Metalorganic precursors for deposition of strontium tantalum and strontium niobium oxides by MOCVD techniques have the formula Sr[M(OR1)6-xLx]2 wherein x is form 1 to 6; M is Ta or Nb; R1 is a straight or branched chain alkyl group; and L is an alkoxide group.

The present invention relates to novel precursors for the production of heterometal oxide films by MOCVD, in particular precursors for the growth of strontium tantalum/niobium oxide films.
The ferroelectric metal oxides (strontium bismuth tantalate (SrBi2Ta2O9 or SBT) and strontium bismuth niobate (SrBi2Nb2O9 or SBN) have a net electric dipole in a certain direction which can be reversed by an applied voltage. These ferroelectric materials retain a remnant polarisation (i.e. charge) even after the power has been switched off which gives them a large potential application in computer technology as capacitor layers in non-volatile ferroelectric random access memories (NVFERAM""s). NVFERAM""s can also be switched extremely rapidly (in hundredths of a nanosecond) and are particularly suitable for military and space applications as they are radiation hard.
Thin films of the layered perovskite strontium bismuth tantalate SrBi2Ta2O9 (SBT), comprising ferro-electric pseudo-perovskite lattices sandwiched between bismuth oxide layers, have a large potential application as capacitor layers in non-volatile ferroelectric computer memories. In contrast to capacitors based on other ferroelectric oxides, such as Pb(Zr,Ti)O3, those based on SBT show negligible polarisation fatigue, are fully compatible with conventional Pt-electrode technology, and maintain good electrical properties, even when very thin.
SBT thin films have been deposited by a variety of techniques including solgel, (Y Ito, M Ushikobo, S Yokoyama, H Matsunaga, T Atsuki, T Yonezawa and K Ogi, Int Ferroelectrics, 1997, 14, 23) metalorganic decomposition (T Mihara, H Yoshirnozi, H. Watanabe and C A Pas de Arnujo, Jpn J Appl Phys, 1995, 34, 5233; T Atsuki, N Soyama, T Yonezawaq and K Ogi, Jpn. J. Appl Phys, 1995, 34, 5096), pulsed laser ablation (P X Yang, N S Zhou, L R Zheng, H X Ln and C L Lin, J Phys. D-Appl Phys, 1997, 30, 527) and metalorganic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) (T Ami, K Hironaka, C Isobu, N Nagel, M Sugiyama, Y Ikeda, K Watanabe, A Machida, K Miura, and M Tanaka, Mat Res Soc Symp Proc, 1996, 415, 195; T Li, Y Zhu, S Desu C H Peng and M Nagata, Appl. Phys Lett, 1996, 68, 616). MOCVD has a number of advantages over other deposition techniques as it offers the potential for large area growth, good film uniformity and composition control, and excellent conformal step coverage at device dimension  less than 2 xcexcm. The MOCVD technique is also fully compatible with existing silicon CVD processes.
However for the full potential of MOCVD to be realised, it is essential that precursors with the required physical properties and decomposition characteristics are available. It is important that there is an adequate temperature window between precursor vaporisation and decomposition on the substrate, the precursors need to be compatible and not pre-react, they should decompose to form a pure film of the desired metal oxide at similar substrate temperatures. Ideally, the precursors should also be of low toxicity and be relatively stable under ambient conditions.
The MOCVD of SBT and SBN has thus far been severely restricted by a lack of suitable metalorganic precursors. Conventional precursors include Sr(thd)2(where thd=2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionate), Bi(C6H5)3 and Ta(OPr1)4(thd) which are generally not compatible, having widely differing physical properties and/or decomposition characteristics (M de Keijer and G J M Dormans, MRS Bulletin, 1996, 21, 37). In an effort to alleviate this problem the Sr/Ta heterometal alkoxide [Sr{Ta(OPr)6}2] has been investigated as a precursor to SBT, in combination with Bi(OBu1)3. A potential advantage of this approach is that the strontium and tantalum ratio in the precursor matches the required ratio in the deposited SBT film, however, there exists the possibility that the strontium and tantalum alkoxide species will partition during precursor evaporation and transport. Another disadvantage is that [Sr{Ta(OR)5}2] precursors are relatively unsaturated making them susceptible to attack by moisture and reducing their shelf life in solution-based liquid injection MOCVD.
EP-A-0 807 965 (Matsushita Electronics Corporation) Nov. 19, 1997 describes a method of forming a Bi-layered ferroelectric thin film on a substrate, using a mixed composition of a Bi-containing organic compound and a metal polyalkoxide compound.
It is an aim of the present invention to provide new metalorganic precursors for the MOCVD of SBT and SHN which may overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a metalorganic precursor of the formula:
Sr[M(OR1)6-xLx]z
wherein x is from 1 to 6;
M is Ta or Nb; R1 is a straight or branched chain alkyl group; and
L is an alkoxide group of the formula:
wherein n=0 or 1; X is N or O; R2 and R3 are the same or different and are straight or branched chain alkyl groups, and R4 is a straight or branched alkyl chain, optionally substituted with an amino, alkylamino or alkoxy group.
According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a method of depositing thin films of or containing strontium metal oxides using metalorganic precursor in a MOCVD technique, wherein the strontium metal oxide precursor has the formula:
Sr[M(OR1)6-xLx]z
wherein x is from 1 to 6; M is Ta or Nb;
R1 is a straight or branched chain alkyl group; and L is an alkoxide group of the formula:
wherein n=0 or 1; X is N or O; R2 and R3 are the same or different and are straight or branched chain alkyl groups and R4 is a straight or branched alkyl chain, optionally substituted with an amino, alkylamino or alkoxy group.
Preferably, x is 1 or 2.
The deposition, technique may comprise conventional MOCVD or, more preferably, liquid injection MOCVD. The solvent for deposition of the films by liquid injection MOCVD is preferably tetrahydrofuran.
The alkoxy group OR1 is preferably an ethoxy group but compounds of the invention where OR1 is, for example, an iso-propoxy or tertiarybutoxy group may also be useful. Preferred precursors of the invention have the formula:
Sr[M(OR1)5L]2 or Sr[M(OR1)4L2]2
wherein M, R1 and L are as defined above.
Preferably L is a dimethyl aminoalkoxide group, particularly dimethyl aminoethoxide (OCH2CH2NMe2 or DMAE), dimethyl aminopropoxide (OCH(CH3)CH2NMe2 or DMAP) or bis-dimethyl aminopropoxide (OCH(CH2NMe2)CH2 NMe2 or bis-DMAP). Alternatively, L may be an alkoxy alkoxide group, particularly xe2x80x94CH2CH2OMe, xe2x80x94OCH(CH3)CH2OMe or xe2x80x94OCH(OMe)CH2OMe.
The above-mentioned precursors may also be used in combination with a variety of bismuth (Bi) sources to deposit strontium bismuth tantalum and strontium bismuth niobium metal oxides.
Suitable precursors for the source of bismuth include triphenyl bismuth (Bi(C6H5)3, Bi(thd)3, Bi(OCH2CH2NMe2)3 and Bi(OCMe2CH2OMe)3.
The Bi(OCMe2CH2OMe)3 precursor is particularly suitable as a co-precursor, being one of the most stable and volatile Bi alkoxide sources available.
The Bi precursors may be evaporated separately or may be combined with the Sr[M(OR1)6-xLx]2 is a single solution. In the latter case, the bismuth precursor may have the general formula BiL3, wherein L is a dialkyl aminoalkoxide or alkoxy alkoxide group as hereinbefore described in relation, to the strontium metal oxide precursor. Preferably, the dialkyl aminoalkoxide or alkoxy alkoxide group of the bismuth precursor is the same as that of the strontium metal oxide precursor. The single solution may be in an organic solvent such as ether or cyclic ether (eg. THF) or a hydrocarbon, such as hexane or heptane.
The precursors of the present invention may be used in a method for depositing a strontium metal oxide ferroelectric film onto a substrate by MOCVD. A suitable substrate is, for example, Si(100). The ferroelectric films may be used, in particular, for the production of non-volatile ferroelectric random access memories.
The use of MOCVD precursor solutions containing mixtures of metal, alkoxides with nitrogen or oxygen donor functionalised ligands such as OCH2CH2NMe2 or OCH2CH2OMe can be readily extended to other oxide and mixed oxide systems. It has recently been shown that the dielectric constant of bulk Ta2O5 can be significantly increased by the addition of a small percentage of TiO2. This offers the potential for improved performance Ta2O5xe2x80x94based DRAM""s (dynamic random access memory). The precursor solutions described herein are likely to be appropriate for use in the MOCVD of the mixed Ta2O3/TiO2. A suitable precursor combination is Ta(OR)4DMAE and Ti(OR)2(L)2 where R is preferably Et or alternatively may be Pri, Prn, Bur, Bun etc., and L is DMAE, DMAP or bis-DMAP etc.
This invention will be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompaying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 illustrates the molecular structure of the novel precursor,
Sr[Ta(OEt)5(bis-DMAP)]2;
FIG. 2 is a plot of growth grates against substrate temperature achieved by MOCVD using two strontium tantalum precursors of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a plot of growth rates against injection rate achieved by MOCVD using two strontium tantalum precursors of the present invention; and
FIG. 4 is a plot of growth rates against oxygen flow achieved by MOCVD using two strontium tantalum precursors of the present invention.

