The change between a dispersed state and a flocculated state of a colloidal agent (e.g. Congo Rubin, colloidal gold) is used to provide sensitive visual detection and optionally assay of enzyme in a sample. The test cell includes a substrate for the enzyme, and, depending on the action of the enzyme, polymer which protects the colloid from electrolyte-induced flocculation is either formed or destroyed by the test reaction. In a test for a hydrolytic enzyme (e.g. a protease) the colloid loses protection and flocculates. In a test for a polymer-forming enzyme, the colloid gains protection and is prevented from flocculating by added electrolyte, or alternatively, depending on the polymer's behavior, becomes more sensitive to the flocculating action of the added electrolyte. The measurement may be quantitated using an instrumental monitor. The test uses a natural substrate for the enzyme to be assayed (e.g., gelatin for the gelatinase class of enzymes) and may achieve rapid speed. The test may be performed using a biologically-derived sample for diagnostically relevant purposes, e.g. to detect an enzyme indicative of periodontal disease. A kit for performing the test is also disclosed.

The present invention provides means for the detection of hydrolytic enzymes and of polymer-forming enzymes. Elastase is an example of a hydrolytic enzyme. It is an endopeptidase which will digest or cleave a wide variety of protein substrates. It is conventionally assayed by any of several methods involving the measurement of the amount of insoluble elastin substrate solubilized by enzyme digestion. The most convenient assays are those which involve the colorimetric determination of the amount of dye released into solution from digestion of dyed elastin substrates such as Congo Red-elastin, azoelastin, and orcein-elastin.
The Congo Red-elastin method of Naughton and Sanger is a use of fibrin dyed with Congo Red to measure general proteolytic activity. This procedure involves the use of a thoroughly dyed preparation of the substrate elastin. The colored solution that results from the reaction must be separated and subsequently measured, since it is the same color as the starting material. It would be desirable to provide a different means for detection, whereby, as in the present invention, a positive result produces a visibly detected color change not requiring separation.
Glucosyltransferase (GTF) is an example of a polymer-forming enzyme: it catalyzes the synthesis of water-soluble and water insoluble long chain polymers from the substrate sucrose (Buchan et al., Dibdin and Shellis). One method of detecting this enzyme is by using radioactively-labeled sucrose. Reacting this with GTF, any water soluble polymer product which forms is adsorbed onto filter paper separate from the sucrose substrate. The amount of radioactivity incorporated into polymer is measured by conventional scintillation counting. Water insoluble polysaccharide product is measured instrumentally by the measurement of turbidity in a clear solution containing sucrose and the enzyme, or alternatively by measuring the incorporation of radioactivity into polymer which adheres to the sides of an inclined glass test tube containing radiolabeled sucrose and glucosyltransferase.
There are various agglutination assays that use a flocculating colloid to indicate the result. One example is the polystyrene latex agglutination test. An aggregation of polystyrene latex colloidal particles occurs when adsorbed or coupled antibody attached to the particles' surface reacts with antigen in an aqueous sample (U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,558). Another example (U.S. Pat. No. 4,313,734) employs colloidal metal sols to produce a color change. However, these agglutination assays are based on ligand binding and do not provide a means for detecting an enzyme.
Using bovine serum albumin (BSA) and gelatin, a melted, denatured form of collagen, and Congo Red, a colloidal dyestuff, I discovered that high concentrations of BSA or gelatin tend to protect colloidal dyes from flocculation by a concentration of simple salts-sodium or potassium chloride-which ordinarily would have flocculated had the BSA or gelatin not been added. This is an example of colloidal protection.

Detection and measurement of destructive and polymer forming enzymes by colloidal flocculation


Speed-up of a die bonding process for mounting a semiconductor chip onto a wiring substrate and improvement of a semiconductor package manufacturing yield are to be attained. A paste applicator comprises a drive section and a movable section supported by the drive section. The movable section includes a holder body adapted to move vertically along a main shaft with rotation of a motor in the drive section and a nozzle holder screwed to the holder body. A nozzle secured to a lower end of a syringe is screwed to the nozzle holder. Using a height sensor fixed to a main shaft support portion in the drive section, the paste applicator detects a positional deviation quantity with time of the movable section relative to the drive section and corrects a descent distance of the movable section on the basis of the positional deviation quantity.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device manufacturing technique and more particularly to a technique applicable effectively to the manufacture of a semiconductor device, including a die bonding step of bonding a semiconductor chip to a wiring substrate or the like with use of adhesive paste.
Recently, in the field of small-sized electronic devices such as portable terminal communication devices, a stacked package in which plural semiconductor chips are mounted in a three-dimensional manner onto a small-sized wiring substrate has been used practically for the purpose of promoting a high-density packaging of a semiconductor device.
As a die bonding method for bonding a semiconductor chip onto a wiring substrate or onto another semiconductor chip there is adopted a method wherein a tape with pressure-sensitive adhesive called Die Attach Film is affixed beforehand to a back surface of a semiconductor chip and is heated to bond the semiconductor chip to a base to be coated or a method wherein adhesive paste (hereinafter referred to simply as "paste") is applied to a wiring substrate or the surface of a semiconductor chip with use of a paste applicator and a semiconductor chip is bonded thereon.
Patent Literature 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 8(1996)-57382) discloses a device for detecting the height of a liquid application nozzle wherein in adjacency to a nozzle for applying a liquid material to the surface of a plate-like workpiece there are disposed plural height sensors which are moved integrally with the nozzle so that the liquid material can be applied accurately to the surface of the plate-like workpiece having a warp.
[Patent Literature 1]
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 8 (1996)-57382

Manufacturing method of a semiconductor device, and paste applicator


A self-contained, hand-held, wireless engineering survey data collection system and method includes a survey data collector ruggedized to MIL-STD-810G, having a housing with a hand-held, tablet, form factor, and a processor, memory module, data storage, power source, and a full personal computer operating system. A user interface is supported by the housing and communicably coupled to the processor. A survey module configures the processor, memory module, data storage, and user interface to capture and store engineering survey data. Communications ports enable communication with peripheral devices. A survey-grade GNSS module configured for positioning accuracy within a margin of error of 3 cm, is supported by the housing and communicably couplable to the processor. An internal GNSS antenna is supported by the housing and communicably coupled to the GNSS module. The survey data collector is thus configured to capture engineering survey data including position data generated by the GNSS module.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to engineering surveying and data collection, and more particularly to a ruggedized hand held data collector capable of providing high precision, survey-grade GPS positioning, e.g., with accuracy to within 3 centimeters, while providing various alternate means of wireless communication.
2. Background Information
Throughout this application, various publications, patents and published patent applications are referred to by an identifying citation. The disclosures of the publications, patents and published patent applications referenced in this application are hereby incorporated by reference into the present disclosure.
High precision GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) receivers are commonly used in the surveying and construction industries. However, devices using these high precision GPS receivers have tended to be cumbersome and not well integrated for these industries. For example, users in these industries were required to carry a GPS receiver box in a backpack and move about a survey/construction site with a GPS antenna on a pole, and a data collector, with cables connecting the various components. Later, equipment manufacturers began to place the GPS receiver box on the pole, often mounted halfway up the pole below the antenna, sometimes integrated with the antenna. This was generally considered to be an improvement, but the pole tended to be top-heavy. Moreover, while hand-held GPS devices are available, such devices generally only provide low accuracy, e.g., 3-6 foot accuracy in real-time, while accuracy within about 3 cm or less is desired for surveying/construction applications. These conventional low precision devices also tend to be single purpose devices and/or consumer grade devices which are generally unsuitable for use in an engineering surveying environment where they are expected to be subjected to generally rough handling and potentially severe environmental conditions.
Users must typically carry additional devices, such as two-way radios, cell phones, and internet connectable devices for communication and data transfer. The need for multiple devices is often exacerbated by the different competing formats/protocols that are in use. For example, for positioning, both the GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) system operated by the U.S., and the GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System) operated by Russia, may be used, which typically requires mutually distinct receivers. Similarly, conventional point to point two-way radio may be needed for voice communication in areas lacking cellular coverage, while cellular communication may be used in other locales. Data transfer may require yet additional formats/protocols, including 802.11x and/or cellular/3G, etc., depending on the installed base of legacy equipment currently in use by a particular user/organization.
Thus, a need exists for a single device capable of addressing one or more of the aforementioned unresolved issues.

