct. 16, 2008, Invention Title: DEVICE AND METHOD FOR ANALYZING A HETEROGENEOUS MATERIAL BY MEANS OF LASER-INDUCED PLASMA SPECTROSCOPY

Metal sorting system using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy and operating method thereof

Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology


The present invention generally relates to rust-resistant tape formulations and/or structures. In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a rust-resistant tape that comprises a polymer base material layer, an adhesive layer and a rust-resistant component. In one embodiment, the adhesive layer adhered to one side of the layer of polymer base material. In another embodiment, the rust-resistant component comprises at least one volatile, or vapor-phase, corrosion inhibitor (VCI) that is placed into the matrix of the polymer base material or the adhesive layer. In still another embodiment, the at least one volatile, or vapor-phase, corrosion inhibitor (VCI) component of the present invention is contained within a discrete layer. In one instance, a rust-resistant tape in accordance with the present invention can be directly applied to a metal surface to be protected.

Metal is one of the most widely used materials in the world. One can find metal in small objects from jewelry to large objects like buildings. Metal has various desirable properties and many applications; however, metal is susceptible to oxidation and corrosion (e.g., rust). Under normal conditions, if water and/or or one or more additional oxidizing components (oxygen, CO2, SO2, H2S, Cl−, etc) are present in the environment, such components react with various metals to produce rust or various other corrosion by-products. This is especially true in high-temperature and high-humidity environments where metal in these environments is more quickly corroded. Therefore, it is important to prevent metal components from succumbing to environmental corrosion.
Generally there are two ways to protect metal components from corrosion. They are permanent rust prevention and temporary rust prevention where permanent rust prevention uses metal coatings, such as zinc-plating and chrome-plating, and/or polymer coatings, such as paints. On the other hand, temporary rust prevention utilizes oil coatings and/or wax-based coating, or tries to improve various environmental conditions by using drying agents or protective liners such as aluminum foil. In temporary rust prevention, the coating can separate the surface of metal from air and water to prevent it from being corroded by rust. However, this solution loses efficacy due to the oxidation of the antirust oil/wax itself and/or it takes a lot of time and energy to remove this coating. Additionally such coatings tend to be harmful to environmental. Drying agents generally are cost prohibitive and the amount of such compounds needs to be calculated precisely. Also, in some applications, drying agents must be hermitically sealed and are therefore inconvenient for import-export customs inspection. Another drawback to drying agents is that they easily absorb moisture in the air and reach their saturation point in a short time thereby necessitating replacement.
Recently another corrosion protection technology has emerged, this being volatile, or vapor phase, corrosion inhibitors (VCIs). One application of these materials is to add one or more VCIs into traditional packing materials. VCIs function due to the fact that volatile, or vapor phase, corrosion inhibitor volatilizes into a gas, or vapor, and this gas, or vapor, is transferred to the surface of the item/article/surface to be protected by condensation of the VCI's vapor on the surface of the item, article, and/or surface to be protected.
In the marketplace, there are products that contain one or more volatile corrosion inhibitors in a paper, or plastic, sheet. Such products are then used to wrap metal objects to protect such objects from corrosion. However, such products suffer from various drawbacks. For example, paper wrappings cannot be adhered hermitically onto the surface of a metal object thereby resulting in a gap between the paper and metal object. As such, paper-based VCI wrappings cannot completely prevent the oxygen and moisture in the air from reaching the surface of a metal object. Furthermore, such paper wrapping generally needs to be attached, or adhered, to a metal object with tape. This takes a significant amount of time and effort to accomplish and only offers a modest amount of additional protection in situations where the paper wrapper becomes wet or rips.
Thus there is a need in the art for a solution to various corrosion issues where VCI-containing paper and polymer films, or wrappings, do not alone offer adequate protection.

Northern Technologies International Corporation


A nitride semiconductor structure including a silicon substrate, a nucleation layer, a buffer layer and a nitride semiconductor layer is provided. The nucleation layer is disposed on the silicon substrate. The buffer layer is disposed on the nucleation layer, in which the buffer layer includes n sub-buffer layers where n≧2, and each of the sub-buffer layers has island structures. The nitride semiconductor layer is disposed on the buffer layer.