Precursors for growth of heterometal-oxide films by MOCVD


An exhaust processor assembly includes an exhaust pipe and a substrate for treating emissions contained in combustion product emitted from an engine exhaust. The assembly also includes a second pipe for providing a passageway receiving combustion product and the substrate means is positioned in the passageway to treat emissions passed therethrough. The assembly further includes an apparatus for positioning the second pipe in the interior region of the exhaust pipe so that thermal transfer between the substrate and the second pipe is minimized in order to maximize retention of thermal energy by the substrate resulting from the combustion product traveling through the passageway.

The present invention relates to exhaust processors for treating emissions from combustion product produced by an engine, and particularly to an apparatus for rapidly heating a catalytic converter or other exhaust processor to its minimum operating temperature at the beginning of a cold start cycle of an engine. More particularly, this invention relates to an exhaust processor including a catalyzed substrate and a substrate housing configured to use hot combustion product to heat the catalyzed substrate quickly.
For environmental reasons, engine exhaust must be cleaned on board a vehicle before it is expelled into the atmosphere. This processing is accomplished by passing the untreated combustion product produced by the engine through an exhaust processor to minimize unwanted emissions.
Catalytic converters are well-known exhaust processors and are used to purify contaminants from hot combustion product discharged from an engine exhaust manifold. Within a catalyzed exhaust processor, the combustion product is treated by a catalyzed ceramic or metal substrate which converts the exhaust gases discharged from the engine primarily into carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and water vapor. The catalytic converter treats engine combustion product to produce an exhaust stream meeting stringent state and federal environmental regulations and emissions standards. After processing, the treated combustion product is then routed to a muffler to attenuate the noise associated with the combustion. It is also known to provide exhaust processors that include substrates that function as particulate traps to filter contaminant particulates without using a catalyst.
Exhaust processors are known in the prior art. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,264 to Dryer et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,159,239 to Andrews; U.S. Pat. No. 4,087,039 to Balluff; U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,120 to Nonnenmann et al.; and European patent No. 0 243 951 to Kanniainen.
Typically, hot combustion product is conducted through a pipe mounted under the body of a vehicle between an engine and a remote exhaust processor. The temperature of the combustion product decreases somewhat during this journey. At the beginning of a cold start cycle of an engine, the exhaust processor is "cold" and typically has a temperature that is about equal to the temperature of the surroundings. Over time, the combustion product produced by a cold-started engine, being at an elevated temperature, heats the substrate and housing in the exhaust processor to a high temperature. This heating is desirable if the substrate is catalyzed because a catalyzed substrate works to purify contaminants from engine combustion product most efficiently at high temperatures.
A catalyzed substrate purifies contaminants from engine combustion product most efficiently at high temperatures. However, a catalyzed substrate does not actively and efficiently treat combustion product until it is heated to a minimum operating temperature during the initial moments of an engine cold start cycle. A catalytic converter is said to "light off" when it is heated to its minimum operating temperature and begins to purify combustion product in an effective manner.
A substantial reduction in tail pipe emissions measured using the Federal Test Procedure can be realized by minimizing the elapsed time between engine ignition and catalytic converter light off during an engine cold start cycle. The majority of total emissions occurs during the cold start portion of the Federal Test Procedure before the catalytic converter has been heated to reach its minimum operating temperature. Accordingly, vehicle emissions can be reduced by achieving faster light off of the catalytic converter at the beginning of an engine cold start cycle.
With respect to the above-noted problem, U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,993 to Ito et al discloses a rear exhaust manifold having thick walls and a front exhaust manifold made of a thin stainless steel plate so that the front exhaust manifold has walls thinner than the walls of the rear exhaust manifold. It is also known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,66 to Cyb to apply a thin layer of heat-resistant compound to the interior of an exhaust manifold and from U.S. Pat. No. 5,004,018 to Bainbridge to provide an insulated exhaust pipe including inner and outer spaced tubes separated by refractory fiber insulation. Systems using electrically heated catalytic converters and catalytic converters containing increased amounts of precious metals are also known.
There is a need to improve vehicle emission controls to meet increasingly stringent emission standards. An exhaust system configured to provide quicker light off of the catalytic converter using heat energy contained in the hot combustion product produced by an engine would be an improvement over conventional exhaust systems.
Conventional exhaust processors typically use either heavy gauge metal clamshells welded together or a heavy gauge metal can with heavy gauge metal cones welded to each end to provide housings supporting catalyzed substrates. Because of the heavy gauge metal structure, conventional substrate housings and support structures have a high "thermal capacitance". That is, the heat energy storage capability of these conventional housings and structures per unit length is quite large and they act as large heat sinks during the initial moments of an engine cold start cycle.
As a result of the high thermal capacitance of the conventional substrate housings and support structures, a large portion of the heat energy from the combustion product is consumed in heating the heavy gage substrate housings and support structures. By allowing heat energy from the combustion product to be diverted to the substrate housing and support structure, less heat energy is available to heat the substrate to its minimum operating temperature. Consequently, it takes longer to heat the catalyzed substrate to its minimum operating temperature at the beginning of a cold start cycle of an engine.
It would therefore be desirable to reduce the amount of heat energy used to heat a substrate housing and support structure during the initial moments of an engine cold start cycle to raise the temperature of the substrate to reach its minimum operating temperature in less time. Tail pipe emissions would be reduced if the substrate in an improved exhaust processor reached its minimum operating temperature at an earlier point during an engine cold start cycle.
Conventional exhaust processors are known to radiate large amounts of heat to the area surrounding the exhaust processor. Various shielding designs are typically used to protect objects in the surrounding area from the heat generated by the exhaust processor. Generally, conventional exhaust processor shields include flanges at a clamshell split line to permit the shields to be attached to each other and surround the exhaust processor. However, the flanges cause a processor location problem because it is necessary to provide a larger clearance envelope around the processor to accommodate large flanges. Therefore shielding or insulating the processor without significantly increasing the size of the processor would be an improvement over conventional exhaust processors.
According to the present invention, an exhaust processor assembly comprises an outer shell formed to include an interior region and an inner shell extending into the interior region. The exhaust processor assembly includes substrate means for treating emissions contained in combustion product emitted from an engine. The inner shell includes means for positioning the substrate means inside the interior region of the outer shell so that the substrate means is positioned in spaced-apart relation to the outer shell to minimize thermal transfer between the substrate means and the outer shell.
In preferred embodiments, the positioning means includes a thin-walled sleeve and the substrate means is retained in this thin-walled sleeve to lie in spaced-apart relation to the outer shell. The thin-walled sleeve desirably has a low thermal capacitance of less than 12,200 ##EQU1## so it does not act as a significant heat sink to divert heat energy in the combustion product away from the substrate means at the beginning of an engine cold start cycle. Also, the thin-walled sleeve positions the substrate means in spaced-relation to the outer shell to minimize diversion of heat energy in the combustion product to the more massive outer shell. Advantageously, the outer shell is configured to protect and support the thin-walled sleeve and substrate means without absorbing a lot of heat from combustion product at engine start up.
By providing an outer shell for structural strength, the present invention allows the use of a thin-walled inner shell. This low thermal capacitance thin-walled inner shell provides an improvement over conventional exhaust processors in that it causes the substrate in the exhaust processor to be heated to its minimum operating temperature and light off more rapidly at the beginning of a cold start cycle of the engine. Consequently, the substrate is active to lower total vehicle emissions without resorting to complex exhaust control mechanisms, costly exhaust system materials, or electrically preheated substrates. Essentially, the low thermal capacitance thin-walled inner shell conserves the heat energy already available in the hot combustion product discharged by the engine and uses that heat energy to effectively light off the substrate very early in the cold start cycle of an engine and reduce total emissions and resulting pollution.
The present invention represents another improvement over conventional processors by providing an insulated exhaust processor. The present invention positions an insulating air gap between the inner and outer housing which obviates the need for shielding, thereby allowing a smaller clearance envelope while actually reducing the amount of heat given off by the exhaust processor.
Additional objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.