High precision hand-held engineering survey/position data collector tablet computer


An air canister for an air cylinder including a valve is provided. The air canister includes an externally threaded head including an axial chamber and a first sealing ring put on a first groove; an internally threaded cap secured to the head; a spring biased sliding rod including an internal first passage, an internal second passage being blocked from the first passage and extending out of the head and the cap, a first port having a first end communicating with the first passage, and a second port having a first end communicating with the second passage; an externally threaded sleeve secured to both the head and the cap and including a second sealing ring put on an internal second groove, a third sealing ring put on an internal third groove, and a fourth sealing ring put on a fourth groove; and a C-ring clamped onto the sliding rod.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to air canisters for air gun and more particularly to such an air canister attached to an air cylinder mounted in a pistol grip of an air gun with improved characteristics.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional air canister mechanism is provided in a pistol grip of an air gun. The air canister mechanism comprises a rack in the pistol grip and adapted to accommodate an air canister in connection with a plastic bullet supplying and firing system of the air gun, the rack having left and right finger holes; a bottom stop mounted in the rack; a biasing member mounted in the rack and supported on the stop; a push member secured to the biasing member and adapted to support the air canister in the rack, the push member having a threaded shank extending from a head and threaded into the biasing member, the head of the push member having bottom risers; an anti-skip disk mounted on the threaded shank and having a plurality of top recesses, the recesses engaging the risers and having a toothed portion on a bottom; and a spring member mounted on the push member and stopped between the biasing member and the anti-skip disk, the spring member having a top end engaged the toothed portion and a bottom end secured to the biasing member.
While the above identified air canister mechanism functions well, continuous improvements of the art are constantly sought.


A method for identifying at least one nuclear threat to homeland security, wherein such each nuclear threat is either hidden inside at least one cargo container before transit, or is placed inside at least one cargo container while in transit. Each such nuclear threat while interacting with its surroundings generates a unique nuclear threat signature. The method comprises: (A) detecting at least one nuclear threat signature; (B) measuring a background nuclear threat signature distribution in a nuclear threat-free environment; (C) comparing each detected nuclear threat signature with the background nuclear threat signature distribution; (D) if deviation of the detected nuclear threat signature from the background nuclear threat signature distribution is statistically significant, selecting the detected nuclear threat signature to be a part of an array of statistically significant detected nuclear threat signatures; and (E) substantially continuously processing the array of selected statistically significant detected nuclear threat signatures in order to determine a likelihood of each such nuclear threat.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of threat detection and identification, and more specifically, to the field of detection and identification of nuclear threats hidden inside cargo shipments.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Guarding against illicit cargo trying to enter the country by land, sea or air shipping containers is a difficult problem. Each year more than 48 million loaded cargo containers move between the world's seaports. Six million loaded cargo containers arrive in the U.S. each year, but only 5 percent have their content visually inspected or x-rayed, opening the possibility that the terrorists could use them to smuggle in nuclear material, explosives, or even themselves.
Combinations of multiple modes of sensing (sensor fusion) is well-known to offer performance advantages in different fields. For example, in mine detection, different sensing techniques have been advantageously combined to give greater detection sensitivity and certainty than seen with single sensing capabilities.
What is needed is to apply a sensor fusion technique to the art of detection of nuclear threats hidden inside shipping containers.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Detection of nuclear materials hidden inside cargo shipments by using sensor fusion technique


A computer-implemented method and system provide for externalizing data in process execution environments. The method includes extracting a data model from a domain specification. The data model includes a set of business objects, at least some of the business objects being linked to a domain-specific activity type by a business object relation. A database is generated from the data model which is accessible through an application program interface. Provision is made for a user to generate a domain-specific process model with links to business objects in the domain specification. The domain-specific process model is transformed to a domain-independent process model which has access to the database through the application program interface at runtime.

The exemplary embodiment relates to business process design and finds particular application in connection with a system and method for generating complex integrated development environments for domain-specific business processes that enable externalization and sharing of domain-specific business objects.
Business Process Management (BPM) provides a methodology and tools that enable the management of business processes (BPs) as they evolve throughout their lifecycles. BPM includes business process design, which enables the expression of the inner workings of BPs to render them executable. A Business Process Management Suite (BPMS) executes the business processes and connects them to various enterprise resources, such as a personnel directory, various legacy applications, and, in some cases, to the organization's Service Oriented Architecture(s) (SOA). An enterprise SOA typically manages the reusable technical services used to execute tasks that occur in business processes.
BPs are often modeled in abstract terms by business-oriented users who have a good business knowledge and understanding of the various roles in the organization, but who are not necessarily familiar with the details of the Information Technology (IT) services that will ultimately be used to implement the processes in the SOA. Using BPM, business analysts can design, manage and control business processes themselves, up to the execution and analysis of the results.
Currently, BPM solutions are domain-independent and platform-dependent. See, Mos, A., "Domain specific monitoring of business processes using concept probes," Service-Oriented Computing (ICSOC) Workshops, pp. 213-224. Springer (2015) and U.S. application Ser. No. 15/228,493, filed Aug. 4, 2016, entitled GENERATING DOMAIN-SPECIFIC PROCESS STUDIOS, by Adrian C. Mos, et al., collectively referred to herein as "Mos 2016." Different users within an organization use different tools, based on their expertise. Business experts generate a description of the specific business domain, such as logistics, healthcare, document outsourcing, etc. Business analysts, in turn, model the business domain with dedicated tools (i.e., model specific type of task with implicit domain knowledge). Business-oriented users then use a language such as the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) language to describe the business process. However, BPMN is considered to be too generic and technical for use by business experts, limiting the involvement of such experts, in particular for design and governance activities. BPMN provides limited support for data modeling, which is a key aspect for BPM. See, Rosemann, M., et al., "The six core elements of business process management," Handbook on Business Process Management 1, pp. 105-122, Springer (2015). This results in a plethora of platform-specific BPM tools for data management. Such BPM tools tend to force the process designer to define and manage business objects of a business process in a tightly-coupled way with the execution platform. This limits the design capabilities for data, and makes the designer completely dependent on a specific platform. If an organization decides to move to another BPM platform, or has to adapt to a specific workflow engine, the data-migration can be very costly and error prone. The new platform may propose to import the organization's data model. But this can entail a large platform-specific integration effort.
There is therefore a need for a domain-specific and platform-independent approach to externalize process data and easily connect it to the workflow.

Data management externalization for workflow definition and execution


A diffuse reflective article is provided including a diffuse reflector of light positioned within a structure defining an optical cavity. The diffuse reflector is a nonwoven sheet containing a plurality of inter-fiber and intra-fiber pores of optimal light scattering dimension. Also provided is an optical display, including: (i) a structure defining an optical cavity; (ii) a light source positioned within the optical cavity; (iii) a display panel through which light from the light source passes; and (iv) a diffuse reflector positioned within the optical cavity for reflecting light from the light source toward the display panel, wherein the diffuse reflector is a nonwoven sheet containing a plurality of inter-fiber and intra-fiber pores of optimal light scattering dimension.

