A process for production of diisopropyl ether by conversion of hydrocarbon feedstock containing propene, propane and C.sub.2 - light gas components, including the steps of: optionally, prefractionating fresh feedstock containing propene, propane and C.sub.2 - light gas components to provide a reactor feedstream rich in propene; contacting the feedstock and water in a catalytic reactor with acidic catalyst under olefin hydration and etherification conditions; and recovering from the catalytic reactor a liquid reactor effluent stream containing diisopropyl ether, isopropanol, water, unreacted propene, propane and C.sub.2 - light gas components. Improved operation is achieved by separating the liquid effluent stream in a vertical stripper column; recovering an overhead vapor stream containing propene, propane and C.sub.2 - light gas components from the stripper column; cooling the overhead vapor stream to provide a reflux stream rich in condensed propene and propane; removing the C.sub.2 - light gas components from condensed; recycling the reflux stream to an upper contact portion of the stripper column; and recovering a predominantly C3 recycle stream from the upper contact portion of the stripper column. Optionally, the C3 recycle stream may be passed to the to the prefractioning step for propene enrichment with fresh feedstock.

This invention relates to olefin hydration, especially for production of di-isopropyl ether (DIPE) from C.sub.3 + olefinic feedstock. Particularly, the invention relates to a novel technique for recovering DIPE product and unreacted light hydrocarbons from reactor effluent.
The need to eliminate lead-based octane enhancers in gasoline has provided incentive for development of processes to produce high octane gasolines blended with lower aliphatic alkyl ethers as octane boosters. Supplementary fuels are being vigorously developed in the petroleum refining industry. Lower molecular weight alcohols and ethers such as isopropyl alcohol (IPA), and diisopropyl ether (DIPE) are in the boiling range of gasoline fuels and are known to have a high blending octane number. They are useful octane enhancers. In addition, by-product propene (propylene) from which IPA and DIPE can be made is usually available in a fuels refinery, typically as a C.sub.3 + aliphatic stream rich in propene and propane. The petrochemicals industry also produces mixtures of light olefin streams in the C.sub.2 -C.sub.7 molecular weight range and the conversion of such streams or fractions thereof to alcohols and/or ethers can also provide products useful as solvents and blending stocks for gasoline. Feedstocks of particular interest are light hydrocarbon streams rich in propene, which are often accompanied by significant amounts of propane, ethene, ethane and other light gases.
Adapting available refinery feedstock to produce these oxygenates simultaneously as octane enhancers can involve two different olefin hydration and etherification processes, i.e. propene hydration-etherification to give DIPE and IPA. Accordingly, a challenge is provided to explore these processes to discover how they may be integrated in a manner more beneficial to the production of high octane gasoline.
Catalytic hydration of olefins to provide alcohols and ethers is established technology for production of the IPA and DIPE and is of significant commercial importance. Olefin hydration employing medium pore and large pore zeolite catalyst is a known synthesis method. Recently, processes for the direct hydration of olefins to provide alcohols and ethers using porous shape selective metallosilicate zeolite catalyst, such as zeolite Beta have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,857,664 (Huang et al.), 4,886,918 (Sorensen et al) and 5,138,102 (Beech et al), incorporated herein by reference. Prior processes for hydrating olefins have often been found to be inefficient with regard to catalyst life. Maldistribution of water and hydrocarbon reactants may cause deactivation, especially with solid metallosilicate catalysts having large pores (i.e. 7+ Angstroms) or medium pores (5-7 A.degree.).
It is a main object of this invention to provide an improved process for production of oxygenated hydrocarbons by olefin hydration, such as alcohols and/or ethers in a more economical manner and with improved yields of ethers. It is a further object to provide novel reactor effluent separation and recovery techniques for use in DIPE reactor systems.


A fluid control device with a non-circular flow passageway is disclosed. The fluid control device has an inlet port (318) formed on a first side (314) of a fluid control body. A valve cavity (320) is formed in the bottom of the fluid control body. The inlet port is coupled to the valve cavity with an inlet port opening. A valve seat (316) is formed in the valve cavity with a non-circular shaped valve seat passageway (310). An outlet port (306) is formed on a second side (312) of the fluid control body. The outlet port is coupled to the non-circular shaped valve seat passageway (310) by an outlet port passageway (308).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to the field of fluid control devices, and in particular, to a fluid control device with a non-circular flow area.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Traditionally all flow areas in fluid control devices have been round. This is due, in part, to the round pipe threads used to connect these types of products and also due to round features being easier to manufacture than other profiles. The flow through the fluid control device is proportional to the cross-sectional area of the round through hole in the body sealed off by a valve. However the diameter of the through hole and therefore its cross-sectional area is limited by the available port to port distance.
Therefore there is a need for a fluid control device with a higher flow rate for a given port-to-port distance.

Fluid control device with a non-circular flow area


The present invention provides a method for forming porous silicon, which includes the steps of: a) providing a silicon substrate; b) growing a GaAs layer on the silicon substrate; c) defining a pattern for the GaAs layer by a photolithography process and etching the patterned GaAs layer to obtain a GaAs mask; and d) forming a porous silicon layer by anodic-oxidation-etching the silicon substrate uncovered by the GaAs mask. By this method, etching under the GaAs layer on the silicon substrate can be executed very well to form the porous silicon. And the patterned GaAs layer is etched by a process in step c), which is selected from a wet etching and a dry etching process with a photoresist as a mask. In addition, the anodic-oxidation-etching process in step d) is an electrolytic process executed in HF acidic solution which is a mixture of 30 vol. % HF and 70 vol. % H.sub.2 O, in which the HF concentration is 49 wt. %.

So far silicon is the most popular material in the semiconductor industry. It is also the most mature material in the fabrication of semiconductor devices and microcircuits. Since its luminescent efficiency is extremely low due to its property of indirect energy gap, it is impossible for it to be applied directly to the fabrication process of optoelectronic devices. After it was discovered that porous silicon has the property of direct energy gap because of its zone folding and quantum confinement effects, and has an intense visible photoluminescene spectrum, application of the porous silicon material in optoelectronic devices was widely studied. It is necessary to reduce the porous silicon optoelectronic devices in concert with the present VLSI skill for developing the optoelectronic integrated circuits of silicon.
Generally speaking, the benefits for the fabrication process of porous silicon are easy to fabricate, low cost and able to avoid the problems of lattice mismatch, expensive price and much timeconsuming in fabricating the optoelectronic integrated circuit with previous compound semiconductors. It is worthwhile in the market if the porous silicon optoelectronic devices are applied to the mature silicon integrated circuit, and their fabrication process could be significantly simplified. But there are some shortcomings in finishing the necessary miniaturing process of porous silicon optoelectronic devices. For it is necessary to face a fundamental problem that a prior masking layer has either a lifetime too short or a utility quality too poor in the conventional fabrication process of the porous silicon for size-reducing porous silicon optoelectronic devices. In other words: the disadvantages still exist in the prior art though they can size-reduce the porous silicon optoelectronic devices.
Now we talk about general masking layers applied to finish the size-reducing purpose for defining the growing region of porous silicon. The size-reducing skill can be classified into two types: one is the traditional photolithography and the other is the non-traditional skill. The former includes masking layers respectively formed by silicon oxide, silicon nitride and silicon carbide. But the disadvantages of these masking layers are: the SiO.sub.2 masking layer would dissolve immediately in the HF acidic solution, and cannot be used because of its too short lifetime; and the porous silicon formed by anodic-oxidation etching on the silicon substrate under the Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 masking layer, which cannot dissolve in the HF acidic solution, is easy to strip off because of the undercut phenomenon resulting in a distorted defined region under Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 /Si interface having no depletion region as a result of isotropic etching.
As shown in Prior Art FIGS. 1(a)-1(d), they are the photographs by scanning electron microscope, in which the silicon nitride masking layer is used to define the patterned porous silicon. The silicon nitride masking layer is grown by low pressure chemical vapor deposition, and its pattern is formed by wet chemical etching. Prior Art FIGS. 1(a)-1(d) are scanning electron microscope photographs magnified by the scale of 2,000 times, in which the bar scales are all 10 .mu.m and 2 mm represents 1 .mu.m. Prior Art FIGS. 1(a)-1(d) show the formations of the defined patterned region of porous silicon 101 under the silicon nitride masking layers 204, as shown in the figures in which the dark bands are porous silicon 101 and the bright bands are masking layers 204. The area A in FIG. 1(b) is the porous silicon 101, the area B is the silicon nitride masking layer 204 and the area C is the silicon substrate 10.
The anodization times in these figures are respectively: one minute for Prior Art FIG. 1(a), two minutes for Prior Art FIG. 1(b), three minutes for Prior Art FIG. 1(c) and five minutes for Prior Art FIG. 1(d). The accompanied growing conditions of the porous silicon are: current density 3.5 mA/cm.sup.2, and the anodization solution of a mixture of 30 vol. % HF and 70 vol. % H.sub.2 O, in which the HF concentration is 49 wt. %. In Prior Art FIGS. 1(a)-1(d), it is apparent that the longer the anodization time, the more serious the distortion of the patterned porous silicon.
Referring now to Prior Art FIGS. 2(a) and (b), they are the scanning electron microscope photographs for a cross-section of patterned porous silicon under the silicon nitride mask in Prior Art FIG. 1(d). Prior Art FIG. 2(b) is a locally amplified photogragh of Prior Art FIG. 2(a). Prior Art FIG. 2(a) is magnified by 6000 times, in which the bar scale is 1 .mu.m and 0.6 cm represents 1 .mu.m. Prior Art FIG. 2(b) is magnified by 20,000 times, which is an amplified photograph of Prior Art FIG. 2(a) and its bar scale is 1 .mu.m. We should note that Prior Art FIG. 2(a) is the cross-sectional scanning electron microscope scanning photograph of Prior Art FIG. 1(d), which shows that the patterned porous silicon 101 on the silicon substrate 10 is defined by utilizing the silicon nitride mask and the electrolytic conditions are the same as those in Prior Art FIG. 1(d).
It is apparent that the transverse growth size and the vertical growth size of the porous silicon under the silicon nitride masking layer are almost in the ratio of 1.3:1 after the electrolytic process in Prior Art FIG. 2(b). The part of the silicon nitride film on the transverse growth region of the porous silicon is slightly stripped off in Prior Art FIG. 1(d), which is really a worse condition since the porous silicon growth will be more isotropic. For this reason, we know the silicon nitride masking layer is not proper to be used to define the patterned porous silicon. In a similar condition, the short lifetime and serious distortion also exist in the masks of silicon oxide and silicon carbide, so all the masking layers are not practical. The isotropic growth, short lifetime and serious distortion are main defects of the conventional photolithography.
Now we consider the non-traditional skill, such as the ion irradiation, photoanodic etching, focused ion beam implantation and amorphization. This type would lead to destruction in non-porous silicon growth region, so it is worse than the conventional type discussed above for the fabrication of optoelectronic integrated circuit. And it is not practical and improper to modern integrated circuit, in avoiding the complex followed fabrication process, such as recrystallization or planarization to recover the original crystal structure having no grown porous silicon region.
It is therefore tried by the applicant to deal with the above shortcomings suffered by the prior mask skills.


