A cosmetics unit, in particular a mascara unit, that includes a storage container for storing the cosmetic to be applied, an applicator which in its stowed position preferably dips into the cosmetic, and a wiper device which wipes off a portion of the cosmetic picked up by the applicator during dipping. The wiper device consists of several wipers that produce a different wiping action and through which the applicator can be passed alternatively.

Cosmetics units of this type typically comprise a storage container containing the cosmetic. An applicator typically dips into this storage container and thus, also into the cosmetic. Most frequently this applicator is attached to the cap of the cosmetics unit by a shaft. As a rule the applicator dips into the supply of the cosmetic if and so long as it is in its storage position.
In order to apply cosmetic using the applicator, the applicator is drawn through a wiper which is typically located in the neck or the mouth of the cosmetics container. In the process, the applicator is relieved of a good portion of the cosmetic that it has stored between its bristles, fingers or other application organs due to having been dipped into the cosmetics supply. Such a wiping action is obligatory, because otherwise the applicator would, as a rule, remain charged with the cosmetic in too great an extent to be able to accomplish a neat application of cosmetics therewith.
How strong the wiping action is that the respective wiper exhibits is determined in the factory by the manufacturer of the cosmetics unit. Apart from the properties of the cosmetic mass (viscosity etc.), the decisive parameters are in this case particularly the mass storage capacity of the covering of the applicator and, of course, the design of the wiper.
The difficulty or challenge lies in designing the wiping action precisely in such a way that the wiping result of the wiper finds as broad an acceptance as possible amongst the users. Even if that should be accomplished, it is, however, in many cases unsatisfactory that the wiping action of a normal wiper cannot be readily adapted to the momentary need of the respective user, which may change from case to case.
It has therefore already been proposed to use adjustable wipers in which the user—for example by rotating the wiper into a certain position—is able to vary the diameter of the wiper lips that cause the actual wiping action. However, such adjustable wipers have drawbacks. On the one hand, they are, as a rule, of a multi-part construction and therefore expensive, on the other hand, they may become stuck over time, particularly if the wiper is not adjusted for a longer period of time. Furthermore, many of the adjustable wipers are continuously adjustable and therefore demand that, having purchased the product, one first becomes acquainted with the possibilities of the adjustable wiper in order to establish which of the many adjustment positions approximately ensures a wiping effect that corresponds to one's own need, and how the wiping action changes if the adjustable wiper is readjusted in one or the other direction as intended.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to specify a cosmetics unit which, in a simple and inexpensive manner, enables wiping off the cosmetics applicator in different degrees as required.


The module (700) comprises: —a low pass filter for low pass filtering luminance component of the image, —a first look up table (710) storing precomputed values of a first expansion function of only low pass filtered luminance values, —a second look up table (720) storing precomputed values of a second expansion function of only luminance values, —a processor (740, 760) configured to multiply an output of the second look up table corresponding to an input luminance value of a color to expand by an output of said first look up table corresponding to an input low pass filtered luminance value associated with said input luminance value.

Recent advancements in display technology are beginning to allow an extended range of chrominance, luminance and contrast values to be displayed. Technologies allowing for extensions in the range for luminance or brightness in image content are known as high dynamic range imaging, often shortened to HDR. HDR technologies focus on capturing, processing and displaying content of a wider dynamic range.
Although a number of HDR display devices have appeared, and cameras capable of capturing images with an increased dynamic range are being developed, there is still very limited HDR content available. While recent developments promise native capture of HDR content in the near future, they do not address existing content.
To prepare conventional, herein referred to as LDR for low dynamic range, content for HDR display devices, reverse or inverse tone mapping operators (ITMO) or color expansion operators can be employed. Such methods process notably the luminance information of colored areas in the image content with the aim of recovering or recreating the appearance of the original scene. Typically, ITMOs take a conventional (LDR) image as input, expand the luminance range of the colored areas of the image in a global manner, and subsequently process highlights or bright regions locally to enhance the HDR appearance of colors in the image.
Although several ITMO solutions exist, they focus at perceptually reproducing the appearance of the original scene and rely on strict assumptions about the content. Additionally, most expansion methods proposed in the literature are optimized towards extreme increases in dynamic range.
Typically, HDR imaging is defined by an extension in dynamic range between dark and bright values of luminance in colored areas combined with an increase in the number of quantization steps. To achieve more extreme increases in dynamic range, many methods combine a global expansion with local processing steps that enhance the appearance of highlights and other bright regions of images. Known global expansion steps proposed in the literature vary from inverse sigmoid, to linear or piecewise linear.
To enhance bright local features in an image, it is known to create a luminance expansion map, wherein each pixel of the image is associated with an expansion value to apply to the luminance of this pixel. In the simplest case, clipped regions in the image can be detected and then expanded using a steeper expansion curve, however such a solution does not offer sufficient control over the appearance of the image.

Low cost color expansion module for expanding colors of an image


A three-positions disconnector comprising, for each phase an insulating casing which comprises a first and a second cavity separated by an insulated partition wall, a through hole being present in said partition wall between said first and second cavity. The first cavity houses: a first fixed contact electrically connected to a corresponding branch conductor (of a bus-bar system; at least a portion of a movable contact pivotally mounted on a support positioned in the first cavity and electrically connected to a first electrical terminal positioned in said second cavity. The disconnector further comprises, for each phase, a second fixed contact suitable for ground connection. Also, the disconnector comprises an operating mechanism and a kinematical chain linking the movable contact with the operating mechanism; the movable contact is movable between a first position in which it is coupled to the first fixed contact, a second position in which it is isolated from both the first and second fixed contacts, and a third position in which it coupled to the second fixed contact.

