The method and apparatus permit the automatic generation of a meeting agenda for a requested meeting concerning a document stored within a data processing system. A document, such as an invention disclosure document, is stored within a data processing system and identified as the subject of a desired meeting. Evaluation comments by a plurality of users within the data processing system regarding the identified document are tabulated and utilized to create a meeting agenda automatically in response to a request for a meeting. Desired meeting parameters including at least: a desired meeting duration; a desired date span; and a list of desired attendees are selected by a meeting requester and copies of the automatically created meeting agenda are automatically transmitted to each desired attendee in conjunction with a notice of the scheduled meeting. Printed copies of the meeting agenda may also be automatically created in response to a scheduled meeting.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to an improved data processing system and in particular to a method and system for generating a meeting agenda for a meeting concerning a document within a data processing system. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for automatically generating a meeting agenda from a plurality of evaluations of a document within a data processing system.
2. Description of the Related Art
The modern electronic office is rapidly supplanting and replacing many aspects of the traditional paper office. Modern office systems utilize electronic mail, voice mail, centralized databases and other forms of electronic communication to decrease the amount of so-called "float" encountered in a traditional paper society. By utilizing electronic mail it is possible for a document to be simultaneously transmitted to multiple recipients at various points around the world. Despite the advent of widespread electronic communication, selected activities within the traditional paper office have been difficult to implement in an electronic society.
For example, while it is well known in the electronic office to utilize the advantages of a distributed data processing system to schedule a desired meeting, by entering desired meeting parameters and then electronically searching the calendars of each desired participant for an optimal meeting time, documents which must be generated for that meeting, such as a meeting agenda, must still be manually created in order to inform each attendee in detail about the prospective meeting.
Generally a meeting is accomplished by having a user who requests a meeting enter desired meeting parameters including at least a desired meeting duration; a desired date span; and a desired list of attendees. After comparing these parameters with the information located in each desired attendees' calendar a distributed data processing system is generally capable of scheduling a meeting which complies with the desired meeting parameters, if such a meeting is possible. Thereafter, the scheduler of a meeting must manually create an agenda and supporting documents which are utilized to inform each attendee with regard to the purpose of the meeting.
It should therefore be apparent that a need exists for a method and apparatus whereby a meeting agenda may be automatically generated for a meeting concerning a document which is stored within a data processing system by a reference to that document.

Method and apparatus for automated meeting agenda generation in a data processing system

International Business Machines Corporation


The present invention describes methods and kits for determining the concentration of free chlorine in water. To avoid false readings from other species present in the water, the free chlorine is reacted with ammonia to form monochloramine, which is then reacted to form an indophenol or an indonaphthol. The concentration of the indophenol or indonaphthol is proportional to the total monochloramine present. Subtracting the concentration of residual monochloramine from the total monochloramine yields the concentration of monochloramine formed from the free chlorine and ammonia, and is proportional to the concentration of free chlorine. Embodiments of the present invention will simplify and accelerate accurate measurements of free chlorine in water, without interference from compounds impacting present measurements of free chlorine.

