A semiconductor device includes a lower structure and a stack structure that extends into a connection region on the lower structure, where the stack structure includes gate pads and mold pads. The mold pads include intermediate mold pads that include first intermediate mold pads and a second intermediate mold pad between a pair of the first intermediate mold pads, each of the first intermediate mold pads has a first length in a first direction, the second intermediate mold pad has a second length in the first direction, greater than the first length, one of the intermediate mold pads includes a mold pad portion and an insulating protrusion portion on the mold pad portion, one of the first intermediate mold pads includes the mold pad portion and the insulating protrusion portion, and a central region of the second intermediate mold pad does not include the insulating protrusion portion.

Example embodiments of the present inventive concepts relate to semiconductor devices, and more particularly, to semiconductor devices including a stack structure having a gate region and an insulating region.
A semiconductor device including gate electrodes stacked in a direction perpendicular to a surface of a semiconductor substrate has been developed. To improve integration density of a semiconductor device, the number of the stacked gate electrodes has been increased. As the number of the gate electrodes stacked in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the semiconductor substrate has been increased, difficulty in a process of electrically connecting the gate electrodes to a peripheral circuit has increased, and unexpected defects have occurred.

Semiconductor devices including stack structure having gate region and insulating region


A rotor assembly includes a rotor hub which rotates about a hub rotation axis and a blade connected to the rotor hub. The blade rotates with the rotor hub around the hub rotation axis, and the blade is configured to rotate around a pitch rotation axis of the blade to adjust a pitch of the blade. The rotor assembly includes a pitch horn having a first end rotatably connected to the blade. The pitch horn is configured to rotate with the blade around the pitch rotation axis of the blade to adjust the pitch of the blade, and the pitch horn is configured to rotate relative to the blade around a pitch horn pivot axis arranged at a non-parallel angle relative to the pitch rotation axis of the blade.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to rotor assemblies, and in particular to a rotor blade pitch horn assembly having a pivoting pitch horn.
Rotor systems are well known to provide lift, steering, and propulsion to rotorcraft vehicles. Conventional rotor systems adjust the pitch of rotor blades using a swashplate or other device offset from the rotor head. A swashplate is a pair of plates centered on a rotor shaft. One plate is fixed, such that the rotor rotates relative to the plate, and the other plate rotates with the rotation of the rotor. During operation, the position of the fixed plate is adjusted by translation movement or tilting movement to change the pitch of rotor blades. In particular, the position of the fixed plate is transferred to the rotating plate, which is typically connected to linkages or rods, which are in turn connected to the rotor blades. The position of the fixed plate is transferred through to the linkages and the blades, thereby adjusting the pitch of the rotor blades. However, these conventional pitch control systems create drag, introducing inefficiency to the overall system.


Braking system including a master cylinder having at least two pressurizing pistons partially defining at least two mutually isolated pressurizing chambers, and wherein a working fluid in each pressurizing chamber is pressurized by an advancing movement of the corresponding pressurizing piston, a hydraulically operable brake cylinder for activating a brake, and a valve device having a first state in which the pressurized fluid is delivered from two pressurizing chambers of the at least two pressurizing chambers to the brake cylinder, and a second state in which the pressurized fluid is delivered from only one of the two pressurizing chambers.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hydraulically operated braking system including a maser cylinder and a brake cylinder.
2. Discussion of Related Art
JP-A-7-40820 discloses an example of a hydraulic braking apparatus of the type including a master cylinder operable to generate a fluid pressure corresponding to an operating force of a manually operable brake operating member, and a brake cylinder activated with the fluid pressure generated by the master cylinder. In the braking apparatus disclosed in the above-identified publication, there are disposed a master-cylinder cut-off valve and an assisting cylinder in series connection with each other between one pressurizing chamber of the master cylinder and the brake cylinder. The assisting cylinder has a variable-volume chamber. In an anti-lock braking pressure control, the master-cylinder cut-off valve is closed to isolate the brake cylinder from the master cylinder, and the assisting cylinder is operated so as to change the volume of its variable-volume chamber, for increasing and reducing the fluid pressure in the brake cylinder, irrespective of the operating force of the brake operating member (irrespective of the fluid pressure in the master cylinder).

Braking system having valve device for delivering pressurized fluid to brake cylinder selectively from at least two pressurizing chambers or only one of them


Provided is an image processing apparatus, method and computer-readable medium. The image processing apparatus, method and computer-readable medium may extract a target object area from an input color image, based on an input depth image and the input color image. For the above image processing, the image processing may extract a silhouette area of a target object from the input depth image and refine the silhouette area of the target object based on the input color image.

1. Field
One or more example embodiments relate to image processing technology that may extract, from an input image, a target object area such as a human body of a user, and more particularly, to technology that may perform modeling of a character or an avatar of a human for use with virtual reality, a three-dimensional (3D) TV, a 3D game, and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a virtual reality or a virtual world, research on generating a modeled avatar of a user in a virtual world has been conducted. The research is gaining attention for use in conjunction with video games, movies, and the like.
The research has been conducted using separate expensive equipment, for example, equipment which three dimensionally scans a human body, and the like. However, the 3D scanning equipment is generally expensive, not portable and thus there are some constraints of using the 3D scanning equipment.
Accordingly, usage efficiency may increase when a user area, such as a human body area is extracted from a color image without using large and expensive equipment such as a 3D scanner.
In particular, image segmentation technology using only a depth image or only a color image while extracting a body area may have a limited effect in enhancing precision.

Image processing apparatus, method and computer-readable medium


A heat-sensitive transfer image-receiving sheet having, on a support, at least one heat insulation layer and at least one receptor layer in this sequence, the receptor layer containing a latex polymer and a polyether-modified silicone represented by a specific formula, and the receptor layer containing at least one anionic surfactant represented by other two specific formulae.

In a dye diffusion transfer recording system, a heat-sensitive transfer sheet (hereinafter simply also referred to as an ink sheet) containing a colorant (hereinafter also referred to as a dye) is superposed on a heat-sensitive transfer image-receiving sheet (hereinafter simply also referred to as an image-receiving sheet), and then the heat-sensitive transfer sheet is heated by a thermal head whose exothermic action is controlled by electric signals, in order to transfer the dyes contained in the heat-sensitive transfer sheet to the image-receiving sheet, thereby recording an image information. Three colors: cyan, magenta, and yellow, or four colors which consist of the three colors and black are used for recording a color image by overlapping one color to other, thereby enabling transferring and recording a color image having continuous gradation for color densities.
In recent years, as a result of the popularization of dye diffusion transfer recording-type systems and speeding-up of printing, those systems have been installed out of doors such as in amusement parks and tourist attractions, so that they have been used for an immediate printing purpose.
JP-A-2007-237617 ("JP-A" means unexamined published Japanese patent application) discloses a heat-sensitive transfer image-receiving sheet provided, on a heat insulation layer, with a receptor layer which contains a vinyl chloride-based latex and carnauba wax and utilizes an anionic fluorine-based compound.
JP-A-2009-83331 discloses a heat transfer image-receiving sheet provided with a receptor layer which contains a vinyl chloride-based latex and a polyether-modified silicone, and makes use of a nonionic surfactant.
However, a new problem occurred. That is, when images are printed out with the systems intended for the immediate printing in the outdoors as described above using these heat-sensitive transfer image-receiving sheets, a separation line occurs in black and high-density image areas.
This separation line (hereinafter, may also be referred to as sticking), which is one of failures occurring at the time of image formation, will be explained below.
In the dye diffusion transfer recording type systems, a heat-sensitive transfer sheet and a heat-sensitive transfer image-receiving sheet are superposed, and an image is formed. Since the image is formed on the heat-sensitive transfer image-receiving sheet, the heat-sensitive transfer sheet which has become unnecessary, needs to be peeled off without leaving any unnecessary matters or traces on the heat-sensitive image-receiving sheet.
However, as there is a demand for shortening the printing time, the temperature applied to the heat-sensitive transfer sheet upon recording tends to be set higher (and therefore, the heating time is shortened). Accordingly, the heat-sensitive transfer sheet and the heat-sensitive transfer image-receiving sheet do not peel off in succession, and there occur changes in the conveyance load, so that an image failure that leaves streak-shaped marks (separation lines) caused by peeling is prone to occur. Depending on the situation, the heat-sensitive transfer sheet partly fuses into the heat-sensitive transfer image-receiving sheet after printing.
Particularly when the printing environment is under high temperature and high humidity conditions, such as during the rainy season or in rainy weather in summer time, the separation lines are likely to occur, and when these failures are present in printed images, the defects may impair the image quality.
Thus, it has been strongly demanded to overcome these problems.

