A television telephone including a movable head section, a support section and a bottom section. The movable head section includes an imaging device for inputting images and a display for displaying images. The bottom section includes a communication controller for transmission and reception of encoded information of at least one of audio and visual signals to and from a communication network, and a telephone controller for controlling transmission and reception functions and including a key console unit. The support section serves for connecting the bottom section and the movable head section and for supporting the movable head section and includes an image encoder/decoder for encoding image input signals and for decoding received image signals.

The present invention relates to a color moving picture television telephone which performs bidirectional simultaneous communication of voice, moving picture and data in real time, making use of a high speed digital communication network, especially to a combination type television telephone including a picture or video codec (coder-decoder) and a communication control circuit.
A color movable picture television telephone apparatus of a prior arrangement has a large video codec unit which is provided separately from the television telephone body, and both are connected by a cable. Also, a camera and a display are fixed to the body generally with the camera unit being fixed to the body and directed only toward a specific direction such that free adjustment of direction is not provided.
Also, the prior apparatus is not adapted for special application, such as transmission of a document and picture, and the camera is normally applied to take a photograph of personal figures. When taking a photograph of other than personal figures, the prior apparatus is not provided with a construction, such as stand etc., for supporting a camera with the camera being freely removed by itself. Further, there is an apparatus having a construction providing a plane mirror in front of the camera so as to take a photograph of documents and pictures with documents or pictures being set on a platform (bottom part), but the camera has an integrated construction with a display. Fujitsu technical report 41. 3, pp. 243-247 (May, 1990 edition) and Japanese patent application No. 2-39790 as well as Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2-22989, for example, are representative of disclosures of such apparatus.
Also, as a technique for improving man-machine interface of a color moving picture television telephone terminal in the prior art, the realizing of an operation supporting function using message indication function is disclosed in the "International Communication Research No. 135 (January 1988) page 33, clause 4.1, item 5, issued by the foundation KDD engineering and consulting. Also, the changing of a dip switch or a jumper plug is carried out to adapt for the system registration and setting and realization of a maintenance function, as described in page 34, clause 4.2 of the above literature.
In the prior art as above described, there are problems that mobility and portability are not considered, and the phase of installation of the apparatus is limited and movement is difficult. Moreover, many cables are connected to the body, so that the use as a terminal apparatus is not convenient.
Further, when document information such as documents or photographs is transferred, since documents are held up by hand in front of a camera to take a photograph in accordance with the set position of the camera direction at the time of conversation, stable transmission of characters with good fineness is not possible because of movement of the document due to hand vibration or the like. Moreover, concerning a television telephone having a looking-down construction at the camera unit, since the camera unit is simply directed downwards, the document must be set reversely in the longitudinal direction with respect to the direction viewed by the sender. Therefore, there is a problem in that a sender can not identify the document simultaneously and naturally. Moreover, with regard to an adjustment mechanism for the heights and angles of the camera display of the body, there is only one movable point between the body and the camera display. Therefore, there is a problem in that arbitrary heights and angles can not be set. Further, the camera unit is always directed to the user side, and even when pictures are not desired to be sent (e.g., used as digital telephone), the camera by its construction is operational and thus there is a problem that an image of being watched cannot be removed.
In a picture/voice multiplex transmission mode, a transferring rate of each source signal is fixed and only data of certain quality of a voice or a picture can be transferred. Further, there is no external input/output function as a multi-media terminal including all signals of voice, picture and data, with only a function as a television telephone terminal, thereby lacking in extendibility. Also, the function as a television telephone terminal always accompanied by picture transmission is merely realized, not by communication control which can be used as a mere digital telephone terminal, and selection of a particular function among many functions is lacking.
Additionally, at the color moving picture television terminal in the prior art, firstly, since communication between terminals of the same kind or the same product is only considered, and since many register and setting items necessary for the color moving picture television telephone terminal are almost all previously registered and set in the terminal, it is therefore hardly necessary that the user frequently register and change the communication mode or the operation of the color moving picture television telephone terminal. However, according to the various developments in the technique and the standardizing activity, the color moving picture television telephone terminal can be connected to a conventional analog telephone, a digital telephone using digital communication lines, various kinds of television telephone terminals and teleconference terminals, each having many different register and setting items, so many register and setting items. Secondly, it is necessary to consider security and concealment in the setting and register operations from the status of communication terminals. Thirdly, television telephones or television telephone operating members are used in many cases by being placed on desks, and therefore depending on the use condition the dimensions of the operating members carrying out the man-machine interfaces are somewhat limited, and the numbers of input keys and dimensions of the keys are subjected to the consideration of manipulatability. Fourthly, the operating members of television telephones are required to be man-machine interfaces similar to operating methods for conventional analog telephones due to the status of telephones, and in order to provide users with increased multiple functions comparing to conventional analog telephones without confusion, it is necessary to provide standardized man-machine interfaces. Fifthly, the numbers and domains of characters and figures (pictures) which can be indicated on the display are finite, and the characters and figures are indicated on moving pictures with multiplication at the time of picture reception and at the time of monitor indication, and therefore it is necessary to consider the positions of indication and the multiplying method. Sixthly, for the transmission timing of pictures, privacy and security must be considered, and it is necessary to reflect the intentions of the users in each communication.


The present invention relates to compositions for and methods of retarding hair loss or facilitating hair growth comprising a hair growth active and a C8-C24 alcohol ester of a carboxylic acid.

Alopecia, or hair loss, in its various forms is an ongoing problem afflicting mankind and animals. Men, woman and children can all suffer from alopecia, which can be result of one, or a combination of, factors including genetic factors, hormonal factors, surgery, trauma, chemotherapy, aging, certain drug side effects and stress. The universality of the occurrence of alopecia has led to continuing efforts throughout history to discover compositions for stimulating hair growth and preventing hair loss.
A number of "natural" remedies for alopecia based solely on herbs and plant extracts have been proposed. However, such compounds have proven clinically to have very little if any effect.
Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention is to provide a method for reducing hair loss and facilitate hair growth and/or providing a thicker, denser or richer hair coat.
Another aspect of the present disclosure is concerned with methods of using compositions comprising at least one hair growth stimulator, and at least one C8-C24 alcohol ester of a carboxylic acid.
Another aspect of the present disclosure is concerned with using the disclosed compositions to accelerate the onset of the anagen phase of hair growth in a mammal.
A still further aspect of the present disclosure is concerned with using the disclosed compositions to increase the rate at which terminal hair appears on the skin of a mammal.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method of reducing or preventing hair thinning and hair loss.
Still other aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become readily apparent by those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein it is shown and described only in the preferred embodiments, simply by way of illustration of the best mode. As will be realized, the disclosure is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects, without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. Accordingly, the description is to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restricted.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


The present invention provides a method of shot peening at least a portion of a rotary machine comprising a rotor. Shot peening is carried out with a rotor which is at least partly assembled. The method comprises:                fixing a system for supporting at least one acoustic assembly to the machine; and        shot peening at least one region of the machine using projectiles which are moved by the acoustic assembly.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,343,495 discloses a portable device for local shot peening of a part to introduce compressive stress or to modify its surface quality.
United States application US 2002-0042978, French patent FR-A-2 815 280 and US 2006-0021410 disclose units in which the part to be treated is at least partly introduced into the unit.
Such units are suitable when treating component parts of a machine during fabrication thereof or when maintaining it after dismantling the machine completely.