Accurate free chlorine determinations are important to many industries and water types. It is a required reporting parameter for many regulating agencies such as EPA and FDA. Free chlorine is considered the most effective form of chlorine disinfection in applications such as drinking water production, reuse water applications, food and poultry processing operations, and in general water use where microbial protection is required. The over-estimation of free chlorine concentrations impacts the level of actual disinfection capacity available. It is well documented in analytical methods approved for reporting free chlorine concentrations that false high concentration levels of free chlorine may be obtained when interfering substances are present.
Traditionally, treated domestic wastewater is disinfected by the addition of chlorine. More recently, many drinking water facilities have converted to chloramination to disinfect potable water. Chlorine reacts quickly with ammonia (present or added) and any organic nitrogen present in the water to form monochloramine, dichloramine (from ammonia) and organic chloramines (from organic nitrogen compounds). The relative amounts of mono-, di- and organic chloramines formed during the chloramination process depend on the ratio of chlorine-to-nitrogen, pH, temperature, mixing efficiency, and time of contact. Monochloramine and dichloramine (inorganic chloramines) are very effective biocides, but organic chloramines, as a class, have poor disinfection properties.
Monochloramine is the preferred disinfectant for most wastewater treatment facilities that employ biological-oxidation treatment processes (known as secondary treatment). Prior to disinfection, most secondary treatment plants will contain ammonia levels to between 0.5 and 10 mg/L (as nitrogen, N). At pH values between 7 and 8, and when the mass ratio of chlorine to ammonia-nitrogen is 5:1 or less, all chlorine added is converted to monochloramine. When the applied chlorine (as Cl2) to ammonia-N ratio exceeds 5:1 by mass, dichloramine is formed with a corresponding drop in the total biocide concentration (monochloramine+dichloramine, expressed as Cl2). Adding additional chlorine to the water eventually consumes all of the ammonia present, and a free chlorine residual emerges usually beyond a Cl2:N ratio of about 9:1 by mass. This phenomenon is known as breakpoint chlorination and is depicted in FIG. 1.
Although a superior disinfectant, dichloramine formation is usually avoided since chlorine is unnecessarily consumed which results in a corresponding decrease in total oxidant concentration. Also, the presence of dichloramine can lead to pungent odors in the chlorine contact chambers of some secondary treatment facilities. Dichloramine is not desirable in potable water since its presence can affect both taste and odor.
According to White, "Handbook of Chlorination", Van Nostrand/Reinhold, 3rd Ed., New York, pp. 589-606 (1993), secondary biological wastewater treatment can produce soluble organic nitrogen concentrations in the range of 3-15 mg/L (as N). It is also stated that if the mixing of chlorine (either gaseous or liquid soda bleach) with the wastewater is poor, the chlorinated species will tend to divide between monochloramine and organic chloramines. Several studies have shown that organic chloramines have significantly less germicidal activity than monochloramine.
Studies by Yoon and Jensen, Water Environ. Res. 67, 842 (1995) and Isaac and Morris, Environ. Sci. Technol. 17, 739 (1983), have indicated that, with time, monochloramine can transfer its chlorine to nitrogenous organics, producing weaker disinfecting organic chloramines. Thus, the germicidal efficiency of chlorinated wastewater has a tendency to decrease with time.
Adequacy of disinfection may be achieved by maintaining a total oxidant residual. One way to control chlorination is by monitoring the total chlorine residual, known as Chlorine Control by Residual (CCR). In the CCR process, analytical measurements are made either manually (for example, laboratory or field testing) or automatically (for example, a process analyzer). All of the commonly used methods of analyses for CCR are based on classical iodometric chemistry. Iodide, added as a reagent, is oxidized by monochloramine, dichloramine and most organic chloramines to the tri-iodide ion:NH2Cl+3I−+H2O+H+→NH4OH+Cl−+I3−.NHCl2+3I−+H2O+H+→NH4OH+2Cl−+I3−.OrgNH—Cl+3I−+H+→OrgNH2+Cl−+I3−.
In the foregoing reactions, NH2Cl represents monochloramine, I3− represents tri-iodide ion, NHCl2 represents dichloramine, and OrgNH—Cl represents organic chloramines. The resulting tri-iodide, which is formed in direct proportion to the amount of oxidant present, is measured in several ways:
1. Colorimetrically
An indicator, such as N,N diethyl-p-phenylenediamine (DPD) is added and the tri-iodide oxidizes the indicator to a colored form, which can be measured by visual comparison, or suitable instrumentation (e.g., photometer, colorimeter or spectrophotometer). A variation of this procedure is colorimetric titration, in which after reaction of the tri-iodide with DPD, the colored product is titrated against a redox titrant, such as ferrous ammonium sulfate, to a colorless end-point.
2. Amperometrically
The tri-iodide ion may be measured using an amperometric system, consisting of a probe or cell containing dual platinum electrodes or two dissimilar electrodes (e.g., silver/platinum) and a voltage generator. A small voltage is applied across the electrodes and the resulting current is compared to a standard reference potential. A variation of this technique is amperometric titration in which the generated tri-iodide is reacted with a standard reducing titrant, such as phenylarsine oxide or sodium thiosulfate. The current decreases with decreasing concentration of tri-iodide until no tri-iodide remains, the end-point being signaled when the current no longer changes. Another variation is known as the back-titration method, in which the released tri-iodide is reacted with a known excess amount of a reductant, such as phenylarsine oxide or sodium thiosulfate. The remaining reductant is titrated with standard iodate-iodide reagent, the end-point being determined amperometrically or visually using the starch-iodide end-point.
3. Direct Titration with Visual Indication
The generated tri-iodide is titrated against standard thiosulfate titrant to a visual starch-iodide end-point.
The iodometric methods currently used for CCR are not specific for the preferred disinfectant, monochloramine. The CCR-iodometric process may overestimate the disinfection efficiency due to the presence of the poorer-disinfecting organic chloramines. Organic chloramines will be present in chlorinated wastewater due to poor mixing, chlorine transfer, or nitrification (which is explained below). Organic chloramines interfere with all of the common methods used for CCR.
Under certain circumstances, nitrification may occur in secondary-treated wastewater, where the ammonia in the wastewater is partially oxidized to nitrite. With low ammonia levels, chlorination of nitrified waters may result in direct chlorination of any organic amines present, thereby decreasing the monochloramine disinfectant level in the chlorinated water and increasing the organic chloramine level therein. Conventional CCR processes may indicate an adequate disinfection level, when, in fact, disinfection efficiency has diminished.
A second process of controlling chlorination is by use of Oxidation-Reduction Potential (ORP). ORP is based on the concept that it is the oxidative potential derived from the residual that kills the microorganisms and not the concentration of the residual. Instead of maintaining a residual, ORP chlorination control maintains a certain ORP value, measured in millivolts. FIG. 2 shows typical ORP values for different concentrations of monochloramine, dichloramine and a mixture of three organic chloramines. The organic chloramine mixture includes N-chloro-butylamine, N-chloro-diethylamine and a chlorinated tri-peptide of alanine, which is representative of organic chloramines found in chlorinated wastewater effluents.
As shown in FIG. 2, ORP can be used to distinguish between pure solutions of dichloramine and monochloramine, but cannot distinguish between monochloramine and any organic chloramines present. Therefore, the weaker disinfecting organic chloramines will also affect ORP chlorination control.
Some wastewater facilities using chlorination have difficulty meeting microbial limitations although residual testing (CCR) indicates the disinfectant concentration should be sufficient. Likewise, facilities that depend on ORP for chlorination control may experience difficulty in meeting effluent limits for disinfection, although ORP values indicate sufficient oxidation potential.
Common contaminants, including iron, manganese, hydrogen sulfide, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, monochloramine, dichloramine, organic nitrogen, and total organic carbon, have been reported to consume free chlorine and produce false free chlorine readings based on conventional measurements. See Spon, Opflow, (June 2008) pp. 24-27. In one example, a water sample required 2.323 mg/L to satisfy the total chlorine demand. That amount is significant, considering a mandated maximum residual disinfectant level of 4.0 mg/L in public drinking water. See id. at 27. The total chlorine demand and the maximum residual disinfectant level generate a narrow window for disinfecting water, and inaccurate free chlorine readings complicate such efforts.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,950 B1 to Harp et al. discloses methods for disinfecting water employing monochloramine. The concentration of monochloramine is measured by reacting the monochloramine with a phenol or naphthol to form an indophenol or indonaphthol that can be detected. The '950 patent is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.


