Provided is method of producing graphene directly from a pulp, paper, or paper product, the method comprising a procedure of subjecting the pulp, paper, or paper product (preferably containing post-consumer, reclaimed, or recycled product) to a graphitization treatment at a graphitization temperature in the range of 1,500° C. to 3,400° C. (preferably >2,500° C.) in a substantially non-oxidizing environment for a length of time sufficient for converting the product to a graphene material product. Preferably and typically, the method does not involve the use of an externally added undesirable chemical (other than those paper chemicals already present in the paper product) or catalyst. The method is environmentally benign, ecologically friendly, and highly scalable.

A single-layer graphene sheet is composed of carbon atoms occupying a two-dimensional hexagonal lattice. Multi-layer graphene is a platelet composed of more than one graphene plane of carbon atoms. Individual single-layer graphene sheets and multi-layer graphene platelets are herein collectively called nano graphene platelets (NGPs) or graphene materials. NGPs include pristine graphene (essentially 99% of carbon atoms), slightly oxidized graphene (<5% by weight of oxygen), graphene oxide (≥5% by weight of oxygen), slightly fluorinated graphene (<5% by weight of fluorine), graphene fluoride ((≥5% by weight of fluorine), other halogenated graphene, hydrogenated graphene, and chemically functionalized graphene.
Graphene has been found to have a range of unusual physical, chemical, and mechanical properties. For instance, graphene was found to exhibit the highest intrinsic strength and highest thermal conductivity of all existing materials. Although practical electronic device applications for graphene (e.g., replacing Si as a backbone in a transistor) are not envisioned to occur within the next 5-10 years, its application as a nano filler in a composite material and an electrode material in energy storage devices is imminent. The availability of processable graphene sheets in large quantities is essential to the success in exploiting composite, energy, and other applications for graphene.
Our research group was world's first to discover graphene [B. Z. Jang and W. C. Huang, "Nano-scaled Graphene Plates," U.S. Patent Application US20130087446, published Jun. 10, 2014; now U.S. Pat. No. 7,071,258 (Jul. 4, 2006)]. The processes for producing NGPs and NGP nanocomposites were recently reviewed by us [Bor Z. Jang and A Zhamu, "Processing of Nano Graphene Platelets (NGPs) and NGP Nanocomposites: A Review," J. Materials Sci. 43 (2008) 5092-5101]. Four main prior-art approaches have been followed to produce NGPs. Their advantages and shortcomings are briefly summarized as follows:
Approach 1: Chemical Formation and Reduction of Graphite Oxide (GO) Platelets
The first approach (FIG. 1) entails treating natural graphite powder with an intercalant and an oxidant (e.g., concentrated sulfuric acid and nitric acid, respectively) to obtain a graphite intercalation compound (GIC) or, actually, graphite oxide (GO). Prior to intercalation or oxidation, graphite has an inter-graphene plane spacing of approximately 0.335 nm (Ld=½ d002=0.335 nm). With an intercalation and oxidation treatment, the inter-graphene spacing is increased to a value typically greater than 0.6 nm. This is the first expansion stage experienced by the graphite material during this chemical route. The obtained GIC or GO is then subjected to further expansion (often referred to as exfoliation) using either a thermal shock exposure or a solution-based, ultrasonication-assisted graphene layer exfoliation approach.
In the thermal shock exposure approach, the GIC or GO is exposed to a high temperature (typically 800-1,050° C.) for a short period of time (typically 15 to 60 seconds) to exfoliate or expand the GIC or GO for the formation of exfoliated or further expanded graphite, which is typically in the form of a "graphite worm" composed of graphite flakes that are still interconnected with one another. This thermal shock procedure can produce some separated graphite flakes or graphene sheets, but normally the majority of graphite flakes remain interconnected. Typically, the exfoliated graphite or graphite worm is then subjected to a flake separation treatment using air milling, mechanical shearing, or ultrasonication in water. Hence, approach 1 basically entails three distinct procedures: first expansion (oxidation or intercalation), further expansion (or "exfoliation"), and separation.
In the solution-based separation approach, the expanded or exfoliated GO powder is dispersed in water or aqueous alcohol solution, which is subjected to ultrasonication. It is important to note that in these processes, ultrasonification is used after intercalation and oxidation of graphite (i.e., after first expansion) and typically after thermal shock exposure of the resulting GIC or GO (after second expansion). Alternatively, the GO powder dispersed in water is subjected to an ion exchange or lengthy purification procedure in such a manner that the repulsive forces between ions residing in the inter-planar spaces overcome the inter-graphene van der Waals forces, resulting in graphene layer separations.
There are several major problems associated with this chemical production process:                (1) The process requires the use of large quantities of several undesirable chemicals, such as sulfuric acid, nitric acid, and potassium permanganate or and sodium chlorate.        (2) The chemical treatment process requires a long intercalation and oxidation times, typically 5 hours to five days.        (3) Strong acids consume a significant amount of graphite during this long intercalation/oxidation process by "eating their way into the graphite" (converting graphite into carbon dioxide, which is lost in the process). It is not unusual to lose 20-50% by weight of the graphite material immersed in strong acids and oxidizers.        (4) The thermal exfoliation requires a high temperature (typically 800-1,050° C.) and, hence, is a highly energy-intensive process.        (5) Both heat- and solution-induced exfoliation approaches require a very tedious washing and purification step. For instance, typically 2.5 kg of water is used to wash and recover 1 gram of GIC, producing huge quantities of waste water that need to be properly treated.        (6) In both the heat- and solution-induced exfoliation approaches, the resulting products are GO platelets that must undergo a further chemical reduction treatment to reduce the oxygen content. Typically even after reduction, the electrical conductivity of GO platelets remains much lower than that of pristine graphene. Furthermore, the reduction procedure often involves the utilization of toxic chemicals, such as hydrazine.        (7) Furthermore, the quantity of intercalation solution retained on the flakes after draining may range from 20 to 150 parts of solution by weight per 100 parts by weight of graphite flakes (pph) and more typically about 50 to 120 pph. During the high-temperature exfoliation, the residual intercalate species retained by the flakes decompose to produce various species of sulfuric and nitrous compounds (e.g., NOx and SOx), which are undesirable. The effluents require expensive remediation procedures in order not to have an adverse environmental impact.The present invention was made to address these issues.Approach 2: Direct Formation of Pristine Nano Graphene Platelets
In 2002, our research team succeeded in isolating single-layer and multi-layer graphene sheets from partially carbonized or graphitized polymeric carbons, which were obtained from a polymer or pitch precursor [B. Z. Jang and W. C. Huang, "Nano-scaled Graphene Plates," U.S. Patent Application No. US20060216222, published Sep. 28, 2006; now U.S. Pat. No. 7,071,258 (Jul. 4, 2006)]. Mack, et al ["Chemical manufacture of nanostructured materials" U.S. Pat. No. 6,872,330 (Mar. 29, 2005)] developed a process that involved intercalating graphite with potassium melt and contacting the resulting K-intercalated graphite with alcohol, producing violently exfoliated graphite containing NGPs. The process must be carefully conducted in a vacuum or an extremely dry glove box environment since pure alkali metals, such as potassium and sodium, are extremely sensitive to moisture and pose an explosion danger. This process is not amenable to the mass production of NGPs.
Approach 3: Epitaxial Growth and Chemical Vapor Deposition of Nano Graphene Sheets on Inorganic Crystal Surfaces
Small-scale production of ultra-thin graphene sheets on a substrate can be obtained by thermal decomposition-based epitaxial growth and a laser desorption-ionization technique. Epitaxial films of graphite with only one or a few atomic layers are of technological and scientific significance due to their peculiar characteristics and great potential as a device substrate. However, these processes are not suitable for mass production of isolated graphene sheets for composite materials and energy storage applications.
Approach 4: The Bottom-Up Approach (Synthesis of Graphene from Small Molecules)
Yang, et al. ["Two-dimensional Graphene Nano-ribbons," J. Am. Chem. Soc. 130 (2008) 4216-17] synthesized nano graphene sheets with lengths of up to 12 nm using a method that began with Suzuki-Miyaura coupling of 1,4-diiodo-2,3,5,6-tetraphenyl-benzene with 4-bromophenylboronic acid. The resulting hexaphenylbenzene derivative was further derivatized and ring-fused into small graphene sheets. This is a slow process that thus far has produced very small graphene sheets.
Some previous attempts have been made to produce graphene materials from biomass. For instance, B. Zhao, et al. ("Method for Preparing Graphene from Biomass-derived carbonaceous mesophase," US Pub. No. 2015/0133568, May 14, 2015) discloses a method for preparing graphene, which includes (a) preparing a carbonaceous meso-phase from a biomass; (b) soaking a base substance (a catalytic substrate, such as wafer or powdery single crystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, mica, or quartz) into an ethanol solution of the biomass-derived carbonaceous mesophase for a period of time; (c) taking out and drying the base substance (which contains a layer of biomass-derived carbonaceous mesophase being attached to the surface of the base substance); (d) subjecting the base substance to a heat treatment (600-1,000° C.) under the protection of a hydrogen atmosphere to form a stacked graphene film on the surface of the base substance; (e) subjecting the base substance to ultrasonic dispersion treatment in an alcohol solvent to separate the graphene film from the base substance to form a graphene alcohol solution; and (f) separating/recovering graphene from the alcohol solvent solution. It may be noted that the conversion of a biomass to a carbonaceous meso-phase is not a trivial task. It would take some complex catalytic or hydrothermal process to accomplish. Then, there are additional 5 steps to convert carbonaceous meso-phase to graphene.
Additionally, A. Rashidi, et al. ("Producing Graphene and Porous Graphene," US Pub. No. 2016/0060123, Mar. 3, 2016) discloses a multiple-step method for producing nano-porous graphene. This 5-step method includes the step of (a) preparing cellulosic raw materials (e.g. chopped into fine particle sizes); (b) impregnating the prepared raw materials with a catalyst (e.g. Mg, Al, Si, Mo, W, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ti, metal oxides, etc.); (c) activating the catalyst-impregnated cellulosic materials (using undesirable chemicals, such as KOH); (d) heating the activated cellulosic raw materials in a heating system having a final heat treatment temperature of 700-1,100° C. to create nano-porous graphene; and (e) washing the nano-porous graphene to remove impurity. The use of these catalyst materials means the necessity of additional steps to remove them afterward. These steps may not be capable of completely removing these catalysts.
These prior art methods are typically very complex and tedious (requiring many steps) and require the use of externally added substances or undesirable (obnoxious) chemicals that must be removed after graphene is formed. It has not been always possible to completely remove the impurities from the graphene product. In several cases, undesirable or expensive chemicals (e.g. highly corrosive KOH and expensive Ni, Mo, and W) are used. None of these prior art methods or processes begin with paper or paper products, particularly post-consumer, reclaimed or recycled paper or paper products.
Hence, an urgent need exists to have an environmentally benign and eco-friendly graphene production process that requires no undesirable chemical or expensive chemical, shortened process time, lower degree of graphene oxidation, reduced or eliminated effluents of undesirable chemical species into the drainage (e.g., sulfuric acid and nitric acid) or into the air (e.g., SO2 and NO2). The process should be able to produce more pristine (less oxidized and less damaged) and more electrically conductive graphene sheets.


