The present invention concerns a novel T1R-like ligand II protein. In particular, isolated nucleic acid molecules are provided encoding the T1R-like ligand II protein. T1R-like ligand II polypeptides are also provided, as are recombinant vectors and host cells for expressing the same.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a novel T1 Receptor (T1R)-like ligand II protein. In particular, isolated nucleic acid molecules are provided encoding the T1R-like ligand II protein. T1R-like ligand II polypeptides are also provided, as are recombinant vectors and host cells for expressing the same.
2. Related Art
Interleukin-1 (IL-1). Interleukin-1 (IL-1α and IL-1β) is a "multifunctional" cytokine that affects nearly every cell type, and often in concert with other cytokines or small mediator molecules. (Dinarello, C. A., Blood 87:2095-2147 (Mar. 15, 1996).) There ar three members of the IL-1 gene family: IL-1α, IL-1 β and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra).
IL-1α and IL-1β are agonists and IL-1Ra is a specific receptor antagonist. IL-1α and β are synthesized as precursors without leader sequences. The molecular weight of each precursor is 31 kD. Processing of IL-1α or IL-1β to "mature" forms of 17 kD requires specific cellular proteases. In contrast, IL-1Ra evolved with a signal peptide and is readily transported out of the cells and termed secreted IL-1Ra (sIL-1Ra).
IL-1 Receptor and Ligands. The receptors and ligands of the IL-1 pathway have been well defined (for review, see Dinarello, C. A., FASEB J. 8:1314-1325 (1994); Sims, J. E. et al., Interleukin-1 signal transduction: Advances in Cell and Molecular Biology of Membranes and Organelles, Vol. 3, JAI Press, Inc., Greenwich, Conn. (1994), pp. 197-222). Three ligands, IL-1α, IL-1β, and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) bind three forms of IL-1 receptor, an 80-kDa type I IL-1 receptor (IL-IR1) (Sims, J. E. et al., Science 241:585-589 (1988)), a 68-kDa type II IL-1 receptor (IL-1RII) (McMahan, C. J. et al., EMBO J. 10:2821-2832 (1991)), and a soluble form of the type II IL-IR (sIL-1RII) (Colotta, F. et al., Science 261:472-475 (1993)).
The interactions between the IL-1 ligands and receptors play an essential role in the stimulation and regulation of the IL-1-mediated host response to injury and infection. Cells expressing IL-1RI and treated with IL-1α or IL-1β respond in several specific ways, including stimulating nuclear localization of the rel-related transcription factor, NF-κβ (for review, see Thanos, D. & Maniatis, T., Cell 80:529-532 (1996)), activation of protein kinases of the mitogen-activated protein kinase superfamily that phosphorylate residue threonine 669 (Thr-669) of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) (Guy, G. R. et al., iu J. Biol. Chem. 267:1846-1852 (1992); Bird, T. A. et al., J. Biol. Chem. 268:22861-22870 (1991); Bird, T. A. et al., J. Biol. Chem. 269:31836-31844 (1994)), and stimulation of transcription of the IL-8 gene (Mukaida, N. et al., J. Biol. Chem. 265:21128-21133 (1990)).
IL-1RI-like family. Many proteins from diverse systems show homology to the cytoplasmic domain of the IL-1RI. This expanding IL-IR1-like family includes mammalian proteins, Drosophila proteins, and a plant (tobacco) protein. (Gay, N. J. & Keith, F. J., Nature 351:355-356 (1991); Hashimoto, C. et al., Cell 52:269-279 (1988); Schneider, D. S. et al., Genes & Dev. 5:797-807 (1991); Edon, E. et al., Development 120:885-899 (1994); Mitchan, J. L. et al., J. Biol. Chem 271:5777-5782 (Mar. 8, 1996)).
The mammalian IL-IR1-like receptor family members include a murine protein MyD88 (Lord, K. A. et al., Oncogene 5:1095-1097 (1990)) and a human gene, rsc786 (Nomura, N. et al., DNA Res. 1:27-35 (1994)). Another murine receptor member, T1/ST2, was previously characterized as a novel primary response gene expressed in BALB/c-3T3 cells (Klemenz, R. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 86:5708-5712 (1989); Tominaga, S., FEBS Lett. 258:301-304 (1989); Tominga, S. et al., FEBS Lett. 318:83-87 (1993)). The transmembrane protein mulL-1R AcP (Greenfeder, S. A. et al., J. Biol. Chem. 270:13757-13765 (1995)) has homology to both the type I and type II IL-1R. IL-1R AcP has recently been shown to increase the affinity of IL-1R1 for IL-1β and may be involved in mediating the IL-1 response.
T1 Receptors. T1/ST2 receptors (hereinafter, "T1 receptors"), as a member of the IL-1 receptor family (Bergers, G., et al., EMBO J. 13:1176 (1994)), have various homologs in different species. In the rat, it is called Fit-1, an estrogen-inducible, c-fos-dependent transmembrane protein that shares 26% to 29% amino acid homology to the mouse IL-1RI and II, respectively. In the mouse, the Fit-1 protein is called ST2 and in the human it is called T1. The organization of the two IL-1 receptors and the Fit-1/ST2/T1 genes indicates they are derived from a common ancestor (Sims, J. E., et al., Cytokine 7:483 (1995)). Fit-1 exists in two forms: a membrane form (Fit-1M) with a cytosolic domain similarly to that of the IL-IR1 and Fit-1s, which is secreted and composed of the extracellular domain of Fit-M.
In many ways, these two forms of the Fit-1 protein are similar to those of the membrane-bound and soluble IL-IR1. It has been shown that the IL-1sRI is derived from proteolytic cleavage of the cell-bound form (Sims, J. E., et al., Cytokine 7:483 (1995)). On the other hand, the Fit-1 gene is under the control of two promoters, which results in two isoforms coding for either the membrane or soluble form of the receptor. Two RNA transcripts result from alternative RNA splicing of the 3′ end of the gene. Although IL-1β binds weakly to Fit-1 and does not transduce a signal (Reikerstorger, A., et al., J. Biol. Chem. 270:17645 (1995)), a chimeric receptor consisting of the extracellular murine IL-1RI fused to the cytosolic Fit-1 transduces an IL-1 signal (Reikerstorger, A., et al., J. Biol. Chem. 270:17645 (1995)). The cytosolic portion of Fit-1 align with GTPase-like sequences of IL-1RI (Hopp, T. P., Protein Sci. 4:1851 (1995)) (see below).
IL-1 production in various disease states. Increased IL-1 production has been reported in patients with various viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic infections; intravascular coagulation; high-dose IL-2 therapy; solid tumors; leukemias; Alzheimer's disease; HIV-1 infection; autoimmune disorders; trauma (surgery); hemodialysis; ischemic diseases (myocardial infarction); noninfectious hepatitis; asthma; UV radiation; closed head injury; pancreatitis; periodontitis; graft-versus-host disease; transplant rejection; and in healthy subjects after strenuous exercise. There is an association of increased IL-1 production in patients with Alzheimer's disease and a possible role for IL-1 in the release of the amyloid precursor protein (Vasilakos, J. P., et al., FEBS Lett. 354:289 (1994)). However, in most conditions, IL-1 is not the only cytokine exhibiting increased production and hence the specificity of the IL-1 findings as related to the pathogenesis of any particular disease is lacking. In various disease states, IL-1β, but not IL-1α, is detected in the circulation.
IL-1 in Therapy. Although IL-1 has been found to exhibit many important biological activities, it is also found to be toxic at doses that are close to therapeutic dosages (Dinarello, C. A., Blood 87:2095-2147 (Mar. 15, 1996)). In general, the acute toxicities of either isoform of IL-1 were greater after intravenous compared with subcutaneous injection. Subcutaneous injection was associated with significant local pain, erythema, and swelling (Kitamura, T., & Takaku, F., Exp. Med. 7:170 (1989); Laughlin, M. J., Ann. Hematol. 67:267 (1993)). Patients receiving intravenous IL-1 at doses of 100 ng/kg or greater experienced significant hypotension. In patients receiving IL-β from 4 to 32 ng/kg subcutaneously, there was only one episode of hypotension at the highest dose level (Laughlin, M. J., Ann. Hematol. 67:267 (1993)).
Contrary to IL-1-associated myelostimulation in patients with normal marrow reserves, patients with aplastic anemia treated with 5 daily doses of IL-1α (30 to 100 ng/kg) had no increases in peripheral blood counts or bone marrow cellularity (Walsh, C. E., et al., Br. J. Haematol 80:106 (1992)). IL-1 has been administered to patients undergoing various regiments of chemotherapy to reduce the nadir of neutropenia and thrombocytopenia.
Daily treatment with 40 ng/kg IL-1α from day 0 to day 13 of autologous bone marrow or stem cells resulted in an earlier recovery of neutropenia (median, 12 days; P<0.001) (Weisdorf, D., et al., Blood 84:2044 (1994)). After 14 days of treatment, the bone marrow was significantly enriched with committed myeloid progenitor cells. Similar results were reported in patients with AML receiving 50 ng/kg/d of IL-1β for 5 days starting at the time of transplantation with purged or nonpurged bone marrow (Nemunaitis, J., et al., Blood 83:3473 (1994)). Injecting humans with low doses of either IL-1α or IL-1β confirms the impressive pyrogenic and hypotension-inducing properties of the molecules.
Amelioration of Disease Using Soluble IL-1 Receptors. Administration of murine IL-1sRI to mice has increased the survival of heterotopic heart allografts and reduced the hyperplastic lymph node response to allogeneic cells (Fanslow, W. C., et al., Science 248:739 (1990)). In a rat model of antigen-induced arthritis, local instillation of the murine IL-1sR1 reduced joint swelling and tissue destruction (Dower, S. K., et al., Therapeutic Immunol. 1:113 (1994)). These data suggest that the amount of IL-1sRI administered in the normal, contralateral joint was acting systemically. In a model of experimental autoimmune encephalitits, the IL-1sRI reduced the severity of this disease (Jacobs, C. A., et al., J. Immunol. 146:2983 (1991)).