Heat-sensitive transfer image-receiving sheet


Provided is a parallelogram counter for counting pills swiftly and conveniently in a drugstore. The parallelogram counter includes: a parallelogram counting plate on which a transverse flange, a first longitudinal flange, and a second longitudinal flange are protrudingly formed; a slidable transverse flange which is formed in parallel with the transverse flange, and movably fixed up and down; a reference point; a reference line which is formed by connecting the reference point with the outer side of a last pill among a reference number of pills which are arranged along the side surface of the first longitudinal flange; and a recollector outlet. The parallelogram counter further includes a guide plate on which two guides are protrudingly formed at the left side of the first longitudinal flange, a fixed protrusion which is integrally formed in the slidably transverse flange and is movably formed up and down between the two guides, and a number of indication lines which are formed by connecting the reference point and a number of points located at the lower edge of the parallelogram counting plate and located at the left side of the second longitudinal flange, and a fixed slidable longitudinal flange which is formed in parallel with the first and second flanges and movably fixed left and right.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a parallelogram counter, and more particularly, to a parallelogram counter for counting small components such as tablet type pills,bolus, and coins, quickly, conveniently, and sanitarily.
2. Description of the Related Art
Since the adult's chronic disease in a circulatory system or an endocrine system increases including the hypertension, the diabetes, and the arteriosclerosis, the hyperlipidemia, etc., a large number of pills should be counted to prescribe medicines to a patient.
Therefore, a pharmacist should count and classify pills one by one to meet the whole dosage for individual medicines needed according to a doctor's prescription, in a pharmacy. The counted and classified pills are re-classified again into unit doses to prescribe medicine to a patient for numerous. The pharmacist may take or feel with pains. Particularly, the pharmacist may feel the mental oppressive sensation that he or she should count pills or capsules quickly and exactly at a state where patients await. Further, when the pharmacist dispenses medicines as described above, a hygienic problem such as contagion due to the bacteria or virus may occur.
In the meantime, as the conventional art, a device such as a triangular counter, a groove type counter, or an automatic counter has been being used in order to count pills in a pharmacy.
The triangular counter is configured so that an angle between two flanges becomes 60 degrees. Accordingly, when pills are contained in the triangular counter and then shaken to the right and left, a hexagonal arrangement is achieved so that the pills occupy the minimum area at the least. As can be seen from the following Table 1, the pills form an arrangement that the number of pills increase by one everytime when the number of lines increases by one. In this case, the arrangement follows a certain rule. People may think that it is easy to count pills due to the above-described features of the triangular counter. However, it is not so easy to count the pills, or the number of lines of pills with the eyes due to repetition of identical shapes. Further, as the number of lines increases, the number of pills per line increases, to thereby demand a high-degree concentration in order to determine the total number of the pills.
TABLE 1Arrangement of The number of Pills in Triangular Counter.The number of Lines1234. . .8910The number of pills1234. . .8910per lineThe total number of pills13610. . .364555
In the meantime, a groove type counter is disclosed in a Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-0232780. Here, a number of circular grooves having a certain shape or size are formed in the groove type counter according to size of pills.
Accordingly, only pills can be filled in the circular grooves. As a result, the number of pills can be calculated according to the number of the circular grooves. However, the conventional groove type counter should be changed according to the size of pills. Also, pills should be filled in the grooves. In the case that pills are counted more than the number of grooves, a counting work should be repeated. That is, inconveniences of the counting work are not completely solved.
In order to solve the above-described defects, an automatic counter has been developed so that the number of pills can be calculated regardless of the sizes and shapes of pills at fast speeds. However, since such an automatic counter is very expensive, it is not substantially widely provided to even a small scale pharmacy.
Besides, various types of tablet counting devices are known. For example, the following U.S. patents describe various types of tablet counting devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,530,009 to M. R. Fields on Nov. 14, 1950 entitled "Tablet counting device"
U.S. Pat. No. 2,952,369 to R. S. Rew on Sep. 13, 1960 entitled "Pill counter"
U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,620 to W. L. Deininger on Sep. 13, 1977 entitled "Pill and capsule counter"
U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,722 to Sussman et al. on Oct. 24, 1978 entitled "Unit counter for pills, tablets, spheres, coins and the like"
U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,091 to David J. Blake on Jun. 24, 1986 entitled "Pill counter"
U.S. Pat. No. 6,821,079 to Robert N. Probe et al. on Nov. 23, 2004 entitled "Pill and capsule counter"
While some of the objects and the structural arrangements of the above described devices, at first appearance, have similarities with the present invention, they differ in shape and function respects. These differences, which will be described in more detail hereinafter, are essential for the effective use of the invention and which admit of the advantages that are not available with the prior devices.
Therefore, to solve the above-described problems, a counting device which can count pills quickly and conveniently regardless of the size of the pills need to be developed.


A database access model and storage structure that efficiently support concurrent OLTP and OLAP activity independently of the data model or schema used, are described. The storage structure and access model presented avoid the need to design schemas for particular workloads or query patterns and avoid the need to design or implement indexing to support specific queries. Indeed, the access model presented is independent of the database model used and can equally support relational, object and hierarchical models amongst others.

The invention pertains to digital data processing and, more particularly, to apparatus, systems and methods for data storage and retrieval. The invention has application, by way of non-limiting example, in the creation, updating and access of operational and analytic databases.
Databases store data within a framework known as a data model. Current data models include the network model, hierarchical model, object model, key-value model, graph model, document model and the relational model amongst others. The relational model is by far the most popular and ubiquitous in its use.
The relational model views data as relations or tables containing multiple rows and columns. Each relation stores information about a particular type of entity, such as employees and departments, with each row in a table storing information about one instance of the entity to which the table relates. Each column in the table is an attribute for the entity and contains a value in each row that corresponds to an entity instance. The set of table and column definitions is known as the database schema.
The following are example tables for Employees, Departments and Regions.
TABLE 1Employees TableCommissionDepartmentNameEmployee NumberSalaryRateNumberSimon Smith1010000100John Jones202000010.00%200Bob Brown303000015.00%200
TABLE 2Departments TableNameDepartment NumberRegion NumberAdministration1002000Sales2001000Support3003000
TABLE 3Regions TableNameRegion NumberNorth1000East2000South3000West4000
SQL is a language used with relational databases to both define database schemas and to manipulate data stored within those schemas. The SQL statements to define the example tables above might be as follows:
create table Employees(Name varchar(64) not null, EmployeeNumber number primary key, Salary number(8,2) not null, CommissionRate number(4,2), DepartmentNumber number references Departments(DepartmentNumber));create table Departments(Name varchar(64) not null, DepartmentNumber number primary key, RegionNumber number references Regions(RegionNumber));create table Regions(Name varchar(64) not null, RegionNumber number primary key);
Each employee has a name and a unique employee number that are used to identify them; each employee has a salary and a commission plan and is employed by a single department. Each of these attributes for an employee are stored in a separate column in the table.
Similarly, each department has a name and number and is located in one region; each region has a name and number that identifies it.
Thus the "Smith" employee belongs to the "Administration" department which is in the "East" region. This is discerned from the department and region numbers that are common across the tables. These relationships are indicated by 'primary key' and 'foreign key' constraints in the above SQL statements,
Relational tables are typically normalized to remove any duplication of data contained within them. In the above example, it would be possible to rearrange the data into a single table such that a department's information is duplicated against every employee that belongs to that department. Such duplication is sub-optimal from both a storage size and update overhead perspective because every item of department data has to be stored and updated in multiple locations. The process of normalization moves groups of columns with duplicate data into a single row into a separate table.
Relational databases support the concept of a table join whereby rows from separate tables are joined together by a common column value such that all rows with a corresponding join column are correlated together. In the example above, the employee table may be joined to the department table by the department number column in both tables. Normalized data requires a join at query time to reproduce de-normalized data.
Relational databases are often used in two distinct ways—as an operational or analytical database. An operational (OLTP) database records and manages business process transactions. It provides a detailed and reliable reference for business procedures. Each transaction in an operational system is only likely to be interested in a handful of entity instances at any given time. In contrast, an analytical (OLAP) database provides a broad analysis across a large body of data. Conventionally, the data retained by an analytical system is less detailed than the operational system to assist with the performance of analytical queries.
When considered in a relational database context, an operational transaction or query is likely to touch a large proportion of columns across a very small proportion of rows; conversely, an analytical query is likely to touch a small proportion of columns in a very large proportion of rows. This has led to a trend in relational databases to organize operational databases in row orientation (complete rows stored together) and to organize analytical databases in column orientation (complete columns stored together). These approaches attempt to co-locate data in storage according to anticipated access patterns so that retrieval requests from storage are kept to a minimum.
Conventional operational and analytical databases are typically highly normalized and highly de-normalized respectively. Operational databases are highly normalized to avoid the overheads associated with the update of duplicated data; whereas analytical database are often de-normalized to avoid the overhead of joins at query time. This difference in approach to normalization creates a difference in the database schemas because different table definitions are required.
Therefore conventional relational databases are organized differently depending on whether an operational or analytical workload is anticipated. A highly normalized schema stored in row orientation is considered sub-optimal for analytical queries because the analytical queries are forced to process entire rows and perform extensive join processing; while a highly de-normalized schema in column orientation is considered sub-optimal for operational systems because of the spread of individual rows across multiple storage areas and the overhead of updating duplicated data.
With the flat table structure (row and column) so far described, is only possible to find a row that contains a specific column by scanning a whole table in a row store, or a whole column in column store. With very large sets this becomes a resource and time consuming process. To assist with this process, indexes are layered on top of the flat table structure to enable fast navigation to specific rows by column value. Indexes can take many forms and include mechanisms such as B-Trees, hashing, bit maps and partitioning amongst others. However, regardless of the form of indexing used, it is effectively performing part of the query processing work ahead of query time. In effect, indexing moves the overhead of query processing to data update time. This may be reasonable if the volume of query activity is much greater that update activity such as an analytical system—but this is not the case in operational systems or even in analytical systems that require constant updates.
Hence conventional operational and analytical databases are designed differently and while a single relational database can support operational or analytical workloads efficiently it typically cannot support both workloads at the same time within the same database instance. This often leads to the use of multiple database instances to support common data sets with each database designed differently to support different workloads. This creates complexity involving integration and data transformation activities, latency in data availability and additional capital and operational expenditure.
When considering the performance of a database architecture it is important to understand the hardware context in which it operates.
Current computer architectures consist of CPU, memory and storage components which operate at vastly different speeds. A contemporary CPU contains one or more CPU caches that have a limited size but operate at near CPU clock speed; main memory is typically much larger but operates at lower speeds because of the cost of fabrication of fast memory. Storage will typically operate at several orders of magnitude slower speed because of the different technologies used. Even flash storage typically operates at two orders of magnitude slower than main memory. The speed of these components can be expressed in fetch frequencies which measure the rate at which data fetch operations can be requested and fulfilled. The fetch frequency of a component is an inverse measure of its access latency.
As shown in FIG. 1, data is fetched from storage into memory, then fetched from memory into CPU cache. Data also moves in the opposite direction between these components, as illustrated.
If the CPU requires data that is not currently available in the CPU cache, it must make a request to fetch it from memory and/or storage. The CPU must then wait for the slower components to service the request and this is commonly known as a CPU stall. During a CPU stall, the CPU is unable to perform any useful work and this has an adverse effect on processor throughput and overall performance.
While fetch frequencies are radically different across computer components, the rate at which data can be transferred in bulk between components is much more similar. Therefore, to minimize the number and the affect of CPU stalls, computer components will bulk fetch data that is near the explicitly requested data address in the hope that the unsolicited data is relevant to the following CPU operations and avoid immediately subsequent fetch requests.
The bulk fetch strategy will only amortize a CPU stall if the unsolicited data is indeed relevant and useful to subsequent CPU operations; if not, the CPU will be forced into another stall until useful data is explicitly fetched to replace the unsolicited data. Bulk fetched data that is not useful can be viewed as cache pollution and degrades performance by engendering CPU stalls. Cache pollution occurs both in the CPU cache and within main memory when irrelevant data is fetched from storage.
To avoid cache pollution, it is necessary to align storage structures with the storage address dimension so that each bulk fetch pulls in information relevant to the current access path. This is known as good spatial locality.
Row oriented relational databases are designed to reduce cache pollution in operational workloads where whole rows are being queried by ensuring the rows are aligned with the address dimension. However, with analytical workloads where only specific columns are required, this storage orientation causes cache pollution because irrelevant columns are also fetched into cache.
Conversely, column oriented relational databases are designed to reduce cache pollution in analytical workloads where specific columns are being queried by ensuring the columns are aligned with the address dimension. However, with operational workloads where only specific rows are required, this orientation causes cache pollution because irrelevant rows are also fetched into cache.
For both row and column orientated storage, cache will always be polluted by irrelevant rows where non-consecutive rows are required by a query.
Moreover, the use of hierarchical block structures, such as a B-Tree index, to navigate to rows also pollutes cache. Typically, only a part of each block fetched from the higher levels of a hierarchy will be relevant to a query, while the remainder of the block pollutes the cache. This is exacerbated by navigating down such hierarchies causing cache pollution at each step.
These hierarchical structures are routinely used in databases of both storage orientations.
An object of the invention is to provide improved apparatus, systems and methods for digital data processing.
A further object of the invention is to provide such apparatus, systems and methods as can be used for data storage and retrieval.
Yet a still further object of the invention is to provide such apparatus, systems and methods as can be utilized in support of legacy and new database models, schemas and workloads.
Yet a still further object of the invention is to provide such apparatus, systems and methods as support OLTP and OLAP activity independently of the data model, schema and/or workload.
Yet a still further object of the invention is to provide such apparatus, systems and methods as support such activity with improved efficiency and speed.

