A computerized, mobile respiratory therapy medication dispensing device, apparatus, system, and method having a mobile housing having a plurality of different size drawers for storing and transporting respiratory therapy medication, devices, and supplies. The housing mounted on a plurality of wheels has a biometric sensor, such as a magnetic badge reader for security, a pulse oximeter mounted in the cabinet for patient monitoring, a computer system mounted on the cabinet including a central processing unit, a transmitter and receiver system responsive to the central processing unit for transmitting and receiving data, the transmitter and receiver system capable of transmitting and receiving data through radio frequency signals, a display responsive to the central processing unit for displaying data, and an input device for inputting data into the computer system, and a rechargeable energy source.

Interest in the use of information technology and automation to address the management and dispensation of medication safely, without errors, timely and effectively has never been greater. Healthcare organizations and healthcare professionals are in agreement that medication error represents one of the most pervasive, preventable, and costly sources of patient harm.
Various devices are known, such as, a timed apparatus for dispensing medicines in U.S. Pat. No. 3,762,601 to McLaughlin, U.S. Pat. No. 4,207,992 to Brown, U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,403 and an electronic system for dispensing items (U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,356 to Christensen) and medications (U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,514 to Stone). A mechanical pill-dispensing and storage container is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,744,672 to Dangles et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,113,098 to Howard, U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,500 to Belbin, Sr., U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,651 to Scidmore et al.
Pharmaceutical dispensing cabinets with recording systems and automatic accountability of items are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,267,942 to Wick, Jr. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,504,153 to Schollmeyer et al. and a computer controlled system for dispensing drugs in a health care institution is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,847,764 to Halvorson.
Further innovations include a modular medication dispensing system with a microprocessor or portable memory device as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,695,954 to Rose et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,042 to McLaughlin. Improved variations of a medication dispensing system are provided by McLaughlin in Design Patent 280,132, U.S. Pat. No. 4,785,969 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,764 designed to dispense a variety of different medications.
Beginning in the early 1990s, the use of programmable systems (computers) for controlled access storage of medication and other pharmaceuticals in a medical facility became the state of the art as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,875 to McLaughlin et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,299 to Brewer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,536,084 to Curtis et al., Reissue Patent Re. 35,743 to Pearson and U.S. Pat. No. 6,996,455 B2 to Eggenberger et al.
Most recently, specialized carts have been developed such as the computerized unit dose medication dispensing cart of Barrett in U.S. Pat. No. 6,175,779 B1 and point of care medication dispensation as shown in U.S. Patent Publication 2004/0054436 A1 to Haitin et al. and U.S. Patent Publication 2003/0120384 A1 to Haitin et al.
Thus, we find an approximately 50-year history of automated or mechanical medication dispensing systems. Systems that are centralized in medical facilities, decentralized in various treatment units and finally, point of care medication dispensing carts.
Centralized medication dispensation systems offer the advantage of a single, centralized inventory and a lower overall inventory and the disadvantages of large size, high cost, expenditure of high-cost professional time to stock and retrieve medication, and reliance on efficient delivery systems.
Decentralized, medical unit medication dispensation systems are smaller size and lower cost relative to the centrally-located devices and provide more immediate access to medications and automated documentation of medication administration with the primary disadvantage of reliance on efficient delivery systems.
Point of care systems, as described in the two U.S. Patent Publications 2003/0120384 A1 and 2004/0054435 A1 to Haitin et al., are designed to enable immediate exchange of patient data at the bedside. However, these devices are generally limited to measuring vital signs such as temperature, pulse rate and blood pressure. Collectively, the above references do not provide a point of care, respiratory therapy medication dispensing system. Further, none of the above references provide a point of care, respiratory therapy medication dispensing system capable of collecting respiratory data simultaneously with medication dispensing. Respiratory data includes measurements of, sensing or observation of such conditions as, respiratory rates, SpO2 (oxygen levels in the blood), heart rate, lung sounds, respiratory distress, work of breathing, amount and consistency of sputum production, skin color, temperature and whether or not the patient is diaphoretic (clammy, sweating).
As a further development, in 2005, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospital Organizations (JCAHO) established new Patient Safety Standards that requires that all prescribed medications be dispensed to the management/dispenser systems by the hospital pharmacy. The new Patient Safety Standards by the JCAHO will reduce unwanted drug interactions and repeat dosing of similar medications by passing all prescriptions, including pulmonary prescriptions, under the watchful eye of hospital pharmacy staff. The plan is for all respiratory therapy medications to be stocked in "medication rooms" on the nursing floors into the same devices, either centralized or decentralized units, that nursing staff have been using for years.
The advantages of "medication rooms" are highlighted above in the discussion of centralized and decentralized medication dispensing units and are considered an affordable patient safety investment. The disadvantages of medication rooms include, but are not limited to, reliance on an efficient delivery system, the hectic day-to-day traffic in and out of the room by health practitioners.
In practice, shift change in the medication rooms is comparable to rush hour traffic as lines form at the dispensing system cabinet. Medication rooms are typically small and quickly become crowded with staff that are either waiting their turn at the dispensers or are preparing medications for administration to patients. In this crowded room, the risk of sharps injuries to staff is increased along with an increased risk of staff members' medications becoming mixed up with those of another staff member for lack of space.
Prior to 2005 and the implementation of the new Patient Safety Standards by the JCAHO (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospital Organizations), respiratory therapists maintained a private stock of inhaled medications in a medication room in the respiratory care department. Each respiratory therapist had his or her own system for organization of medication types kept in the many pockets of his or her uniform. This system which is no longer permitted under the new Patient Safety Standards, carried the risk of medication errors, but allowed for expedited delivery of patient care.
Patients are at increased risk for deterioration of their pulmonary status if a stat medication is required and the respiratory therapist has to stand in line for the patient's rescue medication. Other times patients will miss scheduled pulmonary medications because they are transferred off of the treatment floor for diagnostic tests while the therapist is in line in the medication room.
A further drawback in the medication room dispensation system for pulmonary or respiratory medications is that there is no standard method for storage and dispensation of metered dose inhalers (MDIs) that is practiced the same in all medical facilities. Frequently MDIs are stored in the medication rooms in patient-specific boxes. In some hospitals, there is some confusion as to whether nursing or respiratory therapists administer these medications which can result in double-dosing.
Still further, the medication room dispensation can result in loss of metered dose inhalers (MDIs) by respiratory and nursing staff. This results in the need for the medication to be re-dispensed by the pharmacy and the patient is re-charged for these expensive drugs. When the patient becomes aware that the charge has been made twice for an expensive medication through no fault of the patient, the hospital will be called and the charge must be removed from the bill; causing a loss of hospital revenues and personnel productivity.
If, respiratory therapy medications are the most recent addition to the dispensing systems, it is most likely that these medications will be stored in the bottom-most drawers requiring the therapist to repeatedly bend down to retrieve dispensed medications leading to an increased risk for back and knee injuries for the therapists.
Thus, it becomes apparent that there is a need for a system for the dispensation of respiratory medication designed to function within the new Patient Safety Standards; a system that moves with the therapist as they move through the hospital or medical facility administering inhaled pulmonary medication and various modalities of respiratory care. A system is needed that is designed to avoid knee and back injuries to therapists, the queuing and long waits for medications secured in centralized or decentralized units.
Thus, the need exists for solutions to the problems with the prior art.

Automated system and device for management and dispensation of respiratory therapy medications


An acoustic system and method is disclosed for providing spatial and temporal classification of a range of different types of sound producing targets in a geographical area. The system includes an optical signal transmitter arrangement for repeatedly transmitting, at multiple instants, interrogating optical signals into each of one or more optical fibres distributed across the geographical area and forming at least part of an installed fibre-optic communications network. An optical signal detector arrangement receives, during an observation period following each of the multiple instants, returning optical signals scattered in a distributed manner over distance along the one or more of optical fibres. A processing unit demodulates acoustic data from the optical signals, processes the acoustic data and classifies it in accordance with the target classes or types to generate a plurality of datasets including classification, temporal and location-related data, and a storage unit stores the datasets in parallel with raw acoustic or optical data which is time and location stamped so that it can be retrieved for further processing.