1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates to a diffuse reflective article having a nonwoven sheet diffuse reflector containing pores of high light scattering efficiency and having a high photopic reflectance of visible light.
2. Description of Related Art.
Special light reflectant surfaces are used in a variety of applications requiring visible light to be almost completely reflected while providing an even distribution of light from the surface. While mirrored surfaces can provide nearly perfect reflectivity of visible light, the light energy exiting these surfaces does so only at an angle equal to the incident angle. For many applications it is important that visible light be reflected from a surface in a distribution. This property is referred to as diffuse or Lambertian reflectance. Lambertian reflection of light is the uniform diffuse reflection of light from a material in all directions with no directional dependence for the viewer according to Lambert's cosine law. Diffuse reflection originates from a combination of external scattering of light from features on the surface of a material, and internal scattering of light from features within a material. Internal light scattering can arise, for example, from features within a material such as pores, particles or different crystalline phases. The light scattering cross section per unit feature volume of materials containing closely spaced refractive index inhomogenaities is maximized when the mean diameter of the features is slightly less than one-half the wavelength of the incident light. The degree of light scattering is also increased when there is a large difference in the refractive index of the scattering feature and the phase in which it is dispersed.
Diffuse reflectivity of visible light is critical in many applications. Direct view displays used in electronic equipment (e.g., instrument panels, portable computer screens, liquid crystal displays (LCDs)), whether relying on supplemental lights (e.g., backlight) or ambient light, require diffuse reflectant back surfaces to maximize image quality and intensity. Reflectivity is particularly critical with backlit direct view displays in battery powered equipment, where reflectivity improvements directly relate to smaller required light sources and thus lower power demands.
Portable computer LCDs are a substantial and demanding market requiring high levels of diffuse reflection of visible light from very thin materials. For certain markets it is critical that the backlight reflector is relatively thin, i.e., less than 250 μm and often less than 150 μm, to minimize the thickness of the completed display.
The reflective material used in LCD backlights has a significant effect on the brightness, uniformity, color and stability of the backlight unit and, ultimately, the LCD module. For a direct view LCD backlight, requirements for the reflector include high photopic reflectance (e.g., >95%) and high stability under use conditions including cavity temperatures of 50° C. to 70° C., high stability to ultraviolet (UV) light from cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) sources, high humidity and temperature cycling. In direct view backlights, the reflector is an integral part of the backlight unit and, therefore, the physical properties of the material are also important. Requirements for an edgelit backlight differ in that the operating temperature is typically lower and the need for UV stability is less due to the UV absorption in the light guide. However, additional requirements on edgelit backlight reflectors include the need to make uniform contact with the light guide without damaging it, and minimizing reflector thickness.
Due to the many different applications that exist for reflectant materials, it is not surprising that there are a wide variety of commercially available products with an array of diffuse reflective properties. Until the present invention, the best known diffuse reflective material with excellent diffuse reflectivity was that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,912,720 and sold under the trademark SPECTRALON® by Labsphere, Inc., North Sutton, N.H., USA. This material comprises lightly packed granules of polytetrafluoroethylene having a void volume of about 30 to 50% and is sintered into a relatively hard cohesive block so as to maintain such void volume. Using the techniques taught by U.S. Pat. No. 4,912,720, it is asserted that exceptionally high diffuse visible light reflectance characteristics can be achieved with this material, with photopic reflectance over the visible wavelengths of light of better than 99%. Despite the advantages of the SPECTRALON material, it is not generally available in very thin films of less than 250 μm, such as those needed for the laptop LCD market, and furthermore at these thickness levels, adequate reflection performance is not obtained.
Gore™ DRP®, produced by W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc., DE, USA, is a reflectant material of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) comprising polymeric nodes interconnected by fibrils defining a microporous structure. This material is highly flexible and has excellent diffuse reflectant properties. Its shortcoming is higher cost. Moreover, at a thickness desirable for many optical display applications (i.e., less than 250 μm), this material has reduced reflectivity over the blue range of the visible spectrum (as shown in comparative example 4 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,976,686). Such a reflector sheet having reduced reflectivity over the blue range requires display manufacturers to modify the display in order to transmit more light in that region in the direction of the viewer, which undesirably consumes more energy.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,976,686 discloses a light conduit containing a 150 μm to 250 μm thick nonwoven polyethylene fabric diffuse light reflector. However, such materials were reported to have an average reflectance varying from 77% to 85%, depending on the thickness, over the wavelength range of 380 to 720 nm. This patent disparages both the random fiber construction of the nonwoven and its variation in thickness as being adversely noticeable in this application and discloses these reflectors in comparative examples.
Filled microvoided poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) films, also referred to in this field as "White PET", are commercial diffuse reflectors used in optical display applications. These materials are sold in different thickness with reflectivity varying with thickness. White PET films around 190 μm thick find utility in notebook personal computer (PC) LCDs and desktop PC LCDs. These films typically have an average reflectance in the visible light wavelengths of about 95%. A 190 μm thick White PET reflector is sold by Toray Industries, Inc. of Chiba, Japan, commercially available as "E60L". However, E60L suffers from poor resistance to UV radiation and requires a UV coating which raises the cost of the reflector as well as causes a reduction in the reflectivity at wavelengths in the blue region of the visible spectrum (i.e., wavelengths less than about 400 nm).
Improved and inexpensive diffuse reflectors are needed for visible light management applications that will allow for production of more affordable and energy efficient optical displays.


A test system of a semiconductor device for a handler remote control is provided. The system includes: a tester for testing the semiconductor device; a handler connected to the tester through a GPIB (General Purpose Instruction Bus) communication cable; a tester server connected to the tester to download a test program, handler remote control program and a handler state check program to the tester; and communication data transmitted and received through the GPIB communication cable between the tester and the handler, wherein the communication data has basic communication data for an electrical test of the semiconductor device, communication data for the handler remote control, and communication data for a handler state check.

This application claims the benefit and priority of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2004-0084396, filed on Oct. 21, 2004, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electrical test system for a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a test system for a semiconductor device having a handler remote control and an operation method of operating the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A test process of a semiconductor device refers to a process of electrically testing a function of a completely manufactured semiconductor device in a wafer state or a package state. Equipment used in the electrical test process of the semiconductor device can include a tester server, a tester, a handler and the like.
The tester tests Direct Current (DC) and Alternate Current (AC) characteristics and a function characteristic of the semiconductor device by using a measurement system controlled by a Central Processing Unit (CPU). The handler refers to an automatic robot equipment for providing an external condition, such as temperature, to electrically test the semiconductor device, for automatically moving the semiconductor device under electrical test, and for sorting the semiconductor device according to the electrical test result. The tester server refers to computer equipment for downloading a test program to a plurality of testers and collecting the test results from each of the testers.
The tester and the handler are very high cost equipment compared to other equipment used in the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices. Accordingly, since efficiency of the electrical test process of the semiconductor device is directly related to the market competitiveness of the device, manufacturers of semiconductor devices are interested in methods for increasing the efficiency of the test.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional test system of the semiconductor device.
Referring to FIG. 1, to perform an electrical test for a semiconductor device using a conventional system, a test program suitable for a Device Under Test (DUT) is downloaded from a tester server 20 to a tester 10. When an electrical test for one semiconductor device is completed, the test result is transmitted to a handler 30. When an electrical test for an entire lot is completed, the electrical test result is again uploaded, this time to the tester server 20.
The tester 10 and the handler 30 are connected with each other using a General Purpose Instruction Bus (GPIB) communication cable for transmitting and receiving communication data for the electrical test of the semiconductor device. The transmitted and received data comprise basic communication data necessary for the electrical test of the semiconductor device. The basic communication data include a test start signal and a test end signal for the DUT, a category bin depending on the test results, an error signal, and the like. In cases where the electrical test is performed in parallel, the basic communication data includes a signal for the number of the DUTs concurrently tested, a mapping signal for the DUT included in a tray, and the like.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an electrical test using the conventional test system of a semiconductor device of FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 2, an operator inputs the number of lots including the target DUT by using a control console of the tester (S10). The tester downloads a test program suitable for the lot number, from the tester server (S20). The operator then sets a handler control condition (for example, a soak time, a retest condition, a test temperature, a category bin site and the like) to the handler connected with the tester (S30).
The soak time, in cases where the semiconductor device is electrically tested at a high temperature or at a low temperature, refers to a wait time of the semiconductor device at a specific high temperature or low temperature for a predetermined time. The setting of the category bin site refers to sorting and storing the semiconductor device after completing the electrical test for the semiconductor device. For example, after the electrical test, the semiconductor device may be sorted as follows: a passed device may be defined as bin1, an Alternate Current (AC) characteristic failed device may be defined as bin2, a function characteristic failed device may be defined as bin3, and a Direct Current (DC) characteristic failed device may be defined as bin4. Then, the handler designates sites at which the bins, bin1 to bin4, are stored. Such designation of each of the storage sites of the bins is called "category bin site setting".
The retest condition refers to a condition for a retest performed for a poor-characteristic bin as designated by the handler, and the test temperature setting refers to the setting of the high temperature or the low temperature at which the semiconductor device is electrically tested.
In the conventional test system as shown in FIG. 1, the handler 30 does not directly communicate with the tester server 20. Moreoever, the handler 30 is only connected with the tester 10 to transmit and receive basic communication data. Additionally, the handler 30 is not connected in a networking structure. Accordingly, an operator must manually manipulate a variety of control items for the handler. The handler 30 has an independent CPU to control its internal robot unit. While a general tester 10 has a very high utilization of the CPU at a percentage of 90 to 100, the handler 30, although a high-priced equipment, has an apparently low utilization of its internal CPU at a percentage of 70 to 80.
In such an operation environment of the test system, it takes a much longer time for an operator to manually set a handler control condition than for a system to automatically set the handler control condition. Accordingly, in the electrical test process of the semiconductor device requiring manual setting of a handler, efficiency of the electrical test is deteriorated. Further, the handler control condition manipulated by the operator has a high probability of error caused by the operator, thereby decreasing the accuracy of the test process. Additionally, due to a shortage of data collection for problems occurring in the handler, the conventional test system can also have a drawback in that the handler cannot be effectively maintained at an appropriate time.