Nowadays, it has been proved that gallium nitride-based (GaN-based) semiconductor material has potential for the commercial applications such as the backlight module of LCD, optical storage system, high frequency and high power microwave electronic device, where sapphire substrate is mainly used as substrate for the epitaxial growth of GaN-based semiconductor material. However, the fabrication cost of nitride light-emitting diodes is much higher than other illuminating devices, and sapphire substrates for growth of nitride have shortcomings such as poor thermal conductivity which seriously affects the lifespan of the nitride light-emitting diodes. Therefore, replacing the current sapphire substrate with a lower-cost and high thermal conductive substrate is suggested. Due to several advantages of silicon substrates such as high thermal conductivity, high electrical conductivity, ability to be cut easily and low cost, light-emitting diode fabricated over a silicon substrate is developed in recent years.
Nevertheless, production yield rate of large-sized nitride semiconductor structures fabricated over silicon substrates is low, it is difficult to significantly lower the cost of the devices accordingly. The main factor for affecting the yield rate of large-sized nitride semiconductor structures is thermal expansion mismatch and lattice mismatch between the nitride semiconductor layer and the silicon substrate. Thermal expansion mismatch and lattice mismatch between the nitride semiconductor layer and the silicon substrate cause difficulty in stress release and increase defect density, and thus it may cause the nitride semiconductor structures to have considerable cracks and tensile stress. In other words, the nitride semiconductor structures may crack easily. Moreover, the chip bonding equipment and the laser ablation equipment utilized to lift-off substrate are expensive, and the yield rate of the chip bonding process and the laser ablation process is low. Therefore, how to form a GaN epitaxy structure on a silicon substrate to significantly enhance the yield rate of the chip bonding process without the use of laser ablation, becomes an essential topic in the field.

Industrial Technology Research Institute


The invention relates to a laminated layer structure that includes a substrate and a stack of a plurality of layers of a material that includes at least two compounds A and B, wherein compound A has a crystalline structure being sufficient to allow a homo- or heteroepitaxial growth of compound A on the substrate, and wherein at least a part of the layers of the stack have a gradient composition AxB(1-xg), with x being a composition parameter within the range of 0 and 1 and with the composition parameter (1-xg) increasing gradually, in particular linearly, over the thickness of the corresponding layer. In order to improve the quality of the laminated layer structure with respect to the surface roughness and dislocation density, the composition parameter at the interface between the layer in the stack with the gradient composition and the subsequent layer in the stack is chosen to be smaller than the composition parameter (1-xg) of the layer with a gradient composition. The invention also relates to a method to fabricate such a laminated layer structure.

The invention relates to a laminated layer structure comprising a substrate, and a stack of a plurality of layers of a material comprising at least two compounds A and B in the layers wherein compound A has a lattice parameter being sufficient to allow a homo- or heteroepitaxial growth of compound A on the substrate, and wherein at least a part of the layers of the stack has a grading composition AxgB(1-xg), with x being a composition parameter within the range of 0 and 1 and with the composition parameter (1-xg) increasing gradually, in particular linearly, over the thickness of the corresponding layer. The invention also relates to a method for forming such a laminated layer structure.
This type of laminated structure is generally known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,525,338 where it is used as a starting material for obtaining a strained silicon substrate. Strained silicon substrates find their use in high-speed microelectronic devices. The strained silicon technology takes advantage of the tendency for atoms inside compounds to align with one another. Silicon is deposited on top of a substrate, the atoms of which are spaced farther apart than compared to the ones of silicon. To adapt to the structure of the substrate the atoms in the silicon layer will stretch to line up with the atoms beneath, thereby straining the silicon. In the strained silicon layer, the electrons experience less resistance to movement and this leads to an increase in speed in the microelectronic chips fabricated with strained silicon substrates.
Conventionally strained silicon is achieved by epitaxially growing silicon (Si) on a SixGe1-x layer that has a larger lattice constant, which itself has been epitaxially deposited on a Si substrate. Due to the difference in lattice parameters in the different layers, crystalline defaults, like dislocations and high surface roughness, are created, thereby limiting the crystalline quality of the strained silicon layer. These defaults limit the applicability of the strained silicon substrates. To overcome this problem, U.S. Pat. No. 6,525,338 proposes to provide a silicon germanium buffer layer on a starting silicon substrate, wherein the buffer layer is constructed out of a plurality of laminated layers comprising alternating layers of a silicon germanium gradient composition, in which the germanium composition increases gradually from the composition of the base material, and a silicon germanium constant composition layer provided on top of the gradient composition layer, in which the germanium composition ratio is equal to the one of the upper surface of the gradient composition layer. By providing alternating layers, an improved strained silicon layer was achieved with a surface roughness reduced down to 16 Å RMS and a dislocation density of 3.5×105 cm−2.
With the ever-increasing necessity of improved semiconductor substrates for the microelectronic industry, however, the achieved quality improvements of the strained silicon substrate according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,525,338 are not sufficient. There is therefore a need to improve such laminated layer structures to further reduce the surface roughness and the dislocation density.