Low thermal capacitance exhaust processor


An image forming apparatus includes an image reading unit, an extraction section, a character recognition section, a search section, an attachment section, and file storage. The image reading unit generates first image information. The extraction section extracts a specific area from the image base on the first image information. The character recognition section generates text information corresponding to information of a character string image included in the specific area. The search section searches for a webpage containing information relating to a meaning of a text indicated by the text information. The attachment section attaches link information of the webpage to the information of the character string image to generate second image information. The file storage section stores the second image information as a file therein. The specific area is an area with a specific mark applied thereto.

The present disclosure relates to an electronic device.
A search system includes a mobile terminal and a server device. When a search key of the mobile terminal is pressed, the mobile terminal transmits displayed text information to the server device. The server device includes a data base. Upon receiving the text information from the mobile terminal, the server device detects a character string included in the data base from text indicated by the text information. The server device then performs an embedding process (linking) of embedding, in the detected character string, URL information of information related to the character string. The text information subjected to the embedding process is transmitted to the mobile terminal. A webpage of the information related to the character string can be displayed through a user selecting the character string subjected to the embedding process.


An image reading apparatus which is capable of performing a stable reading operation and matching a sub-scanning magnification with which an original image is scanned, between the front side of an original and the reverse side of the same. A CCD line sensor reads the front side of an original, and a CIS line sensor reads the reverse side of the same. A lead roller is disposed upstream of the CCD line sensor and conveys the original at a first conveying speed. A discharge roller is disposed downstream of the CCD line sensor and conveys the original at a second conveying speed which is higher than the first conveying speed. A CPU controls one main scanning time period of the CCD line sensor after the original is held by the discharge roller, such that the one main scanning time period becomes shorter than before the original is held by the discharge roller.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus for a digital copying machine, a facsimile machine, a scanner, or the like, which has a simultaneous double-sided reading mechanism for simultaneously reading both sides of a conveyed original during one-time conveyance, and more particularly to an image reading apparatus having a reading magnification adjusting function.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, as an image reading apparatus for use in a copying machine or the like, there has been known one which performs so-called "moving original reading" in which originals are conveyed one by one onto an original platen glass by an automatic document feeder, and an original image on each of the originals is read by exposing the original to light by an exposure device fixedly disposed on the conveying path. Further, there has been known another image reading apparatus which is provided with two image readers for enhancement of productivity, and performs "simultaneous double-sided reading" for simultaneously reading both sides of an original during one-time conveyance of the original (see e.g. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2004-187144).
In such an image reading apparatus which is capable of performing reading by the "moving original reading" method, a change in original conveying speed causes an error in original reading magnification. For this reason, it is required to causes an original to be always conveyed through an original reader of the image reading apparatus at a fixed speed.
For example, in a conventional general image reading apparatus, a moving original reading glass included in a reading optical system is disposed in a manner extending along a plane on which an original passes, and a conveying path is formed such that originals pass on the surface of the moving original reading glass.
Further, a plurality of rollers for conveying originals are arranged on the conveying path. More specifically, on an original entering side (conveying upstream side) of the conveying path upstream of the moving original reading glass, there are disposed rollers for stably conveying an original onto the moving original reading glass, and on an original discharging side (conveying downstream side) of the conveying path, there is disposed a discharge roller for discharging an original having been read, by friction between the original and the roller itself.
Now, a description will be given of the influence of a difference between a conveying speed of a lead roller 108 and a lead driven roller 109 of an image reading apparatus, described hereinafter with reference to FIG. 1, and a conveying speed of a lead delivery roller 111 and a lead delivery driven roller 112.
Assuming that the two speeds are set equal to each other such that there is no difference in conveying speed, if a difference in speed occurs e.g. due to a difference in finishing accuracy or wear, an error can occur in original reading magnification. Further, an original can be slackened and float from an original reading position, i.e. a position of a moving original reading glass 116 or 130, which adversely affects resolution or the like (i.e. which causes so-called "out-of-focus").
To solve this problem, a technique described below has been disclosed e.g. in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. H11-289420.
According to the technique, a conveying speed difference is provided between a conveying roller disposed upstream of an original reader in an original conveying direction and a conveying roller disposed downstream of the original reader. More specifically, the conveying speed of the downstream conveying roller is set to be higher than that of the upstream conveying roller. In a mechanism configured as above, the original is constantly pulled in the conveying direction at the original reader, which prevents the original from being slackened, thereby making it possible to achieve a stable and accurate reading operation.
According to the technique disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. H11-289420, however, when an image reading apparatus is equipped with two image readers e.g. for the aforementioned "simultaneous double-sided reading", the following trouble occurs:
Between the moving original reading glass 116 (see FIG. 1) for reading the front side (first side) of an original and the moving original reading glass 130 (see FIG. 1) for reading the reverse side (second side) of the original, there are differences in respect of timing in which the original is caught by the associated roller and timing in which the trailing edge of the original passes to leave the associated roller.
Therefore, when the conveying speed of the downstream conveying roller is set to be higher than that of the upstream conveying roller so as to achieve a stable reading operation, the sub-scanning magnification with which an original is scanned differs between the front side of the original and the rear side of the same.
Specifically, when the conveying speed of the downstream conveying roller is set to be higher than that of the upstream conveying roller as described above, a sub-scanning magnification with which a reverse-side image is scanned becomes smaller than a sub-scanning magnification with which a front-side image is scanned.


A metal-insulator-metal capacitor is embedded in an interconnect layer of an integrated circuit (IC). The interconnect layer has a cavity, and the capacitor is formed in the cavity with one of the plates of the capacitor integral with a conductive layer of the interconnect layer, so the capacitor plate electrically communicates with the interconnect layer. The interconnect layer has multiple conductive layers, including a layer, such as aluminum, that is subject to deformation at certain temperatures during fabrication of the IC, and the cavity extends through this layer. A remaining conductive layer of the interconnect layer defines one of the capacitor plates, and a dielectric layer and another capacitor plate are formed thereon within the cavity. Via interconnects of about the same length electrically connect to the top plate and through the interconnect layer to the bottom plate.