A mechanical massage and traction apparatus provides patient weight-induced cervical traction and particular stimulation of distinct pressure points along a patient's shoulders and occipital ridge. A fixed base provides at least two shoulder-engaging members that preferably firmly engage with and massage the patient's shoulders. Pivotally coupled to the base is a head support that includes a plurality of occipital ridge engaging fingers that preferably firmly engage with and massage the patient's occipital ridge. A spring between the base and head support operatively flexes under the weight of the patient's head and shoulders, and thereby increases a distance between the shoulder-engaging members and occipital ridge support, to operatively produce traction in the patient's cervical vertebrae. The upper torso support operatively contacts an underlying support surface, and the occipital ridge support operatively floats above the underlying support surface.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to chiropractic or osteopathic implements for restoring or tending to restore a portion of the body to its normal position or to a more proper position, and more particularly to a positioner for a recumbent user comprising a formed element beneficial to the cervical spine when a patient lays supine upon the element.
2. Description of the Related Art
While the modern world provides many opportunities and benefits that did not exist in years past, the results of the changes that have occurred over the years are not always as beneficial as one might hope. While the modern world frees us from the dangers and unpredictability of the hunting and gathering lifestyle of our ancestors, which many people are quite grateful for, there are negative side effects that have come with the changes. One striking change is the general pace of life and pressures associated therewith, which leads to much stress in many individuals. Back in the days of our distant ancestors, adverse hormones produced during stress, such as cortisol, were worked off physically. The physical activity often restored the health and well-being of the individual. Unfortunately, the adverse health effects associated with what is often a more sedentary lifestyle, such as may be found in the confines of an office or cubicle, include such issues as a lack of or greatly reduced physical activity that could otherwise alleviate the adverse affects of stress and a seeming endless confinement to various chairs, seats and other body supports. This combination often leads to tension, knots, fatigue and other undesirable musculo-skeletal phenomena in many individuals.
While some individuals are fortunate enough to have recognized the benefits of the services of a masseuse or chiropractor to help them to relieve the tension and stress that accumulates within their bodies, such services are dependent upon the individual recognizing the need for help, being able to afford such help as frequently as required, and upon the skill and knowledge of the professional to be able to adequately provide the much needed physical treatment.
One such area where services are often required is in the treatment of the cervical vertebrae that define a person's neck. While proponents of evolution believe that man's evolution involved a transition from a hunched posture, modern man leaning over a keyboard, an assembly line, or even a workpiece in a machine shop seems to directly resemble that hunched posture. This puts substantial stress on a person's neck. Furthermore, many people tend to concentrate stress at various focal points within their body, and the cervical vertebrae are a common location. In addition, certain medical conditions such as cervical spondylosis and migraine headaches produce moderate to severe discomfort in the cervical region of the afflicted individual. Release of the occipital ridge is highly beneficial to proper chiropractic treatment or stress release. Finally, without the rigors of regular activity, even sudden movements of a person's head or sleeping in an awkward position can be sufficient to trigger pain, soreness, and tension in a person's neck.
The only currently widely-available effective treatments for neck pain require direct manual treatment or manipulation of the afflicted person. Such treatments require the full time and attention of a skilled masseuse or chiropractor. As a result, the masseuse or chiropractor is unable to tend to other patients in need during the provision of neck services, driving the costs for such treatments up, and, again, requiring not only diagnostic skill by the professional but also significant manual work.
A primary requirement of proper treatment of the cervical vertebrae is to provide gentle traction. This is a gentle pulling that tends to pull the vertebrae apart from each other, which is quite different from the ordinary compression that occurs throughout the day when a person is in a more upright position. This gentle pull permits fluids to flow in between skeletal components that are not otherwise as open to fluid passage. Traction can be beneficially applied to many musculo-skeletal ailments, but rarely will any relieve as much stress or bring as much relief and pleasure to a person as traction applied directly to the occipital ridge, which is at the back of the head where the base of the skull protrudes from the spine.
A number of artisans have heretofore recognized the benefits of cervical traction. Various patents and publications illustrating apparatus that incorporate pneumatic traction, the contents and teachings of each which are incorporated herein by reference, include: U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,479 by Chitwood, entitled "Cervical traction device"; U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,781 by Chitwood, entitled "Inflatable cervical traction/stretch device"; U.S. Pat. No. 5,569,176 by Graham, entitled "Inflatable cervical traction and exercising device"; U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,649 by Chitwood, entitled "Neck curvature alignment device"; U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,841 by Graham, entitled "Inflatable cervical cervico-thoracic thoraco-lumbar and lumbar exercising device"; and Chinese patent publication 201019888Y. While these devices are capable of providing relief to certain individuals in carefully controlled situations, there are a number of drawbacks associated with pneumatic devices. The first and most obvious drawback is the relative fragility of the apparatus, which is prone to accidental punctures and leaks. However, a second and potentially more serious drawback is the inability of an inexperienced user to accurately determine the appropriate amount of traction to generate, which creates the associated risk of too great or too little traction force being applied by the user of the apparatus. Pneumatic devices are capable of generating great forces with only relatively small pressure increases. In other words, a change of only one pound per square inch (PSI) in internal pressure, which is only one-fifteenth of ordinary atmospheric pressure, when applied across a ten to twenty square inch occipital ridge region will lead to ten to twenty pounds of force being applied thereto. Clearly, just a few pounds of internal pressure within the pneumatic device can undesirably lead to harmful forces being generated within the cervical region of the patient. Finally, owing to the necessary compliance of the pneumatic device, there is no real opportunity to generate increased patient application forces in selected specific regions while avoiding application forces in other specific regions.
Other artisans have illustrated mechanical traction apparatus, the contents and teachings of each which are incorporated herein by reference, including: U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,202 by Miller et al, entitled "Cervical traction device"; Chinese patent publication 2734181Y; Chinese patent publication 201253278Y; and Chinese patent publication 201119936Y. While potentially more durable than the pneumatic counterparts, these mechanical apparatus suffer from similar risks in terms of a patient's ability to readily determine appropriate application forces.
Weight-induced traction can overcome the limitations regarding proper traction forces, if properly designed. Unfortunately, a surprising number of the prior weight-induced traction devices achieve traction simply by draping the body part over a domed or elevated member. This type of traction is of less benefit to a patient, owing to the necessary curvature of the spine about the support. Exemplary patents, the teachings and contents which are incorporated herein by reference, include: Chinese patent publication 2562676Y; Chinese patent publication 2868279Y; Chinese patent publication 201213643Y; Chinese patent publication 101574216A; and Chinese patent publication 2671449Y.
A few artisans have provided patents and publications that illustrate weight-induced traction that truly applies traction forces rather than simple gravitational forces developed about a simple curve. Exemplary patents that utilize differently angled fingers, which collapse in different directions when weight is applied thereto, the contents and teaching which are incorporated herein by reference, include: U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,342 by Forster, entitled "Mattress for a sitting or lying person"; U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,573 by Ramos, entitled "Body contour massage device and method"; and Japanese patent publication 2005288131A. The fingers used in these apparatus act simultaneously as a cushion and also to provide traction. However, since the fingers are relatively small and densely packed, the amount of maximum traction is quite limited, and the actual traction obtained is very subject to final positional movements by the patient. Consequently, predictable traction forces remain quite elusive. Additionally, these apparatus are extremely sensitive to proper patient positioning, and yet there is little to assist the patient with such positioning.
Two spring-loaded traction devices, the teachings and contents which are incorporated herein by reference, include Chinese patent publication 2870777Y and Chinese patent publication 2505048Y. While these pillows can be used to create a predictable amount of traction for a given weight load, these apparatus only provide engagement with the person's head, presumably depending upon the person resting upon a suitable surface. This means that the traction is unpredictably distributed throughout the person's vertebrae.
US published application 2007/0276438 by Meglin et al, the teachings and contents which are incorporated herein by reference, entitled "Back alignment device," provides massages transverse to a person's spine but provides no teachings for how this apparatus might be used for traction. Other patents and publications, the teachings and contents which are incorporated herein by reference, include: U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,647 by Choy, entitled "Spinal acupressure device"; U.S. Pat. No. 5,792,080 by Ookawa et al, entitled "Massaging apparatus having self-adjusting constant strength and non-adjust strength modes"; U.S. Pat. No. 6,485,443 by Garth, entitled "Seating products with self powered dynamic massage units"; US published application 2004/0064974 by Schuster, entitled "Mechanical support which can be arched, distorted, rotated and deformed"; Chinese patent publication 101455597A; Chinese patent publication 201085764Y; Chinese patent publication 201213896Y; and Chinese patent publication 2607120Y. In addition to the foregoing patents and publications, Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary, Second Edition copyright 1983, is incorporated herein by reference in entirety for the definitions of words and terms used herein.