Provided is a magnetic stimulation type medical care device including a main body for generating a magnetic stimulation and various probes electrically connected to the main body to stimulate a skin of a patient through non-contact deep penetration. The magnetic stimulation type medical care device includes a main body for generating a voltage and at least one probe in which a coil for generating a magnetic field from the voltage generated in the main body is built, the at least one probe being electrically connected to the main body.

In general, stimulation methods for curing a neuromuscular system of a human body may be classified into an electrical stimulation method and a magnetic stimulation method.
Among these, the magnetic stimulation method is a method in which magnetic energy obtained by discharging a voltage charged in a condenser into a magnetic field generation coil is induced into skins or tissues of the human body to generate an eddy current, thereby stimulating the neuromuscular system.
A generation principle of the magnetic stimulation is based on the Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction. In the Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction, a magnetic flux linked with a circuit is changed, an electromotive force (EMF), which is be in proportion to a rate at which a magnetic flux is reduced, is induced in the circuit. Here, the induced current flowing into the circuit by the electromagnetic induction flows in a direction opposite to that of the magnetic flux linked with the circuit.
The magnetic stimulation has a characteristic in which non-contact deep penetration is possible. That is, the magnetic stimulation has advantages in that the magnetic stimulation has a superior penetration effect when compared to that of the electrical stimulation and does not have pains or unpleasant feeling due to the electrical stimulation. Thus, the magnetic stimulation is being in the spotlight for a use of curer.
However, magnetic curers developed so far are developed as products for hospitals and thus are expensive. Also, since the magnetic curers are limited in use, the magnetic curers are not adequate for a structure that can be used for each portion of a human body in home.

Portable magnetic stimulation type medicalcare device

SANGJI UNIVERSITY INDUSTRY ACADEMIC COOPERATION FOUNDATION


A system and method for processing credit card transactions includes a data processor with memory storage capable of accessing an electronic clearing facility through a time rated (e.g., long distance) communication link. The system generates a real-time communication with the clearing facility to determine card validity and to initiate funds collection for transactions above a predetermined amount, and generates an off-line batch communication to the clearing facility at a time when communication rates are reduced to initiate funds collection for transactions in the system below the predetermined amount. The system relies upon local card validation, including memory storage of a previously validated card during a predetermined time period, as well as rejection of previously invalidated cards during another predetermined time period. The system and method is particularly useful for remote automated vending machines and automatic teller machines which typically handle a large volume of credit and debit transactions, each of which represents a small dollar amount.

The present invention relates to systems and methods for processing credit and debit card validity and funds collection transactions, and in particular relates to such systems and methods for processing credit and debit card transactions from remote automated installations such as vending machines and similar terminals.
In recent years, there have been developed a number of automated machines for handling credit and debit transactions, including vending machines and automatic bank teller machines. An example of an automated vending machine particularly adapted for dispensing video cassettes is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,705 to Brown, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The vending machine disclosed in the Brown '705 patent is electronically operated when a customer presents a credit card or similar coded token, the identity of which is used to control the vending and later return of the video cassette being rented.
At present, there are a number of electronic clearing facilities for receiving real-time inputs from retail establishments as well as from automated vending machines like that taught in the '705 Brown patent via long distance communication links to determine credit card and debit card validity, and to initiate funds collection and/or funds transfer for each transaction. (For shorthand purposes, the term "credit card" is used hereafter to refer to both credit cards and debit cards). In the past, access to the electronic clearing facilities were made across the long distance communications link manually; more recently, automatic credit card readers are placed at each retail facility or vending machine for purposes of reading the customer's credit card, initiating the long distance communication to the clearing facility, addressing the customer's credit card information to the clearing facility and then receiving a confirmation from the clearing facility that the customer's credit card is valid and that the particular transaction in question is within the customer's credit or debit limits.
In the case of electronic vending machines of the type disclosed in the '705 Brown patents, each individual transaction usually is of a rather modest amount, and therefore the long distance communications charges represent a significant operating cost.

System and method for processing credit and debit card validity and funds transactions from vending machines and similar terminals


A machine combines metal rod chamfering and stamping operations into a single machining operation. Cutting the chamfer on the end of the rod is accomplished by a rotating cutting tool affixed to a chuck which rotates with a spindle about an axis co-linear with the axis of the workpiece. Both the chuck and the spindle contain a hollow bore along their rotational axes. This bore holds a stamping rod which is free to move axially within the spindle. A stamping impact unit is located at the opposite end of the spindle which acts upon the opposite end of the stamping rod. At the desired moment within the chamfering operation, the stamping rod is hammered into the end face of the workpiece by the impact unit. The imprint end of the stamping rod functions as a mechanical stop to locate the depth the workpiece is inserted into a clamping collet.

Chamfering the end of metal rod stock is a commonly performed metalworking operation. Chamfering removes sharp edges from the end of the rod and may also serve as a tapered thread lead at the end of the rod when the rod is threaded. Another commonly employed machining operation is stamping the circular end face of the rod with a punch which imprints identification indicia relating to the processed part.
Heretofore, these machining operations have been carried out by separate machines, usually located at different places on the shop floor. When the workpieces are large and heavy, say steel rod stock 1" in diameter and 10" long, having the above-mentioned chamfering and stamping steps being carried out separately is inefficient. It requires substantial handling of the individual workpieces and transportation of the work materials between machining stations on the shop floor. This makes separate stamping and chamfering machining operations both time-consuming and labor intensive.


The present invention is related to concentrated aqueous solutions of p-methoxybenzoic acid and their production.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to concentrated aqueous solutions of p-methoxybenzoic acid and their production.
2. Description of the Related Art
Optimizing production processes to save time, space, or resources like energy or manpower define the area of technical controlling and are part of the most effective possibilities to improve the manufacturing industry's cost situation.
Under the pressure to reduce the costs per unit, it is being continuously attempted to construct work processes more efficiently on all levels. Apart from improving internal processes, external partners like suppliers of raw materials are more and more included in optimizing production processes. Thus e.g., on-time supply of raw materials in product-compatible trading units may shift stock capacities to the road, may improve the workflow considerably, and add to a significant reduction in costs per unit.
An important aspect, which can play a major role especially in larger production units, is a raw material's state of aggregation. While fluid or gaseous materials can be fed into the production process easily and in adjustable doses using pumps, adding solid raw materials is usually related to a weighing process and open product handling. The last point mentioned is also related to safety aspects, as the personnel working in the manufacturing process is exposed to the open product.
Solid and heavily soluble raw materials, which have to be solubilized before being processed, need additional requirements for the production processes, as these solubilizing processes often demand additional energy, need a lot of time and in many cases additional vessels to mix the substances. That is why a lot of heavily soluble raw-materials are liked to be used in the laboratory or in development, but fail in production processes due to their difficult handling.
Against this background, fluid and concentrated formulations of heavily soluble raw materials if they don't contradict the quality requirements of the final product, are obviously advantageous, both technically as well as economically, and therefore the target of the invention.