Test system of semiconductor device having a handler remote control and method of operating the same


A device for storage of an opened food container such as a wine container. The device includes a housing for receiving the opened food container in a substantially vertical orientation. A poppet valve assembly is provided for insertion in an opening in the opened food container and biased to enable it to accommodate opened food containers of varying sizes. The device includes a pressurized source of heaver-than-air inert gas located within the housing, a regulator for reducing the pressure of the inert gas from a first pressure at the pressurized source of the heavier-than-air inert gas to second pressure at the poppet valve assembly. The poppet valve assembly also includes a spring-loaded check ball, low-pass port, shuttle and orifice to control pressure and flow path of the heavier-than-air inert gas and to direct the heavier-than-air inert gas to the opened food container through a hollow tubular member that extends from the nozzle and into the food container thus displacing any air that may have been present therein through an exhaust port.

Although the present invention will be described in terms of the preservation of wine, the invention can be extended to other food products such as coffee beans and ground coffee which similarly suffer ill effects when exposed to ambient (air) conditions.
Virtually anyone who routinely drinks wine notices that if a bottle of wine is uncorked and not completely consumed, the wine contained within the bottle changes in physical and chemical characteristics making the wine much less enjoyable to consume as time passes. This is caused by oxidation, that is, the bonding of oxygen molecules to oxidisable compounds present within the wine. Oxidation of wine results in the production of brown compounds and browning of red pigments with loss of color. It further results in the production of aldehydes and desirable grape (primary), fermentation (secondary) and aging (tertiary) derived flavors. The production of new undesirable flavor compounds can mask the desirable flavor compounds.
Such oxidisable compounds in wine include phenolics, alcohols and some flavor aldehyde compounds. Although all wines suffer from oxidation, because of the high concentration of phenolics extracted from grape skins during red wine production, red wine has a high reserve of oxidisable compounds and hence appears more sensitive to oxidative spoilage. Sulfur dioxide added to red wine loosely binds to red wine pigments decolorizing the pigment molecules and rendering a portion of the sulfur dioxide ineffective. Sulfur dioxide is also used to inhibit microbial growth and is thus a highly desirable additive for use in red wines.
It has thus been recognized that it is highly desirable to limit or entirely prevent oxygen, such as that contained in ambient air, from contacting the surface of a food product, such as wine, in order to maintain the product's desirable flavor and other physical characteristics.
There have been rather rudimentary attempts to inject an inert gas in the free space of an opened wine bottle in order to displace air contained therein. Such devices generally are in the form of a syringe-like product which enables the user to withdraw air from the bottle's free space or to inject a gas therein. However, such devices have proven to be ineffective in the flow of the inert gas to the free space above the wine and in removal of the ambient air to substantially reduce oxidation.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a device, in a simple small and compact housing through the use of a single external control switch to enable one to preserve food products, such as wine and coffee, from the ill effects of oxidation.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a device such as that described above which can not only minimize oxidation but also control the food product's temperature, a desirable expedient in preserving food for an extended duration and to maintain the food product at its proper serving temperature.
These and further objects can be more readily appreciated when considering the following disclosure and appended drawings.

Compact preservation and refrigeration system for perishable substances


A display method of multi-application based on an Android system and a terminal device are provided. The display method includes: upon reception of a first instruction, determining whether a first application is a non-Android application, where the first instruction is configured to start the first application; when the first application is the non-Android application, invoking a non-native display module; and drawing a display interface of the first application based upon the non-native display module.

The Android system is an open source operating system, which is generally applicable to mobile devices, e.g., a smart mobile phone, a tablet computer, etc. Typically the Android applications written in Java can satisfy most application scenarios, but the applications written in Java may not process data as efficiently as applications written in the more underlying C or C++ languages in terms of their efficiency of data processing, so the applications written in Java and applications written in the C or C++ languages generally coexist.
One operating system, e.g., the Android system, is generally run on the existing terminal devices, so the terminal devices can only run applications supported by the Android system, but can not run applications supported by any other system, or can run application, supported by another system, written in a standard framework based upon the Android system, e.g., applications written in the C or C++ languages, which are mapped to applications written in Java.
However an application display interface in the Android system, which is based upon a standard display framework of the Android system, can not display any application supported by another system than the Android system compatibly.

Display method of multi-application based on Android system, and terminal device


Methods, computer programs, information handling systems, and state machines for performing an atomic write to a data block area are disclosed. The atomic write is an in-place write> The method includes receiving one or more data blocks to write to the data block area; and for each data block received: writing the data block to the depot slot; and writing the data block to the data block area after the data block write to the depot slot is completed.

One problem faced when using information handling systems, including database systems, is loss of data written to disk. One cause of disk data loss is known as the interrupted write problem. After an interrupted write, only a portion of the data sent to the disk is written correctly. Interrupted writes may occur during software or hardware initiated restart operations. This situation is problematic because the information handling system may not know that the data was not written successfully, because no processes are running to receive an error message reporting the failed write or an error message was not generated.
One system for handling interrupted writes is a Write Ahead Logging (WAL) system. In general, a WAL system logs write commands that are sent to a disk. In the event of a restart operation, the log is played back to synchronize the disk. In some WAL systems a log of all disk writes is replayed to reconstruct the disk after a failed write.
One method for handling interrupted writes is to disallow in-place writes (e.g., writing over a previous version of data block with a new version of a data block). Disallowing in-place writes provides at least one complete copy of a data block, that is, either the previous version of the data block, the new version of the data block, or possibly both copies of the data block will be intact at any time in the event of an interrupted write.

System and method for performing disk write operations by writing to a data depot prior to an in-place write