Sonats-Societe des Nouvelles Applications des Techniques de Surfaces


A method and an apparatus for detecting an electric field in the active regions of an integrated circuit disposed in a semiconductor. In one embodiment, a laser beam is operated at a wavelength near the band gap of a semiconductor such as silicon. The laser beam is focused onto a P-N junction, such as for example the drain of an MOS transistor, through the back side of the semiconductor substrate. As a result of photo-absorption, the laser beam is partially absorbed in the P-N junction. When an external electric field is impressed on the P-N junction, such as when for example the drain of the transistor switches, the degree of photo-absorption will be modulated in accordance with the modulation in the electric field due to the phenomenon of electro-absorption. Electro-absorption also leads to electro-refraction which leads to a modulation in the reflection coefficient for the light reflected from the P-N junction/oxide interface. The laser beam passes through the P-N junction region, reflects off the oxide interface and metal behind the junction, and returns back through the P-N junction and back out of the silicon surface. Any amplitude modulation in this reflected laser beam is detected with an optical detection system, and is attributed to a corresponding modulation in the electric field in the P-N junction due to the combined effects of electro-absorption and electro-refraction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to integrated circuit testing and, more specifically, the present invention relates to optical-based probing of integrated circuits.
2. Description of the Related Art
Within the integrated circuit industry there is a continuing effort to increase integrated circuit speed as well as device density. As a result of these efforts, there is a trend towards using flip chip technology when packaging complex high speed integrated circuits. Flip chip technology is also known as control collapse chip connection (C4) packaging. In C4 packaging technology, the integrated circuit die is flipped upside down. This is opposite to how integrated circuits are packaged today using wire bond technology. By flipping the die upside down, ball bonds may be used to provide direct electrical connections from the bond pads directly to the pins of the C4 package.
FIG. 1A illustrates integrated circuit packaging 101 which utilizes wire bonds 103 instead of ball bonds to electrically connect integrated circuit connections in integrated circuit die 105 through metal interconnects 109 to the pins 107 of package substrate 111. With the trend towards high speed integrated circuits, the inductance generated in the wire bonds 103 of the typical integrated circuit packaging 101 becomes an increasingly significant problem.
FIG. 1B illustrates C4 packaging 151 with the integrated circuit die 155 flipped upside down. In comparison with the wire bonds 103 of FIG. 1A, the ball bonds 153 of C4 packaging 151 provide more direct connections between the integrated circuit die 155 and the pins 157 of package substrate 161 through metal interconnects 159. As a result, the inductance problems associated with typical integrated circuit packaging technologies that use wire bonds are minimized. Unlike wire bond technology, which only allows bonding along the periphery of the integrated circuit die, C4 technology allows connections to be placed anywhere on the integrated circuit die surface. This leads to a very low inductance power distribution to the integrated circuit which is another major advantage of C4.
A consequence of the integrated circuit die 155 being flipped upside down in C4 packaging 151 is that access to internal nodes of the integrated circuit die 155 for testing purposes has become a considerable challenge. In particular, during the silicon debug phase of a new product that is designed to be packaged into C4, it is often necessary to probe electrical signals from internal nodes of the chip, insitu, while the chip is packaged in its native C4 packaging environment. During the debug process it is often necessary to probe certain internal nodes in order to obtain important electrical data from the integrated circuit. Important data include measuring device parameters such as, but are not limited to, voltage levels, timing information, current levels and thermal information.
Present day debug process for wire bond technology is based on directly probing the metal interconnects on the chip front side with an electron beam (E-beam) or mechanical prober. Typical integrated circuit devices have multiple layers of metal interconnects and it is often difficult to access nodes that are buried deep in the chip. Usually other tools such as plasma etchers and focused ion beam systems must be used to mill away the dielectric and or metal above the node to expose nodes for probing.
With C4 packaging technology, however, this front side methodology is not feasible since the integrated circuit die is flipped upside down. As illustrated in FIG. 1B, access to the metal interconnects 159 for the purpose of conventional probing is obstructed by the package substrate 161. Instead, the P-N junctions forming the active and passive regions 163 of the integrated circuit are accessible through the back side of the silicon substrate of integrated circuit die 155.
FIG. 2 illustrates a prior art method used to probe active diffusion regions in integrated circuits. In the setup shown in FIG. 2, a device under test (DUT) 231 includes an active region 239 and non active region (metal) 241. A laser 221 is positioned to focus a laser beam 223 through a beam splitter 225, a birefringent beam splitter 227 and an objective lens 229 through the back side of the silicon of DUT 231 on the diffusion region 239 and metal 241. As shown in FIG. 2, birefringent beam splitter 227 separates the laser beam 223 into two separate laser beams, a probe laser beam 235 and reference laser beam 237. Both probe laser beam 235 and reference laser beam 237 are reflected from active region 239 and metal 241, respectively, back through objective lens 229 into birefringent beam splitter 227. Probe laser beam 235 and reference laser beam 237 are then recombined in birefringent beam splitter 227 and are guided into detector 233 through beam splitter 225.
By operating the DUT 231 while focusing probe laser beam 235 on active region 239 and reference laser beam 237 on metal 241, waveforms may be detected with detector 233 through the silicon substrate of DUT 231. Detection is possible due to the plasma-optical effect in which the refractive index of a region of free charge is different to a region with no charge. The application of a bias causes the free charge, and hence the refractive index, in the probed region to be modulated whereas the refractive index of the region under the reference beam is unaltered. This results in phase shift between probe beam 235 and reference beam 237.
Accordingly, by measuring the phase difference between the reflected reference beam 237 and probe laser beam 235, detector 233 is able to generate an output signal 241 that is proportional to the charge modulation caused by operation of the P-N junction region under the probe. This optical measurement can then be combined with conventional stroboscopic techniques to measure high frequency charge and hence voltage waveforms from the P-N junction region 239.
There are a number disadvantages with the prior art technique shown in FIG. 2. First, being a phase detection scheme, two beam beams are required (a reference beam 237 and a probe beam 235) to interfere with each other to generate the phase signal. These beams are created with birefringent beam splitter 227. Therefore, use of both probe laser beam 235 and reference laser beam 237 is limited in that they must be separated by a distance of x as shown in FIG. 2. Consequently, the layout of the diffusion regions 239 and metals 241 in DUT 231 must be such that a metal 241 is located at a distance x from diffusion region 239. It is appreciated that many modern integrated circuit layouts may not lend themselves to be probed with a setup as shown in FIG. 2 since the prior art technique shown requires a reflective surface 241 with no charge modulation ahead of it for the reference beam to be in close proximity (a distance x) to the probed region 239 undergoing charge modulation. It is difficult to meet these requirements in today's advanced technologies.
In addition, it is noted that the technique shown in FIG. 2 has only been applied to bipolar junction transistor technology and that no successful applications of the prior art technique shown in FIG. 2 have been used with CMOS technology. This is because the charge modulation in the depletion region of a reverse biased P-N junction (e.g. the drain of an MOS transistor) is much smaller than the charge modulation in the same junction when it is forward biased (e.g. the base region of a bipolar junction transistor). Furthermore, since the channels of MOS devices are lateral whereas the base-emitter junctions of bipolar devices are vertical, direct measurement of charge modulation in the channel of an MOS device is not possible due to prohibitively small laser spot size required which is far below that of the wavelength of light in silicon.
Another prior art optical technique for probing integrated circuits utilizes the electro-optic effect or Pockels effect. This electro-optic effect involves measuring the change in the optical index of refraction that occurs in an asymmetrical crystal when an electric field is applied. The refractive index of electro-optic materials changes when an electric field is applied. As a result, the polarization of an optical beam passing through the electro-optic material then changes according to the strength of the electric field or voltage impressed across the electro-optic material.
FIG. 3 illustrates an application of the electro-optic effect to an integrated circuit utilizing an asymmetrical crystal such as a gallium arsenide substrate 301. In the illustration shown in FIG. 3, a fringing electric field 307 exists between electrodes 305. A probe beam 303 enters from the back side of substrate 301, passes through the fringing electric field 307 and is reflected from an electrode 305. By measuring the changes in polarization of probe beam 303 and thus changes in the refraction index of the substrate 301, the electric field 307 can be measured. It is appreciated, however, that although this technique may be utilized in gallium arsenide based integrated circuits, electro-optic sampling in silicon is not possible because silicon is a symmetrical crystal and hence does not exhibit the electro-optic or Pockels effect.
Therefore, what is desired is a method and an apparatus for probing active regions in CMOS integrated circuits through the back side of silicon. Such a method should be able to probe active regions of a CMOS integrated circuit through the back side of silicon without the need for reference laser beam to be reflected off a metal near the diffusion region to be probed. In addition, this method should be compatible present day CMOS integrated circuit technology.

Method and apparatus using an infrared laser based optical probe for measuring electric fields directly from active regions in an integrated circuit


The present invention discloses a method and apparatus for providing error detection capability for initialization data stored in a non-volatile memory used in a video monitor. The method comprises the steps of: (1) storing N test values in N distinct locations in the non-volatile memory; (2) reading the N stored test values from the non-volatile memory, each test value being read for K times; (3) selecting N read test values representative of the N stored test values; (4) comparing the N read test values with N corresponding check values; and (5) if the N read test values are equal to the N corresponding check values, reading the initialization data from the non-volatile memory.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to redundancy for error detection. In particular, the present invention relates to initialization data redundancy system for multi-frequency video monitor.
2. Description of Related Art
Multi-frequency video monitors require initialization data for initial configuration. Default values for these initialization data are usually determined and stored in read only memory (ROM) during manufacturing and assembly.
During production adjustment, these default values are adjusted according to calibration results. The adjusted data are stored in EEPROM or other forms of non-volatile memory. Subsequently, the adjusted values are used in quality assurance/ control and field use.
Data read from EEPROM may be corrupted by noise and other sources of errors. When this occurs, the adjusted values become erroneous, resulting in incorrect operation of the video monitor during quality assurance/ control and in the field. These errors cause frequent returns of products, increasing costs for both the manufacturer and the customers.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide an apparatus and method for providing an error detection capability based on the use of redundancy in storing and reading initialization data.


The invention provides a distributed file system configured to delegate file system operations to clients. The client obtains a delegation associated with an object managed by the server. The delegation enables the client to perform a file system operation on behalf of the server. The client caches the object and enables users associated with the client to access the object in accordance with the delegation.

