A reel clamping device which is capable of positioning a reel rapidly and precisely. The reel clamping device is composed of a cylindrical shell having a plurality of through slots extended parallelly with the axis thereof; a screw bolt rotatably disposed within the shell, whose first and second threaded end portions have different thread directions; a jaw base mated to the first threaded end portion of the screw bolt; a plurality of first jaws fixed onto the jaw base and protruding from the through slots formed in the shell; a plurality of second jaws; a jaw seat mated to the second threaded end portion of the screw bolt, for accommodating the second jaws in such a way that the second jaws can protrude from or retract into the through slots freely; a second jaw drive mechanism mated to the second threaded end portion of the screw bolt, for driving the second jaws to protrude from or to retract into the through slots; and a handle for driving the screw bolt to rotate around its longitudinal axis so as to conduct the base and the seat to move toward or apart from each other and simultaneously to conduct the second jaws to protrude from or to retract into the through slots. The second jaw drive mechanism can conduct the second jaws to protrude from or to retract into the through slots within one turn of rotation about the axis of the shell, and the second jaw drive means is mated to the second threaded end portion of the screw bolt in such a way that it can be conducted to rotate integrally with the screw bolt by an adjustable frictional torque existed therebetween.

The present invention relates generally to a reel clamping device, particularly to a reel clamping device which is capable of positioning a reel rapidly and precisely.
A reel is often used in a sheet supply mechanism of a packaging machine in which, a continuous strip of wrapping sheet is wound on the reel to supply the packaging machine with wrapping sheets. However, an exchange of two reels of different size is often needed during the process of manufacture, and the middle of the new reel has to be disposed exactly where that of the old one was. For this reason, the clamping and the positioning of a new reel is time-consuming, and expertise of the operator is required.
A reel clamper is disclosed in the Japanese Pat. Publication Gazette with No. Sho 62-167919. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the construction of the reel clamper; and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the construction of the reel clamper. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the reel clamper comprises a cylindrical shell 102 which is provided with a plurality of through slots 101; a screw bolt 103 with two different threaded end portions 103a, 103b; a stopper 104 mated to the threaded end portion 103a; and a base 105 mated to the threaded end portion 103b. A slider 106 is disposed around the small end portion of the stopper 104, and three jaws 107 are pivotally connected to the slider 106. Three jaws 108 are fixed onto the base 105. Because the threaded portions 103a and 103b have different thread directions, the stopper 104 and the base 105 will be driven to move toward or apart from each other when the screw bolt 103 is driven to rotate by means of a handle 109. When the handle 109 is rotated, the rubber ring 106b disposed around the slider 106 will hinder the slide of the slider 106 during which the jaws 107 retract or protrude, and the jaws 107 and 108 accommodated within the slots 101 will be driven to move together with the stopper 104 and the base 105 along the axis of the screw bolt 103. Under this circumstance, the jaws 107 will be conducted by the inclined surface 104a of the stopper 104 to move radially outward and urge one end portion of the reel 110 (see FIG. 1) so that the jaws 107 will incorporate with the jaws 108 to clamp the reel 110 firmly. Reels clamped by such a clamper will be precisely positioned if the position of the base 105 relative to the screw bolt 103 is well adjusted before operation of the clamper. However, the jaws 107 must retract into the slots 101 of the shell 102 before the reel 110 can be removed from the shell 102, and the operator must rotate the handle 109 several turns to replace an old reel with a new one.


A hand held opener for opening a frangible closer comprising a handle adapted to be gripped by an operator, a motion actuator operatively connected to the handle, a first shaft connected to the motion actuator, a second shaft connected to the motion actuator, a first gripper portion on the first shaft adapted to grip the frangible closer in a first location, and a second gripper portion on the second shaft adapted to grip the frangible closer in a second location wherein the motion actuator provides reciprocal movement to the shafts to rotate the frangible closer in one direction and to rotate the frangible closer in a direction opposite the first direction.

Frangible closers are closers, pins or stoppers primarily inside tubing or conduits, or inside bag or container ports, to block fluid flow through such tubing or port. Such closers can be broken which opens the tubing or port to permit fluid flow there through. The opening of such stoppers or closers is achieved by external manipulation of the tubing conduit or port without penetration of the sterile or closed condition of the system containing the tubing or port. Such closers or stoppers are manipulated from outside the tubing or port by an external force typically produced by an operator or user of the tubing or system. This force breaks the frangible pin or closer or stopper portion to permit fluid flow through the tubing or port. The force needs to bend or move the frangible closer in two opposite directions to achieve the pin, closer, or stopper breakage.
Generally, frangible closers are manually manipulated to open the tubing or port as described above. Such manipulation requires the operator to grasp the frangible area with both hands and then to twist, bend or rotate such area in one direction followed by a twist, bend or rotation in the opposite direction. This movement is required because a typical frangible closer needs to be broken in two opposed locations. This motion is generally achieved by wrist rotation and may need to be repeated on each side for a complete break of the internal pin, stopper or closer. Complicated multiple disposable or tubing lines may require an operator to open a number of frangible openers or stoppers which may result in wrist or hand strain or a repetitive motion injury.
A need exists for a frangible opener, which can be used with apparatus that uses medical tubing or disposable sets. Such apparatus can be a blood component separation centrifuge that utilizes a closed system disposable including blood tubing and frangibles during the process of separating a biological fluid such as blood into components.


Novel avermectin derivatives are disclosed, wherein the 4"-hydroxy group is replaced by a substituted acylamino or benzoylamino group. These avermectin derivatives can be further derivatized at the 5- and 23-positions as ketoximes or O-substituted ketoximes. The 4"-substituted avermectin derivatives are prepared by the acylation of the known 4"-aminoavermectins with acylating reagents. The new compounds are potent anti-parasitic agents, in particular, the compounds are anthelmintic, insecticidal and acaricidal agents.