What is provided herein is an improved hair spray resin composition including a terpolymer consisting essentially of a vinyl ester, preferably vinyl acetate, a water-insoluble or water-miscible alkyl maleate half-ester, preferably mono-N-butyl maleate and an N-substituted acrylamide, preferably N-t-butyl acrylamide, N-t-octyl acrylamide or N-[1-(2-pyrrolidonyl)ethyl]acrylamide, in the molar ratio of 1:0.6-0.8:0.08-0.12, respectively, and having a relative viscosity of about 1.2-2.0.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to hair spray resin compositions, and, more particularly, to aerosol and pump formulations which may contain a low amount of volatile organic compounds (VOC).
2. Description of the Prior Art
Effective hair spray formulations and film-forming resins must meet a rigid set of requirements. Specifically, the film-forming resins should remain non-tacky in a humid environment but be easily removed using soap solutions such as shampoos. The film should have high hair cohesivity and possess sufficient strength and elasticity so as to avoid dusting or flaking when the hair is subjected to combing or brushing stresses, and remain clear, transparent and glossy on aging. The film-forming resin should have a viscosity range which permits spraying without nozzle clogging, and should show little or no tendency to interact with perfumes or other optional components typically utilized in a hair spray formulation. The resin should also be readily soluble in various solvents while exhibiting good compatibility with conventional propellants such as hydrocarbons, dimethyl ether, or mixtures thereof.
Many polymeric systems have been developed in an attempt to meet these stringent requirements. Among these are polyvinylpyrrolidone and co-polymers of N-vinylpyrrolidone with vinyl acetate. However, these co-polymers do not exhibit the desired degree of holding under high humidity conditions. Moreover, several of the vinylpyrrolidone polymers possess an unpleasant odor. Methyl vinyl ether/maleic acid half ester co-polymers have also been used in hair sprays but these must be of a relatively high molecular weight to achieve adequate holding. Vinyl acetate polymers having 15 to 35 percent of their acetate groups converted to hydroxyl groups have been proposed for increased solubility in carbon dioxide propellant systems. However such increased solubility is achieved at the cost of lowered holding power. While each of the above resins meets at least some of the above cited requirements, none exhibits all of these characteristics to a satisfactory degree.
Chuang, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,689,379, described an improved hair fixative resin which was a terpolymer resin of random or alternating structure comprising a vinyl ester, a water-insoluble or water-miscible alkyl maleate half-ester and the acrylate or methacrylate ester of a saturated hydroxylated bicyclic hydrocarbon, in a molar ratio of about 1:0.35-1:0.05-0.25. The resin was prepared in the form of beads or microspheres by suspension polymerization to provide a higher molecular weight for better hair holding under humid conditions. These terpolymers were preferably composed of vinyl acetate, an alkyl maleate half-ester and acrylate and/or methacrylate esters of isoborneol, exo-norborneol and endonorborneol, with the isoborneol ester being most preferred.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide new and improved hair spray resin compositions which can develop fine spray patterns in both aerosol and pump use, exhibits prolonged curl retention under humid conditions, good holding power, ease of removability, and resistance to polymer build-up.
Other hair spray compositions, both aerosol and pump spray formulations, are described in detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,145,147; 4,223,009; 4,521,402, and 4,859,455.
However, these and other pump formulations available in the art contain a considerable amount of alcohol which is a volatile organic compound (VOC). Aerosol hair spray formulations also require hydrocarbons or other propellants which add to the VOC content of the composition. Recent state legislation, moreover, has required that hair spray compositions have a lower VOC level than is presently found in commercial hairspray compositions. More particularly, it is now necessary that such compositions contain VOC materials at a weight level of no more than 80% of the composition.
Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide new hair spray compositions which meet VOC standards while retaining the effective properties of presently available compositions for hair preparation and treatment.
Another object of the invention is to provide hair spray resin compositions capable of providing a fine finishing mist at a high resin solids level and which is substantially moisture resistant, also forms a stiff resin film on the hair of the user, and provides a good hold and curl retention, and which composition has a substantially reduced VOC level, particularly a lower alcohol concentration in pump formulations, and, a low level of alcohol and propellant components in aerosol-based formulations.
These and other objects and features of the invention will be made apparent from the following more particular description thereof.


A honeycomb structure includes a first end face, a second end face, a honeycomb unit, and an ammonia adsorbing material. The second end face is located opposite to the first end face along a longitudinal direction of the honeycomb structure. The honeycomb unit has plural cell walls extending along the longitudinal direction from the first end face to the second end face to define plural cells. The cell walls include a NOx adsorbing material and an inorganic binder. The ammonia adsorbing material is supported on the cell walls. An amount of the ammonia adsorbing material supported on the cell walls is varied between the first end face and the second end face.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to honeycomb structures and exhaust gas treating apparatuses.
2. Description of the Related Art
A honeycomb structure is conventionally used in exhaust gas treating apparatuses for treating NOx and the like in automobile emissions, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2006-183477.
The honeycomb structure typically includes plural cells (through holes) extending in a longitudinal direction of the structure from one end surface to the other. These cells are partitioned by cell walls.
The cell walls of the honeycomb structure are typically made of ceramic, such as cordierite. On the cell walls, a NOx adsorbing material and an ammonia adsorbing material are disposed. A layer of the NOx adsorbing material, which may include ceria or the like, supports a noble metal catalyst, such as platinum. The ammonia adsorbing material may include zeolite or the like.
As automobile exhaust gases or the like pass through such a honeycomb structure, NOx in the exhaust gas is adsorbed onto the NOx adsorption layer when the exhaust gas is in an oxidative atmosphere (such as during a normal operation of a diesel engine). The adsorbed NOx is reduced on the catalyst when the exhaust gas is in a reductive atmosphere (such as in a spike period of the diesel engine) into ammonia, which is adsorbed onto the ammonia adsorption layer. When the exhaust gas returns to an oxidative atmosphere, the NOx is reduced using the ammonia. Upon running out of the adsorbed ammonia, NOx is adsorbed onto the NOx adsorption layer.
By thus passing the exhaust gas through the honeycomb structure, NOx in the exhaust gas can be treated. Meanwhile, a honeycomb structure composed of inorganic particles, inorganic fibers, and an inorganic binder is described in WO2005/063653.
The contents of the aforementioned documents Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2006-183477 and WO2005/063653 are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

Honeycomb structure and exhaust gas treating apparatus


A curtain coater and coating method for coating a moving web with at least one layer of a liquid coating composition utilizes a web-supporting roller for conveying the web along a path, a coating hopper for forming a free falling generally planar curtain of the coating composition which extends transversely of the web and impinges upon the web at a point on the path where the web is supported on the roller, edge guides on opposite sides of the web path for laterally guiding the falling curtain by contact with the curtain side edges, and a curtain intercepting member is occasionally displaceable from an inoperative position out of the path of the falling curtain to an intercepting position adjacent the web for intercepting the falling curtain, wherein the intercepting member has a dimension transversely of the web that is greater that the transverse dimension of the web itself and a portion of each of the edge guides adjacent to the web is displaceable independently of the coating hopper away from the web to a position removed from the web, preferably out of the plane of the falling curtain, and out of the way of the intercepting member to allow the intercepting member to take its intercepting position, and when the intercepting member is moved to inoperative position, each edge guide portion is returned to its position adjacent the web.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a curtain coater for coating a layer of liquid coating compositions on a moving continuous web in the manufacture of a photographic element.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In coating apparatus of the curtain type, a moving web is coated by causing a free falling vertical curtain of coating liquid to impinge onto the moving web to form a layer on said web. An apparatus is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,508,947 wherein a multilayer composite of a plurality of distinct layers is formed on a slide hopper and caused to impinge onto an object or moving web to form a coated layer thereon.
In the curtain coating process, particularly as used to manufacture multilayer photographic materials, the quality of coating is largely determined by the properties of the liquid curtain. It is important to insure that a stable laminar flow of liquid film is formed by the slide hopper and that an equally stable, laminar flow liquid curtain is formed from that film. To prevent contraction of the falling curtain under the effect of surface tension, it is known that the curtain must be guided at its edges by curtain edge guides.
The edge guides are solid members which are attached to the hopper used to supply coating liquid to the curtain and extend downwardly from the initial point of free fall of the curtain. Wetting contact of the edges of the falling curtain with the edge guides should be maintained over the entire length of the guides to avoid a contraction of the curtain.
These edge guides give rise to some problems. The wetting contact of the edges of the curtain with the guides causes non-uniformities of the coating if the full width of the curtain is applied to the moving web. By making the curtain wider than the web to be coated by an amount at least equal to this non-uniform region at each edge, a substantially uniform coating can be formed on the web. The coating liquid at the margins of the curtain that overflows the edges of the travelling web can be collected. However there is a serious risk of the coating, which is wetting those edges, to run onto the reverse margin of the web. This can cause soiling of the web transporting rollers of the web gelling and drying stations so that the production process must be interrupted to clean the rollers. Therefore, the distance between the two edge guides is preferably smaller than the width of the web.
In order to avoid the problem of the non-uniformities of the coating at the edges a lot of methods and devices are disclosed in e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 3,508,947, EP 0,176,632 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,887. All these techniques require the lower end of the edge guides be positioned as close as possible to, or even making contact with, the web.
It is very important for a curtain coater to uniformly apply a freely falling curtain of a liquid to a moving web at the start of the coating. If the liquid is not uniformly applied to the moving web at the start of the operation, problems such as contamination due to spattering of the applied liquid and contamination of a roller due to non-drying of greater thickness portions of the applied liquid downstream to a drying zone can occur, making the final product unacceptable. Therefore for a modern production process, it is of great importance to reduce these startlosses to a minimum.
In the curtain coater disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,508,947 an intercepting start plate, which is a turnable or slidable deflector, is provided which deflects a quantity of the liquid at the start of the coating in order to enable an operator to take measures for the formation of a uniform and stable curtain. The deflected coating liquid may be recovered. EP 0 344 745 A1 describes another embodiment of the same technique; a turnable start plate has a fulcrum under the backup roller.
When the lower end of the edge guides has to be postioned as close as possible to the web, there is simply no space left for a start plate to be positioned between edge guides and web. It is not practically possible to use a start plate that is smaller than the distance between the two edge guides, since it will not gather all the liquid and the remaining will soil inevitably the web in a non-uniform way. A solution known in the art is to move the entire coating device together with the edge guides and interceptors or other means to avoid coating thick edges, as described in the patents mentioned before, to an upward position, in order to allow a start plate to be positioned underneath. When a uniform and stable liquid curtain has been established, the start plate can be removed and the coating device is lowered in operation position. This operation is mechanically difficult to execute and time consuming. During this operation the curtain will contract due to the fact that the edge guides are not close enough to the web. The coated web produced during this operation is therefore not suited for the desired application.