Mechanical massage and traction apparatus


Disclosed is a power bank storage device. The device includes a fixed plate, a push-and-pull plate, a limiting plate and snap-fitting components. The push-and-pull plate corresponds to the fixed plate in position and is rotatably connected at one end; a side surface of the push-and-pull plate close to the fixed plate is integrally connected with a box body with an opening upper end for storing a power bank; the limiting plate is mounted between the fixed plate and the push-and-pull plate, and between the open position and the closed position of the push-and-pull plate, one end thereof is slidably connected with the fixed plate, and the other end thereof is rotatably connected with the push-and-pull plate; and the snap-fitting components are fixed onto the fixed plate, and are snap-fitted with the limiting plate in the closed position of the push-and-pull plate.

With the growth of the people's living standard and the increase of business activities, a luggage case has already become an essential article for people during the trip. Meanwhile, because electronic products such as smart cellphones, tablet computers, etc. are also widely used in daily life, these electronic products must be charged at any time during the trip, to guarantee the normal use thereof. Therefore, a power bank has also become an essential travel accessory during the trip.
Because the power bank must be checked when a person goes through the security check, and no device for separately storing the power bank is arranged in the traditional luggage case, the person must open the luggage case and take out the power bank when going through the security check, thereby consuming time and labor, increasing the waiting time for people to go through the security check, and reducing the security check efficiency.
Therefore, the problem to be urgently solved by those skilled in the art is how to provide a power bank storage device capable of being quickly opened or closed and a luggage case comprising same.

Power bank storage device and luggage case comprising same


A bellows has a generally tubular elongated bellows body. The bellows body is defined by a wall generally enclosing a volume. The wall has a generally cylindrical inner surface and a generally cylindrical outer surface. The bellows body is formed by alternating layers of low compliance material and high compliance material. The cross sectional shape and dimension of the bellows body are generally constant between the first and second ends.

In electrically driven thermoacoustic refrigerators, and in other applications, a need exists to couple reciprocating mechanical work, produced by an electromechanical transducer to the working gas. In engines, one can conceive of the reverse process. An example of usage within thermoacoustic machines has been described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,725,670. Several examples exist of this type of structure. Conventional corrugated metal bellows have often been used. In general, these metal bellows structures begin as a sheet product, are welded into a tubular shape, and the corrugations are subsequently formed. These forming and assembly operations place some restrictions on the types of material that can be used, and production of corrugated metal bellows with high endurance limit materials can become expensive. Materials like Inconel 718 and 17-7Ph stainless steel have been used for the construction of bellows, which have high endurance limits in their final condition, and yet are ductile and weldable; not inexpensive as raw materials, these materials further rely for their high strength on lengthy (and thus costly) precipitation hardening heat treatments. This has encouraged the development of alternatives for thermoacoustic applications and U.S. Pat. No. 6,755,027 describes a recent novel alternative structure to accomplish this task. The subject of the current invention is application of a new bellows structure to perform this function.
For purposes of this disclosure, a bellows is defined as any tube-like conveyances or compliant cavities with substantial compliance along the axis of motion, which provide a boundary over which a pressure difference can be maintained and which are intended in operation to undergo axial compression, as a desired part of their function. As such, this definition includes devices such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,237,922, 6,725,670, and 6,755,027, the entire contents of all of which are incorporated herein by reference. This definition also includes other devices not specifically named as bellows, as would be recognized by a person of skill in the art. "Conventional bellows" will be used to refer to bellows with essentially uniform stiffness properties along the axis of the bellows structure, as is well approximated by a number of identical repeated structural elements along the compression axis of the bellows. When referring to "formed bellows", aspects relevant to the sort of corrugated structures described by the Standards of the Expansion Joint Manufacturers are described. Bellows may be formed from a variety of materials, including metal and elastomeric material, and may be formed in a variety of ways.
The field of use of bellows seals on reciprocating pistons is quite old and well developed. In reciprocating machine applications, wherein part of the expected operation of the bellows is that it undergo axial compression and yet act as a piston seal at relatively high frequencies, problems associated with the relatively slow wave speed in bellows materials are a recognized issue, and various methods have been devised to compensate. (For a discussion of the problems, and methods to compensate see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,875,806 to Brewster and 4,556,369 to Braun, wherein external devices are employed to stabilize the bellows and multiple attachments are made to the bellows, intermediate between the ends.)
The recognized problem can be summarized in this manner: bellows are designed to be compliant structures, and yet they have non-trivial mass, so that the propagation rate of a disturbance initiated at one end, traveling through the bellows is much slower than in the bulk media of which the bellows are constructed. As such, standing waves form and this causes stress distributions that are locally higher and different in distribution from what is observed in the static compression or extension case. In general, for applications in reciprocating machinery, it is desirable to ensure that the stresses in the bellows are minimized so that the part will have the greatest fatigue resistance, and thus a large lifetime.

Bellows with alternating layers of high and low compliance material for dynamic applications


Checkpoint gene-defective human cells are useful for screening potential anti-tumor agents. Potential therapeutic agents are screened for the ability to cause DNA accumulation or cell death in a checkpoint gene-defective human cell.

Precise coordination of the S and M phases of the eukaryotic cell cycle is critical not only for normal cell division, but also for effective growth arrest under conditions of stress. When damaged, a cell must communicate signals to both the mitotic and DNA synthesis machineries so that a mitotic block is not followed by an extra S phase, or vice versa. The biochemical mechanisms regulating this coordination, termed checkpoints, have been identified in lower eukaryotes, but are largely unknown in mammalian cells.sup.1-3.
DNA-damaging agents are used in the clinic to preferentially kill cancer cells. However, there is a need in the art to discover additional therapeutic agents which are selectively toxic to cancer cells.

Cancer drug screen based on cell cycle uncoupling


A suboccipital compression pad including a pad member configured to contact an occipital region of a patient, and a pair of securing straps extending respectively from opposing ends of the pad member, at least one of the securing straps being provided with a fastening member at a distal end thereof and configured to fasten the at least one of the securing straps to the other securing strap proximate the forehead of the patient to compress the pad member to the occipital region, wherein each of the securing straps are configured with an open space such that portions of the respective securing straps are located above and below the patient's ears, without covering the ears, when the securing straps are fastened together.

It is known to provide bandages for a variety of medical purposes, including wound care of traumatically injured soft and hard tissues and following various medical procedures. Prior compression/bandage devices have been less than satisfactory in providing adjustable compression pads/bandages for suboccipital wound care which easily wraps around the head of the patient and which allows the patient to simply adjust compression and conform the pad to the anatomy of the patient to lessen the incidence of developing pseuomeningocele and cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF) lean and to enhance wound care following cranial surgery.


Thermoplastic polyurethanes having an alternating sequence of hard and soft segments in which a nanostructured polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane diol is used as a chain extender to form a crystalline hard segment constituting SMPs. The polyurethanes are formed by reacting a polyol, a chain extender dihydroxyl-terminated POSS and a diisocyanate. The polyurethanes have multiple applications including for example, implants for human health care, drug delivery matrices, superabsorbant hydrogels, coatings, adhesives, temperature and moisture sensors, etc.