Apparatus, systems and methods for data storage and/or retrieval based on a database model-agnostic, schema-agnostic and workload-agnostic data storage and access models


A heating system retrofitted to be operable through multiple heat stages at a constant fuel-air mixture includes a tube heat exchanger having a plurality of burners, a combustion air blower (CAB) having an exhaust vent connected with the plurality of burners, the CAB operable at a first speed and a second speed, a first valve connecting a fuel source to a first subset of the plurality of burners, and a second valve connecting a fuel source to a second subset of the plurality of burners.

This section provides background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the disclosure. It should be understood that the statements in this section of this document are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
HVAC systems can be used to regulate the environment within an enclosure. Typically, a circulating fan is used to pull air from the enclosure into the HVAC system through ducts and push the air back into the enclosure through additional ducts after conditioning the air (e.g., heating or cooling the air). For example, a gas furnace, such as a residential gas furnace, is used in a heating system to heat the air. Some gas furnaces are modulating or two-stage gas furnaces that can operate at different input rates compared to a single stage furnace that only operates at one gas input, i.e., full heating input. The modulating furnaces can operate more efficiently compared to conventional single stage furnaces and reduce energy costs.

Method of field conversion of a heating system to a multiple stage modulating gas fired heat exchanger


Genes encoding novel cellulases, and a gene encoding a protein that facilitates the action of such novel cellulases, the novel cellulases and a protein that facilitates the action of such cellulases, and enzyme preparations containing such proteins are described. The native hosts and the culture medium of said hosts containing said novel cellulases are also disclosed. These proteins are especially useful in the textile and detergent industry and in pulp and paper industry.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to genes encoding novel neutral cellulases and compositions containing the novel neutral cellulases. These compositions are especially useful in the textile, detergent and pulp and paper industries.
2. Related Art
Cellulose is a linear polysaccharide of glucose residues connected by xcex2-1,4 linkages. In nature, cellulose is usually associated with lignin together with hemicelluloses such as xylans and glucomannans. The practical use of cellulases has been hampered by the nature of the known cellulases, which are often mixtures of cellulases having a variety of activities and substrate specificities. For that reason, it is desirable to identify sources from which cellulases having only the desired activities may be obtained.
A wide variety of cellulases are known in the art, most of which are acid cellulases. However, some neutral and alkaline cellulases have also been identified. Celluzyme(copyright) is a commercially-available cellulase preparation from Humicola insolens (Novo Nordisk, A/S). GB 2,075,028 and EP 406,314 describe the use of a Humicola insolens cellulase as an enzymatic additive in a wash detergent to reduce the harshness (stiffness) of cotton-containing fabrics. The cloning of a cellulase containing endoglucanase activity from Humicola insolens is described in WO 93/11249 and EP 531,372. EP 510,091 describes a cellulase from Bacillus spp. NCIMB 40250 that is useful in detergent compositions. EP 220,016 describes cellulases that are useful as clarification agents for colored fabrics. WO 94/07998 describes modified cellulases that possess an improved alkaline activity. WO 95/02675 describes detergent compositions that contain two different cellulases: a first cellulase that is catalytically amenable to particulate soil removal, and a second cellulase that is catalytically amenable to color clarification. WO 92/18599 describes a detergent preparation that contains both a cellulase and a protease. Cellulases have also been used industrially as an aid for the removal of printing paste thickener and excess dye after textile printing (EP 576,526).
EP 383 828 describes granular detergent compositions, which contain surface-active agent, a fabric-softening clay material, and cellulase granulates containing calcium carbonate. U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,750 describes detergent compositions containing a surface active agent, a builder system, a softening clay, a clay flocculating agent and a high activity cellulase, preferably Humicola insolens cellulase. U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,838 describes granular detergent compositions, comprising surface-active agent, a builder and a cellulase, preferably a Humicola insolens cellulase, said compositions being in a compact form, having a relatively high density and containing a low amount of inorganic filler salt.
Cellulase enzymes are used in a wide variety of industries in addition to the textile industry. For example, cellulases are used industrially for the deinking of newspapers and magazines (EP 521,999), for improving the drainage of pulp (WO 91/14822, WO 91/17243), and as a treatment for animal feed.
The unique properties of each cellulase make some more suitable for certain purposes than others. While the enzymes differ in a number of ways, one of the most important difference is pH optimum. Neutral cellulases have useful cellulase activity in the pH range 6-8, alkaline cellulases have useful cellulase activity in the pH range 7.5-10. Acid cellulases are active in the range of pH 4.5-6, but have little cellulase activity at higher pH values.
Neutral and acid cellulases are especially useful in the textile industry Klahorst, S. et al., Textile Chemist and Colorist 26:13-18, 1994; Nilsson, T. E., Aachen Textile Conference, DWI Reports 114:85-88 (1995); Videbxc3xa6k, T. et al, ITB Dyeing/Printing/Finishing, January 1994, pp. 25-29; Klahorst, S. et al., AATCC Int. Conf and Exhibit, Oct. 4-7, 1992, p. 243, Atlanta, Ga.; Kochavi, D. et al., Am. Dyestuff Resporter, September 1990, pp. 26-28; Tyndall, R. Michael, Textile Chemist and Colorist 24:23 (1992); Lange, N. K., in Proc. Second TRICEL Symp. on Trichoderma reesei Cellulases and Other Hydrolases, Espoo, Finland, 1993, ed. P. Suominen et al., Foundation for Biotechnical and Industrial Fermentation Research vol. 8, 1993, pp. 263-272. When used to treat fabric, cellulases attack the chains of cellulose molecules that form the cotton fibers, thereby affecting the characteristics of the fabric.
Traditionally, in xe2x80x9cstonewashing,xe2x80x9d pumice stones have been used to change the characteristics of the fabric. Gradually, cellulases are replacing pumice stones, which also give the fabric its desired final look but can cause damage to the machines, garments and sewage processing equipment. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,832,864, 4,912,056, 5,006,126, 5,122,159, 5,213,581 and EP 307,564 disclose the use of cellulases in biostoning.
Cellulases are especially useful for stonewashing denim dyed with indigo as the dye mostly stays on the surface of the yarn and does not penetrate the fibers well. When used to treat cotton fabric, neutral cellulases generally require a longer wash time than do the acid cellulases. However, available neutral cellulases are less aggressive (active) against cotton than acid cellulases, and are reported not to compromise the strength of the fabric as readily as acid cellulases. Neutral cellulases have a broader pH profile and thus the pH increase that occurs during biostoning has little effect on the activity of the neutral enzyme.
The use of acid cellulases is hampered by their tendency to promote backstaining and a weakening of fabrics. In addition, the pH must be adjusted to to a range suitable for the function of the acid cellulases. Consequently, there is a clear demand for neutral cellulase enzyme preparations that do not cause backstaining or weakening of fabrics.
While it has become popular to use cellulases in the textile industry, simply changing the cellulase mixture that is used may produce a different finish. These problems have focused increasing attention on the search for reproducible mixtures of cellulases with desired properties. Thus there is a clear demand especially in the textile and detergent industry for novel cellulases active at neutral and alkaline pH values, not compromising the strength of fabrics, with good cleaning and/or fabric care and harshness reducing properties.
Recognizing the importance of identifying enzymes useful in textile biofinishing and biostoning and in detergent applications, the inventors have screened fungal species for neutral and alkaline cellulases with enzymatic characteristics that would be useful in such technologies.
These studies have resulted in novel cellulases originating from the genera Myceliophthora, Myriococcum, Melanocarpus, Sporotrichum and Chaetomium.
The invention is further directed to the spent culture medium or enzyme preparations prepared from the native hosts producing such novel cellulases.
The invention is further directed to the use of such culture medium or the use of such enzyme preparations in the textile and detergent industry and in the pulp and paper industries.
These studies have further resulted in the identification of three novel cellulases that are especially useful in the textile and detergent industry. Purified preparations from Melanocarpus sp. or Myriococcum sp. have revealed a 20 kDa cellulase with endoglucanase activity (designated herein as xe2x80x9c20K-cellulasexe2x80x9d), a 50 kDa cellulase (xe2x80x9c50K-cellulasexe2x80x9d), and a second 50 kDa cellulase (xe2x80x9c50K-cellulase Bxe2x80x9d). A novel gene product with high homology to the cellulase family, herein called xe2x80x9cprotein-with-CBDxe2x80x9d (where CBD means xe2x80x9ccellulose binding domainxe2x80x9d) was also discovered.
It is an object of the invention to provide enzyme preparations that contain one or more of the novel cellulases of the invention, especially the 20K-cellulase, the 50K-cellulase, the 50K-cellulase B and/or the protein-with-CBD.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a method for using such preparations for the finishing of textiles, especially the biostoning of denim, for the use said preparations in detergent compositions, and especially methods that use the 20K-cellulase, the 50K-cellulase, the 50K-cellulase B and/or the protein-with-CBD.
The invention is also directed to other neutral and/or alkaline cellulases having one or more of the amino acid sequences as described herein.
The invention is further directed to the genes encoding the 20K-cellulase, 50K-cellulase, 50K-cellulase B and the protein-with-CBD.
The invention is further directed to novel expression vectors comprising such genes and to novel hosts transformed with the vectors, especially hosts that are capable of high levels of expression of the proteins encoded by such genes.
The invention is further directed to the spent culture medium of such transformed hosts, the culture medium containing the novel 20K-cellulase, 50K-cellulase, the 50K-cellulase B and/or the protein-with-CBD, or enzyme compositions (enzyme preparations) containing one or more of these proteins that have been prepared from such culture media.
The invention is further directed to the use of such culture medium or the use of such enzyme preparations in the textile and detergent industry and in the pulp and paper industries.