The present invention relates to a three-positions disconnector for medium voltage applications. The disconnector of the invention finds a convenient application in medium voltage panels, particularly in medium voltage panel in which the circuit breaker is in the so-called fixed configuration. Medium voltage panels including a three-positions disconnector of the kind disclosed herein are also part of the present invention. For the purposes of the present application the term Medium Voltage is referred to applications in the range of between 1 and 52 kV.

Three-positions disconnector for medium voltage panels


A rotisserie oven with a self-cleaning mechanism in the form of a lifting wash arm. The wash arm is driven to lift and rotate when washing the oven by the action of the pressure from the wash water used therein. By lifting, the wash arm negates the sealing action of fatty build-up around its base which would otherwise impede its rotation.

Various types of ovens are used for cooking food product. Rotisserie ovens are commonly used in the retail environment to cook chickens and other food products in a manner that permits store customers to view the food product during cooking. Rotisserie style cooking tends to result in grease, juices and food particles within the oven that require the oven to be cleaned regularly. It would be desirable to provide a rotisserie oven (or other type of oven) with a self-cleaning system including advantageous features.


A waste treatment apparatus treats radioactive contaminated waste from a nuclear fuel material handling facility to decontaminate the radioactive contaminated waste by using an electrolytic molten salt, and reuses the electrolytic molten salt so that any effluents are not produced. Radioactive contaminated waste (10) from a nuclear fuel material handling facility is subjected to electrolysis by a molten salt electrolysis unit (20) to decontaminate the waste (10). The used salt (16) used for decontaminating the waste (10) is filtered to separate nuclear fuel materials (19) from the used salt (16). The filtered salt (18) is reused by the molten salt electrolysis unit (20). The salt adhering to the decontaminated waste (12) is recovered by an evaporating unit (59), and the recovered salt (15) is reused by the molten salt electrolysis unit (20).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of treating electrically conductive waste contaminated with nuclear fuel materials and disposed from a nuclear fuel handling facility, and an apparatus for carrying out the method. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of treating contaminated metallic waste produced when a nuclear fuel handling facility is dismantled, such as waste steel materials contaminated with nuclear fuel materials, or an adsorbent used for adsorbing nuclear fuel materials mounted in a nuclear fuel handling facility, and an apparatus for carrying out the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 20 is a typical view of an apparatus for carrying out an electrolytic polishing process generally used for decontaminating waste contaminated with radioactive substances, such as nuclear fuel materials, (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cradioactive contaminated wastexe2x80x9d) by electrolysis. As shown in FIG. 20, a radioactive contaminated waste 3 is held by a holding device 2 and is immersed in an electrolytic solution contained in an electrolytic vessel 1 of a stainless steel. The radioactive contaminated waste 3 functions as an anode. A cathode 4 is immersed in the electrolytic water solution 5. When the radioactive contaminated waste 3 is a stainless steel waste, a phosphoric acid solution is used as the electrolytic water solution 5 serving as a bath. When the radioactive contaminated waste 3 is a carbon steel material, a sulfuric acid solution is used as the electrolytic water solution 5. The holding device 2 and the cathode 4 are connected to a dc power supply 6. When a dc voltage is applied across the holding device 2 and the cathode 4 by the dc power supply 6, the radioactive contaminated waste 3 functions as an anode. A surface layer of the radioactive contaminated waste 3 dissolves in the electrolytic water solution 5 simultaneously with coming off of radioactive contaminants adhering to the radioactive contaminated waste 3. Part of substances came off the radioactive contaminated waste 3 remains in the electrolytic water solution 5 and the rest is precipitated in sludge 8 on the bottom of the electrolytic vessel 1. Hydrogen 7 is produced on the cathode 4 of a stainless steel.
Generally, when decontaminating a radioactive contaminated waste by the electrolytic polishing process using the electrolytic water solution 5 as a bath, current is unable to flow uniformly over the entire surface of the radioactive contaminated waste when the radioactive contaminated waste has a complicated shape because the resistance of the bath is high. Consequently, the decontaminating effect of the electrolytic polishing process is reduced for some portions of the radioactive contaminated waste. If a high current is supplied to the bath to enhance electrolytic processing speed, heat is generated in the bath due to the high resistance of the bath. Hydrogen 7 produced on the cathode 4 during the electrolytic polishing process cause problems in safety. It is difficult to remove radioactive substances accumulated in the waste electrolytic water solution 5, particularly, radioactive substances dissolved in the waste electrolytic water solution 5 from the waste electrolytic water solution 5. The waste electrolytic solution 5 cannot be reused and becomes an additional radioactive contaminated waste. Thus, the total amount of radioactive contaminated waste increases.