The term avermectin (previously referred to as C-076) is used to describe a series of compounds isolated from the fermentation broth of an avermectin producing strain of Streptomyces avermitilis and derivatives thereof. The morphological characteristics of the culture are completely described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,310,519. The avermectin compounds are a series of macrolides, each of which is substituted at the 13 position with a 4-(alpha-L-oleandrosyl)-alpha-L-oleandrose group. The avermectin compounds and the instant derivatives thereof have a very high degree of anthelmintic and anti-parasitic activity.
The avermectin series of compounds isolated from the fermentation broth have the following structure: ##STR1## wherein R.sub.4 is the 4'-.alpha.-(L-oleandrosyl)-.alpha.-L-oleandrosyloxygroup of the structure ##STR2## and wherein A at the 22,23 position indicates a single or a double bond;
R.sub.1 is a hydrogen or hydroxy and is present only when A indicates a single bond; PA0 R.sub.2 is iso-propyl or sec-butyl; and PA0 R.sub.3 is methoxy or hydroxy. PA0 3',3"-Bisdesmethylavermectin B1a and B1b PA0 3',3"-Bisdesmethylavermectin B2a and B2b PA0 3"-Desmethylavermectin B1a and B1b PA0 3"-Desmethylavermectin B2a and B2b PA0 3',3"-Bisdesmethyl-25-cyclohexyl-25-de-(2-butyl)avermectin B2a PA0 3',3"-Bisdesmethyl-25-cyclopentyl-25-de-(2-butyl)avermectin B2a PA0 3',3"-Bisdesmethyl-25-(3-thienyl)-25-de-(2-butyl)avermectin B2a PA0 3',3"-Bisdesmethyl-25-(3furyl)-25-de-(2-butyl)avermectin B2a PA0 3',3"-Bisdesmethyl-25-(1-methylthioethyl)-25-de-(2-butyl)avermectin B1a. PA0 and wherein R.sub.1 is hydrogen or hydroxy or oxo, or A represents a double bond and R.sub.1 is absent; PA0 R.sub.2 is methyl, ethyl, an alpha-branched C.sub.3 -C.sub.8 alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, alkoxyalkyl or alkylthioalkyl group; a C.sub.3 -C.sub.8 cycloalkyl or C.sub.5 -C.sub.8 cycloalkenyl group, either of which may optionally be substituted by methylene or one or more C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl groups or halo atoms; or a 3 to 6 membered oxygen or sulfur containing heterocyclic ring which may be saturated, or fully or partly unsaturated and which may optionally be substituted by one or more C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl groups or halo atoms; PA0 R.sub.3 is hydroxy, loweralkoxy, loweralkanoyloxy, oxo or oxime; PA0 R.sub.4 is ##STR4## where R.sub.5 is NR.sub.6 R.sub.7, R.sub.6 is substituted loweralkanoyl, where the substituent is halogen, hydroxy, loweralkoxy, phenoxy, loweralkylthio, loweralkylsulfinyl, loweralkylsulfonyl, amino, loweralkanoylamino, loweralkylamino, haloloweralkoxycarbonylamino, oxo, carboxy or loweralkoxycarbonyl; or R.sub.6 is cycloloweralkanoyl, or benzoyl, or substituted benzoyl, wherein the substituent is halogen, loweralkoxy, sulfonamido, amino, loweralkylamino, diloweralkylamino or loweralkanoylamino; or R.sub.6 is nicotinoyl; PA0 R.sub.7 is hydrogen, loweralkyl, substituted loweralkyl where the substituent is phenyl, hydroxy, loweralkoxy, amino, loweralkylamino, loweralkanoylamino, methylthio, methylsulfonyl or methylsulfinyl; PA0 or R.sub.5 = ##STR5## R.sub.5 =--NH--CO--NR.sub.8 R.sub.9, R.sub.8, R.sub.9 and R.sub.10 are independently hydrogen or loweralkyl; PA0 or R.sub.5 =--NH--CN. PA0 wherein R.sub.1 is hydrogen or hydroxy, or A represents a double bond and R.sub.1 is absent; PA0 R.sub.2 iso-propyl, sec-butyl, or an alpha-branched C.sub.3 -C.sub.8 alkenyl group; and PA0 R.sub.3 is hydroxy or oxime; PA0 R.sub.4 is ##STR6## where R.sub.5 is NR.sub.6 R.sub.7, R.sub.6 is substituted loweralkanoyl, where the substituent is halogen, hydroxy, loweralkoxy, phenoxy, loweralkylthio, loweralkylsulfinyl, loweralkylsulfonyl, amino, loweralkanoylamino, loweralkylamino, haloloweralkoxycarbonylamino, oxo, carboxy or alkoxycarbonyl; or R.sub.6 is cycloloweralkanoyl, or benzoyl, or substituted benzoyl, wherein the substituent is halogen, loweralkoxy, sulfonamido, amino, loweralkylamino, diloweralkylamino or loweralkanoyl; or R.sub.6 is nicotinoyl; PA0 R.sub.7 is hydrogen, loweralkyl, substituted loweralkyl where the substituent is phenyl, hydroxy, loweralkoxy, amino, loweralkanoylamino, loweralkanoyl, methylthio, methylsulfonyl or methylsulfinyl; PA0 or R.sub.5 =--NH--CO--NR.sub.8 R.sub.9, PA0 where R.sub.8 and R.sub.9 and R.sub.10 are independently hydrogen or loweralkyl. PA0 R.sub.1 is hydrogen or hydroxy, or A represents a double bond and R.sub.1 is absent; PA0 R.sub.2 is 2-propyl, 2-butyl, 2-buten-2-yl, 2-penten-2-yl, or 4-methyl-2-penten-2-yl; PA0 R.sub.3 is hydroxy; PA0 R.sub.4 is ##STR7## where R.sub.5 is NR.sub.6 R.sub.7, R.sub.6 is substituted loweralkanoyl, where the substituent is halogen, hydroxy, loweralkoxy, phenoxy, loweralkylthio, loweralkylsulfinyl, loweralkylsulfonyl, amino, loweralkanoyl, loweralkylamino, haloloweralkoxycarbonylamino, oxo, carboxy or loweralkoxycarbonyl; or R.sub.6 is lowercycloalkanoyl, or benzoyl, or substituted benzoyl, wherein the substituent is halogen, loweralkoxy, sulfonamido, amino, loweralkylamino, diloweralkylamino or loweralkanoyl; or R.sub.6 is nicotinoyl; PA0 R.sub.7 is hydrogen, loweralkyl, substituted loweralkyl where the substituent is phenyl; PA0 or R.sub.5 =--NH--CO--NR.sub.8 R.sub.9, PA0 where R.sub.8 and R.sub.9 and R.sub.10 are independently hydrogen or loweralkyl. PA0 4"-deoxy-4"-epi-methoxyacetylaminoavermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-deoxy-4"-methoxyacetylaminoavermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-deoxy-22,23-dihydro-4"-epi-methoxyacetylaminoavermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-deoxy-4"-epi-methoxyacetylaminoavermectin B2a/B2b PA0 25-cylopentyl-25-de-(1-methylpropyl)-4"-epi-methoxyacetylaminoavermectin B1a PA0 4"-deoxy-4"-epi-(N-methoxyacetyl-N-methylamino)avermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-deoxy-4"-epi-methylthioacetylaminoavermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-deoxy-4"-epi-methylsulfinylacetylaminoavermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-deoxy-4"-epi-methylsulfonylacetylaminoavermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4'-deoxy-4'-epi-methylthioacetylaminoavermectin B1a/B1b monosaccharide PA0 4"-deoxy-4"-epi-glycylaminoavermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-epi-(N-acetylglycylamino)-4"-deoxyavermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-deoxy-4"-epi-(2-hydroxypropionylamino)avermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-deoxy-4"-epi-phenoxyacetylaminoavermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-deoxy-4"-epi-(2,2,2-trichloroethoxycarbonyl)-glycylaminoavermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-epi-benzoylamino-4"-deoxyavermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-epi-(4-chlorobenzoylamino)-4"-deoxyavermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-epi-(4-methoxybenzoylamino)-4"-deoxyavermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-epi-(3-chloro-4-aminosulfonylbenzoylamino)-4"-deoxyavermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-deoxy-4"-epi-nicotinoylamino-4"-avermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-epi-cyclohexylcarbonylamino-4"-deoxyavermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-epi-(3-chloro-4-dimethylaminobenzoylamino)-4"-deoxy avermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-deoxy-4"-epi-(2,2,2-trimethylacetylamino)-avermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-epi-chloroacetylamino-4"-deoxyavermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-deoxy-4"-epi-(phenylalanylamino)avermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-deoxy-4"-epi-(N-methoxycarbonyl-N-methylamino)avermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-deoxy-4"-epi-methoxycarbonylaminoavermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-deoxy-4"-epi-(2-methylpropyloxy)carbonylaminoavermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-deoxy-4"-epi-phenoxycarbonylaminoavermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-deoxy-4"-(methylaminocarbonyl)aminoavermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-deoxy-4"-(phenylaminocarbonyl)aminoavermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-deoxy-4"-(2-propylaminocarbonyl)aminoavermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-deoxy-4"-(iminomethyleneamino)avermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-deoxy-4"-(dimethylaminomethyleneimino)avermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-deoxy-4"-(N-morpholinylmethyleneimino)avermectin B1a/B1b PA0 4"-epi-amino-4"-deoxyavermectin B1a/B1b N,N-dimethylacetamidine
There are eight different avermectin natural product compounds and they are given the designations A1a, A1b, A2a, A2b, B1a, B1b, B2a, and B2b based upon the structure of the individual compounds. In the foregoing structural formula, the individual avermectin compounds are as set forth below. (The R group is 4'-.alpha.(L-oleandrosyl).alpha.-L-oleandrosyloxy:
______________________________________ (A) R.sub.1 R.sub.2 R.sub.3 ______________________________________ A1a double bond -- sec-butyl --OCH.sub.3 A1b double bond -- iso-propyl --OCH.sub.3 A2a single bond --OH sec-butyl --OCH.sub.3 A2b single bond --OH iso-propyl --OCH.sub.3 B1a double bond -- sec-butyl --OH B1b double bond -- iso-propyl --OH B2a single bond --OH sec-butyl --OH B2b single bond --OH iso-propyl --OH ______________________________________
The avermectin compounds are generally isolated as mixtures of a and b components. Such compounds differ only in the nature of the R.sub.2 substituent and the minor structural differences have been found to have very little effect on the isolation procedures, chemical reactivity and biological activity of such compounds.
In addition to these natural avermectins containing the 25-iso-propyl or 25-sec-butyl-substituent, closely related derivatives containing other branched or cyclic 25-alkyl or 25-alkenyl substituents, optionally further substituted by heteroatoms such as oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen, and halogen, are known in the literature. These derivatives are obtained through various adjustments and additions to the fermentation procedures as described fully in the European Patent Application EPO 0 214 731.
Avermectins are products of microbial fermentations using the actinomycete Streptomyces avermitilis. These microbes use acetates and propionates as building blocks for most of the avermectin carbon chain, which is then further modified by microbial enzymes to give the completed avermectin molecules. It is known, however, that the carbon C-25 and the 2-propyl and 2-butyl substituents at this carbon are not derived from acetate or propionate units, but are derived from aminoacids L-valine and L-isoleucine, respectively. It was reasoned, that these aminoacids are deaminated to the corresponding 2-ketoacids, and that these then are decarboxylated to give 2-methylpropionic and 2-methylbutyric acids. These acids then have been found to be directly incorporated into the avermectin structures to give the 2-propyl and 2-butyl C-25 substituents, as is reported by Chen et al., Abstr. Pap. Am. Chem. Soc. (186 Meet.,MBTD 28, 1983). It was also disclosed in European Patent Application number 0 214 731 that additions of large amounts of other acids such as cyclopentanoic, cyclobutyric, 2-methylpentanoic, 2-methylhexanoic, thiophene-3-carboxylic acids and others to the fermentation broth of S. avermitilis causes the microbes to accept these acids as substitutes and to make small amounts of avermectins containing these acids in form of new C-25 substituents. Examples of such new avermectin derivatives are: 25-(thien-3-yl)-25-de-(1-methylpropyl)avermectin A2a 25-(cyclohex-3-enyl)-25-de-(1-methylpropyl)avermectin A2a 25-cyclohexyl-25-de-(1-methylpropyl)avermectin A2a 25-(1-methylthioethyl)-25-de-(1-methylpropyl) avermectin A2a 25-(2-methylcyclopropyl)-25-de-(1-methylpropyl) avermectin A2a
Similar experiments producing avermectins "c" and "d" containing as C-25 substituents a 2-pentyl and 2-hexyl group are described by T. S. Chen et al. in Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 1989, 269, 544-547.
Still additional avermectin derivatives are produced through artificial modification of the fermentation of Streptomyces avermitilis either by addition of metabolic inhibitors such as sinefungin (as described by Schulman et al., J. Antibiot. 1985, 38, 1494-1498) or by mutation of the parent strain (as described by Schulman et al., Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 1987, 31, 744-747, and by EP-276-131-A to Pfizer INC.). Some of these avermectin derivatives are still further modified and are missing one or two of the 3'- and 3"-O-methyl groups (Schulman et al., J. Antibiot. 1985, 38, 1494-1498). Examples for such derivatives are:
The fermentation products have been chemically modified in order to obtain further antiparasitic and insecticidal analogs with improved properties. Publications of such procedures in the scientific and patent literature have been reviewed by Fisher, M. H.; Mrozik, H. In Macrolide Antibiotics; Omura, S., Ed.; Academic: New York, 1984; pp 553-606, and by Davies, H. G.; Green, R. H. Nat. Prod. Rep., 1986, 3, 87-121.
For example a group of semisynthetic avermectin derivatives were obtained by hydrogenating specifically the 22,23-double bond of avermectin B1 giving 22,23-dihydroavermectin B1 derivatives which have very potent anthelmintic and antiparasitic properties. Other examples of semisynthetic avermectin derivatives contain a 8,9-oxide group, a 4a-hydroxy or acyloxy group, a 23-keto group, which all are potent antiparasitic and insecticidal compounds.
It has also been described by Mrozik in U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,663 that amino substituents at the 4"- and 4'- positions have very high antiparasitic and insecticidal activities.
These compounds may be used as starting materials for the compounds of the instant invention without further modification, or when containing additional reactive groups, which are not to be modified under the reaction conditions applied, only after protection of such with a suitable protecting group.