Antibodies to T1 receptor-like ligand II


A wind power installation includes a machine frame and a rotor shaft which extends between a rotor bearing in a front end of the machine frame and a transmission in a rear end of the machine frame. The rotor shaft is carried by a base of the machine frame to provide increased stiffness and safety in operation. The wind power installation further includes a stiffening element which stiffens the base and extends from the base over the rotor shaft to at least partly cover an upper portion of the rotor shaft.

Wind power installations often comprise a rotor shaft which connects a rotor to a transmission. The rotor and transmission are normally carried by a machine frame which forms part of the nacelle. The machine frame transfers the rotor loads to the wind power installation and thus constitutes a core component in the wind power installation.
In known wind power installations, the rotor shaft is typically suspended in three points or in four points, c.f. "Windkraftanlagen" by Erich Hau, Springer, ISBN 978-3-540-72150-5.
A four point suspended rotor shaft comprises two bearings external to the transmission and typically two suspension points for the transmission itself. The three point suspended rotor shafts are carried by a single bearing external to the transmission and by the transmission itself.
In the four point suspended rotor shafts, the two external bearings are sometimes combined in one large bearing housing. Such a bearing housing may complicate assembly, maintenance, and disassembly processes since it conceals a part of the rotor shaft. The three point suspended rotor shafts are, on the other hand, normally unconcealed since these rotor shafts are normally carried by a machine frame base which is dimensioned so strongly that it sustains not having any stiffening structures extending above the rotor shaft. Such machine frames are typically heavy and expensive to manufacture and handle in the assembly process.

Wind power installation and methods of using a machine frame in a wind power installation


Quantum dots having ligands that comprise tiopronin capping groups are disclosed, along with a method for their preparation. The biocompatibility of these quantum dots is also demonstrated. The functionalization of the quantum dots of the present invention with targeting groups is also described using the example of a translocation peptide that allows the quantum dots to penetrate into the nucleus of cells.

In modern biological analysis, various kinds of organic dyes are used. Among the most common types are fluorescent dyes. However, today more flexibility and demands are placed on these dyes. In addition, fluorescent dyes suffer from the disadvantage that the signal emitted by the fluorophors has a short lifetime which often necessitates continuous excitation by a laser. The requirement to excite the fluorophors at the same time as detecting the signal they emit in turn places considerable demands on the equipment needed to detect the fluorophors.
Nanocrystals of semiconducting materials, otherwise known in the art as quantum dots, have fascinated physicists, chemists and electronic engineers since the 1970s. The most striking feature of these materials is that their chemical and physical properties differ markedly from those of the bulk solid.[1] Now that their quantum size effects are understood, fundamental and applied research on these systems has become increasingly popular. An interesting application is the use of nanocrystals as luminescent labels for biological systems.[2-5] The quantum dots have several advantages over conventional fluorescent dyes: quantum dots emit light at a variety of precise wavelengths depending on their size and have long luminescent lifetimes.
While quantum dots possess these advantages over traditional fluorescent dyes, considerable challenges remain to be addressed concerning their stability and toxicity that limits their widespread use in biological systems. It also remains a problem to produce quantum dots that can be derivatised or coupled to biological species to make them useful in such studies.
Furthermore, numerous methods exist for the syntheses of semiconductor nanocrystals, but most processes are costly, require sophisticated equipment or extreme reaction conditions, and result in low product yields.[2,3,4,6] These synthetic methods are impractical for applications requiring larger quantities or higher concentrations of nanocrystals. Many of the conditions used in the manufacture and application of the quantum dots of the prior art have been incompatible with biological species.


A technique processes an email message. The technique involves receiving the email message from a network, and performing an authenticity analysis operation to determine authenticity of the email message. The technique further involves forwarding a copy of the email message to an external central hub through the network when a result of the authenticity analysis operation indicates that the email message is not authentic, and refraining from sending the copy of the email message to the external central hub through the network when the result of the authenticity analysis operation indicates that the email message is authentic. Such an embodiment is well suited for identifying spear phishing attacks within email messages routinely handled by an email server.

Phishing is an attempt by a fraudster to obtain sensitive information from computer users by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. In one conventional scheme, the fraudster sends emails which appear to be from the trustworthy entity indiscriminately to a large number of computer users. Such emails typically contain a manipulated link to the fraudster's website (i.e., a spoof website which appears to be the website of the trustworthy entity) and instruct the computer users to go to that website using the link to perform various operations (e.g., login, update user information, change passwords, confirm accounts, etc.). Once a computer user goes to the fraudster's website and follows the instructions, the fraudster is able to exploit that computer user (e.g., load malicious code onto the user's computer, login to an actual trustworthy entity as that computer user, etc.).
To protect computer users against phishing attacks, general warnings are often provided to the computer users informing them to avoid emails that (i) include links and (ii) instruct the computer users to click on the links to access websites. When a particular email has been identified as an actual phishing attack (e.g., due to the wide distribution and long lasting prevalence of that email), a precise warning may be provided to the computer users informing them to avoid that particular email if it is received (e.g., to not follow instructions in that email and to immediately delete that email if that email is received).
Spear phishing is similar to phishing but targets specific computer users. For example, the fraudster may be able to obtain personal information about a specific computer user (e.g., the name of that computer user's bank, the name of a friend or family member, etc.), and then include that personal information in a custom email to that computer user in hope that the demonstrated familiarity with that personal information convinces that computer user that the email is not a hoax. The personal information may come from a variety of sources including the specific computer user's social network, knowledge of the specific computer user's title/position at a company, a phone call to the specific computer user's place of business, etc. Also, a spear phishing email may solicit activation of an executable file and thus insert malware into an organization.

Processing email messages based on authenticity analysis


A quad leadframe (30) for a semiconductor device is made from multiple dual-in-line leadframes (10). Two dual-in-line leadframes (10) are provided, wherein each leadframe has two opposing siderails (12) with a plurality of leads (14) connected to those siderails. The leads have a metal clad layer (16) on lead tips which are distal to the two siderails. Each leadframe also has another two opposing siderails (18) which are not connected to any leads. The two leadframes are stacked on top of one another, wherein one leadframe is rotated by substantially 90.degree. with respect to the other leadframe such that the leads of one leadframe are perpendicular to the leads of the second leadframe to form a quad configuration. The siderails enable alignment of the leadframes to each other. The two leadframes can then be optionally tack welded together at any location along the siderails.

Currently, there is no manufacturable method for stamping leadframes for a ceramic quad (CERQUAD) package. The current method for making a CERQUAD leadframe involves etching or stamping a bare Alloy 42 leadframe. Each leadframe is then aluminized either through an electron beam evaporation process (EBEP) or through an ion plating process (IPP). The aluminum is necessary to promote adhesion at the lead tips for the aluminum wire bonds that are used with a ceramic package. However, it is undesirable to have exposed aluminum on leads external to the package body because the aluminum layer complicates a lead finishing process, such as solder or tin plating. Lead finishing of the external leads enables soldering of the leads to a board. Therefore, the EBEP or IPP processes are used to precisely deposit aluminum only at the lead tips of the CERQUAD leadframe. Either of these two processes are very costly in addition to being very slow. The fact that each CERQUAD leadframe must be individually aluminized translates into a long cycle time for making the CERQUAD leadframe. Furthermore, the cost of aluminizing the lead tips of a CERQUAD leadframe accounts for approximately two-thirds of the cost of the leadframe due to the EBEP or IPP process. Although a stamped leadframe traditionally costs less per leadframe as compared to an etched leadframe, the initial cost of a stamping tool is very expensive, so the volume of leadframes produced per stamping tool must be high enough to make the stamping tool cost effective. However, in the case of a CERQUAD leadframe, the price difference between an etched and a stamped bare Alloy 42 leadframe is negligible when compared to the aluminization cost of the lead tips. The major reduction in cost of a CERQUAD leadframe must come from reducing the cost of aluminizing the lead tips.
Leadframes for dual-in-line ceramic packages are less expensive in comparison to CERQUAD leadframes. The surface of the lead tips of dual-in-line leadframes is aluminum clad instead of plated or electron beam deposited. Cladding is an old and well-known process in the art. The cladding process is less expensive than either EBEP or IPP because an aluminum clad stripe is simply rolled onto a bare Alloy 42 strip. The aluminum stripe becomes laminated onto the bare Alloy 42 metal. The aluminum clad Alloy 42 strip can then be stamped into a dual-in-line leadframe. No other aluminization process, such as EBEP or IPP, is required since the lead tips are already aluminum clad. Because the leads are only on two sides of the leadframe, no aluminum is exposed outside of the package body after the device is assembled. Any aluminum clad on the non-leaded siderails is discarded along with the siderails during the trim and form process.
A CERQUAD leadframe would be more cost effective to produce if an aluminum cladding process could be used instead of either the EBEP or IPP process.

Method for making a quad leadframe for a semiconductor device


The present patent application discloses a camera provided with judging means for automatically judging the direction in which an object to be photographed is located, and control means for correctly controlling the camera by obtaining measured distance information and/or measured light information of the direction in which the object is located on the basis of an output of the judging means.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to cameras and, more particularly, to cameras suited to remote manipulation.
2. Description of the Related Art
The remote-control capability that has so far been introduced into the camera operates after the photographer has set the camera body on a camera fixing member such as a tripod and has determined a desired composition in the picture frame. He then walks up to the front of the camera and then activates the remote-control transmitter. It has also been known in Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 52-29931 to provide a remote-controlled motor-driven tripod. With the use of this, the photographer, while standing away from the front of the camera, can operate the motor-driven tripod by means of the remote-control transmitter to control the direction of the camera.
However, the cameras having these remote-control capabilities have a drawback that the determined composition can not be altered, or that even if the alteration is possible, the handling for it is troublesome, because it has to be done manually (by using the remote-control transmitter). Another drawback arising from the use of the motor-driven tripod is that when the direction of the camera is manually altered, the photographer can hardly guess where his image as the object of principal interest takes its place within the picture frame. Further, in a case where the image of the object does not lie at the center of the area of the picture frame, in the automatic focus detector-equipped camera or the automatic exposure controller-equipped camera, the adequate focus adjustment or the accurate exposure control can no longer be made.