In many of today's distributed client/server environments, client computers are frequently equipped with significant processing power and persistent storage. Yet, if a distributed file system is used, the client computers often sit idle while file servers tend to be heavily loaded. This is because conventional distributed file systems require file servers to maintain substantial control over their files. In such a file system, a client that requests access to a particular file is typically required to maintain an active communication link to constantly interact with the file server. In particular, a file handle is extended from the file server to the client. An interruption in the communication link would result in an error. In such an environment, most of the work associated with file handling rest on the file server.
To streamline file system operations, some current distributed file systems allow clients to cache files that are centrally maintained in a file server. In these file systems, when a client caches a file, a copy of the file is saved in the client's memory while the original file in the file server is locked. Locking the original file is necessary to ensure that two or more users do not attempt to modify the same file simultaneously. Although, a distributed file system that enables client file caching provides a somewhat more capable file-sharing environment, the system still requires a significant amount of communication overhead and places extensive restrictions on simultaneous file sharing by multiple users.
An effective and efficient method for sharing files among multiple users eludes those skilled in the art.

System and method for delegating file system operations


A method of applying a cement-free refractory castable to the surface of a refractory structure, comprising the steps of:. a) preparing an intimately mixed refractory castable having alumina aggregate and a cement-free binder comprised of hydratable alumina; PA1 b) conveying the refractory castable under pressure through a delivery hose to a dispensing nozzle for applying the refractory castable; and, PA1 c) adding a salt solution to the refractory castable prior to application by the nozzle at a rate wherein the salt solution comprises about 0.2% to 0.9% by weight of the refractory castable applied by the dispensing nozzle.

Refractory shotcreting has become a major process for the repair and maintenance of refractory linings in steel, non-ferrous metal, chemical, mineral and ceramic processing plants.
In recent years, cement-free refractory castables suitable for use in high temperature applications and having excellent resistance to corrosion by steel making slags have been developed. These refractories typically utilize a hydratable alumina binder in place of calcium aluminate cement. Because of the suitability of these refractory castables for high-temperature applications in the steel-making industry, it is highly desirable to be able to apply this material by a wet-mix shotcreting process.
Shotcreting is usually classified according to the process used, i.e., wet-mix or dry-mix spraying. A wet-mix refractory shotcrete process generally consists of thoroughly mixing a refractory material and water to produce a pumpable mixture, then introducing the mixture into a delivery hose and pumping the mixture to a dispensing (i.e., spraying) nozzle. A dry-mix refractory shotcrete process generally consists of conveying a dry refractory mixture through the delivery hose by compressed air, then introducing water under pressure at the nozzle prior to application of the refractory to the target surface. In both processes, a set modifying admixture may typically be added to the refractory castable at the nozzle to initiate and accelerate the thickening and setting of the refractory castable so that it will not slump or sag when applied to vertical or overhead surfaces. Since the mixture must be fluid for pumping in the wet-mix process, such admixtures are more critical in the wet-mix compared to the dry-mix process.
Heretofore, refractory shotcreting has found limited application in high temperature and severe corrosive applications, such as for example, in the steel making industry where the refractory material may be exposed to temperatures in the range of 2700.degree. F. to 2900.degree. F. and come in contact with corrosive slag materials. A main reason that shotcreting of refractories is limited in such applications is due to the materials added to the refractory compositions in order to facilitate their application by a wet-mix or a dry-mix shotcreting process. In both processes, a refractory castable mix is used as the base refractory composition. Most dry-process gun mixes are based on castable mixes that are modified to have finer (i.e., smaller) aggregate (than the castables) to reduce "rebound" when the refractory is applied to a surface. In addition, additives, usually clay, are added to the refractory to enhance the sticking (i.e., non-slumping) characteristic of the material when applied to vertical walls. These modifications make dry gunning mixes less applicable to severe high temperature, corrosive applications as compared to castables of similar base composition because the clay adds considerable silica to the refractory. The addition of the silica to very pure alumina systems may have a detrimental effect particularly on the hot modulus of rupture (MOR) of the material, in high temperature shrinkage and resistance to corrosion by steel making slags. In this respect, such gunning mixes may have lower strength at steel making temperatures in the range of 2700.degree. F. to 3000.degree. F. and exhibit a permanent linear change (i.e., shrinkage) at certain temperatures, i.e., above 2700.degree. F. In addition, such gun mixes typically have high porosity, which is related to the clay addition, altered grain sizing and incomplete mixing inherent in a dry gunning process. As a result, such gun mixes are less than desirable in repairing steel ladle linings or other surfaces where such linings would be exposed to extremely high temperatures, i.e., above 2700.degree. F., and to highly corrosive slags.
A wet-mix shotcreting process overcomes the less than desirable mixing inherent in a dry-gunning process and does not generally require the addition of clay to the base refractory castable composition used. Accordingly, a refractory castable suitable for high temperatures and corrosive use may find advantageous application in a wet-mix process, but only if a suitable "accelerator" can be found for use therewith. In this respect, to facilitate the wet-mix process, a set modifying admixture, conventionally referred to as an "accelerator" must be added to the wet-mix refractory just prior to spraying to accelerate the thickening and setting of the refractory castable in order to prevent slumping and sagging of the refractory when it is applied to a vertical surface. It is known that many accelerators have a negative effect on the properties of certain refractories that are typically used for high temperature, highly corrosive environments. For example, sodium silicate is a well-known accelerator used in wet-mix and dry-mix refractory shotcreting. However, even small additions of alkalis, such as sodium, can reduce high temperature strength and refractoriness in high alumina, low cement refractories. It is, therefore, important that an accelerant (i.e., the "accelerator") used with a particular refractory castable be able to provide the thickening and setting characteristics to the particular refractory castable without adversely affecting the properties of the castable by introducing deleterious material into the castable.
The present invention provides a wet-mix shotcreting process for applying a cement-free refractory material of the type described above for use in high temperature applications.

Cement-free refractory castable system for wet process pumping/spraying


Disclosed is a method and system for controlling the formation of liquid or gas slugs along a pipeline. In embodiments, an injection unit injects a liquid surface tension reducing agent, such as a foamant, into the pipeline upstream of the high point. A control unit can be used to control the injection unit. In certain arrangements, the control unit adjusts the injection of the agent based on measured parameters of interest. In embodiments where the control unit utilizes temperature measurements, one or more temperature sensors are positioned along the pipeline. The control unit utilizes the temperature measurements to determine whether a predetermined condition exists or a liquid or gas slug is present.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the controlling gas or liquid slugs in of pipelines and more particularly to controlling gas or liquid slugs in undersea pipelines.
2. Background of the Art
Pipelines are widely used in a variety of industries, allowing a large amount of material to be transported from one place to another. A variety of fluids, such as oil and/or gas, as well as particulate, and other small solids suspended in fluids, are transported cheaply and efficiently using underground pipelines. Pipelines can be subterranean, submarine, on the surface of the earth, and even suspended above the earth. Submarine pipelines especially carry enormous quantities of oil and gas products indispensable to energy-related industries, often under tremendous pressure and at low temperatures and at high flow rates.
Undersea or submarine pipelines typically carry formation fluids from one or more subsea wells. These formation fluids may be, but are not limited to, a gas, a liquid, an emulsion, a slurry and/or a stream of solid particles that has flow characteristics similar to liquid flow. The influent can be a single phase, a two phase or even a three phase admixture. Thus, production fluid can have up to three phases of non-solid materials: hydrocarbons, aqueous solutions, and gas. The production fluid can include solids, some actually exiting the well as solids and other solids precipitating due to changes in temperature, pressure or production fluid composition.
Undersea pipelines, particularly those pipelines running from undersea production wells to loading facilities, commonly referred to as flowlines, can be susceptible to slug formation. Flowlines can stretch for thousands of feet along the subsea floor. In many instances, the flowline can be several thousand feet below the water line, which then requires a vertical leg or riser of similar height to connect the subsea flow line to a surface collection facility. This riser can create a substantial pressure head in the subsea flow line.
During production of a hydrocarbon gas, such as natural gas, condensate entrained in the gas can accumulate at the low points or valleys along the flowline that is situated along an uneven terrain of the subsea floor and/or at the lowermost or base of the riser. The condensate can be a liquid hydrocarbon or water. In any case, the condensate can grow in size to form a liquid slug.
In many instances, the liquid slug can increase in size to an extent that partially or fully occludes the flow bore of the flow line or riser, either of which disrupts the flow of gas to the production facility. Slugs in the flow line can create discontinuities in the pressure gradient across the flow line, which can markedly reduce production flow rates. Moreover, liquid slugs entering in the riser accelerate towards the upper end of the riser due to the increased gas pressure in the partially or fully blocked flow line or riser. Moreover, as should be appreciated, a high-pressure gas or gas slug trails this high-velocity liquid slug. The sudden onrush of these liquid and gas slugs, which can alternate, can pose a severe threat to surface equipment and personnel.
In other instances, the peaks or high points along such a flowline can enable the gas component of the production fluid to collect. In some instances, the gas forms a bubble or bubbles that can grow in size at the high point. As can be appreciated, the gas bubble can to some degree restrict the flow cross-sectional area at the high point, which can lead to an undesirable decrease in flow rates and/or an increase in back pressure. Another problem arises when the gas bubble is released from the high point and flows along the pipeline. The relatively substantial pressure head in the subsea flow line and rise can highly compress this gas slug. As the gas slug moves up the riser toward the surface, the pressure head gradually decreases, which causes the gas to decompress and increase in size. In some cases, gas slugs that are centimeters in diameter in the flow line can expand into diameters of several meters as they approach the surface, which can stress or overwhelm surface equipment.
Conventionally, surge tanks, slug catchers and other devices at the surface facility are used to manage the effects of liquid or gas slugs in the production fluid. Such devices can take up space on the deck of the surface facility. Typically, however, the deck space on an offshore rig or similar facility can be exceedingly limited. Moreover, gas slugs can cause corrosion in the pipe lines as well as make corrosion inhibition difficult. Consequently, it would be desirable in the art of operating pipelines to be able to reduce or eliminate liquid and/or gas slugs without resorting to complex surface equipment that take up surface deck space.
The present invention addresses these and other drawbacks of the prior art.

