A process of obtaining a natural, bioactive concentrate, rich on hydroxytyrosol, from olive tree residues and subproducts using clean technologies is presented. These technologies comprise supercritical fluid extraction, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis which are used individually or in an integrated mode. The natural extract comprises hydroxytyrosol at a minimum concentration of 15% (mass fraction) and a maximum concentration of 98% (mass fraction). The hydroxytyrosol-rich concentrate exhibits anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic activities, which are superior to the activities observed for isolated hydroxytyrosol in equivalent concentration. The hydroxytyrosol-rich concentrate can be prepared in the form of solid particles, as an aqueous solution, in an emulsion or as lipidic based nanoparticles. Industrial application includes the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries.

Over the last years, several epidemic studies have been correlating the Mediterranean diet with the low frequency of heart diseases, atherosclerosis and defined types of cancer. A particular characteristic of the Mediterranean diet is the use of olive oil, directly consumed or used for cooking (Visioli et al., 2002; Owen et al., 2000).
Studies concerning biophenolic compounds present in olives and olive leafs, draw researchers to recognize their biological properties, which were also associated with the positive health properties of olive oil. Therefore, the bioactive compounds present in olives and olive oil were recognized as important targets for the pharmaceutical and the food industry (Schieber et al., 2001). However, 98% of these biophenolic compounds are lost during olive oil production and remain in vegetation water and/or solid residues resulting from olive processing (Rodis et al., 2002).
The compounds present in higher concentrations in the solid residues are glycosylated secoiridoids, while in vegetation water the compounds with higher concentration are secoiridoids derivatives, mostly hydroxytyrosol and oleoeuropein (Mullinacci et al., 2001).
The properties of the solid residues obtained during olive oil production, as well as extracts obtained from them, have been studied (Visioli et al., 1999); in particular, their anti-bacterial activity has been shown (Ramos-Cormenzana et al., 1996), and associated with the presence of oleoeuropein and hydroxytyrosol; this last compound was referred to be the compound with a higher bio-activity (Bisignano et al., 1999).
Hydroxytyrosol has been also referred as a potent chemo-preventive agent (Manna et al., 2000), and considered as the component present in olive oil residues with higher anti-oxidant potency. The first recognized properties of hydroxytyrosol were its ability to prevent the oxidation of the low density lipoprotein (LDL) (Visioli and Galli, 1998) and the aggregation of blood platelet (Petroni et al., 1995). Mana et al. (2000) proved that this compound is able to protect several cellular human systems from the toxicity induced by reactive oxygen species. The ability of hydroxytyrosol to induce DNA modifications has been also investigated (Aruoma et al., 1999 and Deima et al., 1999).
Visioli et al. (2000) has also shown that, depending on the dosage, this biophenolic compound is well absorbed by humans, being excreted in urine as glucuronate conjugates.
Nowadays, olive oil is exclusively produced by using mechanical and physical methods, that consist on pressing the fruit (pulp and stones) until obtaining a homogeneous slurry, which is then processed for phase separation.
The traditional phase separation step uses hydraulic presses, which have been replaced by continuous centrifugation. The continuous process is also named three-phase process, when olive oil, vegetation water and olive cake are obtained as final products, or as two-phase process when the final product streams are olive oil and olive cake.
In the three-phase system, it is added water to the olive slurry and this mixture is then processed by a horizontal centrifuge, where the solid phase is separated from the oily must. This must is then processed by a vertical centrifuge, where the olive oil is separated from the vegetation water.
The most common method, nowadays, is the two-phase method because it involves a lower consumption of water. Consequently it produces a lower amount of residual water. This process uses two-phase centrifuges that separate olive oil and olive cake. The olive cake is a semi-solid residue with a slurry-type aspect.
Several patents have been published, which present methods for the recovery of fenolic compounds from olive tree residues. The U.S. Pat. No. 6,361,803 describes a method for the recovery of antioxidant compounds from olive residues. This method consists on a preliminary extraction with an aqueous solvent, being the extract produced fed to an adsorption column, in order to retain the compounds of interest. These compounds are recovered subsequently by eluting an organic solvent through the adsorption column. The U.S. Pat. No. 6,849,770 describes a method for the recovery of hydroxytyrosol by a chromatographic method using methanol or water/ethanol mixtures as elution solvents.
The WO0218310 describes a method of obtaining a hydroxytyrosol-rich composition from vegetation water using a previously patented method (U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,884), known as Porocrit. Extraction of the target compounds from vegetation water is achieved using supercritical fluids, such as carbon dioxide, and porous membranes instead of contacting columns. Instead of dispersing the phases, the liquid is fed continuously through porous polypropylene membranes configured as hollow fibre bundles or spiral wound sheets. The liquid passes through the porous membranes within a pressurized module, while supercritical carbon dioxide flows counter-currently on the other side of the membrane. It is important to notice, according to the authors of this patent, that the pressure in the module is essentially the same, so that the extraction is driven by the concentration gradient between the fluid and the supercritical carbon dioxide and not by a pressure gradient between the two sides of the membrane. The extract may be recovered by vaporizing the carbon dioxide for recycling. Additionally, the U.S. Pat. No. 5,714,150 describes a method for extraction of oleuropein from leafs of the olive tree by using water/ethanol mixtures.
The use of membrane filtration methods and their integration with other techniques, such as centrifugation, have been reported by research groups aiming to develop processes for treatment of olive mill wastewaters.
The WO0218310 disclosed process differs from the one of the present invention mainly because it does not include a reverse osmosis operation being this operation comprised in the second step of the present invention. Other differential aspect of this process is that the pressure in the two opposite sides of the membrane is essentially the same, so that the extraction is driven by the concentration gradient between the fluid and the supercritical carbon dioxide and not by a pressure gradient between the two sides of the membrane. Consequently, the product obtained by the process described in of WO0218310 is substantially different from the extract obtained according to the process of the present invention, which, most preferentially, excludes compounds with a molecular weight above 300 Da.
Drouiche et al. (2004) describe the use of ultrafiltration to remove the particles and organic compounds from vegetation water. The work published by Turano et al. (2002) describes a process which integrates centrifugation and ultrafiltration for treatment of vegetation water. In this integrated process, centrifugation allows to remove the suspended solids fraction protecting the ultrafiltration membrane from severe fouling problems caused by these particulates.
DellaGreca et al. (2001 and 2004) report an analytical method developed for characterization of vegetation water. This method involves the fractionation of vegetation water in order to obtain isolated, individual components, present in the water. A series of membrane techniques is used for this purpose.
Document US 2003/0108651 refers to a process different from the one described in the present invention, namely because it does not include a reverse osmosis operation, which is comprised in the second step of the present invention. As a consequence of using different processes, the complex extract obtained according to the process of the present invention is different from the product obtained by the process described in US 2003/0108651, which describes that the method comprises fractionating the incubated vegetation water to separate hydroxytyrosol from other components. Additionally, this method uses for fractionation and separation of hydroxytyrosol the incubation of vegetation water with an organic solvent, namely ethyl acetate, and further comprises the purification of hydroxytyrosol by chromatography. Contrarily, the present invention does not comprise the separation of hydroxytyrosol nor its purification by chromatography or by any other means once it aims to obtain a biological extract, which comprises hydroxytyrosol and other bioactive compounds.
EP 1 623 960 A1 describes a process for the treatment of oil mill wastewaters allowing for the recovery of highly pure tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol. In order to obtain such product, this process uses membrane techniques. Additionally, the compound tyrosol recovered from oil mill wastewaters is catalytically converted to hydroxytyrosol. Therefore, this process aims for obtaining highly pure compounds instead of natural complex extracts from olive oil sub-products.
Skaltsounis, L. et al. (MINOS PROJECT Process development for an integrated olive mill waste management recovering natural antioxidants and producing organic fertilizer) describes an adsorption process, since it uses a resin to capture polyphenols from olive mill wastewaters. The polyphenols captured in the resin medium are therefore recovered by using an organic solvent. Further, these polyphenols are thermally recovered from the organic solvent used and separated by chromatography. Nanofiltration/reverse osmosis are referred in this project as a way to treat the resin brine outflow effluent, which is rich in mineral salts (counter-ions from the resin material) but does not contain polyphenols. Thus, the above mentioned process is totally different from the one described in the present invention due to the use of that resin to isolate the olive mill wastewaters polyphenols instead of using a two-step process consisting in extracting the biological compounds by means of a supercritical fluid extraction column or a nanofiltration unit, and then using a reverse osmosis unit to obtain a biological extract containing hydroxytyrosol.
A process using clean technologies able to recover, from olive oil residues, a complex, natural extract, rich in hydroxytyrosol and containing other bioactive compounds with desirable properties, while assuring the rejection of compounds with higher molecular weight and detrimental biological properties is not available.
Hydroxytyrosol rich concentrates are available in the market as a dietetic supplement. One of these products is produced according with the patented process WO 0218310 previously referred. It is claimed that this concentrate can be used as a natural anti-bacterial, anti-viral and/or anti-fungi agent in agriculture, as well as a therapeutical agent or food additive.
In fact, studies were carried-out in order to compare the result of the process disclosed in document WO0218310, a commercial product designated as Hydrox®, Creagi, and the extract obtained by the process of the present invention. Both products were tested for the cytotoxicity on CACO-2 (human colon) cell line and anti-proliferative activity on HT-29 (human colon cancer cell line. Results show that both extracts are not cytotoxic for the CACO-2 (human colon) cell line. However, the proliferative inhibitory effect of the natural extract produced by the present invention, on the tested human cancer cell line, is higher (110% higher for concentrations of polyphenols above 200 mg/L) than the biological activity exhibited by the product obtained according to the process described in WO0218310.
Furthermore the present invention uses as feedstock any type of olive tree residue including solid residues and does not aim at the isolation of hydroxytyrosol by itself, but at obtaining a complex extract rich in this compound comprising also other bioactive compounds.