The ongoing advances in the field of fabricating miniaturized electronic integrated circuits (ICs) has involved the fabrication of multiple layers of interconnects. Interconnects refer to the layer of separate electrical conductors which are formed on top of the substrate and which connect various functional components of the substrate and other electrical connections to the IC. Electrical connections between the interconnect layers and the functional components on the substrate are achieved by "via interconnects," which are post-like or plug-like vertical connections between the conductors of the interconnect layers and the substrate. Presently manufactured ICs often have five or more interconnect layers formed on top of the substrate.
Only a relatively short time ago, it was impossible or very difficult to construct an IC with more than one or two layers of interconnects. The topology variations created by forming multiple layers on top of one another resulted in such significant depth of focus problems with lithographic processes that any further additions of layers were nearly impossible to achieve. However, recent advances in semiconductor fabrication planarization techniques, such as chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), have been successful in smoothing relatively significant variations in the height or topography of each interconnect layer. As a result of the smoothing, or planarization, conventional lithographic processes are repetitively employed without significant limitation to form considerably more layers of interconnects than had previously been possible.
The multiple interconnect layers consume volume within the IC, although they do not necessarily consume additional substrate surface area. Nevertheless, because surface area and volume are critical considerations in ICs, attention has been focused upon the effective use of the space between the interconnect layers. Normally the space between the interconnect layers is occupied by an insulating material, known as an interlayer dielectric (ILD) or intermetal dielectric (IMD), to insulate the electrical signals conducted by the various conductors of the interconnect layers from each other and from the functional components in the underlying substrate.
One effective use for the space between the interconnect layers is to incorporate capacitors between the interconnect layers in the IMD insulating material separating the interconnect layers. These capacitors form part of the functional components of the IC. Previously, capacitors were constructed in the first layers of IC fabrication immediately above the substrate alongside other structures, such as transistors, so the capacitors were formed of generally the same material used to construct the other functional components, such as polysilicon. Capacitors formed of these materials are generally known as poly-plate capacitors. The aforementioned inventions described in the referenced U.S. patent applications focus on different techniques for combining capacitors with the conductors of the interconnect layers to achieve desirable functional effects within the IC.
Because the conductors of the interconnect layers are metal in construction, the capacitors formed between the interconnect layers are preferably of a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) construction to take advantage of processing steps and performance enhancements. A MIM capacitor has metal plates, usually formed on the metal conductors of the interconnect layers. Because metal fabrication is required for the conductors of the interconnect layers, the simultaneous or near-simultaneous formation of the metal capacitor plates is readily accomplished without significant additional process steps and manufacturing costs. The fifth above identified invention describes a technique for the simultaneous formation of one of the metal capacitor plates integrated with the conductors of the interconnect layers. Thus, at least part of the capacitor is readily fabricated without significant additional process steps and manufacturing costs.
Forming other parts of the capacitor between the interconnects does, however, require additional process steps. The additional process steps involve forming the components of the capacitor in the IMD insulating material and connecting the capacitor components to the conductors of the interconnect layers. In comparison, if the capacitor was not formed in the interlayer insulating material, the entire IMD layer could be conventionally formed. Furthermore, for this method, the via interconnects between the interconnect layers would all have approximately the same depth or height dimension, thereby facilitating the construction of the via interconnects through the IMD insulating material and the formation of the interconnects within the vias. With the presence of the capacitor in the IMD layer, however, the via interconnects do not all have the same depth because the top of the capacitor is higher than the top of the interconnect layer, upon which the capacitor sits. For this case, the selectivity of the IMD material has to be sufficiently high relative to the top electrode material, or the top electrode has to be sufficiently thick, to prevent the via etch process from etching through the top electrode and shorting out the capacitor. In addition, the orientation of the capacitor between the interconnects increases the thickness of the IMD insulating material between the interconnect layers and presents a bulge in the IMD insulating material deposited on top of the capacitor, thereby requiring additional effort, time and/or processing steps in performing the planarization steps to achieve a sufficiently planar surface for the formation of the next vertically-spaced interconnect layer. The increased thickness of the IMD insulating material also consumes additional insulating material, prolongs the fabrication process and increases the variation in IMD thickness, resulting in degraded performance of the IC and/or an increase in defectivity of the ICs thus manufactured. Furthermore, an increased thickness of the IMD increases the overall volume of the IC. In addition to the greater complexity in IC fabrication processing, further design rules must be added to equalize the pattern density of the interconnect layer to prevent formation of topography that cannot be planarized in a conventional CMP process.
It is with respect to these and other background considerations that the present invention has evolved.

Method of forming a metal-insulator-metal capacitor in an interconnect cavity


In a system which permits different components of a document to be linked, a unique token is associated with a change to data in the source of a link. The token is passed with a command to update linked data. Each destination object keeps track of the token associated with the last change made to its linked data. When a new command to update linked data arrives at the destination object, the token for that update is compared with the token for the previous update. If the tokens are the same, an alert is presented to the user to indicate that either the change has been propagated around a cycle, or more than one update path exists between the source object and the destination object. In response, the user can elect to prevent the change from being carried out in the destination object, in which case the cycle is broken. Alternatively, the user can elect to let the update continue, for example in those situations in which multiple update paths are desirable.

Many different types of document processing systems permit users to establish data links between different documents, or different components of the same document. A link is a dynamic relationship between an original item of data and a copy of that item. Unlike a static copy of the item, the linked copy is updated whenever the original data changes. For example, a user may create a spreadsheet of data, and link all or a portion of the spreadsheet data to a bar chart which illustrates the relationships of the linked data. In this situation, the spreadsheet is labelled as the source for the linked data, and the chart is identified as the destination for the linked data. Within the spreadsheet, the data is displayed as values in cells, whereas in the chart the data appears as bars of different lengths. Whenever the data in the spreadsheet is subsequently updated, the chart to which it is linked can also be updated automatically, without requiring any intervention on the user's part. Thus, as the numerical values in the cells of the spreadsheet are incremented or decremented, the bars on the chart automatically grow or shrink accordingly.
The number of links that can be made within a document or series of documents is potentially unbounded. For example, in addition to being linked to the bar chart, the same data from the spreadsheet can also be linked to a text document created with a word processing program. A portion of the text document that contains the linked data may itself be linked to another document, e.g. a desktop publishing document or a slide presentation. Whenever the original data in the spreadsheet is updated, the update is passed along to each of the other documents to which it is linked.
This capability to create a potentially unlimited number of links can sometimes lead to unintended results. One such situation is the creation of cyclic links. In this situation, data is linked from a source component of a document to a destination component. Through the creation of other links, the destination component is linked back to the source component, either directly or indirectly. In a system in which updates are carried out automatically, when a change occurs in the source component, it is passed along to the destination component, and then back to the source component through the other links. At the source component, the change is acknowledged, and passed on to the destination component for the second time. It can be seen that, in this situation, the change can be continually passed between the source and destination components in an unending cycle. This is likely not what was intended by the user. It can cause the link structure to update indefinitely or, due to practical limitations on memory or file size, abort due to resource exhaustion.
A similar situation exists for the case of recursive links. In this case, the destination of a link is embedded within the source of the link. When the linked data is changed, the change is passed on to the destination. Whenever a change occurs in the destination, it provides a notification to the component in which it is embedded, in this case the link source. Consequently, a link update is passed from the destination to the source, which again propagates the update along the link. As in the case of the cyclic link structure, the updating process can go on indefinitely.
It is quite possible that the user is unaware that a recursive or cyclic link arrangement has been created, particularly if the various links are created at different times or by different people. It is desirable, therefore, to provide a mechanism by which a user can be alerted to the fact that a potential error-causing link structure has been set up, and thereby take corrective action.

System for automatically detecting cyclical and recursive links between document components


A BiCMOS track and hold amplifier provides improved features of pedestal cancellation and feedthrough reduction. A further aspect of the present invention for multi-purpose functional (operational) capabilities, such as an operational amplifier, a track and hold configuration, an emitter follower, or a cable driver type configuration, based upon common architecture.

The present invention relates to BiCMOS and bipolar track and hold amplifiers.
The ability to track and then sample an analog waveform is often an essential function in the signal acquisition interfaces for digital video systems and high speed instrumentation. In such interfaces, analog signals must often be samples and stored accurately prior to quantization by either sequential or parallel means. In sequential A/D converters, the quantization is accomplished in two or more clock cycles using a pipelined architecture. Thus, the analog input must be sampled and then held for several clock cycles to within the accuracy specified for the overall system. In fully parallel converters, the use of a track and hold amplifier significantly reduces the aperture and sampling uncertainties of the conversion, while at the same time easing the performance demands on the subsequent quantizer.
Track and hold amplifiers are also used to provide deglitching following digital-to-analog conversion. In video D/A converters, significant glitch energy may appear at the analog output, usually as a result of mismatch in the turn-on and turn-off of switches at major bit transitions. In applications such as CRT display drivers and signal generation in automatic test systems, it is often essential that D/A converter output transitions be monotonic and as smooth as possible.
High-performance track and hold circuits have traditionally been implemented in hybrid technologies that provide components such as open transmission lines for nearly 100% sampling efficiency, step recovery diodes for fast switching transitions, and low parasitic Schottky-diode bridges for use as sampling switches.
Hybrid implementations, however, are quite costly and complex with respect to monolithic implementations. It would be very desirable, therefore, to provide an improved BiCMOS track and hold amplifier which can be incorporated into a monolithic implementation.

Vanguard Semiconductor, a division of CA Micro Devices


A lighting device is provided with a structure body which has an inner surface including a region with a negative Fresnel lens shape and a high refractive index material layer which is closely in contact with the inner surface. The high refractive index material layer has a Fresnel lens shape in a region closely in contact with the inner surface, and a plane light-emitting body is provided over the structure body with the high refractive index material layer interposed therebetween. The high refractive index material layer is provided so as to fill at least the negative Fresnel lens shape of the structure body and thus has a surface including the region with the Fresnel lens shape at the interface with the structure body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lighting device. In particular, the present invention relates to a lighting device having a plane light-emitting body as a light source.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, lighting devices provided with light sources utilizing organic electroluminescence (hereinafter also referred to as "organic EL" have been actively developed. The light sources are plane light-emitting bodies and have low directivity of emitted light. In general, the refractive index of a light-emitting region in the light source is higher than that of the air. Thus, total reflection of part of light emitted from the light source occurs at the interface with the air. As a result, the proportion of light emitted to the outside (in the air) of light emitted from the light source (hereinafter also referred to as light extraction efficiency) might be decreased, which is a problem.
A structure is disclosed in which a structure body is provided over a surface of a light source in order to solve such a problem. For example, Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a structure in which a high refractive index glass substrate and a high refractive index lens are used in combination and a structure in which a concave-convex structure is provided at the interface between a high refractive index glass substrate and the air. With the structure, light extraction efficiency can be improved.

SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.


A touch screen panel includes: a wave guide; a first transmitter at a first end of the wave guide to output an ultrasonic or light wave into the wave guide; a second transmitter at a second end of the wave guide to output the ultrasonic or light wave into the wave guide; a first receiver at the first end to receive the ultrasonic or light wave from the second transmitter and generate a first receipt signal; a second receiver at the second end to receive the ultrasonic or light wave and generate a second receipt signal; and a controller connected to the first receiver and the second receiver to detect a touch position on the wave guide using a time difference between a time point at which the first receipt signal is varied and a time point at which the second receipt signal is varied.

(a) Field
Exemplary embodiments of the invention relate to a touch screen panel and a touch position detecting method using the touch screen panel, and more particularly, to a touch screen panel including a wave guide and a touch position detecting method using the touch screen panel.
(b) Description of the Related Art
A touch screen panel is an input device for inputting a user's command by recognizing a position a touch thereon by the user. The touch screen panel is typically provided on a front side of a display device to identify a position which is touched by a hand or an object to determine an input signal. The touch screen panel may be implemented in various types, e.g., a resistive type, a capacitive type, an infrared type or an ultrasonic type, for example.
The resistive touch screen panel typically includes upper and lower electrodes formed of a conductive film spaced at a distance from each other using a spacer, and allows the spaced electrodes to contact each other by a touch of a user to sense a position that is touched by the user by measuring resistance caused by the contact.
The capacitive touch screen panel may sense a change of electrostatic capacity formed between an electrode and a conductive object such as a finger of a user.
In general, the resistive touch screen panel and the capacitive touch screen panel are widely used.
However, recently, the size of a display device has become very large, and it may be difficult to apply a resistive touch screen panel and a capacitive touch screen panel to the very large-sized display device. Further, the resistive touch sensor panel and the capacitive touch sensor panel includes fine electrode patterns, and difficulty in process and possibility of defect occurrence may be increased when the fine electrode patterns are formed on a large area.
In the meantime, an infrared touch sensor panel using an infrared sensor and an ultrasonic wave touch sensor panel using an ultrasonic wave sensor may not detect multi-touches. To detect multi-touches, an increased number of sensors may be used, and the manufacturing cost of touch screen panels may be thereby increased.

Touch screen panel and detecting method of touch position using the same


According to a first embodiment of the invention, if an e-mail sender attempts to make too many connections within a predetermined period of time, the excess connections are automatically rejected. According to a second embodiment of the invention, an agreement is established between an e-mail sender and an e-mail recipient that states when the sender may send e-mail messages to the recipient. According to a third embodiment of the invention, trend data reflecting an amount of e-mail sent by a sender is collected. The trend data can be used to establish a rate limit for the sender. According to a fourth embodiment of the invention, separate rate limits are established for authenticated and unauthenticated mail from addresses. According to a fifth embodiment of the invention, a sender may have a rate at which their e-mail is transmitted reduced if they exceed predetermined rate limits.