Method and apparatus for preventing slug flow in pipelines


An all-one-way network data for autonomous driving is generated according to traffic information of a road data included in a navigation map data. The lane network data for autonomous driving is generated based on the all-one-way network data according to information of a numerical number of lanes in the road data. A virtual lane boundary data is generated based on the all-one-way network data. A position of the lane network data and a position of the virtual lane boundary data are corrected according to a basic road map data and an aerial photograph data.

There is a method of measuring the shape and position of a road with high accuracy using a dedicated moving vehicle and generating lane network data for autonomous driving. This method may be expensive in general because it requires enormous work by expensive sensors and humans. Therefore, lane network data is generated only in a limited area such as an expressway or a limited highway. It is not easy to generate nationwide lane network data including general roads using the above-described method.

Lane network data generation apparatus and storage medium


An apparatus for cutting a corrugated metal sheet is disclosed. The apparatus includes a table, a clamp assembly, and a cutting tool. The clamp assembly has a lower frame and an upper frame. A lower vibration absorbing pad is supported by the lower frame, and an upper vibration absorbing pad is secured to the upper frame such that the upper vibration absorbing pad faces the lower vibration absorbing pad. In an open position the lower and upper vibration absorbing pads are separated to permit the corrugated sheet metal to be positioned therebetween and in a closed position the corrugated metal sheet is clamped between the lower and upper vibration absorbing pads with at least one of the lower and upper vibration absorbing pads substantially conforming to the contour of an adjacent surface of the corrugated metal sheet.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for cutting sheet material, and more particularly but not by way of limitation, to an apparatus for cutting a corrugated metal sheet.
2. Brief Description of Related Art
Corrugated or ribbed sheet metal is used in the construction industry for siding and roofing. During installation of this material, installers must occasionally cut the sheet material to size by making angled cuts or cross cuts. The current methods used to make these cuts include the use of hand cutters, such as snips, shears, and nibblers. The problem encountered with the use of such tools is that an unclean or unsightly cut with jagged edges and sharp burrs is produced. Furthermore, the use of these tools is typically time consuming, noisy due to vibration of the sheet material as it is being cut, and dangerous because the installers hands and arms are positioned at or near the jagged edges of the sheet material.
Other methods of making the necessary cuts include the use of metal-cutting circular saws. However, because corrugated metal sheets are pliable to a certain degree, the use of such saws is also noisy due to the vibration of the sheet material created by the saw and the noise associated with the saw itself. Furthermore, the pliability, and thus vibration, of the sheet material tends to cause circular saw blades to "kick off" the corrugated material. Plasma cutters are also utilized. However, these type of cutters require a controlled work environment and are expensive and burn off painted surfaces thereby voiding paint warranties.
To this end, a need exists for an apparatus that enables a corrugated metal sheet to be quickly and safely cut at a point of installation in a manner that results in a smooth edge. It is to such an improved apparatus that the present invention is directed.

Apparatus for cutting corrugated metal sheet


A polyimide layer used in manufacturing semiconductor integrated circuits is etched in a plasma comprising O.sub.2, Ar, and CHF.sub.3. The plasma produces excellent critical dimension control and yields good resist to polyimide etching selectivity.

As the dimensions of lithographically defined features become smaller, effects that were not significant at larger dimensions become important. For example, feature sizes may have identical size variations, and the variations may be acceptable for large features but unacceptable for small features because the variation is too high a percentage of the small feature size. Thus, critical dimension control is important for small feature size. Variations in dimensions may, of course, arise from many sources.
Integrated circuit features are typically defined with a lithographic pattern delineation process. A photosensitive material, commonly termed a resist, is formed on the substrate surface and portions of the resist are selectively exposed to radiation which creates a differential removal rate between the exposed and unexposed portions. The portions of the resist with the more rapid removal rate are now removed by, e.g., etching, to expose selected portions of the underlying substrate surface. Further processing, such as etching of the exposed substrate or ion implantation, etc., is now performed.
Ideally, all of the incident radiation travels a vertical path through the resist and is completely absorbed before reaching the bottom of the resist. This is, however, not always true in practice. Radiation may travel entirely through the resist and be reflected back into the resist. The reflection may be non-specular or from a non-horizontal surface, and the reflected radiation may be absorbed in portions of the resist that are not desirably exposed to radiation. The reflected radiation, of course, degrades the quality of the pattern delineation process because it is absorbed where it should not be absorbed.
To reduce the amount of reflected radiation, materials termed anti-reflection coatings have been developed. These materials are positioned underneath the resist. They are frequently organic polymers such as polyimides. Of course, polyimides are used for other purposes, such as interlevel dielectrics, in integrated circuit fabrication. For use as an interlevel dielectric, the polyimide frequently has to be patterned to form vias which expose portions of the underlying material. Of course, portions of the anti-reflection coating must also be patterned to expose the underlying substrate material. The use of polyimides in integrated circuits is discussed by Lai et al. in Industrial Engineering Chemical Product Research Development, 25, 1986, pp. 38-40. Consideration of the above shows that there must be an etching process for the polyimide.
Plasma etching of polyimides is discussed by Scott et al. in Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology, A8, May/June 1990, pp. 2382-2387. Scott used a mixture of CF.sub.4 and O.sub.2 and found that the addition of CF.sub.4 increased the etch rate of the polyimide as compared to the rate obtained with only O.sub.2. The increased etch rate was attributed to both etching by the CF.sub.4 and the formation of atomic O in the plasma by the CF.sub.4. Turban et al., Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 130, November 1983, pp. 2231-2236, also reported the etching of polyimide using O.sub.2 and either CF.sub.4 or SF.sub.6. Tepermeister et al., Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology, A9, May/June 1991, pp. 790-795, reported the etching of polyimides using Ar, O.sub.2 and O.sub.2 /F.sub.2 plasmas. They reported that the etching process was a combination of gas phase plasma chemistry and plasma surface interactions. See also, Kogoma et al., Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing, 6, 1986, pp. 349-380, for a discussion of etching mechanisms of polyimide in O.sub.2 /SF.sub.6 plasmas.
Of course, methods for detecting the endpoint of plasma etching processes are also known. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,312,732, issued on Jan. 26, 1987 to Degenkolb et al.
Consideration of the results of the above processes indicates that there is a need for a method of etching polyimides which provides critical dimension control and provides for an optical endpoint capability.

Method of etching anti-reflection coating


A thermoplastic composition for cast and blown films and the resulting films thereof are provided. The film can include about 10 wt % to 80 wt % propylene-based copolymer having at least 50 wt % propylene-derived units and 5 wt % to 30 wt % alpha-olefin comonomer, based on the total weight of the polymer that exhibits a melting point of about 100° C. to 170° C., and a MFR of about 200 dg/min or less. The film can include about 20 wt % to 90 wt % polypropylene homopolymer having a melting point of about 140° C. to 190° C. The film can have a thickness of about 10 μm to 100 μm, a haze of 13% or less, a 1% MD Secant tensile modulus of 55,000 to 150,000 psi, a machine direction Elmendorf tear of at least 5 g/mil and a transverse direction Elemdorf tear of at least 300 g/mil, and a 45 degree gloss of at least 70.