Concentrated, aqueous solutions of p-methoxybenzoic acid for use in cosmetic and dermatologic formulations


Methods, systems, and devices for memory cell biasing techniques are described. A memory cell may be accessed during an access phase of an access operation. A pre-charge phase of the access phase may be initiated. The memory cell may be biased to a voltage (e.g., a non-zero voltage) after the pre-charge phase. In some examples, the memory cell may be biased to the voltage when a word line is unbiased and the memory cell is isolated from the digit line.

The following relates generally to operating a memory array and more specifically to memory cell biasing techniques.
Memory devices are widely used to store information in various electronic devices such as computers, wireless communication devices, cameras, digital displays, and the like. Information is stored by programing different states of a memory device. For example, binary devices have two states, often denoted by a logic "1" or a logic "0." In other systems, more than two states may be stored. To access the stored information, a component of the electronic device may read, or sense, the stored state in the memory device. To store information, a component of the electronic device may write, or program, the state in the memory device.
Various types of memory devices exist, including magnetic hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetic RAM (MRAM), resistive RAM (RRAM), flash memory, phase change memory (PCM), and others. Memory devices may be volatile or non-volatile. Non-volatile memory, e.g., FeRAM, may maintain their stored logic state for extended periods of time even in the absence of an external power source. Volatile memory devices, e.g., DRAM, may lose their stored state over time unless they are periodically refreshed by an external power source. FeRAM may use similar device architectures as volatile memory but may have non-volatile properties due to the use of a ferroelectric capacitor as a storage device. FeRAM devices may thus have improved performance compared to other non-volatile and volatile memory devices.
Improving memory devices, generally, may include increasing memory cell density, increasing read/write speeds, increasing reliability, or increasing data retention, among other metrics. In some cases, there may be a delay between access operations of a memory cell. Each access operation may be an example of a memory cell cycle. Delays between each memory cell cycle may degrade the reliability of the memory cell cycling by inducing cell voltage drops and increasing memory cell fatigue. Such situations may degrade the performance of the memory cell, thereby decreasing the storage capability of the memory cell.


A method, apparatus and machine readable medium are described for managing entitlements on a computing device. For example, one embodiment of a method comprises: loading a first application into a system memory of a computing device; for each library value/symbol pair referenced by the first application, determining whether the first application has a correct entitlement to be linked with the library value/symbol pair; wherein if the application does not have the correct entitlement associated with the library value/symbol pair, then denying linking to the library value/symbol pair and/or linking the application to an alternate library value/symbol pair which does not have the entitlement associated therewith; and if the application has the correct entitlement associated with the library value/symbol pair, then linking the application to the library value/symbol pair with the entitlement in the system memory.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of data processing systems. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved apparatus and method for providing entitlements to program code.
2. Description of Related Art
A "loader" is the part of an operating system responsible for loading programs into memory. FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary loader 104 of an operating system 101 which is loading two applications from storage 150 into memory 130: foo 110 and bar 111. In this example, foo 110 and bar 111 may require functions contained in various different libraries 120, two of which are shown in FIG. 1: libc 121 and webcore 122.
When loading an application to memory, the loader must dynamically link the library symbols referenced by the application or library being loaded. These symbols may represent references to functions that may be called, or values to be used. For example, in FIG. 1 the loader 104 replaces the reference for function fopen in application foo 110 with a memory address of fopen, which has been provided by the libc library 121 previously loaded into memory. Similarly, the loader 104 replaces the reference for function dostuff with the memory address for dostuff which has been provided by the webcore library 122 previously loaded into memory.
One or more "entitlements" may also be provided to applications and libraries specify whether the application or library should be permitted to access system resources. By way of example, an entitlement may specify whether an application is permitted to open a network socket, access a certain directory, or print documents. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, application foo 110 has entitlements 115, application bar 111 has entitlements 116, library libc has entitlements 125 and library webcore 122 has entitlements 126.
In current implementations, entitlements are enforced at runtime by entitlement authorization logic 100, after an application, including all of its libraries have been fully loaded into memory by the loader. One limitation of current implementations is that if any library used by an application has a particular entitlement, then any application which uses that library automatically has that entitlement (i.e., entitlements are enforced at the granularity of a running process defined by the application and its libraries). For example, if the entitlements 126 of library webcore 122 specify that webcore is permitted to use the network via function socket, then any application which uses webcore will be assigned this entitlement. Consequently, even applications such as foo 110 which do not require access to the network will automatically have an entitlement to access the network, opening a potential security vulnerability which may be exploited by hackers. Similarly, the application developer for bar 111 may want to open network sockets using its own networking program code rather than the program code provided by library webcore. Nonetheless, if application bar 111 uses library webcore 122 in any manner, it will automatically be provided with webcore's entitlement to use the network.
Accordingly, what is needed is the ability to control entitlements at a more precise granularity. It would also be beneficial to control access to entitlements at load/link time, before an application and its libraries are fully executing in memory.

Apparatus and method for managing entitlements to program code


A spool valve that has a hollow portion formed with an input port, a first output port, and a second output port, and a spool capable of sliding within the hollow portion and having a plurality of lands, the spool valve being configured to distribute output for input to the input port to the first output port and the second output port in accordance with a proportion of distribution that matches a position of the spool. An opening of the second output port is formed in such a shape that a width of the opening becomes gradually smaller in a direction of movement of the spool in which distribution of the output to the first output port is increased.

Hitherto, there has been proposed a spool valve of this type, including a spool having a large-diameter land portion and a small-diameter land portion, and a housing that houses the spool so as to be movable in the axial direction (see Patent Document 1, for example). In the spool valve, a liquid chamber is defined by respective facing surfaces of the large-diameter land portion and the small-diameter land portion of the spool and the housing, the housing is formed with a control pressure port communicated with the liquid chamber at all times, and a drain port and a supplied pressure port communicated with and discommunicated from the liquid chamber in accordance with movement of the spool, and the spool is moved to regulate a hydraulic pressure supplied to the supplied pressure port to output the regulated hydraulic pressure from the control pressure port. Notches are formed in respective edge portions of the large-diameter land portion and the small-diameter land portion on the liquid chamber side such that the flow rate of a liquid that leaks from the supplied pressure port into the liquid chamber through a space between the edge portion of the small-diameter land portion on the liquid chamber side and the housing and the flow rate of a liquid that leaks from the liquid chamber to the drain port through a space between the edge portion of the large-diameter land portion on the liquid chamber side and the housing generally coincide with each other.

Spool valve and lubricating oil supply device


An antenna structure includes a connection portion. A feed portion connecting to the connection portion defines a feed point thereon. An inductance portion extends from the connection portion, and a free end of the inductance portion connects to a ground end. A capacitance portion that is in a long narrow strip shape extends from the connection portion and is parallel with and adjacent to the ground end. And radiating portions connect to the connection portion respectively. The antenna structure employs the inductance portion, the capacitance portion and the ground end to simulate a LC parallel connection to substitute for an inductor and a capacitor. Therefore, the antenna structure achieves an aim of adjusting a resonance frequency and an impedance matching without the inductor and the capacitor, simplifying the design of the antenna structure, decreasing the manufacture cost and attaining a good performance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an antenna structure, and more particularly to a multi-band frequency antenna structure used in mobile communication equipment.
2. The Related Art
Antennas are used in various communication systems, such as cellular phones, wireless data and local area network, global system for mobile communications (GSM), and personal communication service (PCS), etc. A clear and strong signal is critical for the wireless communication systems. Therefore, antennas with good performance are required. In order to improve the performance of the antennas, capacitance elements and inductance elements are broadly used in the antennas to adjust a resonance frequency and an impedance matching of the antennas.
Please refer to FIG. 1 showing a conventional antenna structure. The conventional antenna structure includes an antenna body 100 constructed of a first radiating unit 120 and a second radiating unit 130. A feed point 110 is disposed on the antenna body 100 and spaces the first radiating unit 120 and the second radiating unit 130. The first radiating unit 120 extends toward an end of the second radiating unit 130 to form a projection 121. A first capacitor 200 and an inductor 300 are connected in parallel and then connect to the feed point 110 and the ground respectively. The LC parallel connection circuit enables the antenna body 100 and a high-frequency circuit to match with each other. A second capacitor 400 connects with the projection 121 of the first radiating unit 120 and the second radiating unit 130 in series in order to adjust the electrical length of the second radiating unit 130.
If the conventional antenna structure described above is assembled in a hand-held apparatus, the first capacitor 200, the inductor 300 and the second capacitor 400 can be fixed on a PCB of the hand-held apparatus because the antenna and the PCB are adjacent to each other. However, if the antenna structure is assembled in a notebook computer, because the antenna structure is mounted on a top of a monitor of the notebook computer, and a PCB of the notebook computer is disposed on a host of the notebook computer, the distance between the antenna and the PCB is far, then the first capacitor 200, the inductor 300 and the second capacitor 400 can't be disposed on the PCB of the notebook computer and must be integrated with the antenna structure. Therefore, the design and the manufacture of the antenna structure are complex, and the cost is very expensive.