Method of obtaining a natural hydroxytyrosol-rich concentrate from olive tree residues and subproducts using clean technologies


A signal detecting apparatus in an optical disc apparatus having an objective lens which converges light emitted from a light source onto an optical disc and a condenser lens which converges light reflected by the optical disc and transmitted through the objective lens includes first and second light receiving elements, each having a light receiving surface located before or behind a convergence point on which the light reflected from the optical disc is converged when the objective lens is in a focal position. Each of the light receiving surfaces are split into at least four light receiving areas. The signal detecting apparatus also includes a means for calculating a sum of differences of outputs of the light receiving surfaces' inner light receiving areas, calculating a sum of differences of outputs of the light receiving surfaces' outer light receiving areas, and then calculating a difference of the sums of differences, so that a track error signal is output in accordance with the difference of sums of differences calculated by the calculating means.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a signal detecting apparatus in an optical disc apparatus, in which a tracking error is detected by a push-pull method and a focusing error is detected by a spot-size method.
2. Description of Related Art
In a known optical disc apparatus, a bundle of rays reflected by an optical disc is received by light receiving surfaces of error detecting light receiving elements. The signal data output from the divided areas of the light receiving elements is used to calculate the tracking error and focusing error.
For instance, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (kokai) No. 61-206944 (JPP '944) (U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,218) discloses a focus error detecting system in which light reflected from an optical disc is convered into a beam spot so that the focus state of an objective lens can be detected in accordance with the size of the beam spot. This known error detecting method will be referred to as a spot-size method hereinafter.
In the spot-size method, light receiving elements are located on opposite sides of and optically equidistant from a convergence point on which the light reflected from the optical disc is converged when the objective lens is in a focused state, so that the sizes of the respective beam spots formed on the light receiving elements can be compared with each other to generate a focus error signal.
However, in an optical system as disclosed in FIG. 1 of JPP '944 mentioned above, it is impossible to detect tracking error with the same optical elements that are used for detecting the focusing error. In the optical system shown in FIG. 4 of JPP '944, both tracking error and focusing error can be detected with the same optical elements. However, the pattern into which the light receiving elements are divided is complex.
Furthermore, if the optical axis of the bundle of rays, incident upon the objective lens, is inclined with respect to the optical disc, or if the objective lens is displaced in the radial direction of the optical disc to correct tracking error, the optical path of the reflected light is deviated from a reference position. This results in the displacement of the beam spots in a direction corresponding to the radial direction of the optical disc. Consequently, in a tracking error detecting system that uses the push-pull method, even if there is no change in light intensity distribution, which is caused when the beam spot moves across the optical disc, the light receiving areas will be unbalanced, resulting in track offset signals being carried on the detected signals. Therefore, the deviation of the beam spots from the track of the optical disc and the track error signals no longer maintain a predetermined relationship, and accordingly, the position of the beam spot can not be precisely controlled by a track servo control in accordance with the detected signals.
The "track offset signal" is one of the track error signal components detected by the light receiving elements. Track offset is caused by the displacement of the beam spot on the light receiving element due to the deviation of the reflected light.
In the known focusing error detection system using the spot-size method, the resultant signal of the outputs of the two light receiving elements is set to be zero when the objective lens is in the focal position. Namely, the respective signals of the light receiving elements are not individually taken into account.
Consequently, it is necessary to adjust the position of the light receiving elements while observing the balance of the quantities of light to be received by the light receiving elements, thus resulting in a complex and troublesome adjustment operation.
Furthermore, if the light receiving elements are used to reproduce the recorded magnetic optical signals of the magnetic optical disc as disclosed in the above-mentioned JPP '944, a slight change in the balance of the quantity of light to be received by the light receiving elements due to the rotation of the polarizing surface by the Kerr effect occurs, and accordingly, the change may result in an interference contained in the focus error signal, thus resulting in an imprecise focus servo control.
In the prior art, as disclosed in JPP '944, in which each light receiving element is split into three light receiving areas, the tracking error, using the push-pull method, and the focusing error cannot be detected by the same light receiving element.
Furthermore, JPP '944 also discloses light receiving elements, each being split into three light receiving sections in the form of elongated bands, wherein the center light receiving section is split into three mosaic areas, so that the tracking error can be detected by the same light receiving element as that for detecting the focusing error. The split pattern of the light receiving element is, however, complex, especially at the center portion thereof. Accordingly, it is necessary to form a relatively large beam spot on the light receiving element, thus resulting in a decreased freedom of optical design and a large apparatus.

Optical disc apparatus having five light receiving areas for detecting focus error and tracking error


A nanopore device comprising a channel unit comprising a micro channel defined by a bottom surface and an insulator lateral wall; and a cover unit covering the micro channel, wherein the cover unit comprises a nanopore extending through the cover unit and connected to the micro channel; a first source/drain electrode disposed on an upper surface of the cover unit and adjacent to an inlet of the nanopore; an opening extending through the cover unit and connected to the micro channel; and a second source/drain electrode disposed on the upper surface of the cover unit and adjacent to the opening; as well as a method for fabricating and using the device.

A variety of methods for detecting target biomolecules such as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and DNA sequencing in a sample have been developed. Among these methods, a nanopore method has been used in conjunction with a DNA detection system with high sensitivity. A nanopore DNA detection system detects DNA from a slight change in electric current which occurs when DNA translocates through nanopores to perform DNA sequencing or to determine whether double-stranded or single-stranded DNA is present.
For example, a DNA detection system includes a nanopore formed through a thin film including an insulating layer/conductive gate layer/insulating layer, upper and lower sample solution reservoirs that are formed in such a manner that the nanopore is disposed therebetween, and source and drain electrodes that are respectively put in the upper and lower sample solution reservoirs. A sample solution of an electrolyte such as KCL including target biomolecules such as DNA may be filled in the upper and lower sample solution reservoirs and the nanopore.
In this structure, when a bias is applied to the conductive gate layer, target biomolecules exhibiting an electric charge in the sample solution of an electrolyte may translocate through the nanopore. In this case, target biomolecules translocating through the nanopore may be identified or DNA sequencing may be performed by measuring an electric current between the source and drain electrodes and measuring a turn-on gate voltage applied to the conductive gate layer.
There is a need to perform more accurate measurements by increasing the sensitivity of conventional nanopore DNA detection systems. There is also a need to increase measuring speed of conventional nanopore DNA detection systems.

Nanopore device with improved sensitivity and method of fabricating the same


The invention concerns a device for supporting an electric motor driving a turbine. The device having a cage delimiting a housing for receiving the motor casing, this housing including a peripheral wall connected to a front wall, the peripheral wall being interrupted in order to define at least one channel for cooling the motor, the peripheral wall having at least two U-shaped folded lugs directed towards the inside of the housing and able to come into abutment against the casing of the motor.