Wide area surveillance refers to real-time close observation in a geographical area, such as a city or an urban area. Wide area surveillance can be useful for monitoring of targets, such as vehicle and pedestrian traffic, and for law enforcement purposes, such as monitoring social disturbances or criminal activity. Wide area surveillance may be used in conjunction with a geographic information systems (GIS) overlay to assist in surveillance and monitoring across a mapped region.
Known wide area surveillance systems include those employing visual means, which collect visual information for surveillance. For example, closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras have been used to monitor city streets. Each CCTV camera can provide one localised view of a streetscape at any one time with a depth of field of view determined by the optics of the CCTV camera. In case of a system with multiple CCTV cameras, the blind spots or the visually least clear spots in the city are potentially locations mid-way between CCTV cameras or outside a CCTV camera's field of view. As another example, street views captured by a camera system mounting on a moving vehicle can provide visibility of some of these blind spots, but the street view images are static and impractical to be regularly updated for live monitoring. As yet another example, satellite imagery can provide a city-wide bird's eye view of objects that are in the satellite's unobstructed line-of-sight. Targets or events that are visually obstructed (e.g. underground, under thick clouds, within a building or under bridges or flyovers) would therefore lack surveillance visibility from satellite images, which are also static.
Other known wide area surveillance systems include those employing radio means. For example, cellular signals from mobile devices carried by users may be used to provide surveillance information on, for instance, the number of people in proximity of, and their locations from, a cell tower by determining the number of cellular connections and signal strength or signal information. The surveillance information obtainable from cellular signals may not be a reliable representation of the true number of people and their approximate locations with respect to a cell tower. A person in the area may well carry none or multiple mobile devices or have their mobile device switched off. Further, mobile device signals vary in strength across different devices and some may be penetrating or reflected off buildings such that the signal strength becomes an unreliable indicator of distance. Not every person would be carrying a single, transmitting mobile device with consistent signal power in radio line-of-sight of a cell tower at all times. In addition mobile devices are not reliably able to convey classification data about the object they are associated with, in that they may be associated with more than one object.
A further example is in the form of arrays of inductive loops deployed at traffic light intersections for detection of vehicles on roads. This system can only detect metal vehicles and as such cannot detect pedestrians and other biologics, and can only detect across limited zones.
Lidar looking down on city areas has similar limitations as a satellite as it is line of sight only and will have blind spots. It is also non trivial to detect and classify the presence of distinct objects from the measurement field (eg cars, pedestrians, bicycles, trucks etc).
Reference to any prior art in the specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that this prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in any jurisdiction or that this prior art could reasonably be expected to be understood, regarded as relevant and/or combined with other pieces of prior art by a person skilled in the art.

Acoustic method and system for providing digital data


A channel activating method and a peripheral device are provided for activating a serial transmission channel to retrieve at least one firmware instruction from a host. The peripheral device includes a serial transmission port coupled to the host, a microprocessor coupled to the serial transmission port for performing functions of the peripheral device according to the firmware instruction, a memory for holding the firmware instruction, a trigger generator for generating a trigger signal by monitoring a control signal received from the host via the serial transmission port, and a signal generator, coupled to the trigger generator, for generating an indication signal to the host via the serial transmission port according to the trigger signal to activate the serial transmission channel.

The invention relates to a channel activating method and a peripheral device for activating a physical channel between a host and the peripheral device, and more particularly, to the channel activating method and the peripheral device for activating the physical channel between the host and the peripheral device without the help of a microprocessor disposed in the peripheral device.
Serial advanced technology attachment (SATA) specifications are applied to a transmission interface between a host and a peripheral device, such as a hard disk drive or an optical disc drive. SATA specifications define two pairs of differential signals, which are different from the forty or eighty parallelized signals in the advanced technology attachment (ATA) specifications. When a system utilizes the SATA interface to communicate with other devices, the system would have the advantages of less pin counts, lower operation voltages and higher transmission rate. SATA specifications also include some new functions, such as flow control and retransmission, to perform simple control on a data stream.
Referring to FIG. 1, which is a schematic diagram of out of band (OOB) signals specified in the SATA specifications. SATA specifications specify three OOB signals, which are COMRESET, COMINIT and COMWAKE, to make sure the differential and common levels of the signal lines shall comply with the SATA specifications for in-band data transmission. After the OOB sequence is completed, the communication link is established and normal operation may begin. And it is a state defined as Phy Ready state. When entering the Phy Ready state, the host and the peripheral device corresponding to two different sides of the physical channel are maintained to be synchronized with each other so that signals transmitted from one side of the physical channel are also valid to the other side of the physical channel.
Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 simultaneously. FIG. 2 is a host-to-device register FIS structure according to SATA standards while FIG. 3 is a device-to-host register FIS structure according to SATA standards. As the Phy Ready state mentioned above is achieved, the host is specifically prohibited from writing the Features, Sector Count, Sector Number, Cylinder Low, Cylinder High, or Device/Head registers, whose corresponding fields defined in a register FIS can be found on FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, until the peripheral device replies Register FIS to clear either value in BSY or DRQ field in the Status Register. Any writing to the Command Register when BSY or DRQ field is set is ignored unless the writing is to issue a Device Reset command. Please note that, according to the SATA specifications, BSY is set when the peripheral device is busy and is not available temporarily to the host while DRQ is set when the peripheral device is ready to transfer a word or byte of data between the host and the peripheral device.
Therefore, without Register FIS transmitted from the peripheral device to the host, the host will not be able to request the peripheral device to perform any operation and the peripheral device would be seemed as not available. Generally speaking, this is a status response problem and is usually performed under the control of firmware. Thus, to write the firmware through a SATA differential channel from a host to a peripheral device under the condition that the firmware is not available in the peripheral device, this status response problem must be overcame first.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Channel activating method and peripheral device performing the same


Some embodiments include an integrated structure having vertically-stacked conductive levels. Upper conductive levels are memory cell levels, and a lower conductive level is a select device level. Conductively-doped semiconductor material is under the select device level. Channel material extends along the memory cell levels and the select device level, and extends into the conductively-doped semiconductor material. A region of the channel material that extends into the conductively-doped semiconductor material is a lower region of the channel material and has a vertical sidewall. Tunneling material, charge-storage material and charge-blocking material extend along the channel material and are between the channel material and the conductive levels. The tunneling material, charge-storage material and charge-blocking material are not along at least a portion of the vertical sidewall of the lower region of the channel material, and the conductively-doped semiconductor material is directly against such portion. Some embodiments include methods of forming integrated structures.

Memory provides data storage for electronic systems. Flash memory is one type of memory, and has numerous uses in modern computers and devices. For instance, modern personal computers may have BIOS stored on a flash memory chip. As another example, it is becoming increasingly common for computers and other devices to utilize flash memory in solid state drives to replace conventional hard drives. As yet another example, flash memory is popular in wireless electronic devices because it enables manufacturers to support new communication protocols as they become standardized, and to provide the ability to remotely upgrade the devices for enhanced features.
NAND may be a basic architecture of integrated flash memory. A NAND cell unit comprises at least one selecting device coupled in series to a serial combination of memory cells (with the serial combination commonly being referred to as a NAND string). NAND architecture may be configured to comprise vertically-stacked memory cells.
The vertically-stacked memory cells may be block-erased by generating hole carriers beneath them, and then utilizing an electric field to sweep the hole carriers upwardly along the memory cells.
A gating structure of a transistor may be utilized to provide gate-induced drain leakage (GIDL) which generates the holes utilized for block-erase of the memory cells. The transistor may be a select device, such as a source-side select (SGS) device. A channel material may extend along a string of memory cells and be gatedly coupled with the SGS device. The gatedly coupled portion of the channel is a portion that overlaps a gate of SGS device. It can be desired that such portion include both a heavily-doped lower region and a lightly-doped upper region; with both regions overlapping the gate of the SGS device. Specifically, overlap with the lightly-doped region provides a non-leaky "OFF" characteristic for the SGS device, and overlap with the heavily-doped region provides leaky GIDL characteristics for the SGS device. The terms "heavily-doped" and "lightly-doped" are utilized in relation to one another rather than relative to specific conventional meanings. Accordingly, a "heavily-doped" region is more heavily doped than an adjacent "lightly-doped" region, and may or may not comprise heavy doping in a conventional sense. Similarly, the "lightly-doped" region is less heavily doped than the adjacent "heavily-doped" region, and may or may not comprise light doping in a conventional sense. In some applications, the term "lightly-doped" refers to semiconductor material having less than or equal to about 1018 atoms/cm3 of dopant, and the term "heavily-doped" refers to semiconductor material having greater than or equal to about 1019 atoms/cm3 of dopant.
A select device may comprise any of numerous configurations, including, for example, a single MOSFET transistor, a one-wordline memory cell, a multi-wordline memory cell, etc.
The channel material may be initially doped to the lightly-doped level, and then the heavily-doped region may be formed by out-diffusion from an underlying doped semiconductor material. However, difficulties are encountered in utilizing the out-diffusion to obtain desired doping to a desired location within the gated region of the SGS device. Accordingly, it would be desirable to develop new integrated structures more suitable for achieving desired doping within the gated region of the SGS device, and to develop methods of forming such integrated structures.