The present invention has been made to solve those problems and it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method of treating waste from a nuclear fuel handling facility, capable of easily decontaminating a contaminated waste having a complicated shape, not discharging any effluent, capable of repeatedly using an electrolytic solution and not producing additional waste.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for carrying out the foregoing method.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method of treating electrically conductive waste contaminated with nuclear fuel materials from a nuclear fuel handling facility comprises a molten salt electrolysis process for removing the nuclear fuel materials adhering to a surface of the waste by immersing the waste in a molten salt to dissolve a surface layer of the waste electrochemically in the molten salt; and a filtering process for filtering the molten salt used in the molten salt electrolysis process to extract the nuclear fuel materials removed from the surface of the waste and accumulated in the molten salt from the molten salt. The molten salt filtered in the filtering process is reused in the molten salt electrolysis process.
Preferably, the method further comprises an evaporation process for removing the molten salt adhering to a surface of the waste processed by the molten salt electrolysis process and taken out of the molten salt by heating the waste so that the molten salt adhering thereto evaporates. The molten salt recovered in the evaporation process is reused in the molten salt electrolysis process.
Preferably, the method further comprises a cleaning process for removing the molten salt adhering to the waste processed by the molten salt electrolysis process and taken out of the molten salt by a cleaning liquid, and an evaporative drying process for drying the molten salt contained in the cleaning liquid by evaporating the cleaning liquid used in the cleaning process. The molten salt recovered in the evaporative drying process is reused in the molten salt electrolysis process, and the cleaning liquid evaporated in the evaporative drying process is reused in the cleaning process.
Preferably, in the molten salt electrolysis process, the molten salt and the waste immersed in the molten salt are moved relative to each other to remove the nuclear fuel materials from the surface of the waste.
Preferably, in the molten salt electrolysis process, the waste is contained in a basket serving as an electrode for an electrolysis and the basket is vibrated in the molten salt.
Preferably, in the molten salt electrolysis process, the waste is contained in a basket serving as an electrode for an electrolysis and the basket is rotated in the molten salt.
Preferably, in the molten salt electrolysis process, the molten metal is spouted against the waste immersed in the molten salt.
Preferably, a liquid metal, which is in a liquid phase at a temperature high enough to maintain the molten salt in a molten state, is placed in the molten salt as an electrode for the molten salt electrolysis process.
Preferably, when the nuclear fuel materials are oxides, the method further comprises a reducing process for reducing the nuclear fuel materials to metals before subjecting the waste to the molten salt electrolysis process.
Preferably, in the reducing process, the nuclear fuel materials are reduced to metals by making the nuclear fuel materials react with a reducing agent.
Preferably, the reducing process comprises immersing the waste contaminated with the nuclear fuel materials in a reducing molten salt, supplying a reducing agent into the reducing molten salt, applying a voltage that will not cause a decomposition of the reducing molten salt across an anode and a cathode immersed in the reducing molten salt to regenerate the reducing agent reacted with the nuclear fuel materials.
Preferably, the reducing process comprises immersing the waste contaminated with the nuclear fuel oxides in a reducing molten salt, reducing the nuclear fuel oxides to metals by applying a voltage across an anode and a cathode immersed in the reducing molten salt for an electrolytic reduction.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method of treating an electrically conductive waste contaminated with nuclear fuel materials from a nuclear fuel handling facility comprises a reducing process for reducing the nuclear fuel materials to metals; a thermal melting process for producing a molten salt by heating and melting the metals produced by reducing the nuclear fuel materials and the waste; and a molten salt electrolysis process for recovering the metals produced by reducing the nuclear fuel materials and contained in the molten salt by applying a voltage across an anode and a cathode immersed in the molten salt so that the metals produced by reducing the nuclear fuel materials are deposited on the cathode.
Preferably, a chloride or a hydride having a same kind of cation as that of the molten salt is added to the molten salt to lower the melting point of the molten salt so that an operating temperature of the molten salt in the molten salt electrolysis process is lowered.