The invention concerns a device for supporting an electric motor driving a turbine, notably for heating and/or air conditioning equipment in a motor vehicle.
It concerns more particularly a device of the type comprising a cage formed so as to delimit a housing for receiving the casing of the motor, which opens out into a shell for receiving the turbine, the housing comprising a base wall connected to a peripheral wall, itself connected to a substantially annular front wall forming part of the shell, and in which the peripheral wall is interrupted in order to define at least one channel for cooling the motor, the said cooling channel being delimited by two opposite lateral walls which extend in a substantially radial direction with respect to the axis of rotation of the motor.
A device of this type is disclosed by the publication FR-A-2 412 976.
The motor/turbine assembly, also referred to as a "motorized fan", is designed to blow out a flow of air coming from outside the passenger compartment of the vehicle or a flow of air recirculated from the passenger compartment in order then to send it into the passenger compartment after having been heated or cooled by a suitable heat exchanger.
The cooling channel or channels formed in the cage supporting the motor are designed to divert a proportion of the air flow moved by the turbine, so as to cool the electric motor. Generally the cage delimits two opposite cooling channels. As a result of this a proportion of the air flow enters a channel which serves as an air inlet, then sweeps the parts of the motor to be cooled and is discharged through the other channel, which serves as a discharge channel.
The support devices known up to the present time do not always give complete satisfaction since they very often generate a high noise level, which impairs the comfort of use of the heating and/or air conditioning equipment.
This noise level is due partly to the acoustic radiation from the support and shell excited by the vibrations generated by the motor, and partly to the turbulences in the air flow which enter the cooling channels.
Moreover, they do not provide correct guidance of the air flow used for cooling the electric motor.
Another problem associated with this type of device lies in the fact that it is necessary, on each occasion, to provide a different cage according to the direction of rotation of the turbine, the latter being dependent on the vehicle on which the heating and/or air conditioning equipment is to be installed. This is because, up to the present time, it is necessary to provide different directions of rotation depending on whether the equipment is intended for a vehicle with right-hand drive or a vehicle with left-hand drive, or according to the internal arrangement of the components making it up.

Device for supporting an electric motor driving a turbine


A carbosilane-based hybrid star polymer having a carbosilane core of large size and addition polymer chains emanating from the core, is described. The carbosilane core is formed from a central silane nucleus and built up by repeated alternating hydrosilylation of reactive vinylic sites followed by vinylation of silicon halide reactive sites. The core is reacted with living addition prepolymers to form the hybrid star polymer. The minimum core size to give the desired properties corresponds to that having at least about 48 reactive silicon halide sites on the periphery. These highly regular hybrid star polymers have unique solution and gelling agent properties and form highly structured and rigid gels, and also act as viscosity modifiers. The large carbosilane core having either vinyl or silicon halide reactive sites can be used as a reactive intermediate.

Several types of star-shaped polymers have been prepared recently. The more conventional star polymers have a random molecular structure characterized by lack of symmetry, cross-linking between arms and a large molecular volume. The viscosity of the bulk polymer itself generally is higher than that of any solution thereof. More recently certain highly symmetrical, dense, non-cross-linked star polymers have been described (see for instance U.S. Pat. No. 4,507,466 Mar. 26, 1985 Tomalia et al). In this patent, a regular dendritic star structure was formed by condensation polymerization of an electrophilic monomer with a nucleophilic monomer e.g. dendritic polyamidoamine formed from ammonia, methylacrylate and excess ethylene diamine, with further alternating reaction with the latter two reactants. These dendritic stars are not amenable to the addition of living prepolymerized chains to the end of each arm because the whole dendrite is reactive toward reagents used to create the living end and irregular grafting over the entire structure would occur. A review of this latter type of star polymer is given in Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 29 (1990) p. 138-175 Tomalia et al.
Initial work has been done on certain hybrid star polymers in which the starting dendritic structure is an octa-, dodeca-, or decaoctachlorosilane and linear arms are attached at the chloro sites using living prepolymers of isoprene (see Macromolecules 13(1980) p. 191-193 Hadjichristidis et al). Substantially complete reaction at the chloro sites was achieved. See also Macromolecules 22(1989) p. 1897-1903 Roovers et al.
We have continued to investigate this type of hybrid star polymer and have found that an anomaly in solution properties occurs when the chlorosilane core is built up in layers until at least about 48 peripheral active sites for arm linkage is achieved.


A method of synchronizing the contact information of a group of users of a telephony system between the group of users over a communications network is provided. Each user of the group of users has a user terminal connected to the communications network and executes a client, the client comprising a contact information list. A first user belonging to the group of users selects the contact information of other users in the group from the contact information list and chooses to synchronize the contact information. An invitation message is transmitted from the client executed on the user terminal of the first user to the client executed on the user terminal of each of the other users in the group, the invitation message including an invitee list of users belonging to the group. The invitation message is received at the client of each of the other users in the group. At least one of the other users in the group accepts the invitation message, the step of accepting comprising generating an acceptance message, the acceptance message giving authorization to the group of users to contact the at least one other user, broadcasting the acceptance message to the group of users and adding the invitee list to the contact information list of the at least one user.

Peer-to-peer telecommunications systems allow the user of a device, such as a personal computer, to make telephone calls across a computer network such as the Internet. These systems are beneficial to the user as they are often of significantly lower cost than traditional telephony networks, such as fixed line or mobile networks. This may particularly be the case for long distance calls. These systems may utilise voice over internet protocol ("VoIP") over an existing network (e.g. the Internet) to provide these services, although alternative protocols can also be used. To use a peer-to-peer telephony service, the user must install and execute client software on their device. The client software provides the VoIP connections as well as other functions such as registration and authentication.
The client software executed on the device of the user displays a list a contacts that the user has stored. These contacts may be called using the peer-to-peer telecommunications system by selecting the contact and clicking on a "call" button using a pointing device. The client may also provide other means of communicating with the contact in the contact list, such as through chat messages or video calling. To enter a contact in the contact list, the user (referred to as user A in this example) must either know the username of the contact they wish to add (called user B in this example), or search for the contact using the full name (or other details such as email address). After finding the contact, user A can choose to add the contact of user B to their contact list. An invitation message is then transmitted to the user terminal of user B, stating that user A has added them to their contacts, thereby authorizing the user B to contact user A. User B can give user A authorization to contact them by accepting the invitation, or can prevent user A from contacting them by rejecting the invitation. If the invitation is accepted, the contact for user B is activated in user A's contact list, and user A will be able to view the status of user B (known as the contact's presence information). For example, user A will be able to see if user B's status is set to online, offline, do not disturb, or another status set by the contact.


A semiconductor device is disclosed that includes a clock signal distribution network and a logic circuitry. The clock signal distribution network is configured to receive a first power. The logic circuitry is configured to receive a second power independent from the first power.

Supplying power to a semiconductor device causes a power voltage drop (also called IR drop) between two points of a power grid used in some approaches. Due to the IR drop, power supply noise is generated. As a result, noise, which is characterized as jitter, is generated. Therefore, clock jitter occurs in clock signals due to the noise, and thus results in performance degradation of the semiconductor device.

Power distribution in semiconductor device

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.


A low RC delay interconnection pattern is formed with a low resistivity metal, such as copper, and a low dielectric constant material, such as organic polymers. An intermediate bonding layer is formed between the low resistivity metal and low dielectric constant material employing an adhesion promoter, such as a silane-based adhesion promoter. The adhesion promoter can be applied between the metal and dielectric layers or incorporated in the dielectric layer.

The escalating requirements for high density and performance associated with ultra large scale integration semiconductor wiring require responsive changes in interconnection technology, which is considered one of the most demanding aspects of ultra large scale integration technology. In addition, high performance microprocessor applications require rapid switching speed of semiconductor circuitry. The speed of semiconductor circuitry varies inversely with the resistance of the metal layer and inversely with the capacitance of the dielectric layer forming the interconnection pattern. As integrated circuits become more complex and the feature size and spacing become smaller, the speed of the integrated circuit becomes increasingly dependent on the capacitance and resistance of the interconnection pattern.
Prior efforts to increase the speed of semiconductor circuitry focused upon reducing the dielectric constant of material conventionally employed in forming dielectric interlayers. Silicon dioxide, the dielectric material conventionally employed in forming dielectric interlayers, has a dielectric constant of about 4. Prior efforts involve the development of materials having a lower dielectric constant than silicon dioxide, such as low dielectric constant polymers, teflon, aerogels and porous polymers.
It would be advantageous to employ such low dielectric constant polymers in combination with low resistivity metals, such as copper, silver, gold, and alloys thereof, in forming interconnection patterns. The combination of a low resistivity metal and low dielectric constant polymer would be expected to reduce resistance capacitance (RC) time delays. See, for example, Singer, "New Interconnect Materials: Chasing the Promise of Faster Chips," Semiconductor International, November, 1994, pp. 52, 54 and 56; and Adema et al., "Passivation Schemes for Copper/Polymer Thin-Film Interconnections Used in Multichip Modules," IEEE Transactions on Components, Hybrids, and Manufacturing Technology, Vol. 16, No. 1, February 1993, pp. 53-58.
However, the formation of a new reliable interconnection pattern comprising a low resistivity metal and low dielectric constant material is problematic in various respects. For example, aluminum, the interconnection metal of choice, inherently forms a passivation layer which protects aluminum from corrosion. However, low resistivity metals, such as copper, do not form a self-passivating layer. Moreover, copper ions rapidly diffuse through silicon causing damage to semiconductor components. In addition, most low dielectric constant polymers do not adequately adhere to metals. Accordingly, any attempt to form an interconnection pattern employing a low resistivity metal, such as copper, and a low dielectric constant polymer, would require the separate formation of a barrier/passivation layer to protect the metal layer from corrosion and prevent the diffusion of metal ions. In addition, a separate adhesion layer would be required. Such an interconnection pattern, manufactured by a damascene process, is schematically depicted in FIG. 1, and comprises a dielectric layer 10, which can be a low dielectric polymer, and a low dielectric constant polymer layer 11 formed thereon. The depicted interconnection pattern further comprises a low resistivity metal layer 12 comprising, for example, copper. In order to utilize a metal such as copper, barrier/passivation layer 13 is required, in addition to adhesion layer 14. Suitable barrier/passivation materials would include titanium, titanium nitride, tantalum, tantalum nitride, chromium, silicon nitride and silicon dioxide. The formation of such barrier/passivation layers, and separate adhesion layers, requires additional costly equipment, manipulative steps and materials, thereby decreasing throughput, increasing cost and further complicating the manufacturing process.
There exists a need for a simplified, cost effective technique to form an interconnection pattern comprising a low dielectric constant material and a low resistivity metal, such as copper, without forming separate barrier/passivation layers.