Integrated structures comprising vertical channel material and having conductively-doped semiconductor material directly against lower sidewalls of the channel material


A furnace damper control system including a furnace having at least one opening through which electromagnetic radiation from within the furnace may be sensed, an exhaust duct capable of receiving an exhaust gas stream emerging from the furnace, and a controllable damper capable of adjusting the pressure in the exhaust duct. A sensor is capable of sensing electromagnetic radiation through one or more of the openings of the furnace and generating a sensor signal corresponding to the electromagnetic radiation, and a processor is capable of processing the sensor signal and generating a monitoring signal responsive to a parameter of the electromagnetic radiation indicative of furnace emissions. A controller is capable of controlling the damper responsive to the monitoring signal indicative of the furnace emissions.

The present invention is related to damper control systems, and in particular, systems and methods for controlling exhaust dampers on steelmaking furnaces.
Furnaces, including steelmaking furnaces such as electric arc furnaces for melting steel and other similar products, are typically used in combination with emission recovery systems. Emission recovery systems are needed to capture airborne particulate emissions and exhaust gases created during operation of the furnace.
The exhaust gases created in an electric arc furnace may include certain gases subject to environmental and workplace regulations. For example, gases such as carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, and nitrous oxides are frequently produced in the furnace. Volatile organic compounds (VOC) have also been generated during the melt process. Additionally, particulate emissions, such as slag or dust, are produced during the melting process. These exhaust gases and particulate emissions are captured and may be treated in compliance with appropriate regulations.
The volume and composition of furnace exhaust varies significantly during the melting process. The rate at which exhaust gases and particulate emissions are created depends upon many factors, such as the stage of the melting process, the temperature within the furnace, and the amount of air entering the furnace. These same factors also affect the composition of the exhaust gases as the constituent components of exhaust gases are produced or consumed within the furnace.
Another factor affecting the volume and composition of furnace exhaust is the composition of the raw materials being melted. For example, the use of scrap metal as a raw material in steelmaking has resulted in paint and other previously applied coatings, and various impurities being introduced into the furnace. During furnace operation, these impurities melt or burn further contributing to the varied nature of the furnace exhaust. Some furnaces are also equipped to inject carbon and oxygen throughout the melting process resulting in combustion that produces large volumes of gaseous reaction products that add to the exhaust gases. The gaseous reaction products are generated at a variable rate as different sources of carbon are injected into the furnace resulting in fluctuations in the volume of exhaust gases that must be evacuated from the furnace. The evacuation of exhaust gases may regulated and controlled to improve furnace operations.
Typically an emission recovery system includes an induced draft fan and one or more exhaust ducts in communication with an electric arc furnace. The induced draft fan produces a negative pressure that draws furnace exhaust into the exhaust ducts to be collected in a baghouse filter, electrostatic precipitators, or other collection system. Various configurations of exhaust ducts have been developed to improve the overall capture of exhaust gases and particulate emissions. For example, exhaust ducts have been positioned to suction exhaust directly from an opening in or adjacent the roof of the electric arc furnace. Exhaust ducts may also be configured as a canopy or hood over electric arc furnaces.
The induced draft fan causes negative pressure adjacent the fan in the exhaust duct enabling air to be drawn into the furnace, or draft. This air may be heated and combusted within the furnace and exhausted through the exhaust ducts. The exhaust gases may exceed 3000.degree. F. upon exiting the furnace. Excessive negative pressure may cause excessive draft, and excessive draft may cause excessive amounts of air to be drawn into the furnace. Heating and/or combusting this excess air consumes energy resulting in a reduction in furnace efficiency. Further, excess air drawn into the furnace may increase the production of undesirable exhaust gases, such as nitrous oxides. This further reduces the efficiency of furnace operations and increases operating costs. Some undesirable exhaust gases may need to be scrubbed for environmental reasons. Excessive draft also causes temperature control problems and reduces efficiency, and in steelmaking affects slag foaming, slag content, skulling, and other processing parameters.
Conversely, if insufficient negative pressure is applied to the exhaust duct, not enough draft is provided and the desired portion of the exhaust gases and particulate emissions may not be drawn into the exhaust ducts, and may escape through openings in the furnace and bypass the emission recovery system. The escaping exhaust gases and particulate emissions may also cause environmental and workplace concerns. Too little draft may also cause problems related to temperature control in the furnace and excess production of potentially overheated gases. Conversely, if too much draft is applied, furnace efficiency is reduced and operating costs are increased. Thus, a balance in furnace draft control is desirable for efficient use of the furnace.
Efficient operation of a furnace therefore requires regulation of the negative pressure in the exhaust ducts and draft to the furnace. To address these problems, emission recovery systems on steelmaking furnaces have typically utilized dampers capable of adjusting the negative pressure in the exhaust ducts. Previously, exhaust dampers have been set to fixed positions during operation of the furnace. To ensure adequate capture of furnace emissions, the dampers have been set to apply a negative pressure enabling a draft capable of capturing a high volume of exhaust gases produced during operating states of the furnace. Experienced operators have manually adjusted the exhaust dampers during operation to reduce drawing excess air into the furnace. The operators would watch the furnace to detect "puffing," or the escape of excessive exhaust gases or particulate emissions through openings in the furnace. Puffing was typically associated with flames or gases emitting from the openings in the furnace. The operator may manually adjust the damper in response to these observations. This approach required an experienced operator to monitor and adjust the exhaust damper, which may further increase the operating costs of steelmaking.
Some attempts have been made to automate damper control. For example, attempts have been made to measure the negative pressure in the furnace or exhaust ducts directly with a pressure sensor as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,285. In these types of systems, pressure sensors have been mounted in the electric arc furnace roof or in the exhaust duct. The pressure sensors, however, have often become clogged with dust or slag particles from the furnace exhaust. Moreover, the high temperatures within the furnace and exhaust ducts have often damaged or destroyed the sensor rendering the system inoperative and further increasing operating costs of steelmaking. Additionally, the pressure differentials that have been measured are relatively small making precise control of the dampers difficult. Typical environmental fluctuations and changes have also made pressure monitoring less reliable as the desired pressure settings may change over relatively short time periods.
Other attempts to automate emission recovery systems have relied upon measurements of the composition of furnace exhaust gases. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,748,004 describes a system that measures the constituents, e.g. COx, of the exhaust gas. U.S. Pat. No. 6,372,009 describes a system that measures the temperature of the exhaust gas and the amount of carbon monoxide at various points in the exhaust gas stream. Sensors in these types of systems have also been susceptible to becoming clogged or damaged by the high temperatures present in the furnace.
Accordingly, there continues to be a need for improved damper control systems that reliably capture furnace emissions while achieving improved energy efficiency and reduced operating costs.
A furnace damper control system is presently disclosed comprising a) a furnace having at least one opening through which electromagnetic radiation from within the furnace may be sensed, an exhaust duct adapted to receive an exhaust gas stream emerging from the furnace, and a controllable damper adapted to adjust the pressure in the exhaust duct; b) a sensor adapted to sense electromagnetic radiation emitted through one or more of the openings of the furnace and generate a sensor signal corresponding to the emitted electromagnetic radiation indicative of furnace emissions; and c) a controller adapted to control the damper responsive to the monitoring signal indicative of the furnace emissions. The parameter of the electromagnetic radiation may be one selected from the group consisting of intensity, wavelength, amplitude, frequency, and combinations thereof.
Alternately, the furnace damper control system may comprise a) a furnace having at least one opening through which electromagnetic radiation from within the furnace may be sensed, an exhaust duct adapted to receive an exhaust gas stream emerging from the steelmaking furnace, and a controllable damper adapted to adjust the pressure in the exhaust duct; b) a sensor adapted to sense emitted electromagnetic radiation through one or more of the openings of the furnace and generate digital images thereof; c) a processor adapted to process the digital images and generate a monitoring signal responsive to a parameter of the digital images indicative of furnace emissions; d) a controller adapted to control the damper responsive to the monitoring signal indicative of the furnace emissions.
The sensor may be further capable of generating a digital image indicative of at least a part of the visible spectrum. The sensor may be a monochrome sensor or a multi-color sensor. Alternatively or in combination an infrared sensor may be employed.
The processor may be capable of comparing the intensity of pixels in the digital images to a desired reference intensity. The reference intensity may represent intensity in the visible spectrum, infrared spectrum, or both. The reference intensity may be a predetermined value or an adjustable value. The monitoring signal from the processor may correspond to a ratio of pixels of the digital images exceeding the reference intensity. Alternately or in addition, the monitoring signal may correspond to the number of pixels of the digital images having an intensity exceeding the reference intensity.
The processor may be capable of analyzing all or a part of the color spectra in the visible range of pixels of the digital images and generating a monitoring signal corresponding to the analyzed color of the pixels in the digital images. The monitoring signal may correspond to two or more parameters of pixels of the digital images to provide more accurate control.
The processor may be capable of segmenting the digital images into selected control zones, where each control zone is a portion of the digital images. The control zones may be predetermined portions of the digital images, or the control zones may be determined by the processor. The processor may be capable of processing pixels of the digital images in each control zone. In any case, the control zone may be a physical part of the digital images or selected from different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum.
The controller may comprise one selected from a group consisting of a computer, a programmable logic controller, a proportional integral derivative controller, or a combination thereof. The controller may be capable of generating a control signal corresponding to a desired adjustment of the controllable damper indicated by the monitoring signal. Alternately or in addition, the controller may be capable of comparing the monitoring signal to a set-point. In some embodiments, the controller may be capable of generating at least two control signals corresponding to desired adjustments of at least two dampers.
The furnace damper control system may include an actuator capable of positioning the damper. The actuator may be an electric motor or a pneumatic or hydraulic regulator.
The furnace damper control system may include a pressure sensor capable of generating a pressure monitoring signal.
The controller may be capable of generating a control signal corresponding to a desired adjustment of the damper indicated by the monitoring signal, the pressure monitoring signal, or combinations thereof.
Also disclosed is a method of controlling a furnace damper, the method comprising: a) sensing electromagnetic radiation emitted through one or more openings of a furnace and generating a sensor signal corresponding to the emitted electromagnetic radiation; b) processing the sensor signal and generating a monitoring signal responsive to a parameter of the electromagnetic radiation indicative of furnace emissions; and c) controlling the damper responsive to the monitoring signal indicative of the furnace emissions.
Alternatively, a method of controlling a furnace damper may comprise: a) sensing electromagnetic radiation emitted through one or more openings of a furnace and generating digital images thereof; b) processing the digital images and generating a monitoring signal responsive to a parameter of the digital images indicative of furnace emissions; and c) controlling the damper responsive to the monitoring signal indicative of the furnace emissions.
Also presently disclosed is a furnace comprising: a) a converter adapted to contain molten metal; b) an exhaust duct adapted to receive an exhaust gas stream emerging from the furnace; c) a negative pressure apparatus adapted to draw the exhaust gas stream from the furnace through the exhaust duct; d) a controllable damper adapted to adjust the pressure in the exhaust duct; e) at least one opening through which electromagnetic radiation from within the furnace may be sensed; f) a sensor adapted to sense electromagnetic radiation emitted through one or more of the openings of the furnace and generate digital images thereof; g) a processor adapted to process the digital images and generate a monitoring signal responsive to a parameter of the digital images indicative of furnace emissions; and h) a controller adapted to control the damper responsive to the monitoring signal indicative of the furnace emissions.
A method of making steel is also disclosed comprising: a) charging a furnace with raw material; b) operating the furnace to melt the steel; c) sensing electromagnetic radiation emitted through one or more openings of the furnace and generating digital images thereof; d) processing the digital images and generating a monitoring signal responsive to a parameter of the digital images indicative of furnace emissions; and e) controlling the damper responsive to the monitoring signal indicative of the furnace emissions.