Laminated layer structure and method for forming the same

S.O.I.Tec Silicon on Insulator Technologies


A piezoelectric device includes a piezoelectric substrate, a conductive pattern which is provided on one main surface of the piezoelectric substrate and which includes an IDT electrode, a supporting layer which is arranged on the one main surface of the piezoelectric substrate so as to surround the periphery of an IDT-forming region in which the IDT electrode is provided and which has a thickness greater than that of the IDT electrode, and a cover layer which is arranged on the supporting layer and which covers the IDT-forming region. The supporting layer includes removed sections provided at a plurality of positions at least in a region close to the IDT-forming region, the removed sections being obtained by partially removing a portion of the supporting layer to be bonded to the one main surface of the piezoelectric substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a piezoelectric device, and more particularly, to a piezoelectric device in which an element portion, such as a resonator or a filter, is disposed on a piezoelectric substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
A piezoelectric device has been proposed in which in which an IDT electrode disposed on a piezoelectric substrate is covered with a cover layer.
For example, in a piezoelectric device 110 shown in a cross-sectional view in FIG. 8, on one main surface 111a of a piezoelectric substrate 111 having a conductive pattern including an IDT electrode 112, and pad electrodes 113, a frame-like supporting layer 120 made of a resin is arranged so as to surround an IDT-forming region where an IDT electrode 112 is arranged, and a cover layer 130 made of a resin is disposed on the supporting layer 120. Furthermore, the piezoelectric device 110 is entirely covered with an outer resin 140, and an IDT space 114 surrounding the IDT electrode 112 is sealed (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-352430).
In the piezoelectric device in which the IDT electrode is covered with the cover layer as described above, as shown in a perspective view of FIG. 6, the supporting layer 120 which supports the cover layer is spaced apart from the IDT electrode 112 so as not to adversely affect the region in which vibration propagates on the piezoelectric substrate 111 (the region in which the IDT electrode 112 is formed and its vicinity). The coefficient of linear expansion of the supporting layer 120 made of a resin is greater than the coefficient of linear expansion of the piezoelectric substrate 111. Therefore, when there is a change in temperature, thermal stress occurs between the piezoelectric substrate 111 and the supporting layer 120, and under the influence thereof, strain occurs in the region in which vibration propagates on the piezoelectric substrate 111, thus changing the vibration propagation state. As a result, temperature characteristics of the piezoelectric element including the IDT electrode 112 are degraded.
The degradation in temperature characteristics is believed to be improved by increasing the distance between the IDT electrode 112 and the supporting layer 120.
However, when a structure in which a supporting layer 120 is disposed close to an IDT electrode 112 on a piezoelectric substrate 111, as shown in FIG. 7A which is a cross-sectional view of a main portion, is changed to a structure in which a supporting layer 120x is spaced away from the IDT electrode 112 such that the distance between the IDT electrode 112 and the supporting layer 120x is increased as shown in FIG. 7B which is a cross-sectional view of a main portion, a cover layer 130 on the supporting layer 120x sags and attaches to the IDT electrode 112, which degrades characteristics. In particular, in the case in which molding is performed with a resin, the cover layer 130 easily sags under pressure during molding, and characteristics are significantly degraded.
Furthermore, because of the increase in the distance between the IDT electrode and the supporting layer, design freedom is reduced. In addition, the size of piezoelectric devices cannot be reduced.


The invention relates to mRNA therapy for the treatment of galactosemia type 1 (Gal-1). mRNAs for use in the invention, when administered in vivo, encode human galactose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase (GALT), isoforms thereof, functional fragments thereof, and fusion proteins comprising GALT. mRNAs of the invention are preferably encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to effect efficient delivery to cells and/or tissues in subjects, when administered thereto. mRNA therapies of the invention increase and/or restore deficient levels of GALT expression and/or activity in subjects. mRNA therapies of the invention further decrease levels of toxic metabolites associated with deficient GALT activity in subjects, namely galactose-1-phosphate (Gal-1-P).