In a multistage rotary compressor using a refrigerant such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and the like which becomes high in a discharge pressure, operating efficiency thereof can be enhanced by appropriately setting the ratio between displacement of the respective rotary compression elements and the areas of discharge ports thereof. In the multistage rotary compressor comprising an electric element in a hermetic shell case, and first and second rotary compression elements which are driven by the electric element, wherein a refrigerant which is compressed and discharged by the first rotary compression element is drawn into and compressed by the second rotary compression element and discharged thereby, wherein the ratio of S2/S1 is set to be smaller than ratio of V2/V1, where S1 is an area of a discharge port of the first rotary compression element, S2 is an area of a discharge port of the second rotary compression element, V1 is displacement of the first rotary compression element, and V2 is displacement of the second rotary compression element.

The invention relates to a multistage compression type rotary compressor (hereinafter referred to as multistage rotary compressor) comprising an electric element in a hermetic shell case, and first and second rotary compression elements which are driven by the electric element, wherein a refrigerant which is compressed by the first rotary compression element and discharged is drawn into and compressed and discharged by the second rotary compression element, and a refrigeration circuit system using the multistage rotary compressor.
In a conventional multistage rotary compressor of this type, for example, in a multistage rotary compressor of an internal intermediate pressure type, for example, as disclosed in JP-H 2-294586 and JP-H 2-294587 and a refrigeration circuit system using the multistage rotary compressor, a refrigerant is drawn into a low pressure chamber of a cylinder through a suction port of a first rotary compression element (first stage compression mechanism), and it is compressed during the operation of a roller and a vane and is changed into a refrigerant having an intermediate pressure (hereinafter referred to as intermediate pressure refrigerant) and the intermediate pressure refrigerant is discharged from a high pressure chamber of the cylinder to a hermetic shell case through a discharge port and a noise eliminating chamber.
The intermediate pressure refrigerant in the hermetic shell case is drawn into the low pressure chamber of the cylinder through a suction port of a second rotary compression element (second stage compression mechanism), where it is subjected to a second stage compressions during the operation of the roller and vane and is changed into a refrigerant having a high temperature and high pressure (hereinafter referred to as high temperature and high pressure refrigerant), which in turn flows from the high pressure chamber into a radiator or the like such as an external gas cooler or the like constituting a refrigeration circuit system unit through a discharge port and the noise eliminating chamber, where the heat is radiated to perform heating operation, then throttled by an expansion valve (pressure reducing device) and enters an evaporator, where heat of the refrigerant is withdrawn and the refrigerant is evaporated, thereafter it is drawn into the first rotary compression element. This cycle is repeated.
In such a multistage rotary compressor, the cylinders of the first and second rotary compression elements and the noise eliminating chamber communicate with each other by the discharge port. A discharge valve for freely opening and closing the discharge port is provided in the noise eliminating chamber. The discharge valve is formed of an elastic member made of longitudinal substantially rectangular metal sheet wherein one side of the discharge valve is brought into contact with the discharge port to seal it and the other side of the discharge valve is fixed to an attachment port by a caulking pin with a predetermined distance relative to the discharge port.
The refrigerant which is compressed by the cylinder to reach a predetermined pressure pushes the discharge valve which closes the discharge port to open the discharge port and then it is discharged into the noise eliminating chamber. When the discharge of the refrigerant approaches an end time, the discharge vale is structured to block off the discharge port. At this time, the refrigerant remains in the discharge port which is returned to the cylinder and is expanded again.
Although the re-expansion of the refrigerant remaining in the discharge port incurs the lowering of the compression efficiency, the conventional multistage rotary compressor sets the ratio of S2 to S1 (S2/S1) to be the same as the ratio of V2 to V1 (V2/V1) where SI is an area of a discharge port of the first rotary compression element and S2 is an area of a discharge port of the second rotary compression element, V1 is displacement of the first rotary compression element and V2 is displacement of the second rotary compression element.
Meanwhile, in a refrigeration circuit system such as a cooling, heating and hot water supply unit using refrigerant, e.g., Carbon dioxide (CO2), which is large in difference between high and low pressures, a discharge pressure of the second rotary compression element (second stage) is normally controlled to a very high pressure ranging from 10 MPa to 13 MPa so that volume flow at the discharge port of the second compression element is very small. Accordingly, even if the area of the discharge port of the second rotary compression element is made small, it is hardly susceptible to a passage resistance. Nonetheless, if the ratio of S2/S1 of the discharge port is set to a conventional ratio in the multistage rotary compressor using such a refrigerant, there arises a problem that a compression efficiency (operation efficiency) is lowered.
In the multistage rotary compressor using such a refrigerant, a discharge refrigerant pressure reaches 1 MPa at a refrigerant discharge side of the second rotary compression element (second stage compression mechanism) which becomes a high pressure at an ambient temperature of about +20xc2x0 C. as shown in FIG. 5, while it reaches 9 MPa at the first rotary compression element forming a lower stage, which in turn becomes an intermediate pressure in the hermetic shell case (pressure in a case). A pressure (low pressure) drawn by the first rotary compression element is about 5 MPa.
However, if an evaporation temperature of the refrigerant increases when an ambient temperature increases, a pressure drawn by the first rotary compression element increases so that a pressure at the refrigerant discharge side (first stage discharging pressure) also increases as shown in FIG. 5. When the ambient temperature becomes not less than +32xc2x0 C., the pressure at the refrigerant discharge side (intermediate pressure) of the first rotary compression element becomes higher than that (second stage discharging pressure) of the second rotary compression element so that there occurs an inverse of the pressure between the intermediate pressure and a high pressure, arising a problem that a vane of the second rotary compression element is prone to jump to generate noises and the operation of the second rotary compression element becomes unstable.
Although in the conventional multistage rotary compressor, a pressure reversing phenomenon, between the pressure (intermediate pressure) at the refrigerant drawing side of the second rotary compression element and the pressure (high pressure) at the refrigerant discharge side of the first rotary compression element caused by excessive compression by the first rotary compression element is avoided by controlling the amount of circulation of the refrigerant by the expansion valve in the refrigeration circuit, namely, by restraining (throttling) the amount of refrigerant which is introduced into the first rotary compression element. However, in such a case, there arises a problem that the performance of the multistage rotary compressor is lowered because the amount of refrigerant which circulates in the refrigeration circuit is reduced. In addition, the pressure in the hermetic shell case increases, arising a problem that the pressure exceeds an allowable limit of the hermetic shell case.
The invention has been developed to solve the technical problems of the conventional multistage rotary compressor. It is a first object of the invention to provide a multistage rotary compressor using a refrigerant such as carbon dioxide (CO2) which becomes high in a discharge pressure, and improving operating efficiency by appropriately setting the ratio between the air volumes of the respective rotary compression elements and the areas of discharge port thereof. It is another object of the invention to provide a multistage rotary compressor capable of avoiding a pressure reversing phenomenon where discharge pressures of the first and second rotary compression elements are reversed by an ambient temperature, and a refrigeration circuit system using the multistage rotary compressor.