A tamper resistant thermoformed container having a tray and a lid, where the tray has an inside shelf between the cavity floor and a second shelf that extends to a cavity rim, where the lid has a sealing slot formed to engage the inside shelf of the tray, and where the lid also has a latching tab formed to fit into a matching latching hole on the tray. This structure keeps the lid on the tray by a combination of friction between the lid sealing slot and the tray inside shelf, plus interference between the latching tab and the latching hole.

Thermoformed plastic containers are well known as inexpensive and highly customizable containers for the sale of a wide variety of products, everything from cell phones to deli meats. Thermoformed plastic containers can be transparent and rigid, to let a consumer examine a product closely. They can be lightweight, and may be efficiently stored or shipped together in a nested fashion. It is easy to include product information and cosmetic features in these types of containers, for example with stickers or cards glued to the outside of the containers, with embossing molded into the containers, or with paper inserts inside the containers. For these and other reasons, thermoformed plastic containers can be superior to other available options for product containers, such as cardboard or metal boxes, bags, metal cans, or paper cartons.
Thermoformed containers can include features that make it more difficult to access the contents of the container without being noticed, to form a tamper-resistant container. In a retail electronics setting, for example, tamper-resistance can reduce shoplifting.
In a retail food setting, tamper-resistance can improve food safety by reducing the risk that the product could be partially consumed or contaminated. In retail food settings like a deli counter in a grocery store or in a conventional fast-food or takeout restaurant, it can also be beneficial to provide a container that can be assembled when needed at the point of use, for example after putting a sandwich or other food in the container.
What is needed is a thermoformed container system that includes tamper-resistant features that make it difficult to open without detection, yet easy to open by the end consumer, and preferably allowing assembly on demand by unskilled personnel without specialized machinery or tools.


In the pyrochemical reduction of uranium dioxide or other actinide metal oxides by reaction with magnesium, magnesium oxide byproduct is produced. The use of a salt flux comprising magnesium chloride and a rare earth element trichloride such as neodymium chloride is disclosed. The neodymium chloride reacts with magnesium oxide to form magnesium chloride and neodymium oxychloride. The resulting magnesium chloride-neodymium oxychloride salt mixture can readily be subjected to electrolysis to regenerate magnesium and neodymium chloride for reuse in the pyrochemical reduction process. Other uses of the magnesium chloride-neodymium chloride salt flux are also proposed.

Pyrochemical processes are known to produce uranium (U), thorium (Th) and plutonium (Pu) metals by the reduction of their respective oxides using magnesium in the presence of a molten salt flux. Often in such processes, a separate molten metal pool is employed for the recovery of the actinide metal from the molten salt phase. The flux is used to suspend the actinide metal oxide and the byproduct magnesium oxide during the reaction, and the heavier metallic pool is used to extract the metal produced. When I refer to the term "suspend" in the context of these processes, I mean that the molten salt flux may either dissolve the actinide metal oxide and/or the magnesium oxide or it may suspend the oxide as fine particles.
The chemistry of such pyrochemical reduction reactions is well known. At a suitable temperature, e.g., 700.degree. C., the actinide metal oxide reacts with a chemically equivalent amount of magnesium to form the respective actinide metal and magnesium oxide. For example, uranium dioxide (UO.sub.2) reacts with two moles of magnesium to form two moles of magnesium oxide plus the product, one mole of substantially pure uranium. As has been practiced, a suitable salt flux for this magnesium reduction practice may, for example, consist of magnesium chloride and magnesium fluoride with the optional presence of other alkali and alkaline earth chlorides or fluorides. The molten metallic recovery pool typically initially consists essentially of zinc and magnesium or copper and magnesium. This metallic pool is present at the reaction temperature as a separate and separable liquid phase with respect to the salt flux reaction medium. The pool contains magnesium in suitable quantity for the chemical reduction of the uranium, thorium and/or plutonium oxide. As the magnesium is consumed in the reduction of e.g. UO.sub.2 the byproduct uranium metal enters the pool. Zinc or copper is miscible with both uranium and magnesium and keeps the metal phase liquid and mobile at the reaction temperature.
These practices are suitable for obtaining relatively pure amounts of the respective actinide metal or metals in high yield. The reactions are usually batch reactions. They are carried out until the actinide oxide(s) are completely reduced. At this point, the reaction stops and stirring is terminated, and a phase separation is carried out to remove the metal recovery pool from the flux. The actinide metal is recovered by distilling or otherwise removing the zinc or copper melting point depressant.
In this reduction practice, magnesium oxide particles are suspended in but not dissolved in the salt flux. This oxide/salt mixture is often radioactive. It presents a disposal problem because it is difficult to recover or recycle the magnesium oxide. In order to recover magnesium metal from the magnesium oxide, it is usually necessary to separate the oxide from the salt and convert the magnesium oxide to magnesium chloride for electrolytic reduction. Heretofore, such separation, conversion and reduction have been difficult and expensive.
It is an object of this invention to provide a practice and a salt flux composition that readily facilitates the conversion of magnesium oxide produced in such pyrochemical reductions of actinide oxides so that the recycle of the salts and recovery and recycle of magnesium metal is readily accomplished. While my practice is specifically applicable to the recovery of magnesium from magnesium oxide byproduct in the pyrochemical reduction of actinide metal oxides, it will be appreciated that there are other applications in which it is desired to convert magnesium oxide to a magnesium salt or to recover magnesium from magnesium oxide. In fact, a principal application may well be the production of magnesium metal from magnesium oxide. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of my invention, these and other objects are accomplished as follows.

Pyrochemical processes for producing Pu, Th and U metals with recyclable byproduct salts


A quantum wire laser diode fabrication method includes the steps of forming a buffer layer and an epitaxial layer sequentially on a substrate, forming a V-grooved pattern into the epitaxial layer to form a current blocking layer, and forming another buffer layer thereon, forming a quantum wire laser structure on the V-grooved pattern, forming a contact layer, and forming an electrode. The fabrication method employs a current blocking layer formed outside the V-grooved pattern to interrupt the current from flowing thereinto, for thereby enabling the current to only flow into the active layer, without requiring any subsequent processes which allow the current to efficiently flow into the active layer, and further obtaining the low threshold current.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a quantum wire laser diode, and more particularly to an improved quantum wire laser diode fabrication method capable of obtaining a low threshold current by enhancing the efficiency of a current flow into a quantum wire laser activation layer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, quantum wire laser diodes having a low threshold current are known to be advantageous in a circuit integrated with a low power electrical device such as an optical computer or an optical signal processor, and its adaptability to a low temperature, and a high frequency modulating characteristic makes it possible to serve as an optical source in communication devices. Due to such advantages, studies have been on going to fabricate high quality quantum wire laser diodes in recent years. In particular, the quantum wire laser diodes formed in a V-grooved substrate change the substrate direction and growth conditions, for thereby facilitating the control of the quantum wire in shape and size.
However, most of the so far published quantum wire laser diodes fabrication methods require subsequent processes, such as an ion-implantation into a non-active layer, and a deposition of an insulation layer, after a laser structure growth for thereby increasing the current flow into the active layer, so that the subsequent processes cause the laser diode fabrication to become complicated and further deteriorate the laser diode characteristics resulting from a decreased optical confinement coefficient within the active layer.

Quantum wire laser diode fabrication method

Korea Institute of Science and Technology


A power supply generates alternating current and direct current from a constant-voltage source. A multi-phase pulse width modulation voltage source inverter is connected across the source to output multi-phase alternating current. At least one waveform generator is bridged in parallel with the inverter, with each waveform generator outputting zero-sequence waveform current compensated to maintain the multi-phase current within a predetermined tolerance from a desired set point. A rectifier receives the waveform current and generates direct current.

