A method and apparatus for routing a clock tree in an integrated circuit device. Prior art clock trees were routed entirely on an integrated circuit device, thereby increasing the size, complexity, and cost of the integrated circuit. The present invention provides for a design wherein the clock tree is partitioned into one or more local clock trees and a global clock tree. A local clock tree is defined as a cluster of clock sinks coupled together. The global clock tree is defined as the interconnect between the local clock tree and the clock source. The local clock tree is routed on a device layer of the integrated circuit. The global clock tree is routed on a package layer of the integrated circuit package. The package layer is coupled to the device layer through a plurality of contacts.

Most integrated circuits include a clock network for providing a clock signal to various synchronized circuitry. The clock network typically includes one or more clock sources that are coupled to one or more clock "sinks." A clock sink is any circuit requiring a clock. Examples of sinks include flip-flops, state machines, and counters.
It is typically desired that clocks routed within the integrated circuit be synchronized, such that each clocked device receives the same clock signal at approximately the same time. This ensures that data leaving a clocked source device arrives on time to its clocked destination device.
A phenomenon known as "clock skew," wherein various clock signals arrive at clock sinks at different times, can greatly affect the synchronization. Clock skew is caused by differences in interconnect delays between various clock wires routed through the integrated circuit. The interconnect delay is directly proportional to the following quantities: EQU t.sub.delay .varies.R.sub.wire *(C.sub.wire +C.sub.load)
It can therefore be appreciated that in order to minimize clock skew, the resistance (e.g., R.sub.wire) and capacitance of all of the clock wires (e.g., C.sub.wire) and the capacitance of all of the clock loads (e.g., C.sub.load) need to be equalized. Because the wire resistance and capacitance are dependent upon the length of the wire, it is important in routing a clock singal that clock wires lengths are as close to equal as possible. Moreover, it is also important that the load capacitance coupled to each clock wire is equalized as much as possible.
Allowable clock skew is typically a parameter that is set by a designer of a circuit as a percentage of the cycle time of the synchronized components of the system. A typical clock skew may be set at 10% of the cycle time, the cycle time being the inverse of clock frequency. Thus it can be appreciated that as frequencies of integrated circuits, such as high speed microprocessors, increase, the cycle time decreases. The amount of allowable skew therefore becomes smaller.
While reducing clock skew is an important objective in designing high-frequency integrated circuits, there are other parameters that are also taken into consideration during the circuit design process. For instance, as frequencies increase, and high density circuits are developed with an increased number of loads in integrated circuits, the amount of power consumed by the integrated circuit becomes quite large. It is therefore desirable to provide a clock routing technique that not only reduces clock skew, but also decreases an amount of power consumed by the integrated circuit. Moreover, clock rise and fall time is proportional to both line resistance and load capacitance, so it is desirable to reduce the line resistance and load capacitance in designing a low-skew clock tree.
One objective of circuit designers has been to construct a clock tree for connecting clock source to clock destinations, whereby the paths from each clock sink to the clock source are equal. One prior way of reducing clock skew involves routing an equal path length clock tree by manually producing a layout for every clock wire within the integrated circuit. While this method involved a great deal of flexibility in integrated circuit design, such customization is time consuming and costly. Therefore, prior art methods were developed to automatically produce clock networks with computer software.
FIGS. 1a-1c illustrate a variety of prior art clock trees which may be automatically designed (i.e. computer-generated) to minimize clock skew. FIG. 1a is an H-tree clock network. The H-tree couples a clock source 115 to clock sinks (represented as dots), such as clock sink 112. The H-tree in FIG. 1a has one upper level H-shaped tree 110 along with 4 lower level H-shaped subtrees such as subtree 111. As shown, the path from clock source 115 to all of the clock sinks is equal. Therefore the H-tree has the advantage of providing zero skew. The H-tree has one disadvantage, however, in that the clock sinks must be uniformly placed on the integrated circuit in order to facilitate a zero skew H-tree. This is a design constraint that can lead to increased die space, complexity, and engineering time, thus increasing the design cost of the integrated circuit.
FIG. 1b illustrates another prior art clock tree. This clock tree has a thick clock trunk 120 coupled to a clock source 125. Because wire resistance (e.g., R.sub.wire) is inversely proportional to wire width, the thick clock trunk 120 exhibits a decreased resistance. The delay time for a clock signal to travel on the clock trunk 120 to the clock branches is therefore correspondingly decreased. The clock branches such as clock branch 121 extend to clock sinks 122. Each of clock sinks 122 is not equidistant from the clock source 125.
The design of the clock tree of FIG. 1b is especially well-suited for standard cell designs, in which a standard cell such as cell 123 is repeated many times. An example of a standard cell design is a memory array. The branches 121 extended from the clock trunk 120 are of equal length and equally spaced apart, thus making the clock skew among each of the cells uniform. There are two disadvantages to this type of clock tree system. First, as mentioned above, the path from the source 125 to each clock sink is not equal. Some clock skew will therefore be present. Second, in order for the clock tree to minimize skew, the clock sinks must be spaced in a symmetric fashion, creating design constraints and thereby increasing the cost of design.
The "clock trunk" design of FIG. 1b may alternatively be implemented with more than one clock trunk (i.e. clock trunk 120) strategically placed within the circuit design.
FIG. 1c illustrates a third prior art clock tree. The tree of FIG. 1c is a wire grid structure 130 coupled to a clock source 135. Each clock sink 132 is then coupled to one wire of the clock grid. This arrangement has the advantage of not requiring that clock sinks be symmetrically placed within the circuit layout. However, this design is disadvantageous in that does not provide for an equal path length between the source and clock sinks. Therefore, the clock tree has skew problems.
Other prior art clock trees are designed with equal path lengths, but are not "planar." In other words, in these clock trees, two wires may cross in order to ensure an equal path length. The problem with a non-planar clock tree is that the two wires that cross over each other must be routed in different layers of the integrated circuit. Thus, a large interconnect delay will be encountered by a clock signal traveling through a contact or via to a different metal layer. Non-planar clock trees are therefore undesirable because they exhibit clock skew, despite the fact that the clock tree employs equal path lengths.
What is desired, therefore, is a clock tree that will reduce an amount of clock skew. Moreover, it is desired to provide a clock tree that will consume less power than current methods and provide a desirable rise and fall time of the clock signals.

Method and apparatus for routing a clock tree in an integrated circuit package


A positive electrode active material for a lithium secondary battery, which includes a lithium-containing composite metal compound in the form of secondary particles that are aggregates of primary particles capable of being doped and undoped with lithium ions, each of the secondary particles having on its surface a coating layer including a metal composite oxide including lithium and aluminum, wherein the positive electrode active material includes at least nickel and aluminum as non-lithium metals, and satisfies all of the requirements (1) to (2).

Lithium metal composite oxides are used as positive electrode active materials for lithium secondary batteries (hereinafter, also referred to as "positive electrode active material(s)"). Lithium secondary batteries have already been put to practical use not only as compact power supplies for portable telephones, notebook computers and the like, but also as medium- or large-sized power supplies for automobile use, electric power storage use, etc.
Examples of the lithium metal composite oxide include lithium-cobalt composite oxide, lithium-nickel composite oxide, and lithium-nickel-manganese composite oxide. Patent Document 1 describes a positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery including a coating layer made of a compound containing aluminum on the surface of these lithium metal composite oxides. In Patent Document 1, such a coating layer is provided for suppressing contact of moisture or carbon dioxide in the air with the central portion of the lithium metal composite oxide to thereby improve the weatherability of the positive electrode active material.

Positive electrode active material for lithium secondary batteries, positive electrode for lithium secondary batteries, and lithium secondary battery


The in-line baler has its crop pickup, baling chamber and compacting plunger all located on the same fore-and-aft axis as viewed in top plan, but the tongue of the baler can be selectively swung by a hydraulic cylinder from a centered position to an offset position so that the baler may be correspondingly operated either directly behind the towing vehicle or off to one side as desired by the operator. To compensate for an otherwise excessive weight transfer onto the outboard ground wheel when the baler is shifted to the offset location, the onboard internal combustion engine and other drive apparatus for the operating components of the baler are all located off to one side of the center line of the machine, i.e., toward the inboard ground wheel. The pivot point for the tongue is located forwardly of the transverse axis of the ground wheels and slightly to the inboard side of the central axis of the baler, between the pickup and the overhead baling chamber.