Preferably, the method further comprises a cleaning process for separating the nuclear fuel materials from the waste by cleaning the nuclear fuel materials deposited on the cathode in the molten salt electrolysis process and the waste with a cleaning liquid to dissolve the waste in the cleaning liquid; and an oxidation process for converting the nuclear fuel materials separated from the waste by the cleaning process into oxides by oxidizing the nuclear fuel materials; wherein the waste is an adsorbent used in the nuclear fuel material handling facility.
Preferably, the method further comprises an evaporative drying process for drying the adsorbent contained in the cleaning liquid by evaporating the cleaning liquid used in the cleaning process. The cleaning liquid evaporated by the evaporative drying process is reused in the cleaning process.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for treating an electrically conductive waste contaminated with nuclear fuel materials from a nuclear fuel handling facility comprises a molten salt electrolysis unit for removing the nuclear fuel materials adhering to a surface of the waste by immersing the waste in a molten salt to dissolve a surface layer of the waste electrochemically in the molten salt; a filtering unit for filtering the molten salt used by the molten salt electrolysis unit to extract the nuclear fuel materials removed from the surface of the waste and accumulated in the molten salt from the molten salt, and a molten salt return line for returning the molten salt filtered by the filtering unit to the molten salt electrolysis unit.
Preferably, the apparatus further comprises an evaporation unit for removing the molten salt adhering to a surface of the waste processed by the molten salt electrolysis unit and taken out of the molten salt by heating the waste so that the molten salt adhering thereto evaporates, and a molten salt return line for returning the molten salt removed from the surface of the waste by the evaporation unit to the molten salt electrolysis unit.
Preferably, the apparatus further comprises a cleaning unit for removing the molten salt adhering to the waste processed by the molten salt electrolysis unit and taken out of the molten salt by a cleaning liquid, and an evaporative drying unit for drying the molten salt contained in the cleaning liquid by evaporating the cleaning liquid used by the cleaning unit, a molten salt return line for returning the molten salt recovered by the evaporative drying unit to the molten salt electrolysis unit, and a cleaning liquid return line for returning the cleaning liquid evaporated by the evaporative drying unit to the cleaning unit.
Preferably, the molten salt electrolysis unit is provided with a driving mechanism for moving the molten salt and the waste immersed in the molten salt relative to each other.
Preferably, the molten salt electrolysis unit is provided further with a basket capable of containing the waste and serving as an electrode for an electrolysis, and the driving mechanism vibrates the basket in the molten salt.
Preferably, the molten salt electrolysis unit is provided further with a basket capable of containing the waste and serving as an electrode for an electrolysis, and the driving mechanism rotates the basket in the molten salt.
Preferably, driving mechanism includes a spouting means for spouting the molten salt against the waste immersed in the molten salt.
Preferably, the molten salt electrolysis unit is provided with an electrode formed from a liquid metal which is immersed in the molten salt and is in a liquid phase at a temperature high enough to maintain the molten salt in a molten state.
Preferably, when the nuclear fuel materials are oxides, the apparatus further comprises a reducing unit for reducing the nuclear fuel materials to metals.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for treating an electrically conductive waste contaminated with nuclear fuel materials from a nuclear fuel handling facility comprises a reducing unit for reducing the nuclear fuel materials to metals, a thermal melting unit for producing a molten salt by heating and melting the metals produced by reducing the nuclear fuel materials and the waste, and a molten salt electrolysis unit for recovering the metals produced by reducing the nuclear fuel materials and contained in the molten salt by applying a voltage across an anode and a cathode immersed in the molten salt so that the metals produced by reducing the nuclear fuel materials are deposited on the cathode.
Preferably, the waste is an adsorbent used for adsorbing the nuclear fuel materials in the nuclear fuel handling facility, and the apparatus further comprises a cleaning unit for separating the nuclear fuel materials from the waste by cleaning the nuclear fuel materials deposited on the cathode of the molten salt electrolysis unit and the waste with a cleaning liquid to dissolve the waste in the cleaning liquid, and an oxidation unit for converting the nuclear fuel materials separated from the waste by the cleaning unit into oxides by oxidizing the nuclear fuel materials.
Preferably, the apparatus further comprises an evaporative drying unit for drying the adsorbent contained in the cleaning liquid by evaporating the cleaning liquid used by the cleaning unit, and a cleaning liquid return line for returning the cleaning liquid recovered by the evaporative drying unit to the cleaning unit.