Methods for securing wood members together are disclosed. The methods include the use of an adhesive that quickly cures without heating. Adhesives may be impingement sprayed or splattered onto a contact surface. The methods may be used to form high-strength bonds between wood and/or plastic members in short processing times.

In woodworking applications, it is often necessary to bond wood pieces together to produce a wood product. For example, recent environmental regulations and depletion of old-growth timber supplies have made it increasingly difficult and expensive for manufacturers to obtain high-grade lumber to use in wood products, which may include furniture, cabinets and millwork. One way of addressing the shortage and high cost of high quality lumber is the use of veneered stock. Typically, veneered wood products are created by laminating high quality veneer over a lower grade core material, such as medium density fiberboard (MDF), particle board, plywood or finger-jointed stock. Use of veneered wood members results in a substantially more efficient utilization of high quality wood, and therefore reduces raw material costs. Other examples of wood products produced by joining wood members together include door and window jambs, plywood, laminated veneer lumber, and other laminated wood products.
Wood used in construction varies significantly in moisture content. An elevated moisture content of wood members may add time and cost to a lamination process. Recently-harvested timber may have a moisture content of 50–60% or higher, which may be further increased by transport of the timber along a waterway, or storage of processed lumber in a wet environment. Prior lamination methods frequently require a kiln-drying step prior to bonding to remove excess water, even from green dimensional lumber which typically has a moisture content of about 18%. After kiln drying, wood has a moisture content of about 12%, providing a relatively reproducible surface environment for bonding. However, the drying step prior to lamination introduces a significant additional cost and increases the processing time.
For most woodworking applications, a wood bond must be strong in order to provide structural strength and stability. For example, it is often desirable to form a "high-strength wood bond" that has a shear-strength exceeding the shear-strength of the wood itself. Generally, high strength wood bonding procedures require application of an adhesive to a wood surface, and subsequent pressing of the wood surface against another wood surface or against a polymeric material such as PVC, polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene, phenolic paper and wood fiber composites with any one of the above-listed polymers.
One significant limitation with prior wood bonding techniques is that the procedure required to produce a high-strength wood bond may take a long time, for example, several hours, to produce a cured product.
Other procedures can be performed more rapidly by using an adhesive that is activated to some extent during the pressing process. For example, adhesives may be activated by applying heat. These adhesives are referred to as "thermoset adhesives."
Presses may use heating platens or radio frequency mechanisms to activate and speed up significantly the cure time of a thermoset adhesive. Presses with heat activation mechanisms are somewhat complex, and expensive. These presses may also be limited in their ability to achieve uniform curing in some composite configurations.
Another way of activating an adhesive during pressing is to use a two-part adhesive system in which the two parts are substantially separate and unmixed until the pressing step, sometimes referred to as a "honeymooning" process. For example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,944,938 and 5,626,705. However, a problem with this approach is that the pressing step may not adequately or reproducibly mix the two adhesive parts, thereby creating an inferior or inconsistent bond, or causing delays in the curing process. Another problem with a honeymooning process is that it is difficult to control the actual ratio of mixed adhesive components due to variable penetration or dilution of the components into the wood prior to mixing, particularly where the moisture content of the wood is variable.
There is a need for universal simplified wood bonding systems and procedures that can produce a rapidly-curing, high-strength wood bond between different types of wood pieces having a wide range of possible moisture contents, and between wood and polymeric materials such as vinyl, without requiring complicated adhesive activation steps while the wood pieces are being pressed.

System and method for forming wood products


Memory cells each having a cell capacitor and a cell transistor, which are arranged in a vertical cell structure, are provided in the cell array of a DRAM. By means of a deep implantation or a shallow implantation and subsequent epitaxial growth of silicon, a buried source/drain layer is formed, from which lower source/drain regions of the cell transistors emerge. The upper edge of the buried source/drain layer can be aligned with respect to a lower edge of a gate electrode of the cell transistor and this results in a reduction of a gate/drain capacitance and also a leakage current between the gate electrode and the lower source/drain region. A body connection plate for the connection of the channel regions is applied to the substrate surface and contact holes are introduced into the body connection plate. Upper source/drain regions of the cell transistors are formed by implantation through the contact holes.