"Bulk e-mail" refers to large numbers of e-mail messages sent by a single sender to a large number of recipients. Bulk e-mail may either be e-mails that are requested by the recipient, such as a message from an e-commerce website listing their weekly specials, or can be unsolicited bulk e-mail (UBE), more commonly known as "Spam." UBE and requested bulk e-mail can overwhelm a recipient e-mail system due to the resulting high volume of traffic. Additionally, UBE may include messages that contain computer viruses, scams, or other unwanted and undesirable content.
UBE can typically be removed before it reaches an individual recipient's inbox using content filters, more commonly known as Spam filters. Content filters scan the text of an incoming e-mail message to determine whether it includes offending content which may be indicative of UBE. However, scanning each incoming message for specific content is very resource intensive. While content filtering can reduce the amount of traffic behind the frontline, or the first servers to receive an incoming transmission, the frontline server must expend vast system resources to scan all incoming messages for offending content. Another disadvantage of content filtering is that it is possible that content filters may inadvertently reject messages that an e-mail recipient wishes to receive. Messages that are unintentionally removed with a content filter are known as "false positives", which are obviously undesirable since an e-mail recipient may not receive an important message based on its' content.
Other schemes for preventing the delivery of UBE exist. For example, realtime black lists (RBL) can cause an e-mail recipient server to perform a domain name system (DNS) lookup to a DNS server that contains a list of UBE senders. The recipient system can then compare an address of the sender with addresses on the RBL. RBLs still require an extra lookup step, which consumes the recipient's resources, and can reduce server responsiveness.
Bulk e-mail of any type can overwhelm a recipient system because of the large number of e-mails that are received at one time. For example, an airline sending out its list of monthly specials may send those e-mails all at once. If a recipient e-mail system has a number of subscribers to this monthly message, the system may become overwhelmed when the e-mails arrive. The receiving system may be overwhelmed not only because of the incoming bulk e-mails, but also because of otherwise normal activity. For example, the highest periods of activity on e-mail systems tends to occur during the day. If a bulk e-mailer were to send a number of messages to a corporate e-mail server at 3:00 p.m., during business hours, the e-mail system may be concurrently handling voluminous amounts of other e-mail traffic. The addition of the bulk e-mails at that time may overwhelm the system, requiring the e-mail server to be upgraded at considerable expense.
Another way to limit the amount of incoming traffic is to limit the rate of messages incoming from specific known bulk senders. For example, each bulk sender has an Internet Protocol (IP) address that identifies the server from which the e-mail is being sent. An e-mail recipient server can have a preset rate limit for each sender based on their IP address. The limit may be expressed in terms of the amount of data per second, the number of messages per second, etc. These rate-limiting techniques may also form part of a larger "abuse" rating. An abuse rating measures the amount of abuse inflicted upon the recipient server by a certain IP address. The abuse rating may also include several other factors, such as the type of message, the typical size of the messages, or the number of messages.
The abuse rating may effectively limit the amount of bulk e-mail received by a recipient e-mail server. However, for various reasons, the recipient e-mail server operator may want to receive certain messages being sent by certain senders. However, these messages might still overwhelm the system if they are sent during peak times. What is needed is a method for limiting bulk e-mails at certain times in order to even out the e-mail traffic on a specific e-mail server.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An isolated DNA of a Lactococcus lactisshowing a SEQ ID NO:1 encoding a restriction and two modification enzymes (R/M SEQ ID NO: 2, 3 and 4). The isolated DNA is used to transform sensitive dairy cultures, such as Lactococcus lactis and Streptococcus thermophilus, to provide phage resistance. Escherichia coli can be used to produce endonucleases.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to transformed dairy cultures with a natural 7.8-kb plasmid pSRQ700 which was isolated from Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris DCH-4, a known strain. pSRQ700 encodes a restriction/modification system named LlaII. When introduced into a phage-sensitive dairy culture, such as L. lactis, pSRQ700 confers strong phage resistance against the three most common lactococcal phage species: 936, c2 and P335 found in dairy product fermentations. The LlaII endonuclease was purified and found to cleave the palindromic sequence 5'/GATC-3'. The low copy plasmid pSRQ700 was mapped and the genetic organization of LlaII localized. Cloning and sequencing of the entire LlaII system allowed the identification of three open reading frames. The three genes (LlaIIA, LlaIIB, and LlaIIC) overlapped and are under one promoter. A terminator was found at the end of LlaIIC. The genes LlaIIA and LlaIIB coded for m.sup.6 A-methyltransferases and LlaIIC for an endonuclease. The native LlaII R/M system from Lactococcus lactis is also expressed by and conferred strong phage resistance to various industrial S. thermophilus strains. Resistance was observed against phages isolated from yogurt and Mozzarella wheys. This is the first demonstration of increased phage resistance in S. thermophilus.
(2) Description of Related Art
Lactococcus lactis and Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus cultures are used extensively worldwide in the manufacture of fermented dairy products. The cultures are normally inoculated into pasteurized or heat-treated milk to quickly start and control the fermentation. In this non-sterile milk environment, the added cells come into contact with the wild bacteriophage population that has survived pasteurization. Although natural phage concentration is low, their population increases very rapidly if phage-sensitive cells are present in the starter culture. The consequent lysis of a large number of sensitive cells retards the fermentation process. To cope with this natural phenomenon, the dairy industry has developed a series of solutions including the use of phage resistant Lactococcus lactis strains (Hill, C., FEMS Microbiol. Rev. 12:87-108 (1993)).
Lactococcus lactis:
In the last decade, extensive research was conducted on interactions between lactococcal phage and their hosts. Lactococcus lactis was found to possess many plasmids coding for natural defense mechanisms against bacteriophages. Over 40 plasmids with phage defense barriers have been identified. Phage resistance systems are classified into three groups based on their mode of action: blocking of phage adsorption, restriction/modification and abortive infection. Phage-resistant Lactococcus lactis strains have been constructed by introducing these natural plasmids into phage-sensitive strains (Sanders, M. E., et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 40:500-506 (1980)). The conjugative abilities of some of these plasmids was exploited to construct such resistant strains (Harrington, A., et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 57:3405-3409 (1991); Jarvis, A. W., et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 55:1537-1543 (1988); Sanders, M. E., et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 52:1001-1007 (1986); and Ward, A. C., et al., J. Dairy Sci. 75:683-691 (1992)). However, after considerable industrial use of these strains, new phages capable of overcoming the introduced defense mechanism have emerged (Alatossava, T., et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 57:1346-1353 (1991); Hill, C., et al., J. Bacteriol. 173:4363-4370 (1991); and Moineau, S., et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 59:197-202 (1993)). Thus, the search for different natural phage barriers is still an ongoing objective for dairy product starter culture manufacturers.
Over the years several studies have established the heterologous nature of the lactococcal phage population (Jarvis, A. W., et al., Intervirology 32:2-9 (1991)). Based on electron microscopy and DNA hybridization studies, the Lactococcal and Streptococcal Phage Study Group, which is part of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, reported the existence of 12 different lactococcal phage species. Recently, this number has been reduced to 10 due to the reclassification of the 1483 and T187 species into the P335 species. Strong DNA homology is observed among members of the same species but no homology is found between species (Braun, V., et al., J. Gen. Microbiol. 135:2551-2560 (1989); Jarvis, A. W., et al., Intervirology, 32:2-9 (1991); Moineau, S., et al., Can. J. Microbiol. 38:875-882 (1992); Powell, I. A., et al., Can. J. Microbiol. 35:860-866 (1989); and Prevots, F., et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 56:2180-2185 (1990)). Although many species have been isolated, only three appear to be the most problem for the dairy industry. The species 936 (small isometric head) and c2 (prolate head) have been, by far, the most disturbing lactococcal phage species worldwide. Interestingly, phages from the P335 species (small isometric head) are now being isolated with increasing frequency from North American dairy plants (Moineau, S., et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 59:197-202 (1993)). Two recent surveys revealed that 100% of the 45 lactococcal phages isolated from Canadian cheese plants and U.S. buttermilk plants were classified within one of these three species: 22 phages belonged to the 936 species, 18 to the c2 species and 5 to the P335 species (Moineau, S., et al., J. Dairy Sci. 77:18 suppl. 1 (1994); and Moineau, S., et al., Can. J. Microbiol. 38:875-882 (1992)). Therefore from a practical point of view, industrial Lactococcus lactis strains should at least be resistant to the three most common phage species: 936, c2 and P335. Due to the diversity of lactococcal phages, the need for phage defense mechanisms with broad activity (attacking many species) is becoming more meaningful. Because of the characteristics of phages, restriction/modification (R/M) systems have the potential to fulfill this objective.
The phenomenon of R/M was first reported more than 40 years ago (Luria, S. E., et al., J. Bacteriol. 64:557-569 (1952)) and received a molecular explanation ten (10) years later (Bickle, T. A., et al., Microbiol. Rev. 57:434-450 (1993); and Dussoix, D., et al., J. Mol. Biol. 5:37-49 (1962)). The main biological activity of R/M is believed to be in preventing the entrance of foreign DNA (including phage DNA) into the cell. These gatekeepers are roughly the prokaryotic equivalent of the immune system (Wilson, G. G., Nucleic Acids Res. 19:2539-2566 (1991)). There are currently more than 2400 known restriction enzymes and over 100 have been cloned and sequenced (Raschke, E., GATA 10:49-60 (1993); and Roberts, R. J., et al., Nucleic Acid Res. 21:3125-3137 (1993)). There are several kinds of R/M systems and they appear to have equivalent biological activities but achieved in different ways. At least four types of R/M systems have been identified: I, II, IIs, and IIII (Bickle, T. A., et al., Microbiol. Rev. 57:434-450 (1993); Wilson, G. G., Nucleic Acids Res. 19:2539-2566 (1991); and Wilson, G. G., et al., Annu. Rev. Genet. 25:585-627 (1991)). Of these, type II is the simplest and the most common. Illustrative patents are European Patent Application 0 316 677, European Patent Application 0 452 224, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,530,904 to Hershberger, et al, 4,883,756 to Klaenhammer et al, 4,931,396 to Klaenhammer et al and 5,019,506 to Daly et al.
Many R/M systems have been characterized at the protein level. Restriction enzymes are very dissimilar, suggesting an independent evolution and not from a common ancestor (Bickle, T. A., et al., Microbiol. Rev. 57:434-450 (1993); Wilson, G. G., Nucleic Acids Res. 19:2539-2566 (1991); and Wilson, G. G., et al., Annu. Rev. Genet. 25:585-627 (1991)). In contrast, extensive similarities occur among the methyltransferases (Bickle, T. A., et al., Microbiol. Rev. 57:434-450 (1993); Klimasauskas, S., et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 17:9823-9832 (1989); Lauster, R., J. Mol. Biol. 206:313-321 (1989); McClelland, M., et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 20:2145-2157 (1992); Wilson, G. G., Nucleic Acids Res. 19:2539-2566 (1991); and Wilson, G. G., et al., Annu. Rev. Genet. 25:585-627 (1991)). They can be grouped into three classes corresponding to the modification types: m.sup.4 C, m.sup.5 C and m.sup.6 A (Wilson, G. G., Nucleic Acids Res. 19:2539-2566 (1991); and Wilson, G. G., et al., Annu. Rev. Genet. 25:585-627 (1991)). m.sup.4 C and m.sup.6 A can be further divided in two (.alpha. and .beta.) and three (.alpha., .beta., and .gamma.) subclasses respectively, based on their amino acid sequences (Klimasauskas, S., et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 17:9823-9832 (1989); and Lauster, R., J. Mol. Biol. 206:313-321 (1989)).
A number of plasmids encoding for R/M have been identified in Lactococcus (Hill, C., FEMS Microbiol. Rev. 12:87-108 (1993)). Surprisingly, only a handful have been partially characterized. The LlaI R/M system encoded on the conjugative plasmid pTR2030, isolated from Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis ME2, was the first analyzed at the sequence level (Hill, C., et al., J. Bacteriol. 173:4363-4370 (1991)). The methylase gene of pTR2030 system has been sequenced and the deduced protein was found to share similarities with the type-IIs methyltransferase (m.sup.6 A), M. FokI (Hill, C. L., et al., J. Bacteriol. 173:4363-4370 (1991)). The endonuclease genes have also been sequenced and four open reading frames were identified (O'Sullivan, D. J., et al., FEMS Microbiol. Rev. 12:P100 (1993)). Recent data have provided evidence for a new class of multisubunit endonucleases (O'Sullivan, D. J., et al., FEMS Microbiol. Rev. 12:P100 (1993)). The restriction complex, however, has yet to be purified and its recognition sequence is unknown.
ScrFI was the first classical type II restriction enzyme isolated from Lactococcus lactis and is the only one commercially available (Fitzgerald, G. F., et al., Nucleic Acid Research. 10:8171-8179 (1982)). ScrFI recognizes the sequence 5'-CCNGG-3' where N is any of the nucleotide. Two methylase genes from the Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis UC503 chromosome have been cloned and sequenced (Davis, R., et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 59:777-785 (1993); and Twomey, D. P., et al., Gene 136:205-209 (1993)). They both coded for a m.sup.5 C MTase. The endonuclease gene has yet to be identified. Mayo et al (Mayo, B., et al., FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 79:195-198 (1991) isolated a type II endonuclease (also named LlaI) from L. lactis subsp. lactis NCD0497 which recognized the sequence 5'-CCWGG-3 (W is A or T) but the R/M genes have not been cloned.
Recently Nyengaard, N., et al, Gene 136, 371-372 (1993) described LlaI and LlaBI, which are type II restriction endonucleases from Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris W9 and W56. These endonucleases recognize DNA sequences 5'/GATC-3 and 5'-C/TRYAG3', respectively. The plasmids from these strains were transformed into a plasmid free and endonuclease negative Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis by electroporation to produce a transformed strain which resisted phage attack. The DNA was not isolated and sequenced and the natural plasmid was used for the transformation. Further, the authors did not indicate if the plasmids encoded methyl transferase. Strains W9 and W56 were not tested.
Streptococcus thermophilus:
Similar information on phage and phage resistance is still very limited for Streptococcus thermophilus despite sustained phage infections in the yogurt and Mozzarella cheese industry (Mercenier et al, Genetic engineering of lactobacilli, leuconostocs and Streptococcus thermophilus, In M. J. Gasson and W. M. DeVos (ed.), Genetics and biotechnology of lactic acid bacteria. Blackie Acad. Prof. Glaskow, UK p. 253-293 (1994)). Fortunately, S. thermophilus phages are much more closely related to each other than the L. lactis phages. It appears that there is only one S. thermophilus phage species (Mercenier et al Genetic engineering of lactobacilli, leuconostocs and Streptococcus thermophilus, In M. J. Gasson and W. M. DeVos (ed.), Genetics and biotechnology of lactic acid bacteria. Blackie Acad. Prof. Glaskow, UK p. 253-293 (1994)). Only very few phage defense mechanisms have been reported for S. thermophilus. Four chromosomally-encoded type II R/M systems have been identified in S. thermophilus. Solaiman and Somkuti (Solaiman, D.K.Y., et al., FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 67:261-266 (1990); and Solaiman, D.K.Y., et al., FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 80:75-80 (1991)) have isolated the endonuclease Sth134I and Sth117I which are isoschizomers of HpaII and EcoRII, respectively. Benbadis et al (Benbadis, L., et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 57:3677-3678 (1991)) and Guimont et al (Guimont, C., et al., Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 39:216-220 (1993)) have isolated the endonucleases sslI and Sth455I, respectively. Both are also isoschizomers of EcoRII. In addition, S. thermophilus might possess abortive-like phage defense mechanisms (Larbi et al. J. Dairy Res. 59:349-357 (1992)), although definitive proof has yet to be demonstrated. None of the R/M systems so far identified in S. thermophilus have been cloned, sequenced, or used in commercial strains for improvement of phage resistance. There is believed to be no report on improvement of phage resistance of S. thermophilus strains.