A system and method for performing multiple user authentications with a single sign-on is disclosed. This system and method begins when the user performs a first user authentication, with user name and password, within the user's Intranet. Then the user selects a remote server subsequent to the first authentication. The server in the Intranet sends a token to the remote server containing authentication information made available because of the first authentication. Finally, the remote server decodes the authentication information, which has the effect within the remote server of performing a second user authentication without the user needing to sign-on a second time.

In order to be able to access various computer resources, such as the Internet, a private network such as an Intranet, or other similar resources, a user must authenticate his right to access the resource through a process variously called a "log-on" or a "sign-on". A typical process includes submitting an agreed upon name called a "username" and a password. Usually the submission is performed by the user typing in his username and password on an electronic form supplied by the resource.
Many companies have created private networks that mimic the activity of the Internet. These private networks, called Intranets, allow authorized users access to data which the company wishes to keep private. A software structure called a firewall allows a one-way access from an Intranet to the Internet. The firewall allows authorized users of that Intranet to access data from the Internet without allowing external persons on the Internet to access the private Intranet data.
In order to access these Intranets, authorized users sign-on with a username and a password. However, these same users may then wish to access remote servers on the Internet. These remote servers may require their own sign-on authentication for the user.
Each particular user may have a different username for the sign-on for the remote server than for the Intranet. Furthermore, for the sake of maximum security, a different password should be used. However, what has been noticed in practice is that the requirement for multiple usernames and passwords often produces non-secure behavior in many users. They may either use the same password in both situations, or them may use trivial passwords (e.g. "password"). Other forms of non-secure behavior may include writing down the usernames and passwords, and posting these on a user's computer workstation.

System and method for accessing a remote server from an intranet with a single sign-on


In the actuator, the first end plate part of the first cover member in the support body is layered on one side in the first direction of the holder and faces the first yoke of the movable body from one side in the first direction. The second end plate part of the second cover member in the support body is layered on the other side in the first direction of the holder and faces the movable body from the other side in the first direction. Thus, the first viscoelastic member interposed between the movable body and the first end plate part in the first direction properly contacts with the movable body and the first end plate part. The second viscoelastic member interposed between the movable body and the second end plate part in the first direction properly contacts with the movable body and the second end plate part.

As a device for generating vibrations with a magnetic drive mechanism, an actuator has been proposed in which a movable body is vibrated relative to a support body in a second direction intersecting a first direction by a magnetic drive circuit having a coil and magnets which face the coil in the first direction (Patent Literature 1). In the actuator disclosed in Patent Literature 1, viscoelastic members composed of gel-based damper members are arranged between the movable body and the support body. The movable body is supported to the support body via the viscoelastic members and resonance caused when the movable body is driven is restrained. More specifically described, in the support body, a first cover member, a holder holding magnets and a second cover member are layered in the first direction, and the viscoelastic members are arranged between the first cover member and the movable body and between the second cover member and the movable body.


A mill for use in milling a section in a wellbore is disclosed that includes a first concave curved section followed by a substantially flat section and a second concave curved section following the substantially flat section and a number of blades attached to the first concave curved section, substantially flat section and the second concave curved section, wherein each such blade includes a first convex curved portion that corresponds to the first concave curved section and a second convex curved portion that corresponds to the second concave curved section.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure is related to a milling apparatus for milling casing exits and to perform other cutting operations in wellbores.
2. Background of the Art
Conventional cylindrical mills are commonly utilized for milling windows (or sections) in metal casings (such as pipes) placed in wellbores to provide exits for forming lateral wellbores and to perform other downhole cutting operations. Often, three mills (a window mill, a lower mill and an upper mill) are used on a bottomhole assembly (BHA) to perform the milling operations. Such mills generally include an enlarged pipe section (larger diameter section) that transitions to a smaller diameter pipe on both sides at a taper angle, typically 15°, with a small blending radius at both ends of the taper. Blades are welded over the tapered sections and the enlarged section. Although such tapers or tapered sections along with the small blending radiuses appear to provide a smooth transition between the two diameters to avoid stress concentration, the analysis and operational experience show a relatively high concentration of stress at such transitions. Additionally, the lower mill is the most highly stressed member of the bottomhole assembly (BHA). During milling operations, as the window mill moves down the ramp and laterally through the casing wall, the lower mill body is bent. High stress concentration occurs at the end of the blades, causing cracks to first appear near the ends of such blades. The lower mill is also subject to the substantial torque required to drive the mill, and to torsional impacts from the blades engaging (hitting) the side of the window and the cut slot. The torsional stress is sufficiently high to promote crack growth.
The disclosure herein provides a milling apparatus that addresses at least some of the above-described deficiencies of the mills.

Casing exit mills and apparatus and methods of use


Non-Newtonian fluids, such as partially polymerized monomers or solutions of polymer in monomer may be pressure atomized below the surface of an immiscible continuous liquid phase to produce a dispersed phase having a uniform particle size distribution. A dual or customized size distribution can be obtained by imposing a controlled pressure pulsation on a flowing fluid upstream the atomizer inlet. Such dispersion may be further polymerized to produce a uniform or customized bead size product.

The present invention relates to the application of atomization technology. More particularly the present invention relates to pressure atomizing a fluid, typically a liquid in order to form a dispersed phase within another liquid which forms a continuous phase. The liquid being atomized is non-Newtonian and immiscible in the continuous phase. In one preferred embodiment the fluid being atomized is subjected to pressure pulsation and is a partially polymerized mixture of one or more monomers.
It has been proposed to atomize and coat monomer droplets in an aqueous medium to form a suspension (Review article E. Vivaldo-Lilma et al., An updated review on suspension polymerization. Ind. Eng. Chem., (36) (1997) of S. Matsumoto et al., A production process for uniform-size polymer particles. J of Chem. Eng. Of Japan, vol. 22, No. 6 1989). It was proposed to use coaxial nozzles and inject the monomer mixture through the inner nozzle and the coating composition through the outer nozzle. The shell of the resulting coated particle is hardened chemically or physically to form a capsule which may be suspended in water and polymerized. Subsequent to polymerization the outer shell is removed from the polymer. The present invention has eliminated an essential feature of the art, as it does not contemplate the formation of a shell about the monomers.
Comparable encapsulation technology is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,794 issued Jan. 24, 1984 assigned to Bayer A. G. Rather than using coaxial nozzles, the patent teaches an encapsulation medium separate from the continuous aqueous phase. As noted above the present invention has eliminated the essential feature of encapsulation required by this reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,061,741 issued Oct. 29, 1991, assigned to Mitsubishi Kasei Corporation discloses a method for preparing oil in water type dispersions. The oil is a monomer or monomer mixture which is not polymerized (i.e. a Newtonian liquid to be atomized). The reference fails to teach or suggest the atomization of a non-Newtonian liquid as required by the present invention. Further the reference fails to teach the application of elevated pressure to the oil (monomer) phase. Additionally, the reference teaches the monomer and continuous phase are at relatively low temperatures not exceeding about 30xc2x0 C. A critical feature of the reference is the use of a disperser plate having nozzles in an annular design. The patent teaches away from the present invention in that a disperser plate having an annular layout for the nozzles is not required. The atomizing nozzles may be uniformly distributed over the disperser or orifice plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,922,255 issued Nov. 25, 1975 assigned to Rohm and Haas Company teaches atomizing unpolymerized monomers into a continuous water phase. The monomers are not polymerized and therefor are not non-Newtonian. Further the reference fails to teach applying a pressure pulsation to monomer feed to the atomizers. The reference fails to teach the subject matter of the present invention.
There are a series of patents in the name of Timm, assigned to the Dow Chemicals Company which teach dispersing monomer droplets in a continuous phase by subjecting a jet of a monomer mixture to vibratory excitement. This art includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,444,961; 4,666,673; and 4,623,706. The references fail to teach atomization of a non-Newtonian liquid. Further the references fail to teach the application of high pressure to the phase to be atomized. Further the flow rates of the Timms references appear to be up to an order of magnitude lower than the flow rates of the present invention.
The present invention seeks to provide a process to pressure atomize non-Newtonian immiscible liquids into a continuous liquid medium.
The present invention provides a process comprising pressure atomizing a non-Newtonian immiscible liquid at a gauge pressure of at least 3 bar, preferably the pressure is subjected to pulsation with a controlled frequency and amplitude, in an amount from 0.01 to 60% volume of a continuous liquid phase, below the free surface of the continuous liquid phase which may be stationary or flowing, contained in a tank, pipe or loop vessel, to produce a dispersion of atomized droplets of the immiscible liquid having at least one controlled average diameter from 0.1 mm to 5 mm.
In a preferred embodiment the droplets are maintained under shear and turbulence conditions insufficient to cause agglomeration or secondary breakup of the atomized droplets.