The present invention relates to an arrangement for detecting X-ray radiations comprising a carrying member on one face arranged with detectors consisting of a plurality of sensors arranged on a substrate. The detectors are arranged substantially edge to edge at lease in one row on at least one side of said carrying member.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an arrangement for detecting X-ray radiations comprising a carrying member on one face arranged with detectors consisting of a plurality of sensors provided on a substrate. The invention also relates to an X-ray apparatus using such an arrangement and a method of scanning in an X-ray apparatus including such an arrangement.
2. Background Information
Typical X-ray imaging systems consist of an X-ray source in front of the object and an area detector behind the object for registering the image. However, this setup is sensitive to background noise in the form of Compton scattered radiation. Existing methods to remove this background noise are inefficient, and also tend to remove part of the primary X-rays containing the image information. This results in requiring a dose increase that may be as high as a factor of three (3).
One solution to this problem is a scanned-slot setup. With this solution, a pre-collimator slot before the object shapes the X-ray beam so that it matches the active detector area. The slot is mechanically moved in order to image the whole object. It is also possible to move or have the object move with respect to the slot. However, this can be inconvenient as the object is usually heavier than the mechanics for the slot. Still, the solution is advantageous since only a narrow fan-beam crosses the object at any single time, thereby minimizing the amount of Compton scattered X-rays. Another advantage with the scanned-slot approach is that the required detector area is much smaller. This reduces cost, and also enables the use of more expensive and efficient detector materials if desired.
A drawback with the scanned-slot geometry is that only a small fraction of the X-rays from the source is actually used to form the image. As a result, the time for image acquisition is extended, requiring the X-ray tube to be turned on for a longer period of time. A way of mitigating this problem and achieving a practical system is to use a multi-slot collimator with different detector arrays under each slot. However, this makes image acquisition difficult since information from the different detectors has to be combined together into one image without any visible artifacts, such as border lines between areas where different detectors are used.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,461,653 to Parker describes a filmless X-ray imaging system having at least one X-ray source, upper and lower collimators, and a solid-state detector array that can provide three-dimensional imaging capability. The X-ray source plane is distance z1 above the upper collimator plane, distance z2 above the lower collimator plane, and distance z3 above the plane of the detector array. The object to be X-rayed is located between the upper and lower collimator planes. The upper and lower collimators and detector array are moved horizontally with scanning velocities v1, v2, and v3, proportional to distances z1, z2 and z3, respectively. The pattern and size of openings in the collimators between detector positions is proportional such that similar triangles are always defined relative to the location of the X-ray source. X-rays that pass through openings in the upper collimator will always pass through corresponding and similar openings in the lower collimator, and then to a corresponding detector in the underlying detector array. Substantially all of the X-rays irradiating the object (and neither absorbed nor scattered) pass through the lower collimator openings and are detected, promoting enhanced sensitivity. A computer system coordinates repositioning of the collimators and detector array and X-ray source locations. The computer system can store detector array output and can associate a known X-ray source location with detector array output data, thereby providing three-dimensional imaging. Detector output may be viewed instantly, stored digitally, and/or transmitted electronically for image viewing at a remote site.
A method and apparatus for detecting X-ray radiation in a radiographic imaging context using "edge-on" detectors is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,937,453 to Nelson ("Nelson"). It is particularly useful in conjunction with slit and slot scan radiography. In accordance with this invention, detectors are constructed and arranged such that substantially all of the energy detected from an X-ray is discharged in the detector. In this way, a detector is provided that provides a direct electronic read out, high X-ray stopping power and high spatial resolution, while obtaining good signal collection efficiency without the use of excessively high voltage levels. In the preferred embodiment, solid state X-ray detectors are constructed such that the thickness of the detector along the direction of incident X-rays is long enough so that substantially all of the X-ray energy is discharged in the detector.
Pending Swedish Patent Application No. 9900856-7 ("the '856 application" ) refers to a method of obtaining improved radiographic images consisting of orienting a semiconductor radiation detector. The orienting step comprises selecting an acute angle between the direction of incident radiation and a side of the detector so that the incident radiation mainly hits the side.

Device and method related to X-ray imaging


A loop striker for use with a vehicle closure latch having a rotatable fork bolt that traps a leg of the loop striker when the fork bolt is in a latched position includes a base having a pair of laterally spaced legs that is adapted for securement to a support, a cross bar that is spaced from the base and attached to the pair of laterally spaced legs, and a tab at one end of the cross bar that overhangs the trapped leg to prevent the fork bolt from walking around the corner of the loop at the end of the trapped leg.

This invention relates to strikers for vehicle closure latches and more particularly to a vehicle closure latch striker of the loop type.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,563 granted to Stephen K. Garwood and Jeffrey L. Konchan Jul. 12, 1988 is incorporated in this patent specification by reference. This patent discloses a vehicle door latch 10 that includes a rotatable fork bolt 58 that cooperates with a loop type striker 144. The striker 144 includes a pair of legs 146 which are secured in a conventional manner, such as heading over, to a mounting plate 148. The bight portion of the striker is partially flattened on opposites sides and a plastic wedge 154 is molded to the bight portion 150 in a conventional molding operation. As the vehicle door is closed, the leading leg 146 of the striker 144 engages the trailing or outboard edge of the throat 86 of the fork bolt 58 and rotates it to a latched position Where the leading leg 146 of the striker 144 is trapped within the throat 86 as shown in FIG. 1 of the patent. In the latched position, the metal bight portion 150 and the molded over plastic wedge 154 fit behind the fork bolt 58 in a wedge shaped slot formed by metal plate 160 and wall 162. There is a substantial portion of the metal bight portion 150 behind the metal fork bolt 58 on the inboard side of the trapped striker leg 146. However, there is little if any portion of the metal bight portion 150 behind the metal fork bolt 58 on the outboard side of the trapped striker leg 146 when the fork bolt 58 is the latched position.
General Motors Corporation, assignee of the above patent, has also manufactured the patented door latch with a plastic coated fork bolt and a cooperating loop type striker having a metal wedge. In this modification, there is at best still an insignificant portion of the metal wedge behind the metal insert of the fork bolt on the outboard side of the trapped striker leg when the fork bolt is in the latched position. This modification is discussed further in the detailed description of the invention.
In side intrusion testing according to federal motor vehicle safety standard (FMVSS) 214, the end of the vehicle door and the door latch attached to it on certain vehicles, tend to pivot about a vertical axis while the door pillar and the striker attached to it tend to remain stationary due to the construction of the door and the door pillar. In such a situation, the fork bolt tends to walk around the corner at the end of a trapped leg of a loop type striker so that the integrity of the door latch system depends upon the lateral strength of the door latch system.
Every door latch system has a lateral strength and a longitudinal strength. The lateral strength is the resistance of the door latch system to being pulled apart in a lateral or side-wise direction of the trapped striker leg. The longitudinal strength on the other hand is the resistance of the door latch system to being pulled apart in a longitudinal or length-side direction of the trapped striker leg. The longitudinal strength of a given door latch system is generally greater than its lateral strength.
One way to achieve increased strength of the door latch system in the above situation where the fork bolt tends to walk around the corner of a loop type striker is to increase the gauge of the metal used in the weaker parts of the door latch system to increase the lateral strength of the door latch system. A drawback to this solution is that it may increase space requirements and/or manufacturing costs in a significant way.


A titanium nitride film is selectively etched relative to a tungsten film by using as an etchant a solution containing hydrochloric acid and a hydrogen peroxide solution, the molar ratio of the hydrogen peroxide in the hydrogen peroxide solution to hydrogen chloride in the hydrochloric acid being 1/100 or less.