That is, since the multistage rotary compressor of the first aspect of the invention comprises an electric element in a hermetic shell case, and first and second rotary compression elements being driven by the electric element, wherein a refrigerant which is compressed and discharged by the first rotary compression element is drawn into and compressed by the second rotary compression element and discharged thereby, and the multistage rotary compressor is characterized in that ratio of S2/S1 is set to be smaller than ratio of V2/V1, where S1 is an area of a discharge port of the first rotary compression element, S2 is an area of a discharge port of the second rotary compression element, V1 is displacement of the first rotary compression element, and V2 is displacement of the second rotary compression element, it is possible to reduce the amount of a high pressure gas remaining in the discharge port of the second rotary compression element by further reducing the area S2 of the discharge port of the second rotary compression element.
Particularly, in the second aspect of the invention, if the ratio of S2/S1 is set to be not less than 0.55 to not more than 0.85 times as large as the ratio of V2/V1, an operating efficiency of the rotary compressor can be further enhanced.
Further, in the third aspect of the invention, if the ratio of S2/S1 is set to be not less than 0.55 to not more than 0.67 times as large as the ratio of V2/V1, the multistage rotary compressor achieves the effect particularly under circumstances such as at a cold district or the like where the flow rate of a refrigerant is small.
Still further, in the fourth aspect of the invention, if the ratio of S2/S1 is set to be not less than 0.69 to not more than 0.85 times as large as the ratio of V2/V1, the multistage rotary compressor has a dramatic effect under circumstances such as at a warm district or the like where the flow rate of a refrigerant is large.
According to the fifth aspect of the invention, since the refrigeration circuit system comprises an electric element in a hermetic shell case enclosure, and first and second rotary compression elements being driven by the electric element, wherein an intermediate pressure refrigerant which is compressed by the first rotary compression element is drawn and compressed by the second rotary compression element and discharged thereby, and the multistage rotary compressor comprises a communication path for communicating between a path through which the intermediate pressure refrigerant compressed by the first rotary compression element flows and a refrigerant discharge side of the second rotary compression element, and a valve unit for opening and closing the communication path, wherein the valve unit opens the communication path when a pressure of the intermediate pressure refrigerant becomes higher than a pressure at the refrigerant discharge side of the second compression element, it is possible to control the intermediate pressure to be not more than the pressure at the refrigerant discharge side of the second rotary compression element by the valve unit.
As a result, it is possible to avoid in advance an inconvenience of the reverse of pressures at the refrigerant suction side and the refrigerant discharge side of the second rotary compression element, and also avoid an unstable operating condition or the generation of noises, and not reduce the amount of circulation of the refrigerant, thereby avoiding the lowering of performance of the multistage rotary compressor.
In the sixth aspect of the invention, since the multistage rotary compressor further comprises a cylinder constituting the second rotary compression element, a noise eliminating chamber for discharging the refrigerant compressed in the cylinder, wherein the intermediate pressure refrigerant which is compressed by the first rotary compression element is discharged into the hermetic shell case, and the second rotary compression element draws the intermediate pressure refrigerant in the hermetic shell case thereinto, and wherein the communication path is formed in a wall forming the noise eliminating chamber for allowing the hermetic shell case enclosure to communicate with the noise eliminating chamber, and the valve unit is provided in the noise eliminating chambers or the communication path, the communication path which communicates between the path through which the intermediate pressure refrigerant compressed by the first rotary compression element flows and the refrigerant discharge side of the second rotary compression element, and the valve unit for opening and closing the communication path can be concentrated at the noise eliminating chamber of the second rotary compression element, so that the entire structure of the multistage rotary compressor can be simplified and the entire dimensions thereof can be made small.
In the seventh aspect of the invention, since the refrigeration circuit system comprises a multistage rotary compressor formed of an electric element in a hermetic shell case, and first and second rotary compression elements being driven by the electric element, wherein a refrigerant which is compressed by the first rotary compression element is compressed by the second rotary compression element, a gas cooler into which the refrigerant discharged from the second rotary compression element flows, a pressure reducing device connected to an outlet side of the gas cooler, and an evaporator connected to an outlet side of the pressure reducing device, wherein the refrigerant discharged from the evaporator is compressed by the first rotary compression element, the refrigeration circuit system further comprises a bypath circuit for supplying the refrigerant discharged from the first rotary compression element to the evaporator, a flow regulating valve capable of controlling flow rate of the refrigerant flowing in the bypath circuit, and control means for controlling the flow regulating valve and the pressure reducing device, wherein the control means normally closes the flow regulating valve and increases flow rate of the refrigerant flowing in the bypath circuit by the flow regulating valve in response to the increase of pressure at the refrigerant discharge side of the first rotary compression element, the refrigerant discharged from the first rotary compression element can be let out toward the evaporator via the bypath circuit by the flow regulating valve when the pressure at the refrigerant discharge side of the first rotary compression element increases. As a result, it is possible to avoid in advance an inconvenience of the reverse of the pressure at the refrigerant discharge side of the first rotary compression element, which increases abnormally, e.g., owing to high ambient temperature, to the pressure at the refrigerant discharge side of the second rotary compressor element are reversed.
In the eighth aspect of the invention, since the refrigerant compressed by the first rotary compressor element is discharged into the hermetic shell case and the second rotary compression element draws the refrigerant in the hermetic shell case thereinto; and wherein the control means opens the flow regulating valve when a pressure in the hermetic shell case reaches a predetermined pressure, it is possible to avoid in advance the drawback that the pressure in the hermetic shell case exceeds the allowable limit of the pressure in the hermetic shell case when the pressure at the refrigerant discharge side of the first rotary compression element increases provided that the flow regulating valve opens when the pressure in the hermetic shell case, for example, approaches the allowable pressure in the hermetic shell case.
Further, in the ninth aspect of the invention, since the control means opens the flow regulating valve when the pressure at the refrigerant discharge side of the first rotary compression element is higher than or approaches a pressure at the refrigerant discharge side of the second rotary compression element, it is possible to avoid the pressure reversing phenomenon between the pressure at the refrigerant discharge side of the first rotary compression element and that of the second rotary compression element, thereby avoiding in advance an inconvenience that the second rotary compression element falls into an unstable operating condition.
Further, in the tenth aspect of the invention, since the control means fully opens both the pressure reducing device and the flow regulating valve when the evaporator performs defrosting operation, it is possible to eliminate frost generated in the evaporator by the refrigerant compressed by the first rotary compression element and the refrigerant compressed by the second rotary compression element and also possible to avoid the pressure reversing phenomenon between the pressure at the refrigerant discharge side of the first rotary compression element and that of the second rotary compression element while more efficiently defrosting the frost grown up in the evaporator.