Method of dispersion of a non-Newtonian fluid


The present invention relates to a topical ophthalmic formulation comprising at least one antagonist of the endothelin receptor, preferably selected from sitaxentan, ambrisentan, atrasentran, bosentan, macitentan and tezosentan, or a mixture thereof, more preferably bosentan. It also relates to the use of a topical ophthalmic formulation comprising at least one antagonist of the endothelin receptor, preferably selected from sitaxentan, ambrisentan, atrasentran, bosentan, macitentan and tezosentan, or a mixture thereof, more preferably bosentan, as active ingredient for preventing and/or treating the retinal neurodegeneration induced by diabetes and/or aging.

Diabetes is a chronic disease characterized by the presence of hyperglycaemia that is triggered when the body loses its ability to produce enough insulin or to use it effectively. There are two main types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes which usually occurs in adults, but there are increasingly more cases of children and teenagers.
The number of people with type 2 diabetes is rapidly increasing worldwide. This increase is associated with the economic development, which implies an increased aged population and changes in lifestyle (unhealthy diets and reduced physical activity).
Diabetes can cause serious late complications which are classified in microangiopathic (retinopathy, neuropathy and diabetic nephropathy) and macroangiopathic (cardiovascular disease).
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the most common complication of diabetes and the leading cause of decreased visual acuity and blindness in working-age population in developed countries. The incidence of DR increases with the time of evolution of diabetes. Thus, 90% of patients with type 1 diabetes and 60% of patients with type 2 diabetes have some degree of DR after 20 years of evolution of diabetes. The prevalence of DR in Western countries is very similar and is around 30% and in 10% of cases the DR is in advanced stages that seriously threaten vision, as described in Yau et al., Meta-Analysis for Eye Disease (META-EYE) Study Group. Global prevalence and major risk factors of diabetic retinopathy, Diabetes Care, 2012, 35, 556-64.
According to the International Diabetes Federation. Diabetes Atlas (6th Edition, 2014) (http://www.idf.org/diabetesatlas), the number of diabetic patients in the world will exponentially grow in the coming years: it is estimated that will rise from 387 million of diabetic patients in 2014 to 592,000,000 in 2035. Consequently, the number of patients with DR will also increase in parallel.
A strict control of blood glucose and blood pressure are essential for preventing or slowing the progression of DR. However, the therapeutic objectives are difficult to achieve and consequently, the DR is eventually developed in a high proportion of patients.
Current treatments for DR such as laser photocoagulation, intravitreal injections of corticosteroids or blocking agents of vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF: ranibizumab, bevacizumab, pegaptanib, and aflibercept) or vitreoretinal surgery are indicated in very advanced stages of the disease, have limited effectiveness and are associated with significant adverse effects. Thus, the laser treatment is associated with a moderate vision loss, a reduced field of view, a reduced colour vision, and a reduction in contrast sensitivity. Intravitreal injections involve adverse effects such as infections, glaucoma and cataract formation and, since they must be repeatedly administered, the risk of occurrence of side effects is multiplied. In addition to the adverse local effects, anti-VEGF agents can also cause systemic complications due to its ability to pass into the systemic circulation. In short, current treatments for DR are only applicable in the advanced stages of the disease and are associated with significant adverse effects.
The DR has traditionally been considered as a microcirculatory disease of the retina. However, as described in Lieth et al., Retinal neurodegeneration. Early pathology in diabetes, Clin. Exper. Ophthalmol., 2000, 28: 3-8, there is increasing evidence, based on neurophysiological, psychometric, histopathologic and biochemical observations, suggesting that retinal neurodegeneration is an early event in the pathogenesis of DR which participates in the microcirculatory abnormalities that occur in DR. Thus, the main features of retinal neurodegeneration (apoptosis and glial activation) have been detected in the retinas from diabetic donors who had no microvascular alterations. Clinically, retinal neurodegeneration produces functional abnormalities, such as loss of colour discrimination and of contrast sensitivity. These alterations can be detected in diabetic patients before injuries are observed in fundus examination.
In the review article Simó et al., Neurodegeneration in the diabetic eye: new insights and therapeutic perspectives, Trends Endocrin. Metab., 2014, 25, 23-33, it is disclosed that treatments based on neuroprotection open a new approach to prevent or stop the development of DR. In this article some strategies are described which are in the experimental stage, but clinical trials supporting the efficacy and safety of these therapeutic approaches are not available yet.
In the article by Chou et al., Endothelin Receptor Antagonist-A Attenuates Retinal Vascular and neuroretinal Pathology in Diabetic Mice, Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis., 2014, 55, 2516-2525, oral administration of atrasentan, a selective blocking agent of ETA receptor of endothelin 1 is disclosed, and a significant reduction of vascular and neuroretinal complications in diabetic mice was observed. Such oral administration has the disadvantage that may have associated systemic effects. Furthermore, given the existence of the blood-retinal barrier, high serum concentrations are required for achieving pharmacological concentrations in the retina.
US 2003/0176356 describes a pharmaceutical composition comprising endothelin antagonists such as bosentan, but for treating a different disease, such as glaucoma. This document discloses general formulations which have not proven their viability. Indeed, they are applied generally stating that they can be used for any inhibitor of endothelin, when the galenical practice has shown that the same formulation developed for a particular active ingredient is not suitable for other active ingredient, albeit of the same drug family, because a small change in the molecular structure thereof presupposes the modification of its pharmaceutical, chemical and physical characteristics. In this case, it can be stated that the formulations set forth therein would not allow to obtain a stable solution and viable in time, without proving their correct preparation or their viability for ophthalmic application.
Despite the solutions described in the prior art, there is an ongoing need for new pharmacological therapies for the prevention and/or treatment of DR, which avoid the systemic treatment or intravitreal injections, in order to minimize potential side effects, and to be administered easily and over long periods.

Topical ophthalmic formulations of endothelin receptor antagonists


A developing device includes a developer bearing member, and a developer container for containing a developer. The developer container includes a developer containing portion, a partition member dividing an interior of the developer containing portion into a plurality of rooms, and a cover for covering the developer containing portion, wherein the partition member is molded integrally with the cover. The partition member is disposed in parallel with a longitudinal direction of the developer bearing member and extended to form a gap between the partition member and a bottom surface of the developer containing portion throughout an entire length of the developer containing portion in a longitudinal direction of the developer bearing member. The developer containing portion includes a rib disposed in a direction intersecting the partition member and wherein the partition member includes a groove disposed in a direction so as to avoid intersecting the rib.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a developing device mounted in an image forming apparatus, such as a copying machine or a printer.
2. Related Art
When it has been used for a long period of time, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus requires adjusting, cleaning, and replacing operations. For example, it is necessary to replace the photosensitive drum, supply and replace the developer, and adjust, clean, and replace other components (such as the charger and the cleaner container). For a person other than a serviceperson with expertise, it has been virtually impossible to perform such maintenance operations.
In view of this, an image forming apparatus based on the electrophotographic image forming process adopts a process cartridge system, in which the electrophotographic photosensitive body and the process means acting thereon are integrated into a cartridge that is detachably attachable to the main body of the image forming apparatus. With this process cartridge system, the user can perform the maintenance of the apparatus by himself or herself without having to rely on a serviceperson, thus achieving a substantial improvement in terms of operability. That is why the process cartridge system is widely used in the field of image forming apparatuses.
FIG. 12 shows a conventional developing unit. A conventional developer unit 45 is formed by joining, by ultrasonic welding, a developing frame 43 supporting a developing member, such as a developing roller 48, with a toner containing frame body consisting of a toner container 46 in which agitating members 49 and a toner regulating plate 47 are provided and with which a toner container cover 44 is joined by ultrasonic welding.
In electrophotographic image forming apparatuses including such a process cartridge, there is a tendency toward an increase in the volume of the toner container and an increase in the size of the container for waste toner so that the service life of the process cartridge until its replacement may be prolonged.
However, when the volume of the toner container is increased, the weight of the toner increases. When the amount of developer is increased in the conventional image forming apparatus, the process cartridge may be dropped due to the weight of the toner, with the result that the toner sealing member is damaged to allow toner to leak. To avoid this, a toner regulating plate or the like, which is a separate component, has conventionally been provided in the toner container when forming the frame body.
However, this system has a problem in that it requires a separate component, resulting in high cost. Moreover, when the toner container cover is joined by ultrasonic welding, oscillatory welding or the like, with the toner regulating plate being mounted in the toner container, there is a danger that waste resin may be generated where the toner regulating plate and the toner container are in contact with each other and where the toner regulating plate and the toner container cover are in contact with each other, resulting in image disturbance.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problem. It is an object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive developing device.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a developing device which does not easily allow intrusion of impurities into the developer container at the time of production.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a developing device comprising: a developer bearing member; and a developer container for containing a developer, the developer container including a developer containing portion, a partition member dividing an interior of the developer containing portion into a plurality of rooms, and a cover for covering the developer containing portion, wherein the partition member is molded integrally with the cover.
Other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Developing device having a cover with partition member