An automatic closing seat apparatus that operates on a controlled release of air. A control cylinder is formed integral to a seat cover with magnets available for securing the seat cover and seat in a tandem position. A water sensor is positioned in a conventional water closet to allow for release of air when the water level drops during the flushing of the toilet bowl. The shut off valve can control the flow rate of air between the seat cover and the water closet to operate as a shut off switch to prohibit unauthorized entry into the toilet bowl area.

Automated toilet-covering devices are known in the plumbing industry. For example, the Applicant invented the automatic toilet seat lowering apparatus depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 5,504,947. That device teaches an automatic toilet seat closing construction that can be attached to an existing toilet. The apparatus lowers a raised toilet seat through use of a sealed piston and cylinder. This control cylinder is connected to an air tube and allows unresisted toilet seat lifting. However, the seat will not close until a valve on the air tube is opened to allow air to escape from the control cylinder. The air tube includes a float valve that opens when the toilet is flushed and the water level in the toilet is temporarily lowered. The '947 device is attached via a bracket to the side of a conventional toilet. The control piston is mounted adjacent to the toilet seat and automatically lowers the toilet seat and seat cover whenever the water in the water closet drops below a predetermined level. The required water lowering occurs when the toilet is flushed and the water in the toilet tank rinses the bowl. When this water level drops, a floating valve is opened and the otherwise-sealed control cylinder allows the seat and seat cover to close.
Although males sometimes use a toilet with the seat raised, proper etiquette suggests that the seat be lowered after use. And, while some males are accustomed to lowering the seat after use, many are not so accustomed. Failure to lower the seat may lead to conflict if both women and men must share a given toilet. Such conflict may result in strained relations between spouses.
For the above reasons, the inventor developed the device taught in the 5,504,947 patent. Through use, however, the inventor has discovered certain improvements that increase the device's usefulness, simplify the device's installation, and improve the device's overall appearance. Other seat positioning devices have also been created.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,120 discloses a toilet seat closing device incorporating a reversible direct current motor which is coupled to a ratcheting clutch mechanism attached to the toilet seat. The problem arises in that electricity is not commonly available close to the toilet. Installation necessitates either an electrical cable drawn through the washroom or an electrical socket placed near the toilet. In either event, electricity and water can lead to a dangerous situation as it is not uncommon for a toilet to overflow.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,216 discloses a compressible actuator positioned within the water closet capable of sending air pulses to a bladder placed between the water closet and seat cover. When the actuator is sufficiently compressed it expands the bladder causing the seat cover to be pushed, closing the seat. A problem with this device is that no provision is made to set the seat down gently allowing the possibility that such a quick closure will cause the base of the toilet to shatter. Thus, this disclosure requires the use of enlarged bumpers placed beneath the seat so as to cushion the impact.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,653 discloses an energy transceiver comprised of a spring with a pressure plate acting as its seat in a controlled drum. The energy transceiver accumulates potential energy released by the toilet seat during the descent to a point where closure of the seat stops the operating fluid thereby releasing the energy accumulated therein. This device is unique, yet quite complicated and by its very nature necessitating direct connection to the water which may lead to early fouling of the apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,593 discloses still another automatic closure device for toilet seats. This embodiment discloses the use of a weight having a specific gravity slightly higher than water. A cable is attached between the weight and the seat allowing for the lowering of the seat. When the toilet is flushed the water table in the water closet increases the force supplied by the weight and pulls on the cable. While an objective of the disclosure is simplicity, it is noted that proper positioning of a weight and pulley mechanism must be performed for operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,369,814 discloses yet another seat closing device. This disclosure allows for closure by use of a water actuated piston which couples to the pressure side of an incoming water line. While this invention has greatly simplified devices of the prior art, it still requires coupling to a component that may lead to subsequent problems. Namely, any time a component that has movable parts coupled to water has a possibility of leaking which may result in flooding of the bathroom. In addition, despite the simplicity of the disclosure the necessity remains that a water line must be spliced and pressure tubing installed for handling of water pressure.
Thus, what is needed is in the art is an inexpensive, automatic toilet seat closing device that operates without electricity and may be installed without mechanical aptitude. The seat closing device should also prevent unwanted lifting of the toilet seat or seat cover. Furthermore, the device should lower the toilet seat and seat cover in unison, if both are raised. The device should also prevent toilet seat cover lowering if the seat is occupied, even if the toilet is flushed.

Automatic toilet seat lowering apparatus


A hand-held housing contains an image sensor, a processor, a memory, a visual display and input control buttons for recording, storing, displaying and retrieving images from a document, such as a business card. The image sensor generates electrical data signals representative of the image on a document as the housing is moved across the document in a scanning embodiment or the images on a document disposed beneath the housing in a single record embodiment, which signals are stored in the memory by the processor and concurrently displayed on the display. The input control buttons, through the control program executed by the processor, provide for scanning, storage and retrieval of images from memory for display. The processor stores the images in a linked list or lists in the memory and is capable of rearranging, adding or deleting any image associated with a particular document in any list in the memory.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to apparatus for scanning and storing images contained on documents.
2. Description of the Art
Many business people exchange and collect business cards with associates, customers or clients as a way of obtaining information including the address and telephone number of such individuals and their respective business or company name. Such business cards frequently include a brief description of the individual's company title, business or profession, services or products, as well as the company logo.
While some individuals are organized and carefully store business cards received from others in a folder or file, most individuals just toss the cards into a drawer or box. This makes it difficult and time consuming to find a particular individual's business card or to locate all of the cards of individuals associated with a particular company, or who offer a particular product or service.
Software is available for use on personal computers or PCs which enables customer or client names and addresses to be stored in memory, typically in alphabetical order, as well as providing the capability of retrieving and/or searching for a particular individual or company name, at least by alphabetical order. However, such software requires the manual transcription of information from business cards, letters, etc., into the computer memory via a keyboard. Further, the company logo and any information relating to an individual's company title, services or products, typically found on many business cards, cannot be transferred during such transcription. In addition, foreign language information found on some business cards is also lost during such transcription.
Another type of device which fulfills certain of he needs of a business person relating to retaining information on associates, customers or clients, etc., is an electronic organizer. These devices are similar to hand-held calculators and include a central processing unit, a memory, a small display and a full keyboard, even though the individual keys are relatively small. However, name and telephone information contained on business cards still must be manually transcribed into such devices via the small keyboard.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide an apparatus which is capable of easily transferring, storing, retrieving and displaying all of the information typically found on a business card.
Optical image scanners are currently available for scanning documents and making an immediate copy thereof. Such scanners are hand-held units which typically scan a document in narrow strips of several inches in width and generate copies thereof which can be pieced together to reproduce the entire document. Full page scanners are also available. However, such devices merely copy the document and do not provide any type of data processing for image storage, retrieval, display or arrangement in lists or categories.
Image scanning systems utilizing PCs and a full-size keyboard are capable of providing such storage, retrieval and display of information on a document, such as a business card. However, such systems are large and not easily portable.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a hand-held, portable apparatus which is capable of scanning, storing and displaying images found on small documents, such as business cards. It would also be desirable to provide an apparatus which is capable of scanning, storing and displaying all of the images on business cards including company logos, etc. It would also be desirable to provide an apparatus which is capable of arranging scanned and stored images from small documents in a list and, further, which is capable of retrieving such images in a predetermined list and adding, removing, or rearranging the images in a particular list into a particular order. It would also be desirable to provide such an apparatus which enables a user to categorize and link the images of documents stored in memory or input thereto in a number of different retrievable lists.

Hand-held small document image recorder storage and display apparatus


A mobile phone includes pivotally connected upper and lower members, and a coupling member interconnecting the upper member and a printed circuit board within the lower member in such a manner that the printed circuit board moves synchronously with the upper member to offset the printed circuit board with respect to a keypad, thereby preventing untimely and accidentally actuation the keypad when the upper member is disposed at a folded position with respect to the lower member.