In-line balers permit the operator to drive straight down the windrow with the wheels of the towing vehicle straddling the windrow to avoid running over the gathered crop material. The baler follows directly behind, sweeping up the material and stuffing it up into an overhead baling chamber where it is compacted rearwardly toward a discharge orifice. One distinct advantage of this type of arrangement is that the heavy reciprocating plunger of the machine is directly in line with the towing vehicle such that no force moments are created by plunger reciprocations that would tend to swing the baler about the vehicle. Moreover, the center of gravity of the machine is located directly on or close to the center line path of travel of both the vehicle and the baler so that the load is evenly distributed between the left and right ground wheels of the baler.
In some situations, however, it may be desirable for the in-line baler to be towed in an offset position wherein the towing vehicle is located off to one side of the windrow. For example, in some regions of the country, the operating components of balers are powered by onboard internal combustion engines, rather than the power take-off shaft of the towing vehicle, thus permitting the balers to be towed by vehicles that do not have power take-off shafts. Such vehicles typically have ground clearances, however, which are significantly less than that available in standard high clearance tractors. Therefore, the vehicles must be run beside the windrows instead of centered upon and straddling windrows.
Currently, side delivery balers in which the windrow is picked up off to one side of the baling chamber and then fed laterally into the chamber for rearward compaction, are available which permit the vehicle to be run alongside the windrow while the pickup is centered on the windrow. However, no in-line baler which can be selectively pulled directly behind the vehicle while it straddles the windrow, or off to one side of the vehicle while the vehicle runs alongside the windrow, is currently commercially available.

In-line rectangular baler selectively operable in centered or off-set positions


A sliding member includes a substrate, a porous layer provided on the surface of the substrate and a sliding layer with which the porous layer is impregnated and coated. The sliding layer contains polybenzimidazole, 1–70 vol % of a solid lubricant and 0.1–10 vol % of hard particles.

The present invention relates to a sliding member having a sliding layer on a sliding surface.
Sliding members, for example, plain bearings for engines of automobiles are usually improved in wear resistance, anti-seizure property and initial conformability by providing a sliding layer comprising a thermosetting resin such as a polyamide-imide (hereinafter referred to as "PAI") resin, a polyimide (hereinafter referred to as "PI") resin or an epoxy (hereinafter referred to as "EP") resin containing a solid lubricant or the like on the surface of a substrate comprising a back metal made of a steel plate and a bearing alloy layer provided on the back metal (see, for example, JP-A-4-83914 and JP-A-9-79262).
Furthermore, JP-A-8-59991 discloses resin-based sliding materials comprising PAI and PI as base resins which contain solid lubricants and hard particles.
However, the above-mentioned conventional sliding materials are all insufficient in wear resistance.


A squeegee apparatus for a vacuum cleaner system. The apparatus includes a main body portion having an integrally formed neck portion operable to releasably connect to a wand of the vacuum cleaner system. The main body portion forms a manifold and includes a lower end portion to which a squeegee member is releasably secured. The squeegee member includes a central portion having a pair of longitudinally parallel extending bumper portions, with the bumper portions each including saw tooth-shaped surfaces. The squeegee blade also depends downwardly from the central portion and outwardly of the bumper portions. The central portion also includes first and second pluralities of ports disposed on opposite sides of the squeegee blade, with one or the other of the pluralities of ports being alternately blocked off during use as the squeegee blade flexes into abutting contact with one or the other of the bumper portions while being moved back and forth over a work surface. The bumper portions also function to maintain the pluralities of ports at a predetermined distance from the work surface during use, thereby maximizing the consistency of the liquid pick-up operation of the apparatus.

Squeegee devices are used in a wide variety of applications to help remove liquid from work surfaces such as floors. Such devices may, in some cases, be in the form of attachments adapted for use with vacuum cleaner systems to enable liquid being moved by the squeegee attachment to be withdrawn into a reservoir associated with a vacuum cleaner system equipped for wet pickup.
Although previous squeegee apparatus for vacuum cleaner systems have proven to be helpful in removing liquid from surfaces such as windows, floors, tables, etc., it would nevertheless be desirable to have a squeegee apparatus which even more effectively operated to remove water and other like liquids from a work surface as the attachment is moved across the work surface. It would further be desirable if such a squeegee attachment incorporated a removable squeegee member which could be easily removed by the user and replaced. This would eliminate the need to replace the entire squeegee apparatus, which may include one or more frame portions which are generally not affected by wear and tear to the same degree as the squeegee member itself.
It would further be desirable if such a squeegee attachment was operable to maintain the squeegee at a predetermined distance from the work surface, to thus optimize the performance of the squeegee attachment. This would also serve to enhance the consistency of the pickup of the squeegee by enabling individuals to use it without concentrating on maintaining it at a certain distance from the work surface.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a squeegee apparatus for a vacuum cleaner system which operates to more effectively and thoroughly pick up liquids such as water from a work surface.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a squeegee apparatus that functions to maintain its distance from the work surface a constant, predetermined amount, to thereby provide consistent pickup results.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a squeegee apparatus for a vacuum cleaner system which is removable from a main body portion of the apparatus, thereby permitting the squeegee member of the apparatus to be replaced without disposing of the entire squeegee apparatus.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a squeegee apparatus for a vacuum cleaner system to which a brush may be releasably secured.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a squeegee apparatus for a vacuum cleaner system where the squeegee apparatus has a neck portion which may be pivotally coupled to a wand, thus enabling the squeegee apparatus to pivot during use.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a squeegee apparatus for a vacuum cleaner system, where the squeegee apparatus is relatively easy and inexpensive to construct, and relatively light in weight.

Squeegee apparatus for a vacuum cleaner system


A method of manufacturing an organic electroluminescent device includes forming partition walls partitioning pixels on a substrate; subjecting a surface of each of the partition walls to a lyophobic treatment; coating a liquid composition on each of regions surrounded by the partition walls, the liquid composition obtained by dissolving and dispersing a forming material of a functional layer forming at least a portion of an organic electroluminescent element in a solvent; and drying the coated liquid composition so as to form the functional layer. In the coating of a liquid composition, a fluorine group-containing solvent which contains a fluorine group is used as a solvent.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an organic electroluminescent device, and to a method of manufacturing a device, such as a color filter.
2. Related Art
In recent years, a technique for manufacturing an organic electroluminescent device (hereinafter, referred to as organic EL device) by means of an inkjet method in which a light-emitting material, such as an organic fluorescent material or the like, is transformed into ink and the ink is ejected onto a substrate has been developed (for example, JP-A-2002-22932).
As disclosed in JP-A-2002-22932, when the organic EL device is manufactured using the inkjet method, banks (partition walls) are formed around pixels, and ink is ejected onto each of regions surrounded by the banks. These banks are subjected to a lyophobic treatment by means of a fluorination treatment, so that it is possible to prevent a color mixture, white voids and ink leakage from being generated, when the ink is ejected. The bank having been subjected to the fluorination treatment has an extremely high lyophobic property, so that the bank and the ink are repellent to each other. As a result, the shape of the film obtained after drying the ink may be a shape where it sags at the periphery of the pixel (near the bank) and rises at the center of the pixel or a shape where it sags at the periphery of the pixel (near the bank) and rises at the inner side, and a concave portion is formed in the pixel center portion. If it has the film shape, the flatness of the film is lowered, causing a light-emitting characteristic to be deteriorated.

Method of manufacturing organic electroluminescent device and method of manufacturing device


This invention is directed to methods for quickly inverting and dispersing a flocculant in an aqueous slurry to achieve settlement of solids and clarification of the slurry water. In particular, this invention relates to methods for quickly inverting a flocculant-containing emulsion in-line without significantly destabilizing the emulsion. The methods comprise dosing water with at least one water-in-oil emulsion containing at least one of a flocculent polymer and a hydrophilic surfactant and subjecting the water and emulsion to a high shear, turbulent reverse flow, such that the combination of the surfactant and shear synergistically inverts the emulsion, so the flocculant may be directly injected into the slurry. In an alternative embodiment, the emulsion is fed directly to the slurry to be treated and subjected to high shear, such that the emulsion inverts in situ, releasing the flocculant into the slurry for solids/liquid separation.