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Applications No. 11-187023, filed Jun. 30, 1999; and No. 2000-187995, filed Jun. 22, 2000, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device having a wiring structure capable of preventing a short-circuiting between a W damascene wiring and a plug and a method of manufacturing the same.
A buried tungsten wiring structure (W damascene wiring structure) is used nowadays in many cases in a semiconductor device such as DRAM. FIG. 15 shows the conventional W damascene wiring structure, comprising an interlayer insulating film 81, a barrier metal layer 82, a W wiring 83, and a cap insulating film 84. The barrier metal film 82 is formed of a titanium nitride film.
In the W damascene wiring structure shown in FIG. 15, the entire W wire 83 is covered with the barrier metal film 82 and the cap insulating film 84, making it possible to prevent an adverse effect from being given to the device by the tungsten diffusion.
In the case of using the W damascene wiring structure shown in FIG. 15, the aligning mark cannot be recognized because the surface of the interlayer insulating film 81 is not planarized and, thus, deviation in alignment tends to take place. Therefore, where a contact hole is made in the interlayer insulating film 81 for forming a plug 85, a short-circuiting tends to take place between the W wiring 83 and the plug 85.
In order to overcome the above-noted problem, it is conceivable to employ the wiring structure as shown in FIG. 17A or FIG. 17B. In the wiring structure shown in each of these drawings, the barrier metal film 82 in an upper portion of the wiring groove, said barrier metal film 82 causing a short-circuiting problem, is removed.
In order to realize the wiring structure shown in FIG. 17A, the barrier metal film 82 and the W wiring 83 must be non-selectively etched as shown in FIG. 18A. Alternatively, it is necessary to selectively etch the barrier metal film 82 relative to the W wiring 83, as shown in FIG. 18B. Likewise, similar non-selective or selective etching must be performed for realizing the wiring structure shown in FIG. 18B.
The etching includes a dry etching and a wet etching. The dry etching includes an anisotropic etching called RIE (Reactive Ion Etching) and an isotropic etching called CDE (Chemical Dry Etching). However, it is difficult to perform the non-selective etching and the selective etching shown FIGS. 18A and 18B by these etching methods. Particularly, it is substantially impossible to achieve the selective etching shown in FIG. 18B.
It should also be noted that a CF-based gas, which produces a serious problem in terms of the earth environment, is used as a raw material gas in the dry etching. Further, a wet etching is performed after the dry etching for removing the by-products of the dry etching. It follows that the dry etching process is disadvantageous in the number of process steps required and the cost, compared with the wet etching process.
On the other hand, it is known to the art concerning the wet etching that tungsten and titanium nitride can be etched by chemicals having an oxidizing power. To be more specific, tungsten and titanium nitride can be dissolved in hydrochloric acid mixed with a hydrogen peroxide solution, i.e., hydrochloric acid allowed to produce an oxidizing power.
In general, a mixed solution of hydrochloric acid and a hydrogen peroxide solution is used as a cleaning solution and called SC2. In many cases, each of hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide solution available on the market has a concentration of about 30 to 35%. These hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide solution are mixed at a mixing ratio of 1:1 and the mixture is diluted with pure water in an amount 5 to 6 times as much as the amount of the original mixture for use as an etchant, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Disclosure (Kokai) No. 10-64866, Japanese patent Disclosure No. 8-153788 and Japanese Patent Disclosure No. 9-64006. Incidentally, the molar ratio of the hydrogen peroxide to hydrogen chloride in the hydrochloric acid is about 1.
If tungsten and titanium nitride are etched with the etchant described above, the etching rate of the tungsten is about 4 to 5 times as high as that of titanium nitride. Particularly, tungsten can be etched with only the hydrogen peroxide solution that is weakly acidic. It follows that in the conventional wet etching using a mixed solution of hydrochloric acid and a hydrogen peroxide solution, it was difficult to increase the selectivity ratio of titanium nitride relative to tungsten to exceed 1.
Also, the cleaning using a mixed solution of sulfuric acid and a hydrogen peroxide solution is called an SP cleaning, which is generally employed for removing a resist film. Disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Disclosure No. 10-50986 is an etching method for selectively etching a TiN film relative to a W film, a Cu film or a TiSi film by using the mixed solution noted above. In this method, it is possible to achieve at least 20 nm/min of the TiN film etching rate and at least 7 nm/min of the W film etching rate by using a mixed solution consisting of 1 part of sulfuric acid and 6 parts of a hydrogen peroxide solution and by setting the process temperature at 130xc2x0 C. However, if the process temperature exceeds 100xc2x0 C., it is difficult to use a pure water as a diluent, leading to an increased amount of the mixed solution consisting of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide solution used as the etchant.
Another difficulty is brought about in the case of the batch treatment in which a plurality of wafers are processed simultaneously by employing the etching method described above. Specifically, in the case of etching a thin TiN film that is about 20 nm thick, it is difficult to achieve a uniform etching because the TiN film exhibits a high etching rate. A similar etching method, which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Disclosure No. 9-293727, also gives rise to a similar problem.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, which permits easily performing a selective etching and a non-selective etching in a tungsten-titanium nitride system.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor device having a wiring structure that permits preventing a short-circuiting between a W damascene wiring and a plug, which can be easily achieved by the method of the present invention for manufacturing a semiconductor device.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, which is intended to achieve the objects described above, there is provided a semiconductor device, comprising a silicon oxide film having a wiring groove, a silicon nitride film formed on a side wall of the wiring groove and not filling the side wall, a first tungsten film formed to extend from the bottom of the wiring groove to reach a central portion of the side wall of the wiring groove and thinner in the side wall portion than the central portion of the wiring groove, a titanium nitride film formed between the first tungsten film and the side wall of the wiring groove, a second tungsten film formed between the titanium nitride film and the first tungsten film and thinner than the first tungsten film, and a silicon nitride film formed on the second tungsten film to fill the wiring groove.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising an etching step using a mixed solution containing hydrochloric acid and a hydrogen peroxide solution, the molar ratio of hydrogen peroxide in the hydrogen peroxide solution to hydrogen chloride in the hydrochloric acid being 1/100 or less.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising an etching step for selectively etching titanium nitride relative to tungsten by using a mixed solution containing hydrochloric acid and a hydrogen peroxide solution, the molar ratio of hydrogen peroxide in the hydrogen peroxide solution to hydrogen chloride in the hydrochloric acid being 1/10 or less.
It is desirable for the molar ratio of hydrogen peroxide to hydrogen chloride to be at least 1/10,000 and, more desirably, to fall within a range of between 1/10,000 and 1/100. It is also desirable for the temperature of the mixed solution to be at least 70xc2x0 C.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, wherein titanium nitride is selectively etched relative to tungsten by using a mixed solution containing sulfuric acid, hydrogen peroxide and water under the condition that the mass of hydrogen peroxide within the mixed solution is not larger than 1,000 mg per liter of the mixed solution (or the mass percentage of the hydrogen chloride based on the solution is not higher than 0.35%).
According to the research conducted by the present inventors, the selectivity ratio of titanium nitride relative to tungsten can be markedly improved by using a mixed solution in which the molar ratio of hydrogen peroxide to hydrogen chloride is not larger than 1/10 (or the mass percentage is not higher than 0.35%), particularly, not larger than 1/100, (or the mass percentage is not higher than 0.035%) which is markedly smaller than in the conventional etchant.
The molar ratio (or mass percentage) noted above correspond to the selectivity ratio noted above. Therefore, in order to obtain a predetermined selectivity ratio, it does not suffice to set the molar ratio at 1/100 or lower (or the mass percentage 0.35% or lower). In other words, it is necessary to control the amounts of hydrogen chloride and hydrogen peroxide within the solution so as to obtain a predetermined molar ratio not larger than 1/100 (or the mass percentage not higher than 0.35%).
It has also been found that tungsten and titanium nitride can be etched non-selectively by using a mixed solution in which the molar ratio of hydrogen peroxide to hydrogen chloride falls within a range of between 1/10 and 4/10. It follows that the present invention using the particular mixed solution as an etchant makes it possible to realize easily both a selective etching and non-selective etching of a tungsten-titanium nitride system and also makes it possible to realize a wiring structure that permits preventing a short-circuiting between the W damascene wiring and the plug.
Further, according to the research conducted by the present inventors, it is possible to markedly improve the selectivity ratio of titanium nitride relative to tungsten in selectively etching titanium nitride relative to tungsten by using an etchant consisting of a mixed solution containing sulfuric acid, hydrogen peroxide and water by controlling the mass of hydrogen peroxide in the mixed solution at 1,000 mg or less, particularly, 300 mg or less, per liter of the mixed solution. Naturally, the present invention using the particular etchant makes it possible to realize easily a selective etching of titanium nitride relative to tungsten. What should also be noted is that the etching of a high selectivity is scarcely deteriorated even in the case of using the mixed solution at a high temperature (typically at 80xc2x0 C. or higher), compared with the etching using a mixed solution containing hydrochloric acid.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.