Shape memory materials feature an ability to transform shape from a temporary, frozen, shape to a permanent shape when triggered by an environmental stimulus, such as heat, light, or vapor. Used creatively, these phenomena can be exploited for a wide range of applications. While both shape memory alloys (SMAs) and shape memory polymers (SMPs) show similar thermo-stimulated shape memory properties, their mechanisms of action are quite distinct. Advantages of SMAs include rapid strain recovery (within 1 second), the potential training for two-way reversible memory, and an apparent superelasticity due within the austentite phase at low temperature. In contrast, polymers intrinsically exhibit shape memory effects derived from their highly coiled constituent chains that are collectively extensible via mechanical work and this energy may be stored indefinitely, known as "shape fixing," by cooling below Tg or Tm. The polymeric samples can later perform mechanical work and return to a stress-free state when heated above the critical temperature, mobilizing the frozen chains to regain the entropy of their coiled state. In comparison to SMAs, thermally stimulated SMPs have the advantages of: (i) large recoverable deformations in excess of several hundred percent strain; (ii) facile tuning of transition temperatures through variation of the polymer chemistry; and (iii) processing ease at low cost.
Thermally stimulated SMPs with different thermomechanical properties to function in various applications, for example as medical devices and mechanical actuators have previously been synthesized and characterized. The materials span a range of room temperature moduli, from rigid glassy materials having storage moduli of several GPa to compliant rubbers with moduli as low as tens of MPa. Moreover, the retracting (rubbery) moduli have been adjusted over the range 0.5<E<10 MPa, as prescribed by the end application. One such example is chemically crosslinked polycyclooctene (PCO), a stiff semicrystalline rubber that is elastically deformed above Tm to a temporary shape that is fixed by crystallization. Fast and complete recovery of gross deformations is achieved by immersion in hot water. These SMPs have been described in Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/419,506 filed Oct. 18, 2002 entitled Chemically Crosslinked Polycyclooctene, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. In Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/377,544 filed May 2, 2002 entitled Castable Shape Memory Polymers, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference, stiffer SMPs offering tunable critical temperatures and rubber modulus using a thermosetting random copolymer made of two vinyl monomers that yield controlled Tg and casting-type processing are described. Such copolymers were crosslinked with a difunctional vinyl monomer (crosslinker), the concentration of crosslinker controlling the rubber modulus and thus the work potential during recovery. Besides their shape memory effects, these materials are also castable allowing for processing more complex shapes. In addition, they are optically transparent making them useful for additional applications.
The use of chemical crosslinking in both of these cases limits the types of processing possible and forever sets the equilibrium shape at the point of network formation. Therefore, miscible blends of a semicrystalline polymer with amorphous polymers have also been intensively investigated due to their attractive crystalline properties and mechanical properties. For those blends that are miscible at the molecular level, a single glass transition results, without broadening, an aspect important to shape memory. Additionally, in such miscible blends the equilibrium crystallinity (which controls the plateau modulus between Tg and Tm where shape fixing is performed) also changes dramatically and systematically with the blend compositions. It provides a simple route to alternative shape memory plastics; i.e. SMPs with relatively high modulus in the fixed state at room temperature, having a tunable and sharp transition, and the permanent shape can be remolded repeatedly above certain melting temperatures. These SMP blends have been described in Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/466,401 filed Apr. 29, 2003 entitled Blends of Amorphous and Semicrystalline Polymers with Shape Memory Properties, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Microphase-separated semicrystalline thermoplastic polymers with two sharp melting transitions Tm2>Tm1>room temperature, where the difference of the two melting points is at least 20° C., are also good candidates for shape memory offering the advantage of melt processing above Tm2, and repeated resetting of the equilibrium shape by relaxing stress in the fluid state. Representative past examples of such polymers in this class of SMP are conventional polyurethanes whose soft domains are glassy or semicrystalline with low melting point (but higher than Tcrit) and whose hard domains feature a higher melting point only exceeded during processing.

Shape memory polymers based on semicrystalline thermoplastic polyurethanes bearing nanostructured hard segments


An integrated circuit (IC) substrate that includes a second patterned metal layer formed in between a first patterned metal layer is disclosed. A dielectric layer formed on the first patterned metal layer separates the two metal layers. A non-conductive layer is formed on the dielectric layer and the second patterned metal layer.

To manufacture integrated circuit (IC) devices, photolithography is typically used. Photolithography produces a three-dimensional pattern on a surface of a substrate using a light-sensitive photoresist material and controlled exposure to light. Generally, the resist is applied on the substrate surface as a polymer solution. The resist is then baked, which drives out the solvent. Next, the resist is exposed to controlled light. The light passes through a mask that defines the desired pattern. The pattern is transferred to the resist, and the resist is used to transfer the pattern to the underlying substrate. In this way, layers can be built one on top of another to form the desired IC device.
Patterned conductive material on one level is typically electrically insulated from patterned conductive material on another level by a layer of dielectric material. FIG. 1 illustrates an IC substrate 100 having a first patterned metal layer 104 and a second patterned metal layer 108 according to the prior art. The first patterned metal layer 104 is formed on a substrate 102. A dielectric layer 106 is formed over the first patterned metal layer 104 and separates the second patterned metal layer 108 from the first patterned metal layer 104. The second patterned metal layer 108 is formed on the dielectric material 106. The space 110 between the two patterned metal layers is occupied only by dielectric material 106, taking up space and adding unwanted thickness to the IC substrate 100.
FIGS. 2A-2J illustrate a method that is typically used to form patterned metal layers on a substrate. In FIG. 2A, a substrate 200 with a first metal layer 202 formed on the substrate 200 is provided. In FIG. 2B, a photoresist layer 204 is formed on top of the first metal layer 202, and in FIG. 2C, the photoresist layer 204 is patterned to include various openings that expose portions of the first metal layer 202 to subsequent etch. In FIG. 2D, the first metal layer 202 is patterned using the photoresist layer 204. In FIG. 2E, the photoresist layer 204 is removed, leaving the first patterned metal layer 202. In FIG. 2F, a dielectric layer 206 is formed over the first patterned metal layer 202. In FIG. 2G, a photoresist layer 208 is formed on top of the dielectric layer 206. In FIG. 2H, the photoresist layer 208 is patterned and etched to expose portions of the dielectric layer 206. In FIG. 2I, a second metal 210 is deposited on the exposed portions of the dielectric layer 206, and in FIG. 2I, the photoresist layer 208 is removed, leaving the second patterned metal layer 210 and the first patterned metal layer 202, with the dielectric layer 206 separating the two metal layers.
Advances in semiconductor IC design, processing, and packaging technologies have resulted in increases in the number and density of features in a substrate. Nonetheless, the size of portable electronic systems such as portable computers, cell phones, PDAs, etc. continues to shrink despite the addition of new features and functions. New features and functionalities, such as digital cameras and camcorders, global positioning systems, and removable memory cards are continually being integrated into modern portable and/or high density electronic systems. It is therefore desirable to decrease the thickness of the components within portable electronic systems to provide size reduction as well as additional space to add new components.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for thin, low profile substrates.

Pattern between pattern for low profile substrate


Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and apparatus for producing a phase coded non-return-to-zero (PC-NRZ) optical signal. The method includes providing an input optical signal; providing first and second drive signals, the first drive signal having a first data pattern of first and second signal levels, the second drive signal having a second data pattern, the second data pattern having third and fourth signal levels that toggle at least when the first drive signal changes from the first signal level to the second signal level; and modulating amplitude of the input optical signal with the first drive signal and modulating phase of the input optical signal with the second drive signal to produce the PC-NRZ optical signal. A PC-NRZ optical transmitter and an optical transmission system applying the PC-NRZ optical transmitter are also provided.

In optical data communication, generally an optical transmitter or transmitting module launches a modulated optical signal into an optical transmission media such as, for example, an optical fiber. The optical signal propagates through the transmission media, experiences various sources of noises and/or waveform distortions, and eventually may be received by an optical receiver. The received optical signal may be subsequently converted into an electrical signal, which carries data information intended for the communication and shall be the same, at least in theory, as that used in modulating the optical signal at the transmitting module.
As is well known in the art, one of the most commonly used modulation scheme in current optical communication is amplitude modulation in a non-return-to-zero (NRZ) format. The NRZ modulation generally has two optical signal levels or signal power levels: a high power level of "1" (or "mark") and a low power level of "0" (or "non-mark"). An extinction ratio, which may be defined as the power ratio of "1" over "0", may be used to characterize, among other measures, the quality of a modulated optical signal. Other measures or criteria characterizing a modulated optical signal may include, for example, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and waveform distortion characterized typically by, for example, an eye diagram.
As the rate of data transmission increases, the optical signal may suffer more severely from one particular characteristic of the transmission media, that is, dispersion. Dispersion of the optical transmission media, for example fibers including conventional fibers (SMF-28) and dispersion shifted fibers, causes degradation of optical signal quality in ways of distorting the signal waveform, resulting in partially and in some severe situations complete closure of the eye diagram. Although various dispersion compensation techniques have been proposed and in some cases implemented to mitigate the impact of the dispersive transmission media, more needs to be done in order to improve the quality of optical signal transmission, and in particular, optical signal transmission over an extended distance.