Systems, methods, and apparatuses for identifier matching and management are described herein. In various embodiments, the system includes a distributed architecture for receiving and matching public and secure identifiers associated with a particular consumer. In particular embodiments, the system uses the matched public and secure identifiers to transmit one or more messages to the particular consumer.

Online (or Internet) advertising is a popular medium for delivering marketing advertisements and offers to potential consumers. In a typical example, a user accesses a website to view certain content (a news article, social media posts, etc.) and views an advertisement on the website alongside the content of the website. There are many variations of the ad in the above example, including pop-up advertisements, banner ads, e-mail marketing ads, instream video ads, mobile browser ads, in-app mobile ads, in-game ads, etc. Like traditional print-media advertisements, online advertising can be mass (e.g., everyone gets the same ad) or targeted (e.g., certain people get certain ads).
Generally, the more information known by an advertiser or their agent, the more targeted, specialized and potentially valuable advertisements become. Certain types of targeted marketing systems are known to be in use. The term "targeted marketing" generally refers to systems that enable the identification of particular classes or segments of consumers and the delivery of specialized advertisements to such consumers. Consumers are often segmented into classes and subclasses based on age, gender, geography, socio-economic status, history of purchases, and other indicia. The specialized targeted advertisements provided to these identified classes of consumers can include advertisements for products or services known to be of interest to that class of consumer. Targeted advertisements may also include special discounts on product purchases, coupons, rewards program points, or other similar incentives for specific products or services.
Traditionally, marketers rely on general information such as their own historical sales data or common geographic data in order to target advertisements (in the form of mailers, television advertisements, etc.) to customers. Marketers may also rely on audience composition data for television or printed publications, such as Nielsen ratings. While this type of targeted marketing does provide some benefit over undirected, mass marketing, it is not as specialized or precise as most advertisers would prefer. Even with the advent and widespread use of the Internet (and Internet advertisements), targeted marketing still does not reach the level of detail for optimum effectiveness. Furthermore, advertisers' ability to target consumers and track conversion rates is limited to their respective sales data. Conversion rate refers to any subjective measure of advertising effectiveness, for example completed purchases online or at a local retail location in response to an advertisement, or sign-ups for a newsletter in response to an advertisement. Because of these limitations, advertisers are unable to construct a view of the customer's overall spending behavior when creating marketing programs.
Online financial services provided by financial institutions such as banks, credit unions, savings & loans, and brokerage institutions are able to track individual consumer spending and are becoming increasingly popular among consumers as a way to effectively manage their finances. Online financial services are typically managed by a consumer via a financial institution portal, where users are typically provided with a listing of their accounts, and a further sub-listing of their recent transactions associated with those accounts. Each transaction will often include the date of the purchase or transaction, the amount of the transaction, the form in which the transaction occurred (i.e., check, credit card, etc.), and the retailer, service provider, or other establishment with which the transaction occurred. Additionally, with the advent and increased use of mobile devices (e.g., cell phones, smart phones, tablets, portable game consoles, etc.), consumers have constant access (e.g., through a mobile application) to their online financial services and accounts.
In order to provide detailed and up-to-date information regarding transactions, purchases, and accounts to online banking portal users, banks and other financial service providers must keep thorough records of those transactions, and employ highly-sophisticated operational systems to maintain and organize such information. Accordingly, banking systems can provide a rich intelligence about the purchasing habits and propensities of consumers.
However, the customer transaction data held by banks is highly confidential. As a result, traditional advertisers have not had access to this data; thus, transaction data has not been used to target customers or measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign.

System and apparatus for identifier matching and management


An electrical card connector (100) for receiving a card comprises an insulating housing (1), a shield (2) having an end mounted on the insulating housing and another end defining an inserting opening for the card inserting, and an ejector (4) assembled on a lateral side of the shield. The ejector comprises a ejecting mechanism for ejecting the card, and a pushing mechanism connecting with the ejecting mechanism. The pushing mechanism comprises a plastic pushing bar (43), a base (42) mating with the pushing bar, a slider (44) received in the pushing bar and the base, a spring member (46) mounted on the pushing bar, and a metal piece (430) assembled on the pushing bar.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an electrical card connector, and more particularly to an electrical card connector having an ejecting mechanism.
2. Description of Prior Art
Modern times, the PC card is always used as an external equipment for increase the storage of the electrical consumer products, like Mobile phone, Digital camera, etc. The electrical card connector is used for electrically connecting the PC card and the electrical consumer products. An ejecting mechanism is used on the card connector for ejecting the card from the card connector.
TW. Pat. No. 325154 and TW. Pat. No. 314665 disclose a kind of nonage ejecting mechanism. This kind of ejecting mechanism always comprises a plastic pushing bar for pushing the ejecting mechanism to ejecting the card. However, the plastic pushing bar is easily broken cause of its weak strength. Otherwise, if we change the material of the pushing bar into the metal, the weight and the cost would be increased.
Hence, it is desirable to have an improved card connector to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art.

Electrical card connector having ejecting mechanism


A method and an adaptive filter are provided wherein the bandwidth of the filter is varied as a function of current and past input signal values based on the amount of noise judged to be present. A first order digital low pass filter is described by the following equation: EQU y(k)=.alpha.(x(k)+(k+1))+(1-2.alpha.)y(K-1). where .alpha. is a variable control signal which controls the cutoff frequency of the filter. Fuzzy logic or rules are used to determine .alpha.. To determine whether the current input signal is most likely a true signal or noise, three differences are taken between the current and past three input sample signals. Based on a comparison of these differences, .alpha. is assigned a value from 0.0 to 0.5 in accordance with the fuzzy rules. If the rules indicate that noise is predominant, the bandwidth of the filter is minimized by setting .alpha.=0.0 to suppress the noise. If the fuzzy rules indicate that the current input signal is valid, then the bandwidth of the filter is maximized by setting .alpha.=0.5. Values of .alpha. between 0.0 and 0.5 reflect an indeterminate judgment by the fuzzy rules.

Considerable attention has been directed toward the development of various types of filters, and especially toward adaptive filters. An adaptive filter is intended to do what its name implies. It is a filter which filters an incoming signal but which adapts or changes its filtering characteristics in accordance with a change of some condition, usually related to the signal being filtered.
There exist many adaptive filter designs, as for example the Kalman filter (based upon what is known as the least mean square criterion), the phase-locked loop, and the adaptive array antenna. Each of these adaptive filters is suited to a particular class of problems. For example, the phase-locked loop adaptively adjusts the frequency of oscillation, and an adaptive antenna places nulls in an antenna pattern to reject sidelobe interference in a changing interfering environment.
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,889,108 to Cantrell, discloses an adaptive filter which is suited for a special class of problems which generally relate to the filtering of a signal to remove higher-order frequency components. It is desirable to remove these high frequency components when they are not related to the true signal but are part of signal noise which causes interference and tends to mask the true signal.
The Cantrell patent discloses an adaptive digital lowpass filter which adaptively changes its bandwidth filtering characteristics in accordance with the bandwidth of the incoming signal. The filter cutoff point may be increased to a higher frequency, or decreased to a lower frequency, by using prior signal inputs and outputs of the filter.
As shown in FIG. 3 of the Cantrell patent, the filter 20 receives an input signal w(k) and outputs an output signal x(k). The operation of the filter is represented by the equation x(k)=w(k) [1-1(k)]+a(k)x(k-1), shown within the filter block 20, where a(k) is an adaptive error signal based on the noise level in the signal. When the noise level increases, a(k) approaches 1.0, and the output signal x(k)=x(k-1). Thus, the immediate past filter output signal is taken as the current filter output signal. Also, as described beginning at column 5, line 55, when there is little noise present, a(k) becomes small, and the input value w(k) appears at the output x(k).
Thus, the Cantrell patent broadly discloses an adaptive digital filter which varies the bandwidth based on prior signal inputs and outputs of the filter while estimating the noise level present in the signal.
In general, fuzzy logic provides procedures to incorporate knowledge expressed vaguely and yet arrive at a definite, calculable answer. In other words, fuzzy logic is a methodology for handling knowledge that contains some uncertainty or vagueness. The foundations of fuzzy logic were set forth in the 1960s by L. A. Zadeh in his paper entitled "Fuzzy Sets", INFORM. CONTR., 8 pp. 338-353, 1965.
In current engineering application, fuzzy logic is most often found in control problems in the form of a particular procedure, called "max-min" fuzzy inference as described by Ebrahim Mamdani in his paper entitled "Application of Fuzzy Logic to Approximate Reasoning Using Linguistic Synthesis", IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON COMPUTERS, (1977) C-26, No. 12, pp. 1182-1191. This procedure incorporates approximate knowledge of approximate control response for different circumstances into sets of rules for calculating a particular control action. The rules are expressed in terms of "IF (situation holds), THEN (take consequent control action). The degree to which a particular consequent action is taken depends on the degree to which its corresponding conditions hold. The linguistic expression of a situation or consequent control action is translated into a definite calculation via specified membership functions. A membership function quantifies what is meant by a phrase such as "The temperature is high" by defining the degree of membership in the class, "high", depending on the value of the input variable, temperature.