Multistage rotary compressor and refrigeration circuit system


The invention provides an ink set, a process for forming a colored portion and an ink-jet recording apparatus which are used for obtaining higher-quality ink-jet recorded articles. The ink set includes an aqueous ink containing at least an ultrafinely particulate pigment as a coloring material and an aqueous liquid composition containing fine particles, dispersed therein and electrically charged at the surface in a polarity opposite to the ink.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink set, a process for forming a colored portion and an ink-jet recording apparatus, and particularly to an ink set which can form excellent ink-jet recorded articles that have a wide color reproduction range, are excellent in color uniformity, do not cause bleeding between inks of different colors, have little stripe irregularity at solid printed areas and also have good weather resistance (light fastness, gas (ozone) fastness and water fastness) and rub-off resistance on plain paper, a process for forming a colored portion and an ink-jet recording apparatus.
2. Related Background Art
The conventional inks used in ink-jet recording methods generally comprise water as a principal component and a water-soluble high-boiling solvent such as a glycol for the purpose of preventing drying of the inks and clogging of orifices. When such an ink is used to conduct recording on a recording medium, therefore, such problems that sufficient fixing ability is not achieved, and an uneven image occurs, which is considered to be attributable to uneven distribution of a filler and/or a size on recording paper as a recording medium, may arise in some cases.
On the other hand, in recent years, there has been a strong demand for requiring high image quality of the same level as that of a silver salt photograph for ink-jet recorded articles. There have hence been very high technical demands for heightening the optical density of ink-jet recorded images, widening a color reproduction range and improving the color evenness of the recorded articles.
Under such circumstances, various proposals have heretofore been made for the purpose of stabilizing an ink-jet recording process and improving the quality of recorded articles by the ink-jet recording process. As one of proposals as to recording media, has proposed a method of coating the surface of a paper substrate of a recording medium with a filler and/or a size. For example, disclosed herein are techniques in which porous fine particles, which adsorb a coloring material, are coated as the filler on the paper substrate to form an ink-receiving layer by the porous fine particles. Coated paper for ink-jet, and the like are sold as recording media using these technique. Some of other representative proposals are described below.
(1) Methods of Adding a Volatile Solvent or Penetrable Solvent into an Ink:
As a means for improving the fixing ability of an ink to a recording medium, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 55-65269 discloses a method of adding a compound capable of enhancing penetrability, such as a surfactant, to an ink. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 55-66976 discloses the use of an ink comprising a volatile solvent as a main component.
(2) Methods of Mixing an Ink and a Liquid Composition, which Reacts with the Ink, on a Recording Medium:
In order to improve an optical density and water fastness of an image, and prevent bleeding, there have been proposed methods of applying a liquid composition, which can improve the image, to a recording medium prior to jetting of an ink or after the jetting.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-60783 discloses a method in which a liquid composition containing a basic polymer is applied to a recording medium, and recording is then conducted with an ink containing an anionic dye. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-22681 discloses a recording method in which a first liquid composition containing a reactive chemical species and a second liquid composition containing a compound capable of reacting with the reactive chemical species are mixed on a recording medium. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-299971 discloses a method in which a liquid composition containing an organic compound having two or more cationic groups per molecule is applied to a recording medium, and recording is then conducted with an ink containing an anionic dye. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 64-9279 discloses a method in which an acidic liquid composition containing succinic acid or the like is applied to a recording medium, and recording is then conducted with an ink containing an anionic dye.
Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 64-63185 discloses a method in which a liquid composition, which insolubilizes dyes, is applied to a recording medium prior to application of an ink. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-224955 discloses a method in which a liquid composition containing cationic substances different in molecular weight distribution range from each other is used together with an ink containing anionic compound. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-72393 discloses a method in which a liquid composition containing a cationic substance and finely ground cellulose is used together with an ink. In both publications, it is described that an image high in optical density and good in image quality and water fastness and also in color reproducibility and resistance to bleeding is obtained. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 55-150396 discloses a method in which recording is conducted with a dye ink on a recording medium, and a water-proofing agent, which forms lake with a dye, is then applied, to propose that water fastness is imparted to the resulting recorded image.
(3) Methods of Mixing an Ink with a Liquid Composition Containing Fine Particles on a Recording Medium:
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-259590 discloses a method in which a colorless liquid containing colorless fine particles composed of an inorganic substance is applied to a recording medium, and an non-aqueous recording liquid is then applied. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-92010 discloses a method in which a solution containing fine particles or a solution containing fine particles and a polymeric binder is applied to a recording medium, and an ink containing a pigment, a water-soluble resin, a water-soluble solvent and water is then applied. In both publications, it is described that an image good in image quality and coloring properties is obtained irrespective of the kind of recording paper.
(Background Art)
The present inventors have repeatedly carried out investigations as to such various ink-jet recording techniques as described above. As a result, it has been found that although excellent effects can be recognized with respect to their respective technical objects, other ink-jet recording properties may be deteriorated in some cases in exchange for it. For example, the above-described recording medium (hereinafter referred to as coated paper) obtained by coating the surface of a paper substrate of a recording medium with a filler and/or a sizing agent is recognized as a technique with which a high-quality image can be formed.
In general, in order to obtain an image high in saturation, it has been known that a coloring material is preferably retained on the surface of a recording medium in a monomolecular state without being aggregated. Porous fine particles on the coated paper have such that function. In order to achieve high optical density and saturation of the image by a coloring material in an ink applied, however, it is indispensable to form such a thick ink-receiving layer that the paper substrate is covered with a great amount of the porous fine particles. As a result, there has been offered a problem that the texture of the paper substrate is lost. The present inventors have inferred that the necessity of such a thick ink-receiving layer that the texture of the paper substrate is lost is attributable to the fact that the coloring material is not effectively adsorbed on the porous fine particles.
Assuming coated paper having an ink-receiving layer, it will be explained in the following description. FIG. 9 typically illustrates a section of the coated paper in the vicinity of the surface thereof. In FIG. 9, reference numerals 901 and 903 indicate a paper substrate and an ink-receiving layer, respectively. The ink-receiving layer 903 generally has porous fine particles 905 and an adhesive 907 for immobilize them. When an ink is applied to the ink-receiving layer 903, the ink penetrates into voids among the porous fine particles 905 by a capillary phenomenon to form ink-penetrated portions 909. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the porous fine particles in the ink-receiving layer are topically different in density from each other, and so the penetration of the ink by the capillary phenomenon varies with the locality. Therefore, the coloring material cannot evenly contact with the surfaces of the porous fine particles in the course of the penetration of the ink, so that the coloring material is not efficiently adsorbed on the porous fine particles.
Further, the penetration of the ink is partially prevented by the adhesive 907, and so portions into which the ink cannot penetrate are present in the ink-receiving layer 903, and portions which cannot contribute to coloring are thus produced. More specifically, in the conventional coated paper, the coloring material cannot be efficiently adsorbed in a monomolecular state according to the amount of the porous fine particles for the above-described reasons. As a result, a great amount of the porous fine particles are required to provide a high-quality image, so that the texture of the paper substrate is impaired.
Although the fixing ability of an ink to a recording medium is improved by adopting the above technique (1), the optical density of an image formed and a color reproduction range, which is important for recording on plain paper and recording of color images, may have been lowered in some cases. According to the technique (2), a coloring material in an ink can be kept on the surface of a recording medium, and so a recorded article having high in optical density of images can be provided. However, a color reproduction range and saturation may have been lowered in some cases, which would be considered to be attributable to aggregation of a coloring material on the surface of a recording medium. According to the prior art described in the item (3), the surface profile of a recording medium is improved by application of the solution containing fine particles. However, any high-definition image of the same level as in coated paper has been unable to be obtained. In the non-aqueous recording liquid in particular, problems are left on its degree of freedom because selectivity of a coloring material, application method of a recording liquid, etc. are limited. Since some problems have been left on the conventional methods as described above, the present inventors have come to have recognition that the development of new ink-jet recording techniques is necessary for ink-jet recorded articles of higher quality required in recent years.
In the development of coloring materials of inks for office or personal ink-jet printers on the other hand, the development of a pigment system has also been vigorously made together with a dye system, which has been the main system over a long period of time, in recent years. In particular, there is a strong demand for future development from the viewpoint of high weather resistance (water fastness, light fastness and gas (ozone) fastness) which is characteristic of the pigment system.
Inks using black carbon black have been already put to practical use at present. However, inks using organic pigments of chromatic colors such as cyan, magenta and yellow have not yet been realized in the field of office and personal printers in respects of coloring of recorded images, and the like though they have been realized in large-size printers and the like utilized for posters and advertisements. However, the development of a production process of fine particles has been advanced in chromatic organic pigments used in ink-jet in recent years, and so-called ultrafinely particulate color organic pigments have appeared. The ultrafinely particulate color organic pigments are improved in print quality such as coloring ability and transparency on recording media such as coated paper and glossy paper for ink-jet, which have heretofore been poor compared with dye inks. However, such pigments have not succeeded in forming recorded images having sufficient coloring property on recording media poor in liquid absorbency and pigmenting, such as plain paper.
The present inventors have carried out investigations repeatedly on the basis of such findings as described above. As a result, it has been found that an aqueous liquid composition containing fine particles having an action of adsorbing a coloring material on its surface, and an aqueous ink containing an ultrafinely particulate pigment are used, and the liquid composition is brought into contact with the ink in a liquid state, whereby the ultrafinely particulate pigment efficiently reacts with the fine particles to improve the optical density and saturation of an image formed on a recording medium poor in liquid absorbency and pigmenting, such as plain paper and to bring about an excellent inhibitory effect on bleeding, thus leading to completion of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an ink set used in providing a high-quality ink-jet recorded article, a process for forming a colored portion and an ink-jet recording apparatus.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an ink set which can form excellent ink-jet recorded articles that have a wide color reproduction range, are excellent in color uniformity, do not cause bleeding between inks of different colors, have little stripe irregularity at solid printed areas and also have good weather resistance (light fastness, gas (ozone) fastness and water fastness) and rub-off resistance on plain paper, a process for forming a colored portion and an ink-jet recording apparatus.
The above objects can be achieved by the present invention described below.
In an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an ink set comprising an aqueous ink containing at least an ultrafinely particulate pigment as a coloring material and an aqueous liquid composition containing fine particles dispersed therein and electrically charged at the surface in a polarity opposite to the ink, in a dispersed state.
In another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a process for forming a colored portion, comprising the steps of:
(i) applying an anionic or cationic aqueous ink containing an ultrafinely particulate pigment as a coloring material to a recording medium; and
(ii) applying an aqueous liquid composition containing fine particles dispersed therein and electrically charged at the surface in a polarity opposite to the aqueous ink, in a dispersed state to the recording medium,
wherein the ink and the liquid composition are applied so as to come into contact with each other in a liquid state on the surface of the recording medium.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an ink-jet recording apparatus comprising a first recording unit equipped with a container part which contains an anionic or cationic aqueous ink containing an ultrafinely particulate pigment as a coloring material and an ink-jet head for ejecting the ink, and a second recording unit equipped with a composition container part which contains an aqueous liquid composition containing fine particles dispersed therein and electrically charged at the surface in a polarity opposite to the ink, and an ink-jet head for ejecting the liquid composition.
In a still further embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an ink-jet recording apparatus comprising an ink container part which contains an anionic or cationic aqueous ink containing an ultrafinely particulate pigment as a coloring material, a liquid composition container part which contains an aqueous liquid composition containing fine particles dispersed therein electrically charged at the surface in a polarity opposite to the ink, and ink-jet heads for independently ejecting the ink contained in the ink container part and the liquid composition contained in the liquid composition container part.
In present specification, the term xe2x80x9ca reaction of a coloring material (ultrafinely particulate pigment) with fine particlesxe2x80x9d means ionic bonding, physical/chemical adsorption, absorption, adhesion and any other interaction between both in addition to covalent bonding between both.

Ink set, process for forming colored portion and ink-jet recording apparatus


A mixture including at least one iron oxide and a mon-magnetic matrix material is melted or vaporized and then heat is rapidly removed from the material. The resulting magnetic oxide precipitates are densely packed in the non-magnetic matrix. The precipitates have a narrow particle size distribution which results in a high signal-to-noise ratio when the oxides are used for magnetic recording purposes. The non-magnetic matrix can be removed to yield homogeneous, small particle iron oxide containing magnetic powder. Alternatively, the non-magnetic matrix/iron oxide material can be processed to yield a shaped recording medium.