Quest International Flavors & Food Ingredients Company


Provided is a security information analysis device. This security information analysis device is provided with: one or more security information collection units for acquiring security information, which indicates information pertaining to a certain security concept, from an information providing source capable of providing security information; and a learning unit for creating an analysis model for calculating the importance of the one or more security information collection units according to security information received as an input. The learning unit learns an analysis model according to security information included in one of training data by using training data including multiple pieces of security information, which is pre-collected and pertains to the certain security concept, such that the importance of a security information collection unit capable of acquiring another piece of security information included in the training data is increased.

Security threats to information processing devices (for example, computers) have become a social problem.
For example, when a cyber-attack providing an information processing device with improper instructions has occurred, a security administrator (a person who performs information collection, information analysis, countermeasure application, and the like relating to security), using information including the name of malware (improper software, programs, and the like) used for the attack, the Internet protocol (IP) addresses of a communication source and a communication destination, the date and time of occurrence, and the like, collects information relating to the cyber-attack. On this occasion, the security administrator, by, further searching for related information using collected fragmentary information, searches for useful information for coping with the cyber-attack.
In relation to coping with cyber-attacks, for example, technologies described below have been disclosed.
PTL 1 discloses a technology of, based on a property value assigned to a property that may be attacked via networks and a threat value assigned to the attack, determining a value of a response to the attack on the property.
PTL 2 discloses a technology of, using direct information collected by directly accessing a Web site to be evaluated and information, acquired from an information provision site, relating to a security state of the Web site to be evaluated, generating evaluation information in security relating to the Web site to be evaluated.

Security information analysis device, security information analysis method, security information analysis program, security information evaluation device, security information evaluation method, security information analysis system, and recording medium


The invention relates to a system and method for use in a homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion engine that is preferably equipped with an exhaust gas recirculation device. This system and method enable an improved adjustment of the temperature level inside the combustion chamber. In addition to adjusting the temperature by using the exhaust gas recirculation device, an influencing of the temperature, which is independent thereof, ensues based on the compression of the induced fresh air by the exhaust gas turbocharger. An increase in temperature is maintained even after the compressed air is expanded on a throttle valve, and this increase in temperature can, in the end, be used for influencing the energy content inside the combustion chamber.

Different operating conditions are known in conjunction with direct petrol injection systems. The common factor is that fuel is injected under high pressure directly into a combustion chamber. The mixture is then formed within the combustion chamber. Conventionally a distinction is made between the homogeneous and lean operating modes. In homogenous operation a mixture is present which is distributed homogeneously over the entire combustion chamber. In stratified or lean injection operation there is only a mixture with a excess air in factor the area of the spark plug λ≦1. The remaining volume of the combustion chamber is filled with induced fresh air, an inert gas from the exhaust gas recirculation or a very lean fuel-air mixture, so that overall an excess air factor of λ≦1 is produced.
In addition to these conventional operating modes, a further operating mode is increasingly being seen as promising, which is similar to the operation of the self-ignition diesel engine. This is known as HCCI (Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition) operation and represents an auto-ignition combustion process, in which the time of ignition and thereby the sequence of combustion is controlled via the reactive quantity of energy in the cylinder. To provide a sufficient energy level use is usually made of exhaust gas recirculation via external setting means within the framework of exhaust gas recirculation or by a suitable gas exchange valve control within the framework of an internal exhaust gas recirculation.
For setting of the temperature level and thereby the energy level in the combustion chamber via the exhaust gas recirculation rate however it is necessary to take into account that this can only take place within specific limits. Since the exhaust gas recirculation rate influences not only the temperature level in the combustion chamber but also the mixture ratio of air, fuel and exhaust gas, it is under some circumstances not possible to select an exhaust gas recirculation rate which is optimum both with regard to the temperature in the combustion chamber and with regard to the said air-fuel mixture ratio. Thus compromises can be necessary when setting the exhaust gas recirculation rate to ensure reliable operation of the internal combustion engine.
In the context of conventionally ignited internal combustion engines it has already been proposed that a cooled exhaust gas recirculation be used, whereby this cooling of the exhaust gas is aimed especially at reducing the nitric oxide emissions. In this context reference is made for example to the German periodical MTZ Motortechnische Zeitschrift 60 (1999) 7/8, page 470 ff.: "Einhaltung zukünftiger Emissionsvorschriften durch gekühlte Abgasrückführung" (complying with future emission regulations using cooled exhaust gas recirculation) by Karl-Heinrich Losing and Rainer Lutz.

System and method for influencing the induction gas temperature in the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine


The present disclosure relates to personal care products such as diapers, training pants, feminine care articles, incontinence articles, bandages, and the like, that have been treated to enhance liquid intake and distribution performance characteristics and reduce leakage. Advantageously, the treated personal care products described herein not only reduce the viscosity and elasticity of viscoelastic fluids that come in contact with the treated product, but also reduce the fouling effect of such fluids.