Phase coded non-return-to-zero optical transmitter


Precipitated silicas, characterized in that they have a CTAB surface area (in accordance with ASTM D 3765-92) of 200 to 400 m.sup.2 /g, a DBP index (in accordance with ASTM D 2414) between 230 and 380 ml/100 g as powder and 180-250 g/100 g as granulate, a silanol group density (V.sub.2 -NaOH consumption) of 20 to 30 ml and the following macropore size distribution which is typical of the surface area range involved, determined by means of Hg porosimetry (DIN 66 133) for specific pore size intervals (incremental mode of application):. ______________________________________ CTAB surface CTAB surface CTAB surface area range: area range: area range: 200-250 m.sup.2 /g 250-300 m.sup.2 /g 300-400 m.sup.2 /g Pore size interval nm! Hg consumption in ml/g of silica ______________________________________ 10-20 0.27-0.49 0.35-0.50 0.32-0.42 20-30 0.22-0.32 0.15-0.30 0.17-0.22 30-40 0.15-0.21 0.12-0.17 0.12-0.15 40-50 0.11-0.16 0.09-0.12 0.08-0.11 50-60 0.08-0.12 0.06-0.10 0.06-0.09 ______________________________________

The present invention relates to precipitated silicas used as reinforcing fillers in vulcanizable rubber mixtures. Another aspect of the invention resides in the process for preparing certain precipitated silicas. A still further aspect of the invention resides in rubber formulations containing the precipitated silicas.
Precipitated silicas, in general, are known as is their use in tire formulations as shown by the following references.
S. Wolff, E. H. Tan: Performance of Silicas with Different Surface Areas in NR. Paper presented on the occasion of the ACS Meeting, New York City, N.Y., April 1986; and,
S. Wolff, R. Panenka, E. H. Tan: Reduction of Heat Generation Truck Tyre Tread and Subtread Compounds. Paper presented on the occasion of the International Conference on Rubber, Jamshedpur (India), Nov. 1986.
An essential parameter for characterizing a precipitated silica is the surface area, which is determined either by the adsorption of nitrogen (ISO 5794/1, Annexe D) or, of greater relevance to rubber engineering, by the adsorption of CTAB in accordance with ASTM D 3765-92. With reference to the rubber engineering data obtained, precipitated silicas are classified in six surface area classes in accordance with ISO 5794/1.
When applied to tires, however, almost exclusively precipitated silicas with CTAB surface areas between 100 and 200 m.sup.2 /g are used. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,227,425 and S. Wolff: The Influence of Fillers on Rolling Resistance, presented at the 129th meeting of the Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society, New York, N.Y., Apr. 8-11, 1986.
The reason for this is that precipitated silicas for use in tires must have high strength values and, especially in the region of the tread surface, must have good abrasion resistance. This can only be ensured by using precipitated silicas with surface areas in the range mentioned above. At present, precipitated silicas with CTAB surface areas >200 m.sup.2 /g, on the other hand, are hardly ever used. However, it is precisely these precipitated silicas which should be characterized by a particularly high abrasion resistance and thus are of particular interest for practical application in tires. The essential reason why they are not used is due to the fact that precipitated silicas with increasing surface areas are extremely difficult to distribute (disperse) in a rubber mixture. This low capacity for being dispersed means that these products do not provide the general properties expected of them and thus offer no advantages, and sometimes even offer disadvantages, as compared with the precipitated silicas currently used in tires.
The reason for this poor dispersion of high surface area precipitated silicas is based on another important property of precipitated silicas, and that property is their structure (measured by means of DBP absorption in accordance with ASTM D 2414). Particularly important, however, is the distribution of macropore sizes (measured using Hg porosimetry in accordance with DIN 66 133) and how it changes with surface area; see the paper by U. Gorl, R. Rausch, H. Esch and R. Kuhlmann entitled: Kieselsaurestruktur und ihr Einflu.beta. auf das gummitechnische Wertebild, presented on the occasion of the German Rubber Conference in Stuttgart, June 1994.
In other words, the spread of macropore sizes generally decreases with increasing surface area, if it is not possible to produce additional large pores by means of appropriate precipitation techniques during the production of precipitated silica with the same surface area.
In particular, precipitated silicas with CTAB surface areas >220 m.sup.2 /g require special precipitation techniques in order for them to have sufficiently large macropores, and thus good dispersion behavior, despite the large surface area.
It is known that precipitated silicas with the following physico-chemical parameters can be used in rubber mixtures (DE-A 44 27 137):
______________________________________ BET surface area 35 to 350 m.sup.2 /g Ratio of BET/CTAB surface areas 0.8 to 1.1 Pore volume PV 1.6 to 3.4 ml/g Silanol group density 6 to 20 ml (V.sub.2 = NaOH consumption) Average size of aggregate 250 to 1500 nm CTAB surface area 30 to 350 m.sup.2 /g DBP index 150 to 300 ml/100 g V.sub.2 /V.sub.1 by Hg porosimetry 0.19 to 0.46 preferably 0.20 to 0.23 DBP/CTAB 1.2 to 2.4 ______________________________________
An object of the invention therefore is to obtain precipitated silicas with CTAB surface areas of >200 m.sup.2 /g which are characterized by a particularly high distribution of macropore sizes and thus by particularly good dispersion in a rubber mixture.
Another object of the invention is to obtain improved rubber formulations and products.

Precipitated silicas, a process for their preparation and their use in vulcanizable rubber mixtures


The registration board assembly for pre-press printing proofs and printing plates includes a substantially planar layer or registration board, a backing layer adjacent and affixed to the planar layer, and a cavity formed between the planar layer and the backing layer. A register pin extends through an aperture in the planar layer. An elastomeric member such as a rubber diaphragm is disposed within the cavity and biases a barrel portion of the register pin through the planar layer aperture. The elastomeric member is mounted so that it is removable and replaceable. One way of mounting the elastomeric member is to provide a hole in the backing layer through which the elastomeric member is pulled to remove it. A new elastomeric member is then pushed through the backing layer hole. In a second embodiment, a threaded plug in the backing layer holds the elastomeric member in place. The threaded plug is removed to replace the elastomeric member. In a third embodiment, the backing layer is fastened to the registration board by one or more screw fasteners. The fasteners are removed to remove the backing layer when the elastomeric member is to be replaced.

This invention relates to devices used in the printing industry. More particularly, this invention relates to registration boards used to hold pre-press proofs and printing plates in proper alignment.
Registration board assemblies are known for laying out the proof of a page to be printed. A typical proof of a page, such as a magazine page, may have each article, photograph and the like set forth on its own single sheet of transparent film. If the magazine page has, for example, four articles and pictures, the proof may comprise four sheets.
Printing customers and the printers themselves often wish to view a proof of the page to be printed before the printing is performed. Since the proof may contain several sheets or layers, it is necessary to keep the layers properly aligned during the inspection. This is accomplished using a registration frame assembly having a frame structure, a registration board or a bottom layer with register pins protruding therefrom, and a glass or other transparent cover. The multiple sheets that comprise the pre-press proof page are aligned and placed on the register pins, and the cover of the registration board assembly is closed. A vacuum is then created in the closed registration frame assembly. The pre-press proof page may then be inspected with all the sheets or layers in their correct positions.
The register pin assemblies used in registration board assemblies are typically movable in the axial direction of the register pin so that the top of the register pin is flush with the proof page when the glass cover is closed. The register pin assembly moves in the axially downward direction when it is pressed by the glass cover, and moves in the axially upward direction when the glass cover is raised. The register pin assembly must typically be provided with a resilient elastomeric member to enable the pin to return to its original position.
After repeated use, however, the resiliency of the register pin assembly is often lost. The elastomeric member may lose its elasticity. In that event, it is often not possible to replace components of the register pin assembly without replacing the entire bottom layer and the entire register pin assembly.
Some prior art registration board assemblies used fixed or non-axially movable register pins in an effort to minimize the likelihood that the proof page layers will go out of alignment due to the axial movement of the register pin. Such prior art assemblies typically have a register pin securely mounted to a stiff planar registration board. A disadvantage of this design is that the registration board tends to split or break due to the repeated application of force from the glass cover on the register pin. The entire registration board and the register pin must then be replaced.


Provided is a battery module that prevents a new current path that may be formed due to molten metal resulting from a molten and cut fuse, and has better safety than conventional battery modules. A battery module includes: module terminals; a battery cell group including a plurality of battery cells; and a plurality of bus bars connecting the plurality of battery cells of this battery cell group and connecting this battery cell group with the module terminals. At least one of the plurality of bus bars has a fuse. The battery module has a space that is located below the fuse and that allows the molten fuse to fall.

Conventionally inventions about a battery module to be mounted on an electric vehicle, for example, have been known (see Patent Literature 1). The battery module according to this invention includes a plurality of secondary cells and a metal bus bar connecting terminals of the plurality of secondary cells. The bus bar includes connections to connect to the terminals of the secondary cells and a body having the plurality of connections. Each connection is integrally formed with a fuse to be disposed between the connection and the body (see this literature, claim 1, for example). According to this invention, each connection of the bus bar to connect to a corresponding terminal of a secondary cell is integrally formed with a fuse, and this configuration suppresses an increase in the number of components of the configuration having a fuse disposed for each of the secondary cells (see this literature, paragraph 0014, for example).
Inventions about an electric storage device including a plurality of battery cells and bus bars also have been known (see Patent Literature 2). The electric storage device according to this invention includes: a first cell block including a plurality of battery cells; a second cell block including other plurality of battery cells; and a bus bar electrically connecting the plurality of battery cells in the first cell block and the plurality of battery cells in the second cell block. The bus bar includes a first bus bar part, a second bus bar part, and a third bus bar part.
The first bus bar part connects one of the positive electrodes and the negative electrodes of the plurality of battery cells in the first cell block via fuses. The second bus bar part connects the other of the positive electrodes and the negative electrodes of the plurality of battery cells in the second cell block. The third bus bar part includes a first part adjacent to the first bus bar part and a second part closer to the second bus bar part than the first part, and the third bus bar part connects the first bus bar part and the second bus bar part. The second part of this third bus bar part radiates heat more than the first part does (see this literature, claim 1, for example).
According to this structure, a part closer to the fuse (the first part) of the third bus bar part radiates less heat, and a part away from the fuse (the second part) radiates more heat. This means that the part closer to the fuse (the first part) is not restricted for the fuse function, such as a current value during the current interruption, and the fuse therefore fulfills the original function. The part away from the fuse (the second part) radiates more heat. This reduces heat generated at the fuse effectively due to the radiative effect so as to suppress the transmission of heat to other battery cells (see this literature, paragraph 0011, for example).