A mobile phone of lately is designed in compact size in order to facilitate carrying thereof. The more convenient for the user to carry the mobile phone, the smaller the dimension should become. In order to eliminate the bulky size, some mobile phones are designed in foldable types (generally known as flip-phone). Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a conventional mobile phone 10 is shown to include a lower casing 108, an upper casing 102 connected pivotally to the lower casing 108, and an antenna unit 112 projecting outwardly from the lower casing 108 for receiving and transmitting the radio signals. The upper casing 102 is provided with a minor window 104 via which suspending mode of the conventional mobile phone 10 can be observed. The upper casing 102 is turnable from the folded position shown in FIG. 1A to the unfolded position shown in FIG. 1B, in which, the upper casing 102 reveals a major window 106 to display the inputted information when the keypad 110 is operated.
In the aforesaid conventional mobile phone, means to prevent untimely and undesirable transmission is provided due to accidental actuation of the keypad 110. The preventing means includes a magnet member (not visible) disposed within the upper casing 102 and a sensor (not visible) provided in the lower casing 108 such that the sensor generates a circuit closing signal upon sensing the approach of the upper casing 102 relative to the lower casing 108. Under this condition, any inputted signal will not be processed when the mobile phone is at the folded position.
It is noted that the sensor is relatively slow to respond the approach of the upper casing so that undesired actuation of the keypad to generate transmission of signals is still possible. In addition, employment of the sensor, the magnetic member and the cost of writing software result extra manufacturing expense.
In order to eliminate the aforesaid disadvantage, a stopper is formed on the lower casing of another conventional mobile phone so as to space the keypad apart from the upper casing when at the folded position. Since the stopper, generally made from plastics or rubber, is susceptible to wearing and therefore succumbs to wearing and results in loss of its ability after a long period of use.

Telecommunication apparatus having a coupling member to prevent untimely actuation of the keypad


An ethylene oxide (EO) reactor is provided in which a removable impingement basket is configured to be inserted into the reactor inlet pipe of the EO reactor. The removable impingement basket provides protection for the silver-based catalyst filled tubes and other components that are present inside the EO reactor as well as providing another access point into the EO reactor. The removable impingement basket also can provide better distribution of the inlet gas as compared to an EO reactor containing a non-removable impingement plate.

Ethylene oxide (EO) is an important industrial chemical used as a feedstock for making various chemicals, such as, for example, ethylene glycol, ethylene glycol ethers, ethanol amines and detergents. One method for producing EO is by a catalytic oxidation process in which ethylene is reacted with oxygen in the presence of a silver-based epoxidation catalyst. In such a process, a feedstream containing ethylene and oxygen is passed over a bed of the silver-based epoxidation catalyst contained within a reaction zone of an EO reactor that is maintained at certain reaction conditions.
Commercial EO reactors are generally in the form of a shell-and-tube heat exchanger, in which a plurality of substantially parallel elongated, relatively narrow tubes are filled with catalyst particles to form a packed bed, and in which the shell contains a coolant. One such EO reactor is shown in FIG. 1. The EO reactor 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a plurality of elongated tubes 2 in which an inlet end of each of the elongated tubes 2 is affixed to inlet tube sheet 3 and the outlet end of each of the elongated tubes 2 is affixed to outlet tube sheet 4. An inlet reactor head 5 is provided as is an exit reactor head 6.
EO reactor 1 further includes a shell and tube heat exchanger 7 that is affixed to and is integral with the exit head 6. An opening is provided in the exit head 6 for communication with heat exchanger 7, and the heat exchanger 7 is welded to the exit head 6 around the opening thus forming an integral structure with the reactor. Heat exchanger 7 is provided with tubes 8 which are affixed to tube sheets 9 and 10. Heat exchanger exit head 11 is also provided.
In practice, reaction gases, e.g., ethylene, oxygen and ballast gas are introduced into the EO reactor 1 via line 12 and pass at reaction conditions through tubes 2 which are packed with an appropriate silver-based epoxidation catalyst. Heat of reaction is removed by circulating heat transfer fluids such as water which are introduced via line 13 to the shell side of the EO reactor 1 and removed via line 14.
Reaction gases pass through tubes 2 where production of EO takes place and upon exiting tubes 2 the gases pass to exit head 6 and then to tubes 8 of the heat exchanger 7 and are immediately cooled to prevent further oxidation and isomerization. A cooling fluid, such as, for example, water, is introduced to the shell side heat exchanger 7 via line 15 and removed via line 16. Cooled reaction gases exit heat exchanger 7 via line 17 and are treated in a conventional fashion for recovery of product and recycle of various components.
Impingement plates or rods are an essential part of an EO reactor design. Impingement plates or rods prevent direct impact on flow of internal reactor components and also improve flow distribution. Typically, and as is shown in FIG. 2, an impingement plate 20 is provided at the tube side inlet of an EO reactor; FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the upper portion of an EO reactor such as is shown in FIG. 1. The impingement plate 20 is welded to the internal surface 21 of the reactor dome and thus it is non-removable. In FIG. 2, element 22 is an inlet pipe (similar to line 12 shown in FIG. 1), element 23 is an inlet pipe flange, element 24 is an inlet tube sheet and element 26 are elongated tubes that contain a silver-based epoxidation catalyst.
As also shown in FIG. 2, the EO reactor contains two man-ways (i.e., access points) 30 for maintenance and catalyst loading/unloading at the top dome. These access points (i.e., man-ways 30) allow for inserting equipment into the reactor itself. There is a demand for an additional access point at the top of an EO reactor to ease the access and increase the safety in case of any incident inside the top confined space of the EO reactor.

Removable impingement basket for ethylene oxide (EO) reactors


A manufacturing method for a CMOS semiconductor device in which gate electrodes are adjusted to have different work function values comprises forming an device region of a first and second conductivity type for forming first and second MOS semiconductor element devices, respectively, in a semiconductor substrate, forming a gate insulator, forming a laminated film comprising a molybdenum film and nitrogen containing film for doping nitrogen into molybdenum, doping nitrogen from the nitrogen containing film into molybdenum, processing the laminated film into gate electrodes of the first and second MOS semiconductor element devices, removing the nitrogen containing film from the gate electrodes of the second MOS semiconductor element device and covering the gate electrode of the first MOS semiconductor element devices with a nitrogen diffusion preventing film, and reducing the nitrogen concentration in molybdenum of the gate electrodes of the second MOS semiconductor element device.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a MOS semiconductor device and a manufacturing method thereof, more particularly, to a MOS semiconductor device in which work functions of gate electrodes are adjusted to different values for MOS transistors having different conductivity types in a dual-gate structure using a metal as a gate electrode and a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a miniaturized CMOS semiconductor device, it is general to use a so-called dual-gate structure. In the dual-gate structure, a polysilicon highly doped with an n-type impurity (dopant) (hereinafter referred to as n+ polysilicon), for example, phosphorus, is used to a gate electrode in an n-type MOS semiconductor device. Further, a polysilicon highly doped with a p-type dopant (hereinafter referred to as p+ polysilicon), for example, boron, is used to a gate electrode in a p-type MOS semiconductor device. This is based on characteristics that the work function of polysilicon can be controlled by type and amount of dopant. In a designing of a surface-channel-type MOS semiconductor device, the dual-gate structure using polysilicon is widely used to attain an acceptable trade-off relationship with respect to major design factors such as the thickness of gate insulators and the substrate doping concentration.
However, the influence of the depletion layer formed in the polysilicon gate electrode has caused a more serious problem as devices have become further miniaturized in recent years. As described above, since the polysilicon electrode is doped with dopant with a high impurity concentration, the depletion layer in the polysilicon is extremely thin. However, in a next-generation device, in which the gate insulator thickness is as thin as 2 nm or less in equivalent thickness of a silicon oxide film (SiO2), the depletion layer causes an increase in the capacitance corresponding to several 10% or more of the effective gate insulator thickness. Further, enhancement of the performance by a reduction in the gate insulator thickness may be hindered.
In order to avoid the above problems, studies have been conducted to use metals as the gate electrodes. The metal used to a gate electrode is required to match the MOS semiconductor device manufacturing process. For example, it is required the following characteristics to be attained: a metal film can be easily deposited; an etching process can be easily performed to form gate electrodes; an etching selectivity to the gate insulator is high; and the gate electrode is thermally stable against the gate insulator in heat treatments after forming the gate electrode. Since the work functions of the metals are different depending on respective materials and have distributed widely, it is possible to form gate electrodes having work functions equivalent to those of n+ and p+ polysilicon by selecting two kinds of adequate metals. For example, the use of titanium (Ti) to a gate electrode of an n-type MOS semiconductor device and of molybdenum (Mo) to a gate electrode of a p-type MOS semiconductor device has been reported by Q. Lu et al. in "2000 Symposium on VLSI Technology Digest of Technical Papers", pp. 72-73. However, when this technique is applied to a CMOS semiconductor device production in practice, the manufacturing process becomes too complicated and is not suitable for mass production.
It has been observed that Mo is thermally stable in the heat treatment usually employed in the latest manufacturing process of a MOS semiconductor device even when Mo is formed on an insulator, such as SiO2 film, silicon nitride film (SiN) and hafnium oxide film (HfO2), which is used or may be used as a gate insulator. Therefore, Mo is expected to be used as a gate electrode material of future CMOS semiconductor devices. Further, a technique for implanting nitrogen ions into Mo to adjust the work function is reported by P. Ranade et al. in Mat. Res. Soc. Symp., Vol. 611, 2000, pp. C3.2.1-C3.2.6. However, it has been pointed out problems by the inventors and others based on their studies. That is, this method is not practical because of problems that the gate insulator and an interface between the gate electrode and the gate insulator are damaged in the implantation.
As another method for adjusting the work function of the Mo gate electrode, a method for thermally diffusing nitrogen from a titanium nitride (TiN) film deposited on Mo to underlying Mo has been reported by R. J. P. Lander et al. in Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. Vol. 716, 2002, pp. B5.11.1-B5.11.6. However, no study of a method for applying the technique to a CMOS semiconductor device with gate electrodes adjusting to have different work function values on the same semiconductor substrate has been reported.
Therefore, in order to realize a miniaturized CMOS semiconductor device, such as a device having a feature size of the 65 nm or less and having gate electrodes whose work functions are adjusted to different respective values, the following criteria must be met: (a) the gate electrodes of MOS semiconductor devices of different electrical conductivity types must be adjusted to have different work function values, respectively, (b) no depletion layer can be formed in the gate electrode in the operation of the MOS semiconductor device, (c) the manufacturing process must be simple and practicable, and (d) side effects must not occur in a MOS semiconductor device and/or a semiconductor manufacturing process, for example, damage to the gate insulator must be negligible.

Semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof

Semiconductor Technology Academic Research Center


A network of computer node interface to globally addressable memory system that provides persistent storage of data exchange periodic connectivity information. The exchanged connectivity information provides information regarding node failure to other nodes in the system, and the surviving nodes use the information to determine which node, if any, has ceased functioning. Various processes are used to recover the portion of the global address space for which the failed node was responsible, including RAM directory, disk directory, or file system information. Additionally, nodes may be subdivided into groups and connectivity information is exchanged between nodes belonging to a group. Each group then exchanges group-wise connectivity information and failures may be recovered.

Computer based structured storage systems, such as computer file systems and database systems, have been remarkably successful at providing users with quick and facile access to enormous amounts of data. The importance of these structured storage systems in today's commerce is difficult to exaggerate. For example, structured storage systems have allowed businesses to generate and maintain enormous stores of persistent data that the company can modify and update over the course of years. For many companies, this persistent data is a valuable capital asset that is employed each day to perform the company's core operations. The data can be, for example, computer files (e.g., source code, wordprocessing documents, etc.), database records and information (e.g., information on employees, customers, and/or products), and/or Web pages. Such data must be "highly available," i.e., the data must be available despite system hardware or software failures, because it is often used for day-to-day decision making processes.
Previous efforts to provide high availability or fault tolerance have included both hardware techniques, such as providing redundant systems, and software approaches, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID) technology and clustering. Each one of these efforts has its own unique drawbacks.
Redundant systems are typified by double or triple redundancy. These types of systems provide more than one complete machine to accomplish the task of one machine. Each machine performs the same operations in parallel. If one machine fails or encounters an error, the additional machines provide the correct result. Such systems, while highly tolerant of system faults, are extremely expensive. In effect, multiple networks of machines must be provided to implement each network.
A similar fault-tolerant approach for storage is RAID. RAID technology may be implemented as disk mirroring (so-called RAID I) or disk striping with parity (so-called RAID V). Disk mirroring provides highly fault tolerant storage but is expensive, since multiple disks, usually two, must be provided to store the data of one disk. Disk striping with parity has poor performance for intensive write applications, since each time data is written to the array of disks a parity block must be calculated. Disk striping provides rigid N+1 redundancy and suffers additional performance degradation after the first error since the missing block (or blocks) must be recalculated each time a read operation is performed. Finally, such rigid N+1 redundancy schemes have no way of "healing" themselves, that is, after one error the system in no longer N+1 redundant.
Other software approaches to improve the reliability and operation of centralized structured storage network systems have generally involved: (1) static mapping of the data to one or more servers and associated disks (sometimes referred to as "shared nothing" clustering); (2) storing the data in shared data repository, such as a shared disk (sometimes referred to as "shared everything" clustering); and (3) database replication.
Systems using the first method distribute portions of the data store across a plurality of servers and associated disks. Each of the servers maintains a portion of the structured store of data, as well as optionally maintaining an associated portion of a directory structure that describes the portions of the data stored within that particular server. These systems guard against a loss of data by distributing the storage of data statically across a plurality of servers such that the failure of any one server will result in a loss of only a portion of the overall data. However, although known clustered database technology can provide more fault tolerant operation in that it guards against data loss and provides support for dual-path disks, the known systems still rely on static allocation of the data across various servers. Since data is not dynamically allocated between servers: (1) system resources are not allocated based on system usage which results in under utilization of those resources; (2) scaleable performance is limited because new servers must be provided whenever the dataset grows or whenever one particular server cannot service requests made to its portion of the dataset; and (3) such static allocation still requires at least one of servers storing the information to survive in order to preserve the data. Also, failure of one server requires a second server to serve the data previously served by the down server, which degrades system performance.
Systems using the second method store the data stored in a shared data repository, such as a shared disk. The shared disks may be shared between a subset of system nodes or between all nodes of the system. Each node in the system continually updates the central data repository with its portion of the structured store. For example, in a database system, each node exports tables it is currently using to the data store. While this method exports the problems of load balancing to the central data repository, it suffers from two main drawbacks. First, throughput is lowered because of increased overhead associated with ensuring coherency of the centralized data store. Second, locking is inefficient because entire pages are locked when a node accesses any portion of a page. As a result, nodes may experience contention for memory even when no true conflict exists.
Similar to disk mirroring, but at a higher level, are techniques based on database replication. These systems may provide replication of the data stores or of the transactions performed on the data stores. Accordingly, these systems go further in guarding against the loss of data by providing static redundancy within the structured storage system. However, such systems suffer from the same drawbacks as other static techniques described above. Additionally, so-called "transaction-safe" replication techniques suffer from scalability problems as the number of tables served increases.

System and method for providing highly available data storage using globally addressable memory


A light rack assembly for off-road vehicles capable of surviving high vibration loads generated in off-road racing. Each assembly comprises at least one headlight sub-assembly having a center of gravity that, when mounted to the frame of the light rack assembly, resides in a spherical zone defined by the effective radius of the light and the mounting points of the light housing. Each light is isolated from vibration of the vehicle and can be individually adjusted to the preference of the driver without tools. The light rack assembly can be quickly removed from the vehicle, or be mounted such that the assembly can be rotated to adjust the light beams while the vehicle is in motion and rotated to retract the assembly to protect the lights when not in use.

The technology utilized in off-road vehicle racing has advanced substantially in recent years. These specialized vehicles have sophisticated suspension systems and high powered motors allowing the vehicles to achieve speeds in excess of 130 miles per hour over rough terrain. Many off-road races, such as the SCORE INTERNATIONAL® Baja 1000, require specialized lighting systems be equipped on the vehicles in order to be competitive in night racing conditions. Not only must these light systems be able to survive the high vibration loads encountered under race conditions, but they must be adjustable to optimize visibility for the driver. For instance, in night racing conditions where the terrain is tight with sharp turns, it is preferable to light up terrain close to the vehicle. However, in wide open terrain it is preferable to light up terrain further off in the distance from the vehicle. In addition, it is desirable to provide protection for the lights during daytime racing when the lights are not needed.
Presently, race teams typically purchase light housing assemblies and build custom light rack assemblies for their vehicles. However, these custom assemblies are often limited to the single mounting point provided by the manufacturer. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,742,436 and 4,357,651 provide single point mounts for the lights. Undesirably, the center of gravity of the light is substantially cantilevered from the single point mount of these designs. Typically, the vibration loads inflicted during off-road racing are so substantial that it is common for these single point mount lights to come out of adjustment, or for the mount point of the light to fail. In addition, these designs are not readily adaptable to allow for adjusting the position of the light while the vehicle is in motion. Thus, there is a need to provide a light rack assembly capable of handling the severe vibration loads inflicted in off-road racing conditions while still providing the ability to adjust the beam of light to the preference of the driver. Further, there is a need to provide an effective way to provide protection for the lights during daylight conditions when the lights are not needed.