The invention relates to a cell array having memory cells arranged in a semiconductor substrate to form cell rows. Each cell has a cell capacitor for storing an electrical charge that characterizes a data content of the memory cell and a cell transistor for selection of the memory cell. Word line trenches are arranged between the cell rows. The cell capacitor is provided in a lower region of a hole trench introduced from a substrate surface of the semiconductor substrate with an inner electrode arranged in the hole trench. The cell transistor is formed in an upper region of the hole trench and has an upper source/drain region, which adjoins the substrate surface and is near the surface, a lower source/drain region, which is connected to the inner electrode of the cell capacitor, and a channel region, which separates the two source/drain regions from one another and is insulated by a gate dielectric from a gate electrode provided in the word line trenches.
The invention furthermore relates to methods for fabricating a cell array and a semiconductor memory device.
Memory cells of dynamic random access memories in each comprise a cell capacitor and a cell transistor. An electrical charge is stored on a storage electrode of the cell capacitor during operation of the memory cell, the value of said charge corresponding to a respective binary data content of the memory cell. Via the cell transistor, the storage electrode is connected to a data line (also called bit line hereinafter) for the purpose of changing or reading out the data content. The cell transistor is a field-effect transistor, the gate electrode of which is connected to a word line by means of which the memory cell is addressed. A first source/drain region of the cell transistor is connected to the bit line and a second source/drain region is connected to the storage electrode of the cell capacitor. By means of a suitable potential at the gate electrode, a conductive channel is formed in a channel or body region between the two source/drain regions, via which channel the storage electrode is connected to the bit line when writing to and reading from the memory cell.
The cell capacitors are provided above or below a transistor plane formed by the cell transistors. In the case of memory cells having cell capacitors formed as hole trench capacitors or trench capacitors, the cell capacitors are formed below the transistor plane in a manner oriented to hole trenches introduced into a semiconductor substrate. The storage electrode is usually provided as an inner electrode within the hole trench and insulated by a capacitor dielectric from an outer electrode formed as a doped region in the semiconductor substrate enveloping the hole trench.
In the case of memory cells embodied in a technology with a minimum feature size of greater than 110 nm, the cell transistors are usually shaped in planar fashion in a manner oriented to a substrate surface of the semiconductor substrate (PTC, planar transistor cell). The source/drain regions of planar cell transistors are provided next to one another below the substrate surface in a manner separated from one another by the channel region. The conductive channel between the two source/drain regions, which can be controlled by the potential at the gate electrode, is essentially formed parallel to the substrate surface.
As a result of progressive reduction of the minimum feature size, it is generally endeavored to increase the performance of DRAMs and to reduce the fabrication costs per memory cell. In the case of memory cells having planar cell transistors, smaller feature sizes lead to shorter channel lengths of the channel formed between the two source/drain regions. In the case of minimum feature sizes of less than 110 nm, a shortening of the channel length corresponding to a miniaturization of the minimum feature size leads to more than proportional difficulties in connection with a lower memory voltage that is then necessary and in the realization of a doping profile of the cell transistor.
Therefore, it is known to orient the cell transistors vertically with respect to the substrate surface in order to decouple the channel length of the cell transistors from the minimum horizontal feature size which can be achieved by the lithographic method respectively used. The two source/drain regions and the channel region lying in between are arranged one above the other. In a vertical memory cell or a memory cell having a vertical cell transistor (VTC, vertical transistor cell), the channel is principally formed in a direction perpendicular to the transistor plane.
Usually, for forming the first source/drain region connected to the bit line, the semiconductor substrate is doped in a region near the surface below the substrate surface by means of an ion implantation that is unmasked in the cell array. The second source/drain region connected to the storage electrode of the cell capacitor is formed by outdiffusion of a dopant from a material introduced into the hole trench at least temporarily through a contact window (buried strap window) in the wall of the hole trench in a section of the semiconductor substrate adjoining the contact window. The buried strap diffusion region has a high dopant concentration in the region of the contact window, said dopant concentration decreasing in the vertical and horizontal directions. If the distance between two memory cells that are adjacent in a cell row is larger than the buried strap diffusion region including a space charge zone formed in their boundary region, then the channel region is connected to a connection structure which, below the buried strap diffusion regions, connects the channel regions of cell transistors arranged to form a cell array to one another with high impedance. A high-impedance connection with a resistivity resulting in the order of magnitude of the intrinsic conduction of the material of the semiconductor substrate generally suffices for avoiding floating body effects during operation of the memory cell. The floating body effect means, for instance, that charge carriers are accumulated in the channel region and a leakage current that discharges the storage electrode is established via a parasitic bipolar transistor structure that is consequently built up.
The gate electrode is provided in a manner corresponding to a region of the hole trench above the cell capacitor in word line trenches between the memory cells arranged in rows (double gate transistor) or both in the word line trenches and in the hole trench (surrounded gate transistor) and is insulated from the channel region by a gate dielectric.
An overlap between the gate electrode and a weakly doped section of the lower source/drain region is advantageous. By contrast, an overlap between the gate electrode and heavily doped sections of the lower source/drain region results in an increased gate/drain capacitance CGD, which reduces a switching speed of the cell transistor and thus increases an access time of the DRAM. Moreover, a leakage current path between the buried strap diffusion region and the gate electrode contributes a significant proportion of the total leakage current of the memory cell. A high leakage current disadvantageously increases the access time and the power consumption of the DRAM by virtue of the higher frequency of the refresh cycles that is then required. Furthermore, a high doping in the overlap region results in high local field strengths in the region of the gate dielectric, which impair the reliability thereof.

DRAM cell array and memory cell arrangement having vertical memory cells and methods for fabricating the same


An ergonomically designed collapsible container comprises a split pallet assembly having first and second detachably mountable pallet portions. The first pallet portion includes a first raised platform and defines a walk-in loading zone adjacent the first pallet portion for pre-loading the first raised platform. The second pallet portion includes a second raised platform which is co-planar with the first raised platform and which is arranged to occupy the loading zone for subsequent loading of the second raised platform after pre-loading of the first raised platform. The split pallet assembly is formed with an outer peripheral rebate for accommodating four side walls or panels which are clipped detachably both to the pallet and to one another by L-shaped clamps. The split pallet assembly allows for a relatively deep and high volume collapsible container to be manually loaded with heavy cargo such as glass goods without having to bend or stretch unnecessarily.

THIS invention relates to an ergonomically designed container for heavy goods, and in particular for heavy fragile goods such as glass goods.
Heavy glass goods of a flat or formed nature are normally packed by hand into collapsible containers prior to shipping. Such collapsible containers may be in the form of a base pallet, four side walls or panels and a top panel. In one type of collapsible container, which forms the subject of the applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,471, the base pallet and the side and top panels are held together by means of L-shaped clips, with the clips also being used to hold the various panels together in a collapsed or sheaved condition when the containers are being returned for re-packaging.
During the manual loading procedure, the containers are normally semi-erected, in that three of the side panels are clipped to the base pallet. The glass goods are then manually loaded onto the pallet via the opening left by the fourth side panel. After loading, the fourth side panel and the top lid are clipped into place.
Collapsible containers of the type described typically fall into the category of intermediate bulk carriers, or IBC's. In the case of the manual loading of heavy glass articles and the like, it is extremely difficult to load the articles against the side panel which lies opposite the opening. As the loader has to stretch over and bend fully to load the articles on the far side of the pallet, this results in considerable strain on the back and the concomitant potential of back injuries. This problem is not alleviated if the loader surmounts the pallet, as he still has to bend down to the level of his feet during initial loading of the far side of the container. In the past, the only way of alleviating this problem has been by the provision of smaller more accessible pallets. From a logistical viewpoint, this is far from ideal.

Ergonomically designed container for heavy goods


The present invention provides a method of determining the presence or activity of a clostridial toxin by (a) treating with a sample, under conditions suitable for clostridial toxin protease activity, a clostridial toxin substrate which includes a fluorophore; a bulking group; and a clostridial toxin recognition sequence containing a cleavage site that intervenes between the fluorophore and the bulking group; (b) exciting the fluorophore with plane polarized light; and (c) determining fluorescence polarization of the treated substrate relative to a control substrate, where a change in fluorescence polarization of the treated substrate as compared to fluorescence polarization of the control substrate is indicative of the presence or activity of the clostridial toxin.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention Relates generally to protease assays, and more specifically, to methods for determining the presence or activity of clostridial toxins such as botulinum toxins and tetanus toxins using fluorescence polarization.
2. Background Information
The neuroparalytic syndrome of tetanus and the rare but potentially fatal disease, botulism, are caused by neurotoxins produced by bacteria of the genus Clostridium. These clostridial neurotoxins are highly potent and specific poisons of neural cells, with the human lethal dose of the botulinum toxins on the order of nanograms. Thus, the presence of even minute levels of botulinum toxins in foodstuffs represents a public health hazard that must be avoided through rigorous testing.
However, in spite of their potentially deleterious effects, low controlled doses of botulinum neurotoxins have been successfully used as therapeutics and for some cosmetic applications. In particular, botulinum toxins have been used in the therapeutic management of a variety of focal and segmental dystonias, strabismus, and other conditions in which a reversible depression of cholinergic nerve terminal activity is desired. Established therapeutic uses of botulinum neurotoxins in humans include, without limitation, treatment of blepharospasm, hemifacial spasm, laringeal dysphonia, focal hyperhidrosis, hypersalivation, oromandibular dystonia, cervical dystonia, torticollis, strabismus, limbs dystonia, occupational cramps and myokymia (Rossetto et al., Toxicon 39:27-41 (2001)). As an example, intramuscular injection of spastic tissue with small quantities of botulinum neurotoxin A has been used effectively to treat spasticity due to brain injury, spinal cord injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy. Additional possible clinical uses of clostridial neurotoxins are currently being investigated.
Given the potential danger associated with small quantities of botulinum toxins in foodstuffs and the need to prepare accurate pharmaceutical formulations, assays for botulinum neurotoxins presently are employed in the food and pharmaceutical industries. The food industry requires assays for the botulinum neurotoxins to validate new food packaging methods and to ensure food safety. The growing clinical use of the botulinum toxins necessitates accurate assays for botulinum neurotoxin activity for product formulation as well as quality control. In both industries, a mouse lethality test currently is the only acceptable assay for botulinum neurotoxin potency.
Unfortunately, the mouse lethality assay suffers from several drawbacks: cost due to the large numbers of laboratory animals required; lack of specificity; potential for inaccuracy unless large animal groups are used; and sacrifice of animal life. Thus, there is a need for new methods based on convenient synthetic substrates that can complement and reduce the need for the mouse lethality assay. The present invention satisfies this need by providing novel assays for determining the presence or activity of a clostridial toxin and provides related advantages as well.