Vehicles may require a voltage source that provides a regulated voltage such as 12 VDC and/or 48 VDC. Internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles use alternators that generate AC voltage, which is rectified to DC voltage. When the ICE is either operated intermittently (in a hybrid vehicle) or is absent (in a fuel cell or battery powered vehicle), an alternator can no longer be used to generate auxiliary DC power. DC power from a battery or fuel cell is the normal source of power for electric traction motors in such vehicles. DC/DC converters that are supplied by a high voltage DC bus are typically used to provide auxiliary power at a lower voltage level.
The reliability of DC/DC converters supplied by the high voltage bus needs to improve for automotive applications. DC/DC converters are also relatively expensive, especially when structurally enhanced to meet the tougher automotive applications.

Auxiliary power generation in a motor transformer


A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a network policy manager having a controller element to provision one or more network elements in a communication system with at least one base policy template and at least one atomic policy template retrieved from one or more base policy templates and a plurality of atomic policy templates according to a service order of a subscriber. At least one base policy template can correspond to an operating baseline of the one or more network elements, while at least one atomic policy template can correspond to one among a plurality of service configurations of the one or more network elements. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Typically service providers of telecommunication communication services today manually enter service definitions and associated network configuration information for enabling service bundles in a communication system. As high bandwidth infrastructure such as fiber to the curb or home (FTTC or FTTH) continues to be deployed, the number of service bundles possible is growing rapidly. Consequently, entering a large volume of service bundle definitions and corresponding network configuration manually can be error prone and inefficient.


An optical receiver for receiving an optical differential phase shift keyed signal has an optical component sensitive to the optical phase of the signal, such as an interferometer, a device arranged to generate a control signal by non linear limiting of an output of the optical component, such as an RF amplifier arranged to operate in a region near saturation point, and a phase controller for tuning a phase response of the optical component to the received signal according to the control signal.

It is known to provide a receiver for an optical transmission system which converts an optical signal to electrical form, then samples the signal to detect digital ones and zeroes for example. Such sampling requires an amplitude threshold to be set, and a clock phase to be set. This usually involves providing a clock recovery circuit for determining and continually adjusting the timing of the sampling. Such clock recovery circuits typically use a phase locked loop controlled in association with the threshold level to maximize an "eye opening" of the received waveform.
There are various ways of modulating the data at the transmitter and demodulating at the receiver, most based on altering phase or amplitude. Quadriphase or quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) is a technique of phase modulating digital information onto a carrier signal. QPSK communications systems are generally known in the art. In these systems, a transmission unit uses a local reference oscillator to generate a carrier wave. This oscillator in the transmitter determines the frequency and phase of the unmodulated carrier wave. The transmitter encodes two bits of digital information on the carrier by shifting the carrier phase by a multiple of 90° for an interval of time of length T. The four possible phase shifts, or symbols, that can be transmitted during this interval are determined by the four possible combinations of the two bits to be transmitted. One symbol (two bits of information) is transmitted during each time interval, so the rate of transfer of data in the system is two bits per symbol interval T. On the other end of this system, a receiving unit decodes the two transmitted bits by measuring the phase shift between the received signal and a local reference oscillator.
A drawback to this system is the requirement that the receiver must have a reference oscillator matched in phase to the transmitter oscillator; that is, the decoding is done by coherent detection. This requirement is relaxed in the technique of differential QPSK (DQPSK). In DQPSK, the transmitted data are differentially encoded, that is, they are represented by the difference in phase between successive symbols. In this technique, the receiver does not need the absolute phase of the transmitter oscillator to decode the transmitted symbols. Instead, the decoding of the symbols is by differentially coherent detection: the receiver measures the phase difference between two successive received symbols. This measurement yields a number with four possible values (0 degrees, 90 degrees, 180 degrees, 270 degrees) that represents the two bits of transmitted data.
To demodulate the received signal, it is conventionally desirable for the DQPSK receiver to have a local oscillator that reconstructs the carrier wave. This oscillator in the receiver must match the frequency (although not necessarily the phase) of the DQPSK transmitter oscillator that generated the carrier wave. If the frequencies of the two oscillators are not matched, the receiver cannot efficiently demodulate the transmitted data. The receiver oscillator can be built so that its natural frequency is close to that of the transmitter, but due to variations in manufacturing and differences in operating environments, there will be drifts between the two oscillators. To compensate for such offsets in frequency between the carrier wave and the receiver oscillator, the receiver oscillator can be locked to the carrier wave by a phase-locked loop (PLL). Such a carrier-recovery mechanism can serve to tie the frequency of the receiver oscillator to the frequency of the transmitter oscillator.
This carrier-recovery mechanism must be able to ignore variations in the carrier phase that are due to the information encoded into the carrier. That is, changes in the phase of the carrier by multiples of 90 degrees must not be interpreted as a drift in the receiver oscillator's frequency. U.S. Pat. No. 6,097,768 shows a phase detector for carrier recovery in a DQPSK receiver. It shows using simple arithmetic operations to measure phase errors in the carrier-recovery mechanism for a DQPSK digital communications receiver. The carrier-recovery mechanism is a feedback loop that provides a synchronization between the oscillators in the transmitter and receiver of the communications system. The phase detector measures deviations from this synchronization and generates a phase-error signal used in the feedback loop to synchronize the oscillators. To perform this measurement, the phase detector takes the received signal as input and compares it against a local oscillator in the receiver to generate two digital signals: the in-phase (I) and quadrature-phase (Q) components of the received signal. These signals are the input to a logic unit, which uses these two signals to determine the phase-error signal. In one embodiment of the phase detector, the logic unit analyzes the signs of the two digital signals and then accordingly adds or subtracts the I and Q signals to generate the phase-error signal. In another embodiment, the logic unit determines the magnitude of the phase-error signal by finding the difference in magnitudes of the two digital signals and constructing a phase-error signal proportional to this difference. The logic unit then determines the sign of the phase-error signal by analyzing the signs of the I and Q digital signals. The logic unit thus uses simple arithmetic operations to generate the phase-error signal, thereby reducing the complexity and cost of the phase detector.
In an optical DQPSK system it is possible to avoid regenerating a carrier in the receiver. United States Patent Application 20040141222 shows an optical phase multi-level modulation method and apparatus, and error control method. It uses a plurality of phase modulators disposed in series to phase-modulate light from a source laser. By using two phase-modulators connected in series to effect phase modulation, the frequency bandwidth required by the phase modulators is half that required in the case of phase modulation using a single phase modulator, so the phase modulator configuration can be simplified. At the receiver a demodulator splits the received lightwave along two pairs of optical paths, a one-bit delay is imparted to the light on a first path, and light on a second path is phase-shifted 45 degrees, and delay detection is effected by combining the light of these two paths. The same is done to the third and fourth paths, but there is a phase difference of 90 degrees between the phase-shift amounts imparted by the phase-shifters. Next, the light is converted to an electric signal by a balanced detector to demodulate the I- and Q-component signals. The absolute amount of the phase-shift is an arbitrary value and should be set from the standpoint of convenience and simplicity of the system apparatus.
United States Patent Application 20040081470 shows an optical communications method of transmitting a plurality n data streams comprising modulating an optical carrier using differential M-ary phase shift key (DMPSK) signaling in which M=2n. Advantageously the method comprises using differential quaternary phase shift keying in which n=2. Since the data is differentially encoded in the form of phase changes rather than absolute phase values this enables the modulated optical carrier to be demodulated using direct detection without requiring a phase-locked local optical oscillator. Optical DQPSK is said to provide a higher tolerance to chromatic dispersion and a higher tolerance to polarization mode dispersion, and the electrical and optoelectronic components operate with a bandwidth commensurate with half the line bit rate. Compared to coherent QPSK, optical DQPSK provides improved tolerance to cross-phase modulation (XPM) since the signal is differentially encoded as a phase difference (change) between successive data bits whilst XPM will in general be common to successive data bits. Since optical DQPSK does not require a phase-coherent local oscillator for demodulation this eliminates the need for adaptive polarization control. Since modulation and demodulation for optical DQPSK is functionally relatively straightforward it can readily be implemented using robust and compact electro-optic circuits such as phase modulators, optical couplers, splitters etc which can be readily integrated in the form of monolithic waveguide devices. The demodulator comprises an optical splitter for splitting the received DQPSK modulated optical signal into two parts which are each applied to a respective unbalanced Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) fabricated in gallium arsenide or lithium niobate. A respective balanced optical to electrical converter is connected across the optical outputs of each MZI. Each MZI is unbalanced in that each has a time delay of approximately one symbol period (50 ps for a 20 Gsymbol/s line rate) of the data modulation rate, in one arm relative to that of the other arm, by making the physical length of one arm longer than that of the other arm. Each MZI is respectively set to impart a relative phase shift of π/4 and −π/4 by the application of an appropriate voltage to electrodes on either arm or a differential voltage. Other means of setting the MZIs can also be used.
However the operating point of the interferometer changes with time owing to transmitter and/or receiver characteristics. It is known to provide phase control to maintain the optimum operating point by controlling the path length difference in an interferometer-based optical DQPSK receiver. This control can be based on minimization of the power in the signal at the output of a differential detector. As the phase drifts away from the phase for maximum opening of the receiver "eye", the received intensity tends to increase for two of the four data points and tends to decrease for the other two. On average there should be an increase in total RF power, and so the control can adjust the phase to minimize the RF power to maintain receiver eye opening at a maximum. However, the sensitivity of the control signal is low because the difference between maxima and minima is small and because the rate of change of the control signal is low or zero at the optimum operating point. Thus, the control signal is easily swamped by spurious noise and other effects. This gives a weak drive to the control loop so that the operating point is prone to error. No other simple method of setting the operating point is known.
The problem is exacerbated in optical systems, as opposed to radio DQPSK systems, because the carrier frequencies used are of the order of 104 times higher. Thus, to maintain the required phase difference between the two paths of the interferometer requires a highly sensitive control loop.