Cellulases, the genes encoding them and uses thereof


A method for manufacturing a high-quality rubber product while preventing carbon black from separating from the rubber polymer and from reaggregating, without deteriorating the work environment, and the rubber product obtained by the method. The method for manufacturing a rubber product comprising preparing a rubber composition containing carbon black mixed in rubber by a rubber kneading procedure including a mastication process and a kneading process; and vulcanizing and molding the rubber composition to manufacture a rubber product, wherein, together with the carbon black, a monofunctional acrylic monomer is mixed in the rubber in the mastication process.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a rubber product and the rubber product obtained by same method.
2. Description of the Art
Conventionally, automotive radiator hoses and other rubber products have been made from a rubber composition containing rubber, such as an ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPDM), a reinforcing agent, such as carbon black, a vulcanizing agent, such as sulfur, and a plasticizer, such as oil. The rubber composition is typically prepared through a mastication process and a kneading process. In the mastication process, the rubber is plasticized by the application of mechanical shearing force to disentangle aggregated molecules or the cleavage of molecular chains. The plasticized rubber is mixed with carbon black, sulfur, oil, and other materials in the kneading process. For further details, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-180941 and "Gomu no Jiten" (an encyclopedia of rubber), edited by Michio Okuyama et al., Asakura-shoten, Tokyo (2000), p. 303.
However, low-polarity rubber (rubber having few polar groups), such as EPDM, has a low affinity for carbon black. Thus, it is difficult to disperse the carbon black uniformly in the rubber polymer. Furthermore, when high-polarity carbon black is used to increase the reinforcing property (strength) of a rubber product, the affinity between the low-polarity rubber and the carbon black further decreases.
To achieve sufficient mixing in the above-mentioned preparation, various procedures, including a masterbatch method, have been proposed. However, even using these mixing procedures, carbon black may separate from the rubber polymer and reaggregate over time. In particular, the high-polarity carbon black or carbon black having a minute particle diameter (minuter than FEF (Fast Extruding Furnace) carbon black), tends to separate from the rubber polymer and may reaggregate. The reaggregation results in surface roughness of a final rubber product, and also leads to reduction or variation in the electrical resistance of the rubber product.
On the other hand, the addition of a silane coupling agent, sulfur or a sulfur-based vulcanization accelerator, and/or a phenol-based stabilizer to the rubber composition in preparation thereof is proposed to prevent the separation between the carbon black and the rubber polymer and the reaggregation of the carbon black. However, the silane coupling agent is expensive and increases the production cost, which cannot satisfy the demand for lowering cost of a rubber product. In addition, since unpleasant odor of the silane coupling agent deteriorates the work environment, there is a need for nonuse of the silane coupling agent. The silane coupling agent may also deteriorate the moldability of extrusion molding (or increase the surface roughness of an extrudate). For sulfur or the sulfur-based vulcanization accelerator, temperature control in kneading is required (temperature control of 150° C. or lower). Especially, where general-purpose compounds are subjected to short-time mixing, they are often kneaded at temperatures higher than 150° C. In such a case, sulfur or the sulfur-based vulcanization accelerator tends to have little dispersion effect on the carbon black. While the phenol-based stabilizer, such as those manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd. under the trade name of SUMILIZER GM or SUMILIZER GS, is suitably used owing to its excellent dispersion effect on the carbon black, it is very expensive and is not-suitable for general use.


A detachable document-holding device for holding a document at a substantially fixated distance from a lens disposed at a back surface of a portable imaging apparatus. The document-holding device includes a document tray, a sliding interface having a hollow passage, and a mounting-structure and a base. The mounting-structure includes a sliding panel pivotally attached to an attachment panel. The tray and the sliding interface are pivotally interconnected. The base is securely attached to the back surface of the portable imaging apparatus, wherein the mounting-structure is operatively mounted onto the base. The hollow passage fittingly accommodates the sliding panel, facilitating a user to set the distance between the document and the lens. When in operational state, the tray is substantially perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens, wherein an image of the document, placed onto the tray, is reflected towards the lens.

Portable imaging apparatuses are facilitated to acquire at least one image frame of scenery, living beings and objects, including documents. To acquire an image frame of a document, a user holds the apparatus at a selected distance from the document, while viewing the expected image on the display of the apparatus. Smart portable imaging apparatuses may also process the at least one acquired image frame.
However, the conditions at which an image frame is taken are typically highly non-repeatable, as the apparatus is held by the user's hands. Furthermore, to acquire an image of several similar documents, by the same apparatus, it is highly likely to yield images that differ in scaling, skewing, panning, background, illumination and other imaging related parameters.
There exist in today's market imaging devices capable of reading documents such as ID cards, driver's license, business cards, passports, medical cards, checks and the like. In such imaging devices that include an imaging sensor array, based on technologies such as a CCD or CMOS, it is desired that the imaged document will be placed and uniformly imaged within the focal depth of the imaging sensor, in order to obtain a substantially true image of the imaged document.
There is therefore a need and it would be advantageous to have a device that is adapted to acquire images of similar documents, such that the images have similar scaling, background, panning, skewing and other imaging parameters, as well as substantially reduce the skewing.

Document holder for a portable imaging apparatus


An assembly flow in which integrated circuits are burned-in and parametrically tested before assembly is provided. The integrated circuits are sorted based on the results of the parametric testing, and assembled in groups with similar parameters. Integrated circuits from a single group are assembled on a leadframe and encapsulated, marked, and tested again while still attached to the leadframe. Finally, the packaged integrated circuits are separated from the leadframe and those meeting predetermined parameters are loaded into carrier sleeves.