This invention relates to methods for producing iron oxide particles in a solid non-magnetic matrix by rapid solidification of an iron oxide precursor mixed with a non-magnetic matrix material.
Oxide particles for magnetic recording purposes are currently synthesized using a very complex and lengthy procedure. This procedure requires the precipitation of synthetic .alpha.-(FeO)OH(goethite) from aqueous solutions, the dehydration of .alpha.-Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 to Fe.sub.3 O.sub.4, and finally the careful oxidation of Fe.sub.2 O.sub.4, to form .gamma.-Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3. (Akashi, Ferrites: Proceedings of the International Conference, Sept.-Oct. 1980 Japan p. 548-552).
Another wet chemistry technique for preparation of iron oxide (spinel ferrite) powders consists of precipitation of the spinel ferrite from aqueous solutions containing ferrous ions and other divalent metallic ions. The solution pH is controlled formed by oxidation of the aqueous solution in air above 50.degree. C. (Takada, Ferrites: Proceedings of the International Conference. Sept.-Oct., 1980, Japan, p. 3-6).
Another wet chemical method for synthesis of iron oxide powders involves the reduction of ferrous ions with sodium borohydride, a very expensive reducing agent, in the presence of a magnetic field (Akashi, Ferrites: Proceedings of the International Conference, Sept.-Oct., 1980, Japan, p. 548-552).
It is also possible to prepare cobalt-ferrite iron oxide powders using wet chemistry methods. According to one such method, acicular .gamma.-Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 particles are suspended in an alkaline solution containing Co.sup.2+ and then treated at 90.degree. C. for 10 hours (Hayama, Ferrites: Proceedings of the International Conference, Sept.-Oct., 1980, Japan, p. 521-525).
Alternative preparation methods for iron oxide powders include condensation of vaporized metal in a low pressure inert gas atmosphere in the presence of a magnetic field. Powders produced in this manner exhibit low noise levels and excellent stability against oxidation; however, this method is extremely expensive (Akashi, Ferrites: Proceedings of the International Conference, Sept.-Oct., 1980, Japan, p. 548-552).
Cobalt modified iron oxides may be prepared using pyrolytic decomposition (chemical vapor deposition) of cobalt-acetylacetonate vapor on the surface of iron oxide fluidized acicular particles. Powders prepared using this process are suitable for magnetic recording applications. They exhibit high coercivities (550-600 Oe) at relatively low Co.sup.2+ (2-3) and Fe.sup.2+ (8-9) wt % (Monteil et al. Ferrites: Proceedings of the International Conference, Sept.-Oct., 1980, Japan, p. 532-536).
Complex oxides for ferrites, consisting of iron oxide and zinc oxide, are prepared by spraying aqueous chloride solutions of the respective oxide metallic constituents onto a fluidized roasting furnace (Hirai et al. WO88-00925).
The iron oxide and doped iron oxide particles produced according to these methods are incorporated into magnetic discs, tapes and other devices for magnetic recording. Such magnetic recording media usually consist of a non-magnetic support for a magnetic recording layer of ferromagnetic powder (i.e. iron oxide or doped iron oxide) dispersed in an organic binder material (Saito et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,581, JP 62125533, JP 57078631, JP 62241134, JP 62162228, and Funahashi et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,565) where the non-magnetic support or substrate may be a polyester film or tape.
Efforts have also been directed towards improvement of durability of magnetic recording media. One approach involves the combination of cobalt doped .gamma.-Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 and Cr.sub.2 O.sub.3 with non-magnetic .alpha.-iron oxide in an organic binder by ball milling subsequent coating of a PET film (JP 55129935).
Other approaches coat the magnetic iron oxide particles with a layer of silica (SiO.sub.2) by sputtering (JP 58006528) or by immersing the metal oxide particle in a ph-controlled suspension with an amorphous, powdered silicate which is subsequently made crystalline by adjustment of the suspension ph. An alumina (Al.sub.2 O.sub.3) protective coating may also be e-beam deposited on the surface of magnetic iron oxide particles (JP 58006528). A non-magnetic zinc oxide (ZnO) protective coating has also been electro-deposited on a magnetic iron oxide layer which had previously been electro-deposited on an aluminum or aluminum alloy substrate (JP 621255126).
Glass-forming additives such as B.sub.2 O.sub.3, Bi.sub.2 O.sub.3, P.sub.2 O.sub.5, MoO.sub.3 and V.sub.2 O.sub.5 have been used in the solid state reaction of .alpha.-FeOOH particles and colloidal BaCo.sub.3 or SrCO.sub.3.
Addition of approximately 0.5 wt % B.sub.2 O.sub.3 best accelerated ferrite formation without adhesion of particles, resulting in thin-plate hexagonal ferrites with good magnetic recording properties (Sugimoto, Fourth International Conference on Ferrites, Part 2, Oct.-Nov. 1984, San Francisco, Calif., U.S.A. p. 273-279).
Amorphous cobalt ferrite (CoFe.sub.2 O.sub.4) films have also been prepared using a two-source vacuum evaporation technique with CoFe.sub.2 alloy and P.sub.2 O.sub.5 as the source materials. These amorphous cobalt ferrite films display high perpendicular anisotropy (Hiratsuka et al., Electronics and Communications in Japan, Part 2, 71, 95-102 (1988) and IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, MAG-23, 3326-3328 (1987)).
Japanese patent, JP 61080618, also describes sputtering of Co-.gamma.-Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 on a non-magnetic disc substrate. Japanese patent, JP 62095735, describes a process for conversion of sputtered .alpha.-Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 to Fe.sub.3 O.sub.4 on a non-magnetic substrate such as a drum or disc, using laser beam irradiation.
Methods exist for precipitation or nucleation of magnetic crystallites in glassy matrices.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,083,727 to Andrus et al. discloses a method for production of glass-ceramic articles having integral magnetic magnetite (Fe.sub.3 O.sub.4) crystals. According to this method, a Li.sub.2 O--FeO--Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 --SiO.sub.2 glass article nucleated with TiO.sub.2 is heat-treated to induce crystalline nucleation within the article body, resulting in a glass-ceramic article which is subsequently exposed to a reducting atmosphere to convert hematite crystals in its surface layer to magnetite, yielding films with high coercivities and saturation magnetizations which compare favorably to those of magnetite and other ceramic ferrite materials. The magnetic recording medium disclosed in JP 62042315 consists of a layered structure, one layer of which is a magnetic recording medium made from .alpha.-FeO.sub.2 O.sub.3, Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, SiO.sub.2, B.sub.2 O.sub.3 or Co.sub.3 O.sub.4.
The nucleation of inhomogeneous precipitates having ferrimagnetic cores within antiferromagnetic skins has been observed in B.sub.2 O.sub.3 --BaO--Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 glass matrices prepared by slow quenching between stainless steel slabs (Fahmy et al., Physics And Chemistry Of Glasses, 13, 21-26 (1972) and MacCrone, in Amorphous Magnetism, H. O. Hooper and A. M. deGraaf, eds., Plenum Press, New York-London 1973 p. 77).
Magnetic phases have been precipitated in Li.sub.2 B.sub.2 O.sub.4 --LiFe.sub.5 O.sub.8 glass systems prepared by splat quenching, roller quenching and gun quenching techniques (Chaumont et al., Mat. Res. Bull. 15, 771-776 (1980); Chaumont et al., Rapidly Quenched Metals III, Third International Conference, University of Sussex, Brighton, July 1978 p. 401; Chaumont et al., Rev. Int. Htes. Temp. et Refract. 15, 23-32 (1978)).
Partially recrystallized glasses in the Li.sub.2 O--Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 SiO.sub.2 system, prepared by slow quenching between steel plates exhibit some ferrimagnetic properties at high Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 contents (Weaver et al., American Ceramic Society Bulletin 52, 467-472 (1973)).
Ferrimagnetic amorphous cobalt ferrites have been prepared by rapid quenching to liquid nitrogen temperatures of cobalt ferrite combined with P.sub.2 O.sub.5 glass network former (Sugimoto et al., Jpn. J. Apl. Phys. 21, 197-198 (1982)).
Splat quenching techniques have been applied to the BaO--Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 and SrO--Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 systems where BaFe.sub.12 O.sub.19 crystals have been observed along with weak ferromagnetism in the glass matrix (Monteil et al., Mat. Res. Bull. 12, 235-240 (1977); Monteil et al., Journal of Solid State Chemistry, 25, 1-8 (1978); Chaumont et al., Mat. Res. Bull. 15, 771-776 (1980); Chaumont et al., Rapidly Quenched Metals III, Third International Conference, University of Sussex, Brighton, July 1978 p. 401; Chaumont et al., Rev. Int. Htes. Temp. et Refract. 15, 23-32 (1978)).

Method for making magnetic oxide precipitates


A chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus with temperature control. The apparatus controls circular zone temperature of the wafer. The CMP apparatus comprises a platen; a carrier holding a wafer against the platen; a guide ring disposed at the rim of the carrier to mount the wafer on the carrier; and a heater disposed in the guide ring, in the carrier, or used to heat the slurry. The temperature of the heater is set between 20xc2x0 C. and 60xc2x0 C. Thus, the polishing rate at the edge is improved, and the polishing difference between the edge and the center of the wafer is reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus. In particular, the present invention relates to a CMP apparatus with temperature control for improving polishing uniformity.
2. Description of the Related Art
The CMP process is a technique frequently for planarizing the surfaces of insulating film and conductive film on a semiconductor substrate or filling a conductive film only in trenches or grooves.
A wafer carrier is used in the CMP apparatus to hold the wafer with the guide ring, and prevent the wafer from slipping. The wafer faces the polishing pad dispersed with polishing slurry. The polishing pad is supported by a rotatable platen.
In general, a CMP process involves mechanically polishing a thin, flat semiconductor wafer by holding and rotating the wafer against a polishing platen under controlled parameters, such as rotational speed, down force, pressure, temperature, time, and chemical conditions. However, these parameters cannot reduce polishing difference between the center and edge of the wafer, especially problematic, since, after polishing, the edge of the wafer has higher topography. In order to resolve this problem, multiple pressure zones are provided to enhance the polishing efficiency at the edge to improve the uniformity of the wafer, in cases such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,758 (Mack) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,033,987 (Lin et al.). However, the pressure from center to edge is not continuous, and the whole polishing uniformity cannot be efficiently resolved.
Recently, temperature parameters have been used to control the CMP process, such as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,196,353, 6,120,347, 6,261,151 taught by Sandhu, including the steps of chemically mechanically planarizing a wafer while simultaneously detecting a temperature of the wafer to develop a thermal image which can be analyzed to control the (CMP) process parameters. In addition to use in developing a thermal image of the wafer developed during the (CMP) process, such temperature differentials can be used to detect planar end points on the wafer.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,227,939, Monroe adjusts the temperature of the wafer carrier and the platen to improve the uniformity of the wafer.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,873,769, Chiou adjusts the temperature of the circular segments of the wafer carrier and the platen to improve the uniformity of the wafer.
The object of the present invention is to provide a CMP apparatus with temperature control to improve the uniformity of the wafer.
To achieve the above-mentioned object, a CMP apparatus with temperature control is provided in the present invention.
According to a first aspect of the invention, the CMP apparatus comprising: a platen; a carrier holding a wafer against the platen; a guide ring disposed at the rim of the carrier to mount the wafer thereon; and a heater disposed in the guide ring to heat the edge of the wafer. The temperature of the heater is set between 20xc2x0 C. and 60xc2x0 C.
According to a second aspect of the invention, the CMP apparatus comprising: a platen; a carrier holding a wafer against the platen; a guide ring disposed at the rim of the carrier to mount the wafer at the carrier; and a heater disposed in the carrier to increase the temperature from center to edge. The temperature of the heater is set between 20xc2x0 C. and 60xc2x0 C.
According to a third aspect of the invention, the CMP apparatus comprising: a platen; a polishing pad on the platen; a slurry supplied to the polishing pad; a carrier holding a wafer against the platen and contacting the polishing pad; and a heater for heating the slurry, wherein the temperature of the slurry increases from center to edge of the wafer. The temperature of the heater is set between 20xc2x0 C. and 60xc2x0 C.

Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus with temperature control


A faucet includes a sensing/driving assembly having a transmitting/sensing unit electrically connected with a driving device. A driving shaft of the driving device is connected with an actuating device. The actuating device has an actuating stud which depresses a plate having a valve member to control the opening and closing of the faucet.

The present invention relates to an improved faucet, and more particularly, to an faucet which outputs water under the control of an infrared ray.
A conventional faucet employs one or two control valves to regulate and turn on the water. During use, the user turns on the water to wet his hands, lathers them with soap, rinses them, and then shut off the water. This method has the disadvantage that the water is running continuously while the user is lathering his hands or face, which in view of society's stand on water conservation, is wasteful. Another disadvantage is that when the user is going to shut off the water, his hands still wet; consequently the faucet's valves and the area surrounding the faucet gets wet. This situation creates unsanitary conditions. And if the user is going to conserve water by shutting off the valves while lathering, he still leaves soap and water on the faucet and surrounding area.
The present invention provides an improved faucet to mitigate and/or obviate the above-mentioned problem encountered during use of conventional faucets.


Disclosed herein are internal standard compositions, a plurality of calibration standards, and one or more kits for use with mass spectrometry, particularly for use with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer capable of simultaneous detection of a large number of ionization products over a large range of masses. Methods of using these reagent materials for the simultaneously detection of absolute concentrations of a plurality of elements in a liquid sample.