Method of treating waste from nuclear fuel handling facility and apparatus for carrying out the same


An analytical magazine is proposed, which comprises a plurality of analytical aids accommodated in chambers. The analytical magazine is arranged to be accommodated in at least two orientations in an analytical system. The analytical magazine is furthermore arranged to provide the analytical system, in the orientations, in each case with a plurality of analytical aids. At least one sampling movement can be executed by means of the analytical aids. The analytical magazine is arranged to make a remagazining of the analytical aids possible.

The invention relates to an analytical magazine for receiving a plurality of analytical aids and an analytical system that is arranged for interacting with an analytical magazine according to the invention. Analytical magazines and analytical systems of this kind are used in natural sciences, technology, medicine and/or medical diagnostics, for detecting one or more analytes qualitatively or quantitatively in a sample. For example, these samples can be samples of body fluid, such as urine, blood, interstitial fluid or the like. The analytes to be detected can for example be metabolites. Without limiting further possible fields of application, the invention is described hereunder with reference to the detection of blood glucose. Basically, however, other analytes can also be measured alternatively or additionally, wherein the concept of an analyte can also comprise other measurable properties of the sample, for example coagulates or the like.
Systems are known, in particular from the field of medical diagnostics, but also from other fields, by means of which analytes can be detected in samples. In medical diagnostics said detection, for example of blood glucose, as a rule comprises generating a sample of body fluid, for example blood or interstitial fluid, followed by receiving of said sample and a qualitative and/or quantitative analysis. For this purpose, as a rule one or more analytical aids are used, which for example can comprise a lancet and/or test elements, by means of which the sample can be generated and/or received and/or analyzed.
In particular, integration of various system functions has in the past led, with analytical systems of this kind, for example blood sugar measuring systems, to commercial solutions with interchangeable magazines for the analytical aids, for example magazines of test strips. Typical representatives of this product group are the systems Accu-Chek Compact® and Ascensia Breeze, which are commercially available systems. Typical accompanying magazines as a rule hold 17 or 10 test strips.
In newer systems, in many cases various system functions are integrated, for example the system function of sample generation (for example by perforation of a portion of skin) and the system function of sample reception and optionally also the system function of analysis. When designing more highly integrated systems, blood collection and a testing function for example may be combined. For this purpose, for example so-called "microsamplers" are known, which can combine the function of a lancet and the function of transport of the sample, for example to a test element. A separate pricking aid for taking blood, for example from a finger pad, an ear lobe or some other portion of skin of a test subject, therefore becomes unnecessary.
Several such microsamplers can be accommodated in a changing magazine of a great variety of designs. Basically, regardless of the type of analytical aids, there are three main types of magazines, namely circular magazines (for example in the form of drums and/or disks), linear magazines (for example in the form of stacking magazines, zigzag magazines or similar) and belt magazines, in which the analytical aids are arranged on a belt or some other form of at least partially flexible carrier. These types of magazine can basically also be used, or modified, within the scope of the invention described in the following. In the prior art, circular magazines are described for example in US 2006/0008389, US 2007/0292314, US 2006/0184064, US 2003/0212347 or US 2002/0087056. Linear magazines are described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 6,036,924 or in US 2003/0191415. Belt magazines are for example disclosed in US 2002/0188224, in US 2008/0103415, in EP 1360935 A1 or in DE 19819407 A1.
A driving force for the integration of several system functions is in particular the desire for a safe and simple operation, and miniaturization of the complete system. As frequent changing of the magazine is rather inconvenient and there is the inherent risk of not having a reserve magazine to hand at the decisive moment, a magazine should hold at least 25 test elements, preferably even 50 test elements or more.
However, the systems and magazines known from the prior art pose some technical challenges. Thus, for example the demand for smallest possible system size, at the same time with the maximum possible number of analytical aids per magazine, for example test elements, represents conflicting objectives. Equipment volumes below 130 ml are especially preferred by the user. Commercially, however, up to now it has not been possible to combine this equipment size with a magazine that for example comprises 50 microsamplers.
Circular magazines, for example of the type described above, also have the disadvantage that as a rule the number of analytical aids has a direct influence on the outside diameter of these circular magazines. A high magazine capacity therefore either leads to very flat equipment (for example in the case of disk magazines) or to particularly thick equipment (for example in the case of drum magazines). However, in many cases such equipment does not correspond to the customer's ideas. With linear magazines, on the other hand, the number of available analytical aids as a rule is directly reflected in the length of the magazines. Moreover, in this design, as a rule magazine displacement is necessary after each test, so that twice the space requirement in the system must be reserved for the magazine. The desired system size is most likely to be achieved with belt magazines, as the magazine size depends nonlinearly on the magazine capacity. However, a disadvantage with such systems is in many cases the high mechanical complexity, in particular with respect to belt guidance and/or belt control.
Therefore approaches are known from the prior art, which provide magazines in the form of so-called reversing magazines. Thus, US 2006/0264996 describes a linear magazine for lancets, which is of doubled design, with two such magazines abutting each other end to end. After all the lancets of a first end section of the complete magazine produced in this way have been used up, the magazine is ejected, turned round, and the lancets in a second end section are used.
However, these reversing magazines known from the prior art have the disadvantage that they are designed exclusively for use in pricking aids. The known reversing magazines will not be suitable for an integration concept, i.e. use in systems in which several system functions are integrated. However, these integrated systems, in particular systems with so-called microsampler magazines, have a number of special requirements. Thus, as a rule the analyte must be detectable in the magazine, for example optically and/or electrochemically. Furthermore, integrated test elements, for example test chemistries, should have a guarantee with respect to their stability, so that a reliable expiry term can be stated. Furthermore, cross-contamination of the analytical aids, in particular of the microsamplers, should be prevented. To date, these requirements are on the whole not fulfilled, or only fulfilled inadequately, with known analytical systems and known analytical magazines.

Space-saving magazining of analytical aids


Process for production of a ceramic material, e.g. a carbide, nitride, boride or silicide, by reacting at least one compound of a metallic or non-metallic element having two or more goups reactive with hydroxyl groups with at least one organic compound having two or more hydroxyl groups to form an oxygen-containing polymeric product, heating the polymeric product to produce a coked product containing carbon and an oxide of the metallic or non-metallic element, and heating the coked product to produce a ceramic maerial, in which the proportion by weight of carbon to the oxide of the metallic or non-metallic element in the coked product is in the range from 50% to 150% of the proportion which is theoretically required to produce the ceramic material.