Method for automatically controlling the bandwidth of a digital filter and adaptive filter utilizing same


The present invention is a multi-textured infant teether or teething device, where a portion of the teether is a rounded and curved, hard, smooth, hollow, metal exterior that is comprised of sterling silver, aluminum or any other rust-resistant metal material and a portion of the teether is a handle that is comprised of either metal covered by rubber or plastic or solely of rubber or plastic to prevent the teether from becoming too cold to hold. Inside the multi-textured teether will be a liquid or gel, comprised of water, food grade propalyne glycol, any other food grade, freezer-friendly gel or similar non-toxic material, that has the ability to remain cold for a prolonged time period following refrigeration or freezing, which shall be enclosed in a sealed bag, enclosed expandable plastic material or other container capable of being frozen while holding a liquid and/or gel in order to prevent leakage.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to infant care devices and more specifically to infant teethers.
2. Description of Prior Art
Teething is the eruption through the gums of baby teeth. Devices for soothing and quieting infants during the teething process are well known. Teethers, objects or devices for an infant to bite on during teething, in particular, have been commonly used for many years to soothe discomfort resulting from infant teething. Typical teethers consist of a rubber exterior, which may contain a freezable liquid that is refrigerated before use in order to numb an infant's gums and relieve teething pain.
It is an objective of this invention to provide a new and improved multi-textured teether, where a portion of the teether is comprised of a rounded and curved, hard, smooth, hollow, metal exterior with a freezable liquid or gel center that will remain cold for an extended period of time following removal from refrigeration and/or after freezing and a portion of the teether is comprised of a handle that is comprised of either metal covered by rubber or plastic or solely of rubber or plastic to prevent the teether from becoming too cold to hold. There is a need for a multi-textured teether that accommodates an infant's desire for a cold, hard, rounded and curved, smooth surface that, due to these contours and features, is able to reach the otherwise inaccessible areas of an infant's mouth and that will provide some relief from discomfort, hasten the eruption of the teeth from the gums, while providing the infant with a handle that does not become too cold to hold and which will also capture an infant's interest, thereby encouraging the continued use and manipulation of the teether in order to provide a distraction from the general discomfort associated with the teething process.

Sterling silver and/or metal gel and/or liquid centered teether


In order to provide an X-ray CT apparatus and the like that reconstruct an image using an iterative approximation method which ensures stable convergence and can be executed at high speed, a computation device 5 of an X-ray CT apparatus 1 calculates matrices A, B, D, R, and R′ on the basis of the scanning conditions input through an input device 6 (step 1). Then, the computation device 5 calculates each element of a matrix I−α(SBTDA+βSR) (step 2). Then, the computation device 5 calculates the operator norm ∥I−α(SBTDA+βSR)∥ of the matrix I−α(SBTDA+βSR) (step 3). Then, the computation device 5 determines a relaxation coefficient α such that a predetermined conditional expression is satisfied (step 4).

The X-ray CT apparatus is an apparatus that obtains a tomographic image of an object by irradiating the object with fan-beam shaped X-rays or cone-beam shaped X-rays (conical or pyramid beam shaped X-rays), measuring X-rays transmitted through the object using an X-ray detector, and reconstructing the measurement data from multiple directions.
Image reconstruction methods in the X-ray CT apparatus are largely divided into an analysis method and an iterative approximation method. The analysis method is a method of solving a problem analytically on the basis of a projection cutting plane theorem. The iterative approximation method is a method of mathematically modeling an observation system that has acquired the projection data and estimating the best image with a repetition method on the basis of the mathematical model.
When both methods are compared, the advantage of the analysis method is that the amount of computation is overwhelmingly small since a reconstructed image is directly obtained from the actual projection data. On the other hand, the advantage of the iterative approximation method is that the quantum noise on the image or artifacts (such as cone beam artifacts) generated in the analysis method can be reduced since the physical process up to the acquisition of projection data and statistical fluctuations included in the actual projection data can be considered as a mathematical model and a statistical model, respectively.
Conventionally, as an image reconstruction method in multi-slice CT, the Feldkamp method that is an analysis method or an improved method of the Feldkamp method has been mainly used due to the small amount of computation. However, practical applications of the iterative approximation method are also beginning to be considered with the development of high-performance computers in recent years.
The iterative approximation method is a method of setting the evaluation index of an image in advance and updating the image iteratively so that the evaluation value obtained by quantifying the evaluation index takes a maximum or minimum value. As the evaluation index, discrepancy between actual projection data and forward projection data obtained by converting an image into projection data in the update process, stochastic plausibility, or the like is used. A function for calculating the evaluation value is called an evaluation function.
An iterative approximation method using a penalized weighted least-square error function as an evaluation function has been proposed in NPL 1. In the methods proposed up to now, matrices that are transposed matrices of each other in forward projection processing and back projection processing are generally applied as proposed in NPL 1.
On the other hand, although there are few methods, iterative approximation methods to apply matrices that are not transposed matrices of each other in forward projection processing and back projection processing have also been proposed. A method of performing iterative update by applying a view-direction weight to the back projection processing has been proposed in NPL 2.
Hereinafter, the back projection processing in which the view-direction weight is used is called "view-direction weighted back projection processing".
The view-direction weighted back projection processing itself has been proposed in NPL 3, and is a technique used in the analysis method. The view-direction weighted back projection processing has the following advantages.                (1) Redundancy of projection data can be eliminated.        (2) Time resolution can be improved.
When matrices that are not transposed matrices of each other in the forward projection processing and the back projection processing are applied, a relaxation coefficient related to the speed and stability of convergence in the iterative approximation method is included in the update expression for iterative update. It is necessary to set the relaxation coefficient in a specific range for stable convergence in the iterative approximation method.
NPL 2 discloses that the relaxation coefficient is determined experientially. On the other hand, a method of calculating the relaxation coefficient using a power law has been proposed in NPL 4. The power law is an iterative solution technique to calculate the maximum eigenvalue of a certain matrix.
Meanwhile, when a spiral scan is performed at high bed movement speed, actual projection data in a row direction is insufficient. Accordingly, there is a problem in that the region where an image is obtained by the iterative approximation method is restricted.
In order to solve this problem, PTL 1 discloses a method of generating virtual row data and virtual channel data by extending actual projection data and then performing back projection processing in the analysis method. If the method disclosed in PTL 1 can be applied to the iterative approximation method, it is possible to relax the restriction of the region.
Hereinafter, the processing of generating virtual row data and virtual channel data by extending actual projection data as in the method disclosed in PTL 1 is called "data extension type back projection processing".

X-ray CT apparatus and image reconstruction method


A system and a method for directed provisioning and management of user applications on limited resource devices by a content provider, through an integrated platform which handles all aspects of aggregation and management of such applications. By “content aggregation”, it is meant the procedure by which applications are introduced by a content provider, and are then aggregated into a service for provision by that content provider and/or service provider. Preferably, the collected applications may then be examined by the user according to a content directory, which is a hierarchical organization of different applications according to one or more categories and/or attributes. The service provider preferably controls access to the content or user applications by the user, for example according to a subscription of the user and/or capabilities of the limited resource device of the user.