This invention relates to methods for quickly inverting and dispersing a flocculant in aqueous slurries, such as mineral slurries, to achieve separation of solids from liquid in the slurries. In particular, this invention relates to methods for quickly inverting a liquid flocculant in-line without significantly destabilizing the emulsion that contains the flocculent. The methods employ the synergistic combination of a surfactant present in the flocculant-containing emulsion with high shear provided by, e.g., an in-line mixer, to cause the flocculant to be released for direct addition or injection to a solids and liquid separation application.
The present invention has application in, e.g., mineral and mining processing operations, paper and pulp manufacturing, reclamation processes, waste treatment, and any other suitable application requiring solid-liquid separation.
A number of industrial processes, including mining and mineral operations, conventionally rely on flocculants to help separate inorganic and organic solids from slurries so that the processing water may be recycled. Flocculants are generally organic polymers that function by aggregating the solids, either by charge neutralization or bridging mechanisms, so they settle in the slurry, resulting in a layer of settled solids and a clarified liquid, the latter being recyclable to the process. Flocculants are commercially available as water-in-oil emulsions with the flocculant polymers coiled within the water phase.
Before the flocculant can act upon the solids in the slurry, however, the emulsion must undergo inversionxe2x80x94a process wherein the bulk phase of the emulsion is inverted from oil to water and the flocculant polymer is released into an aqueous system where it can exert its flocculant activity. Inversion generally requires adding a surfactant to water and agitating the resulting mixture until the oil phase inverts. Inversion is completed when the polymeric flocculant has been released into the water.
Typically, the inversion process is both labor-intensive and time consuming, as it takes one hour or more to complete using specialized equipmentxe2x80x94such as tanks, feeders, and pumpsxe2x80x94and manpower to carefully weigh out the components and monitor the process.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,734,873 to Anderson et al. discloses a method for dissolving water-soluble vinyl addition polymers into water more rapidly than the solid form of the polymer. The method comprises preparing a water-in-oil emulsion that includes a surfactant and that inverts within one hour of being subjected to agitation. U.S. Pat. No. 5,679,740 to Heitner teaches the use of carboxylated ethoxylated nonyl phenols and alcohols as mechanically stable inverting agents for emulsion polymers. The Heitner emulsions invert after being xe2x80x9cstirredxe2x80x9d with a paddle stirrer for at least five minutes. However, neither of these methods attains an almost immediate inversion. Nor do the methods mention usage levels or high shear conditions or direct injection of the polymer to a given application. Nor do these methods eliminate the manpower, time, or equipment required by conventional methods.
Thus, there exists a continued need for a method of quickly inverting and dispersing an emulsified flocculant into a solid-liquid separation application.
This invention is directed to a method for rapidly and almost immediately inverting a flocculant-containing emulsion by the synergistic use of turbulent flow and a surfactant present in the emulsion.
In its principal aspect, a method is provided for quickly inverting a flocculant-containing emulsion and dispersing the flocculant in a slurry. The method comprises: (a) dosing water with an effective flocculating amount of at least one water-in-oil emulsion comprising at least one flocculant and at least one hydrophilic surfactant, the surfactant being present in the emulsion at a concentration of from about 1 to about 10 percent, by weight; (b) subjecting the water and the emulsion to high shear, comprising a turbulent reverse flow, at a sufficient pressure and for a sufficient time for the at least one emulsion to invert and release the at least one flocculant into the water; and (c) adding the released at least one flocculant to an aqueous slurry for separation of solids from liquid in the slurry.
In its second aspect, the invention is a method for direct injection or addition of a flocculant to a solid-liquid separation application. The method provides for quick inversion of a flocculating-containing emulsion in situ so the flocculant is released directly into the application. The method comprises feeding into an aqueous slurry an effective flocculating amount of at least one water-in-oil emulsion, each emulsion comprising at least one water-soluble organic flocculant polymer and at least one hydrophilic surfactant; and subjecting the slurry and the at least one emulsion to an effective amount of high shear for sufficient time and at sufficient pressure, such that the at least one emulsion inverts in situ and the at least one flocculant is released into the slurry for solids/liquid separation. The flocculant comprises polymers selected from the group consisting of copolymers, homopolymers and terpolymers comprising from 0.01 to 100 mole percent of any vinyl-containing functional monomer such as acrylamide or sodium acrylate, as examples. The polymers have a reduced specific viscosity of from less than 1 to about 50 deciliters per gram or greater.


A bearing system includes a bearing housing configured to house a bearing, the bearing housing enclosing a free volume for receiving lubricant, a quantity of the lubricant in the free volume, a sensor configured to measure at least one parameter affecting a degradation rate at which the lubricant will degrade and to produce at least one output signal indicative of the measured at least one parameter, a pump for pumping lubricant into the bearing housing, and a controller configured to receive the at least one output signal from the sensor and to control the pump based a function of the received at least one output signal.

Automatic lubrication systems are known that include mechanical dosing and pumping components. These components may be configured to provide a fixed dose of lubricant (grease or oil or other suitable lubricant, referred to hereinafter generally as "grease") at predetermined intervals. The intervals and doses are conventionally set by manually adjusting each of the individual dosing devices. A lubrication system that provides a greater degree of control and more automated control over lubricant dosing is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0015019 A1 for an "Advanced Lubrication System," which disclosure is hereby incorporated by reference.
Conventional lubrication systems are generally configured to provide lubricant based on the needs of the bearing or component being lubricated. These systems have not heretofore taken into account the changing lubricating properties of the grease over is useful life or the fact that the lubricating properties of the grease may change as the operating conditions of the device being lubricated change. Conventional lubrication systems therefore may provide too much grease under some conditions and may under-lubricate under other conditions when the breakdown or degradation rate of the grease is not adequately accounted for.
It would therefore be desirable to provide an automated lubrication system that controls lubrication based on one or more parameters that affect the degradation rate of the lubricant.

Bearing system with lubrication controller


A process is described for evacuating a reactor, in which at least one object is sterilized by means of Low pressure plasma. The reactor must be evacuated from atmospheric pressure to plasma discharge pressure. At least two separate, successive evacuation stages are hereby provided. In the first. evacuating stage and a possible further evacuation stage, the reactor is brought down step by step to a reduced intermediary pressure. In the last evacuation stage the reactor is evacuated to the plasma discharge pressure. For each evacuation stage it is advantageous to provide a separate vacuum chamber, to each of which the reactor is corrected. This brings with it the advantage that the entire amount of gas does not need to be transported through one single pump or a single set of pumps.

This application claims the priority of German application 199 16 478.9, filed in Germany on Apr. 13, 1999, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to a process and system for evacuating a reactor, in which process at least one object is sterilized by means of low pressure plasma, from atmospheric pressure to plasma discharge pressure.
Reactors of this type are prior art in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,701,628. Here it can be necessary to evacuate the reactor to pressures which lie in the range of fractions of a millibar.
The sterilizing effect of a plasma is based on its mechanical destruction of the bacteria by means of ion bombardment as well as on the chemical destruction by means of the occcurring radicals. Using only low energy requirements, the plasma can penetrate into the smallest surface cracks and holes, whereby with increasing vacuum the temperature can be reduced to such a low point that even heat sensitive objects, for example bottles made of plastic, can be processed.
In the case of sterilizing for example the inner surface of containers, the container inner pressure must, before the plasma phase begins, be reduced from atmospheric pressure (1000 mb) to plasma discharge pressure (for example 0.2 mb) If in the case of an industrial installation, a plurality of containers, and thus reactors, are to be evacuated within the shortest possible time, then volumes of gas, which can easily reach thousands of liters per second at the level of the plasma discharge pressure, must be pumped out. This leads to huge practical problems.
It is an object of the present invention to pump out, even at the lowest plasma discharge pressures, large amounts of gas in evacuable reactors cost-effectively and easily.
This object has been achieved in accordance with the present invention in that two successive but separate evacuating stages are provided, whereby the reactor is evacuated in the first evacuation stage to an intermediary pressure and at least to the plasma discharge pressure in the last evacuation stage.
Thus, instead of a one-stage evacuation, a so-called differential evacuation takes place. Vacuum pumps can be applied for each evacuation stage, said pumps being particularly efficient for the relevant pressure range. The individual pumps are activated parallel to one another, so that they deliver different mass flow. By means thereof, most of the gas volume to be pumped, for example 97%, is pumped out during the first evacuation stage, so that this amount is guided past at the second and at a possible third evacuation stage, which then function at a low pressure level. This saves the latter mentioned pumpsxe2x80x94from the viewpoint of its pressure levelxe2x80x94from having to handle huge volumes of gas. It should be mentioned here, that in the case of a gas expanding to an increasingly smaller pressure, the volume of the gas increases by the relevant factor.
A separate vacuum chamber is advantageously provided for every evacuation stage, to which the reactor is respectively connected. For example, three vacuum chambers can be provided which work at different pressure levels.
The following is an example:
In a first evacuation stage, the respective reactor can be pumped from atmospheric pressure to an intermediary pressure of 30 mb. In a further evacuation stage, the pressure level is brought down to 1.3 mb. In the subsequent third and last evacuation stage, the plasma discharge pressure of, for example, 0.2 mb is reached. By means of this differential evacuation, only a few hundred liters of gas volume per second is pumped off per evacuation stage. Without this differential pumping, the pump would have to transport several thousand liters of gas per second.
This pressure level reached in the last evacuation stage is maintained until the end of the serialization process, that is, during the entire plasma phase.
In the case of an arrangement for carrying out the process, a plurality of reactors can be provided, which are each provided with devices for taking up at least one container to be sterilized and to which at least two vacuum chambers of differing pressure levels are arranged, to which the reactors can be connected successively by means of valves or the like. For example, every 0.2 seconds a container to be sterilized can be delivered , whose inner pressure must be brought to the relevant plasma discharge pressure. The individual pumps are thus not directly connected with the reactors to be evacuated, but rather are connected continuously to the vacuum chambers, to which in turn the reactors to be evacuated are connected successively. Thus the time available for evacuating to the plasma discharge pressure is longer than the tact time in which the individual containers are fed.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the reactors are arranged on the periphery of a rotary runner, which runs through a plurality of stationarily arranged sectors, to each of which a vacuum chamber of differing pressure levels is arranged. The vacuum chambers are hereby in the form of ring channels which rotate with the rotary runners.
These and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description thereof when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Process and system for evacuating a plasma sterilization reactor


Diabroticite insects, in particular the corn rootworm, are major pests of corn as well as a variety of other agricultural crops. The invention describes an aqueous composition which is effective as an insectide for the control of Diabroticite insects and contains a photoactive xanthene dye, such as phloxine B, as a toxicant and a cucurbitacin-containing feeding stimulant. Additives such as a starch thickener and an adherent may also be included in the composition.