Particles of refractory carbides or nitrides have traditionally been produced by the so-called carbothermic reaction in which an intimate mixture of carbon and an oxide of the metallic or non-metallic element is heated in an inert atmosphere to produce a carbide, or in an atmosphere of nitrogen to produce a nitride. For example, in the production of silicon carbide an intimate mixture of carbon and silica is reacted according to the overall equation EQU SiO.sub.2 +3C.fwdarw.SiC+2CO.
The problems associated with the carbothermic reaction are illustrated by the problems associated with the production of silicon carbide. Thus, in the production of silicon carbide an intimate mixture of carbon and silica is fired in an inert atmosphere at a temperature which may be as high as 2500.degree. C., the firing being effected in an electric furnace. In this process the required stoichiometric proportion of silica to carbon may readily be achieved, that is, three moles of carbon for every mole of silica, i.e. 37.5 weight per cent of carbon and 62.5 weight per cent of silica. However, the process suffers from a problem in that it is difficult to achieve the necessary intimate contact between the carbon and the silica in order that a product of uniform composition may be produced, that is of uniform composition on a molecular scale. In particular, the particles which are produced, which are nominally silicon carbide, may be contaminated with unreated silica and/or carbon. This is the case even when very small particles of silica and carbon are used, for example silica sol and carbon black. Furthermore, in this traditional process it is also difficult to produce particles of silicon carbide having a very small size, e.g. a size of less than 1 micron.
In the production of silicon nitride by the carbothermic reaction silica is similarly reacted with carbon to reduce the silica and the reduced product is reacted with nitrogen according to the overall equation EQU 3SiO.sub.2 +6C+2N.sub.2 .fwdarw.Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 +6CO.
The carbothermic reaction for the production of silicon nitride suffers from the same problems which are associated with the carbothermic reaction for the production of silicon carbide.
In published Japanese Patent Application No. 60-122706 there is described a modification of the silica reduction process which is said to result in production of silicon nitride in high yield with a high content of .alpha.-Si.sub.3 N.sub.4. In this modified process a powder mixture composed of 1 part by weight of silica powder, 0.4 to 4 parts of carbon powder, and 0.005 to 1 part of silicon nitride powder is fired at 1350.degree. to 1550.degree. C. in a nonoxidising atmosphere containing nitrogen or a gaseous nitrogen compound, passed at a rate of 1.0 to 2.0 cm.sup.3 /sec over the powder mixture. The silicon nitride in the powder mixture serves to accelerate the formation of crystals of silicon nitride.
Silicon nitride may be produced by direct reaction between silicon and nitrogen according to the equation EQU 3Si+2N.sub.2 .fwdarw.Si.sub.3 N.sub.4.
However, this process suffers from a disadvantage in that it is generally possible to produce only coarse particles of silicon nitride.
Silicon nitride may also be produced in a gas phase process in which a silicon tetrahalide or a silane is reacted with ammonia. For example, the process may be effected by reacting silicon tetrachloride with ammonia. This process also suffers from a disadvantage in that it produces copious quantities of ammonium chloride which may lead to the presence of chloride impurity in the silicon nitride which is produced.
There are a number of known processes for the production of refractory borides and silicides of metallic or non-metallic elements, particularly processes for the production of such borides and silicides in particulate form.
For example, an oxide of the metallic or non-metallic element in particulate form may be reacted in an inert atmosphere at elevated temperature in admixture with particulate carbon and particulate boron carbide. Alternatively, a particulate mixture of boric oxide, an oxide of the metallic or non-metallic element, and carbon, or a particulate mixture of boron and the metallic or non-metallic element, may be reacted in an inert atmosphere at elevated temperature. An example of the production of a boride is provided by a process for the production of titanium boride according to the reaction scheme EQU TiO.sub.2 +B.sub.2 O.sub.3 +5C.fwdarw.TiB.sub.2 +5CO
processes suffer from a problem in that it is difficult to achieve the necessary intimate contact between the components of the particulate mixture, for example between the oxide of the metallic or non-metallic element, boric oxide, and carbon, in order to produce particles of uniform composition. Furthermore, the particles of the boride of the metallic or non-metallic element which are produced may be contaminated with unreacted metallic or non-metallic element or oxide thereof and with unreacted boron, boron carbide, or boric oxide, depending of course on the composition of the particulate mixture which is used in the production process. This is the case even when very finely divided particulate mixtures are used, and furthermore, in these processes it is difficult to produce particles of the boride of the metallic or non-metallic element having a very small size, e.g. a size of less than 1 micron.
Silicides of metallic or non-metallic elements may be produced by processes similar to those described for the production of borides except that in this case the boron, or boron carbide, or boric oxide is replaced by silicon, or silicon carbide, or silica or a silicate respectively. For example, a silicide may be produced by heating a particulate mixture of silicon and the metallic or non-metallic element in an inert atmosphere. However, such process suffer from the same problems as are associated with the production of borides of metallic or non-metallic elements.
It has been proposed to produce refractory carbides such as silicon carbide by pyrolysis of organic polymeric materials which contain the elements of the ceramic material, that is silicon and carbon in the case of silicon carbide, but which do not contain oxygen. In such a process the polymeric material is first coked to convert the organic component of the polymeric material to carbon, and the carbon and silicon are then reacted in a pyrolysis reaction. This is not the traditional carbothermic reaction in which carbon and silica are reacted. The objective of using such a polymeric material is to achieve in a coked product produced from the polymeric material a more intimate mixture of the elements of the ceramic material, such as silicon and carbon, than can be achieved, for example in the case of silicon carbide, with a mixture of silica and carbon. However, the proportion of carbon to silicon in the coked product may be very different from that theoretically required with a consequent severely adverse effect on the purity of the silicon carbide which is produced.
An early example of such a "pre-ceramic" polymeric material is provided by U.S. Pat. No. 2 697 029 in which there is described the production of a polymeric material by copolymerization of a silyl substituted monomer, e.g. trimethylsilyl styrene, and another monomer, e.g. divinyl benzene or ethyl vinyl benzene, to give a cross-linked resin, and pyrolysis of the resin to give a solid containing carbon and silicon.
Further examples of such "pre-ceramic" materials are the carbosilanes produced by the pyrolysis of dodecamethylcyclohexasilane (Yajima et al, Chem. Lett., 1975, p931) and by heating poly(dimethylsilane) in an autoclave (Yajima, 1976, Nature, v.273, p525). These carbosilanes may be melt spun to fibrous materials from which refractory silicon carbide may be produced by heating at high temperature. The reaction which is effected at high temperature is between the silicon and carbon and it is not the traditional carbothermic reaction, that is the reaction between silica and carbon, referred to previously. This process suffers from the disadvantage that the silicon carbide product is impure.