The present invention relates to a heterocyclic pyridone compound represented by General Formula (I), where the heterocyclic pyridone compound is used as a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, and particularly a c-Met inhibitor. The present invention also relates to intermediates for preparing heterocyclic pyridone compound and a preparation method. The present invention further relates to a pharmaceutical composition containing the heterocyclic pyridone compound as an active ingredient, and a use of the pharmaceutical composition in treatment of diseases associated with tyrosine kinase c-Met, especially cancer associated with c-Met, as a medicament.

Technical Field
The present invention relates to a heterocyclic pyridone compound, an intermediate and a preparation method thereof, a pharmaceutical composition containing the heterocyclic pyridone compound as an active ingredient, and a use of the pharmaceutical composition in treatment of diseases associated with tyrosine kinase c-Met, especially cancer associated with c-Met, as a medicament.
Related Art
Cancer is the number one killer that threatens human life and health worldwide. Although medical advances enable human to have many new methods for treatment of cancer, presently, cancer is still considered as an unsolved medical problem. Cancer may be caused by many causes, and in recent years, people is enabled to gradually clarify the nature of tumor by means of the development of disciplines such as molecular oncology and molecular pharmacology, and people gradually realize that the nature of carcinogenesis is unlimited cell proliferation caused by cellular signaling pathway disorder. As the most important member involved in cellular signaling, protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs, tyrosine kinases for short) are the most common growth factor receptors, and are closely correlated to occurrence and development of tumor. An excessively high activity of tyrosine kinases leads to activation of a downstream signaling pathway, thereby leading to cell transformation, proliferation, inhibition to apoptosis, and promotion of cell survival, and finally resulting in formation of tumor. Therefore, in recent years, the development trend of antineoplastic agents begins to turn to drugs for abnormal intracellular signaling from conventional cytotoxic drugs, and some relevant drugs have been used in clinic in succession. Compared with conventional cytotoxic antineoplastic agents, this type of molecular targeted agents have strong efficacy and less toxic and side effects, and have gradually become hot issues in current research and development of antineoplastic agents.
The tyrosine kinases are classified into receptor tyrosine kinases and non-receptor tyrosine kinases. The receptor tyrosine kinases include epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) family, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGFR) family, platelet derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) family, fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) family, and so on. The non-receptor tyrosine kinases include Src kinase family, Jak, FAK, and so on. Each kinase family further includes a variety of subtypes.
Hepatocyte growth factor receptor c-Met is a type of receptor tyrosine kinase (Park et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84: 6379-83, 1987; Bottaro et al., Science 2S 1: 802-4, 1991), and includes highly glycosylated outer α subunits and β subunits, and extracellular domains, transmembrane segments and cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase domains. The endogenous ligand for c-Met is hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) (Nature, 327: 239-242 (1987); J. Cell Biol., 111: 2097-2108 (1990)), and c-Met binds with the ligand to induce dimerization of c-Met, so as to generate an autophosphorylated activated receptor, promote downstream signaling, and mediate a variety of responses in tumor cells, including proliferation of epithelial cells and endothelial cells, stimulation of epithelial cell motility, cell survival and morphological changes and promotion of invasion. In addition, HGF regulates angiogenesis, has important meaning for tumor growth and spread. Overexpression of c-Met and the ligand thereof in a variety of tumors (including thyroid cancer, ovarian cancer and pancreatic cancer) also indicates the role of c-Met and the ligand thereof in the development of these tumors.
Presently, in primary tumor and secondary tumor metastasis that c-Met receptor activation plays a key role, a biomass (ribozyme, antibody and antisense RNA) of targeting HGF or c-Met can inhibit tumorigenesis, and it is predicted that selective small-molecular inhibitors of targeting c-Met has therapeutic potential. Patents WO2004/076412, WO2006/021881, WO2010/011538, WO2010/059771 and WO2010/048131 disclose selective c-Met small-molecular inhibitors, and preparation methods and uses thereof.
The heterocyclic pyridone compound disclosed in the present invention has not been reported as a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, especially a c-Met inhibitor.

Heterocyclic pyridone compound, and intermediate, preparation method and use thereof

SHANGHAI HUILUN LIFE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD


An access time adjusting circuit is used in a non-volatile memory to obtain an optimized access time in operation. The circuit includes an access time detecting unit, used to detect a performance status of the non-volatile memory under an operation clock and output the performance status. An access time controlling unit is used to generate at least one adjusting operation clock. Each adjusting operation clock serves as the operation clock for the non-volatile memory. In addition, the non-volatile memory, the access time controlling unit, and the access time detecting unit are connected to form a detection and adjustment loop, so that an optimized operation clock is determined after checking the at least one adjusting operation clock.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to technology for accessing a non-volatile memory. More particularly, the present invention relates to an accessing time adjustment for accessing a non-volatile memory.
2. Description of Related Art
Memory device in digital apparatus or digital is a necessary part. There are many kinds of non-volatile memory, such as NAND Type Flash devices, in the market for choice to the user. Taking the flash memory as the example, for different flash memory provider, the access time specification of the flash memory may be different. Even for the same Flash provider, although the Flash Access Time specification is the same, for the different Semiconductor Process, the "Real Acceptable Flash Access Time" has a lot of margin, compared to the timing rated in the specification. Even for the same Flash device, due to the operating voltage and thermal temperature variation, the Flash Access speed may be changed. In other words, for the mass production consideration with different process, voltage, temperature and some other factors, the Flash provider set the Flash Access Time specification in the lowest workable rate to guarantee some margins for these variations.
To speed up the Flash Access, performance is an important issue in many Flash Application such as DSC (Digital Still Camera), UFD (USB Flash Disk), Mobile Phone, et al. For many Flash Application fields, users always follow the Flash Specification to design their Flash interface circuit. Users try to speed up the Flash speed performance by using faster CPU or any other methodology. Although users do their best, there is a limitation in the Flash Access Timing Specification, on which users must follow to guarantee the Flash Data Access Correctness. However in real usage, there are a lot of margins in the access time. Like usual way in the Intel CPU case (386, 486, . . . ), the CPU operation Clock frequency have been rated in the Specification, but in the real usage, users can use faster Clock frequency (Over Specification) to get better CPU performance. However, the clock adjustment is done by hand, according to the user's specific experience.
A better solution to efficiently improve the performance is still in need under development.

Access time adjusting circuit and method for non-volatile memory


An improved rifle sling comprising of three buckles on an adjustable belt. An adjustment buckle having two serrated openings, a hooked buckle having two serrated openings and a hook at one end and a sliding buckle angled or bent at the middle with two smooth openings. The adjustment buckle allows the user to adjust the belt to a desired length. The sliding buckle is attached to one end of the belt and slides about the rest of the belt. The sliding buckle hooks onto the hooked buckle that is attached close to the other end of the belt when carrying the rifle close to the body. The sliding buckle is unhooked from hooked buckle adding slack to the belt as it slides across it allowing the rifle to be raised normally when it is to be deployed rapidly into a shooting position. The rifle can be carried across the back or front of a user's body.

Beginning as a necessity of life and a means of livelihood, hunting has evolved over the centuries into a sport and a method of maintaining balance in many countries. Hunters have for the last few hundred years relied on the rifle as a weapon of choice. The hunting rifle is traditionally slung over one shoulder or across the body with a one banded sling or supported on both shoulders in other versions which offers more stability. In both cases when a hunter comes upon his or her prey, often unexpectedly, the process of executing the rifle into a shooting position is restrictive and takes time. This increases the chance of the prey spotting or sensing the hunter and moving away. There hence exists a need for a method or sling that reduces the time taken to deploy the rifle into a shooting position.