1. Field of the Invention
The corn rootworm (CRW) is a major threat to the production of corn in North America. Costs associated with attempts to control the pest combined with monetary losses due to crop damage can exceed $1 billion per year. Moreover, the CRW causes an additional $100 million in damage and control costs on cucurbits, peanuts and soybeans; adult insects have caused considerable damage to many fruits and have been implicated as carriers of some plant diseases as well.
Chemical pesticides for the control of the CRW pest complex are applied to 12-16 million hectares per year. These chemicals often have been applied as a preventive measure, sometimes unnecessarily, thus increasing the health risks imposed on the general population as well as on livestock and other farm and domestic animals and wildlife.
The need for an effective agent for the control of CRW which is also environmentally safe is thus well-established. This invention relates to a toxicant-bait formulation effective for controlling corn rootworm and to its method of use.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
An interesting relationship between insect herbivores and their host plants is the phenomenon exhibited by insects feeding compulsively on phytochemicals that are toxic to other insects. This phenomenon occurs between CRW and their ancestral plant hosts, the Curbitaceae. These plants produce very bitter compounds, cucurbitacins, which are phagostimulants for many of the CRW pest species (Metcalf, R. L. 1986. J. Chem. Ecol. vol. 12, pp. 1109-1124; Metcalf and Lampman. 1989. J. Econ. Entomol. vol. 82, pp. 1620-1625; Tallamy and Kriachik. 1989. Amer. Nat. vol. 133, pp. 766-786; Metcalf and Rhodes. 1990. In: Biology and utilization of the cucurbitaceae. Bates et al., eds. Comstock, Ithaca, N.Y.). No evidence of acute toxicity exhibited by the compounds has been produced (Tallamy and Halaweish. 1993. Environ. Entomol. vol. 22, pp. 925-932).
There has been a major effort to replace ineffective and environmentally undesirable soil insecticides with baits laced with cucurbitacins and toxins (Metcalf et al. 1987. J. Econ. Entomol. vol. 80, pp. 870-875; Lance, D. R. 1988. J. Econ. Entomol. vol. 81, pp. 1359-1362; Weissling et al. 1989. Entomol. Exp. Appl. vol. 53, pp. 219-228; Lance and Sutter. 1990. J. Econ. Entomol. vol. 83, pp. 1085-1090; Lance and Sutter. 1991. J. Econ. Entomol. vol. 84, pp. 1861-1868; Weissling and Meinke. 1991. Environ. Entomol. vol. 20, pp. 945-952; Brust and Foster. 1995. J. Econ. Entomol. vol. 88, pp. 112-116). Lacing the baits with cucurbitacins causes the beetles to compulsively feed on them, and they die from the insecticides present in the composition. The increased feeding brought on by the presence of the cucurbitacins has resulted in a reduction in the amount of insecticide necessary for an effective formulation by 90-95%. These baits are pest specific and are capable of killing 99% of the beetles consuming them (Tallamy and Halaweish, supra). Carbaryl, a semiochemical-based insecticide bait specific to CRW, for example, has been developed by a research team comprised of entomologists from USDA, ARS, universities, and industry (Chandler et al. 1995. In: Clean water, clean environment. 21st centure team agriculture, working to protect water resources. Conf. Proceed. vol. 1, pp. 29-32) and is currently under commercial development. The baits are currently being evaluated in areawide Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs for CRW control on limited corn acreage in the Corn Belt (Chandler et al., supra).
The goal of agronomists in refining IPM practices is to rely less on synthetic chemicals in baits and, if possible, to find other approaches to managing the CRW (Butler, R. E. 1992. Seed World. vol. 130, pp. 8-10). Various attempts have therefore been made to develop formulations effective for controlling corn rootworm. The baits laced with insecticides and feeding stimulants, e.g. those reported by Metcalf et al., supra, are prepared from Cucurbita fruits which were dried, ground and impregnated with insecticides and volatile attractants. These baits were then scattered over plots of sweet corn, with some of the bait on the leaves and silks of the ears of corn. Lance and Sutter (1992. J. Econ. Entomol. vol. 85, pp. 967-973) also described a bait formulation containing an insecticide, a feeding stimulant and volatile attractants. In both instances, volatile attractants were included since cucurbitacins, although recognized as powerful feeding stimulants, are not effective as attractants. Delivery of the insecticide was therefore accomplished by first attracting the insect, then stimulating it to feed on the insecticide-laced bait.
Other compositions and methods have also been utilized in attempts to control the corn rootworm. Guss et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,565,695, 1986) suggest the use of synthetic pheromone for mating disruption or for use in combination with larval insecticides. Doane et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,618, 1995) describe a gustatory stimulant comprising dried and powdered plant material containing cucurbitacins, a lubricant and an adherent to be used in combination with an insecticide for adult beetles. Munson et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,522, 1996) describe a feeding stimulant to be used in combination with an insecticide where the feeding stimulant is corn germ.
All these various approaches have suffered from a lack of consistency in the delivery of the insecticide to the targeted insect. While cucurbitacins are potent feeding stimulants, they do not serve as attractants at all, so the targeted pests must be in the immediate vicinity of the compounds in order for them to be effective. Dry formulations have thus resulted in a substantial portion of the insecticide being wasted because it is never consumed. This waste is deleterious not only because of cost and ineffectiveness, but also because it results in insecticide remaining in the fields to contaminate the soil, ground water and other sources of water such as lakes, rivers and streams.

Composition and method for the control of diabroticite insects

The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of Agriculture


Present fuel injectors fail to be cost effective and with the complexity of recent fuel injectors tend to be labor intensive. The present fuel injector and method of making the fuel injector provides a cost effective fuel injector which reduces the labor intensiveness of manufacturing. The manufacturing of the fuel injector includes the separate formation of a first unitary component, a second unitary component and a third unitary component by individual castings. The unitary components are positioned relative one to another and welded forming the fuel injector having a preestablished configuration. The unitary components are individually cast and each include an as cast complex configuration verses a plurality of individual components being welded in subassemblies and into a final assembly.

Gas turbine engines utilize fuel injectors for supplying fuel to a combustor. In the combustor, the fuel and air are ignited and burned. From the combustor, the hot gaseous fluids are directed to a turbine resulting in rotation of the turbine and an output power. The spent fluid results in an exhaust emitted from the engine.
The use of fossil fuel in gas turbine engines results in combustion products within the exhaust. These combustion products consist of carbon dioxide, water vapor, oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons, oxides of sulfur and particulates. Of these above products, carbon dioxide and water vapor are generally not considered objectionable. In most applications, governmental imposed regulations are further restricting the remainder of the species, mentioned above, emitted in the exhaust gases.
The majority of the products of combustion emitted in the exhaust can be controlled by design modifications, cleanup of exhaust gases and/or regulating the quality of fuel used. For example, particulates in the engine exhaust have been controlled either by design modifications to the combustor and fuel injectors or by removing them by traps and filters.
Thus, the design and modifications of the fuel injectors have become more complex. Furthermore, the consistency of manufacturing to insure the commonality of fuel injectors and the repeatability of emissions has become more and more important. For example, the multiplicity of parts, such as, swirlers, cooled tips, spooked gaseous components, liquid fuel passages, gaseous fuel passages, water passages, air induction passages, etc. are examples of such complex components or parts. Historically, the manufacturing of fuel injector are labor intensive. For example, most of the fuel injectors have been fabricated from many accurately machined components. The components used for making up the fuel injectors require tedious locating and placement of the individual components one with respect to another in a very precise manner. After being properly positioned, the application of a weld material and flux is required. And, the furnace brazing of the component parts to produce a finished fuel injector is completed. In many applications, several furnace brazing operations are required. As an example, three or four different brazing operation may have to be performed at different times to gradually build up the injector assembly. This process may take typically two to three week for the assembly and test after each stage of brazing.
Additionally, the quality of fuel injectors influences servicing time and costs. A higher quality of fuel injector will reduce service time resulting in reduced costs. And, a higher quality of fuel injector will make for a more efficient gas turbine engine resulting in reduced emissions.
The present invention is directed to overcome one or more of the problems as set forth above.