Semiconductor device and method of manufacturing the same


Provided are a semiconductor device having small characteristic variations with time and high reliability and an in-vehicle control device using the same, the semiconductor device including a plurality of transistor elements constituting a current mirror circuit or a differential amplifier circuit that requires high relative accuracy. A semiconductor device includes a first metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistor, a second MOS transistor paired with the first MOS transistor, and insulation separation walls which insulate and separate elements from each other, wherein relative characteristics of the first MOS transistor and the second MOS transistor are in a predetermined range, the first MOS transistor and the second MOS transistor are relatively arranged in a gate width direction or a gate length direction, and distances between gate oxide films of the first MOS transistor and the second MOS transistor and the insulation separation walls facing the gate oxide films are the same as each other in a direction perpendicular to the gate width direction or the gate length direction.

In vehicle fields, an in-vehicle semiconductor device is widely used for engine control (power train), an in-vehicle information system (cockpit), electric vehicle motor control (EV.HEV), or the like, and the quality of the in-vehicle semiconductor device is required to be extremely highly managed.
In an analog circuit of the in-vehicle semiconductor device, such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a current mirror circuit to obtain a stable current output or a differential amplifier circuit to amplify a minute signal is incorporated, and characteristics of a plurality of transistors constituting such a circuit are required to coincide with each other with high accuracy.
As a background art of the present technical field, for example, there is a technique as disclosed in PTL 1.
PTL 1 discloses that "in order to provide a semiconductor device capable of implementing high consistency of characteristics of each of a plurality of circuit elements requiring relative accuracy, in a case where a certain metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistor element and another MOS transistor element requiring accuracy relative to the MOS transistor element are formed in one active region, high relative accuracy can be obtained by separating a gate electrode of the MOS transistor element from an interface between the active region and the element separation region in a channel direction of the MOS transistor element by 10 μm or more".


An apparatus and method for highlighting information between conference participants in a computer conferencing system is disclosed. In a computer conferencing system including a first participant coupled to a second participant via a communication medium, the first participant having a first display, a first cursor control device, and a first signal generation device, the second participant having a second display, a second cursor control device, and a second signal generation device, a process and apparatus is disclosed for highlighting information on a remote display. This process comprises the steps of: 1) selecting a highlighting tool using the first cursor control device and the first signal generation device, the highlighting tool being a computer implemented function represented by an icon; 2) displaying the icon representing the highlighting tool only on the first display and only while the tool is selected; 3) activating the highlighting tool using the first cursor control device and the first signal generation device; and 4) displaying a highlight image on both the first display, the colored highlight image being displayed by generating a highlight bitmap and a foreground image bitmap and logically ANDing together the highlight bitmap and the foreground image bitmap and the second display, the highlight image being displayed on the second display in a position corresponding to a position of the cursor on the first display.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of networked computer systems. Specifically, the present invention relates to the field of highlighting objects displayed across a networked computer system.
2. Description of Related Art
A set of personal computers interconnected on a network can be effectively used as a conferencing system. In such a system, each conference participant comprises a personal computer user having a computer, a display screen, a computer network interface, and typically a mouse or cursor movement device. Conference participants are linked together over a computer network or other data communications medium. This network may comprise either a hard wired local area network (LAN) such as Ethernet, a telephone modem link, or other conventional data communications network. Because the conference participants are linked via a computer network, the participants do not need to be located in the same physical space. Rather, an effective conference may be carried out as participants view common information over their display screens and manipulate the information using their cursor devices or other input devices.
Several problems with these conferencing systems exist in the prior art. Conventional conference participants typically have a cursor movement device, such as a mouse or trackball device, connected to their system. This cursor movement device provides a means for moving a visible cursor symbol around on the user's computer display screen. In this manner, a user may manipulate a local cursor symbol. It is also advantageous for a conference participant to manipulate displayed symbols or annotations on the display screen of other conference participants. It would be advantageous for a first conference participant to manipulate a remote symbol on the display screen of a second conference participant using the cursor movement device of the first conference participant's computer system. The manipulation of a remote symbol is particularly useful for highlighting portions of a remote conference participant's display screen. For example, it would be advantageous to highlight portions of text on a remote screen using a local cursor movement device. Prior art systems cannot effectively provide this highlighting capability in a conferencing system. Further, prior art methods of combining symbols or displayed images typically causes an undesired effect on the color of the combined image. The prior art method of combining images using an exclusive OR process produces this undesired effect.
Thus, a better means for highlighting information between conference participants in a computer conferencing system is needed.

Remote highlighting of objects in conferencing system by logically anding a highlight bitmap and a foreground bitmap


A linear vibration motor includes: a housing having a receiving space; a vibrator unit received in the housing; and a stator configured to drive the vibrator unit to vibrate. The vibrator unit includes at least two vibrators arranged along a vibrating direction and spaced apart from each other. Two adjacent vibrators of the at least two vibrators are connected by an elastic holder; the elastic holder includes a first fixed portion, two second fixed portions respectively located at two sides of the first fixed portion, and two deformation portions connecting the first fixed portion with the second fixed portion; the first fixed portion is fixed to the housing; and the two second fixed portions are respectively fixed to the two adjacent vibrators. The linear vibration motor can provide rigidity support to the vibrators.