The present disclosure generally relates to personal care products such as diapers, training pants, feminine care articles, incontinence articles, bandages, and the like, and more particularly to such products that have been treated to enhance liquid intake and distribution performance characteristics and reduce leakage.
A wide variety of disposable absorbent articles for collecting bodily fluids are known in the art. Examples of such articles include disposable diapers and training pants, feminine hygiene products, such as sanitary napkins and tampons, incontinent care products such as pads and undergarments, and wound dressing products, such as bandages.
One problem associated with absorbent articles is their tendency to leak before the liquid absorbent capacity of the entire absorbent article is fully used. Leakage typically results from the inability of the absorbent article to fully intake liquids rapidly and completely when large amounts of liquids are discharged into the article. Another problem that may contribute to leakage is the inability of the absorbent core of the article to move or distribute sufficient amounts of liquid between discharges from a target area portion of the absorbent core to more distal and more remote end regions of the absorbent core which have not been used. This results in saturation of only the central target area of the absorbent core, which may in turn result in poor performance and leakage of the product. Consequently, there is a continuing effort by absorbent article manufacturers to improve the liquid intake and distribution performance of absorbent articles to thereby reduce the tendency of such articles to leak as they become increasingly saturated during use, particularly where the article is subjected to repeated liquid insults before being discarded.
Certain fluids, such as menses, have viscoelastic properties that make obtaining good intake and distribution performance particularly problematic. In particular, the relatively high viscosity and/or elasticity of such fluids tends to interfere with the absorption and distribution of the fluids within the absorbent article. In other instances, intake performance of an absorbent article may be impeded when components of the menses block the open channels between superabsorbent particles or fibers contained in the absorbent article. This phenomenon is often referred to as fouling. Attempts have been made to improve absorption and distribution of fluids with high viscoelastic properties by modifying the viscoelastic properties of the fluid itself. However, treatments that reduce viscoelasticity do not always improve fluid distribution and intake into absorbent articles, and may have no effect on fouling, and in certain instances, may even increase the fouling effect of the fluid.
Based on the foregoing, there is a need in the art for a treatment that may be used in connection with personal care products, such as absorbent articles, that provides products that have an improved intake and distribution performance, and reduced leakage. Additionally, it would be advantageous if the treatment not only reduced the viscoelastic properties of the fluid being absorbed, but also decreased the fouling effect of the fluid.

Treatment of personal care products to reduce leakage


A method of measuring a parameter characteristic of a rock formation is provided, the method including the steps of deploying in a section of a well penetrating the rock formation a toolstring combining a tool for generating and measuring responses to a sensing field at different radial depth shells in the rock formation relative to the well and a tool to cause a flow of fluid through the different radial depth shells such that responses to the sensing field are obtained for at least two different radial depth shells and for at least two different flow conditions in said at least two different radial depth shells to determine a radial depth dependent profile of said parameter.

In the course of assessing and producing hydrocarbon bearing formations or reservoirs, it is important to acquire knowledge of formation and formation fluid properties which influence the productivity and yield from the drilled formation. In many cases such knowledge is acquired by methods generally referred to as "logging".
Logging operations involve the measurement of a formation parameter or a formation fluid parameter as a function of location, or more specifically depth (as measured along the length of the well). Formation logging has evolved to encompass many different types of measurements including measurements based on sonic, electro-magnetic or resistivity, and nuclear measurements such as nuclear magnetic resonance or neutron capture effects.
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods are well established in the laboratory to measure fluid flow in pipes, rocks, and biological systems. Typically, flow is measured by encoding molecular displacements in the phase of nuclear spins in the (flowing) fluid, during an evolution interval Δ. An encoding and decoding of the spin's position before and after interval Δ is affected by means of static or pulsed field gradients. The NMR signal is measured for either a range of phase encoding times or a range of gradient strengths, or both, and then analyzed. For small static or pulsed field gradient strengths or encoding times, the shift of the phase of the NMR signal is proportional to the velocity and the time which has elapsed between the encoding and the decoding steps. The complete probability distribution of molecular displacements during the evolution period Δ can be obtained for example from pulsed field gradient-NMR (PFG-NMR) by extending the measurements to larger pulsed field gradient strengths, then Fourier transforming the data. The PFG-NMR type of experiment has been called NMR-scattering in the published literature, and the extraction of probability distributions from such experiments is commonly referred to as a measurement of the propagator in the published literature.
NMR measurements are also commonly used in the borehole to probe the NMR decay behavior of the stationary fluid in the reservoir rock. In these techniques, magnetic fields are established in the formation using suitably arranged permanent magnets. These magnetic fields induce nuclear magnetization, which is flipped and otherwise manipulated using on-resonance radio frequency (RF) pulses. NMR echoes are observed, and their dependence (of their magnitude) on pulse parameters and on time is used to extract information about the formation and the fluids in it.
In particular, NMR has been established in the oilfield industry to obtain information on bound water, free water, permeability, oil viscosity, gas-to-oil ratio, oil saturation and water saturations. All of this information can be derived from measurements of spin-spin relaxation time often referred to as T2, spin-lattice relaxation time (T1), and self-diffusion coefficient (D) of the hydrogen containing formation fluids.
Some of the known NMR tools can be controlled so as to acquire data from different radial depth layers in the formation. These measurements at multiple depths of investigation (DOIs) are usually taken to provide a good signal-to-noise ratio. In some instances, as for example, described in the co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,703,832 issued to Heaton and Freedman, differences of the NMR measurements taken at different DOIs are analyzed to determine conditions within the formation.
On the other hand, fluids are routinely sampled in the borehole using various known fluid sampling tools, such as Schlumberger's MDT™. The MDT tool when set up for sampling includes at least one fluid sample bottle, a pump to extract the fluid from the formation, and a contact pad with a conduit to engage the wall of the borehole. When the device is positioned proximate a region of interest, the pad is pressed against the borehole wall, making a tight seal. Fluid in the formation is induced to flow, by pumping fluid out of the formation through the hole in the pad.
Fluid in the formation can also be moved with the help of known dual packer systems. The dual packer system seals off a section of the borehole (on the order of feet) with inflatable packer elements. When a dual packer is used to pump fluid from the formation, fluid will be extracted from the borehole section which is sealed off.
Samples of the fluid are either analyzed in-situ within the body of the tool or placed into a sample bottle for later analysis. The module or dual-packer section is then moved to the next region of interest (station). Information regarding the movement of fluid in the formation during the pumping process can provide valuable information related to formation and fluid sample properties.
Fluid flow towards the borehole is also routinely produced during pressure testing, essentially in the same manner as described for the MDT tool described above. Accordingly, useful information may be similarly obtained during this process.
It is further well established to mount the measurement tools for a logging operation on either dedicated conveyance means such as wireline cables or coiled tubing (CT) or on the drilling string. The latter case is known in the industry as measurement-while-drilling (MWD) or logging-while-drilling (LWD). In MWD and LWD operations the parameter of interest is measured by instruments typically mounted close behind the bit or the bottom-hole assembly (BHA). Both, logging in general and LWD are techniques known for decades and hence require no further introduction.
Combinations of a flow generating tool such as the MDT with tools for performing NMR measurement are described in a number of published documents including for example in co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 7,180,288 to Scheven. Another detailed description of possible NMR-based methods for the purpose of monitoring flow and formation parameters can be found in co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,642,715 to Speier et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,856,132 to Appel et al. A tool which combines a fluid injection/withdrawal tool with a resistivity imaging tool is described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,542 to Ramakrishnan et al.
In an paper prepared for presentation at the SPWLA 1st Annual Middle East Regional Symposium, Apr. 15-19, 2007 Gilles Cassou, Xavier Poirier-Coutansais, and Raghu Ramamoorthy, demonstrate that the combination of advanced-NMR fluid typing techniques with a dual-packer fluid pumping module can greatly improve saturation estimation in carbonates. The ability to perform 3D-NMR stations immediately before and after pump-outs yields both the water and oil saturation Sw and Sxo, independently of lithology, resistivity, and salinity, in a complex carbonate environment.
In view of the known art, it is seen as one object of the invention to improve and enhance the effectiveness of NMR based tools or other wellbore tools for the purpose of characterizing the formation and its fluid content using measuring apparatus with a volume of investigation overlapping or co-located with the volume in which the induced flow occurs.

Method of determining a radial profile of a formation parameter indicative of formation treatment efficiency


A levelling stabilizer for a ladder and the like comprising a transverse brace (1) adapted for bridging the bottom stiles (2) of said ladder, two leg portions (3) pivotally fitted to said brace and an adjustment arm (7) acting between said brace and said leg portions to allow each said leg portion to be independently moved between a first fully retracted position aligned longitudinally with its respective stile and a second fully extended position at an angle normal to said stile.

This invention relates to a stabilizing device for use on ladders and similar apparatus where the positioning of such apparatus on unlevel or unstable ground often results in compromised security and safety of such devices, with leveling often being improvised by a range of adhoc measures generally resulting in highly unstable and unsatisfactory positioning and securing of ladders and similar devices.
In addition the footprint available for most ladders is limited due to the practical construction constraints of such devices resulting in inherent limitations to the stability and security of ladders due to this restricted footprint.
It would be desirable to provide an accessory for use on existing ladders or the like or alternatively a device adapted for incorporation in the original design of a ladder to provide the ability for stabilising the ladder on uneven ground and in addition providing an increased footprint for the ladder or similar device.
One object of the invention is to provide an improved levelling stabilizer for ladders and the like.