An apparatus for intended use in measuring, sensing, or detecting a characteristic of a fluid, such as a liquid food product, is disclosed. The apparatus includes a body having a pocket for positioning adjacent to the opening in a pipe or like structure for receiving a portion of a fluid therein. In one possible use, a first optical medium, such as an optical fiber, transmits light from a source toward a portion of the fluid flow entering the pocket. Light received by one or more optical mediums positioned in backscatter, sidescatter, or transmission configurations relative to the first optical medium is detected by a corresponding sensor or detector. Using the output of this sensor or detector, an optical characteristic of the fluid may be measured. An overall system using the apparatus and related method for detecting an optical characteristic of a fluid are also disclosed.

The food, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries rely heavily on the use of devices for measuring, sensing, or detecting characteristics of a fluid, such as a liquid containing particles. For example, optical sensors are frequently used to detect characteristics of milk in an effort to determine the amount of a particular component present, such as milkfat or casein. The amount of the component detected or sensed then determines whether the fluid meets a certain criteria before undergoing further processing or whether it is suitable for a particular use (i.e., in the case of milk, whether it is suitable for making a particular type, grade, or variety of cheese). Such devices may also be used for detecting when transitions from one fluid product to another occur in a pipeline (i.e., milk to water) or when a cleaning fluid passing through the pipeline reaches a particular level of optical clarity.
In one type of sensing arrangement, light is transmitted from a remote source to a first optical transmitter projecting directly into the stream of fluid passing through a cylindrical pipe segment forming part of a pipeline. A corresponding light receiver is positioned directly opposite the transmitter for receiving any light passing through the fluid as it flows along the pipeline. A light sensor or photodetector associated with or coupled to the receiver detects the amount of light received and generates a corresponding output signal. Using this output signal, a prediction may be made regarding the type of fluid present and/or the amount of a particular substance (e.g., milkfat particles, casein, etc.) in the fluid moving through the pipeline.
While this "transmision" type of sensor arrangement generally permits taking of the desired measurements in an acceptable manner, there are several well-recognized limitations. One significant limitation is that the transmitter and receiver typically project transversely into the fluid flow from the outer wall of the pipeline. Of course, this positioning severely disrupts the fluid flow and may have a deleterious effect on the sensing accuracy. The large physical distance (path length) also limits transmission measurements to relatively clear fluids. Meaningful measurements with whole milk, cream, and other thick fluids cannot be made with the typical transmission sensor. This problem has been addressed by firms such as Wedgewood and Daritek by fabricating lenses that protrude into the fluid. Daritek lists an optical path length (OPC) of 5, 100, and 20 millimeters for their sensor, and Wedgewood explains that custom path lengths are available. However, one of the technical problems with a protruding optical means having a short path length is stability. For example, vibrations, and especially thermal movement of the wall, results in relatively large displacement in the path length. This increases signal error, especially in highly turbid fluids. The protrusion of an optical means into the flow stream may also inhibit fluid flow.
In an effort to prevent this disruption, others have proposed positioning one or more lenses in the outer wall of the pipeline to separate the transmitter and receiver from the fluid flow. However, this increases the path length and complicates the arrangement. Perhaps more importantly, it also prevents the light path distance between the transmitter and the receiver from being easily adjusted.
Accordingly, a need is identified for an improved apparatus for use in measuring, sensing, or detecting a characteristic of a fluid. The apparatus would be inexpensive to manufacture and would be readily adaptable for use with existing fluid vessels, containers, or pipelines. Furthermore, it would allow for the adjustable positioning of one or more devices or units for transmitting/receiving energy to the fluid without creating any significant disturbance therein. Moreover, the apparatus would allow for mounting of the transmitter/receiver in not only a backscatter or transmission configuration, but also in a sidescatter configuration. This would possibly allow for more precise measurements to be taken, including in dense fluids. Overall, the apparatus would result in a significant improvement in terms of reliability and ease of use, especially as compared to the prior art optical sensing arrangement described above.

System and method for sensing a characteristic of a fluid and related apparatus

University of Kentucky Research Foundation


Aspects of a method and system for a sliding window phase estimator for wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) automatic frequency correction are presented. Aspects of the system may include one or more circuits that enable adjustment of a current demodulation frequency for receiving at least one subsequent symbol based on a computed weighted sum of a plurality of computed frequency error values. Each of the plurality of computed frequency error values may be derived from a current symbol, a corresponding previous symbol, and/or a previous frequency error value. The current symbol may include a current received symbol segment and one or more previously received symbol segments.

Cellular communication systems provide wireless communication services in many populated areas of the world. While cellular communication systems were initially constructed to service voice communications, they are now called upon to support data communications as well. The demand for data communication services has exploded with the acceptance and widespread use of the Internet. While data communications have historically been serviced via wired connections, cellular users now demand that their wireless units also support data communications. Many wireless subscribers now expect to "surf" the Internet, access email, and perform other data communication activities using their cellular phones, wireless personal data assistants, wirelessly linked notebook computers, and/or other wireless devices. The demand for data communications in wireless communication systems continues to increase with time. Thus, existing wireless communication systems are currently being created or modified to service these burgeoning data communication demands.
Cellular networks include a network infrastructure that wirelessly communicates with wireless terminals within a respective service area. The network infrastructure typically includes a plurality of base stations dispersed throughout the service area, each of which supports wireless communications within a respective cell or set of sectors. The base stations may be coupled to base station controllers (BSCs), with each BSC serving a plurality of base stations. Each BSC is coupled to a mobile switching center (MSC). Each BSC also typically directly or indirectly coupled to the Internet.
In operation, each base station (BS) communicates with a plurality of wireless terminals operating in its cell/sectors. A BSC coupled to the base station routes voice communications between the MSC and the serving base station. The MSC routes the voice communication to another MSC or to the PSTN, for example. The BSCs route data communications between a servicing base station and a packet data network that may include or couple to the Internet. Transmissions from base stations to wireless terminals are referred to as "forward link or downlink" transmissions while transmissions from wireless terminals to base stations are referred to as "reverse link or uplink" transmissions.
Third generation (3G) cellular networks have been specifically designed to fulfill these future demands of the mobile Internet. As these services grow in popularity and usage, factors such as cost efficient optimization of network capacity and quality of service (QoS) will become even more essential to cellular operators than it is today. These factors may be achieved with careful network planning and operation, improvements in transmission methods, and advances in receiver techniques. To this end, carriers need technologies that will allow them to increase downlink throughput and, in turn, offer advanced QoS capabilities and speeds that rival those delivered by cable modem and/or DSL service providers. In this regard, networks based on wideband CDMA (WCDMA) technology may make the delivery of data to end users a more feasible option for today's wireless carriers.
A mobile handset may synchronize its timing to the timing of a base station to enable the mobile handset to communicate via the network. In some conventional WCDMA networks, synchronization and timing acquisition between a mobile handset and a base station, or coarse acquisition, may comprise at least a 3-step process. The first step is referred to as a slot timing process. The second step may be referred to as a frame timing process. The third step may involve determining the scrambling code utilized by the base station that was identified during the slot timing and frame timing processes. A signal scrambled at a base station by utilizing a selected scrambling code may be unscrambled by utilizing the selected scrambling code at the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal may utilize a plurality of potential scrambling codes when determining which of the potential scrambling codes is utilized at the identified base station. The mobile terminal may utilize the selected scrambling code to unscramble a spread spectrum signal received from the base station.
After establishing coarse acquisition, the mobile handset may need to perform fine acquisition to adjust timing signals at the mobile handset to maintain synchronization with the base station in spite of Doppler effect frequency shifts that may occur with some mobile terminals, and other sources that may cause a loss of timing synchronization between the mobile handset and the base station. The mobile handset may perform fine acquisition by computing a frequency offset between a current received symbol and a previous received symbol. The mobile handset may receive a current symbol by accumulating a plurality of symbol segments. Similarly, the previous received symbol may comprise a plurality of symbol segments. The mobile handset may accumulate the symbol segments contained within the previous received symbol before beginning to accumulate symbol segments contained within the current received symbol. Consequently, the mobile handset may experience a one symbol delay between a time instant at which a current adjustment of timing signals may occur, and a time instant at which a subsequent adjustment of timing signals may occur.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

Method and system for a sliding window phase estimator for wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) automatic frequency correction