This invention relates, in general, to integrated circuit assembly and testing, and more particularly, to a batch process for assembly and test of integrated circuits.
A significant portion of the cost of integrated circuits (ICs) is incurred in packaging and testing. This is because packaging and testing are labor intensive operations which require repeated handling of individual packaged integrated circuits. Conventionally, good and bad ICs are mixed together during packaging. The packaged ICs are then burned-in and tested to remove the bad circuits. At this point, however, most of the cost of assembly and test has been incurred and so the rejected ICs are quite expensive.
Commonly, a batch of semiconductor devices are sorted into groups which have similar parameters. These groups or categories make up a particular device type, and are selected to meet a customer specification or an industry standard specification. Semiconductor memories in particular must be tested and sorted according to operating speed before shipping to a customer. In the past, this sorting was done after packaging, burn in, and parametric testing. While sorting does not usually produce a high number of rejects, performing sorting at this late step in the packaging/test process makes it difficult for a manufacturer to predict what particular device types will be available to sell. This lack of predictability makes production control difficult and results in product shipment delays to customers. Indeed, if no demand exists for a particular device type, packaged ICs which meet only the unwanted device type parameters must be scrapped or warehoused, which are both expensive options.
In addition to the cost incurred by packaging rejected and unwanted integrated circuits, additional cost is incurred because of damage induced by handling the individual packaged ICs. The mechanical operations involved in handling a packaged integrated circuit are complex. Damage to the package, or to leads which extend from the package, commonly occurs during burn-in, test, and package mark. The damage is usually caused by handling the individual packages, not by the operations themselves. Damage which occurs at these stages is usually not repairable and so good devices are scrapped.
In addition to the added yield loss, equipment used to handle packaged integrated circuits is usually expensive, and must be replicated for each operation. Thus, duplicate handling equipment must be provided for burn in, test, and mark. This equipment uses up a large amount of factory floor space, further increasing the overhead cost of assembly and test. Because handling equipment is mechanically complex, maintenance cost is usually high.
Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide an assembly and test flow for integrated circuits which significantly reduces the number of process steps.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an assembly and test flow for integrated circuits which allows manufacturers to evaluate parametric data before packaging the circuits.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an assembly and test flow for integrated circuits which improves cycle time.
It is another object of present invention to provide an assembly test flow which reduces equipment cost and floor space.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an assembly test flow for integrated circuits which improves quality.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an assembly test flow for integrated circuits which reduces the assembly and test costs added to those circuits.

Method for assembling, testing, and packaging integrated circuits


A retention clip includes a generally cylindrical main portion having a leading end configured to pass into a hole of a panel, at least one retaining tab extending from the main portion, and at least one spring member extending from the main portion. The at least one retaining tab and the at least one spring member are configured to compressively sandwich a portion of the panel therebetween.

Fastening clips are used in various applications. For example, fastening clips may be secured to a piece of sheet metal within an automobile. Another component, such as an airbag system, may then be secured to the sheet metal by way of the fastening clips.
Typically, a tool is used to install the fastening clips to a piece of sheet metal. Indeed, various clips are secured to the piece of sheet metal through separate fasteners, such as screws or bolts, that threadably pass through portions of the clips. Further, the shape of many clips does not coincide with a hole into which the clip is to be positioned. For example, the axial cross-sectional shape of a clip may be square, while the hole is round. As such, positioning a particular clip into a hole may not be easy.
In general, a relatively large deflection force is used to move the outer edges of a conventional clip into a round hole formed in a panel (such as a piece of sheet metal). Thus, a high insertion force is used to install the clip into the hole formed through the panel. Due to the high insertion force, a tool, such as pliers, is typically used to compress the clip so that it fits into the hole. The use of a separate tool typically adds time, cost and effort to the manufacturing process.


Systems and methods for enhancing multimedia experience are disclosed. A system includes a multimedia device adapted to obtain a multimedia data stream comprising multimedia data and at least one multimedia enhancement data sequence, and adapted to obtain instructions from a multimedia enhancement data sequence. The system further includes auxiliary devices communicatively coupled to the multimedia device, and adapted to receive the instructions from a multimedia device. The multimedia enhancement data sequences each include a start section, a target section, an instruction section, and an end section. A multimedia device is adapted to send instructions to at least one auxiliary device. A method includes obtaining a multimedia data stream comprising multimedia data and at least one multimedia enhancement data sequence using a multimedia device, obtaining instructions from a multimedia enhancement data sequence, and sending instructions to auxiliary devices communicatively coupled to the multimedia device.

Conventional multimedia systems allow a user to experience multimedia data playback. These systems typically provide a limited range of experience. For example, audiovisual playback systems may provide a user with a multimedia experience consisting solely of audio and video data from a film. Some auxiliary devices that may enhance a user's experience of a multimedia feature, such as ambient lights or robotic animated characters, are known in the art. However, their implementation with conventional multimedia systems is often costly, due to the specific nature of multimedia data streams. These implementations often require external audio-visual mixing processes, or costly stage management systems, unsuitable for home use. Accordingly, systems and methods for enhancing multimedia experience are needed.


A safety needle device includes a housing including a passageway with a needle cannula extending therefrom. A shielding member is movable between a first position in which a puncture tip of the needle cannula is exposed therefrom and a second position in which the puncture tip of the needle cannula is encompassed therein. The shielding member is maintained in the first position against a biasing force which biases the shielding member toward the second position. A fluid and/or a temperature activation material is associated with the shielding member and is adapted to deform upon contact with a fluid medium and/or a certain temperature or temperature range. The fluid medium flowing through the needle cannula causes the fluid activation material to deform, such as through expansion, thereby releasing the shielding member from the first position and allowing a drive member to bias the shielding member toward the second position.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to blood collection sets for safe and convenient handling of needles used in blood collection procedures. More particularly, the present invention relates to a blood collection set including a safety shield for protecting users from a used needle tip.
Description of Related Art
Disposable medical devices having medical needles are used for administering medication or withdrawing fluid from the body of a patient. Such disposable medical devices typically include blood-collecting needles, fluid handling needles, and assemblies thereof. Current medical practice requires that fluid containers and medical needles used in such devices be inexpensive and readily disposable. Existing blood collection devices often employ some form of durable, reusable holder on which detachable and disposable medical needles and fluid collection tubes may be mounted. A blood collection device of this nature may be assembled prior to use and then discarded after use.
A blood collection device or intravenous (IV) infusion device typically includes a needle cannula having a proximal end, a pointed distal end, and a lumen extending therebetween. The proximal end of the needle cannula is securely mounted in a plastic hub defining a central passage that communicates with the lumen extending through the needle cannula. A thin, flexible thermoplastic tube is connected to the hub and communicates with the lumen of the needle cannula. The end of the plastic tube remote from the needle cannula may include a fixture for connecting the needle cannula to a tube holder or other receptacle. The specific construction of the fixture will depend upon the characteristics of the receptacle to which the fixture is to be connected.
In order to reduce the risk of incurring an accidental needle-stick wound, protection of used needle cannulas becomes important. With concern about infection and transmission of diseases, methods and devices to enclose or cover the used needle cannula have become very important and in great demand in the medical field. For example, needle assemblies often employ a safety shield that can be moved into shielding engagement with a used needle cannula to minimize risk of an accidental needle stick.
Some needle safety shields are referred to as "tip guards" and include a small rigid guard that may be telescoped along the length of the needle cannula and extended over the pointed distal end of the needle cannula for protection. Such conventional tip guards may include some form of tether for limiting the travel of the tip guard to the length of the needle cannula. An example of the foregoing is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,655 to McCormick et al. The McCormick et al. patent discloses the use of flexible loop-like straps for limiting the distal movement of a tip guard.
Needle shields that incorporate movable tip guards are typically manually actuated. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. RE36,447 and RE36,398, both to Byrne et al., disclose a safety device for a hypodermic needle that includes a plastic sheath, which is used to cover the puncture tip of the needle. The plastic sheath incorporates a thumb guard, which the user of the safety device may grasp to move the plastic sheath to a position covering the puncture tip of the needle. U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,525 to Thome et al. discloses a manually operated safety needle apparatus that includes two pairs of opposed legs adapted to move the tip guard of the apparatus to a position covering the used needle cannula. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,562,637 and 5,562,636, both to Utterberg, disclose a rectangular needle protector sheath for use with a needle cannula that may be extended over the needle cannula after it is used. Other prior art devices, such as those disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,264 to Utterberg and U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,275 to Burns, provide "grippable" members attached to the tip guards to facilitate moving the tip guards to a position covering the puncture tip of a needle cannula.
Conventional tip guards, such as those discussed hereinabove, often require extensive mechanics for positioning the tip guard over the needle cannula. This results in complex arrangements that are costly to manufacture and assemble. Additionally, operation of the needle assemblies to move the tip guard into the proper position over the pointed distal end of the needle cannula requires substantial manual manipulation by the user of the device, exposing the user to potential needle-stick wounds.
Needle assemblies may also incorporate passively activated safety features. In such devices, the needle shielding feature is passively actuated upon normal usage of the device. For example, the activation of the safety feature may automatically occur, such as upon removing a safety cover and after releasing the device after insertion of the needle into the patient's injection site. The safety feature may be a safety shield that is propelled toward the needle tip, or a force that is exerted on the needle to retract the needle into the body of the device. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0099339 to Niermann discloses a passive safety blood collection set which includes a tip guard slidably movable along a needle cannula. The tip guard is mounted to a needle hub through a pair of collapsible leaves, which are collapsed onto themselves and held in place by a packaging cover. In use, the practitioner holds the leaves in the collapsed or folded state to remove the cover, and then releases the leaves enabling them to unfold to propel the tip guard distally.