Fluorescence polarization assays for determining clostridial toxin activity


In exposing a diffraction grating pattern on a resist, the diffraction grating pattern is exposed via EB on an active region and the adjacent thereto only and the region which is not exposed via EB is exposed via Deep UV light so that the resist may be left on the active region and the adjacent thereto only after the exposed resist is developed according to the process of forming a diffraction grating for a distributed feedback semiconductor laser of the present invention. In addition, the resist-coated area can be gradually reduced from the resist existing area to the non-resist existing area and the average height of the substrate on which said diffraction grating is formed can be gradually changed on the diffraction grating forming region and non-diffraction grating forming region which results in preventing the crystallinity of a semiconductor layer on the substrate from being deteriorated. This enables formation of an excellent crystallinity semiconductor layer on the substrate on which the diffraction grating is locally formed.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a diffraction grating and a method for manufacturing a distributed feedback type semiconductor laser.
Adopted as a method for manufacturing a diffraction grating on a semiconductor substrate is forming a pattern directly on a resist via a direct patterning by means of the interference exposure or exposure via electric charge particles such as electrons and ions or forming a pattern on a resist by transferring the pattern formed on a mask. Among other things, the direct patterning method via the electron beam exposure enables forming of the precise, flexible and minute cycle-controlled diffraction grating which results in being excellent in manufacturing a distributed feedback semiconductor laser compared to a method for exposure via the interference exposure or a mask, but said method is inferior to the conventional method in terms of the throughput. To eliminate the disadvantage as described above, adopted is a method wherein when forming a diffraction grating by forming exposed patterns on a semiconductor substrate via an electron beam exposure, said diffraction grating is not formed on an entire surface of said substrate but the electron beam patterning line 1 is locally formed thereon by scanning and exposing electron beams to a region 20 to be the active region and the adjacent thereto only as shown in FIG. 1. This improves the throughput by locally forming the diffraction grating on the desired position of the substrate 4. The exposed patterns in this process are shown in FIG. 2.
However, if a diffraction grating is formed by the method shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the average height of a n-InP-substrate 4 in a diffraction grating forming region 5 is different from that of the non-diffraction grating 5a. This causes a stair difference on an epitaxial growth layer at the interface portion 5b between the diffraction grating forming region 5 and the non-diffraction grating forming region 5a if semiconductor layers, e.g. a n-InGaAsP guide layer 8, a n-InP spacer layer 9, a n-InGaAsP SCH layer 10, a strained multiquantum well (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cstrained MQWxe2x80x9d) active layer 11, an InGaAsP SCH layer 12 and p-InP clad layer 13 are formed in their order on the n-InP-substrate 4 locally forming the diffraction grating in the (100) plane orientation. This stair difference portion causes the crystal growth plane direction to be a high dimensional plane displaced from the (100) plane. The crystal growth rate is thus accelerated and the material gas consumption is increased at the interface portion 5b between he diffraction grating forming region 5 and the non-diffraction grating forming region 5a. This provides an advantage to have the material gas density diluted at the adjacent interface portion and causes the crystal growth rate to be decreased. This also causes the composition of the diffraction grating to be fluctuated and the crystallinity of the growth layer is deteriorated due to the distorted stress resulted from the unaligned diffraction grating, the photo-luminescence half-width thus being increased as shown in FIG. 4. This crystallinity deterioration is resulted from that it is greatly deteriorated at the interface portion 5b and worsened at the center portion of the diffraction grating forming region 5 compared to that of the planar portion.
A great material gas density fluctuation at the interface portion 5b has an effect on the center portion of the diffraction grating 5 which results in having the crystal quality deteriorated compared to that of the planar growth portion. Thus, this deteriorates the quality of the active layer portion of a semiconductor laser which leads to not only the worsening of semiconductor optical output characteristics but also the increase of the threshold current as well as the efficiency deterioration. Furthermore, the crystallinity deterioration at the interface portion has an effect on the block structure in the case of DC-PBH-LD which results in increasing the threshold current and lowering the efficiency.
Also, the material gas density fluctuation not only increases the photo-luminescence half-width due to the crystallinity deterioration of the growth layer but also fluctuates the growth layer composition as well as the photo-luminescence wavelength. This raises a problem where it is difficult to control the band gap energy of the growth layer in addition to the strained MQW layer.
If the diffraction grating forming region 5 is adequately spaced to avoid the problem as described above, the throughput during the electron beam exposure is lowered and the manufacturing cost is greatly increased.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a diffraction grating and a method for manufacturing a distributed feedback type semiconductor laser, in which a high quality crystal growth layer can be formed on a diffraction grating which is locally formed by an electron beam exposure method.
Another object of the present invention is to form a strained MQW active layer wherein the band gap wavelength is not fluctuated on a planar portion and to manufacture a distributed feedback semiconductor laser with the excellent low threshold current characteristics.
A method for manufacturing a diffraction grating according to the present invention is to locally form the diffraction grating on a predetermined position of a semiconductor substrate including a process to coat a resist on an entire surface of the semiconductor substrate; a process to make electron-beam lithography of a diffraction grating pattern comprising straight line patterns to be reciprocally disposed in parallel with the predetermined position of the resist and make a local electron-beam exposure of said resist; a process to develop said resist; and a process to etch the semiconductor substrate using the developed resist as an etching mask wherein the resist used for the semiconductor substrate etching is all removed therefrom except from the diffraction grating forming region.
It is preferable that the resist left on the diffraction grating forming region only by the developing process be formed so that the resist-coated area may be reduced as said resist is away from the diffraction grating forming region. More particularly, a contour of the resist side end portion left on the diffraction grating forming region only may preferably be in the form of concave and convex, zigzag or sine function. Accordingly, if an etching mask pattern so designed as to have the resist-coated area gradually and uniformly changed is used, the average height of the semiconductor substrate resulted from forming a diffraction grating via a wet etching method is not discontinuously changed but gradually changed in the diffraction grating forming region and non-diffraction grating forming region. This is because the wet etchant consumption change is not steep at the interface therebetween. As described above, the gradual change of the average height of the semiconductor substrate enables the semiconductor layer in addition to the strained MQW layer formed thereon to become the same high quality crystal layer as that formed on a planar semiconductor substrate.
To form the diffraction grating as described above, a diffraction grating pattern is exposed by an electron beam exposure method on the adjacent region to be an active layer only during the process of forming a diffraction grating. Thereafter, the region which is not exposed by the electron beam is preferably exposed by a method using deep ultraviolet light in the wavelength range of 200-300 nm (hereinafter xe2x80x9cDeep UVxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cdeep ultravioletxe2x80x9d) and developed so that the resist may be left on the adjacent active region only and the resist-coated area can be gradually reduced from the resist-coated region to the non-resist coated region. Shown in FIG. 2 is the exposure pattern generated during the process of forming a diffraction grating of the present invention, for example, an exposure pattern is so structured that a diffraction grating pattern is formed on a region to be the active region and the adjacent thereto by a WAVE (Weighted-dose Allocation for Variable-pitch EB-corrugation) method and the region other than the diffraction grating forming region is then overlapped with the electron beam exposure pattern and exposed by the Deep UV light, the resist being removed from the region other than the active layer region and the adjacent thereto. Specifically, described below is a method for manufacturing a diffraction grating to achieve the objective as described above.
The method comprises a process to coat on an entire surface of a semiconductor substrate a positive resist to be exposed to both electron-beam and Deep UV light; a process to make electron-beam lithography of a diffraction grating pattern comprising straight line patterns to be reciprocally in parallel with the predetermined position of said resist and make a local electron-beam exposure of said resist; a process to expose with Deep UV light the region other than the electron-beam exposing region so that the interface between the Deep UV exposing region and non-Deep UV exposing region may be in the form of convex and concave; a process to develop said resist so that said resist may be left on a diffraction grating forming region only and removed from any region other than the diffraction grating forming region; and a process to etch said semiconductor substrate using said developed resist as an etching mask wherein the interface between the Deep UV exposing region and non-Deep UV exposing region may be in the form of a zigzag or sine function.
In addition to the foregoing method, described below is a method for manufacturing a diffraction grating comprising a process to coat on an entire surface of a semiconductor substrate a positive resist to be exposed to both electron-beam and Deep UV light; a process to make a local electron-beam exposure of said resist to form on said resist a pattern by reciprocally disposing in parallel on the predetermined position of said resist a number of the predetermined length of the first straight patterning lines and the second straight patterning lines each of which is shorter than each of said first straight patterning lines and which are patterned between said first straight patterning lines and at both ends thereof at several cycle intervals per said first patterning lines; a process to expose with Deep UV light the region other than the electron-beam exposing region so that the interface between the Deep UV exposing region and non-Deep UV exposing region may be in the form of a straight line; a process to develop said resist so that said resist may be left on a diffraction grating forming region only and removed from any region other than the diffraction grating forming region; and a process to etch said semiconductor substrate using said developed resist as an etching mask wherein a diffraction grating is locally formed on the predetermined position of said semiconductor substrate.
Unlike the method for manufacturing a diffraction grating as described above, the following is a method for manufacturing same using a negative resist comprising a process to coat on an entire surface of a semiconductor substrate a negative resist to be exposed to the electron-beam; a process to make a local electron-beam exposure of said resist to form on said resist a pattern by reciprocally disposing in parallel on the predetermined position of said resist the predetermined length of the first straight patterning lines and the second straight patterning lines each of which is shorter than each of the first straight patterning lines after the center of both first straight patterning lines and second straight patterning lines is aligned; a process to develop said resist so that said resist may be left on a diffraction grating forming region only and removed from any region other than the diffraction grating forming region; and a process to etch said semiconductor substrate using said developed resist as an etching mask and to locally form a diffraction grating on the predetermined position of said semiconductor substrate.
In addition to the foregoing, described below is a method for manufacturing a diffraction grating using a negative resist comprising a process to coat on an entire surface of a semiconductor substrate a negative resist to be exposed to the electron-beam; a process to make a local electron-beam exposure of said resist to form on said resist a pattern by reciprocally disposing in parallel on the predetermined position of said resist a number of the predetermined length of the first straight patterning lines and by disposing one or a plurality of the second straight patterning lines at several cycle intervals per said first straight patterning lines after aligning the center of both first straight patterning lines and second straight patterning lines each of which is shorter than each of the first straight patterning lines; a process to develop said resist so that said resist may be left only on a diffraction grating forming region and removed from any region other than the diffraction grating forming region; and a process to etch said semiconductor substrate using said developed resist as an etching mask and to locally form a diffraction grating on the predetermined position of said semiconductor substrate.
In this process, a chemically-amplified negative resist with the excellent sensitivity and resolution is suitable for forming a fine pattern.
The following is the description with respect to an additional method for manufacturing a diffraction grating using a positive resist comprising a process to coat on an entire surface of a semiconductor substrate a positive resist to be exposed to both electron-beam and Deep UV light; a process to make a local electron-beam exposure of said resist to form on the predetermined position of said resist a pattern comprising a number of the predetermined length of the straight patterning lines which are reciprocally disposed in parallel and the adjacent both ends of which are double-exposed; a process to expose with Deep UV light the region other than the electron-beam exposing region so that the interface between the Deep UV exposing region and non-Deep UV exposing region may be in the form of a straight line; a process to develop said resist so that said resist may be left on a diffraction grating forming region only and removed from any region other than the diffraction grating forming region; and a,process to etch said semiconductor substrate using said developed resist as an etching mask and to locally form a diffraction grating on the predetermined position of said semiconductor substrate.
In addition to the foregoing method, described below is a method for manufacturing a diffraction grating using a positive resist comprising a process to coat on an entire surface of a semiconductor substrate a positive resist to be exposed to both electron-beam and Deep UV light; a process to make a local electron-beam exposure of said resist to form on the predetermined position of said resist a pattern comprising a number of the predetermined length of the straight patterning lines which are reciprocally disposed in parallel wherein the adjacent both ends of one or a plurality of said straight patterning lines are double-exposed every other lines; a process to expose with Deep UV light the region other than the electron-beam exposing region so that the interface between the Deep UV exposing region and non-Deep UV exposing region may be straight line; a process to develop said resist so that said resist may be left on a diffraction grating forming region only and removed from any region other than the diffraction grating forming region; and a process to etch said semiconductor substrate using said developed resist as an etching mask wherein a diffraction grating is locally formed on the predetermined position of said semiconductor substrate.
Furthermore, the following is another method for manufacturing a diffraction grating using a positive resist comprising a process to coat on an entire surface of a semiconductor substrate a positive resist to be exposed to both electron-beam and Deep UV light; a process to make a local electron-beam exposure of said resist to form on the predetermined position of said resist a pattern comprising a number of the predetermined length of the straight patterning lines which are reciprocally disposed in parallel wherein the adjacent both ends of one or a plurality of said straight patterning lines are double-exposed at several cycle intervals per said straight patterning lines; a process to expose with Deep UV light the region other than the electron-beam exposing region so that the interface between the Deep UV exposing region and non-Deep UV exposing region may be straight line; a process to develop said resist so that said resist may be left on a diffraction grating forming region only and removed from any region other than the diffraction grating forming region; and a process to etch said semiconductor substrate using said developed resist as an etching mask wherein a diffraction grating is locally formed on the predetermined position of said semiconductor substrate.
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor laser of the present invention comprises locally forming a diffraction grating on the predetermined region of a semiconductor substrate and laminating and growing a semiconductor multilayer structure including an active layer on said semiconductor substrate wherein each of said methods of manufacturing a diffraction grating is adopted in the process of manufacturing said diffraction grating.
The description above is directed to the method for manufacturing a semiconductor laser of the present invention. According to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor laser of the present invention, it is possible to provide the same optical output characteristics and reliability as those of a DFB-LD with a semiconductor layer on a semiconductor substrate on the entire surface of which a diffraction grating is formed. Furthermore, each form of the diffraction grating formed by the interference exposure is randomly fluctuated and thus, there causes waveguide light loss in the DFB-LD with a diffraction grating formed by the interference exposure. However, an electron beam exposure method according to the present invention eliminates said problem and provides a high yield and low cost DFB-LD.
During the process of forming a diffraction grating for a DFB-LD of the present invention, a stripe resist is locally formed on a diffraction grating forming region of a substrate so that an area covered by the resist may gradually be reduced from the resist existing region to the non-existing region and thus, the area covered by the resist may gradually and uniformly be changed. Accordingly, the average height of the semiconductor substrate resulted from forming a diffraction grating via a wet etching method is not discontinuously changed but gradually changed in a diffraction grating forming region and non-diffraction grating. This results in providing a semiconductor layer formed on the diffraction grating which has same high quality as that of a semiconductor layer formed on a planar substrate. It is, therefore, possible to provide the excellent optical output characteristics and high reliability DFB-LD. In addition, there causes waveguide light loss in the DFB-LD according to a method for forming a diffraction grating via the interference exposure since the form of the diffraction grating is randomly fluctuated. However, an electron beam exposure method according to the present invention eliminates said problem and provides a high yield and low cost DFB-LD.