A broadcasting program viewing system using an electronic program guide and a method for the same, includes the steps of storing the EPG for guiding broadcasting programs and a tag for downloading the broadcasting programs guided to the EPG from the corresponding broadcasting program, displaying the stored EPG on the screen according to a request of a viewer and displaying the broadcasting program selected from the corresponding broadcasting station server on a screen on the basis of the tag corresponding to the selected broadcasting program when the viewer selects a specific broadcasting program from the EPG displayed on the screen and therefore, viewers can watch the preferred broadcasting programs by easily selecting them.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a broadcasting program viewing program and particularly, to a broadcasting program viewing method using an electronic program guide (EPG) and a system thereof
2. Description of the Background Art
Generally, television broadcasting stations for broadcasting television programs guide broadcasting time of the programs, and broadcast the corresponding programs according to the guided broadcasting time unless there is a particular reason. Therefore, many viewers check their preferable broadcasting programs among the broadcasting programs which were guided to be broadcast and the times, and view the preferred broadcasting program through a television and the like in the corresponding time slot.
For instance, the television broadcasting station delivers an electronic program guide (EPG, hereafter EPG) with the broadcasting program when conducting digital broadcasting. At this time, the digital television receives the EPG delivered from the broadcasting station, stores the received EPG, and guides the broadcasting programs which were too broadcast in the later time on the basis of the current date by displaying the stored EPG on the screen according to the request of the subscriber. At this time, the viewers view the corresponding program by performing subscription recording of the corresponding broadcasting program by checking the broadcasting program which is needed and broadcasting time according to the guide of the prescribed broadcasting program or receiving the program in the corresponding broadcasting time.
On the other hand, since the digital television is limited in its internal memory capacity, just the EPG of the current date and future date are conventionally stored, and the EPG of the past date is deleted by lack of the storage capacity.
Even through the EPG is provided, many viewers who live busily in the modern society can not frequently view the preferred broadcasting program in the corresponding broadcasting time slot.
Therefore, the television broadcasting station opens a homepage using the internet, and provides broadcasting programs which were broadcast in the present through the homepage, so that the viewers download the preferred broadcasting program by connecting to the homepage of the broadcasting station through the internet with their computer systems and view the downloaded broadcasting programs.
Also, the television broadcasting station performs on air broadcasting of broadcasting programs which are currently broadcast through the homepage, so that the viewers can watch the on air programs which are currently broadcast also through the terminal such as a computer system and the like as well as the television.
However, conventionally, for the viewers to view the broadcasting programs which are currently broadcast or were broadcast in the past, provided by the television broadcasting station by building the homepage, the viewers had to search the broadcasting program to be viewed by connecting to the homepage of the television broadcasting station with their terminals such as computer systems and the like. That is, since the viewers must perform many processes until they find their preferable program, it was very inconvenient for the viewers, and it took much time to find the broadcasting program to be viewed.

Broadcasting program viewing method using electronic program guide and system thereof


A device may include a wire interface (e.g., port), a detection circuit and a microcontroller. The detection circuit may include a resistor, a comparator, and wiring connecting the resistor to the wire interface and to a first input of the comparator. The microcontroller may provide a test signal to the resistor, and a threshold signal to a second input of the comparator. The test signal passes through the resistor and continues to the wire connector and the comparator first input with little to no change or attenuation when the wire interface is disconnected, but is attenuated when the wire interface is connected to a wire with capacitance charging and discharging based on the test signal. The comparator may compare the voltage of a resulting signal at the wire interface to the threshold signal voltage, and depending on the comparison may detect if a wire is connected to the wire interface.

Remotely controlled systems, cloud-based systems, and/or other systems may include equipment or devices that are installed on the customer's premises. The system provider may use third-party installers to install the on-premises equipment or devices. Once the equipment is installed and operational, the system provider may remotely administer, control, and/or monitor the equipment and associated system without a physical presence at the customer's premises.
The third-party installers, and even the system provider's own personnel, may incorrectly connect or wire the equipment or may omit certain steps in the installation process that lead to a misconfiguration or improper setup of the system. The on-site installer as well as the remote system provider may be unable to detect some of these errors when there is no active or live signaling between two devices connected by a common cable. For instance, a first device may be unable to detect if a cable is connected to a particular port of the first device if the opposite end of the cable is not connected to a second device, the cable is connected but the second device is powered off, the cable is connected but the second device has a switch that is in a default or normally open state, or the cable is connected but the second device does not provide signaling over the cable.

Connection detection based on cable capacitance


A zoom lens has, in order from the object side, a positive first lens group, a negative second lens group, a positive third lens group, and a positive fourth lens group. During magnification change from the wide-angle end to the telephoto end, the first and the third lens groups are fixed in the optical axis direction, the second lens group is moved toward the image side, and the fourth lens group is moved along the optical axis. The first lens group has, in order from the object side, a cemented lens formed by a negative lens and a positive lens, and two positive lenses. The third lens group has, in order from the object side, a fixed front group, and a positive rear group being able to be shifted in directions intersecting with the optical axis to shift the image formed on the reduced side.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a zoom lens and an imaging device, and in particular to a zoom lens which is preferably usable with a video camera, a broadcasting camera, a monitoring camera, etc., and an imaging device provided with the zoom lens.
2. Background Art
As a zoom lens usable in the above-described field, a lens system having a four-group configuration that includes, in order from the object side, a positive first lens group, a negative second lens group, a positive third lens group, and a positive fourth lens group is conventionally known. For example, each of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 2006-047771, 2007-033553, and 2007-322635 (hereinafter, Patent Documents 1, 2 and 3, respectively) presented below teaches a zoom lens having the above-described four-group configuration which is a rear focus type lens system where, during magnification change from the wide-angle end to the telephoto end, the first lens group and the third lens group are fixed, and the second lens group and the fourth lens group are moved, and focusing is effected using the fourth lens group. The lens system taught in each of the Patent Documents 1 to 3 is configured to correct for blur of a taken image by moving a part of the optical system in the third lens group such that the movement has a component in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis.

Zoom lens having four lens groups and imaging device using same


An epitaxial structure having a low defect density includes: a base layer; a first epitaxial layer having a plurality of concentrated defect groups, and an epitaxial surface that has a plurality of first recesses corresponding in position to the concentrated defect groups, the sizes of the first recesses being close to each other; and a plurality of defect-termination blocks respectively and filling the first recesses and having polished surfaces. The defect-termination blocks are made of a material which is different in removal rate from that of the first epitaxial layer. The polished surfaces are substantially flush with the epitaxial surface so that the first epitaxial layer has a substantially planarized crystal growth surface

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an epitaxial structure, more particularly to an epitaxial structure having a low defect density and usable as a substrate for forming a semiconductor device thereon.
2. Description of the Related Art
In gallium nitride based light-emitting devices, a sapphire substrate or a silicon carbide substrate is usually used for growth of gallium nitride-based layers thereon. During growth of the gallium nitride-based semiconductor layers on the substrate, dislocations due to the lattice mismatching are formed and propagate into the active layer of the light-emitting device, thereby reducing light emitting efficiency thereof.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,051,849 and 6,608,327B1 disclose a semiconductor structure including a base layer on which a buffer layer, a first epitaxial layer and a patterned silicon dioxide layer are sequentially stacked. Subsequently, a second epitaxial layer is formed on the first epitaxial layer and the patterned silicon dioxide layer using lateral epitaxial overgrowth techniques. By covering portions of the first epitaxial layer with the patterned silicon oxide layer, defects or dislocations in the second epitaxial layer, which propagate from the first epitaxial layer, can be reduced. Therefore, dislocations formed in the active layer can also be reduced, which results in improvement of light emitting efficiency of the light-emitting device when formed on the semiconductor structure.
However, an increase in epitaxial layers may cause a decrease in yield. In addition, when the number of the epitaxial layer increases, the reduction of the defects attenuates, which fails to effectively improve quantum efficiency of the light-emitting device.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0068291A1 discloses a semiconductor structure including a patterned base layer formed with a plurality of recesses, and a first epitaxial layer formed on the patterned base layer. Subsequently, a patterned mask is stacked on the first epitaxial layer in positions corresponding to recess-free regions for preventing defect propagation therethrough.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,364,805B2 discloses a method of forming spontaneously a plurality of recesses in positions corresponding to dislocations by etching without patterning by a mask. Referring FIGS. 1 to 3, an epitaxial substrate 1 includes a base layer 11, a first epitaxial layer 12, and a coated film 13. The first epitaxial layer 12 has an epitaxial surface 122, a plurality of defects 123, and a plurality of etch pits 121 formed corresponding to the defects 123. The coated film 13 is formed on the epitaxial surface 122 and in the etch pits 121. Then, the coated film 13 formed on the epitaxial surface 122 is removed using reactive ion etching (RIE) techniques for subsequent growth of epitaxial layers thereon. However, defects are prone to increase during removal of the coated film 13 using reactive ion etching techniques. In addition, the etch pits 121 are formed on top ends of the defects including screw dislocations and edge dislocations due to etching by heat and gas.

Epitaxial structure having low defect density


A method and apparatus for controlling an intensity distribution of a radiation beam directed to a microlithographic substrate. The method can include directing a radiation beam from a radiation source along the radiation path, with the radiation beam having a first distribution of intensity as the function of location in a plane generally transverse to the radiation path. The radiation beam impinges on an adaptive structure positioned in the radiation path and an intensity distribution of the radiation beam is changed from the first distribution to a second distribution by changing a state of the first portion of the adaptive structure relative to a second portion of the adaptive structure. For example, the transmissivity of the first portion, or inclination of the first portion can be changed relative to the second portion. The radiation is then directed away from the adaptive structure to impinge on the microlithographic substrate.