Plastic sacks that can be used in packaging materials heated to temperatures between 180° F. (82° C.) and 260° F. (126° C.), such as cement, sand, and salt, have gained recent interest. Such intended uses have become known as "hot fill applications". As of the end of 2006, the global market for plastic sacks in hot fill applications has been thought to exceed 20 million pounds per year of bags.
Heavy-duty sacks for cold fill applications are known. See, for example, U.S. Publication No. 2005/0037219 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,368,545. However, such cold fill applications are designed for products that are packaged at temperatures less than 180° F. (82° C.), typically lawn-and-garden products, consumer goods and chemicals. Conventional sacks for such cold fill applications typically include coextruded films made with a metallocene catalyzed polyethylene resin in the skins, a high density polyethylene (HDPE) resin in the core and a low density polyethylene (LDPE) resin throughout the entire structure. This solution is not suitable for hot fill applications because polyethylene resins melt at much lower temperatures, around 255° F. (124° C.), than those encountered in hot fill applications.
Homopolymer polypropylene (PP) resins can provide hot fill capability because such resins melt at 329° F. (165° C.). However, sacks made using homopolymer polypropylene resins have suffered from production deficits because of poor melt strength and delamination problems.
In addition, the poor melt strength of homopolymer PP film resins restricts using these PP resins to such non-film applications as injection molding applications that do not require melt strength, and prevents using homopolymer PP resins in non-film applications requiring melt strength such as blow molding applications without (1) increasing the PP resin's molecular weight, (2) incorporating ethylene into the resin to make copolymer PP resins, (3) incorporating EP rubbers into the PP resins to make EP-PP blends, or (4) incorporating highly branched resins into the PP resins, such as LDPE resin, to make PP blends.
There is a need, therefore, for monolayer and coextruded films employing blends of polypropylene resins to overcome the aforementioned limitations of conventional films.

Propylene-based blown films with improved performance, stability and elastic properties compared to polyethylene films


A multi-chip system and method are disclosed that utilizes a plurality of graphics pipelines to perform large kernel convolution. Each graphics pipeline includes a standard rendering unit and a video data convolve unit. Each video data convolve unit receives video pixel data from the video output of the standard rendering unit. The video data convolve units are connected in a chain. Each group of one or more video data convolve units in the chain convolves the video pixel data received by the group. The last video data convolve unit in the chain outputs a stream of convolved pixels.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of computer graphics and, more particularly, to a high performance graphics system.
2. Description of the Related Art
There exist high performance graphics systems that perform super-sampling. For every pixel seen on the screen, more than one sample is generated and stored in memory. Prior to display on screen, a set of samples is convolved (or filtered) to produce a single color for a corresponding pixel. Filtering may be performed using a variety of methods, but typically involves generating a weighted average of a set of samples that are within a defined region of sample space called a kernel that corresponds to a pixel location. In high performance graphics systems this process is accomplished with a complicated set of custom chips. Designing and developing a set of these custom chips is expensive and requires significant man-hours. A design that utilizes a set of existing standard graphics boards (without super-sampling or multi-sampling capability) to achieve a high performance graphics system may offer a significant improvement in the development cycle.

Large-kernel convolution using multiple industry-standard graphics accelerators


The present disclosure is directed ion-exchange systems and devices that include composite ion-exchange membranes having 3D printed spacers on them. These 3D printed spacers can drastically reduce the total intermembrane spacing within the system/device while maintaining a reliable sealing surface around the exterior border of the membrane. By adding the spacers directly to the membrane using additive manufacturing, the amount of material used can be reduced without adversely impacting the manufacturability of the composite membrane as well as allow for complex spacer geometries that can reduce the restrictions to flow resulting in less pressure drop associated with the flow in the active area of the membranes.

The earliest forms of large scale desalination were thermal methods such as thermal distillation where the water is boiled and converted into steam, leaving behind the impurities, and then the clean steam is collected and condensed. Unfortunately, this is a very energy intensive operation. In order to reduce the energy consumption, membrane based methods were created such as electro-chemical based electrodialysis and pressure driven reverse osmosis. In both of these methods, the water is purified through a membrane which allows the system to create potable water at a much reduced energy consumption.
Electrodialysis can be used to selectively remove positive and negative ions from a water source (e.g., brackish water or the brine solution produced in reverse osmosis units) through transportation of salt ions from one solution to another via ion-exchange membranes upon application an electrical current. An electrodialysis device can include a pair of electrodes (where a voltage is applied to initiate an electrochemical reaction), alternating anionic and cationic exchange membranes (which can selectively separate ions from one stream while concentrating said ions in adjacent streams from a dilute solution feed stream to a concentrate stream), and spacer materials. These spacers can be placed between the ion exchange membranes. The primary function of these spacers is to create turbulence in the flow field and to restrict the membranes from contacting one another.
Unfortunately, the electrical energy required to transport ions from one stream to another is a function of the resistance of the system via Ohm's law (V=i*R), where V is the electrical potential, i is the current density, and R is the resistance. The resistance of the system can be impacted by both the conductivity of the water in the unit (K) (which consequently decreases as the ions are removed), and the spacer thickness (L). Specifically, the resistance scales linearly with the intermembrane spacing as seen by the following equation: R=K−1*L.
In a typical electro-chemical desalination device, the two electrodes can sandwich upwards of 1000 pairs of membranes and spacers. Thus, these components and the water filling them can make up a significant portion of the resistance in the device.

3D printed spacers for ion-exchange device


A food processor attachment assembly for a stand mixer includes a coupling hub adapted to be received in an attachment hub of the stand mixer. A gear housing includes a gearing mechanism disposed therein to translate an output drive from the attachment hub to the coupling hub to drive an output shaft along a vertical rotational axis. The output drive is accessible at a coupling portion for attaching to various food processing discs as housed within a top housing assembly. The output drive is further accessible for coupling to the food processing attachment at a lower coupling portion for powering food processing attachments within a bowl assembly.

A typical household food processor generally requires a pre-processing of the food prior to introduction into the food processor to reduce the size and shape of the food. These devices generally do not lend themselves to being able to process whole or uncut foods (such as a Kiwi fruit) due to the smaller mouth feed chutes and a lack of torque to handle tougher foods. Additionally, existing household food processors often come with multiple cutting tools that require manual interchanging in order to provide for a selected food configuration. Lastly, food overloading of these food processors due to wedged food items or increased friction between food in substrates and the cutting tools, can cause an internal rotating assembly mechanism to seize, or housing parts (such as lids) to come off or become damaged, causing leakage due to the high pressure.
Therefore, there is a need in the small appliance art for an efficient and compact high performance adjustable food processor configured to process small whole foods while reducing or preventing an overload condition on the drive motor during a dicing procedure.


The present disclosure relates to a sensor for a capacitive determination of a filling level of a cartridge filled with a liquid substance. The sensor comprises a planar flexible foil arrangeable to an outer circumference of a tubular shaped barrel of the cartridge. The foil has at least a sensing zone, a communication zone and at least a first electrode. The foil further comprises least a second electrode located in the sensing zone, a processor electrically connected with the at least first and second electrodes, and an antenna located in the communication zone. The antenna is electrically connected with the processor.

Drug delivery devices for setting and dispensing a single or multiple doses of a liquid medicament are as such well-known in the art. Generally, such devices have substantially a similar purpose as that of an ordinary syringe.
Drug delivery devices such as pen-type injectors have to meet a number of user-specific requirements. For instance, with patient's suffering chronic diseases, such as diabetes, the patient may be physically infirm and may also have impaired vision. Suitable drug delivery devices especially intended for home medication therefore need to be robust in construction and should be easy to use. Furthermore, manipulation and general handling of the device and its components should be intelligible and easy understandable. Such injection devices should provide setting and subsequent dispensing of a dose of a medicament of variable size. Moreover, a dose setting as well as a dose dispensing procedure must be easy to operate and has to be unambiguous.
Typically, such devices comprise a housing or a particular cartridge holder, adapted to receive a cartridge at least partially filled with the medicament to be dispensed. The device further comprises a drive mechanism, usually having a displaceable piston rod which is adapted to operably engage with a piston of the cartridge. By means of the drive mechanism and its piston rod, the piston of the cartridge is displaceable in a distal or dispensing direction and may therefore expel a predefined amount of the medicament via a piercing assembly, which is to be releasably coupled with a distal end section of the housing of the drug delivery device.
The medicament to be dispensed by the drug delivery device is provided and contained in a multi-dose cartridge. Such cartridges typically comprise a vitreous barrel sealed in distal direction by means of a pierceable seal and being further sealed in proximal direction by the piston. With reusable drug delivery devices an empty cartridge is replaceable by a new one. In contrast to that, drug delivery devices of disposable type are to be entirely discarded when the medicament in the cartridge has been dispensed or used-up.
It is generally desirable to determine the amount of medicament remaining in a cartridge while the cartridge is arranged inside a drug delivery device, such as a pen-shaped injection device. It is generally known in the prior art to implement a capacitive measurement or capacitive determination of a filling level of a cartridge. For this either on the cartridge itself or at the interior of a cartridge holder section of the drug delivery device there are provided at least two electrodes. Since the dielectric properties of the liquid substance inside the cartridge clearly differs from other surrounding materials, such as the vitreous material the cartridge is made of or from the rubber-based material forming the proximal piston of the cartridge, the electrical capacity to be measured between the electrodes located on radially oppositely located sidewall portions of the cartridge correlates with the filling level of the cartridge.
For instance, document WO 2014/052997 A1 discloses a respective dispensing device having at least one pair of capacitive measuring electrodes that are arranged in the outer region of a medicament container, for determining the permittivity of the respective medium in an intermediate region between the measuring electrodes. Furthermore, there is described a shield that is arranged around the container and which surrounds the measurement materials in a sheath-like manner.
The correct arrangement of capacitive electrodes at the outer circumference of such containers is rather delicate and cumbersome. The electrodes must be correctly positioned and arranged relative to the cartridge. Moreover, the electrodes once correctly assembled require electric contacting with a processor in order to provide measurement and data processing of measured capacity values. Only slight modifications or deviations of the relative positioning of at least two electrodes with respect to each other and/or with respect to the cartridge as well as only slight deviations or modifications of the electrical contact with a processor may have drastic consequences on the measurement results. Such high demands in regard to positioning precision and electrical contacting are hardly achievable in a mass manufacturing environment for cartridge- and/or drug delivery device manufacturing.