Cellular telephones have recently become increasingly popular for mobile voice communication, as well as for the exchange of text messages and other types of data. For voice communication, cellular telephone systems provide similar services as the fixed, wire-based telephony system, or PSTN (public switched telephony network), except that cellular telephone systems are based upon signal transmission through radio frequency signals rather than wires. Hence, cellular telephones are also termed "wireless telephones", and communication over such telephones is termed "wireless communication".
One advantage of cellular telephones is that they permit mobile communication, such that subscribers are able to communicate while traveling, or otherwise when they are not at a fixed physical location. In addition, cellular telephones permit subscribers to be contacted regardless of the location of the subscribers. These advantages of mobile communication are also useful for the exchange of data, such as for text messages and even Web pages, for example. Cellular telephones are able to receive text messages through message exchange protocols such as SMS (short message service), for example, which permit one-to-one communication between cellular telephones through text messages. In addition, the WAP (wireless application protocol) protocol enables cellular telephones, which are WAP-enabled to receive Web pages. Thus, cellular telephones potentially provide a full communication solution for all of the different types of electronic communication for a subscriber.
However, cellular telephones have a number of disadvantages over other types of computational devices which are used to exchange data, such as desktop computers, for example. Cellular telephones have limited resources, and as such can be considered to be limited resource devices. They are limited by at least one of available memory, storage space, size of the display screen, and/or computational power, as represented by the ability to perform various data processing tasks. These limitations are imposed by the requirements of portability, convenient and simple operation, battery lifetime, weight and size. In addition, the type of limitations and the hardware specifications of each cellular telephone, or other related handheld device, also differ between, cellular telephone service providers and even manufacturers. Thus, designing a single type of application which is suitable for all cellular telephones, for example, is clearly very difficult.
In addition, the heterogeneity of this computational environment extends to the types of communication protocols according to which these different cellular telephones communicate for data transmission. As described above, two of these protocols include SMS, for character-based messages only, and WAP, for more rich data transmissions which may also include graphics. Other protocols include "I-mode", the packet-based cellular telephone data transmission protocol of the Japanese carrier, NTT DoCoMo (Japan).
Unlike the static content which is delivered through WAP or I-mode, the Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME) provides a platform for the execution of dynamic content on mobile devices. J2ME is a reduced edition of the popular Java programming language (originally developed by Sun Microsystems), which was adapted to the limitations of consumer and embedded devices. It is being defined as an industry standard by companies which manufacture limited resource devices, such as Motorola, Nokia and Palm.
Another emerging standard is the Mobile Station Application Execution Environment (MExE), which is defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). MExE provides a standardized execution environment in a mobile station, as well as the ability of the mobile station to negotiate supported capabilities with a MExE service provider, thereby allowing applications to be developed across different platforms. Thus, the capabilities of different cellular telephones and other limited resource devices can be accommodated by a particular application.
This last attempted solution, MExE, is the closest attempt to the provision of an integrated platform for delivering applications to a wide variety of cellular telephones and other limited resource devices. However, MExE still suffers from the drawbacks of lacking a specification or support for a server architecture or specific management functions, both of which are required in order to actually deliver the applications to different limited resource devices. Furthermore, all of the above solutions focus on either a method for creating a user application for operation by a limited resource device, such as the modified version of Java; or a method for delivering and displaying content on the limited resource device, such as WAP. They do not provide an integrated solution for creating the user application; adapting the application according to the different requirements of different limited resource devices; and delivering the application to the device through a client-server system which is compatible with such devices, particularly for wireless communication. In addition, these systems do not provide a solution to the problem of at least semi-automatically collecting the applications for conversion into a service for provision to the limited resource device.

System and method for aggregation of user applications for limited-resource devices


A drainage system includes a storm water chamber and floor liner assembly for storing and conveying liquids. The storm water chamber comprises a generally elongated arch shape with an arch top and bottom side walls, thereby defining an enclosure, the enclosure having a plurality of liquid intake openings. The floor liner comprises two generally parallel sides each having a plurality of retaining members for connecting the storm water chamber. When the storm water chamber and floor liner are connected with each other, the system provides a substantially enclosed assembly for conveying liquids.

Various methods, systems and apparatus are known to handle wastewater and/or storm water. Culverts, catch basins, storm sewers and outfalls have been used. Although such systems provide substantial advantages over direct discharge into an existing water body, they preclude other uses of the land. This is particularly important where land values are high such as in urban, residential and industrial areas. In addition, such known approaches have adverse environmental effects, for example, by lowering local water tables when storm water is prohibited from dispensing into the earth.
Consequently, it is desirable to direct rain or storm water into the earth. This has typically been done by using infiltration trenches filled with large gravel or crushed stone with perforated pipes running therethrough. However, stone filled trench systems are expensive and inefficient since the stone occupies a substantial volume, limiting the ability of the system to handle large surge volumes of water associated with heavy storms. Both the stone and the perforated pipe are also susceptible to clogging by particles or debris carried by water.
In order to solve such problems and disadvantages, underground drainage chambers have been introduced in the market for handling storm water or sewage system effluent, although not limited thereto. Such chambers typically have an arch-shaped cross-section and are relatively long with open bottoms for dispersing water to the ground. These chambers may be laid on a gravel bed side-by-side in parallel rows to create large drainage systems. End portions of the chambers may be connected to a catch basin, typically through a pipe network, in order to efficiently distribute high velocity storm water.
Storm water chambers have been used for gathering and dispensing liquids such as, for example, storm water and waste water into the ground. Such storm water chambers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,226,241, entitled STORM WATER CHAMBER FOR GANGING TOGETHER MULTIPLE CHAMBERS, assigned to Cultec, Inc., which this application incorporates by reference in its entirety.
When large drainage systems are built away from the collection point, it can be difficult to convey the liquid to the drainage system for proper dispersal. As an example, a large shopping development may have a parking lot that collects storm water and a large drainage system built some distance away. Therefore, the liquid collected from the parking lot must be conveyed to the drainage system. Conveying that storm water to the drainage system for proper liquid dispersal can require a sophisticated and expensive system of piping. Pipes may also clog easily as refuse, leaves and other objects are carried by the water into the pipes.
Therefore, it would be beneficial to have a superior system for liquid storage and conveyance through the use of a storm water chamber with floor liner and method of use.


A fuel injection apparatus includes: an adsorbent disposed in an internal space of a leading end portion of a fuel injector, the adsorbent being capable of selectively adsorbing an alcohol component in the blended fuel of gasoline and alcohol; fuel pressure controller capable of achieving states in which a pressure of fuel to be supplied to the fuel injector is set to a low or high pressure range having a small or large adsorbed amount of alcohol on the adsorbent; and split injection controller that makes the fuel injector inject fuel for one cycle in a plurality of times, when the pressure of fuel to be supplied to the fuel injector is set to the high pressure range.

A known internal combustion engine can use a blended fuel that is a mixture of gasoline and alcohol such as ethanol or methanol. FIG. 10 is a chart showing a relationship between a distillation rate and a temperature of E80 (a blended fuel with 80% ethanol), E20 (a blended fuel with 20% ethanol), and E0 (100% gasoline). Gasoline is composed of multiple components including one having a low boiling point which contributes to an outstanding vaporization characteristic even at low temperatures. Alcohol, on the other hand, is composed of a single component and thus has a fixed boiling point which is high (about 78° C. for ethanol). As is known from FIG. 10, therefore, a blended fuel having a high concentration of alcohol, such as E80, has a drawback that the fuel is extremely difficult to vaporize at temperatures lower than the boiling point of alcohol. Note that a blended fuel having a relatively low alcohol concentration, such as E20, may actually more readily vaporize than 100% gasoline because of azeotropic phenomenon.
For the reasons as described above, when a blended fuel having a high alcohol concentration is used, substantially only the gasoline component vaporizes of the blended fuel injected from a fuel injector during cold starting of the internal combustion engine, with very little of the alcohol component vaporizing. This results in an insufficient amount of vaporized fuel that contributes to combustion, thus posing a problem of tendency toward poor startability. In addition, the starting relies only on the gasoline component of the blended fuel injected, so that a large amount of fuel needs to be injected at starting in order to compensate for the insufficiency. An amount of alcohol component many times the amount of gasoline component that has contributed to combustion fails to vaporize and burn, flowing past a combustion chamber into an exhaust path in a form of HC. This results in a problem in that the amount of HC discharged into the atmosphere tends to be extremely large during cold starting.
JP-A-2008-248840 discloses an internal combustion engine having two fuel injectors for each cylinder. In the internal combustion engine, ethanol water is separated and extracted from a blended fuel of gasoline and ethanol accumulated in a fuel tank by adding water to the fuel tank; a residual fuel after the ethanol water is separated and extracted is injected from one fuel injector and the ethanol water is injected from the other fuel injector. The internal combustion engine, being able to inject only the residual fuel having a low ethanol concentration at starting, can solve the foregoing problem.

Fuel injection apparatus for internal combustion engine


A method of associating chronological time with energy consumption includes a step of storing in a utility meter a plurality of energy consumption values, each energy consumption value corresponding to a time interval of a first type. The method also includes obtaining from a source external to the utility meter chronological time information regarding at least one of the plurality of energy consumption values. The method further includes associating each of the energy consumption values with a time interval of the second type, each time interval of the second type associated with at least one chronological time value.