A more recent example of such a "pre-ceramic" material from which a refractory carbide may be produced is provided by Japanese Patent Publication No. 57-17412 in which there is described a process in which a halogen compound or an alkoxide of silicon, vanadium, zirconium, tantalum or tungsten is reacted with a carbohydrate and the resultant reaction product is fired. The halogen compound or alkoxide may be, for example, SiCl.sub.4, ZrOCl.sub.2, Si(OC.sub.2 H.sub.5).sub.4, Si(OC.sub.2 H.sub.5).sub.3 C.sub.2 H.sub.5, Si(OC.sub.2 H.sub.5).sub.2 (CH.sub.3).sub.2, Zr(OC.sub.4 H.sub.9).sub.4, WCl.sub.2 (OC.sub.2 H.sub.5).sub.4, and the carbohydrate may be, for example, a monosaccharide or a polysaccharide, e.g. glucose, galactose, arabinose, starch, or cellulose. The reaction may be effected in the absence of a solvent but it is preferably effected in the presence of a solvent, for example, an aromatic solvent, e.g. benzene or toluene; an aliphatic solvent, e.g. hexane, heptane or octane; or a halogenated aromatic or aliphatic solvent. A coked reaction product is produced by heating the reaction product in an inert atmosphere and the coked reaction product is fired in an inert atmosphere at a temperature in the range 700.degree. to 2700.degree. C. Prior to firing the coked reaction product may be crushed to a fine powder. Although in this publication it is stated that the reaction between the halogen compound or alkoxide and the carbohydrate may be effected in a solvent and that the solvent may be used in an amount which is sufficient to dissolve or suspend the carbohydrate we find that the carbohydrates which are disclosed are not soluble in the solvents and are only capable of being suspended therein in a particulate form with the result that the reaction does not result in production of a reaction product of uniform composition or which is in a particularly tractable form. Consequently, the refractory carbide produced from the reaction product also does not have a uniform composition. Additionally, the proportion of carbon to silica in the coked reaction product may also be very different from that theoretically required.
A recent development which is described in Thermochimica Acta, 81, (1984), 77-86, is the production of silicon carbide by the pyrolysis of rice hulls. Rice hulls consist of silica and cellulose, which yield a mixture of silica and carbon when thermally decomposed. Rice hulls have a very high surface area and this, together with the intimate contact between the carbon and silica in the thermally decomposed rice hulls, enable silicon carbide to be formed by subsequent pyrolysis at relatively low temperatures. Production may be effected in a two-step process in which rice hulls are coked by heating in the absence of air at a relatively low temperature, e.g. at 700.degree. C., in order to decompose the cellulose into amorphous carbon, and the thus coked rice hulls are heated at a high temperature, e.g. at a temperature of greater than 1500.degree. C. and in an inert or reducing atmosphere to produce silicon carbide. The presence of iron in the rice hulls accelerates the reaction, and iron may be introduced by soaking the rice hulls in ferrous sulphate solution followed by soaking in ammonia. The molar ratio of silica to carbon in the coked rice hulls is generally about 1 to 4.7, that is there is a substantial excess of carbon over the stoichiometrically required proportion of 1:3, but the presence of iron influences this proportion and it is possible to achieve a proportion nearer to that which is stoichiometrically required. However, although the production of silicon carbide from rice hulls results in a product in the form of particles and whiskers, or short fibres, it is not a method which is amenable to the production of silicon carbide in a variety of different physical forms, for example, particles, long fibres, films or coatings. There is indeed a lack of control over the physical form of the silicon carbide which is produced.
Silicon nitride may also be produced by reacting rice hulls with nitrogen at an elevated temperature. Such a process is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,855,395, the Process comprising the steps of heating rice hulls in an oxygen-free atmosphere to a temperature within the range 1100.degree. C. to 1350.degree. C. and exposing the heated rice hulls to gaseous nitrogen until the silica in the rice hulls is changed to silicon nitride. Production may be effected in a two step process in which rice hulls are coked by heating in the absence of air at a relatively low temperature, e.g. at 700.degree. C., in order to decompose the cellulose into amorphous carbon, and the thus coked rice hulls are heated at high temperature, e.g. at a temperature of the order of 1300.degree. C. and in an atmosphere of nitrogen to produce silicon nitride. However, as is the case with the production of silicon carbide the production of silicon nitride from rice hulls results in a product in the form of particles, whiskers or short fibres, it is not a method which is amenable to the production of silicon nitride in a variety of different physical forms, for example, particles, long fibres, films or coatings. There is indeed a lack of control over the physical form of the silicon nitride which is produced.
The problems associated with these previously described processes for the production of ceramic materials may be summarized with reference to the production of a refractory carbide. Thus, the quality of the refractory carbide which is produced by these previously described processes is dependent at least in part on the composition and structure of the precursor materials from which the carbide is produced and on the processing conditions. For example, although in the production of silicon carbide from a mixture of silica and carbon by the carbothermic process there is no problem in achieving the overall ratio of silica to carbon which is required to produce silicon carbide, it is impossible to achieve the intimate contact between the silica and the carbon in the carbothermic process which is necessary in order to produce a silicon carbide product of uniform composition on a microscale, let alone on a molecular scale, and which is free from unreacted silica and/or carbon.
Where the refractory carbide is produced by pyrolysis of a reaction product, e.g. a polymeric material, which contains the elements of the carbide, such as silica and carbon, e.g. which is produced by a carbothermic reaction between silica and carbon, the elements may not be present in the proportions required for producing the ceramic material substantially free of impurities, and it may be difficult to produce the refractory carbide in the physical form required, for example in the form of small particles, fibres, films or coatings. Thus, the reaction product may be intractable and be difficult to convert into the desired physical form. Where the refractory carbide is produced by pyrolysis of rice hulls there is similarly little control over the physical form of the refractory carbide.
Ceramic materials such as refractory carbides and nitrides have been used for many years in such applications as abrasives and in the manufacture of tools. Whereas in these applications the quality of the ceramic material might not have been of critical importance there are other applications of ceramic materials which are of more recent development where the quality of the ceramic material and its physical form may be of critical importance. These more recently developed applications of ceramic materials include applications such as engineering materials and use in electronic applications.