Curtain coater with displaceable edge guides and method


A system and method of electronic interpersonal communication includes receiving a selection of a recipient for communication. A user profile for the selected recipient is accessed. The user profile includes a plurality of communication traits of the selected recipient. A graphical display presents at least one communication trait of the selected recipient from the user profile. An electronic communication to the selected recipient is received. The electronic communication is sent to the selected recipient.

In business, interpersonal communication is at the heart of almost any undertaking. Interaction with employees, customers, suppliers, or clients requires clearly and effectively conveying a message to a recipient in a manner that will be understood and effectively received by that recipient. In an increasingly national and international business environment, less interpersonal communication is conducted face to face wherein the sender can quickly interpret non-verbal communication clues and adjust a communication style or message to the recipient. Instead, more communication is conducted over electronic communication platforms where non-verbal cues are unavailable. Additionally, communication style and patterns typically have to be learned over the course of many interpersonal interactions before a sender and recipient are comfortable with one another to a degree that is effective so their interpersonal communication goals can be effectively achieved. When a new communication sender or recipient is thrown into the mix of experienced communication partners, that new communication partner is at a communication disadvantage that can only be overcome by learning through the above-mentioned interpersonal exchanges.

System and method of electronic interpersonal communication


A photocurable resin composition comprising a propenyl ether group-containing compound (A) having propenyl ether groups of the following formula (1) and having a number-average molecular weight of not less than 500, and a cationic photopolymerization initiator (B). EQU CH.sub.3 --CH.dbd.CH--O-- (1). The object is to provide a photocurable resin composition which cures at a higher speed than a vinyl ether compound on exposure to light irradiation, and has improved flow characteristics, physical property of cured resin, and adhesion to metal.

Photocurable resin compositions have been used broadly as photosensitive resin materials for photoresists such as printed circuit board (PCB) resists and liquid crystal display (LCD) resists, etc., hard coatings, optical fiber coatings, optical disk coatings, paper coatings, wood coatings, paints, photosensitive lithographic plates, printing inks, adhesives, and other products. As such photocurable resin compositions, those based on acrylate resin represented by epoxy acrylate, urethane acrylate, etc., alicyclic epoxy resin, vinyl ether resin, etc. have already been commercially implemented.
However, acrylate resin is very poor in surface curability because of the oxygen-associated inhibition of polymerization at curing and in addition is so high in viscosity that it does not lend itself well to a high-speed UV-curing system. Alicyclic epoxy resin is free from the problem of said oxygen-associated inhibition of polymerization, but is very low in curing rate in a cationic photocuring system.
As a photosensitive resin composition improved in the above aspects, there is known a vinyl ether resin but its curing rate is not high enough for use in a high-speed curing system.
In Journal of Polymer Science, Part A, Polymer Chemistry, 31, 1473 (1993), Crivello et al. disclose a propenyl ether compound which cures faster than a vinyl ether compound upon exposure to light irradiation. However, this compound is highly volatile and not sufficiently fluid so that it is not fully satisfactory in industrial applications. Moreover, it is inadequate in hardness and adhesion to metal. Therefore, a demand exists for a high-speed-curing photosensitive resin composition capable of meeting industrial requirements.

Photo-curing resin composition comprising a propenyl ether group-containing compound


Apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacture for monitoring a condition of a material are disclosed. In particular, the example apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacture emit a first acoustic signal into a wall of the tubular member having a first temperature value and obtain a first propagation time associated with the first acoustic signal. In addition, a second acoustic signal is emitted into the wall having a second temperature value and a second propagation time associated with the second ultrasonic acoustic signal is obtained. The second temperature value is determined based on the first temperature value and the first and second propagation times.

Monitoring operating conditions in commercial or industrial applications is often crucial to maintaining proper and safe operation of machinery. Material temperature and material erosion (e.g., material wear, material breakdown, etc.) are two conditions that can affect the performance of machines, apparatus, or systems. Continuous operation or repeated use often elevates the temperature of machines or apparatus. Uncontrolled or overly elevated temperatures may impair the operation of the machine or apparatus. In a similar manner, continuous operation causes material erosion, material wear, material breakdown, etc. of portions of a machine, system, or apparatus. For example, as a fluid flows through an inner bore of a fluid vessel (e.g., a pipe) the fluid causes small particles to break away from the fluid vessel's inner bore surface, which causes the inner bore of the fluid vessel to erode over time. Left unmonitored and/or untreated, such material erosion can lead to unsafe conditions and failure conditions in the machine, system, or apparatus.
The military has similar concerns as those of commercial or industrial entities regarding material conditions such as temperature and erosion. In particular, the military recognizes that operating conditions, such as temperature and erosion, affect the performance and the safe and proper operation of munitions (e.g., weapons). For example, during training exercises and combat scenarios, large caliber guns (e.g., a 5-inch/62-caliber (5″/62) EX 36 MOD 0 gun barrel) installed on Navy ships are often subjected to continuous and repeated operation. To ensure safe and proper operation of the guns, a gun crew must ensure that gun barrels operate within safe operating conditions. Accordingly, the Navy has a critical need to monitor the temperatures at critical areas on the inner bore surfaces of large guns so that a gun crew can act appropriately in cases of misfire. More specifically, in the case of a misfire, the gun crew must know the temperature of the gun barrel bore surface to determine if there is enough time to safely reload the gun (e.g., open the breech, remove the ammunition from the hot gun barrel, and replace the projectile or propelling charge) and fire another projectile or propelling charge before enough heat has transferred from the hot barrel to the projectile. Heat transfer from the gun barrel to the projectile may initiate a cook-off of the projectile, which can result in a misfire.
Traditional methods of determining the temperature of a gun barrel involve using a simplistic chart known as a hot-gun predictor. The hot-gun predictor chart was originally developed for the 5″/54 MK 45 MOD 2 gun, but is often used with other gun types. However, when advanced projectiles and higher energy propelling charges are used, results obtained during gun firing tests and from thermal modeling suggest that the hot gun predictor chart may be either excessively conservative or very non-conservative depending on operating conditions or other circumstances prior to a misfire. Thus, the results from these tests indicate that the hot-gun predictor chart is not well-adapted for use when variables such as ammunition-type are changed.
In a similar manner, measuring erosion of a gun barrel bore surface is often done via predictions and estimates generated using material modeling techniques. More specifically, the material properties (e.g., strength, hardness, etc.) and the shapes of gun barrels and projectiles may be used to model or calculate the rate of erosion of a gun barrel bore based on a number of fired projectiles. Although such modeling techniques can be used to estimate the amount or rate of erosion, the actual erosion often differs due to many factors such as, for example, variations in material, the periodicity of firing, environmental factors (e.g., humidity, ambient temperature, etc.), etc.
Although some measurement or monitoring systems have been developed to measure the temperatures of gun barrel bores, many of those systems are invasive and require access to the gun barrel bore when it is at elevated temperatures. For example, some systems require inserting a thermocouple into the gun barrel bore to obtain a temperature reading. Accessing a gun barrel bore when it is at an elevated temperature is often dangerous and time consuming. In addition, some measurement systems are more suited to operate in an academic or laboratory environment, but may be impractical or cumbersome for use in a real-world environment.