Electricity meters are used to measure electricity consumption for many purposes, including billing for the usage of energy. In many cases, an electricity meter merely keeps track of accumulated energy usage. The accumulated usage over a month is then applied to one or more billing rates (e.g. dollars per kilowatt hour) to arrive at the amount to be billed to the customer for the month.
Other billing methods are employed in other cases. Two common alternative billing methods include so-called Time of Use (TOU) and Demand metering. Time of Use metering involves application of different rates to energy usage at different times of day. To this end, a TOU meter may maintain several accumulators, one for each billing rate. During billing accumulated energy usage is added to the appropriate one of the many accumulators, depending on the time of day. Different billing rates are then applied to the accumulated energy usage values in each of the accumulators. Demand metering involves billing based on time periods in which the demand is at or near a maximum level. Such billing/metering methods are known.
Historically TOU and Demand functions have been performed by the end device (i.e. the meter). Industry standards, and in some cases governmental regulations, require relatively accurate determination of the start and finish of time periods used for TOU and Demand operations. Such accuracy can be achieved by referencing the timing off of the 60 Hz power line signal, which is generally fairly accurate. In such cases, however, power line timing information is lost in a power outage, and there must be some ability to recover chronological time information (time of day) after the power returns.
The problem of recover after a power outage can be addressed by including a clock chip and a battery for power to maintain the time during a power outage. In some cases, the clock chip may be used during normal operation as well. There are disadvantages to reliance on the clock chip for timing information, however, which are outlined below:                1. The accuracy of clock chips drifts over time, causing devices to become out of synch with the real or actual time;        2. Updating the time information in the meter often requires a visit to the physical location with a programming device;        3. Even when the time information is updated in the meter, the programming devices also have clock drift, and as a result, meters across the population on a system are never truly set to the same time base;        4. The cost of a clock chip and a battery is borne by all metering devices in the system.
To address these problems, some meters now implement two-way communication systems that offer the ability to provide accurate timing information to the meters from a single accurate time base. Keeping the metering devices time synced to the system time greatly improves the accuracy of billing demand and TOU data from the metering devices. However, this solution also has disadvantages. In order to ensure accuracy, all devices must get the correct time within seconds to maintain the integrity of the time-of-use, demand or load profiling data, which is not practical in a system with many metering devices.
There is a need, therefore, for a metering system that addresses one or more of the shortcomings identified above in connection with prior art solutions.

Method of timing demand and time-of-use functionality with external clock source


To provide a film forming apparatus in which an impurity contained in an organic compound is separated to be removed and a film is formed without decreasing the purity of the purified organic compound, whereby a high-purity organic compound is formed. A film forming apparatus of the present invention includes a purifying chamber for purifying an organic compound and a film forming chamber for vapor-depositing the purified organic compound onto a substrate. The organic compound purified by a zone melting method in the purifying chamber can be vapor-deposited onto the substrate provided in the film forming chamber without decreasing the purity thereof, so that a high-purity organic compound layer can be formed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus and a film forming method used for producing a light-emitting element including a film (hereinafter, referred to as an "organic compound layer") containing an organic compound that emits light by the application with an electric field, an anode, and a cathode. In particular, the present invention relates to production of a light-emitting element that is more unlikely to be degraded and has a longer life as compared with the conventional example.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a light-emitting apparatus having an organic light-emitting element as a self-luminous element is being actively studied. In particular, a light-emitting apparatus using an organic compound as a light-emitting material is drawing attention. Such a light-emitting apparatus is called an organic electroluminescence display (OELD) or an organic light-emitting diode (OLED).
A light-emitting element includes a layer (hereinafter, referred to as an "organic compound layer") containing an organic compound in which electroluminescence occurs by the application with an electric field, an anode, and a cathode. Luminescence in an organic compound includes fluorescence that occurs when an energy level returns from a singlet excited state to a ground state and phosphorescence that occurs when an energy level returns from a triplet excited state to a ground state. A light-emitting apparatus produced by the film forming apparatus and film forming method of the present invention is applicable to both the case using fluorescence and the case using phosphorescence.
Unlike a liquid crystal display apparatus, a light-emitting apparatus is of a self-luminous type, so that it has no problem of a viewing angle. More specifically, a light-emitting apparatus is more suitable as a display used outside, compared with a liquid crystal display. Thus, the use of a light-emitting apparatus in various forms has been proposed.
A light-emitting element has a structure in which an organic compound layer is interposed between a pair of electrodes, and the organic compound layer generally has a laminate structure. A typical example includes a laminate structure: "hole transport layer/light-emitting layer/electron transport layer" proposed by Tang et al. of Eastman Kodak Co. This structure has a very high light-emitting efficiency, and most of the light-emitting apparatuses that are being developed have this structure.
The following structures may also be used: "hole injection layer/hole transport layer/light-emitting layer/electron transport layer, which are stacked in this order on an anode", and "hole injection layer/hole transport layer/light-emitting layer/electron transport layer/electron injection layer, which are stacked in this order on an anode". A light-emitting layer may be doped with a fluorescent coloring matter or the like. Furthermore, these layers may be formed only of low-molecular weight materials, or may be formed only of high-molecular weight materials.
In the present specification, all the layers provided between a cathode and an anode are collectively called an organic compound layer. Therefore, the above-mentioned hole injection layer, hole transport layer, light-emitting layer, electron transport layer, and electron injection layer are all included in the organic compound layer. Furthermore, an element composed of a cathode, an organic compound layer, and an anode is called a light-emitting element. The light-emitting element has two kinds: a simple matrix system and an active matrix system. According to the simple matrix system, an organic compound layer is formed between two kinds of stripe-shaped electrodes provided so as to be orthogonal to each other. According to the active matrix system, an organic compound layer is formed between pixel electrodes arranged in a matrix so as to be connected to TFTs and a counter electrode.
The most serious problem of practical use of these light-emitting elements lies in that the element's life is insufficient. Degradation of an element is exhibited in such a manner that a non-light emitting region (dark spot) spreads along with light-emission for a long period of time. This is caused by degradation of an organic compound layer.
An organic compound constituting an organic compound layer is degraded by impurities such as oxygen and water. Furthermore, inclusion of impurities of an organic material and an inorganic material in an organic compound may cause an organic compound layer to be degraded.
Conventionally, when a film is formed by evaporation, an organic compound that is an evaporation material is used as it is. However, there is a problem that an impurity is mixed in an organic compound by the time when the organic compound is provided at an evaporation source. Furthermore, in order to prolong the life of an element, an organic compound with a much higher purity is required.
As a purifying method of an organic compound, a zone melding technique is known. This technique is suitable for enhancing the purity of a reagent and concentrating a trace amount of impurity material. In principle, this technique utilizes the fact that when a melted material is subjected to normal freezing, there is a distribution (segregation) in its purity. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, a bar-shaped solid sample 1001 is melted into a band-shaped melted portion (melted zone) 1003 by a heater 1002, and the heater 1002 is moved slowly from one end of the sample to the other end, thereby purifying the sample.
Along with the movement of the heater 1002, liquid is frozen on the backward side (region a: 1004) of the melted zone, and a solid is melted on the forward side (region b: 1005). At this time, the concentration of an impurity is different between the solid portion and the liquid portion, which is used for purification.
FIG. 11 shows a portion close to A in a binary phase diagram of a solid solution containing a component A and an impurity component B (a portion close to the left end of the phase diagram corresponds to a sample melted into a band shape since the sample is substantially pure). A solid of an impurity (concentration CSO) starts precipitating at a solidification starting temperature TF. A concentration ratio represented by Cs/Cl is referred to as an equilibrium distribution coefficient KD, and K=Cs/Co is referred to as an effective distribution coefficient. At the beginning of solidification, C1=C0, so that KD=K. Actually, a concentration polarization occurs at an interface of a phase I (1006), a phase II (1003), and a phase III (1007), that is, a region a (1004) and a region b (1005), whereby K takes a value between 1 and KD.
In FIG. 11A, KD is 1 or less. However, in FIG. 11B, KD becomes 1 or more. Thus, the concentration of an impurity in a liquid or a solid increases. At a time of KD=1, a purification effect is not exhibited any more.
In other words, when KD is less than 1, a solid portion has a high purity. When KD is more than 1, a liquid portion has a high purity.
The purity of an organic compound can be enhanced by further purifying it before evaporation by utilizing the above-mentioned principle. However, even if an organic compound is purified, the purity thereof may be lowered before the organic compound is provided at an evaporation source in a film forming chamber.

Film forming apparatus and film forming method

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


In one exemplary embodiment, a shock-resistant night vision assembly is configured to detect a high-acceleration event, for example, resulting from a round or burst of high-caliber rifle fire. Upon detecting the event, a voltage such as a photocathode voltage is forced to an inactive or protective level and held there for approximately 50 ms, giving time for mechanical excursions of the microchannel plate to settle out. Damage from physical impact and electrostatic discharge may thus be mitigated.

This specification relates to the field of image intensifiers, and more particularly to an image intensifier resistant to mechanical shocks.
Image intensifiers are known in the art. For example, an image intensifier is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,696,462, filed Oct. 30, 2008, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The structure of a prior art image intensifier comprises a gallium arsenide (GaAs) or similar photocathode, a microchannel plate (MCP), and a phosphor screen. When illuminated by an incident photon beam, the photocathode emits electrons into the vacuum space between the photocathode and MCP. The electrons are accelerated toward the MCP by an applied voltage. The electrons enter the channels of the MCP, where each photon is accelerated along a single channel by a large negative voltage difference between the input face and the output face. As the photon is accelerated, it strikes the walls of the microchannel, releasing additional photons. Thus, by the process of secondary electron emission, the MCP amplifies the incident electron flux up to thousands of times. The electrons exiting the MCP are accelerated toward the screen and converted back to light by the phosphor layer on the screen. The result is an image with the brightness strongly multiplied.