Flash activated passive shielding needle assembly


Disclosed are methods and compositions for treating subjects with Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS). Specifically disclosed are methods for using Indomethacin or Acemetacin to treat subjects with CdLS. Also disclosed are methods for identifying compounds beneficial for the treatment of CdLS using an assay based on the expression of NIPBL or NIPBL homologous or orthologous genes. Also disclosed is a method of identifying compounds beneficial for the treatment of CdLS based on administering a test compound to Drosophila lava with reduced expression of Nipbl, and determining the normalization of CdLS phenotypes.

Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS) is a devastating genetic syndrome that occurs approximately once per 10,000 births and displays slow growth, physical deformities in limbs, heart and kidney, mental retardation, speech deficits and autism (Dorsett and Krantz (2009) Ann NY Acad. Sci. 1151:22-37). It is rarely inherited, and usually caused by sporadic dominant mutations. CdLS is associated with poor growth and diverse physical deformities and mental deficits. CdLS displays many features commonly seen in isolation in sporadic birth defects, and thus treatments developed for CdLS may also be beneficial for developmental disorders of unknown etiology. CdLS birth defects include clinically diagnostic facial features, upper limb deformities, and gut, heart, and kidney abnormalities. Other deficits include mental retardation (average IQ in the 50's), speech difficulties, and autism. CdLS has a significant lifestyle and financial impact on families, as CdLS individuals often require fulltime care for their entire life.
CdLS is caused by mutations in genes that encode proteins that mediate sister chromatid cohesion and control gene expression (Dorsett and Krantz 2009 Ann N Y Acad. Sci. 1151:22-37). Over half the cases are caused by dominant loss-of-function mutations in NIPBL, the human ortholog of the Nipped-B Drosophila gene. Some 5% are caused by dominant mild missense mutations in SMC1A. SMC1A is a subunit of the cohesin protein complex that holds sister chromatids together until a cell divides, and NIPBL loads cohesin onto chromosomes. Changes in gene expression are the likely source of the CdLS birth defects. In model organisms and CdLS cells, many genes important for growth and development are dysregulated. The Inventors reasoned that if CdLS can be diagnosed early, preferably upon birth, or prenatally, a drug therapy based on early intervention may ameliorate some postnatal growth and developmental deficits. The reduction in NIPBL expression in CdLS is 30% or less, and thus a modest increase in NIPBL function will likely be beneficial. Moreover, treating the source deficit would be more effective than trying to treat the many downstream consequences. Current evidence suggests that brain development is particularly plastic, and thus it may be possible to treat older individuals. Cognitive function is the most critical for self-care, and treatments than can improve these functions will reduce the impact on CdLS families.
There are currently no treatments for CdLS that address the root cause of the syndrome and improve physical growth and mental development. These are the critical phenotypes that greatly impact the ability of individuals with CdLS to function normally, and the abilities of their families to care for them over many years. Using yeast, Drosophila, and mouse cells, the Inventors have discovered a rapid, cost-effective method for screening potential therapeutic compounds for the treatment of CdLS, and have also identified specific compounds, useful for the treatment of CdLS.

Methods and compositions for treating cornelia de lange syndrome


An air conditioner according to the present invention has a structure driving a compressor and a pump, simultaneously, in a low-temperature cooling environment in which the outdoor temperature is lower than the indoor temperature.

Generally, an air conditioner is an apparatus which adjusts temperatures and humidity of indoor air using a refrigeration cycle and may cool a room by suctioning and heat-exchanging warm air with a low-temperature refrigerant and discharging the cooled air into the room, or on the other hand, may heat a room by suctioning and heat-exchanging an inside low-temperature air with a high-temperature refrigerant and discharging the heated air.
An air condition may include an outdoor unit installed in an outdoor space and an indoor unit installed in an indoor space. The outdoor unit may include a compressor for compressing a refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger for heat-exchanging outdoor air with a refrigerant, an air blowing fan, and a variety of pipes which connects the compressor to the indoor unit. The indoor unit may include an indoor heat exchanger for heat-exchanging indoor air with a refrigerant and an expansion device.
The air conditioner may cool or heat the room through a refrigerant cycle which circulates the compressor, the indoor heat exchanger (condenser), the expansion device, and the indoor heat exchanger (evaporator) in forward or reverse directions.
In detailed consideration of the refrigerant cycle, a gas refrigerant compressed by the compressor flows into the outdoor heat exchanger and phase-changes into a liquid refrigerant, heat is released outward while the refrigerant phase-changes at the outdoor heat exchanger, and then the refrigerant discharged from the outdoor heat exchanger expands while passing through the expansion device and flows into the indoor heat exchanger.
Afterward, the liquid refrigerant which flows into the indoor heat exchanger phase-changes into a gas refrigerant. Likewise, the refrigerant phase-changes at the indoor heat exchanger and absorbs outside heat.
As described above, the air conditioner adjust an indoor temperature by discharging air (cold air) heat-exchanged by characteristics in which ambient heat is absorbed when a liquid state refrigerant evaporates or the heat is discharged when a gas state refrigerant is liquefied.
Meanwhile, in a space in which a lot of large-sized servers and electronic equipment are installed, cooling is performed even in winter to stably operate the servers and electronic equipment. Particularly, when an outdoor temperature is low, a condensing temperature of a refrigerant which passes through an outdoor heat exchanger decreases and an evaporating temperature of a refrigerant which passes through an indoor heat exchanger decreases.
Also, a phenomenon in which a liquid refrigerant that flows into a compressor or an indoor heat exchanger freezes occurs and causes unstable operation of an air conditioner and an increase in power consumption from over-operating the compressor.

Air conditioner and control method therefor


Disclosed herein is a method of coating a substrate with a zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP) material, comprising the steps of selecting a substrate which is reactive with said ZDDP material; providing an atmosphere containing said ZDDP material at a predetermined concentration; exposing said substrate to said atmosphere for a sufficient period of time and at a sufficient temperature, so as to cause said ZDDP material to form a layered substrate having a layer of a ZDDP derivative material thereon; and annealing said layered substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to coatings as more particularly to coatings formed from zinc dialkyldithiophosphate derivatives.
2. Description of the Related Art
Surface coatings are of great importance in modern technology. The number of surface coatings applications is considerable and the demands on surface coatings continues to rise. In tribological applications, coatings are used to control friction and wear. The engine oil additive, zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP), has been used in engine oil formulations for over 50 years due to its antiwear and antioxdant properties. ZDDP functions as an antiwear agent by forming a protective film or coating at the surfaces in sliding contact. These antiwear or tribochemical (or otherwise known as tribological) films protect the metal surfaces from excessive wear.
The present invention recognizes new applications of these ZDDP materials.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel coating technique.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a film formed from a ZDDP derivative material on a substrate.


A nonwoven fabric protective cover article disclosed comprises a top surface, a bottom surface, at least one edge, and at least one weight joined thereto. The nonwoven fabric of the protective cover article is hydrophobic and has a basis weight from between about 0.15 osy to about 8.0 osy, an air permeability from about 60 ft3/min/ft2 to about 110 ft3/min/ft2, and stain resistance from about 4 to about 5 for blueberry, instant coffee, gravy, and wine.

This invention pertains to a protective cover article such as a ground cover blanket, a tablecloth, a beach towel, changing pad, rug, mat, or a placemat intended for everyday use. Consumers are always looking for economical blankets or protective cover articles, which are both disposable and resilient for everyday use.
Currently, such products are typically made from durable (reusable) pieces of fabric, such as cloth or woven fabric, cut from a larger bolt of the fabric and affected into the specific products. Other such products are made from disposable paper materials. In both cases, the fabrics or paper fabrics are typically hydrophilic. While the products made from the durable fabrics can withstand exposure to water or other fluids, the products made from the paper materials typically cannot withstand such exposures. The products made from paper materials typically disintegrate with exposure to fluids or some of its qualities, such as its appearance, are affected. Where the paper materials are designed to withstand exposure to fluids, the materials typically lose the qualities of softness, flexibility, and cloth-like feel and appearance desired in blankets, towels, and other protective cover articles.
Another concern with the hydrophilic characteristics of the current durable and disposable protective cover articles is that such articles absorb or otherwise attract fluids from the surrounding environment thereby becoming wet. The protective cover articles, once wet, are typically not suitable for most uses, i.e. a ground cover blanket used at a picnic. A plastic or rubber coating is typically applied to the durable fabrics or paper materials to provide a hydrophobic quality to the products. However, some of the other qualities of the fabrics or materials are lost as discussed above. In addition, the durable fabrics or paper materials portions of the current products are still hydrophilic, so the issues of fluid absorption and dampness remain.
Most of the paper materials used in the current disposable products are not suitable for use in many protective cover articles, such as a ground cover blanket or a tablecloth in outdoor situations. The paper materials lack the resilience, weight and drapability of the durable fabrics, such that the paper materials typically do not provide products having sufficient quality for outdoor use, such as tablecloths, beach towels, and picnic blankets.
Thus, there is a need to provide an improved protective cover article, including washable and disposable protective cover articles. There is also a need to provide soft, flexible, cloth-like, and inexpensive protective cover articles. In addition, the protective cover articles need to be light weight, easy to store, and durable during use. In response to this need, an improved economical and resilient protective cover article, including ground cover blankets, tablecloths, beach towels, changing pads, rugs, mats, and placemats, and the like has been discovered.
One embodiment of the present invention is a fabric protective cover article comprising a top surface, a bottom surface and, at least one edge. The fabric of the protective cover article is hydrophobic and has a basis weight from between about 0.15 osy to about 8.0 osy, an air permeability from about 60 ft3/min/ft2 to about 110 ft3/min/ft2, and stain resistance from about 4 to about 5 for blueberry, instant coffee, gravy, and wine.
Another embodiment of the present invention is a nonwoven fabric protective cover article comprising a top surface, a bottom surface and, at least one edge. The nonwoven fabric of the protective cover article is hydrophobic and has a basis weight from between about 0.15 osy to about 8.0 osy, an air permeability from about 60 ft3/min/ft2 to about 110 ft3/min/ft2, and stain resistance from about 4 to about 5 for blueberry, instant coffee, gravy, and wine.