Methods and apparatus for monitoring a condition of a material


A closure (8) with tamper-evident band (40) includes a fixed band (42, 142) and a movable body (50). The fixed band (42, 142), with tamper-evident band inviolate, is joined to the movable body (50) by a weakened portion (52, 152) The tamper-evident band (40) also includes a tamper-evident ring (70, 170) housed, with the tamper-evident band inviolate, in an inner compartment of the closure (8) to be hidden from view. The weakened portion (52, 152) tears due to the unscrewing of the closure (8) and the tamper-evident ring (70,170) pops out of the inner compartment and is arranged, with the seal violated, so as to separate a fixed edge (49, 149) of the fixed band (42, 142) from a movable edge (51, 151) of the movable body (50).

The present invention relates to a plastic closure provided with a tamper-evident band; in particular, the closure is associable with a spout, typically applied to a flexible packaging, usually intended to contain drinks for children, such as juices and fruit purees, yoghurt, soft drinks, etc.
As is known, most of the closures, especially if intended for food liquid containers, are provided with a tamper-evident seal, provided with weakened portions that, following the unscrewing of the closure from the spout, break, thus highlighting the fact that the container has already been opened.
For example, the Applicant is the owner of the patent family of the international application WO-A1-2008/050361.
Sometimes, however, the user pays little attention to the actual conditions of the seal or the weakened portions are little evident and appear to be broken only after a thorough check.


This catalyst support aims to improve heat resistant and durability by highly dispersing an NO.sub.x storage component. This catalyst support is produced by mixing a solution of a chemical compound including at least one element of alkali metals, alkaline-earth metals, and rare-earth elements with a solution of oxide sol of at least one metal of group IIIb, group IVa, and group IVb in the periodic table to prepare a mixed sol solution, forming the mixed sol solution into gel, and drying and calcining the gel. The obtained catalyst support is amorphous and attains a high specific surface area even when calcined at elevated temperatures, so that the catalyst support is superior in heat resistance.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a high heat-resistant catalyst support used for a catalyst for purifying automotive exhaust gases and the like, a method of producing the catalyst support at a low cost, a high heat-resistant catalyst using the catalyst support, and its production method.
2. Description of Related Art
As catalysts for purifying automotive exhaust gases, there have been employed 3-way catalysts so far which oxidize carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HC) and reduce nitrogen oxides (NO.sub.x) to purify the exhaust gases. For example, the 3-way catalysts have been known widely which comprise a heat-resistant supporting base material formed of cordierite, a porous catalyst support layer formed of gamma-alumina and disposed on the supporting base material, and a noble metal catalyst ingredient such as platinum (Pt) and rhodium (Rh) loaded on the porous catalyst support layer. Further, the 3-way catalysts are also known in which ceria i.e., cerium oxide having an oxygen storage ability is employed in addition to the above catalyst ingredient in order to improve catalytic activity at low temperatures.
In the meanwhile, carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) in exhaust gases from internal combustion engines of automobiles and the like has become a problem in view of global environmental conservation. Lean burn in oxygen excessive atmospheres is desired as a means of dissolving the problem. The lean burn improves fuel consumption, and as a result the amount of fuel used is decreased and CO.sub.2, which is included in combustion exhaust gas, can be suppressed from generating.
In this respect, the conventional 3-way catalysts aim to oxidize CO and HC and reduce NO.sub.x simultaneously into innocuous entities when the air-fuel ratio is at the stoichiometric point (or the ideal air-fuel ratio), and cannot exhibit sufficient reduction and removal of NO.sub.x in the exhaust gases which contain oxygen in excessive amounts required for oxidizing carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons therein at the time of lean burn. Hence, it has been desired to develop catalysts and exhaust gas purifying systems which are capable of adequately purifying NO.sub.x even in oxygen excessive atmospheres.
In view of the aforementioned circumstances, the applicants et al of the present invention have proposed an exhaust gas purifying catalyst in which alkaline-earth metals and platinum (Pt) are loaded on a porous support formed of alumina and the like in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) No.5-317,652, an exhaust gas purifying catalyst in which lanthanum (La) and platinum (Pt) are loaded on a porous support in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) No.5-168,860, and an exhaust gas purifying catalyst in which alkali metals and platinum (Pt) are loaded on an alumina support in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) No.6-31,139. In using these catalysts, NO.sub.x are adsorbed on oxides of alkaline-earth metals or lanthanum oxide on the fuel-lean side (i.e., in the oxygen excessive atmospheres), and the adsorbed NO.sub.x react with reducing components such as HC and CO at the stoichiometric point or on the fuel-rich side (i.e., in the oxygen-lean atmospheres). So, these catalysts attain excellent NO.sub.x purifying performance even on the fuel-lean side.
The production of these catalysts is mainly achieved by what we call a loading-by-water absorption method. For example, first, a porous support formed of alumina or the like is impregnated with a solution containing a chemical compound of a noble metal catalyst ingredient, dried, and calcined, thereby loading the noble metal catalyst ingredient thereon. Second, the noble metal-loaded support is reimpregnated with a solution containing a chemical compound of an NO.sub.x storage component, dried, and calcined, thereby loading the NO.sub.x storage component thereon.
By the way, the average temperature and the maximum temperature of inlet gases to the bed of catalysts tend to rise more and more in recent years due to severe restrictions on exhaust gases and the improvement in the capacity of engines. Therefore, it is desired to make a further improvement in the heat resistance of catalysts for purifying exhaust gases. Further, with an increase in inlet gas temperatures, it is also desired to improve NO.sub.x conversion at elevated temperatures.
In the conventional catalysts, however, there arises a problem that NO.sub.x storage components react with catalyst supports at high temperatures and as a result the NO.sub.x storage ability of the NO.sub.x storage components is deteriorated. Besides, in the conventional catalysts, a temperature range in which the maximum catalyst performance is obtained, namely, a temperature window is narrow, and the NO.sub.x conversion is hardly secured at elevated temperatures.
Further, in the conventional catalysts, the NO.sub.x storage components are poisoned by SO.sub.x which are produced from a very small amount of sulfur contained in fuel, in other words, the NO.sub.x storage ability is decreased due to sulfate generation. Consequently, the catalysts are degraded in durability.
Further, in the conventional methods of producing catalysts, the NO.sub.x storage components are loaded by a loading-by-water absorption method. When this method is employed, the NO.sub.x storage components have a poor dispersion, i.e., a maldistribution. As a result, crystallization of the NO.sub.x storage components is promoted at and around a part having a high loading concentration of the NO.sub.x storage components, so that the NO.sub.x storage ability is deteriorated. The NO.sub.x storage ability, especially at elevated temperatures is greatly influenced by the combination of NO.sub.x storage components and catalyst supports, and the dispersibility of NO.sub.x storage components.
Further, when the NO.sub.x storage components are poorly dispersed, sulfate crystals generated by sulfur poisoning easily grow and therefore, become more difficult to be removed, so that the durability of the catalysts is decreased. In addition, in the case where the NO.sub.x storage component is an alkali metal, the NO.sub.x storage component tends to be flown away or eluted by water vapor contained in exhaust gases, because the NO.sub.x storage component is loaded on the surface of the catalyst support in the conventional methods. Hence, the catalyst is poor in durability.

High heat-resistant catalyst with a porous ceria support


Methods, devices, and apparatuses are disclosed. A device may receive display data and lighting data as a single signal, determine whether to display content associated with the display data, and determine whether to output the lighting data to a lighting element. The device may provide the display data to another device after determining to not display the content associated with the display data. The device may provide the lighting data to another device after determining to not output the lighting data to the lighting element. The display data and lighting data may respectively include data destined for different types of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The data destined for the different types of LEDs may be sourced from different sources.