The present invention is directed to a system and method for monitoring system performance by sampling instructions in a burst mode, rather than once per interrupt. A burst mode may be configurable for a number of instructions per burst. Furthermore, these instructions are counted using a dynamic tree structure, rather than a log, which results in substantial savings in storage. The present invention requires minimal changes to the operating system, and no changes to application code that is being monitored. No recompilation is necessary to use the present invention. In addition, the present invention provides a system and method for monitoring code segments that are disabled for interrupts, and thus are difficult, if not impossible, to monitor using prior art performance tools. In a multi-processor system, the burst mode is active on all processors at the same time, and each processor has its own dynamic tree structure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to information processing systems and, more particularly, to software tools and methods for monitoring, modeling, and enhancing system performance.
2. Description of Related Art
To enhance system performance, it is helpful to know which modules within a system are most frequently executed. These most frequently executed modules are referred to as "hot" modules. Within these hot modules, it is also useful to know which lines of code are the most frequently executed. When there is a point in the code where one of two or more branches may be taken, it is useful to know which branch is the mainline path, or the branch most frequently taken, and which branch or branches are the exception branches.
A programmer hoping to improve system performance should focus his or her efforts on improving the performance of the hot modules. Improving the performance of the most frequently executed modules will have the most effect on improving overall system performance. It does not make sense to spend much time improving the performance of modules which are rarely executed, as this will have little, if any, effect on the overall system performance.
A programmer hoping to improve the performance of a module will group the instructions in the mainline branches of the module closely together. Keeping the mainline code packed closely together increases the likelihood of cache hits, since the mainline code is the code that will most likely be loaded into the instruction cache.
Performance tools are used to examine program code to determine the most frequently executed modules and instructions in a system. Performance tools may be implemented in hardware or software. Hardware performance tools are usually built into the system. Software performance tools may be built into the system or added at a later point in time. Performance tools implemented in software are especially useful in systems, such as personal computer systems, that do not contain many, if any, built-in hardware performance tools.
Some prior art software performance tools use an interrupt-driven method to monitor performance. Typically, the system is interrupted at set time intervals. At each interrupt, the performance tool samples the code that is running and adds data into a log.
There are several problems with this prior art approach. Because the code is sampled once per interrupt, the programmer never sees any data pertaining to code that is "disabled for interrupts" (i.e. code where interrupts are masked). The interrupt that stops the system and allows the performance monitoring to take place can never occur during code that is disabled for interrupts.
Another problem with this prior art approach is that the storage area quickly fills with data. This means the performance tool can only be run for a very short period of time, or the tool must stop the system to unload the data into another space, such as to disk. Stopping the system is very intrusive, as this type of stop would not occur during normal operations. Thus, stopping the system to unload performance data actually affects the system performance of the system that is being monitored.
Furthermore, sampling once per interrupt gives a ragged view of the performance data. It is difficult to accurately understand what is happening in the system because the performance data is collected at random points. There is no data collected pertaining to a sequence of instructions running in the consecutive order in which they were intended to execute.
Another type of prior art software performance tool keeps track of sequences of instructions by logging every instruction as it executes. However, there are two problems associated with this type of prior art approach. First, the storage area fills with data even more quickly than with the interrupt-driven performance tool. Therefore, this type of tool can only be run for very short periods of time, or the data must be unloaded to another storage area so often that the tool becomes prohibitively intrusive. Second, there is a danger that the data collected will not be representative of the system as a whole. For example, a branch instruction that can take either path one or path two, may take path one during the time the performance tool is monitoring the system. Thus, to the programmer, it will appear that path one is the most frequently executed path. This may or may not be true. It could be that path two is much more frequently executed, but because the performance tool is run for such a short period of time, and because the branch happened to follow path one during the short time the system was monitored, the programmer will be misled.
The recent growth in multi-processor systems has created another problem for both types of prior art performance tools. Prior art performance tools usually use one storage area to collect performance data, regardless of the number of processors in the system. Thus, in a multi-processor system, some type of serialization must be used to ensure that more than one processor is not writing to the storage area at the same time. In addition, this may lead to inaccuracies in the performance data. While one processor is writing its performance data, a second processor may be waiting to write its performance data, and this waiting time will be reflected in the second processor's performance data. This wait time is not part of normal processing.
Another problem with many prior art performance tools implemented in software is that they require changes to be made to both operating system and application code. All code must be recompiled before any performance monitoring takes place. Thus, the changed and recompiled code is the code that is actually monitored, rather than the actual code that eventually becomes part of the final software product.
Consequently, it would be desirable to have a minimally-intrusive system performance tool that would not require a large memory area to store data and that would accurately depict performance for both single and multi-processor systems. It would be desirable to have such a performance tool monitor system performance with minimal changes to the operating system and no changes to application code that is being monitored. In addition, it would be desirable to have such a tool both identify the hot modules within a system and identify the mainline code paths through the system.

System and method for instruction burst performance profiling for single-processor and multi-processor systems

International Business Machines Corporation


Embodiments of the invention track users' hand-cleaning compliance and display an indication of each user's compliance so that others can estimate how well each user complies with policy guidelines. Making sanitation compliance visible in this way enables social pressure to be focused on negligent users without requiring others to take specific, individual actions to call out a negligent user. Other features of the system are also described and claimed.

Healthcare procedures, facilities, equipment and knowledge have advanced rapidly and significantly over the centuries. Patient outcomes have improved, and many injuries and diseases that would have been fatal in earlier times are now treated and cured as a matter of course.
These changes in prognosis for the most serious maladies cause a reshuffling among other causes and contributors to death and disease. When injuries themselves were commonly fatal, differences in sterilization and sanitation procedures were relatively inconsequential. Now that many injuries can be treated effectively, though, infections acquired during treatment and convalescence can turn out to be a significant factor in overall outcomes. This is especially true of hospital-acquired infections: because hospital facilities, personnel and patients experience increased antibacterial procedures (e.g., autoclaving, hand-washing and antibiotic courses), bacterial populations there are subjected to strong selection pressure, and difficult-to-treat infections have become more common.
These "superbug" pathogens (e.g., Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, "MRSA") can be spread among hospital patients by improperly- or inadequately-sanitized equipment, but a common vector is the hands of healthcare providers, who may touch or handle patients or equipment, then inadvertently transfer pathogens an uninfected patient by neglecting to follow recommended or required hand-sanitation procedures.
Hand sanitation compliance is known to be an effective target for hospital process improvement. Studies often show compliance rates below 50%. Prior-art approaches to improve compliance tend to fall into two classes: education (via seminars, personnel directives, "reminder" posters and literature, etc.) and technological (via interlocks connecting sanitation activity to premises access—e.g., a door lock will not open unless the sanitation procedure is completed). Technological approaches tend to be expensive, complicated and inconvenient in direct proportion to their reliability; no such approach is widely adopted and successful. Education is inexpensive, but of limited efficacy against habitual offenders.
An inexpensive approach that is less intrusive but more effective may be of significant value in this field.

Method and apparatus for improving hand-sanitizing compliance in health care facilities


A device for gripping a shaft of a golf club or the like has a main support surface in the form of a thin walled member that extends in a crown between opposite one and another sides thereof and that defines a passage extending in a first direction for receiving the back side of a users hand therein. A tubular member receives the shaft, has opposite one and another ends and is integrally formed with the thin walled member by means of one connection with one side of the thin walled member and another connection with another side of the thin walled member. The tubular member extends along a longitudinal axis that is angular to the aforementioned first direction.

In the prior art there do exist various types of aiding or gripping devices for use with sporting apparatus or other implements. Examples of these devices can be found in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,843,039; 2,780,464; 2,962,288 and 5,704,845. A drawback to all these devices is that they do not effectively hold the implement shaft as well as effectively fit with the user's hand.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved gripping device, particularly, but not exclusively, for use with a golf club.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved golf club gripping device that effectively holds the golf club shaft while at the same time fitting effectively with the user's hand so as to provide a gripping mechanism that enhances use of the club.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved golf club gripping device that is particularly useful with a user having a medical condition such as arthritis or carpel tunnel syndrome.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved golf club gripping device that, not only functions as an improved device for holding the golf club in a comfortable position, but also functions as a prosthesis for a golfer having the loss of one or more fingers.


The method of the invention relates to the preservation of a complex antigenic system of Entamoeba histolytica molecules, without using enzymatic inhibitors and using these preserved Entamoeba histolytica molecules as a reagent in a diagnostic assay system and as a starting material for the isolation of Entamoeba histolytica proteins.