The present invention is directed toward methods and apparatuses for controlling the intensity of a radiation beam directed toward a microlithographic substrate. Microelectronic features are typically formed in microelectronic substrates (such as semiconductor wafers) by selectively removing material from the wafer and filling in the resulting openings with insulative, semiconductive, or conductive materials. One typical process includes depositing a layer of radiation-sensitive photoresist material on the wafer, then positioning a patterned mask or reticle over the photoresist layer, and then exposing the masked photoresist layer to a selected radiation. The wafer is then exposed to a developer, such as an aqueous base or a solvent. In one case, the photoresist layer is initially generally soluble in the developer, and the portions of the photoresist layer exposed to the radiation through patterned openings in the mask change from being generally soluble to become generally resistant to the developer (e.g., so as to have low solubility). Alternatively, the photoresist layer can be initially generally insoluble in the developer, and the portions of the photoresist layer exposed to the radiation through the openings in the mask become more soluble. In either case, the portions of the photoresist layer that are resistant to the developer remain on the wafer, and the rest of the photoresist layer is removed by the developer to expose the wafer material below.
The wafer is then subjected to etching or metal disposition processes. In an etching process, the etchant removes exposed material, but not material protected beneath the remaining portions of the photoresist layer. Accordingly, the etchant creates a pattern of openings (such as grooves, channels, or holes) in the wafer material or in materials deposited on the wafer. These openings can be filled with insulative, conductive, or semiconductive materials to build layers of microelectronic features on the wafer. The wafer is then singulated to form individual chips, which can be incorporated into a wide variety of electronic products, such as computers and other consumer or industrial electronic devices.
As the size of the microelectronic features formed in the wafer decreases (for example, to reduce the size of the chips placed in electronic devices), the size of the features formed in the photoresist layer must also decrease. In some processes, the dimensions (referred to as critical dimensions) of selected features are evaluated as a diagnostic measure to determine whether the dimensions of other features comply with manufacturing specifications. Critical dimensions are accordingly selected to be the most likely to suffer from errors resulting from any of a number of aspects of the foregoing process. Such errors can include errors generated by the radiation source and/or the optics between the radiation source and the mask. The errors can also be generated by the mask, by differences between masks, and/or by errors in the etch process. The critical dimensions can also be affected by errors in processes occurring prior to or during the exposure/development process, and/or subsequent to the etching process, such as variations in deposition processes, and/or variations in material removal processes, such as chemical-mechanical planarization processes.
One general approach to correcting lens aberrations in wafer optic systems (disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,132 to McDonald et al.) is to reflect the incident radiation from a deformable mirror, which can be adjusted to correct for the aberrations in the lens optics. However, correcting lens aberrations will not generally be adequate to address the additional factors (described above) that can adversely affect critical dimensions. Accordingly, another approach to addressing some of the foregoing variations and errors is to interpose a gradient filter between the radiation source and the mask to spatially adjust the intensity of the radiation striking the wafer. Alternatively, a thin film or pellicle can be disposed over the mask to alter the intensity of light transmitted through the mask. In either case, the filter and/or the pellicle can account for variations between masks by decreasing the radiation intensity incident on one portion of the mask relative to the radiation intensity incident on another.
One drawback with the foregoing arrangement is that it may be difficult and/or time-consuming to change the gradient filter and/or the pellicle when the mask is changed. A further drawback is that the gradient filter and the pellicle cannot account for new errors and/or changes in the errors introduced into the system as the system ages or otherwise changes.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for controlling radiation beam intensity directed to microlithographic substrates


Apparatus for practicing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) including a torso, a breast plate, a lung, and a hollow head including a mouth means, the breast plate is mounted pivotally to the torso, the lung resides intermediate the torso and the breast plate and is mounted to the torso and extends into the hollow head member and a second head member mounted to the first head member for sliding arcuate movement with respect thereto to perform jaw thrusts in the practice of CPR. Apparatus simulating the human head. Stackable torsos with breast plates mounted thereto and stackable head members each comprising a portion of a head.

This invention relates generally to a manikin for teaching and practicing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and which CPR manikin, if desired, may also provide the feature of teaching and practicing automatic external defibrillation (AED). This invention further relates to apparatus for simulating the human head.
Numerous CPR manikins are known to the prior art. The prior art CPR manikins range from the very complex including numerous component parts which make the manikin very expensive to very simplistic CPR manikins which include few parts and are relatively inexpensive but which do not always permit the teaching and practice of all the techniques for CPR.
Generally, to be desirable and acceptable, CPR manikins must have sufficient structural elements to permit people to teach and practice the proper sequence of steps in the practice of CPR, must provide sufficient realism and feed back to the student learning CPR, and must be hygienic and easy to clean. Such sequence of steps in the practice of CPR, as known to those skilled in the art of teaching and practicing CPR utilizing a CPR manikin, includes chest compression, head tilts, jaw thrusts, and abdominal compression.
Recent advances in technology have made AED more accessible to the general public. Defibrillators are now seen in public venues, on aircraft, ships, and the like. The American Red Cross and the American Heart Association have created training programs particularly catering to the widespread teaching of AED as a component of the standard CPR training course. Most CPR and AED training programs given by the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association take place in workplaces such as offices and factories. As such, CPR and AED instructors must carry the CPR manikins and other equipment to the training site. CPR manikin portability and compactness are therefore important factors for instructors who, to be efficient, must bring as many CPR manikins as possible to the training site to increase the overall efficiency of the class, and desirably, provide each student with their own CPR manikin. More CPR manikins save time, make the teaching of CPR more efficient and more personal to each student, and lower the cost of teaching.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a relatively simple, low-cost CPR manikin that provides for the teaching and practice of the proper sequence of steps for practicing CPR including advanced techniques such as, for example, jaw thrusts.
There is a further need in the art for a CPR manikin which facilitates the placement thereon of AED electrodes for teaching AED in combination with CPR training.
There is a still further need in the art for a CPR manikin that is light weight, easily assembled and disassembled, whose parts are stackable and light weight to facilitate and reduce the cost of transportation and storage
Further, there is a need in the art for a CPR manikin whose component parts are made of a material that can be recycled at the end of its functional life allowing the material to be re-used and kept in the service of industry thereby avoiding landfill and/or incineration environmental problems.
Numerous apparatus are known to the art for simulating the human head. Simulations of the human head have many applications, such as, for example, in the teaching of the structure and function of elements comprising the human head such as the jaw. Human head simulations are used widely in various types of manikins including CPR manikins. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a new and improved apparatus simulating the human head which is relatively simple, low cost, and which can be readily and easily disassembled for cleaning and which can be disassembled for stacking to facilitate transport and storage.
The objects of the present invention are to satisfy the foregoing needs in the art.
Apparatus for practicing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and which apparatus satisfies certain of the foregoing needs includes, a torso, a breast plate, a lung and a hollow head including a mouth, the breast plate being mounted pivotally to the torso, the lung residing intermediate the torso and the breast plate and mounted to the torso and extending into the hollow head and out the mouth, the head including a first head member and a second head member mounted pivotally to the first head and for sliding arcuate movement with respect thereto to perform jaw thrusts in the practice of CPR.
Apparatus for simulating the human head and satisfying certain other of the foregoing needs includes a head including a first head member and a second head member, said first head member being substantially hollow, having an open bottom and a first mouth opening, said second head member including a jaw and having a second mouth opening, said second head member for being mounted pivotally to said first head member and for sliding arcuate movement with respect thereto, the second mouth opening including an inwardly extending hollow cylindrical tube for being inserted through the first mouth opening and into the first head member.
Stackable torsos with breast plates mounted thereto and stackable head members each comprising a portion of a head.

CPR manikin with optional automatic external defibrillation


The processing system includes a storage device for maintaining entity information including period information indicative of information processing periods for the entity. A scheduling application defines application processing information for a desired processing job and identifies the processing job as being recurrent. A function routine determines recurrence information including a set of processing start times corresponding to the information processing periods and the application processing information associated with the processing job. A launch application accesses the recurrence information to identify a current one of the start times, and submits the processing job corresponding to the current start time for processing.

Not applicable.
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to a system and method for processing an application information processing operation. The invention more particularly relates to a system and method for processing a recurrent application information processing operation according to information processing periods specified for an entity.
2. Background Art
Managing the various activities of a large business or enterprise has been a complicated undertaking, especially where the enterprise is composed of many different business entities dispersed geographically across a city, state, nation or the entire world. To help coordinate the activities of the business entities, many enterprises implemented enterprise resource planning (ERP) software systems. The ERP software systems enabled the enterprises to integrate all of their business information and functions, such as manufacturing, payroll, and supply chain functions, into a single system so that each business entity within a respective enterprise would have access to the information and functions.
An important benefit of the ERP software systems has been the ability to process information, or prepare reports, for the enterprise that enable business executives and other decision makers to analyze the operations of the associated business entities. By selecting a business entity to analyze, designating the desired information to process, and manually selecting a desired time for processing, it was possible to process the information or report for the selected business entity at the desired time.
While such known processing operations were suitable for a one-time information processing operation performed at a time selected by a user, they were not suitable for processing information on a recurring basis according to a fiscal date pattern for the selected entity. In this regard, the user was required to schedule the multiple processing times by manually selecting each one of the processing times. For each processing time corresponding to the fiscal date pattern, there existed the possibility of the introduction of an error, thereby making the resulting processed information less reliable. Furthermore, the time to make the required selections was completely unsatisfactory where information for more than one entity was to be processed.
Therefore, it would be highly desirable to have a new and improved system and method for processing recurrent information processing operations, wherein the introduction of errors is substantially reduced. Such a processing system should enable the scheduling of recurrent information processing jobs in a quick and easy manner.
Further complicating the processing of recurrent information processing operations was the dispersal of the business entities across multiple time zones. Consequently, scheduling the processing operations according to one time zone did not necessarily result in the processing operation occurring at a desired time in another time zone.
Therefore, it would also be highly desirable to have a new and improved system and method for processing recurrent information processing operations that accommodate processing operations in more than one time zone.
Therefore, the principal object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved system and method for processing recurrent information processing operations which substantially reduces the entry of errors, and which can be utilized in a quick and easy manner. Such a system and method should also facilitate the processing of information processing in more than one time zone.
Briefly, the above and further objects of the present invention are realized by providing a new and improved system and method for processing recurrent information processing operations without requiring substantial input from a user, and which facilitates processing in more than one time zone.
The processing system includes a storage device for maintaining entity information including period information indicative of information processing periods for the entity. A scheduling application defines application processing information for a desired processing job and identifies the processing job as being recurrent. A function routine determines recurrence information including a set of processing start times corresponding to the information processing periods and the application processing information associated with the processing job. A launch application accesses the recurrence information to identify a current one of the start times, and submits the processing job corresponding to the current start time for processing.