Display devices may include many display elements and many lighting elements. Different display elements may be configured to display different portions of an overall image. Different lighting elements may be configured to illuminate different items in different ways. Accordingly, different display data may be destined to different display elements. Similarly, different lighting data may be destined to different lighting elements. In existing systems, separate wires may transmit display data from a processor (e.g., a video processor) to an individual display element. Similarly, in existing systems, separate wires may transmit lighting data from a processor (e.g., a lighting processor) to an individual lighting element. However, the distance between the processor and the display element and/or lighting element may be substantial. In such circumstances, the amount of wiring used to transmit the display data and/or lighting data may be burdensome. Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for a more efficient system of transmitting display data to display elements and lighting data to lighting elements.

Lighting integration into video and power stream


In one aspect, a wellbore system is disclosed that in one non-limiting embodiment includes a first wellbore capable of producing a fluid from a first formation, a second wellbore intersecting the first wellbore at a junction, wherein the second wellbore is an open hole and capable of producing a fluid from a second formation and a sand screen at the junction configured to inhibit particles larger than a selected size from flowing from the second wellbore and the junction into the first wellbore.

1. Field of the Disclosure
This disclosure relates generally to wellbore systems, including multilateral wellbore systems that inhibit flow of particles over a certain size from one wellbore to another wellbore.
2. Background of the Art
Wells or wellbores are drilled in subsurface formations for the production of hydrocarbons (oil and gas). In some cases, multilateral wells are formed, wherein one or more wells are formed from a main wellbore. Sometimes lateral wellbores are also formed from one or more of the other lateral wellbores. Such a wellbore system is generally referred to a "multilateral wellbore" or a "multilateral wellbore system." Typically, the main wellbore is a cased wellbore, in that, it is lined with a metal casing (typically a jointed metallic tubular). In some cases the lateral wellbore is not lined with a casing, i.e., it is left as an open hole. Sand control and other flow control devices are installed at locations from which the formation fluid is extracted into the lateral wellbore. However, in open hole lateral wellbores, the junction between the main wellbore and the lateral wellbore includes no sand control devices that prevent the flow of particles, such as sand, from entering into the main wellbore from the lateral wellbore. Excessive sand production is detrimental to the equipment in the wellbores. This problem can be exacerbated when the open hole is formed in an unconsolidated formation, as such formations can produce excessive amounts of sand.
The disclosure herein provides wellbore systems that include sand control apparatus that inhibit or prevent flow of particles above a certain size from the junctions and the lateral wellbores into the main wellbore and methods of installing such apparatus.

Screened production sleeve for multilateral junctions


A system, method and computer program product for executing a cache replacement algorithm. A system includes a computer processor having an instruction processor, a cache and one or more useful indicators. The instruction processor processes instructions in a running program. The cache includes two or more cache levels including a level one (L1) cache level and one or more higher cache levels. Each cache level includes one or more cache lines and has an associated directory having one or more directory entries. A useful indicator is located within one or more of the directory entries and is associated with a particular cache line. The useful indicator is set to provide an indication that the associated cache line contains one or more instructions that are required by the running program and cleared to provide lack of such an indication.

The invention relates generally to the operation of cache memory in a processor, and more particularly, to executing a cache replacement algorithm that mitigates the negative effects of speculative fetching in a cache memory.
Instruction-fetching within processors may be autonomous with respect to the actual processing of instructions. This is particularly true when instruction-fetching is driven by a branch prediction mechanism that records historical branch addresses within the code, and the historical target addresses for those branches. Such mechanisms have been referred to as branch history tables (BHTs), and more recently branch target buffers (BTBs).
When presented with an instruction address, a BHT provides the next instruction address that should be fetched. If a branch was found, the BHT also provides a specific indicator as to where the branch instruction was found within the current instruction-fetch group and the specific target address for the branch.
Addresses used for instruction-fetching are aligned (i.e., have a granularity) based on the instruction-fetch width (e.g., double-word, quad-word or double-quad-word). In contrast, branch instructions and their target addresses are aligned based on the instruction width (e.g., word, halfword, or byte). Therefore, instruction-fetching is performed at a coarser granularity (i.e., higher bandwidth) than the actual processing of instructions. Further, instruction-fetch groups are fetched from a cache, which maintains data at an even coarser granularity (e.g., cache lines are typically 128, 256, or more bytes). Thus, each cache line contains multiple instruction-fetch groups, and each instruction-fetch group contains multiple instructions.
When a BHT outputs an instruction-fetch address, an attempt is made to fetch the associated instruction-fetch group (the group including the instruction-fetch address) from the level-one (L1) instruction cache. If the cache line containing the instruction-fetch group is resident in the L1 instruction cache, then the successful fetch attempt results in a "cache hit" and a copy of the instruction-fetch group is placed in an instruction buffer for eventual processing by the processor pipeline. If the cache line containing the instruction-fetch group is not resident in the L1 instruction cache, then the unsuccessful fetch attempt results in a "cache miss", and the address of the instruction-fetch group is sent to the next higher level cache in the cache hierarchy (e.g. a L2 cache) for processing. Eventually, a copy of the cache line containing the instruction-fetch group will be moved into the L1 instruction cache, and the instruction-fetch group can then be obtained from the newly resident cache line.
When a cache miss occurs, a new cache line will be brought into the L1 instruction cache. The new cache line will displace another line in the L1 instruction cache. Sometimes, the contents of the displaced line are still needed (or required) by the processor. When this is so, it is inevitable that another cache miss will be generated to re-fetch the displaced line. This new cache miss could have been avoided had the corresponding line not been displaced by the original miss.
When the original cache miss is useful (meaning that the line that is brought in contains instructions that actually must be executed), then the subsequent cache miss is unavoidable. However, in the case of instruction-fetching, many fetches are speculative (meaning that it is not certain that the instruction-fetch group being fetched contains instructions that will be executed) particularly when the instruction addresses are generated by a branch prediction mechanism. It would be useful if there were a way to eliminate the replacement of resident, and possibly useful, cache lilies by speculatively fetched cache lines that do not contain any instructions that actually have to be executed by the program.

System, method and computer program product for executing a cache replacement algorithm

International Business Machines Corporation


A method for making biscuits wherein a dough mixture is dispensed into an agitator. The dough mixture is agitated as it is being dispensed into cavities of a die. The dough mixture is compressed into the cavities of the die by a compression device. The dough mixture is ejected from the cavities of the die by pushing the dough mixture from a top surface of the die out of a bottom surface of the die and onto an apron with an ejection mechanism.

A biscuit, such as a food bar, snack bar, or digestive bar, is commonly produced by continuously feeding a dough mixture into cavities of a continually rotating cylindrical die at a pre-determined speed. As the die rotates, the die presses the dough mixture onto an apron. The dough mixture is then baked and cooled to form the biscuit.
A biscuit produced by this method, however, has several drawbacks. For example, the biscuit can fall apart easily and typically does not have a uniform shape and/or a uniform consistency. Additionally, the process can not use a loose mix of ingredients to form the biscuits.


Systems, methods, devices, circuits for data processing, and more particularly to systems and methods for data processing to identify a defect on a medium.

Manufacturing the storage medium includes performing a variety of steps any of which can result in a defective region on the storage medium. Further, defective regions may develop over the time that the storage medium is used. Writing data to a defective region can result in the loss of such data. To avoid this, some approaches have been developed to identify defective regions as unusable. This works reasonably well, but is not able to consistently identify short and shallow defects on a storage medium, especially for random sequences.
Hence, for at least the aforementioned reasons, there exists a need in the art for advanced systems and methods for identifying defects on a storage medium.

Systems and methods for multi-track media defect detection

Avago Technologies General IP (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.


In an example embodiment, a neighbor radio/access point (AP) list is obtained. The neighbor AP list is optimized for a client that is associated with a current access point. The list may be optimized based on any one or combination of techniques, including but not limited to roaming patterns of previous clients that were associated with the current access point, radio frequency metrics, bandwidth requirements for the client, and/or any other suitable criteria. In particular embodiments, requests from the client to associate with an access point that is not on the optimized neighbor AP list may be denied.

The 802.11 neighbor list element is intended to enable a wireless system to let a wireless station know about other access points (APs) in the neighborhood. When a wireless stations roams, the wireless station can make use of the list to optimize its operation and to select a new AP. For example the list can be employed to reduce active and inactive scanning and aid in picking the best AP in the list.

Optimizing a neighbor list of access points