Water is a molecule composed of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. Due to its unique physical and chemical properties, it has a tremendous ability to dissipate materials into their constituent molecules and elements, which makes pure water almost non-existent in nature. What generally is called water is actually an accumulation of dissolved elements in water. Elements in water can occur in their organic or inorganic form, and are mostly combined in molecules.
The elemental content of water typically mirrors its natural environmental exposure, e.g., its mineral content reflects the geochemical environment through which water runs (Henshaw et al., 1989; Fernandez-Turiel et al., 2000). Aqueous solutions employ water as a medium, and as such, in the case of, say, beverages, the elemental content will additionally include the effects of manufacturing processes. Aqueous biofluids primarily reflect biological functions and environmental exposure. Some aqueous solutions, such as commercial milk, will include elemental signature that reflect beverage manufacturing as well as those of biofluids. In all, aqueous solutions are expected to "fingerprint" their origin.
In theory, each naturally occurring element can be dissolved in water, and each element of the complete inorganic mass range from 6Li to 238U can be found in water, but in practice there is no comprehensive method for measuring their concentrations.
There are several techniques and methods to detect and quantify elements in fluids, and water in particular, such as high pressure liquid chromatography ("HPLC"), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry ("IPC-AES"), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry ("ICP-OES"), and most prominently inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry ("ICP-MS") (Kubová et al., 1994; Rahil-Khazen et al., 2000; Leonhard et al., 2002; Taylor et al., 2003; Gonzálvez et al., 2008; Krachler and Shotyk, 2009; Ding et al., 2012; Pröfrock and Prange, 2012; Khan et al., 2013; Loop et al., 2013; Yeghicheyan et al., 2013; Jabłońska-Czapla et al., 2014; and Šelih et al., 2014).
For almost three decades, ICP-MS has been used to detect and quantify elements in various fluid samples ranging from water to breast milk, wine and body fluids (Henshaw et al., 1989; Ding et al., 2012; Krachler and Shotyk, 2009; Ammann, 2002; Ardelt et al. 2013; D'Ilio et al., 2006; De Boer et al., 1996; Forrer et al, 2001; Goullé et al., 2005; Heitland et al., 2006; Kantipuly et al., 1988; Long et al., 1989; Lyon et al., 1988; Mohd-Taufek et al. 2016; Staff et al., 2014; Stetzenbach et al., 1994; Zhang et al., 2012). Hence, ICP-MS is the technique issued by national and international guidelines to monitor water quality (Krachler and Shotyk, 2009; Heitland et al., 2006; Long et al., 1989; Louie et al., 2012; and WHO, 2011).
Although each ICP-MS has the theoretical potential for detecting each element, investigators have not done so. Until recently, all ICP-MS instruments have been so-called "sequential" ICP-MS (se-ICP-MS), in which elements are analyzed consecutively, one by one. However, a constraint over the employ of se-ICP-MS is that sample volumes must be relatively high to dispense to the instrument whilst measuring one element after the other, and significant time and consumables are required to operate these instruments; this makes it impractical to evaluate the entire relevant inorganic spectrum with se-ICP-MS.
Nevertheless, for some years se-ICP-MS has been successfully used to determine abundances and concentrations of some multiple number of elements, mostly trace elements or rear earth elements (REE), in various water samples (Henshaw et al., 1989; Stezenbach et al., 1994; DeBoer et al., 1996; Leonhard et al., 2002; Krachler and Shotyk, 2009; Louie et al., 2012), wine (Taylor et al., 2003; Gonzálvez et al., 2008; Šelih et al., 2014; and Khan et al., 2014), milk and formula (Khan et al., 2013; Khan et al., 2014), saliva, blood and urine (Lyon et al., 1988; Forrer et al., 2001; Staff et al., 2014: Koh et al., 2003; Goullé et al., 2005; Barbosa et al., 2006; D'Ilio et al., 2006; Heitland and Köster, 2006; Nriagu et al., 2006; Ding et al., 2012; and Zhang et al., 2012), liquefied tomatoes (Bressy et al., 2013) as well as in sediments and rocks (Garbe-Schönberg, 1993; Loop et al., 2013). However, because of the aforementioned constraints, se-ICP-MS studies rarely exceed 30 elements.
Recently developed "simultaneous" ICP-MS (si-ICP-MS) permits multiple elements to be detected in one evaluation from small sample volumes in seconds and at relatively low consumables and personnel costs. In 2013, the SPECTRO SI-ICP-MS (SPECTRO Analytical Instruments GmbH, Kleve, Germany) was introduced (Ardelt et al., 1998) having 4,800 detector elements, which is large enough to simultaneously detect isotope signals over the full relevant inorganic mass spectrum from 6Li to 238U (technical specifications can be found in Ardelt et al., 2013). With this technology it is possible to quantify the relatively complete elemental composition of an aqueous sample with as little as 1 mL per fluid sample. However, while the technology is able, no method has to date been developed to evaluate the complete spectrum simultaneously. An si-ICP-MS calibration method is needed for the simultaneous measurement from 6Li to 238U.
The urgent need for such a comprehensive method, especially for water, is justified by the lack of even basic data regarding element abundances and concentrations for most elements across the breadth of the inorganic spectrum (Fernandez-Turiel et al., 2000; Heitland and Köster, 2006; PAPERS describing this lack). For example, the European Union (EU) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are monitoring and have issued maximum concentration limits for a number of elements in drinking water considered to be health risks (EU Directive, C., 1998; EU Regulations; US EPA, 2012), yet many elements commonly known as harmful to human health, such as lithium or tin, are neither monitored nor regulated in drinking water.
The present invention is directed to overcoming these and other deficiencies in the art.

Reagents and methods for simultaneously detecting absolute concentrations of a plurality of elements in a liquid sample


Disclosed are a back plate member for flexible display, a display apparatus including the same, and a method of manufacturing the same, in which a bonding process of bonding a cover glass to a flexible display panel is easily performed. The back plate member includes a back plate including first and second supporting plates which are arranged in parallel with an open part therebetween, a first protective film including a first protection part attached to a bottom of the first supporting plate, a second protection part attached to a bottom of the second supporting plate, and a separation part overlapping the open part, and a second protective film attached to a top of the back plate, the second protective film having a plate shape.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display apparatus, and more particularly, to a back plate member for flexible display, a display apparatus including the same, and a method of manufacturing the same, in which a bonding process of bonding a cover glass to a flexible display panel is easily performed.
Discussion of the Related Art
Generally, display apparatuses are being widely used as display screens of various products such as televisions (TVs), notebook computers, monitors, and/or the like, in addition to portable electronic devices such as mobile communication terminals, electronic notes, e-books, portable multimedia players (PMPs), navigation devices, ultra-mobile personal computers (PCs), mobile phones, smartphones, tablet PCs, and watch phones.
In display apparatuses, organic light emitting display apparatuses and electrophoresis display apparatuses can be thinned, and thus, research and development for implementing the organic light emitting display apparatuses and the electrophoresis display apparatuses as flexible display apparatuses are being done. In the flexible display apparatuses, a wiring and a display unit including a thin film transistor (TFT) are formed on a flexible substrate with flexibility. The flexible display apparatuses may display an image even when being bent like paper, and thus may be applied to various display fields.
FIG. 1 is a diagram for describing a related art display apparatus. Referring to FIG. 1, the related art display apparatus includes a cover window 10, a flexible display panel 20, and a panel driving circuit unit 30. The cover window 10 covers a front surface and both side surfaces of the flexible display panel 20. To this end, the cover window 10 includes a front part 11 and a side wall 12. The side wall 12 of the cover window 10 is vertically bent from both side edges of the front part 11 to surround the both side surfaces of the flexible display panel 20.
The flexible display panel 20 is bonded to a bottom of the cover window 10 by a direct bonding process using a transparent adhesive 50. The flexible display panel 20 includes a pixel array part 23 provided on a flexible substrate 21 formed of a flexible material. Also, the flexible display panel 20 includes a pad part (not shown) which is provided at one side edge of the flexible substrate 23 and is connected to the pixel array part 23. A plurality of link lines (not shown) which connect the pad part to the pixel array part 23 are provided on the flexible substrate 21 between the pixel array part 23 and the pad part.
A back plate 40 is attached to a whole bottom of the flexible display panel 20. The back plate 40 maintains the flexible display panel 20 in a flat state.
The panel driving circuit unit 30 is connected to the pad part provided at the one side edge of the flexible display panel 20.
One side edge of the flexible display panel 20 is bent to have a curvature part RP having a certain curvature and thus is covered by the cover window 10. Therefore, the panel driving circuit 30 is disposed on a side surface or a bottom of the flexible display panel 20, and thus, the related art display apparatus has a thin bezel width.
In a method of manufacturing the related art display apparatus, the flexible display panel 20 is attached to a bottom of the cover window 10 through a lamination process, and then, one side edge of the flexible substrate 21 connected to the panel driving circuit unit 30 is bent at a certain curvature along with the back plate 40.
However, in the related art display apparatus, a bending stress which occurs in a bending area of the back plate 40 is transferred to a bending area of the flexible substrate 21 when the flexible display panel 20 is bent, and for this reason, a crack occurs in a link line which is provided in the bending area of the flexible substrate 21.
Moreover, in the related art display apparatus, as illustrated in FIG. 2, when the flexible display panel 20 is attached to a bottom of the cover window 10, the panel driving circuit unit 30 is damaged due to interference or contact between a side wall 12 of the cover window 10 and a portion of the panel driving circuit unit 30 and/or one side edge of the flexible display panel 20, and it is difficult to bond the flexible display panel 20 to the cover window 10 due to misalignment which occurs between the cover window 10 and the flexible display panel 20.
Information disclosed in this Background section was already known to the inventors of the inventive concept before achieving the present invention or is technical information acquired in the process of achieving the present invention. Therefore, it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known to the public in this country.