With development of the electronic technology, portable consumer electronic products, such as mobile phones, hand-held game machines, navigation devices and hand-held multimedia entertainment devices, are becoming more and more popular. In these electronic products, vibration motors are generally used for system feedback, such as call notification of the mobile phone, message notification, navigation notification and vibration feedback of the game machine.
At present, the existing linear vibration motor has only one resonant frequency. With the increasing importance of the tactile feedback technology, a single resonant frequency cannot satisfy the increasingly demand for vibration. In order to meet the demand for a multi-resonant frequency, the linear vibration motor in the related art includes at least two vibrators that are sequentially provided in the vibrating direction and spaced apart from each other. Two adjacent vibrators are connected by a spring. However, in this configuration, the spring cannot provide a rigidity support to the vibrator.
Therefore, it is necessary to provide a new linear vibration motor to solve the above problems.

AAC ACOUSTIC TECHNOLOGIES (SHENZHEN) CO., LTD.


A shuttle assembly for an injection molding machine is provided. The shuttle assembly includes a shuttle-support unit adapted to be attached to the machine frame and a shuttle-mold interfacing unit, slidably coupled to the support unit. Mold-coupling members are provided for removably coupling a first movable mold platen unit and a second mold platen unit to the shuttle-mold interfacing unit. During operation of the shuttle assembly, a shuttle-drive unit selectively reciprocally indexes the shuttle-mold interfacing unit in a preferably horizontal shuttle-travel path between (i) a first shuttle position whereat the first movable mold platen unit, when coupled thereto, is situated at a first unloading/loading position, and the second movable platen unit, when coupled thereto, is situated at a clamping position; and (ii) a second shuttle position where the first movable mold platen unit, when coupled thereto, is situated at a clamping position, and the second movable platen unit, when coupled thereto, is situated at a second unloading position. In the preferred embodiment, the first unloading position and the second unloading position are located on opposite sides of the clamping position.

The operational components of an injection molding machine usually include a stock supply assembly, an extruder assembly, an injection assembly, a mold pallet assembly, and a clamping assembly. In a typical molding process, the stock supply assembly supplies a certain amount of stock material to the extruder assembly. The extruder assembly plasticizes the stock material into an injection material and conveys a measured amount, or "shot", to the injection assembly. The injection assembly then injects the material into a complete mold cavity formed by the mold pallet assembly and the clamping assembly provides the force necessary for successful molding.
The mold pallet assembly is usually formed by two selectively joinable/separable mold platen units. In most injection molding machines, at least one of the mold platen units is movable. When an injection molding machine is used in an insert molding procedure, the mold platen units are initially separated and an unfinished product is loaded into one of the mold platen units. The movable mold platen unit is then joined together with the stationary mold platen unit to form a mold cavity. Once the mold cavity has been formed, the shot of injection material is then injected and the clamping assembly provides the necessary force to hold the mold pallet assembly together. The movable mold platen unit is then separated from the stationary mold platen unit and the molded product is unloaded from the mold cavity.
In such a molding procedure, the injection molding machine is idle for significant periods of time because once the molding process has been completed, a subsequent molding process cannot begin until loading/unloading steps are performed. Thus, the machine remains idle during these loading/unloading steps.

Shuttle assembly for use in an injection molding machine


A semiconductor device comprises: a substrate; a well region provided in the substrate, having a second conductivity type; source regions having a first conductivity type; body tile regions having the second conductivity type, the source regions and the body tie regions being alternately arranged in a conductive channel width direction so as to form a first region extending along the conductive channel width direction, and a boundary where the edges of the source regions and the edges of the body tie regions are alternately arranged being formed on two sides of the first region; and a conductive auxiliary region having the first conductivity type, provided on at least one side of the first region, and directly contacting the boundary, a contact part comprising the edge of at least one source region on the boundary and the edge of at least one body tie region on the boundary.

A source region and a body lead-out region of a semiconductor device can be provided in a well region. A conventional configuration is that the source region and the body lead-out region are in a shape of strip extending along a width direction of a conductive channel, so as to be arranged in a length direction of the conductive channel, however, such configuration will cause a relatively large size of the device in the length direction of the conductive channel.

Semiconductor device and manufacturing method therefor


A Ground Runway Awareness and Advisory System (GRAAS) that provides supplemental position information and airport situational awareness alerts and advisories to pedestrians and vehicle operators during surface operations by providing timely aural, textual, graphic or pictographic alerts and advisory messages to pedestrians and vehicle operators in a significant number of different scenarios that have led to past runway and taxiway incursion occurrences. These messages are optionally supplemented by a situational awareness video display wherein one or more of the user's position, heading and ground speed are superimposed on a graphic display of airport features of interest. The GRAAS thereby satisfies one clear requirement in reducing VPDs: that the pedestrians or vehicle operators have a clear understanding of the airport layout, including designations of runways and taxiways, and their position relative to the airport layout and features, including aircraft, other ground vehicle traffic and pedestrians where position information is available.

Runway incursions are currently a well recognized, high-profile safety issue world-wide. Runway incursion prevention has been on the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) list of "most wanted" safety improvements for over a decade. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has also focused much attention into the reduction of runway incursions and has established a dedicated program to address the impending safety issues. Currently the USA is experiencing at least one runway incursion per day at towered airports alone. The FAA divides runway incursions into three broad categories: Operational Errors (OE), Pilot Deviations (PD), and Vehicle/Pedestrian Deviations (VPD). A Vehicle/Pedestrian Deviation (VPD) includes pedestrians, vehicles or other objects interfering with aircraft operations by entering or moving on the runway movement area without authorization from air traffic control. Currently one-fifth of all runway incursions at towered airports in the USA are VPDs. Vehicle or pedestrian conflicts with an aircraft landing or takeoff have resulted in runway incursions. In cases where no conflict with an aircraft is apparent, the vehicle or pedestrian deviation can adversely distract an air traffic controller's attention from aircraft and other vehicles. As with any aviation accident or incident, the causal chain of events leading to VPD runway incursions and inappropriate taxiway transgressions is complex. Cases have been documented wherein vehicles entered runways because the operator was lost and disoriented on the airport surface. Contributory factors have included failure to ask for assistance when doubt existed about vehicle position on the airport surface; not using an airport diagram; and unfamiliarity with the airport. See, for example, "FAA RUNWAY SAFETY REPORT, RUNWAY INCURSION SEVERITY TRENDS AT TOWERED AIRPORTS IN THE UNITED STATES, 1997–2000" published June 2001 by the FAA Office of Runway Safety.

Ground runway awareness and advisory system


An efficient line detection technique pre-processes an image to remove edge pixels that are not on straight lines, before performing line detection. By removing edge pixels not on straight lines, the complexity of the task of line detection can be significantly reduced, while increasing the accuracy. Various embodiments preprocess the edge maps of an image by anisotropic line filtering, kernel density estimation-based edge pruning, and connected component analysis. The resulting pruned edge map may then be processed using a Hough transform to detect straight lines in the image, having removed much of the noise in the edge map.