Methods and apparatus for displaying visual content on a display such that the content is comprehensible only to an authorized user for a visual display system such as a computer, a television, a video player, a public display system (including but not limited to a movie theater), a mobile phone, an automated teller machine (ATM), voting booths, kiosks, security screening workstations, tactical displays and other systems where information is displayed for viewing.

3.1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to information security. More particularly, this invention relates to methods and systems for enabling the secure, private display of visual content on various display screens (e.g., computer monitor, television, video player, movie theater, mobile phone, automated teller machine, security screening workstations, tactical displays). Even more particularly, the present invention addresses the problem of displaying data privately and securely by displaying data legibly within the gaze of a reader and illegibly outside of the reader's gaze. The present invention has applications in the fields of computer science, computer security, and digital rights management.
3.2. Description of the Related Art
Computer terminals and other display devices are often vulnerable to surreptitious surveillance by individuals seeking to gain confidential information presented on the display. Even a casual glance at a computer monitor can yield confidential information that should not be disclosed to unauthorized individuals. Such sensitive information includes records that are protected by government regulation (e.g. medical or financial records), proprietary corporate information, classified government information, or personal information. Password security and data encryption programs do not provide any protection against an attacker who simply reads displayed confidential content over an authorized user's shoulder, or who collects electromagnetic or optical emanations from the user's device to reproduce the contents of the user's display.
In public spaces, it is difficult to achieve privacy of information on conventional display systems. On airplanes, in coffee shops, in office environments, at ATM machines, in voting booths, at kiosks, at reception desks in doctor's offices, even on mobile phones, important private information is susceptible to unintentional or intentional disclosure. The privacy systems available today provide only casual protection against information disclosure. Systems such as plastic shields mounted over a display device to direct the emitted signal within a narrowed range of view are similarly limited. Moreover, there is no guarantee that the user will use these systems properly or at all.
Other systems for providing security from eavesdroppers have employed gazetrackers, to attempt to protect the exchange of data from the authorized user to the system. More particularly, such prior art systems provide mechanisms that enable a user to securely enter information into a computer using the gazepoint to simulate a traditional computer cursor. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,282,553, to Flickner et al., describes a system that enables a user to communicate a password to an ATM machine by indicating the characters to be selected through use of gazepoint tracking, supplemented with a single selection key. However, none of these prior art systems can display information securely from the system to an authorized user.
In certain situations, where data is of particularly high value, or where an attacker is highly motivated to acquire data, some users, such as governments and financial institutions, implement protections against compromising emissions security ("EMSEC"), such as developed by the National Security Agency's so-called "TEMPEST" program. Such "TEMPEST" protection systems are concerned with blocking release of information-bearing signals that can emanate from computer systems as sound, light, vibration, electro-magnetic waves, and other signal patterns. Nevertheless, conventional solutions to EMSEC threats still do not directly address the risk of visual eavesdropping on computer display contents. Thus, TEMPEST-protected displays remain unprotected from visual eavesdropping threats.
What is needed is a display method that delivers content only to the authorized user's view in a manner that is perceptually equivalent to viewing the full fidelity content, but does not expose the content to any unauthorized viewers. The present invention meets these and other needs.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for secure display of visual content


The present invention concerns a silver halide radiographic product intended for industrial radiography as well as a novel radiographic system and a method for forming the radiographic image.. The present invention concerns a photographic product designed to be exposed to X or .gamma. radiation, which comprises a support covered on at least one face with a layer of silver halide emulsion which contains an efficient amount of at least one free spectral sensitizing dye.. This product, intended for industrial radiography, exhibits improved contrast.

Industrial radiography is a technique for the non-destructive testing and analysis of defects in components such as glass, paper, wood or metal components. This technique is widely used in aeronautics, the nuclear industry or the petroleum industry as it makes it possible to detect welding defects or defects in the texture of materials in aircraft, nuclear reactor or pipeline components.
This technique consists of exposing a metallic component to be analyzed to an ionizing radiation, in general X or .gamma. rays, with an energy lying between 10 and 15,000 kV. With this technique it is therefore necessary to use special radiographic products which are sensitive to this ionizing radiation.
The sensitivity of radiographic emulsions to X or .gamma. rays is due to the absorption of some of these rays by the silver halide grains, which causes a secondary emission of electrons which will form an internal latent image. Consequently the ionizing radiation is effective only to the extent it can be absorbed by these grains.
Unfortunately, it is known that the major part of the ionizing radiation passes through the silver halide grains without being absorbed. Only a very small part of the incident radiation (less than 1%) is absorbed and participates in the formation of developable latent image seeds.
It is known to employ an intensifier with an industrial radiographic product. The intensifier typically takes the form of a metallic foil that intercepts a portion of the X or .gamma. radiation and emits electrons that interact with the silver halide grains to form latent image sites.
These intensifiers are not to be confused with intensifying screens used in medical diagnostic radiographic products. In medical diagnostic imaging much lower energy levels of X radiation are employed. Again, only a small portion of the X radiation is absorbed by the silver halide grains. To increase absorption an intensifying screen is employed that absorbs X radiation and emits light. This is achieved by coating phosphor particles in a binder and coating on a support to form the intensifying screen. When light is emitted to the intensifying screen to the medical diagnostic radiographic product that lies outside the spectral region of native sensitivity of the silver halide grains, then a spectral sensitizing dye is employed having its maximum absorption wavelength matched to a primary emission wavelength of the intensifying screen. To transfer energy from the dye, where emitted light is absorbed, to the silver halide grains, it is necessary to adsorb the dye to the surface of the silver halide grains.
In medical diagnostic imaging the high surface to volume ratios of tabular grains allows higher amounts of sensitizing dye to be absorbed, and tabular grain emulsions are therefore generally preferred. Products for industrial radiography instead rely upon the silver halide itself to capture latent image forming radiation. Therefore, nontabular grains (regular grains and irregular grains with low aspect ratios) are most commonly employed. However, films for industrial radiography comprising tabular grain emulsions are known. U.S. Pat. No. 4,883,748 describes a film for industrial radiography in which the silver halide emulsion comprises silver halide grains having an average aspect ratio less than or equal to 5 (and preferably between 1 and 3) and whose surface region contains more iodide than the internal region.

Product for industrial radiography having improved contrast


A process for the extraction of Ni/Co values from an ore or concentrate comprises the steps of subjecting the ore or concentrate to pressure oxidation in the presence of oxygen and an acidic solution containing halide, copper and sulphate ions to obtain a liquor containing Ni/Co values from the resultant pressure oxidation slurry. The liquor is subjected to a selective precipitation treatment to obtain a solid containing Ni/Co hydroxide. The solid is subjected to a Ni/Co leaching stage with an ammonium solution to produce a leach solution containing Ni/Co values and a residue. The Ni/Co values are separated by solvent extraction to produce solutions suitable for electrowinning of Ni and Co. The process also provides for the recovery of precious metals and other metals such as copper.

Nickel sulphide ores are presently treated in commercial practise by a variety of processes in which the first step is almost always a physical concentration by flotation to upgrade the Ni content, typically, from a range of 0.5% to 2.0% up to 7 to 25% Ni, as a concentrate. The subsequent treatment of this concentrate is usually pyrometallurgical (smelting) to produce a Ni matte or an artificial high grade sulphide with about 20% to 75% Ni.
The matte is then generally refined to nickel products by hydrometallurgical techniques.
This combination of pyrometallurgical/hydrometallurgical processing of Ni concentrates is now well established commercially with a number of variations, particularly in the hydrometallurgical portion. Most processes recover some portion of the associated metal values where present, such as copper and cobalt. In addition, a leach residue containing precious metals, such as gold and silver, as well as platinum group elements, e.g. platinum and palladium, is often produced for subsequent recovery of contained values.
This treatment scheme has some inherent drawbacks. Those associated with the pyrometallurgical step, include:
(i) Production of smelter gases including SO.sub.2, which must now be treated in an acid plant to produce sulphuric acid byproduct, which frequently is difficult to market from a remote location. (The capital and operating costs of such acid plants impact on the overall economies of the process.) PA1 (ii) Losses of nickel and particularly cobalt into the slag produced during smelting, often more than 50% of cobalt input. PA1 (iii) High costs of smelting in general, particularly for low grade concentrates (<10% Ni). PA1 (iv) Difficulty in treating certain concentrates with deleterious elements, such as magnesium (Mg) and arsenic (As). PA1 (i) High costs for reagents such as caustic soda or ammonia, required for neutralization. PA1 (ii) Large byproduct production, such as ammonium sulphate or sodium sulphate, which are difficult to market. PA1 (iii) High energy costs, due to large temperature changes during the process. PA1 (iv) Complex and costly process flowsheet, leading to high capital and operating costs.
The hydrometallurgical steps for treating Ni matte vary considerably but all known commercial processes have one or more of the following disadvantages:
As an alternative to the established pyrometallurgical/hydrometallurgical route outlined above, there is one known process using wholly hydrometallurgical steps, that treats concentrates without smelting. It uses a pressure leaching technique with ammoniacal solution. This avoids most of the disadvantages associated with the smelting processes, but unfortunately still suffers from all of the listed disadvantages of the known hydrometallurgical routes, and in fact is not even as efficient overall as the best of the pyrometallurgical/hydrometallurgical routes.
Copper or nickel sulphide ores often also contain other metal values, such as cobalt, as well as precious metals, such as gold and silver and the platinum group metals. Since these ores are typically low grade ores, in so far as copper/nickel is concerned, and also have a high sulphur to copper/nickel ratio, the economical extraction of copper, nickel and cobalt values have been problematical. Some sulphide ores contain such low copper/nickel values that the recovery of precious metals must be high in order to render the process economical. Due to the pyrite content of some ores, the recovery of gold by conventional cyanidation is often difficult, which also renders the treatment of the ore uneconomical.
The present invention provides a process for the hydrometallurgical extraction of copper, nickel and cobalt as well as other metals from sulphide ores. It also provides a process for the hydrometallurgical extraction of nickel and cobalt from laterite ores.