Method for manufacturing diffraction grating and method for manufacturing semiconductor laser


An optical fiber with a resilient jacket is disclosed. The optical fiber includes a cushion layer overlying the optical fiber in which the cushion layer is formed from a plurality of cushion members. The cushion members can be tubes that are hollow or that are partially or completely filled with a soft thermoplastic material. A polymeric sleeve overlies the cushion layer.

The carrying capacity and communication rate of optical fibers significantly exceeds that provided by conventional copper wire. As such, optical fibers are being used in increasingly diverse settings where features such as high information capacity, noise immunity and other advantages may be exploited, from telecommunications to aerospace to consumer electronics and beyond.
Despite their advantages, optical fibers are generally more fragile than conventional copper wire. This may be the case regardless whether the optical fibers are glass or plastic. In either case, a mechanical shock has the potential to cause an instantaneous disruption in the flow of light. More problematic can be situations in which the mechanical shock results in a break of a glass fiber and/or a plastic deformation of a plastic fiber. This can cause a permanent change in the shape of the fiber and thereby introduce noise, slow the transfer of information, or otherwise cause the fiber to perform below expected performance levels.
Optical fibers typically include insulating wraps/braids and/or a jacket that provides some protection against handling and other wear, but which may not provide a satisfactory level of impact protection. Thicker and multilayer fibrous polymeric or ceramic braids in combinations with wraps and polymeric jackets tend to make the fiber assembly bulky and heavy, rendering it unattractive for airframe applications where size and weight are often important. Metallic protective layers are also too heavy for most airborne applications. These and other drawbacks are found in current optical fibers.


Methods for lubricating an imaging member include applying lubricant-containing capsules to the surface of the imaging member via a non-contact applicator. The capsules are applied upstream of a cleaning blade after image transfer to another substrate, such that the cleaning blade ruptures the capsules, thereby releasing the lubricant contained therein.