Galactosemia type 1 ("Gal-1") is a rare, autosomal recessive metabolic disorder characterized by the inability to metabolize galactose. Bosch A M. J Inherit Metab Dis. 29: 516-525 (2006). Other aliases for Gal-1 are: galactose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase deficiency, GALT deficiency, and classic galactosemia. Gal-1 usually presents in neonates after lactose ingestion and causes feeding difficulties, jaundice, hepatosplenomegaly, hepatocellular insufficiency, hypoglycemia, renal tubular dysfunction, muscle hypotonia, sepsis, cataracts, and possibly death in the short-term. Long-term symptoms include mental retardation, verbal dyspraxia, motor abnormalities, and hypergonadotropic hypogonadism. Bosch A M. J Inherit Metab Dis. 29: 516-525 (2006). It has an estimated incidence of 1 in 60,000 with a higher incidence in Europe and the United States. Current treatment for Gal-1 is primarily via dietary control to limit consumption of galactose and lactose, which is metabolized to galactose and glucose, to prevent accumulation of galactose. Karadag N. et al., Clin Lab. 59:1139-1146 (2013).
The principal gene associated with Gal-1 is Galactose-1-Phosphate Uridylyltransferase ("GALT"), which has two variants (NM_000155; NM_001258332; NP_000146; NP_001245261 also referred to as UDP-Glucose-Hexose-1-Phosphate Uridylyltransferase and Gal-1-P Uridylyltransferase). GALT is a metabolic enzyme (E.C. 184.108.40.206) that plays a critical role in the Leloir pathway of galactose metabolism. Specifically, GALT's biological function is to convert UDP-glucose and galactose-1-phosphate to glucose-1-phosphate and UDP-galactose. Timson D J, Gene (2015) doi: 10.1016/j.gene.2015.06.077. GALT is expressed in a variety of tissues, primarily the liver, localizes to the Golgi apparatus and cytoplasm of cells, and exists as a homodimer in its native form. The first isoform of human GALT is 379 amino acids, while its second isoform is 270 amino acids. Both isoforms have four iron binding sites and at least one zinc binding site.
A complete or partial loss of GALT function leads to abnormal buildup of galactose. For example, loss of GALT has been reported to lead to galactose levels greater than 100 mg/dL in an individual as compared to less than 10 mg/dL in normal individuals. Treatment for Gal-1 generally focuses on managing symptoms and preventing complications, e.g., through diet restrictions. There are no commercial therapeutics to treat Gal-1, thus, there is a need for improved therapy to treat Gal-1.

Polynucleotides encoding galactose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase for the treatment of galactosemia type 1


The present invention has its object to provide a process for producing a vinyl polymer which can provide a vinyl polymer in such form that a polymerization catalyst is effectively removed from that. The present invention relates to a process for producing a vinyl polymer wherein a vinyl polymer at the time of completion of the polymerization is treated with oxygen in the presence of a polar solvent. More preferably, the present invention relates to a process for bringing a polymer added with a polar solvent having a relative dielectric constant at 20° C. of not lower than 10 into contact with mixed gases of oxygen and an inert gas such as nitrogen with an oxygen concentration below the explosion limit oxygen concentration of this solvent as in the state of occurrence as a pure component.