Sensor and sensor assembly for capacitive determination of a filling level


Disclosed is a method of etching which makes the quantitative analysis possible and easier. In the prior art, chemical plasma etching is mainly by ion bombardment, and the tool used to observe the metal bulk is transmission electron microscopy (TEM), so it is very difficult and complicated to execute quantitative analysis. By using chemical plasma etching, the metal precipitate will be left almost all at the end of etching. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is used instead of TEM to perform the quantitative analysis.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for examining the metallic precipitate on grain boundary (GB) and heterogeneous grain growth (GG). Particularly, the present invention relates to a method for utilizing the partial etching using chemical plasma (less ion bombardment) and scanning electron-microscope (SEM) to observe the metallic precipitate easily and efficiently.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As bipolar technology advances, smaller sized devices and circuits with higher functional densities are implemented. In the course of integrated-circuit evolution, the maximum number of devices per chip has steadily increased while the number of the metal pitches has steadily decreased, mainly because of the increase in functional density. The metal pitches is defined as the summation of linewidth and the width between two neighboring metal lines. In the year of 1970s the metal pitch is about the order of 10 .mu.m, yet as the functional density raises, the metal pitch is down to the order below 1 .mu.m.
The density of a device of the most advanced circuits is limited by the area occupied by the interconnect paths. Anisotropic etching of the metal layers permits the use of smaller minimum metal pitches to increase the interconnect capability. Thus, the isotropic nature of aluminum wet etching processes renders them inadequate for VLSI applications, and it requires a direct dry etching process. The gas mixtures 10 (neglecting rare gas diluents) including BCl.sub.3 +Cl.sub.2 are used in the prior art to successfully etch the aluminum. The equipment used to implement the chemical plasma etching is shown in FIG. 1.
Some materials are added to the aluminum to improve some of its properties. For example 1-2% silicon is often added to prevent the aluminum from spiking near shallow junctions. In addition 2-4% copper or 0. 1-0.5% Ti(often together with Si) are usually added to enhance the electromigration resistance of the aluminum. Since SiCl.sub.4 is volatile at room temperature, Al--Si films are readily etchable in chlorine-containing gases. Titanium also forms volatile etch products (TiCl.sub.4) which dose not pose a problem. The copper, on the other hand, reacts with the chlorine to form an etching product CuCl, which is relatively non-volatile below 175.degree. C. The copper containing residues often remains after these alloy films were dry-etched, so it is more difficult to use the chlorine plasmas to perform the etch step. The degree of difficulty increases with the increased Cu concentration and 4% Cu-containing films being quite a severe challenge. The successive processes illustrating chemical plasma etching of the wafer without eliminating Cu precipitate are shown from FIG. 2(a) to FIG. 2(c). In FIG. 2(a), at the point 24 where segregation occurred in the Al--Cu alloy film 22, the etching rate is different from that of elsewhere in the Al--Cu alloy film 22.
FIG. 2(b) shows how the Cu precipitates are produced during the etching process, it also shows that some points possess different etching rate and act as a mask that is called as a micro masking which produces unwanted particles. FIG. 2(c) shows the end point of the chemical plasma etching and the foregoing conduction is called `bridging issue`, which causes short-circuit between the metal lines 28 and 29. Two methods are used to promote CuCl desorption during the chemical plasma etching: heating the substrate to the temperature commensurate with the maximum temperature that the resist material is allowed to be used, or enhancing the ionic bombardment of the surface so that the significant sputtering may occur. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a wafer after the enhanced chemical plasma etching with the copper precipitate eliminated. During the sputter deposition of Al--Cu alloy film, copper segregation occurred at the grain boundary of aluminum atoms, and the Cu precipitation resides after ion bombardment. The chemical plasma etching utilized to perform dry etching Al--Cu alloy film is intentionally set in the environment that produces ion bombardment so the copper precipitate is thus partly eliminated. After the etching process, the TEM is used to perform the quantitative analysis.
To perform the quantitative analysis, the method transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is often used. The TEM offers the maximum resolution of 2 angstrom. The image in the TEM is produced by the differential loss of electrons from an incident beam(60-350 keV, electron wavelength .about.0.04 angstrom)as it passes through very thin samples. The sample must be thin enough to transmit the beam so, that the essential information caused by differences in sample thickness, phase composition, crystal structure, and orientation is preserved. In a conventional TEM, the electron beam is focused by a condenser lens, then passes through the sample and is imaged onto a photographic plate or fluorescent screen. The contrast in a TEM image arises for different reasons in samples of crystalline and amorphous materials. In crystalline layers, the incident electron beam is diffracted by the material. Abrupt changes in thickness, path structure, or crystallographic orientation to cause corresponding changes in contrast and these crystallographic feature can be easily imaged at high resolution. In amorphous regions, contrast is obtained from samples of different thickness or different chemical or phase composition.
Though TEM is a very useful tool for measuring the number of Cu precipitate, it is not widely used in spite of its excellent resolution and analytical capabilities. There are two reasons why the TEM is not widely used. The first reason is the difficulties involved in preparing the required thin samples. The second reason is the difficulties involved in correctly interpreting TEM images. Relating to the sample preparation problem, it needs to insure that the feature of interest is present with the sample region that has been thinned and prepared for TEM analysis. The most favorable TEM sample sections to VLSI studies are vertical cross-sections. It take several hours to prepare ion mill samples of the necessary thickness, and the preparation is an arduous task. According to the process mentioned above, it is hard to perform the quantitative analysis of copper precipitate in the prior art, because it is partially eliminated from the ion bombardment during the process of chemical plasma etching. In addition, the sample preparation is very complicated, it takes almost one day to examine the copper precipitate by TEM.


Steps are convertible into a platform of an elevator for wheelchairs such as installed in vehicles and buses, during which conversion a barrier is automatically raised from the bottom step to be at the outer edge of the platform. The barrier is operated by an extensible link under the bottom step, which link is connected between the barrier and a crank arm keyed to an oscillatible transverse shaft under the inner part of the bottom step. Two additional crank arms are keyed to the ends of this shaft and are connected to a frame for a step or riser to oscillate said shaft when the steps are extended and unfolded into their platform position. The extendible link extends the barrier into a ramp when the platform is in its lowest position for access by a wheelchair. Reciprocating motors such as hydraulic pistons extend, retract, fold and unfold the panels that form the steps and their intermediate risers. When the step panels are in the platform position, additional reciprocating motors raise and lower the platform as an elevator. Stabilizing chains and rack and pinion gears insure uniform motion of the sides of the elevator and of the extendible bottom step.

Automatic barriers for wheelchair lifts, which barriers convert into ramps when their platforms are in their lowermost positions, are known. Also wheelchair lifts formed by the unfolding of steps into a platform are also well known. Even automatic barriers which are controlled by the folding and unfolding of steps into a platform are known, which involve linkages to arms connected to the riser panel from the lowestmost step, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 33,595 issued May 28, 1991. However, in the past these mechanisms have been quite complicated and often not sufficiently reliable to meet government safety standards.