A new and useful latch structure for suspending ceiling panels from a grid of inverted T-beam support members. The latch structure comprises a relatively rigid, hook-shaped member which is coupled to a respective ceiling panel so as to move with the ceiling panel relative to the inverted T-beam support members. Each hook-shaped member can tilt, or pivot, relative to its respective ceiling panel. Each hook-shaped latch member is biased by gravity toward a locking position. As a ceiling panel is brought upward against an inverted T-beam support member, the inverted T-beam support member engages the hook-shaped latch member and tilts the latch member away from its locking position, to allow the latch member to clear the inverted T-beam support member. Once the hook-shaped latch member clears the transverse leg of the inverted T-beam support member, the latch member tilts, or pivots, under the influence of gravity, to its locking position. In that position, a locking portion of the latch member will engage the top side of the transverse leg of the T-beam support member, and suspend the ceiling panel from the T-beam support member. An access opening in the ceiling panel enables the hook-shaped latch member to be disengaged from the inverted T-beam member. The access opening is designed to allow any handy implement (e.g., pencil, screwdriver, etc.) to be inserted therethrough to tilt the latch member away from its locking position, to enable the latch structure to be disengaged from the T-beam support member. The ceiling panel can then be readily removed from the inverted T-beam support member.

In suspended ceiling structures, it is well known to suspend ceiling panels from a grid made of inverted T-beam support members. The inverted T-beam support members extend downward from a permanent ceiling structure, and enable the ceiling panels to be suspended therefrom in spaced relation to the permanent ceiling. The suspended ceiling panels are typically supported from the grid of inverted T-beam members in edge-to-edge relation, to form a decorative ceiling which conceals the supporting grid and the permanent ceiling from view. Moreover, the suspended ceiling is spaced from the permanent ceiling, to allow utility items such as pipes, ductwork, electrical wiring, etc. to be conveniently located in the hidden space between the decorative, suspended ceiling and the permanent ceiling.
There are several known ways to attach or suspend ceiling panels from inverted T-beam support members. Many of the known ways utilize spring clips or wires to attach and detach the ceiling panels from the inverted T-beam support members (see e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,463,537; 4,520,607).
Another known way of supporting ceiling panels from inverted T-beam support members is by means of torsion spring mounts. A series of U-shaped hardened wires are attached to the ceiling panels. The U-shaped wires are inserted into pre-punched slots along the horizontal edge of the inverted T-beam support members. The wires spring outward holding the ceiling panels against the horizontal face of the inverted T-beam support members. Such spring systems require special punching of the T-beam support members to receive the wires of each ceiling panel.
An example of a ceiling system which does not use wires or springs for suspending ceiling panels from a grid of inverted T-beam support members is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,677. The ceiling system comprises ceiling panels with specially formed flanges, slots and detents for enabling the ceiling panels to be attached and detached from the grid of inverted T-beam members.
Another ceiling system which does not use spring devices for attaching ceiling panels to inverted T-beam support members is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,564. The system includes ceiling panels which are attached to inverted T-beam supports by an up-and-side motion of the ceiling panels relative to the inverted T-beam support members to retain the ceiling panels on the inverted T-beam support members. However, such a system is "directional" in the sense that each panel has to be attached to the grid of inverted T-beam support members in a certain way relative to adjacent panels. Moreover, a ceiling panel near the center of the suspended ceiling cannot be removed from the grid of inverted T-beam support members without removing one or more adjacent ceiling panels. Thus, the ceiling panels have to be attached or detached from the grid of inverted T-beam members in a special order, especially when it is desired to attach or remove a central ceiling panel.

Non-directional suspended ceiling panels


A magnetic tunnel junction element is provided. The magnetic tunnel junction element has first magnetic layer and second magnetic layer formed adjacent, e.g., on lower and upper portions of an insulating layer, respectively and each having a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, a magnetic field adjustment layer formed on the second magnetic layer and having a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, and a bather layer formed between the magnetic field adjustment layer and the second magnetic layer. The second magnetic layer and the magnetic field adjustment layer are magnetically decoupled from each other.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to a magnetic device, and more particularly to a magnetic element such as a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) element.
2. Related Art
Nonvolatile memory devices which use a resistance material to store a data state include a phase change random access memory (PRAM), a resistive RAM (RRAM), a magnetic RAM (MRAM), and the like. A dynamic RAM (DRAM) or flash memory device stores data using electrical charges, whereas a nonvolatile memory device having a resistance material stores data using the variable states of the resistance material, for instance, using a phase change of a phase change material such as a chalcogenide alloy (in the case of a PRAM), a resistance change of a variable resistance material (in the case of an RRAM), or a resistance change of a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) depending on a magnetization state of a ferromagnetic material (in the case of an MRAM).
An MTJ element typically has a pinned layer formed of a ferromagnetic material and a free layer formed of a ferromagnetic material, which are separated from each other by an insulating layer that is used as a tunnel barrier. At an edge of the ferromagnetic material, a stray field may be generated. This stray field may lower the magnetic resistance or increase the coercive force of the free layer, and exert an influence on the switching characteristic to form asymmetric switching. Accordingly, there is a need for a structure that can reduce or remove the stray field that is generated in the ferromagnetic material of the MTJ element.


Determining the composition of a mineral sample entails comparing measurements of a sample to mineral definitions and determining a similarity metric. The mineral definition includes a subspace of compositional values defined by end members. The similarity metric is related to a projection of the measured data point onto the subspace or onto an extension of the subspace.