This disclosure relates generally to the field of image processing. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, it relates to a technique for detecting lines in an image. Existing techniques for line detection in images have both speed and accuracy problems. In the context of line detection, any non-collinear pixel is typically considered as noise data. Prior art line detection techniques, however, typically do not differentiate collinear edges from non-collinear edges, and introduce many spurious lines. FIG. 1 is an example image and FIG. 2 is an edge map that illustrates this difficulty, with a large number of edges detected (hi this example by a Canny edge detector). Analyzing all of the edges in FIG. 2 for lines, typically using Hough transforms, is expensive and subject to errors caused by the spurious lines.
Knowledge about the lines in an image is useful in many image analysis applications. Hough transforms (HT) are a classical tool in image processing to find lines. Hough transforms take an edge map of an image as input and perform a "voting" process using:ρ=x×cos θ+y×sin θ
where ρ is the perpendicular distance from the origin and θ is the angle with the normal. Collinear points (xi, yi) with i=1, . . . , N are transformed into N sinusoidal curvesρ=xi×cos θ+yi×sin θ
in the (ρ, θ) plane, which intersect in the point (ρ, θ). Hough transforms involve trigonometric operations on every edge pixel and every angle in the Hough space, are very CPU and memory demanding. If the image is texture rich, the true line detections are typically drowned inside the false detection pool, such as is illustrated by the lines of image 300 of FIG. 3.


A five valve manifold for use with a pressure sensing apparatus is disclosed. It has an integral body having a first face, a second face, parallel with the first face. A peripheral wall section, spans the distance between the first and second face sections. The distance is smaller than at least one of the width and the length of the second face section. A passage system within said body and includes a plurality of mutually intercommunicating passages extending from one said face to the other. A set of five valves operates selective opening and closing of the passages. The centers of the instrument outlets at one face are suited to new type of "smart" pressure transmitters, while the inlet ports at the other correspond to the usual spacing used in the industry. The invention eliminates the use of a so-called parallel flange used by the manufacturers of pressure transmitters to accommodate the difference in the centers of connecting ports of the instrument from that previously used by the industry.

The present invention relates to a five valve manifold for use with a pressure sensing apparatus.
Prior art pertaining to the present invention is represented, for instance, by Canadian patent 990,102 (Bias); by Canadian patent 1,254,108 (Nimberger); by U.S. Pat. No. 3,450,157 (Hewson) and by U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,268 (Coleman).
Prior art and the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying diagram drawings wherein:

Five valve manifold for use with a pressure sensing apparatus


In the present invention, when a phase comparison circuit, which compares the phase of a reference clock divided by a frequency divider that frequency divides a supplied clock, to that of a variable clock, detects the phase-matching of the two clocks, it generates a phase synchronization detection signal, and this phase synchronization detection signal increases the frequency division ratio of a frequency divider, lowering the frequency of operation of the phase comparator. The present invention is further characterized in that, at reset, when an inactive state becomes an active state, the time required to phase synchronize both clocks is shortened by resetting the above-described phase synchronization detection signal, thereby setting the frequency division ratio of the frequency divider to its original low state, and the frequency of operation of the phase comparator to its original high state. In accordance with the above-described invention, when phase synchronization is detected in an active state, the frequency division ratio of the frequency divider is increased, and the frequency of operation of the phase comparator is lowered, thus curbing power consumption. Then, at reset, this phase synchronization detection signal is reset, thus returning the frequency division ratio of the frequency divider to its original low state, and raising the frequency of phase comparator operation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an integrated circuit device, which is synchronized to the phase of a supplied clock, and which comprises a circuit that generates a control clock for achieving a prescribed circuit operation, and to an integrated circuit device, which comprises a control clock generator capable of speeding up phase synchronized operation at reset while curbing power consumption.
2. Description of the Related Art
Dynamic random access memory (DRAM) are operating at increasingly high speeds. Recently, attention has focused on synchronized DRAM (SDRAM), which inputs data and addresses, performs internal operations, and outputs data in synch with an external clock applied from the system side. One of the characteristics of this SDRAM is that it outputs data at a timing that is either in phase synch with an external clock, or which comprises a fixed phase difference with an external clock. Consequently, it is equipped internally with a control clock generator, which generates a control clock for controlling the data output circuit.
For example, this control clock generator comprises a delay-locked loop (DLL) circuit, compares the phase of a dummy output signal from a variable delay circuit with that of a reference clock, and controls the delay time of the variable delay circuit, which delays the reference clock, so that these phases all match up. The applicant, for instance, proposed an example of a circuit, which generates this control clock in Patent Application No. 8-339988 applied for on Dec. 19, 1996. Or, proposed in Patent Application No. 9-68804 applied for on Mar. 21, 1997.
However, in line with increasingly highspeed clock operation, clock phase comparison is performed too frequently, causing an increase of power consumption in the DLL circuit. Accordingly, a configuration that enables reduced power consumption was proposed in the above-described Patent Application No. 9-68804. Although this configuration makes it possible to reduce power consumption, it incurs problems such as slow DLL circuit operation immediately following activation, i.e. powering ON, and the need for a fixed time until phases are ultimately matched up by continuous phase comparison.


A helical screw rotor compressor is provided which includes a rotor housing that includes a barrel wall between two parallel end walls, an inlet port at a first end and an outlet port at a second end. The compressor has an internal shape corresponding to two parallel and mutually intersecting cylinders. The compressor includes two rotors which each include a shaft and a rotor body surrounding the shaft. The rotor bodies have parallel end surfaces adjacent to the end walls of the rotor housing, and each include helical lobes that have a crown, a first or leading flank surface on a first side of the crown and a second or trailing flank surface on a second side of the crown. The second or trailing flank surfaces of the lobes have a beveled or chamfered region adjacent to the end surface of the rotor body near the outlet port.

The present invention relates to a helical screw rotor compressor that comprises a rotor housing which includes a barrel wall between two parallel end walls and further includes an input port at a first end and an outlet port at a second end and which has internally the form of two parallel, mutually intersecting cylinders. The compressor also comprises two rotors which co-act with one another and also with the rotor housing, said rotors including a rotor shaft which is mounted in the end walls, and a rotor body which surrounds the shaft in said rotor housing with parallel end surfaces adjacent the end walls of the rotor housing. The rotor bodies include mutual discrete helical lobes which each have a crown, a first or leading side surface on a first side of the crown and a second or trailing side surface on a second side of the crown.
Such compressors are well known to the person skilled in this art.
In recent times, rotors for screw compressors have increasingly been produced from a metal shaft around which there has been anchored a polymeric body that includes helical lobes separated by intermediate grooves. Such rotors are described in WO 01/28746 and in WO 01/28747 for instance. These polymer bodies have planar parallel end surfaces that face at right angles to the metal shaft. Because the lobes extend helically, a first side surface or flank surface of the lobe defines an acute angle at one end surface and a second side surface or flank surface of said helical lobe defines an obtuse angle with said end surface. The thickness of the lobe material is relatively small in the region in which the first side surface of the lobe defines an acute angle with said end surface, resulting in a comparatively weaker lobe. This is probably the reason why pieces of the lobes of the rotor body are torn loose when the rotors are used as active components in helical screw compressors. This applies in particular to that end of the rotor at which the highest pressure prevails, in other words at the outlet port of the compressor. Damage of this nature leads to a reduction in compressor efficiency. This may be due to a connection between an outlet space on the high pressure side of the compressor and its high pressure chamber being opened earlier than intended, therewith allowing gas to flow from the outlet space into the compressor chamber under certain conditions. Torn-off fragments, i.e. chips, slivers etc., also result in contamination of the gas system and in the worst case in significant damage to or even destruction of the compressor. Such damage occurs to a small extent, when the rotor is made of a metal that is much stronger and less brittle than polymeric material.