System and method for processing a recurrent operation


The present invention provides a trench isolation structure, a method of manufacture therefor and a method for manufacturing an integrated circuit including the same. The trench isolation structure (130), in one embodiment, includes a trench located within a substrate (110), the trench having a buffer layer (133) located on sidewalls thereof. The trench isolation structure (130) further includes a barrier layer (135) located over the buffer layer (133), and fill material (138) located over the barrier layer (135) and substantially filling the trench.

An important aim of ongoing research in the semiconductor industry is increasing semiconductor performance while decreasing the size of semiconductor devices. One known step the industry has taken to attain this increased semiconductor performance is to implement strained silicon technology. Fortunately, strained silicon technology allows for the formation of higher speed devices.
Strained-silicon transistors may be created a number of different ways, including by introducing a dislocation loop, or excess plane of atoms, into a crystalline material. In one instance strained layers are created by forming a layer of silicon germanium (SiGe) below a silicon epitaxial layer. The average distance between atoms in the SiGe crystal lattice is greater than the average distance between atoms in an ordinary silicon lattice. Because there is a natural tendency of atoms inside different crystals to align with one another when a second crystal is formed over a first crystal, when silicon is deposited on top of SiGe, or vice-versa, the silicon crystal lattice tends to stretch or "strain" to align the silicon atoms with the atoms in the SiGe layer. Fortunately, as the electrons in the strained silicon experience less resistance and flow up to 80% faster than in unstrained silicon, the introduction of the strained silicon layer allows for the formation of higher speed devices. Problems currently exist, however, with the integration of the strained silicon technology with preexisting technologies.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a semiconductor device and method of manufacture therefore that experiences the benefits of strained silicon technology without experiencing its drawbacks.

Trench isolation structure and a method of manufacture therefor


Provided is a method for estimating the impact of fuel distribution on emissions and corrosion responses of a fossil fuel-fired furnace. A variable is determined, termed herein separation number, by inputting fuel oil and air into the furnace, wherein the variable provides a linear relationship to multiple furnace process responses. Emission measurement equipment is located at various furnace outlet positions and thermocouples are located in tubes of the furnace, wherein the responses can be measured to obtain operating data. This operating data is interpreted based on different modes of operation of the furnace, and a change is estimated in the responses as a function of the separation number, wherein the change can be quantified to determine an impact of the fuel distribution or the furnace configuration as a result of the operating data lying on a plane defined by the separation number and a load variable.

Economical decisions regarding the operations of furnaces, for example in the power generation industry, are typically made based on trial and error, if at all. An extensive series of experiments would be required to generate information about different operating conditions that impact the outputs of the furnaces. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,622,922 to Miyagaki et al., the combustion control method is characterized by varying the amounts of fuel and air in performing trial operations on manipulated variables to evaluate the emitted nitrogen oxides. Such "trial operations" desired would change the focus of operations from meeting dispatch needs to meeting test condition requirements. Where it is desired to minimize NOx emissions, for example, by changing the configuration of the furnace or by modifying the rate of fuel and air inputs, the time and expense required to analyze the changes would be very substantial and prohibitive. Collecting large amounts of data and analyzing it can only be done for specific conditions at one time, and long lead times are required to ensure consistent and steady state test conditions in commercial equipment. Multiple tests are required to obtain good estimates of error in the results. The impact of different furnace operating configurations cannot be tested without first incurring the expense to change the equipment. An accurate and economically efficient estimate of the impact of fuel distribution and furnace configuration change can only be done by using a particular variable/function, disclosed herein as the separation number, which takes into account the distribution of process inputs in the analysis of impacts on downstream or output responses. The equation is found to exhibit a linear relationship with a variety of measured functional responses over a wide range of normal/standard operating conditions, and it is used to analyze historical databases and interpret the impact of operating and design decisions, both past and future, on virtually any downstream functional response.

Method for estimating the impact of fuel distribution and furnace configuration on fossil fuel-fired furnace emissions and corrosion responses


An earth handling apparatus operable in a trailered manner behind an ATV includes a rolling framework containing a tiltable accumulating bowl having a pivotable front door. Winch devices operated by the electrical system of the ATV control the tilting of the framework, the bowl and the front door to enable the bowl to accumulate, transport and controllably discharge earth, sand, gravel, snow or other surface substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns apparatus for handling earth and related substrates such as gravel and snow by way of scraping, leveling and transporting operations, and more particularly relates to earth handling apparatus adapted for use in small or confined areas.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of large scale industrial earth handling machines are widely employed in operations such as highway and airfield construction, land clearing, and various digging, filling and grading procedures. The soil-contacting components of the apparatus are either incorporated into a wheeled vehicle or are trailered behind a towing vehicle. The very large size and considerable cost of such equipment causes ownership and operation to be affordable only by large corporations.
In earth moving operations on small farms, and applications involving bicycle trails, residential landscaping, forest trails, walking paths and golf courses, relatively small, highly maneuverable equipment is necessary, and its cost must be affordable for ownership by private parties or small municipalities.
All terrain vehicles (ATV) are widely employed for recreational and work purposes, and have been used to trailer carts in confined areas requiring high maneuverability. However, manipulative interaction between the ATV and a towed unit has been minimal.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a relatively inexpensive small earth handling apparatus which can be trailered behind an ATV and operated by controls associated with said ATV.
It is another object of this invention to provide in combination a small earth handling apparatus towable by an ATV, and control means installable onto said ATV for manipulating said apparatus.
These objects and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.

Earth handling apparatus operable by an all terrain vehicle (ATV)


A power distribution system for providing power, data and/or signals including a chassis with an open channel formed on one side. At least one line buss is mounted on the inside of at least one sidewall and configured to be connected to a power source for providing AC power. A plurality of power modules are configured to removably mount to the chassis and receive power/data/signals from the chassis. Each module includes a housing with walls. A front wall includes openings with one outlet port accessible through the openings. Electrical circuitry in the housing coverts or transmits power, data or communication signals to the outlet port. One or more line connections protrude out from at least one of the walls and are located so as to come into contact with one of the associated busses in the chassis when the module is attached to the chassis.

One of the problems with power and data distribution in facilities is that the power connections (e.g., outlets, internet connections) are typically restricted to fixed locations. In recent years modular raceways have been introduced that run power and/or data along an extended housing, such as the ceiling in a warehouse or datacenter, with the ability to tap off the raceway at discrete locations as necessary.
Existing raceways are typically limited to supply of AC current at relocatable power taps. One such system is sold under the STARLINE® plug-in raceway sold by Universal Electric Corporation. Thus, while addressing the issue of power distribution, these existing systems do not eliminate the need for AC-DC converters, sometimes referred to as "wall-warts".
A need, therefore, exists for an improved power distribution system that permits AC-DC conversion electronics to be removably mounted into a power raceway.


There is provided a catalyst comprising nickel supported on a pillared (e.g., silica pillared) vacancy titanate material. There is also provided a method for preparing this catalyst. This method may involve impregnating a pillared vacancy titanate material with a nickel nitrate solution. There is further provided a process for oligomerizing ethylene using this catalyst.

There is provided a catalyst comprising nickel supported on a pillared vacancy titanate material There is also provided a method for preparing this catalyst. There is further provided a process for oligomerizing ethylene using this catalyst.
A variety of oligomerization catalysts have been utilized to convert, i.e., oligomerize, ethylene into olefinic products of higher molecular weight, e.g., to dimer, trimer, tetramer or the like. However, the character and relative proportions of the product mixture are greatly dependent upon the particular catalyst employed. One process is that of Bailey et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,581,228, which employs a supported nickel oxide catalyst. This catalyst composition produces a product mixture consisting of dimeric products as well as olefinic products in the higher molecular weight range, e.g., trimer and tetramer products.
The oligomerization of ethylene over a supported nickel oxide catalyst is also described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,527,839, the entire disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.