Process for the recovery of nickel and/or cobalt from an ore or concentrate


An animal training device comprises a flexible leash having a clasp for attachment to an animal's collar and a handle for use by a handler. A rigid member is spring mounted on the leash wherein the spring biases the rigid member away from the clasp in the nominal position. The spring facilitates compression of the spring during movement of the rigid member toward the clasp when the handler forces the rigid member along the leash toward an animal being trained or restrained. In this compressed orientation the rigid member is positioned adjacent the animal such that the animal is restrained from jumping upwardly toward the handler. Upon release of the rigid member by the handler, the spring once again biases the rigid member away from the animal thereby facilitating an amount of flexible leash to extend from the rigid member toward the clasp so as to allow relative freedom of movement of the animal being trained or restrained.

For many years domesticated animals have served as companions and work animals. For example, domesticated dogs provide friendship and protection to their owner as well as serving their owners, in some instances, as guide dogs or hearing aid dogs.
In the case of both companion and work animals, the animal must be trained to adhere to acceptable standards of behavior. Specifically, the animal must be trained to obey the commands of sit, stay, lie down, come, and heel. The animal must also be trained not to run away from or jump up onto its handler. By jumping on its handler the animal might knock the handler down, hurt the handler, or dirty the handler's clothes. Training a rambunctious puppy to keep all four paws on the ground, however, can be a difficult and frustrating task.
Several of the above listed commands are easily accomplished with a flexible leash that will not break under tension. In particular, training the animal to adhere to the commands of heel and come, and preventing the animal from running away, can be accomplished with a flexible leash that will not break in response to pulling by the animal. Moreover, a flexible leash is desirable while causally strolling with the animal because the animal is most content when its collar is not under tension and when the animal is allowed some freedom to wander within several feet of its handler.
In contrast, some of the above listed commands are not easily accomplished with a flexible leash but instead require the handler to grab the animal by the collar and physically direct the animal to conduct the command. In particular, during training of the animal not to jump the handler typically is required to bend over toward the animal, grab the animal's collar or harness, and pull or push the animal toward the ground. This places the owner's face within jumping distance of the animal and, ironically, tends to further encourage the animal to jump. Moreover, grasping the collar of a jumping and squirming puppy may be difficult to accomplish.
Accordingly, a flexible leash does not facilitate training an animal not to jump. However, a flexible leash is desired during the remainder of a training session. There is a need, therefore, for an animal training device that allows a handler to train an animal not to jump without requiring placement of the handler's face near the animal, while also providing for the benefits of a flexible leash.


A strain relief member is provided for use with a closure member, which strain relief is formed with a web having tabs formed therein, each with a fastener receiving slot and each formed to be bent angularly from the plane of the web to aid in nesting the cables to reduce the space necessary for the joining the cables electrically and providing strain relief.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a cable closure and more particularly to a bracket which provides strain relief and electrical continuity for cables in a cable closure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Cable closures are well known and it is well known to anchor the cable with respect to the closure structure to avoid displacement of the cable ends from the closure. It is also necessary to provide continuity between the shields of cables which are either spliced or terminated in the closure.
The present device affords a method of providing both strain relief and the electrical continuity of the cable shield. The bracket of the present invention is adapted for use in a pedestal closure, a pole mounted closure or in other splice closures where the ends of the spliced cables are justapositioned.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,748 discloses a reenterable splice closure comprising a base and a dome of a typical pedestal type closure. The base 1 is provided with a bonding harness 10. The bonding harness is disposed within the closure such that braided or other straps that connect bond clamps to the cables can be connected to the mounting. In column 5, this patent discusses the preference of a separate strain relief, such as the part 13, and it also states that the bond harness may be of the rigid type in which the mounting has lugs or other parts that connect directly to the bond clamps. In this way, the cables are mechanically secured to the base and may be electrically grounded to one another.
An earlier patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,725,580, discloses the use of a ring of ductile metal of good conductivity enclosed in a housing. The ring includes a plurality of tangs of generally U-shape and each sized to readily embrace the exposed shielding of a selected drop wire or service wire. The tangs are clinched about the wires to tightly grip the shield. The purpose is to provide electrical continuity.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,431,349 discloses a cable termination closure with a grounding crossbar 20 which extends horizontally across the interior of the upper housing section. This cross bar is a channel shaped metal stamping which is positioned with the flanges depending from the uppermost web and the flanges 22 are provided with apertures 27 to provide for receipt of a tightenable hose clamp which anchors the cable. A grounding ribbon may be wrapped around the cables to make connection with the grounding shield to afford continuity of the ground between adjacent cables supported from the flanges 22 of the crossbar 20.
Other types of strain relief and cable support members are shown in international publication No. WO 90/05401, wherein in FIG. 20A and 20B, a device is shown which may be secured to a sealing means to provide mechanical strength and electrical earth continuity for cables connected thereto by securing means such as bolt 64.
These and other prior art devices may exist but of those known, they are not specifically designed for providing strain relief and electrical continuity and they are not specifically designed to reduce the space needed to terminate the cables and to afford easy connection and retention of the cables to the support member.
The device of the present invention is easily positioned about the cables and retention clips applied to the shields of the cables and to the strain relief device to support the cable and provide electrical continuity between cables.

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company


A spectacle lens optical value determining method, a spectacle lens manufacturing method, a spectacle lens, and an order placing/receiving system of the same, which enable minimization of “sway” and “distortion” that one feels when wearing spectacles, are provided. An optical value of a spectacle lens is selected and determined so that a wavefront entering an eye of a subject at the time of optometry and a wavefront entering the eye when the subject wears the spectacle lens and views an object coincide with or are approximate to each other.

For example, in a lens region of a progressive-addition lens, there are a region of a distance portion for distance vision, a portion for near vision, and a region of an intermediate vision for viewing objects at intermediate distances. A positive refractive power is progressively added from the region of the distance portion through the region of the intermediate vision to the region of the near portion. The difference in refractive power between the region of the distance portion and the region of the near portion of the progressive-addition lens is called an addition power. For a person wearing spectacles for presbyopia who has insufficient power of accommodation in near vision, the addition is designated in accordance with the degree of presbyopia so as to allow comfortable near vision by complementing the power of accommodation. Typically, the addition power of a progressive-addition lens is designated at a value in a range from 0.25 D to 4.00 D by increments of 0.25 D in accordance with the degree of presbyopia and/or the near working distance.
The order information must include an addition power if the order is placed by an optician for a progressive-addition lens with a spectacle lens manufacturer. As described above, the progressive-addition lens has the refractive power varying from the region of the distance portion through the region of the intermediate vision to the region of the near portion in accordance with the designated addition power. Therefore, when the progressive-addition lens is used as a spectacle lens, the size of an object to be viewed varies in respective visual regions of the lens, which causes a person wearing the spectacles to feel "sway" or "distortion". The "sway" and "distortion" of the progressive-addition lens tend to increase with an increase in the addition power. To make the "sway" and "distortion" small enough, various attempts have conventionally been proposed to decrease as much as possible the "sway" and "distortion" of lenses with the same addition power by devising the refractive power distribution of the progressive-addition lens (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-66148

Method for determining optical value of lens of eyeglasses, process for producing lens of eyeglasses, lens of eyeglasses and its ordering/ordr receiving system