The technique of living polymerization, one of the precision polymerization techniques, enables molecular weight and molecular weight distribution controls, among others, and is utilized in producing various functionalized materials such as terminally functionalized polymers, block polymers and graft polymers. The technique of atom transfer radical polymerization, one of the living polymerization techniques, enables the polymerization of vinyl monomers selected within a wide range under mild conditions and therefore is particularly of high utility value. As an example of atom transfer radical polymerization, there may be mentioned, for example, a polymerization system in which an organic halide or halosulfonyl compound is used as the initiator and a metal complex composed of a VIII, IX, X, or XI group element in the periodic table as a central metal is used as a catalyst (cf. e.g. Patent Document 1 to 4).
The vinyl polymers produced by such methods of polymerization are characterized in that they have a halogen group at one or each polymer terminus.
Halogen group-containing vinyl polymers can be used, for example, as intermediates for the production of various functionalized materials. For example, alkenyl group-containing vinyl polymers can be produced by converting the halogen group to an alkenyl group-containing group. Alkenyl group-containing vinyl polymers, when reacted with a compound containing a plurality of hydrosilyl groups within the molecule, are crosslinked to give cured products. Further, when the alkenyl group is reacted with a reactive silyl group-containing hydrosilane compound, the reactive silyl group can be introduced into the vinyl polymers. In these reactions, the hydrosilylation reaction in which a complex of a metal such as platinum is used as a catalyst is generally utilized. Further, by converting the halogen group to a polymerizable carbon-carbon double bond-containing group, such as a (meth)acryloyl group, it also becomes possible to utilize the resulting vinyl polymers as photoinduced radical-curable or thermally induced radical-polymerizable resins or as macromonomers for grafting onto other polymers.
In this manner, halogen group-containing vinyl polymers are utilizable as intermediates for the production of various functionalized materials, among others. For their being widely useful as intermediates, however, it is necessary to purify the polymers. In the case of such vinyl polymers being intended to be utilized after conversion of the halogen group to an alkenyl group, for instance, the polymerization catalyst or the like remaining in the vinyl polymers acts as a catalyst poison in the hydrosilylation reaction and therefore, it becomes necessary to purify the polymers. The residual polymerization catalyst or the like also has a fundamental problem in that it causes marked discoloration of the vinyl polymers. Further, in cases where the halogen group is converted to a polymerizable carbon-carbon double bond-containing group, for example a (meth)acryloyl group, followed by photoinduced radical curing to give cured products, such discoloration of vinyl polymers influences the curability.
The present inventors have already developed an adsorption treatment method as a method of removing the polymerization catalyst and the like and increasing the hydrosilylation activity (cf. Patent Document 1). Such method makes it possible to efficiently remove the polymerization catalyst and the like to thereby increase the hydrosilylation activity and inhibit the resins from being discolored.
Various methods based on the principle of adsorption treatment are known as methods for efficiently removing polymerization catalysts. According to Patent Document 2, the polymerization catalyst is efficiently removed to a residual metal content level of several hundred ppm by a method comprising the step of heating at a temperature not lower than 50° C. but not higher than 250° C. in the presence of a solid additive at a low solid addition level, followed by solid-liquid separation.
Patent Document 3 describes the effect of treatment with an oxidizing agent such as oxygen in the step of heating. It is stated that the residual metal is removed to a residual level of several hundred ppm to several tens of ppm and the curable hydrosilylation product obtained in the subsequent step is thereby improved in curability. Further, mention is made of the polarity of the solvent to be used in removing the residual metal and, according to it, the relative dielectric constant thereof is desirably not higher than 5; it is described that the effect of eliminating the residual metal by means of a poor solvent exerts an influence on the separability of the residual metal in the subsequent step of separation.
However, even these methods cannot remove the polymerization catalyst completely; hence, only after a plurality of repetitions of the same step, a polymer with a residual metal content causing no problem can be obtained. Those methods which are in common use for separating the polymerization catalyst comprise a solid-liquid separation procedure, such as centrifugation or filtration. Polymer losses are, however, inevitable before and after these separation procedures and, therefore, a plurality of repetitions of the separation step mean decreases in polymer yield. They also have a basic problem in that the increase in the number of steps is unfavorable from the production equipment viewpoint.
On the other hand, it is necessary to subject halogen group-containing vinyl polymers to various molecular terminus conversions so that the functions as functionalized materials may be performed. In preparing functionalized materials capable of being cured in the manner of hydrosilylation reaction, the halogen group is converted to an alkenyl group, and the terminus is then converted to a silyl terminus by the hydrosilylation reaction. In preparing radical-curable types, mention may be made of the method comprising converting the halogen group to a (meth)acryloyl group, for instance. For these terminal conversion reactions, such elementary steps as addition of a functionalizing agent and a solvent, the functionalization reaction, and separation/removal of the excess functionalizing agent are required. In case the desired functional terminus cannot be obtained in one operation, such terminal conversion reaction is repeated a plurality of times.
When these terminal conversion reactions are carried out, there arises a problem; namely, the residual polymerization catalyst in the polymer may inhibit the conversion reactions or, if it does not inhibit the reactions, it may cause discoloration of the polymer. In the case of the hydrosilylation reaction, for instance, it is known that acids, bases and various metals markedly inhibit the reactivity. Known as a method of introducing a (meth) acryloyl group is, for example, the reaction involving the addition of potassium acrylate or potassium methacrylate using N,N-dimethylacetamide as a solvent (cf. Patent Document 4 and 5). This reaction has a problem in that the residual polymerization catalyst in the polymer, if any, causes marked discoloration of the polymer. Further, when the polymer is subjected to warming treatment in the operation for removing the functionalizing agent and solvent, the discoloration of the polymer is further promoted thereby.
Therefore, it can be understood that it is very important, from the quality insurance viewpoint, to remove polymerization catalysts as far as possible prior to carrying out any terminal conversion reaction. The methods of removing polymerization catalysts as described in the above-cited Patent Documents 2 and 3 require a plurality of repetitions of these steps and, in the functional group introduction reaction for introducing a (meth)acryloyl group, in particular, they have a problem in that even very low levels of a polymerization catalyst, if remaining, cause polymer discoloration. Thus, a more efficient method of removing polymerization catalysts has been desired.
Side by side the effect of a solid additive, the effect of oxygen or an oxidizing agent in efficiently removing polymerization catalysts may be mentioned. Patent Document 6 refers to the effect of the addition of an oxidizing agent. Thus, a polymer is diluted with toluene and subjected to various oxidizing agent treatments. In the case of contacting with air, which is easiest to handle and does not need removal of any oxidizing agent, toluene was added in an amount of 9 volumes per volume of polymer and the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 8 hours while it was bubbled with air. The result was such that the residual Cu concentration after treatment was not higher than 10 ppm. Another example characterized by contacting with air at room temperature is seen in Patent Document 7. These documents mention only the possibility of small laboratory size operations and a problem will be encountered in practicing such methods on a commercial scale. Namely, it is a problem from the maintenance of safety viewpoint to bring such a system containing toluene, namely a combustible solvent having a flash point, into contact with air having an oxygen concentration of 21%. Further, these aromatic solvents such as toluene are selected in view of their effect of insolubilizing the polymerization catalyst which is a transition metal complex. For this effect, low-polarity solvents are said to be desirable. These examples refer to the effect of an oxidizing agent or oxygen in the stage after dilution with toluene.
It has been revealed, however, that the effect of an oxidizing agent or oxygen in the presence of a low-polarity solvent such as toluene is insufficient in some instances, as described later herein in a comparative example, among others. It is a further problem that the treatment with oxygen in the presence of such a low-polarity solvent as toluene is insufficient to completely remove polymerization catalysts, which are transition metal complexes; therefore, the subsequent solvent evaporation and functional group introduction procedures are carried out in the presence of residues of the polymerization catalysts, so that the final products are markedly discolored, for instance.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Kokai Publication Hei-11-193307
Patent Document 2: Japanese Kokai Publication 2004-149563
Patent Document 3: Japanese Kokai Publication 2003-327620
Patent Document 4: Japanese Kokai Publication 2000-072815
Patent Document 5: Japanese Kokai Publication 2000-072816
Patent Document 6: Japanese Kokai Publication 2002-69121
Patent Document 7: Japanese Kohyo Publication 2004-500448
Non-Patent Document 1: Matyjaszewski, et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1995, vol. 117, p. 5614
Non-Patent Document 2: Matyjaszewski, et al., Macromolecules, 1995, vol. 28, p. 7901
Non-Patent Document 3: Matyjaszewski, et al., Science, 1996, vol. 272, p. 866
Non-Patent Document 4: Sawamoto, et al., Macromolecules, 1995, vol. 28, p. 1721