A fuel cell comprising a cathode catalyst layer, an anode catalyst layer including a conductive perfluoro-binder having a micellar structure formed by outwardly orienting hydrophilic groups and inwardly orienting hydrophobic (lipophilic) groups, and a proton conductive membrane provided between the cathode catalyst layer and the anode catalyst layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a fuel cell in which a liquid fuel or a vaporized fuel obtained by vaporizing the liquid fuel is supplied to an anode catalyst layer.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, various types of electronic devices such as personal computers and mobile telephones have been reduced in size as the semiconductor technology advances, and there have been attempts in which a fuel cell is used as the power source of a small-sized device. A fuel cell has such advantages that it can generate electrical power merely by supplying the fuel and oxidizer thereto, and it can continuously generate power merely by replacing the fuel. Therefore, when the downsizing can be achieved, it would create an extremely advantageous system for the operation of mobile electronic devices. Especially, the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) uses methanol having a high energy density as its fuel and can generate an electrical current on the electrode catalyst from methanol. Thus, this cell does not require a reformer, and therefore it can be reduced in size. Since the handling of the fuel is easy as compared to that of a hydrogen gas fuel, it is a hopeful power source for small-sized devices.
Known methods for supplying the fuel of DMFC include a gas supplying DMFC for sending a liquid fuel into the fuel cell with a blower or the like after vaporizing the liquid fuel, a liquid supplying DMFC for directly sending a liquid fuel into the fuel cell with a pump or the like, and an internal-vaporization DMFC as shown in Japanese Patent No. 3413111. The internal-vaporization DMFC discloses a fuel penetration layer which retains the liquid fuel and a fuel transmitting layer that diffuses vaporized components of the liquid fuel retained in the fuel penetration layer, and has such a structure that the vaporized components of the liquid fuel is supplied from the fuel transmitting layer to the fuel electrode.
However, power performance of DMFC are not sufficient as compared with those of fuel cells using the hydrogen gas fuel since resistance of the reaction for internal reforming of methanol is high.


A hydrogen-rich reformate gas generator (36), such as a mini-CPO, POX, ATR or other hydrogen generator provides warm, dry, hydrogen-rich reformate gas to a hydrogen desulfurizer (17) which provides desulfurized feedstock gas to a major reformer (14) (such as a CPO) which, after processing in a water-gas shift reactor (26) and preferential CO oxidizer (27) produces hydrogen-containing reformate in a line (31) for use, for instance, as fuel for a fuel cell power plant. The expensive prior art hydrogen blower (30) is thereby eliminated, thus reducing parasitic power losses in the power plant. The drier reformate provided by the small hydrogen generator to the hydrogen desulfurizer favors hydrogen sulfide adsorption on zinc oxide and helps to reduce sulfur to the parts per billion level.

Fuel cell power plants use hydrogen as the fuel. Current technology includes conversion of hydrocarbon feeds to hydrogen by passing natural gas through a desulfurizer, a catalytic partial oxidizer (or other reformer), a water-gas shift reactor, and a preferential carbon monoxide oxidizer for the generation of significant hydrogen for use as a fuel in a fuel cell, in which hydrogen and oxygen on opposite sides of the electrolyte are converted to electricity and water, in the known fashion.
Referring to FIG. 1, hydrogen reformate is generated in a line 13 by a major reformer 14, such as a catalytic partial oxidizer (CPO), an auto-thermal reformer or a steam reformer, which in turn receives desulfurized hydrocarbon fuel, such as natural gas, over a line 16 from a hydrogen desulfurizer 17. The hydrogen desulfurizer 17 receives hydrocarbon fuel over a line 19. The CPO 14 also receives humidified air, from a suitable source such as an enthalpy recovery device, over a line 23. In the CPO 14, the hydrocarbons in the fuel react with the humidified air on a catalyst, such as rhodium, iridium or zirconia, to produce in the line 13 reformate which, for methane feedstock, is roughly 37% hydrogen, 14% CO, 4% CO2 and traces of other gases, which is further processed with water from a line 24 in a water-gas shift reactor 26 and a preferential CO oxidizer 27 to make it suitable for use as fuel in a line 31, such as for a fuel cell.
However, the hydrogen desulfurizer requires hydrogen enrichment in order to convert sulfur compounds, such as thiophene, into hydrogen sulfide, which is captured on adsorbents, such as zinc oxide. This hydrogen is provided by a hydrogen recycle blower 30 which pressurizes hydrogen from the line 31 and applies it over lines 32 and 33 to the hydrogen desulfurizer 17. A plurality of valves 34 allow adjustment of the processes, all as is known.
Problems with this system include the fact that the hydrogen blower 30 is expensive, and it consumes on the order of 2 kW of the power generated by the fuel cell for a 150 kW fuel cell power plant. Additionally, there is a significant amount of steam present in the hydrogen recycle stream 32 which has a negative impact on the hydrogen sulfide adsorption on zinc oxide in the hydrogen desulfurizer 17. This can impair the reduction of the level of sulfur, which must reach the parts-per-billion (pbb) level for fuel cell applications and to avoid rapid deactivation of catalysts used in the process.

Hydrogen generator for hydrogen desulfurization of hydrocarbon feeds


An associative cache memory for a computer with improved cache hit times. All possible data items are presented to bus driver circuits, thereby deferring data selection as long as possible. Driving and multiplexing are combined. The output of tag comparison directly selects at most one set of driver circuits. As a result, the only processing time in series with tag comparison is driver circuit selection. Since the data selection delay in series with tag comparison delay is reduced, the time delay is reduced for a clock edge for data driving after tag comparison, thereby enabling a faster clock.

Most computer systems employ a multilevel hierarchy of memory systems, with fast but limited capacity memory at the highest level of the hierarchy and proceeding to slower but higher capacity memory at the lowest level of the hierarchy. Typically, the hierarchy includes a small fast memory called a cache, either physically integrated within a processor integrated circuit or mounted physically close to the processor for speed. There may be separate instruction caches and data caches. There may be multiple levels of caches.
If a processor requests an item from a cache and the item is present in the cache, the event is called a cache hit. If a processor requests an item from a cache and the item is not present in the cache, the event is called a cache miss. In the event of a cache miss, the requested item is retrieved from a lower level of the memory hierarchy. In many processor designs, the time required to access an item for a cache hit is one of the primary limiters for the clock rate of the processor. Therefore, optimization of cache hit timing is critical for performance. There is an ongoing need for improvement in cache hit times for computer processors.
The minimum amount of memory that can be transferred into or out of a cache is called a line, or sometimes a block. Typically, memory is organized into words (for example, 32 bits per word) and a line is typically multiple words (for example, 16 words per line). Memory may also be divided into pages, with many lines per page.
If a cache stores an entire line address along with the data, any data line can be placed anywhere in the cache. If a line can be placed anywhere in the cache, the cache is said to be fully associative. As a space saving alternative, the least significant bits of an address may be used to designate one specific location within the cache, with the remaining set of more significant bits of each address stored along with the data. The number used to designate a location within a cache is commonly called an index and the remaining set of bits required to define a physical address for a line is commonly called a tag. In a cache with indexing, a line with a particular address can be placed only at the one place within the cache designated by the index. If a line can appear at only one place in the cache, the cache is said to be direct mapped (and is said to have low associativity). In an alternative design, a cache may be organized into sets, each set containing two or more lines. If a line can be placed in only one of the sets, the cache is said to be set associative.
With direct mapping, when a line is requested, only one line in the cache has matching index bits. Therefore, the data can be retrieved immediately and driven onto a data bus before the system determines whether the rest of the address matches. The data may or may not be valid, but in the usual case where it is valid, the data bits are available on a bus before the system determines validity. With associative caches, it is not known which line corresponds to an address until the full address is compared. That is, in associative caches, the result of tag comparison is used to select which data bits are presented to the processor. In associative caches, the longest task time is often the time required to compare the tag of the requested line to the tags of the lines within the cache and this tag comparison time must be in series with at least part of data selection time. There is a need for improvement in the overall time for tag comparison and data selection for associative caches.

Associative cache memory with improved hit time


A radio frequency amplifying device according to an embodiment includes load impedance calculating circuitry and controlling circuitry. The load impedance calculating circuitry is configured to calculate a load impedance on the basis of information about a voltage standing wave rate and a phase on an output side of radio frequency amplifying circuitry. The controlling circuitry is configured to adjust a gain and a phase of a signal to be input to the radio frequency amplifying circuitry, in accordance with the load impedance calculated by the load impedance calculating circuitry.

Conventionally, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) apparatuses employ a radio frequency amplifying device configured to amplify a radio frequency. In the radio frequency amplifying device, for example, unmatched impedances may be caused as a result of a load impedance fluctuating from a specified value, for example, and linearity may therefore decrease in some situations.

Radio frequency amplifying device and magnetic resonance imaging apparatus


A method and system for implementing an extensible audit trail for electronic and computerized systems is disclosed. A defined audit ID is assigned to a given activity, and that audit ID is distributed along with each jump between systems when performing the activity. In addition, a set of mandatory attribute information is recorded at each system involved in the activity. Each system may also record a set of system specific attribute information. During the audit process, records are searched and collected for the appropriate audit ID value.