Screw compressor in which the trailing flanks of the lobes of at least one rotor body are beveled at an end surface of the rotor body near the outlet port


A process for preparing a compound represented by the following general formula (I) or a salt thereof, which comprises reacting lysine or a protective product thereof or a salt thereof with allysine or a protective product thereof in the presence of a specific trifluoromethane sulfonate to obtain a compound having pyridine ring or a salt thereof.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a generic designation of diseases such as bronchitis and pulmonary emphysema. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it ranks the fourth place of the cause of death, and it is warned that this will rank up to the third place by 2020. Concerning the COPD, a root pathological condition thereof is extremely complicated and contains large majority of unknown clinical states, and even radical therapeutic agent does not exist. In this century, it is feared to rapidly increase the number of the COPD patients on a global scale due to increased number of smokers and atmospheric pollutions caused by industrial developments in developing countries, and therefore an establishment of a rapid and simple detection method becomes an overarching imperative.
Hydrolytic processing of sputum, blood, urine of a COPD patient is conducted and the obtained samples are analyzed with Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) to provide observations of desmosine, which serves as a crosslinking amino acid of an elastic fiber elastin controlling an expansion and a contraction of a lung alveolus and is represented by the following formula (1), and isodesmosine, which is an isomer thereof and is shown in the following formula (2). Desmosines are expected as promising biomarkers for COPD, since the quantity thereof existing in a COPD patient is distinctive as compared with that of a healthy person.

Technologies related to a total synthesis of desmosine are described in Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2.
Although a technical field is different, technology related to a synthetic process of compounds having pyridine ring is described in Non-Patent Document 3.

Process for preparing desmosine, isodesmosine, and derivatives thereof

Abstract: (wherein, in the above-described general formula (I), one of R1 and R2 is —CH2CH2CH2CH(NH2)COOH group, and the other is hydrogen atom. And wherein, in the above-described general formula (I), one, or two or more of hydrogen atom, one, or two or more of carbon atom, or one, or two or more of nitrogen atom may be substituted with their isotope.)


A method for deciding a destination server among a plurality of servers to which applications are migrated upon occurrence of a failure on one of the servers is provided. The method includes the steps of obtaining required performance information of each of the applications when each of the plurality of servers is normally operating, obtaining furnishing performance information of each of the plurality of servers in operation, specifying at least one of the servers having a composition capable of running the applications migrated upon occurrence of a failure on one of the servers, comparing the required performance information and the furnishing performance information, and specifying one of the servers that has an application execution performance closest to an application execution performance on the server having the failure, and that meets a specified availability.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for deciding an optimum server to which applications are to be migrated in the event of a failure of a currently-active server.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, more performance improvements and high availability have been increasingly achieved by clustering applications. In particular, cluster systems using a SAN (Storage Area Network) achieve continual management by failover and cascade failover in the event of failures.
With the SAN, it is easy for a plurality of servers to access the same storage that composes clusters. As a result, when a failure occurs in a server, the server can be switched flexibly to any one of the other servers.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,852,724 describes a technology in which several spare servers are prepared for a plurality of servers, and when a failure occurs in a specific server, applications are migrated to one of the spare servers. Even when a spare server is not prepared, applications running on a server that experiences a failure can be operated on another server in operation. Also, there are products having a function to select one of a plurality of servers in operation which has a lower workload when applications are to be migrated from a failed server to another server in operation. For example, VERITAS Cluster Server (VERITAS White Paper, Managing Application Availability with Application Clustering and the VERITAS Cluster Server 2.0) uses such a function.
When an application is migrated to another server in operation, there may be an influence on the performance of applications running on the other server due to an increased workload. Even when such an influence is not a problem, there is still an issue as to whether the other server to which the application is migrated has a sufficient computer resource required by the application to be migrated.
There are also some examples that implement a workload distribution method of migrating applications to a server with the lightest workload. Moreover, there is also a conventional technology in which the workload of a server is guessed based on the response time and the like in communications in HTTP. However, even when an application is migrated to a server with a relatively short response time, it is not certain if an expected response time can be achieved when the application is actually executed on the server. Because applications generally have characteristics such as CPU-bound, I/O-bound and the like, guessing the workload simply based on the CPU busy rate and the response time in communications in HTTP does not guarantee if an expected response time can always be achieved when a target application is actually executed.
Furthermore, at the time of failover, there may be cases where it is more preferable to continue the services in the state of performance equal to that before occurrence of a failure rather than switching a failed server to a server with the lightest workload. For example, when the workload is distributed by a load balancer, the load balancer may detect a switching destination server with a greater performance as having a room of resources and may increase the amount of request allocations. However, such a situation may slow down responses to the users, and therefore is not desirous to many of the users. To begin with, it is obviously unnatural that the performance of an application improves with an event of failure as a momentum, and different countermeasures are necessary for failover and load distribution at the time of failures.
Generally speaking, in migrating applications operating on one server to another server in the event of a failure, it is considered that the fewer the changes in all aspects including the performance (except the availability) before and after the occurrence of the failure (thereby maintaining the invariability at its maximum before and after the occurrence of the failure), the more dominant in terms of safety. This is contrasted with the idea of load distribution that starts terminating the execution of applications as soon as possible. Moreover, when applications are to be migrated to another server, it is necessary to choose a server whose reliability is high (whose event probability of failures is low) as much as possible.
There is no conventional technology that achieves both performance invariability before and after occurrence of a failure and availability improvement after the failure. Especially, there are technical difficulties in the method for maintaining performance invariability before and after occurrence of a failure. This is because a server that was in operation before a failure and a server that is in operation after the failure may not be the same in various aspects such as the CPU performance, the number of CPUs, the I/P performance, and the like, and a destination server to which the application is migrated may already be running other applications, and therefore it is not possible to predict the performance of the destination server after the application is migrated.

Method for deciding server in occurrence of fault