A charged particle beam writing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes an emission unit to emit a charged particle beam, an electron lens to converge the charged particle beam, a blanking deflector, arranged backward of the electron lens with respect to a direction of an optical axis, to deflect the charged particle beam in the case of performing a blanking control of switching between beam-on and beam-off, a blanking aperture member, arranged backward of the blanking deflector with respect to the direction of the optical axis, to block the charged particle beam having been deflected to be in a beam-off state, and a magnet coil, arranged in a center height position of the blanking deflector, to deflect the charged particle beam.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a charged particle beam writing apparatus, a method of adjusting a beam incident angle to a target object surface, and a charged particle beam writing method. More specifically, for example, the present invention relates to a method of adjusting an incident angle of an electron beam to the target object surface in an electron beam writing apparatus that irradiates electron beams onto the target object while performing a blanking operation.
2. Description of Related Art
The lithography technique that advances miniaturization of semiconductor devices is extremely important as being a unique process whereby patterns are formed in semiconductor manufacturing. In recent years, with high integration of LSI, the line width (critical dimension) required for semiconductor device circuits is decreasing year by year. For forming a desired circuit pattern on such semiconductor devices, a master or "original" pattern (also called a mask or a reticle) of high accuracy is needed. Thus, the electron beam (EB) writing technique, which intrinsically has excellent resolution, is used for producing such a high-precision master pattern.
FIG. 19 is a conceptual diagram for explaining operations of a variable shaped electron beam writing or "drawing" apparatus. As shown in the figure, the variable shaped electron beam writing apparatus operates as described below. A first aperture 410 has a quadrangular opening 411 for shaping an electron beam 330. A second aperture 420 has a variable-shape opening 421 for shaping the electron beam 330 having passed through the opening 411 of the first aperture 410 into a desired quadrangular shape. The electron beam 330 emitted from a charged particle source 430 and having passed through the opening 411 is deflected by a deflector to pass through a part of the variable-shape opening 421 of the second aperture 420, and thereby to irradiate a target object or "sample" 340 placed on a stage which continuously moves in one predetermined direction (e.g., the x direction) during the writing. In other words, a quadrangular shape that can pass through both the opening 411 and the variable-shape opening 421 is used for pattern writing in a writing region of the target object 340 on the stage continuously moving in the x direction. This method of forming a given shape by letting beams pass through both the opening 411 of the first aperture 410 and the variable-shape opening 421 of the second aperture 420 is referred to as a variable shaped beam (VSB) system.
For example, in a writing apparatus of the VSB system, one shot beam is formed by a blanking operation. Generally, the writing apparatus has a deflection function for deflecting a plurality of beams, at a subsequent stage of a blanking deflector, and emits a beam to the surface of a target object while deflecting the beam by the beam deflection function (refer to, e.g., Japanese Patent Application Laid-open (JP-A) No. 2000-251827).
Then, in order to increase the position accuracy of writing, it is necessary that the beam incident angle to the target object surface does not change even when a blanking voltage changes during a beam-on period. For example, in the case of not performing a beam deflection other than a blanking operation, it is desirable that a beam incident angle to the target object surface is always perpendicular even when a blanking voltage changes during a beam-on period. If the incident angle deviates from a perpendicular incidence, a positional deviation will occur at the beam irradiation position on the target object surface when defocusing occurs. To solve this problem, it is necessary to measure an incident angle (a landing angle) of a beam in the case of performing deflection of the beam by fine-tuning a blanking voltage of during a beam-on period. However, with respect to voltage used for a blanking operation, generally, binary values of voltage of during a beam-on period and a beam-off period are set in the amplifier that applies a voltage to a blanking deflector in order to secure a blanking speed (response) and voltage stability. For example, a voltage used for a blanking operation is configured by binary values, such as 0V and several V. Since a beam deflected by the voltage of during a beam-off period is blocked by the blanking aperture, it does not reach the target object surface. Therefore, the blanking voltage of during a beam-on period cannot be fine-tuned, and therefore it is difficult to measure a beam incident angle by using the voltage of an existing blanking operation.

Charged particle beam writing apparatus, method of adjusting beam incident angle to target object surface, and charged particle beam writing method


In a homogeneous immunoassay, fluorophore-conjugated lipopolysaccharide derived bacterial antigens are reacted with antibodies specific for the antigens. Quantitative detection of the formation of an immune complex is obtained by measuring the change in fluorescence polarization after complex formation. The reaction occurs quickly (less than two minutes to equilibrium), and involves the addition of only one reagent to a diluted serum specimen. The absence of a solid phase separation step eliminates false positive results and increases throughput.

The presence of a foreign antigenic substance in the body typically gives rise to an immune response. Antibodies specific for the substance are secreted into the blood stream. Diagnostic tests revealing exposure of an animal to an infectious agent rely upon in vitro detection of antibodies specific for antigens expressed by such an infectious agent. In a typical immunoassay, antibodies contained in a serum sample are brought into contact with an antigen preparation. The resulting immune complex is detected in a variety of assay formats including enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA), agglutination tests, complement fixation assay, etc.
Many of the assay formats involve adsorption of antigens onto a solid phase such as a plastic bead or particle, a plastic well, or the surface of a plastic or glass tube. The serum containing antigen-specific antibodies are contacted with antigen coated onto a solid phase, and washed to remove unreacted serum components. The solid phase-bound antibodies are then detected, for example, by reacting with a species-specific antibody bearing a reporter molecule, washing to remove unreacted reagent, and finally adding a reagent to activate the reporter.
It will be apparent that such assays involve complex binding relationships. There is a tendency for nonspecific antibody to stick to the solid phase, giving rise to false positive tests. Even the best ELISA assays will produce a low level of false positive results. For some of the agglutination assays, specificities of less than 70 percent are obtained.
There have been attempts to eliminate the solid phase artifacts referred to above by detection of analyte antibodies entirely in liquid phase. Termed homogeneous assays, these systems rely upon measuring some changed physico-chemical parameter brought about by molecular interactions. For a review of homogeneous assays systems, see Jenkins, S. H., J. Immunol. Meth., 150: 91 (1992). For applications to macromolecules, see Hosoda, et al. J. Immunol. Meth., 121: 121 (1989). For a review of the theory and practice of fluorescence polarization, a particularly elegant homogeneous system, see M. E. Jolley, J. Anal. Toxicol., 5: 236 (1981).
In the field of infectious disease diagnostics, there is a strong need for assays which have extremely high specificities. In particular, in veterinary diagnostics there are the so-called "program" diseases, which official agencies such as the United States Dept. of Agriculture or Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada administer, and whose eradication is part of their official mandate. The regulations require that a very large number of animals be tested to ensure that new infection is promptly detected and eliminated and to prove absence of infection.
One of the most important program diseases of livestock is bovine brucellosis. This disease is caused by Brucella abortus, a Gram negative bacterium inhabiting the genital tract of cattle. Infected heifers are highly susceptible to abortion, and the economic loss to the cattle industry has been prodigious. Through concerted international efforts to screen for infected animals, and disposal of test positive animals at slaughter, the disease is essentially eradicated in Canada, and the incidence in the U.S. has diminished to less than 150 infected herds. However, Mexico is a persistent reservoir of infection, and movement of cattle in commerce to the U.S. poses a continual risk of new disease. Also, wild animals such as deer and elk are a reservoir of potential new disease in domestic livestock.
As more states become brucellosis-free, and as the overall incidence of disease continues to decline, there will be a new emphasis on surveillance programs. In a surveillance situation sensitivity of the assay becomes less important than specificity (so long as the test is sufficiently sensitive to detect a typical reactor). In surveillance testing, false positive tests are troublesome, since any positive test cannot be ignored. For any such positive test, it is official procedure to trace the animal, retest it, and subject it to quarantine. This is extremely costly, and a waste of limited resources.
A large number of cattle in the United States are vaccinated for brucellosis in calfhood, with about 73 percent gaining protective immunity from superinfection with field strains of B. abortus. Unfortunately, none of the currently available tests distinguish with high accuracy between true field strain infected animals and vaccinated ones. Specificity is as low as about 50 percent for agglutination tests and up to as high as 97 percent for a C-ELISA assay. In a surveillance program, 3 percent false positives for calfhood vaccinates is a large number in view of the several million cattle tested annually in the U.S. In fact, the high incidence of positive tests for vaccinates, has led some states to repeal their mandatory calfhood vaccination laws, thus depriving the industry of one otherwise valuable tool in the eradication of the disease.
Conventional assays for detection of brucellosis include the ubiquitous agglutination card test in the U.S., the BPAT test in Canada, various versions of a complement fixation test, the Rivanol test, milk ring test (for dairy specimens), and several forms of ELISA including a highly sensitive and specific competitive ELISA developed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. A solid phase bead-based test known as PCFIA is a high throughput automated test used in several official laboratories in the U.S. Many of these tests are commonly used together on the same samples, because no one of the conventional, generally available tests detect all the antibody isotypes typically found in field specimens. For a general review of conventional brucellosis tests, see Nielsen, K. and Duncan, J. R., eds., Animal Brucellosis, CRC Press: 1990, Chapt. 8.
Brucellosis is but one example of a veterinary disease for which a need exists for a sensitive yet highly specific assay approaching 100 percent. Other diseases include tuberculosis (M. bovis), bovine leukosis, leptospirosis, foot and mouth disease (Africa and South America), and salmonellosis.