Oligomerization of ethylene with a supported nickel catalyst


A liquid butter replacement exhibits a pleasant fat-like mouth feel despite a very low or no fat content, good color, good flavor, and a degree of fat-like melt without causing toast or other similar substrate to which the product is applied to become soggy due to moisture release. A flowable fat mimetic is prepared from an aqueous solution comprising a cross-linkable carbohydrate gelling composition (preferably pectin) and at least one gelling agent (preferably a calcium salt) that together form a heat-stable inner gelled phase which is agitated to produce gel particles that provide an organoleptic sensation similar to fat. The weight of the fat mimetic is at least about 75% of the weight of the butter substitute. The flowable fat mimetic is then combined with an second, continuous outer phase containing an unhydrated heat-reversible or heat-thinning, water-soluble gelling agent, and preferably salt and milk or milk solids. The product so formed exhibits good melting properties, little syneresis and maximal flavor impact similar to a full fat margarine, but with little or no fat.

The art of preparing low-calorie butter substitutes and margarine-like spreads has focused on the removal of fat since fat (in both solid and liquid form, i.e., fats and oils) comprises a major amount of the weight of these products--typically about 80 to about 85% by weight.
Dietary fat is high in calories. It is the most concentrated source of energy of all the nutrients, supplying 9 kcal/gram, about double that contributed by either carbohydrate or protein. The amount of fat in the American diet has increased in the last 60 years by about 25% (Mead, J., et al., Lipids, Plenum, New York, 1986, page 459; this and other references cited hereafter are hereby incorporated herein by reference), so that fats now provide approximately 34% (or more, by some estimates) of the daily caloric intake.
Because fats are high in calories and because some fats have been associated with health risks when consumed in large quantities over time, a number of national advisory committees on nutrition have recommended that the total amount of fat in the diet be reduced significantly (Gottenbos, J.J., chapter 8 in Beare-Rogers, J., ed., Dietary Fat Requirements in Health and Development, A.O.C.S. 1988, page 109).
The fat component of butter substitutes has been reduced in a variety of ways--in each case adding something to compensate for the weight and volume of the fat eliminated. This has been achieved with various degrees of success by emulsifying with more water, using gelling or thickening agents to bind added water, adding discrete small particles which give the sensation of fat in the mouth, and using synthetic fats to replace the natural ones.
The use of synthetic fats is often more expensive than is justified commercially. Moreover, fat replacements which are based on wholly non-digestible oily materials, such as sucrose polyesters (see, for example Mattson, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,600,186), have a tendency to pass through the digestive tract intact. Unless something is done to physically bind them to other food components, they are excreted in essentially the form in which they are introduced. The liquid products of this type have been known to be the subjects of frank anal discharge. The preparation of liquid butter substitutes using products of this type has complications beyond mere cost.
Emulsions that use more water and less fat, essentially stretch the fat structure of the water-in-oil emulsions. This technique, by decreasing the amount of fat available to enclose the water, has stability limits. Moreover, the water tends to release from the emulsion when the fat melts, and it tends to undesirably wet starch-based substrates such as bread, muffins, cakes and crackers. When used as a topping on vegetables, the melted phase has poor cling, and water and other ingredients tend to pool under the food to which the topping is applied, thus not providing the desired flavor and appearance for the consumer.
Other patent disclosures suggest using a gelling agent such as gelatin or agar (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,800, to Bodor, et al.) or maltodextrin (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,915, to Cain, et al.) to thicken the water phases in these water-in-oil emulsions and prevent them from flowing until melt occurs in the mouth. However, melting on hot toast or the like will also release the water and make the toast soggy. Also the gelling agents add a paste-like taste to the product. If the amount of gelling agents is increased sufficiently to overcome the melting problem, then the pasty impression of the product is increased.
In the case of oil-in-water emulsions, Bosco and Sledzieski, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,468,408, that a liquid spread could be made having less than 30% fat. They taught the use of a combination of an emulsion stabilizer and an emulsifier system which included both a lipophilic and a hydrophilic emulsifier. The emulsion stabilizer could be a gelling gum, but at a level below the amount needed to gel all of the liquid.
Recently, a number of techniques have been proposed for creating dispersions of gelled or coagulated materials to simulate a fat emulsion or cream. Among these are U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,396, to Singer, et al., wherein the use of spheroidal particles of less than two microns was asserted to have a fatty character. Similarly, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,561, to Campbell, et al, it is disclosed that gelling carbohydrates can be sheared into fine particles during gelling to provide a thermally reversible gel exhibiting a fat-like mouth feel. Campbell, et al., farther indicate that thickeners can be added to the resulting cream in some embodiments, but it is not required as the first phase is thin due to the shearing step. Because the gel is thermally reversible, however, it loses its water on heating, so the emulsions are disclosed as useful for non-dairy creams, dressings, mayonnaises and the like, and not products applied to hot substrates. Moreover, the product must be packed at low temperatures under aseptic processing conditions. In addition, applications of this type of product under conditions where thermal cycling occurs have resulted in an undesirable consistency due to melting and regelling. This problem is also encountered during product distribution and storage if warming occurs.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,324,531, Hoefler, et al., prepare a fat-simulating composition composed of shredded and hydrated carbohydrate gel particles that are elongated and irregularly-shaped and of a certain size, with the longest axial dimension of up to about 250 microns and a mean volume diameter of from about 10 to about 100 microns. The product, currently marketed under the tradename Slendid.RTM., is prepared by mixing a carbohydrate with water to form a gel and then chopping and shearing the gel into particles. In order for the gel particles to stay unchanged on storage, the water activities of the carbohydrate making up the gel paticles and the water phase of the food product in which the particles are a component have to be comparable. Alone, the product has a paste-like consistency and taste with no melting or flow in the mouth, and gels made with the composition will weep water on long-term storage unless special precautions are taken. If prepared at lower concentrations to avoid the paste-like consistency, the product's viscosity is too thin, resulting in a product that looks like slime.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,082,684 to Fung and U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,798 to Fung, et al., disclose fat substitutes formed by adding a gel-forming composition to an aqueous phase to form a non-pourable water phase, which is then added to an oil phase to form a product that is pourable.
Fat mimetics based on carbohydrates and proteins are advantageous because they have less than half the caloric density of typical triglyceride margarine fats and are employed at less than a one-to-one basis (due to water of hydration). Fat is not, however, without benefits unique to itself, and desirable low-fat spreads retain these. Fat contributes--sometimes greatly--to the palatability and flavor of food, since most food flavors are fat-soluble. Fat is also important as a carrier of the fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E, and K. Water-soluble flavors and salt tend to concentrate in the aqueous phase and it is typical to also retain an aqueous phase which provides good release of these components. As the water phase is only 20% in margarine, the high concentration of flavor and salt in that phase provides a pleasing mouth sensation. In lower fat products, the water phase is diluted, and flavor benefit is lost. Whenever an aqueous phase is employed, it is necessary to provide a preservative to protect against microbiological growth and spoilage.
Despite the development of a wide variety of fat substitutes and butter replacements taught by the art and available on the market, there remains a need for a liquid butter replacement which has--in addition to a pleasant fat-like mouth feel despite a very low or no fat content--good color, good flavor impact from both buttery and salty flavors, a high water content without problems of flavor or microbiological stability, and a degree of fat-like melt without causing toast or other similar substrate to to which it is applied to become soggy due to moisture release.

Process for the preparation of a low-calorie, liquid butter substitute


A composite metal foil and a preparation method thereof are provided. The composite metal foil includes a carrier layer, a barrier layer, a striping layer, and a metal foil layer. The carrier layer, the barrier layer, the striping layer, and the metal foil layer are sequentially stacked, the barrier layer includes a metal bonding layer and a high-temperature resistant layer stacked, and the metal bonding layer is disposed between the carrier layer and the high-temperature resistant layer. The striping layer is disposed between the carrier layer and the metal foil layer so as to facilitate peeling of the carrier layer, and the barrier layer is disposed between the carrier layer and the metal foil layer so as to prevent the carrier layer and the metal foil layer from diffusing mutually to cause bonding at a high temperature, so that the carrier layer and the metal foil layer are easy to peel off. In addition, the metal bonding layer is disposed between the carrier layer and the high-temperature resistant layer, so that the barrier layer is not easy to separate from the carrier layer, and peeling between the barrier layer and the carrier layer is prevented.

At present, a substrate is a processing material of a Flexible Printed Circuit board (FPC), which is generally composed of a flexible insulating base film and a composite metal foil. When the substrate is prepared in the conventional art, a side of the composite metal foil (including a carrier layer and a metal foil layer) is firstly press-fitted with the flexible insulating base film to obtain the substrate, the side of the composite metal foil is provided with the metal foil layer, and the carrier layer needs to be peeled off when the substrate is used. However, due to the fact that the composite metal foil and the flexible insulating base film need to be press-fitted at a high temperature, the carrier layer and the metal foil layer are easy to diffuse mutually at the high temperature, so that the carrier layer is bonded with the metal foil layer, and the carrier layer and the metal foil layer are difficult to peel off.

Composite metal foil and preparation method thereof