Back plate member for flexible display, display apparatus including the same, and method of manufacturing the same


Systems, devices, and methods for training a neural network and performing image interest point detection and description using the neural network. The neural network may include an interest point detector subnetwork and a descriptor subnetwork. An optical device may include at least one camera for capturing a first image and a second image. A first set of interest points and a first descriptor may be calculated using the neural network based on the first image, and a second set of interest points and a second descriptor may be calculated using the neural network based on the second image. A homography between the first image and the second image may be determined based on the first and second sets of interest points and the first and second descriptors. The optical device may adjust virtual image light being projected onto an eyepiece based on the homography.

Interest point detection is an important concept in computer vision. The first step in many geometric computer vision tasks such as pose estimation, simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), structure-from-motion, sparse three-dimensional (3D) mapping, camera calibration, and image matching is to extract interest points from images. Interest points are two-dimensional (2D) locations in an image which are stable and repeatable from different lighting conditions and view-points. The entire subfield of mathematics and computer vision, known as multiple view geometry, consists of theorems and algorithms built on the assumption that points can be reliably extracted and matched across images. However, the input to most real-world computer vision systems is not idealized point locations but is instead raw, unlabeled images. Several approaches have been developed to detect the interest points in such images, with only limited success.
Despite the progress made in these areas, there is a need in the art for improved methods, systems, and devices related to image interest point detection.

Fully convolutional interest point detection and description via homographic adaptation


A light guide element includes a light-guiding substrate and a diffraction part formed on a surface of the light-guiding substrate. The diffraction part includes an optical layer capable of exerting a diffractive action. The distance from the light-guiding substrate to a surface of the optical layer is equal to or less than 10% of a thickness of the light-guiding substrate. The light guide element satisfies |ΔD|≦0.15 mm, where ΔD is an amount of a change in D with the temperature change ΔT, D [mm] is a distance, at the temperature T (° C.), between the center of the diffraction part and a position predetermined as a position where the ray of light comes out of the light-guiding substrate in a direction horizontal with respect to the light-guiding substrate, and ΔT is a temperature change.

Technics for head-mounted display devices (hereinafter referred to as HMDs) in which a holographic element or a diffractive optical element is used are existed. In the HMD, image light emitted from a liquid-crystal device or the like is guided along a given optical path using a light guide element, such as that described above, so as to be viewed by the user.
For example, Patent Document 1 describes an example of HMDs which employs a reflective volume holographic element. Patent Document 2 describes an example of HMDs which has been configured so that an image displayed on a display element is optically enlarged to form an enlarged virtual image, which is viewed by the user. In Patent Document 2 is further shown an example in which in order to widen the viewing angle of the virtual image which is the image to be viewed by the user, the light guide member is constituted of a glass material having a refractive index for the wavelength of the image of 1.6 or higher.
As techniques relevant to the present invention, techniques for reducing the temperature dependence of diffraction angle are described in Patent Documents 3 to 5.

Light guide element and image display device


A drive unit for a rotatable high-frequency electrode of a medical resector for cutting, ablating, or coagulating human or animal tissue includes an engine device for generating a rotation movement and a coupling device for transmitting the rotation movement generated by the engine device to an axis coupled with the rotatable high-frequency electrode when the drive unit is coupled with the medical resector. The drive unit is configured to provide on the coupling device a rotation frequency in a range from 10 rpm to 200 rpm.

In high-frequency surgery (HF surgery) an electrode supplied with high-frequency electric current is used for cutting tissue. A high-frequency electrode made of a wire sling is used, for instance, for ablating tissue. The sling is pushed or pulled through the tissue by the operator in order to cut out tissue snippets or shavings of just about any length.
A medical resector developed by Jacques Hamou comprises a rotating wire sling as high-frequency electrode. The wire sling ablates the tissue in the form of small shavings or snippets, for instance similarly to the functioning of a milling head for machined processing of workpieces. Medical resectors of this type are described for instance in WO 2006/048199 A1 and DE 10 2006 039 696 A1. Resection or ablation or the detaching of tissue in small fragments makes possible an immediate visual control, simplified handling, and clean and precise ablation of tissue. In addition, the small portions of tissue are easily removable, for instance by suction integrated in the medical resector.
The rotatable high-frequency electrodes of conventional medical resectors are powered by standard engines used for a wide range of applications in surgery and other medical fields. These standard engines as a rule are equipped with an INTRA coupling according to ISO 3964 and deliver rotation frequencies of several tens of thousands of revolutions per minute. Therefore, a reduction gear is used between the standard engine and the medical resector.
A medical resector as set forth in the following description can be combined with an endoscope to form a resectoscope, in such a way that a shaft of the endoscope is positioned inside a channel in the shaft of the medical resector.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved drive device for a rotatable high-frequency electrode of a medical resector and an improved medical resector.

Medical resector having a rotatable high-frequency electrode and drive unit therefor


To provide an optical film which exhibits excellent retardation values both in the film plane and along the direction perpendicular to the film plane and shows little change in retardation values depending on environmental factors such as humidity, a liquid crystal display showing little change in viewing angle characteristics due to an environmental (humidity) change, and a polarizing plate to be used in the liquid crystal display, the cellulose acylate contains a cellulose acylate which is a mixed fatty acid ester of a cellulose and satisfies formulae specified in the specification, and a polarizing plate and a liquid crystal display using this cellulose acylate film.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an optical cellulose acylate film, and a polarizing plate and a liquid crystal display with the use of the same as an optical compensation sheet.
2. Background Art
Because of having various merits, for example, being available at low voltage, using less power and being available in downsized and thinned form, liquid crystal displays have been widely employed in monitors of personal computers, cell phones and TV sets. According to alignment of liquid crystal molecules in a cell, various display modes are proposed. Among these methods, TN mode, wherein liquid crystal molecules are aligned in a twisted state by about 90° from the lower substrate toward the upper substrate, has been mainly employed so far.
In general, a liquid crystal display generally has a liquid crystal cell, an optical compensation sheet and a polarizer. The optical compensation sheet is employed to prevent a displayed image from coloration and enlarge a viewing angle. As the optical compensation sheet, a stretched birefringent polymer film and a transparent film with a liquid crystal-coating have been conventionally used. For example, Japanese Patent No. 2587398 discloses a technique whereby an optical compensation sheet, which is formed by coating discostic liquid crystal molecules on a triacetyl cellulose film and aligning and solidifying thereon, to a TN mode liquid crystal cell to thereby give an enlarged viewing angle. In a liquid crystal display for a wide-screen TV which is to be viewed from various angles, however, strenuous requirements are imposed on view angle dependency and, therefore, the above-described technique is still insufficient to satisfy these requirements. Accordingly, intensive studies have been made on liquid crystal displays of various types different from the TN mode, for example, IPS (in-plane switching) mode, OCB (optically compensatory bend) mode, STN (super twisted nematic) mode and VA (vertically aligned) mode. Among all, the VA mode has attracted public attention as a TV liquid crystal display since it brings about sharp contrast and can be produced at a relatively high yield.
Compared with other polymer films, a cellulose acylate film has a characteristic of having a high optical isotropy (i.e., having a low retardation value). Owing to this characteristic, a cellulose acylate film is commonly employed for purposes with a need for high optical isotropy such as a polarizing plate.
On the contrary thereto, an optical compensation sheet (a phase retarder film) of a liquid crystal display should have a high optical anisotropy (i.e., a high retardation value). In particular, an optical compensation sheet for the VA mode should have a retardation value in a film plane (Re) of 30 to 200 nm and a retardation value in a direction perpendicular to the film plane (Rth) of 70 to 400 nm. Therefore, it has been a practice to employ a synthetic polymer film having a high retardation value such as a polycarbonate film or a polysulfone film as an optical compensation sheet therefor. The retardation value in the film plane and the retardation value in the direction perpendicular to the film plane, which are values representing optical characteristics, are calculated in accordance respectively with the following formula:Re=(nx−ny)×dRth={(nx+ny)/2−nz}×dwherein nx is a refractive index along the x axis in the film plane; ny is a refractive index along the y axis in the film plane; nz is a refractive index along the direction perpendicular to the film plane; and d is the thickness (μm) of the film.
As discussed above, it has been a general principle in the field of optical material technology that a synthetic polymer film is employed in the case with a need of a polymer film having an optical anisotropy (i.e., a high retardation value) while a cellulose acylate film is employed in the case with a need of a polymer having an optical isotropy (i.e., a low retardation value).
EP 0911656 A2 proposes a cellulose acetate film having a high retardation value which is also usable in a case with a need for an optical anisotropy, thereby overturning the common traditional rule. According to this proposal, the high retardation value is established by adding an aromatic compound having at least two aromatic rings, in particular, 1,3,5-triazine ring and effecting a stretching treatment. It is generally known that a cellulose triacetate is a hardly stretchable polymer material and it is difficult to elevate the birefringence index thereof. In the above document, however, the additive is simultaneously aligned in the stretching treatment and thus the birefringence index can be elevated. This film also serves as a protective film for a polarizing plate, which brings about a merit of providing a thin film liquid crystal display at a low cost.
JP-A-2002-71957 discloses an optical film containing cellulose ester which satisfies the requirements 2.0≦A+B≦3.0 and A<2.4, in the case where the degree of substitution by an acetyl group is represented by A and the degree of substitution by a propionyl or butyryl group by B. In this optical film, furthermore, the refractive index Nx of the optical film at 590 nm wavelength in the direction of the slow axis and the refractive index Ny in the direction of the fast axis satisfy the requirement 0.0005≦Nx−Ny≦0.0050.
JP-A-2002-187960 discloses a polarizing plate to be used in a liquid crystal display of VA mode wherein the polarizing plate has a polarizer and a mixed fatty acid cellulose ester film which is an optically biaxial film, and the mixed fatty acid cellulose ester film is provided between a liquid crystal cell and the polarizer.

Optical cellulose acylate film, polarizing plate and liquid crystal display