Detection of antibodies to bacterial antigens by flourescence polarization


A docking station suitable for being detachably installed to a portable computer is provided. The docking station includes a body, an electrical connector, a lever, a fixing sleeve, a sliding sleeve, and a latch. The electrical connector is fixed on the body and electrically connected to the portable computer. The lever has a connecting portion, a first ejection portion, and a second ejection portion. The connecting portion is pivotally connected to the body. The first ejection portion is disposed between the connecting portion and the second ejection portion. The fixing sleeve is fixed in the body and has a receiving aperture. The sliding sleeve passes through the receiving aperture and has an assembling aperture. The second ejection portion contacts the sliding sleeve. The latch is disposed in the assembling aperture and pivotally connected to the fixing sleeve. The first ejection portion contacts the bottom of the latch.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a docking station. More particularly, the present invention relates to a latch-ejection mechanism of a docking station.
2. Description of Related Art
The main difference between a portable computer and a conventional desktop computer is that the portable computer is featured in "light, thin, short, and small", for the convenience of taking along and being used in various environments. However, in another aspect, the portable computer is limited to the design requirements of "light, thin, short, and small", so the functions and expandability thereof cannot be compared with the desktop computer having a large application range.
In view of the above, the conventional technology provides a docking station with a connector. The user may connect computer peripherals, such as a mouse, a printer, an external hard disk drive, a network interface card (NIC), or a scanner to the docking station for a long time. The user when intends to use the peripherals may electrically connect the peripherals to the portable computer as long as connecting the docking station to the portable computer. As such, the user can enjoy not only the compactness of the portable computer, but also the functionality and expandability of the desktop computer without bothering about plugging/removing the peripherals to/from the portable computer through the docking station.
In the conventional docking station, the docking stations are fastened with the portable computer through the engagement of the latches of the docking stations and the slots of the portable computer. When the user pushes a release button to take off the portable computer from the docking station, the force exerted by the user is transferred to the latch through the release button and a transmission element, so as to disengage the latch. Then, the force exerted by the user may be further transferred to another ejection element through the transmission element, thereby withdrawing the portable computer. However, the latch of the conventional docking stations and the ejection element are individual parts, and must be assembled into the docking station during the manufacturing, which is troublesome and costs more assembly time. Comparatively, when the latch or the ejection element is damaged or needs to be replaced, the parts must be detached individually and then replaced by normal parts.


A hot-mix motorized paver is used to deliver fresh pervious pavement mix to form one or more lanes of pavement. The paver is supported on ski-type support runners on parallel side forms. A compacting roller is connected to the paver and rolls along the top of each side form to compact the fresh pavement down to the top of the forms. Indentations are cut into the fresh compacted pavement by rolling a hand powered roller, containing a pointed hoop, across the fresh pavement at select locations to form expansion joints. The pavement is covered with polyethylene sheeting within 20 minutes after completion of placement and finishing, the sheeting is removed after a curing time of approximately seven days, and a concrete saw is used to remove excess pervious pavement that extends beyond the desired paved area.

In recent years, stormwater run-off has become a greater problem with developing areas, thus a desirable method of controlling surface water was needed. Portland Cement Pervious Pavement was developed, which is a mixture of course aggregate, cement, admixtures and water, and when installed as pavement, allows water and air to pass down through said pavement into a water drainage system beneath, and while supplying a desirable method of controlling surface water and various environmental drainage problems, it provides a structural pavement for auto traffic, such as roads or parking areas. This invention contributes to an efficient time-saving method of installing Pervious Pavement, thereby creating a large savings in construction costs.


A pipe-laying system and method includes assessing an environment and placing of a pipe from an excavator to a trench. The system comprises a frame, a boom assembly, and an implement. The boom assembly includes a large boom and a dipper stick. The implement is detachable coupled to the dipper stick and moveable relative to the dipper stick. The system also includes at least one sensor operable to sense a position or a direction of movement of the large boom, dipper stick, or implement. The system also includes a stereo camera to obtain visual data. A controller is adapted to receive the visual data signal, identify an edge of the pipe, receive a signal from the sensor, associate the visual data with corresponding data, create visual feedback and an input signal the position of the boom assembly.

Development of new infrastructure and the replacement of aging infrastructure includes laying of a variety of large pipes underground for providing various services through such pipes such for water supply, disposal of rain water from above ground, drainage of sewage to septic tanks or town sewers, natural gas lines, telecommunication, electricity distribution, fiber optics, traffic lights, street lights, storm drains, water mains, and oil lines, to name a few. Many of these pipes, or elongate structures, comprise of a myriad of materials such as cast iron, plastic, galvanized steel, stoneware, asbestos cement, and concrete. Because of the size and weight of such pipes, work machines such as excavators are often used for placement of these pipes in the ground. Such pipes are laid in sections joined to each other, end to end, typically in a trench or other generally confined course of path. The excavator may also be used to generally prepare by digging a trench along the desired path, to a desired depth, and at a desired slope required for the flow of material to pass from pipe to pipe, pipes carrying fluids. Typically, the pipe is supported in the trench by gravel or other fill or bedding material which supports the sides of the pipe, and optionally supports the pipe from underneath.
In the conventional practice of laying a pipe in a trench, the working arm of a work machine such as an excavator, or crane, suspends the pipe section from the working arm for placement in the trench. If coupling of the working arm with the pipe is off-center, the center of gravity of the pipe may not coincide with the point of coupling and the pipe may tilt when lifted off the ground. Furthermore, when the pipe is lifting off the ground, the pipe may swing creating unsteady movement of the pipe. When the pipe is being lowered into the trench, it is placed on the prepared gravel or adjacent to a neighboring pipe for engagement. The engagement structure of the neighboring pipe may be a spigot wherein in precise alignment of the pipe and the neighboring pipe becomes critical. Each of the above-mentioned steps requires the presence of at least one worker in or along the trench for the pipe. Currently, the worker guides the precise position of coupling the working arm to the pipe, guides the pipe when the pipe is being lifted, and further guides the pipe into alignment with a neighboring pipe as it lowered.
A sewer pipe may be, for example, required to be, and to remain, within 0.5 inches of the established running line of the pipes already laid. Concrete sewer pipes can be up to 8 feet long, and can weigh 6 tons or more, thereby settling and compacting loose gravel in the trench. The means of laying such pipes can create a non-optimal environment for safety where communication between the worker in or along the trench and the operator of the work machine may be delayed because of a distracted worker, inconsistent because of an unskilled operator, or be muffled in a loud jobsite. Furthermore, precision of pipe-laying is entirely dependent on the skills of the operator and the worker.
Therein lies a need for an improved system and method for laying pipes, or other elongate pieces, engaged in end-to-end relationship along a path. Another need is to provide a system and method whereby the need of worker in or alongside the trench for routine placement and engagement of such pipes is negligible. Yet another need lies in providing a system capable of gauging the environment and providing improved guidance to an operator.


A method of performing ordered statistics between at least two parties is disclosed which includes identifying a first dataset (xA) by a first node (A), identifying a second dataset (xB) by a second node (B), wherein xB is unknown to A and xA is unknown to B, and wherein A is in communication with B, and wherein A and B are in communication with a server (S), A and B each additively splitting each member of their respective datasets into corresponding shares, sharing the corresponding shares with one another, arranging the corresponding shares according to a mutually agreed predetermined order into corresponding ordered shares, shuffling the ordered shares into shuffled shares, re-splitting the shuffled shares into re-split shuffled shares, and performing an ordered statistical operation on the re-split shuffled shares, wherein the steps of shuffle and re-split is based on additions, subtractions but not multiplication and division.

This section introduces aspects that may help facilitate a better understanding of the disclosure. Accordingly, these statements are to be read in this light and are not to be understood as admissions about what is or is not prior art.
Risks associated with data sharing, including leakage and misuse by external and internal parties involved in a collaboration, often inhibit the use of sensitive data even though it may benefit the collaboration. Such fears for one's sensitive data could arise for several reasons, including: 1) Security Mismatch: Other collaborators have different security practices that fall short of satisfying the security standards of the data owner (i.e., they are more likely to suffer a break-in or some other data breach); 2) Common Collaborator: A party with a collaborator who collaborates (separately) with a competitor could face a risk of competitive loss as the common collaborator acquires privileged information; 3) Future Competitor: The current collaborator can become a competitor in the future.
In order to avoid such misuse and leakage, several techniques have been developed in the prior art. For example, collaborators can protect themselves from such risks by altering their sensitive data, e.g., by adding noise, prior to sharing. However, such alterations hinder the success of all collaborators. An alternative approach is secure multi-party computation, which makes it possible for collaborators to compute outputs without revealing private inputs and without degradation in the quality of the computed outputs (i.e., it would be of the same quality as if full sharing had taken place). This type of sharing is often referred to as multi-party secure computation techniques.
Examples of multi-party secure computation techniques include 1) Partial Homomorphic Encryption (PHE) and Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE)—these encryption techniques use modular exponentiation, which is computationally expensive (complexity that is cubic in the number of bits); 2) Garbled Circuits—A technique which uses Oblivious Transfer (OT), known to a person having ordinary skill in the art which also uses computationally expensive modular exponentiations; and 3) Secret Sharing—a technique where the size of a share increases with the number of collaborators thereby adding significant costs.
The above enumerated approaches use expensive techniques in terms of computation time and in development effort, such as homomorphic encryption and garbled circuit evaluation, to perform the required computations without leaking confidential information. Specifically, with these techniques computations over confidential information are performed using encrypted or encoded data, and most use expensive computational primitives such as modular exponentiation.
These technologies, help collaborators to overcome the "reluctance to share" wherein collaborators can achieve the full benefits of collaboration without revealing confidential inputs. However, as discussed above, each of these techniques suffer from algorithmic and computational costs.
Therefore, there is an unmet need for a novel approach to allow secure multi-party data exchange and encryption where partial data can be exchanged by different users in order to perform mathematical operations without any user or 3rd party knowing other user's data.

System architecture and method of processing data therein