The present disclosure relates to methods for lubricating imaging members (e.g., photoreceptors).
A conventional printing apparatus includes an electrophotographic imaging member, a development component, a transfer component, and a fusing member. The electrophotographic imaging member has a charge-retentive surface to receive an electrostatic latent image thereon. The electrophotographic imaging member generally comprises a substrate, an electrically conductive layer when the substrate is not electrically conductive, a charge generating layer, and a charge transport layer. A bias charge roller applies a uniform charge to the charge-retentive surface. The surface is then exposed to a pattern of activating electromagnetic radiation, for example light, which selectively dissipates the charge to create an electrostatic latent image. After the electrostatic latent image is generated, the development component applies a developer material, e.g. toner, to the charge-retentive surface to develop the electrostatic latent image and form a developed image. The transfer component transfers the developed image from the charge-retentive surface to another substrate, such as an intermediate transfer member or a copy substrate such as paper. The fusing member fuses the developed image to the copy substrate.
A long service lifetime is desirable for the imaging member. Some obstacles can include less reliable cleaning blade efficiency, degraded image quality in the A-zone (28° C., 85% relative humidity), and higher energy consumption to drive the imaging member drum motor. It would be desirable to develop contactless and actively controlled systems and methods that can increase the lifetime of an imaging member.

Method for lubricating imaging member by applying lubricant-containing capsules via a non-contact applicator


An extraterrestrial vehicle propulsion system uses a frusto-conical body member that is spun at high speeds by a drive member. A battery, which is rechargeable by a solar cell array, provides power to the drive member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mechanical propulsion system for use by extraterrestrial vehicles.
2. Background of the Prior Art
It has been said that space is the final frontier and in the less than half century of space travel by man, incredible strides have been made. Satellite systems, moon walks, and reusable space vehicles are all examples of the extraordinary advances man has made in the exploration of space. However, with all of man's spectacular achievements in space, man is still in his infancy in the exploration of space.
One current limitation on space travel deals with extraterrestrial propulsion. During terrestrial travel, vehicles rely on Newton's third law of physics that states that for action there exists an equal and opposite reaction. Therefore, for example, a plane traveling through the air accelerates the air that it is flying through rearwardly in order to get a reaction and thus "push" through the air in order to accelerate and maintain velocity through the air. The fuel on board the vehicle provides the energy to drive the propulsion systems that drive the air rearward. Such propulsion systems need regular refueling. The problem for extraterrestrial vehicles is that unlike near earth conditions, space is a near vacuum and there is no air to push off of. While energy on many space vehicles is nearly infinite by using solar collectors, the ability to have a push off reaction is not. In order to achieve a reactionary push, the space vehicle is loaded with some form of fuel before being launched into space. As this fuel is burned, it provides the push to the space vehicle allowing the vehicle to accelerate and maneuver in the vacuum of space. The problem with such systems is that the fuel supplies on board are finite, and unlike earth, gas stations are not readily available. As even the most sophisticated satellites require occasional repositioning in space due to course errors caused by the earth's and moon's gravitational influences, all current satellites have a finite life span dictated by the amount of fuel on board.
In order to combat the propulsion problem, various mechanical systems have been proposed which systems, relying on the fact that electrical energy is plentiful, use an unbalanced force system in order to direct a force in a given direction. While such systems work with varying degrees of success, they tend to be unduly complex in design and construction and they take up a substantial amount of extremely valuable real estate that is otherwise needed for core function components on the space vehicle.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a propulsion system that can be used onboard a space vehicle, which propulsion system allows the vehicle to maneuver and accelerate. Such a system must not rely on a finite fuel supply in order to achieve its objective and must be of relatively simple and compact design and construction.


Cyclopropyl alkyl ketones are separated from 3-acyltetrahydrofuran-2-ones by adding an alcohol, water or a water/alcohol mixture to a reaction product containing C.sub.1-4 -alkyl cyclopropyl ketone and 4,5-dihydro-2-alkylfuran by-product and an acid catalyst and reacting the by-product with the added alcohol, water of water/alcohol mixture before, during or after distilling said reaction product; and effectively separating C.sub.1 -.sub.4 -alkyl cyclopropyl ketone from reaction by-products.. In the preparation of cyclopropyl alkyl ketones from 3-acyltetrahydrofuran-2-ones very reactive 4,5-dihydro-2-alkylfurans are also produced. By reacting such compounds with nucleophilic compounds, such as alcohols or water, before, during or after distillation of the reaction products, it is possible reliably to separate off the 4,5-dihydro-2-alkylfurans as high-boiling addition compounds. The offgas which is produced in the production process for cyclopropyl alkyl ketones can be simply and reliably purified by reactive washing. The byproducts, which are difficult to handle for a production process, can thus be reliably eliminated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of cyclopropyl alkyl ketones containing C.sub.1 - to C.sub.4 -alkyl groups from 3-acyltetrahydrofuran-2-ones.
2. Description of the Background
Cyclopropyl ketones are important intermediates for the preparation of pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals.
They are prepared by a reaction as shown in the following equation: ##STR1## 4,5-Dihydro-2-alkylfurans and carbon dioxide are byproducts of the reaction.
Processes for the preparation of cyclopropyl alkyl ketones are known as disclosed in EP-A-O 552 586 and EP-A-O 725 066. These processes involve reacting 3-acyltetrahydrofuran-2-one with alkali metal halide at a temperature from 160-220.degree. C., and then distilling and condensing cyclopropyl alkyl ketone and the byproduct 4,5-dihydro-2-alkylfuran.
In the preparation of cyclopropyl methyl ketone (CPMK) from 3-acetyltetrahydrofuran-2-one and acetylbutyrolactone (ABL), 4,5-dihydro-2-methylfuran (DHMF) is produced in amounts of, in most cases, from 5-30%, based on the total amount of CPMK and DHMF. In order to obtain high-purity CPMK, the mixture of CPMK and DHMF must be fractionated. German patent Application No. P 197 10 879.2 thus describes a continuous process for the removal of DHMF by distillation. This process, however, requires a rectification column which has a high separation efficiency.
In addition, DHMF is a compound which, according to Houben-Weyl, Methoden der Organischen Chemie, Volume Vl/3, 1965, p. 698, can react vigorously with nucleophiles in the presence of traces of acid with the release of large amounts of heat. In the preparation of CPMK on a commercial scale, the handling of such a reactive byproduct as DHMF is thus undesirable. This is because improper handling of DHMF or of a DHMF-containing fraction may be injurious for humans and the environment. A need, therefore, continues to exist for an improved method of producing CPMK which effectively separates DHMF while avoiding risk of contact with DHMF.

Process for the preparation of cyclopropyl alkyl ketones


A vehicle seat comprises a safety belt (24) having three anchoring points borne by the seat (10). The belt (24) has two straps--a diagonal strap (26) and a lap strap (28)--which are connected to the anchoring points. The diagonal strap (26) has an upper end (E1) and a lower end (E2) which is common to the lap strap (28). This upper end (E1) and this lower end (E2) are placed on opposite sides--left and right--of the seat, so that the diagonal strap (26) extends obliquely from top to bottom of the seat. The upper end (E1) and lower end (E2) of the diagonal strap (26) can be switched over between the left-hand side and the right-hand side of the seat. The seat (10) preferably comprises two upper belt turn fixtures--a left-hand one (40) and a right-hand one (42)--and the belt (24) has two catches (36,38) which are intended to be fastened into two buckles--a left-hand one (32) and a right-hand one (34)--borne by the seat.

The present invention relates to a motor vehicle seat with an on-board safety belt and to an arrangement of this seat in the passenger compartment of the vehicle.
There is already known in the state of the art a motor vehicle seat of the type comprising an on-board safety belt with three anchoring points borne by the seat. This type of seat includes a belt having two straps--a diagonal strap and a lap strap--connected to the anchoring points. The diagonal strap has an upper end and a lower end which is common to the lap strap. The upper end and the lower end of the diagonal strap are positioned, when the belt is being used by an occupant of the seat, on opposite sides--left and right--of the seat, so that the diagonal strap extends obliquely from top to bottom of the seat.
FR-A-2, 699,973 (FR-A-92 15 857) describes a seat of this type which can be fastened removably to the floor of the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle of the single-volume kind.
For various reasons associated particularly with behaviour of the safety belt in the event of an impact, the end which is common to both the diagonal and lap straps is placed on the innermost side of the seat. Thus, for a left-hand seat, the end which is common to the diagonal and lap straps is placed on the right-hand side of the seat, and for a right-hand seat, this common end is placed on the left-hand side of the seat.
This chiral symmetry between the anchoring points of two seats--a left-hand seat and a right-hand seat--does not allow these two seats to be swapped over in the passenger compartment.
The constructors of seats with on-board safety belts therefore have to have separate production lines, one for the left-hand seat and one for the right-hand seat. This increases the overall costs of the vehicle.

Motor vehicle seat with on-board safety belt and arrangement of the seat in the passenger compartment of the vehicle

Ecia - Equipements et Composants Pour l'Industrie Automobile