Amebiasis is a parasitic disease provoked by the protozoan Entamoeba histolytica. It affects mainly the inhabitants of developing countries. Under appropriate conditions, which are not well known, trophozoites differentiate into an ineffective form or cyst, which is present in excrements and by this route can infect a new host by oral ingestion of food and water or person to person transmission. Most of the people infected with Entamoeba histolytica are asymptomatic, but in 10% of the people with amebiasis, the protozoan produces sickness when it invades the intestinal mucosa producing amoebic colitis or more dangerous damage when the protozoan is extraintestinal and there is a dissemination of the protozoan to the liver, provoking an amoebic liver abscess. In the cases in which there is a perforation of the liver or the intestine, it can provoke pleural damage, pericarditis, peritonitis and even death. Amebiasis occupies the sixth place among the most frequent causes of death in Mexico. In Mexico as in Venezuela, 2% to 15% of the cases of children with diarrhea who have been hospitalized, have infections associated with an Entamoeba histolytica.
To conduct correct epidemiological studies, it will require the development of diagnostic methods which are sensitive and specific. The coproparasitoscopic diagnosis of Entamoeba histolytica is especially difficult, because it requires highly skilled workers to prevent false interpretations. The serologic diagnosis is not effective because the existing tests are not sensitive enough, especially when they are used in highly endemic zones. To obtain useful diagnostic tests, it is necessary to know the amoebic molecules that are actively involved in the cases of invasive amebiasis and to utilize these molecules to design effective diagnostic tests. Once the role of these molecules is known, studies can be performed to determine their involvement in the immune protection mechanisms generated against amoebas and the possible implementation of vaccines.
A major impediment to achieve this goal is the highly elevated enzymatic activity of the proteases present in the amoebic extracts (see McLaughlin et al., Canadian Journal of Microbiology, 23: 420-425 (1977), and Perez-Monfort, et al., Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology, 26: 87-98 (1987)). The proteases degrade proteins in the amoebic extracts by producing degradation products and making it impossible or at least very difficult, to standardize the methods of analysis of the antigenicity of these proteins. To prevent this enzymatic activity, enzymatic inhibitors have been used; however, because these inhibitors are not completely effective protein degradation continues. Generally, amebic extracts containing enzymatic inhibitors only permit working with extracts for relatively short periods of time and they do not provide the opportunity to store the same samples for later tests. A later study by Arguello-Garcia et al., Arch. Invest. Med. (Mex.) 21: 3-9 (Supl. 1) (1990) reported evaluating E. histolytica antigens utilizing different protein extraction methods. The highest yield of proteins from E. histolytica cell lysates was obtained by homogenizing trophozoites in the presence of 10 mM p-hydroxymercuribenzoate (pHMB) and by lysis with Triton X-100 and a mixture of protease inhibitors. Frozen extracts were found to be stable for a period of two or three months. However, these extracts were not subjected to repeated freezing and thawing (personal communication). The authors found that different methods for preparing amebic extracts resulted in differences in protein yields as well as antigenic composition as observed by electrophoretic patterns and that there was a need to select a standardized procedure for preparing amebic extracts for use in serological assays.
The present invention utilizes a method for preparing amebic extracts based upon the method described in Said-Fernandez et al., Zeitschrift fur Parasitenkunde, 56: 219-225 (1978), which removes lipids from amebic extracts. This method disloses that the electrophoretic analysis of total proteins from trophozoites of four different strains of the histolytica group of Entamoeba show a striking similarity between the two E. histolytica strains studied. The authors state that protein electrophoretic analysis can be used as a taxonomic criterion after confirming its use in a sufficiently large number of strains.
The present inventor has determined that amoebic antigens prepared by this method exhibit very low levels of proteolytic enzymatic activity which does not cause protein any extensive and interfering protein degradation. Amebic extracts prepared by this method are stable for at least six months without any enzymatic degradation. Therefore, antigens made by this method for use in diagnostic tests, such as ELISA or IHA, are stable for longer periods of time than extracts containing protease inhibitors. The longer shelf-life provides advantages for a commercial diagnostic product amebic antigens prepared according to this method.
The present inventor has recognized that amebic extracts produced according to this method could be utilized as a stable antigen in a diagnostic test, such as an ELISA or IRA, without utilizing protease inhibitors to prevent the degradation of the amebic extract which is the standard treatment in the prior art. Therefore, the present invention is directed to a diagnostic test and method for detecting the presence of antibodies to E. histolytica in a patient sample.
Further, the present inventor has recognized that amebic extracts produced according to this method could also be utilized as a starting material to produce and characterize specific E. histolytica proteins associated with different clinical manifestations of amebic disease; e.g., amebic liver abscesses (ALA) and intestinal amebiasis (IA). These specific proteins may be utilized as stable antigens in diagnostic tests, such as ELISA and IHA for detecting the presence of antibodies to E. histolytica in patient samples or further utilized in the production of a vaccine against E. histolytica.

Preparation of preserved entamoeba histolytica antigens without enzymatic inhibitors and their use in immunological methods


An outboard motor catalytic converter that can downsize an outboard motor by making a space, where catalysts are installed, small and can ensure efficient reaction of the catalysts. The outboard motor catalytic converter includes exhaust pipes that are connected to exhaust manifolds of an engine of the outboard motor. Catalysts are installed inside the exhaust pipes, and at least a portion of each of the exhaust pipes, which corresponds to a place where the catalysts are installed, is formed to have a double structure constituted of an inner pipe and an outer pipe.

Conventionally, there has been proposed a structure of an outboard motor in which a catalyst connected to an engine to purify exhaust gas from the engine is installed.
In general, as a disclosed technology for installing the catalyst, for example, there is a technology in which a catalyzer unit is configured to have a double structure constituted of an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder, a catalyst is retained in the inner cylinder by a cushion member, and the outer cylinder is supported via a ring spacer outside the inner cylinder (for example, Patent Literature 1).
In addition, another disclosed technology is, for example, a technology in which in an exhaust gas purification catalytic converter including: a metal carrier catalyst which has a metallic core and a metallic inner cylinder; and a metallic outer cylinder which is provided on an outer circumferential side of the inner cylinder and constitutes an insulator between an outer circumferential surface of the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder, a thickness of the inner cylinder is thinner than that of the outer cylinder (for example, Patent Literature 2).


A self locking suture instrument having a body structure and an arm. The body structure comprises a first end, having a pair of forks and a body opening formed therein, and a second end. The arm has a first end and a second end, the second end being coupled to the main body structure, a top side and a bottom side. The arm has a releasable needle lock opening, being cone-shaped with a larger diameter on the top side of the arm and a corresponding smaller diameter on the bottom side of the arm. The arm has an open channel formed therein positioned on the top side of the arm and extending from the first end of the arm to the releasable needle lock opening. The arm has a recess formed therein, positioned on the top side of the arm and extending from the needle lock opening forward the second end of the arm.

The need for this invention arises from surgical practice, particularly surgical practice using laparoscopic instruments involving small incisions, using a video camera lens or focusing device inserted in one of the incisions to view the field of the operation inside the patient and surgical instruments inserted in other incisions and manipulated from outside the patient's body using a TV screen or similar type of monitor for visualization, usually enlarged, to guide the work.
Anything that can reduce the number of steps to be performed in such an operation can markedly reduce the stress, both on the patient and on the doctor. Surgeons performing such operations are under considerable stress because remote manipulation using a monitor for visualization, rather than seeing the site of the operation directly requires the learning of a great many techniques that are radically different from those performed when the surgical site is open to view. These include indirect hand-eye coordination, and cooperation between surgeons to place and secure sutures.
The placing of sutures during a laparoscopic procedure typically requires two surgeons to cooperate in a multi-step process performed with multiple surgical instruments to manipulate the needle and suture and pass it back and forth from one to another, cooperation in tying the knot etc. This invention arose from the difficulty of such manipulations and the need to minimize that difficulty.


A single rotator successively connects a set of access ports to a set of memory devices and a multi-port controller and connects the set of memory devices and the multi-port controller to the set of access ports. The rotator has a set of inlets and a set of outlets and cyclically connects each inlet to each outlet during a rotation cycle. A set of inlet selectors connecting to the inlets of the rotator and a set of outlet selectors connecting to the outlets of the rotator are coordinated to concurrently connect the access ports to the memory devices and to the master controller through the rotator, and concurrently connect the memory devices and the master controller to the access ports. Each memory device connects to an inlet selector and a corresponding transposed outlet selector.

Present wide-coverage data networks are generally multi-hop networks of large diameter where a path from one edge node to another may traverse several intermediate nodes. Such networks employ routers of moderate dimensions and have performance challenges. A multi-hop packet-switching network suffers from cumulative performance degradation as a path from source to destination traverses numerous routing nodes. It is well known that structural simplicity reduces network cost and improves network performance. In order to facilitate the introduction of high-quality broadband services, the network structure need be simplified and the network diameter need be reduced. It is desirable that a path from one edge node to another traverse a small number of intermediate nodes.
Realization of such a network is greatly facilitated by employing switching nodes of large dimensions and simple structures.

Single-rotator latent space switch with an embedded controller