The invention relates to computer systems, and more particularly to a method and mechanism for implementing an extensible audit trail.
Many business and personal activities in the modem world result in interactions with computerized systems. Even the simplest activities may result in interactions with a varied chain of interrelated computerized systems. In many cases, a first computerized system may jump to one or more other computerized systems or "hubs" to perform a requested activity. For example, a consumer performing the activity of making a purchase at a store may result in a first operation at a cashier computing system, which interacts with an inventory tracking system as well as a credit card authorization system, with the credit card authorization system interacting with the banking system for the consumer's credit card issuer, with the banking system interacting with one or more back-end database systems that track the consumer's account balance and credit limit, etc.
It is often desirable to allow auditing operations to be performed against these computerized interactions. Such auditing operations will attempt to obtain and correlate the set of interrelated records resulting from a given activity or set of activities. This type of auditing is particularly useful for businesses that seek to investigate cases of error, crime, or fraud that occur against computerized systems, e.g., to investigate improper or illegal credit card use.
A significant hurdle faced by most organizations seeking to perform auditing operations is that different systems may record information about events or operations in many different ways and in many different data formats. Moreover, the set of information that is recorded may differ from system to system. In addition, it may be difficult or impossible to correlate the information from the different systems to a related activity or set of activities, since multiple jumps between systems may result in loss of information about the original requestor for the activity.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a method and system for implementing an extensible audit trail for electronic and computerized systems. In one embodiment, a defined audit ID is assigned to a given activity, and that audit ID is distributed along with each jump between systems when performing the activity. In addition, a set of mandatory attribute information is recorded at each system involved in the activity. Each system may also record a set of system specific attribute information. During the audit process, records are searched and collected for the appropriate audit ID value. Further details of aspects, objects, and advantages of the invention are described below in the detailed description, drawings, and claims.

Method and system for implementing an extensible audit trail


A device for electroacoustic diffusion includes a basket; a balance supported by the basket, made of balsa wood or formed with a balsa wood stripe fixed at its ends with a coil glued at its middle; a balsa wood membrane supported by the basket; a suspension adjacent to the membrane and supported by the basket; and an electroacoustic structure adjacent the basket and opposite the balance. The electroacoustic structure includes a first plate adjacent the basket, a second plate, a magnet between the first plate and the second plate, and a coil between the first plate and the second plate. The membrane can take on various shapes, including: (a) a truncated-cone shape, including triangular pieces of balsa wood, steam folded, glued, and placed with fibers of the balsa wood in a radial orientation, (b) a dome-shape, and (c) a planar shape.

The present invention concerns a device for electroacoustic diffusion comprising diaphragms, balances, and trumpets, made out of balsa wood or mixtures including balsa wood.
It is well known that electroacoustic diffusers, also called loudspeakers, transform electric signals into acoustic energy by means of the vibration of a diaphragm, which usually has a conic shape, a dome-shape, or a planar shape.
The material used for constructing the membrane is fundamental for obtaining the desired electroacoustic features. Research for obtaining the best response from the point of view of the electroacoustic effects, the psychoacoustic effects, and the tone-color of the sound, has led to the use of materials that have various determined features like lightness and non-deformability.
The lightness property allows one to obtain correct reproduction of the high frequencies, while the non-deformability property determines the ability of the material to be exposed to considerable acoustic pressures without distortions due to deformations of the material.
It is easy enough to find materials with the above mentioned features; the use of materials derived from aerospace technologies has allowed one to obtain optimal electroacoustic features, but these materials confer a particular tone-color which often makes the sounds sound reproduced and far removed from a natural tone-color.
One of the reasons that has led to the use of cellulose--which is at present the most widely used material--is that its tone-color is the most natural if compared with other materials that are more rigid and heavy.
Also mixtures of metal and synthetic materials have been used, and this was always with the purpose of obtaining lightness, non-deformability, and correct tone-color.
The main problem remains one of obtaining a non "colored" sound, i.e., the most natural possible sound and, where it may be accepted, a pleasant coloring.
For getting as near as possible to a natural reproduction of the sound, membranes have been developed out of fir-wood, which, even if they are very rigid, have a correct tone-color. These membranes, however, have the problem of being heavy, which prevents one from obtaining acceptable speeds at those frequencies that are not low.
Diffusers have been produced with vibrating wood stripes of different lengths, so as to have different masses according to the frequency to be reproduced, but the dynamic, i.e., the capacity of obtaining quick variations of acoustic pressure, is rather reduced due to the physical structure of the diffuser, because the stripes always have considerable inertia due to their total weight.

Device for electroacoostic diffusion, with diaphragms, spiders and horns of balsa wood or mixtures thereof


In a semiconductor memory integrated circuit (IC), a plurality of first data IO pads, a plurality of address and instruction pads, and a plurality of second data IO/address pads, are arranged in groups adjacent each other. Each of the plurality of the second data IO/address pads is used as a second data IO pad in response to a control signal when packaged into a first package form and is used as an address pad in response to the control signal when packaged into a second package form. The semiconductor memory IC of the present invention can selectively use a portion of pads as data IO pads or address/instruction pads, and thus the IC is compatible for use with different types of packages. The semiconductor memory IC of the present invention further allows for simplified wire bonding when it is packaged into different types of packages, and thus the possibility of failure of the semiconductor memory device is reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory integrated circuit(IC), and more particularly to a semiconductor memory IC in which semiconductor memory ICs having the same circuit configuration and pad arrangement can be packaged into different types of IC packages.
2. Description of Related Art
Even though conventional semiconductor memory integrated circuits(ICs) generally share the same configuration, they may have a different pad structure, depending on the form or type of IC package in which they are to be packaged.
For example, a semiconductor memory IC which is packaged into a thin small outline package (TSOP) and a semiconductor memory IC which is packaged into a ball grip array (BGA) will have a different pad arrangement from each other.
FIG. 1 shows an X16 TSOP semiconductor memory device which employs a conventional semiconductor memory IC.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 represents a TSOP semiconductor memory device, reference numeral 12 represents a semiconductor memory IC in the TSOP semiconductor memory device, reference numeral 12-1 represents data input/output (IO) pads in the semiconductor memory IC (which can be implemented as an X36 semiconductor memory device), and reference numeral 12-2 represents address and instruction pads in the semiconductor memory IC. "DQ" represents data IO pins, and "ADD" and "CMD" represent address and instruction pins.
As can be seen in FIG. 1, pads of the semiconductor memory IC 12 of the conventional TSOP semiconductor memory device 10 are arranged on left and right sides of the data IO pads 12-1 and the address and instruction pads 12-2, respectively. Also, the corresponding data IO pins DQ, and the address and instruction pins ADD and CMD, are similarly arranged on left and right sides of the conventional TSOP semiconductor memory device 10.
FIG. 2 shows an X36 BGA package semiconductor memory device which employs a conventional semiconductor memory IC.
In FIG. 2, reference numeral 20 represents a BGA package semiconductor memory device. Like reference numerals of FIGS. 1 and 2 denote like components. "1DQ" represents first data IO (input/output) balls, "ADD" and "CMD" represent address and instruction balls, and "2DQ" represents second data IO balls.
As can be seen in FIG. 2, the first data IO balls 1DQ are positioned at a left side of the package, the address and instruction balls ADD and CMD are positioned at a central portion of the package, and the second data IO balls 2DQ are arranged at a right portion of the package. Here, of 36 data IO balls, the first data IO balls 1DQ represent 18 data IO balls, and the second data IO balls 2DQ represent the rest 18 data IO balls.
Therefore, in the case where the semiconductor memory IC having the same circuit configuration and pad arrangement as that shown in FIG. 1 is packaged into the X36 BGA package semiconductor memory device, the wire bonding process is not straightforward, because the distance between the data IO pads 12-1 and the second data IO balls 2DQ is too far, and thus failure of the semiconductor memory device is more likely due to improper wire bonding.
It is thus impossible to manufacture the semiconductor memory IC 12 to have a circuit configuration and pad arrangement that is similar in arrangement to, and therefore compatible with, the layout of both the X16 TSOP and X36 BGA semiconductor device packages. For this reason, in this example, there is a disadvantage in that a semiconductor memory IC having a pad arrangement for the X36 BGA package semiconductor memory device should be separately manufactured.
In view of the above, in a conventional semiconductor memory IC, it is difficult, if not impossible, to package a semiconductor memory IC having the same circuit configuration and pad arrangement into different types of semiconductor memory device packages having a different number of data IO pins, or a different layout of data IO pins, without the need for re-manufacturing the semiconductor memory IC.


A processing apparatus which stores a first information piece about attributes identifying a specific process generating data input/output requests in such a manner that the first information piece is associated with a second information piece identifying at least one of the physical paths as at least one first physical path, and which, when transmitting first data input/output requests generated by the process identified by the first information piece to the storage apparatus, transmits the first data input/output requests to the storage apparatus via the first physical path identified by the second information piece associated with the first information piece and, when transmitting second data input/output requests generated by a process not identified by the first information piece to the storage apparatus, transmits the second data input/output requests to the storage apparatus via at least one second physical path different from the first physical path of the plurality of physical paths.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a processing apparatus, a processing apparatus control method and a program.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, as information technology has advanced, technology has been being developed which is intended to improve input/output performances and reliabilities by connecting a processing apparatus and a storage apparatus with a plurality of input/output paths. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,526,521.
In the case where a processing apparatus and a storage apparatus are connected with a plurality of input/output paths, the processing apparatus selects one of the plurality of input/output paths to transmit a data input/output request to a storage apparatus. The selection of an input/output path is performed according to a round-robin scheme in which an input/output path is selected sequentially from the input/output paths, taking load dispersion into account.

Method and apparatus for managing i/o paths on a storage network