A polyolefinic multilayer film comprises a base layer containing polypropylene and at least one outer layer. The outer layer comprises a C.sub.3 /C.sub.4 -olefin resin composition with a low degree of crystallinity and has a minimum heat-sealing temperature of below 84.degree. C. A process for the production of the multilayer film and the use thereof are also described.

The invention relates to a polyolefinic multilayer film comprising a base layer containing polypropylene, and at least one outer layer.
Sensitive products (foodstuffs, chocolate and cookies) and the increasing speed of modern packaging machines require films having a low minimum heat-sealing temperature in combination with excellent passage through the machine. The prior art discloses films which have minimum heat-sealing temperatures of around 100.degree. C., in some cases even as low as from 87 to 88.degree. C. Numerous publications relate to improvements in the passage of these films through the machine.
EP-A-0 114 312 and EP-A-0 114 311 describe transparent or opaque polypropylene films having a minimum heat-sealing temperature of below 100.degree. C. and good passage through the machine. These films have an outer layer comprising a mixture of C.sub.2 /C.sub.3 /C.sub.4 terpolymer and C.sub.3 /C.sub.4 copolymer as well as a low-molecular-weight resin, polypropylene homopolymer and polydiorganosiloxane. According to this teaching, the wide heat-sealing range of the film and the low minimum heat-sealing temperature are achieved by the olefin resin composition of copolymer and terpolymer. The minimum heat-sealing temperature is 90.degree. C. However, the incorporation of hydrocarbon resins into the outer layer causes resin deposits on the stretching rolls during production. These deposits cause streaking, and thus, the rolls must be cleaned frequently.
EP-A-0 480 282 describes a biaxially oriented multilayer polyolefin film which can be heat-sealed at low temperatures on both sides. Its base layer contains a peroxidically degraded propylene homopolymer, and its outer layers contain mixtures of C.sub.2 /C.sub.3 /C.sub.4 terpolymer and C.sub.2 /C.sub.3 copolymer and also a combination of SiO.sub.2 and polydiorganosiloxane. The polydialkylsiloxane has high viscosity and is added in the form of a masterbatch. The minimum heat-sealing temperature is 88.degree. C.
The prior art also discloses heat-sealable outer layers made of C.sub.2 /C.sub.3 copolymers as well as those made of C.sub.2 /C.sub.3 /C.sub.4 terpolymers. All these films have minimum heat-sealing temperatures of above 100.degree. C.