Mineral analysis systems, such as the QEMSCAN® (Quantitative Evaluation of Minerals by Scanning electron microscopy) and MLA® (Mineral Liberation Analyzer) both from FEI Company, the assignee of the present invention, have been used for many years to analyze samples from mines to determine the presence of valuable minerals. Such systems direct an electron beam toward the sample and measure the energy of x-rays coming from the material in response to the electron beam for elemental analysis or chemical characterization of a sample. One such process is called "energy dispersive x-ray analysis" or "EDS."
EDS systems rely on the emission of X-rays from a sample to perform elemental analysis. Each element has a unique atomic structure, which produces x-rays that are characteristic of an element's atomic structure, thereby allowing the element to be uniquely identified by its x-ray spectrum. To stimulate the emission of x-rays from a sample, a beam of charged particles is focused onto the sample, which causes electrons from inner shells to be ejected. Electrons from outer shells drop to the inner shells to fill this electron void, and the difference in energy between the higher energy shell and the lower energy shell is released as an x-ray, which can be measured by an EDS detector.
Backscattered electron (BSE) detectors are also used for mineral analysis in conjunction with electron beam columns. The intensity of the BSE signal is a function of the average atomic number of the material under the electron beam, and this relationship can be used to develop a useful mineral identification method.
The QEMSCAN and MLA both comprise an SEM, one or more EDS detectors, a BSE detector, and software for controlling automated data acquisition and analysis. The QEMSCAN system identifies and quantifies elements within an acquired spectrum. This process is known as "elemental decomposition" because the spectrum is "decomposed" into spectra of individual elements. The elements found in the decomposition may then be compared with "mineral definitions," which specify criteria that must be met to identify the elements with a particular mineral. A mineral definition may include fixed ranges of the elemental proportions. For example, a QEMSCAN mineral definition may define a sample to be quartz if the EDS analysis shows a silicon proportion of between 45% and 47% and an oxygen proportion of between 52% and 55%.
The widths of the ranges in the mineral definitions are functions not only of variability in the composition of the mineral, but also of the accuracy of the measurement. The widths of the x-ray peaks depend directly on the number of x-rays measured, which defines the quality of the spectrum. A range width used in a mineral definition is determined for a spectrum having a specific number of x-rays; the same width cannot be applied to higher or lower quality spectrum composed of more or fewer x-rays. Thus, it is not possible to define a universal rules database for an arbitrary number of X-ray counts using the QEMSCAN.
This approach becomes increasingly difficult as fewer x-ray counts are used, because the signal-to-noise ratio drops below the point where discrimination between certain elements is possible. For example, Na and Zn have a very similar peak in an x-ray spectrum around 1 keV. Zn has another peak at 8.6 keV. If the concentration of Zn is low, the second x-ray peak becomes indistinguishable from the background, and as a result, identifying whether an x-ray spectrum contains Na or Zn becomes difficult. Because it can be difficult to identify individual elements, the mineral definitions being matched may have to be sufficiently flexible to accommodate elements that are not in the mineral, but that can be misidentified for elements in the mineral.
Moreover, the Qemscan indicates a match as either true or false, without considering how well the unknown spectrum matches a standard spectrum for a mineral. The system picks the first match it finds, even if a better match might be present elsewhere in the mineral database.
MLA, on the other hand, compares a measured mineral spectrum with known mineral spectra from a library and computes a probability match between a measured mineral spectrum and a reference mineral spectrum. This method works well, but the probability value obtained tends to be dominated by the size of the largest peak in the x-ray spectrum.
A BSE detector provides additional information about a mineral and can assist in identification of an unknown sample. The acquisition time of a suitable BSE signal is typically on the order of microseconds per pixel, while EDS systems have a longer acquisition time, typically requiring several seconds per pixel to obtain a spectrum adequate to be differentiated from all other mineral spectra. Unlike a BSE detector, EDS systems are typically insensitive to light atoms. BSE data may be useful for differentiating between minerals composed of the same elements, but in different proportions. For such minerals, the average atomic weight which determines the BSE intensity, will be different, while the elemental spectra will be similar. Because both EDS detectors and BSE detectors each have advantages, it is sometimes useful to use both BSE and x-ray spectra to accurately identify a mineral. Using both signals, however, requires more analysis time, which may not be available in commercial applications.
A mineral classification system should, like the MLA, be capable of comparing each unknown measured spectrum to a library of known mineral spectrums, and then making a selection based on which known mineral is most similar to the measured spectrum.
To compare spectra, the similarity of two spectra is typically reduced to a single number, a similarity metric. The single number quantifies similarity so that it is possible to determine which of two spectra is more similar to a third spectrum. A spectrum may be considered as a histogram showing the number of x-rays detected at various energy ranges, referred to as "channels." One similarity metric is the sum over the energy channels of the differences between the two normalized spectrums. Another similarity metric is a calculated probability that the unknown mineral is composed of the mineral defined by the mineral definition. The MLA uses a chi-squared probability statistic as a similarity metric to compare the value at each energy channel of the measured spectrum to the value at the corresponding channel of the known mineral spectrum. A problem of using a comparison on a channel-by-channel basis is that there is no guarantee that all required peaks in the mineral spectrum are present in the measured spectrum. It is possible that a measured spectrum appears to be similar to a mineral yet it is missing an element that is required by the definition of that mineral. The measured spectrum may also have an additional element not found in that definition of a mineral.
FIG. 1 provides an example of a prior art mineral comparison spectrum 100 containing an unknown measured spectrum 102 and a defined mineral spectrum 104. In this particular case, the defined mineral spectrum 104 is that of the mineral dolomite. Using a prior art comparison mechanism that calculate a probability directly from the spectrums, the unknown measured spectrum 102 produces a maximum similarity of 97% with the dolomite definition spectrum 104. This 97% similarity would indicate a very close match of the spectrums. However, the unknown spectrum 102 clearly contains an additional element at approximately 175 keV that is not found in dolomite. This misclassification would likely go undetected without significant quality assurance performed by the operator of the software.
Another difficulty with current mineral identification systems is that, many minerals are as non-stoichiometric mixtures. Such minerals may have a range of elemental proportions, rather than always appearing with the same proportion of each element. In the prior art, this was typically ignored, and each mineral defined as having a specific proportion of elements, leading to misidentification of minerals.
Thus, there is a need for an improved mineral identification method.

Mineral identification using mineral definitions having compositional ranges


A rubber asphalt and a preparation method thereof are disclosed. The rubber asphalt comprises matrix asphalt and rubber powder modifier in a ratio of 4:1-4, wherein the rubber powder modifier comprises waste tire rubber powder and hexanediol in a ratio of 94-96:6-4. The method comprises the following steps: mixing the hexanediol with the waste tire rubber powder according to the ratio and stirring and wetting to obtain the rubber powder modifier; placing the matrix asphalt into a reaction kettle and heating to 90-170° C.; adding the rubber powder modifier into the reaction kettle according to the ratio; and raising the temperature to 190-210° C. under the stirring state to obtain the rubber asphalt. The rubber asphalt has an extensibility of 13-19 cm at 5° C., a penetration of 68-75 at 25° C. and a softening point of 53-90° C. The asphalt-aggregate ratio of a mixed material on the subsequent work section can be reduced to 6-8 from 8-10. The rubber asphalt can be used for producing a mixture for highway construction and preventing water and leakage of roofing and tunnel.

Asphalt is a flexible adhesive used for pavement construction, which has good adhesiveness, waterproofness, insulation and chemical stability, and is an indispensable material for pavement construction.
The quality of pavement asphalt is usually evaluated by following indexes:
Ductility: mainly used for reflecting low temperature performance of asphalt. Ductility of asphalt refers to the length that when two ends of a standard sample is stretched to get ruptured under specified speed and temperature. Ductility means the rupture length when shear pressure on a shear surface is larger than cohesion of asphalt, which is changed with the change of temperature. Ductility reflects the viscoelastic property of asphalt, and can be measured according to the method specified in ASTMD113 or GB/T4508.
Softening point: reflecting high temperature performance of asphalt. The softening point of asphalt means equiviscous temperature of asphalt under a certain condition; high softening point means that the equiviscous temperature of asphalt is high, and the high temperature stability of mixture is good; and the softening point can be measured based on the method specified in ASTMD36 or GB/T4508.
Penetration number: consistency indicator of asphalt. Penetration number reflects hardness of asphalt under a certain condition, and is indicated by vertically penetrating a standard needle into the depth of asphalt sample under conditions of certain load, time and temperature, the unit is 1/10 nm; the logarithms of penetration number with different temperature are formed into a linear relationship with the temperature, namely IgP=AT+K, where P is the penetration number when the temperature is T; A reflects the sensitivity of penetration number logarithmic temperature, which is called penetration temperature coefficient for short; and K is a constant number.
The rigidity and intensity of asphalt under high temperature are reduced due to the temperature sensitivity of asphalt, and the pavement is softened; while at low temperature, the pavement crack phenomenon such as cracking shrinking and the like is easily to be produced; the pavement must be modified, so as to improve the mechanical performance under high and low temperatures, and this is known by technicians in the field. The modifier used for modifying the asphalt is usually a thermoplastic elastomer polymer, such as random or segmented copolymer of styrene and conjugated diene, polyisoprene, butyl rubber and the like; these modifiers can bestow asphalt excellent mechanical performance and dynamic performance, particularly excellent viscoelasticity; however, the price of the asphalt is high, and a large amount of asphalt is required for use, thus, the cost of modified asphalt concrete is increased obviously.
The waste tire contains various macromolecular polymers such as styrene butadiene rubber, natural rubber and the like and a lot of carbon black, antioxidant, filling material, processing oil and the like, thus, the waste rubber particle can be used as modifier after being activated to add into asphalt. The product obtained by mixing the activated rubber powder and asphalt is called rubber asphalt, and also called asphalt rubber. The activated rubber powder swells in the asphalt, thus, the adhesiveness of asphalt is increased, the oil film thickness is thicker and the overall performance of the rubber asphalt is obviously better than that of the matrix asphalt. The advantage of rubber asphalt is very prominent; however, as the activation of waste rubber powder is complex and a large amount of asphalt is required for use, the rubber asphalt currently has the disadvantages of high cost, complex process and strict requirements.
Generally speaking, the content of rubber powder is higher, the pavement performance of corresponding rubber asphalt mixture is better; however, as the existing rubber asphalt increases the thickness of rubber membrane in the mixture, while the adhesiveness of rubber asphalt is increased, the flowability is reduced, thus, the workability of construction of mixture is reduced, thus, the quality of rubber powder in existing rubber asphalt is strictly controlled at 15-20 percent of the gross mass of the mixture; as the increment of the adhesiveness of rubber asphalt is limited, the asphalt-aggregate ratio (mass ratio of rubber asphalt and ore material) of the mixture in later working section is 8 to 10; the use quantity of asphalt is relative large, thus, the cost of rubber asphalt mixture is high, and it is very uneconomical.
At present, the adopted method for activating waste rubber comprises the following steps of adopting a vulcanizing system by using tert-butyl phenol-formaldehyde resin as vulcanizing agent and using stannous chloride as accelerating agent, and improving the vulcanization speed and viscosity by adopting a halogenated method; secondly solving the rubber adhesive property and vulcanization speed of rubber by using activating agent 420 (Alkyl phenol disulphide) under high temperature and increasing the quantity of stannous chloride, so that the waste rubber powder is vulcanized to restore the crude adhesive attachment property, thereby ensuring the mixed melting property with other materials, and reaching the purpose of modifying other materials. That's to say, the normal method for improving the adhesiveness performance of waste rubber particle is to adopt a desulfuration method to reach the purpose, however, the desulfuration process is complex, the environment is polluted severely, and energy resource is wasted, thus, the method is quite uneconomical.
China patent ZL2005100022110.9 discloses an modified asphalt and preparation method thereof, the modified asphalt can prevent rubber modifier from separating from asphalt, and has the advantages of good softening point, penetration number and ductility, and activation can be directly conducted during preparing activated rubber powder, thus, the waste tire powder is not required to be desulfurated, and the method is simple. However, the modified asphalt cannot effectively solve the contradiction of the adhesiveness and flowability of rubber asphalt; the content of rubber powder in the modified asphalt is still required to be controlled at 15-20% of the gross mass of the rubber asphalt mixture, and the asphalt-aggregate ratio of the mixture in the later working section is still 8-10, a large amount of asphalt is still required.

Rubber asphalt and preparation method thereof