Biaxially oriented multilayer polyolefin film which can be heat-sealed at low temperatures, process for the production thereof, and the uses thereof


A pigment paste forming resin having a viscosity of from about 50 to about 5,000 mPa and a solids content of from about 20 to about 40%, containing from about 20 to about 50 parts of a polyester urethane resin having an acid number of from about 10 to about 50, with from about 70 to about 100% of the acid groups being neutralized, the resin being prepared by the reaction of (a) one or more polyester polyols that do not contain any carboxyl groups, having an OH number of from about 35 to about 200, and a number average molecular weight of from about 500 to about 5000, mixed with from about 2 to about 30 wt. % based on the polyester polyol of one or more low molecular weight diols having a molecular weight of from about 60 to about 350, whereby a part of the low molecular weight diol contains at least one acid group capable of forming an anion, and with 0 to about 6 wt. % based on the polyester polyol of one or more low molecular weight triols having a molecular weight of from about 60 to about 350, said reaction being with (b) one or more diisocyanates in which where the ratio between the OH groups of polyester polyol, diol, and triol to the NCO groups of the diisocyanate is more than from about 1.0 to about 1.3, whereby the quantity of diisocyanate is selected to insure that the polyester urethane produced has a number average molecular weight of from about 2,000 to about 30,000; the reaction being carried out in the presence of (i) from about 0.3 to about 18 parts by weight of ammonia and/or an amine; (ii) from about 4 to about 25 parts by weight of one or more organic solvents that are at least partly miscible with water; and (iii) from about 15 to about 75 parts by weight of water.

Problems arise commonly as a result of pigment agglomeration or sediment formation when pigments are incorporated in water dilutable resins, particularly for water based coatings. To produce stable, water dilutable lacquers it is necessary thoroughly to wet the pigments and to grind them in appropriate dispersing apparatus to a very fine particle size such as smaller than 10.mu., and suitably smaller than 3.mu.. If low solvent containing, water dilutable dispersions or emulsions are needed then the shearing forces that arise are inadequate due to the very low viscosities. Therefore, in these cases it is necessary to substitute for a part of the binder that is used a paste forming resin in which the pigments are formed into a paste. These so called pigment pastes or grinding pastes are then mixed with the remaining binder to be lacquerified or otherwise completed. Once the object has been sprayed, a transparent one- or two-component lacquer is generally applied after drying, or on exposure to air, whereupon the two layers are jointly baked.
The paste forming resins to be used for such grinding pastes, also referred to as "pasting" resins, binders or pigment bearing resins, have a variety of required characteristics. The paste binder should, for instance:
have good compatibility with the principal binder in the film and, at the required rate of addition, cause no impairment of the lacquer characteristics; PA1 be capable adequately of wetting the pigments, to enable even fine dispersion with a minimum of energy; PA1 possess a viscosity within a range enabling paste formation with as high a pigment concentration as possible; PA1 prevent pigment flocculation during lacquerification; PA1 have a good shelf life for long periods of time, i.e. the pastes must not thicken, nor may the pigments form sediments or agglomerates; PA1 contain only such solvents as do not cause the particles of the main binder to swell; and PA1 cause no loss or other changes in color.
Water dilutable pigmented lacquers are used as primers, fillers, unit components of metallic base coats, e.g. with the aid of high molecular weight polyacrylate emulsions, polyurethane dispersions, polyester, or alkyd dispersions. Special combinations for the production of metallic base coats, which are subsequently sprayed conventionally dissolved, or in transparent aqueous lacquers have been described in European patents Nos. 260,447, and 297,576. The paste forming resins described in these publications do not, however, allow the basic characteristics of the lacquers present in the total system to become fully apparent. Polyester and acrylate resins are mentioned, for instance, in European patent No. 260,447. Although the suitable acrylate resins possess very good wetting characteristics, they are not fully compatible with the polyurethane dispersions or the polyesters grafted with acrylic monomers. This results in an impairment of the metallic effect.
In European patent No. 297,576, on page 10, lines 38 to 49, urethane modified polyesters with an acid number from 40 to 100 are described in general terms. These polyesters are produced by the reaction of a saturated polyester containing OH groups, with one or more aromatic, cycloaliphatic, and/or aliphatic polyisocyanates, at an equivalent OH group: isocyanate group ratio from 10:1 to 1:1. Examples of this type of paste forming resin are not given in that publication. Practical tests prove that due to their high acid number, these binders impair the moisture resistance values of the latter:
German patent publication No. 3,409,080 describes metal effect lacquers in accordance with the two layers wet-in-wet lacquering process with emulsifier containing aqueous dispersions based on oil free polyesters, alkyd resins, and/or acrylate resins with an acid number not higher than 30 and an OH number not higher than 150, in combination with water soluble amino resins. The examples refer only to a urethanized alkyd resin modified with fatty acid. There is no mention of any suitability as paste forming resins.

Binder formulation for producing pigment


A vehicle body skeleton structure includes: a skeleton member bent to have a predetermined shape; and at least one reinforcement member welded to the skeleton member along a plurality of weld lines to be joined to a surface of the skeleton member, and bent along the surface.

The technology relates to a vehicle body skeleton structure in which a skeleton member and a reinforcement member are joined together to thereby control a deformation mode upon receiving of external force.
In general, a skeleton or a "body skeleton" that structures a body of a vehicle such as, but not limited to, an automobile is formed through bending of steel plates into desired shapes with use of a press forming machine, etc. To fulfill predetermined rigidity necessary for the body, a reinforcement steel plate, or a so-called "reinforcement", is joined to a region having insufficient strength in the body skeleton to reinforce the body skeleton. A joining method used to join the reinforcement steel plate may be, for example but not limited to, spot welding. The reinforcement steel plate is welded on as-needed basis in accordance with a strength required for each of a front pillar, a side rail, a center pillar, a side sill, etc., that may be non-limiting examples of such a body skeleton.
A widely-employed body skeleton has a configuration in which an outer panel and an inner panel serving as two skeleton members are joined together to form a closed cross-section, and in which the reinforcement steel plate is provided therebetween inside the space formed by the closed cross-section. The skeleton members are formed individually in advance through press forming, etc., and are joined together sequentially through a method such as, but not limited to, spot welding with those skeleton members being temporarily held at their respective predetermined positions during assembling.
For example, among the body skeletons, the center pillar is required to achieve a structure by which an upper part of the body is reinforced to have high strength such that deformation is minimized to protect occupants upon application of external force from the side due to side collision, etc., whereas a lower part of the body is reinforced such that the deformation is maximized to absorb impact energy upon the application of the external force.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. 2010-173562 discloses a technique that allows for deformation of a vehicle body skeleton, based on deformation modes that are different for respective regions in the single body skeleton, for example. In JP-A No. 2010-173562, a reinforcement steel plate joined to an outer panel of a center pillar has a lower vertical wall provided on the lower side of the reinforcement steel plate and so slanted widely as to extend inwardly in a vehicle width direction, and an upper vertical wall provided on the upper side of the reinforcement steel plate and not so slanted as compared with the lower vertical wall. Upon application of external force from the side, the lower vertical wall is so deformed and crushed as to be inclined toward a vehicle interior to absorb impact energy. Because the upper vertical wall is not so slanted as compared with the lower vertical wall, the upper vertical wall exerts resistive force against the external force upon the application of the external force from the side to prevent occurrence of large deformation toward the vehicle interior.


A distributed telecommunications switching subsystem (100) receives and distributes data packets passed between a plurality of switching subsystems or channel banks (102, 104, 106) and a data packet switch (110). Each channel bank (102) has a stored list of addresses. When a channel bank (102) receives a data packet, it compares the address of the data packet to its stored list of addresses, and transmits the data packet to another channel bank (104) if the address of the data packet does not correspond to any of the addresses in its stored list of addresses. The data packet is passed on until it reaches a channel bank (106) with a matching address or else it is appropriately handled by a last channel bank (106) in the chain. If the address of data packet matches an address in its stored list of addresses, the channel bank (102) passes the data packet through a subscriber interface card (120) to a customer premises equipment unit (108) corresponding to the address of the data packet.

A variety of telecommunications networks have been used to establish communication between customer premises equipment (CPE) units and a central office. Most of these networks are formed in a "tree" structure, in which the central office is connected to several switching units, which are each connected to several smaller switching units, and so on along the "branches" of the tree. At the lowest level of switching units, each unit is connected to one or more CPE units.
To route addressed data or otherwise communicate with one of the CPE units, the central office determines which branch of the tree services the CPE unit in question. The data is then passed to the switching system for that branch, which in turn passes the data on to the next lower level in the switching hierarchy, and so on, until the data reaches the CPE unit.
This routing scheme requires that each switching system at each level in the hierarchy must store address and routing information for all of the CPE units serviced by it. If the customer base is expanded to include additional CPE units, then all switching systems routing traffic to the new CPE units must be reprogrammed to store the new address and routing information. Therefore, it is desirable to avoid establishing, maintaining, and updating address and routing information storage for the entire network at each switching system therein.

Distributed telecommunications switching system and method