An active compression device includes a textile wrap configured to be secured around a waist of a user. Additionally, the active compression device includes a controller assembly disposed within the textile wrap, wherein the controller assembly includes one or more shape memory wires configured to apply compression to the user's back in response to actuation of the one or more shape memory wires. The controller assembly also includes processing circuitry configured to receive a selection of a predetermined compression profile, and in response to receiving the selection of the predetermined compression profile, activate a predetermined pattern of compressions corresponding to the selected predetermined compression profile.

Compression garments are devices and articles of clothing that conform to, are attached to, or fit around a portion of a human or other living organism. In medical contexts, static compression garments provide support for people and can be applied to affect blood circulation. For example, compression garments can help prevent deep vein thrombosis and reduce swelling, especially while traveling. They can also be used to address lymphedema. In recreational contexts, compression garments can be worn during or after exercise to support specific areas of the body or to combat muscle soreness, pain, and fatigue.

Systems and method for compression control in a wearable compression device


Compositions and methods for protecting a plant from an insect pest are provided. Nucleic acid molecules encoding insect protoxins or insect toxins modified to comprise at least one proteolytic activation site that is sensitive to an insect gut protease are provided. Cleavage of a modified insect protoxin at the proteolytic activation site by an insect gut protease produces an active insect toxin in the gut of the insect pest. Cleavage of a modified insect toxin of the invention at a proteolytic activation site results in the production of an active insect toxin in the insect gut that displays improved pesticidal activity relative to the insect toxin that lacks the proteolytic activation site. Methods of using the modified insect protoxin and modified insect toxin nucleic acid sequences and the polypeptides they encode to protect a plant from an insect pest are provided. Particular embodiments of the invention further provide modified insect protoxin and modified insect toxin compositions and formulations, expression cassettes, and transformed plants, plant cells, and seeds. Insect gut proteases and the nucleic acid molecules that encode them are also disclosed herein.

Insect pests are a major factor in the loss of the world's agricultural crops. For example, corn rootworm feeding damage or boll weevil damage can be economically devastating to agricultural producers. Insect pest-related crop loss from corn rootworm alone has reached one billion dollars a year.
Traditionally, the primary methods for impacting insect pest populations, such as corn rootworm populations, are crop rotation and the application of broad-spectrum synthetic chemical pesticides. However, consumers and government regulators alike are becoming increasingly concerned with the environmental hazards associated with the production and use of synthetic chemical pesticides. Because of such concerns, regulators have banned or limited the use of some of the more hazardous pesticides. Thus, there is substantial interest in developing alternative pesticides.
Biological control of insect pests of agricultural significance using a microbial agent, such as fungi, bacteria, or another species of insect affords an environmentally friendly and commercially attractive alternative. Generally speaking, the use of biopesticides presents a lower risk of pollution and environmental hazards, and provides greater target specificity than is characteristic of traditional broad-spectrum chemical insecticides. In addition, biopesticides often cost less to produce and thus improve economic yield for a wide variety of crops.
Certain species of microorganisms of the genus Bacillus are known to possess pesticidal activity against a broad range of insect pests including Lepidoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera, Hemiptera, and others. Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus papilliae are among the most successful biocontrol agents discovered to date. Insect pathogenicity has been attributed to strains of: B. larvae, B. lentimorbus, B. papilliae, B. sphaericus, B. thuringiensis (Harwook, ed. (1989) Bacillus (Plenum Press), p. 306) and B. cereus (WO 96/10083). Pesticidal activity appears to be concentrated in parasporal crystalline protein inclusions, although pesticidal proteins have also been isolated from the vegetative growth stage of Bacillus. Several genes encoding these pesticidal proteins have been isolated and characterized (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,366,892 and 5,840,868).
Microbial pesticides, particularly those obtained from Bacillus strains, have played an important role in agriculture as alternatives to chemical pest control. Recently, agricultural scientists have developed crop plants with enhanced insect resistance by genetically engineering crop plants to produce pesticidal proteins from Bacillus. For example, corn and cotton plants genetically engineered to produce pesticidal proteins isolated from strains of B. thuringiensis, known as δ-endotoxins or Cry toxins (see, e.g., Aronson (2002) Cell Mol. Life Sci. 59(3):417-425; Schnepf et al. (1998) Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 62(3):775-806) are now widely used in American agriculture and have provided the farmer with an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional insect-control methods. In addition, potatoes genetically engineered to contain pesticidal Cry toxins have been sold to the American farmer. However, while they have proven to be very successful commercially, these genetically engineered, insect-resistant crop plants provide resistance to only a narrow range of the economically important insect pests. Some insects, such as Western corn rootworm, have proven to be recalcitrant.
Accordingly, efforts have been made to understand the mechanism of action of Bt toxins and to engineer toxins with improved properties. It has been shown that insect gut proteases can affect the impact of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry proteins and other pesticidal proteins on the insect. Some proteases activate Cry proteins by processing them from a "protoxin" form into a toxic form, or "toxin." See, Oppert (1999) Arch. Insect Biochem. Phys. 42:1-12 and Carroll et al. (1997) J. Invertebrate Pathology 70:41-49. This activation of the toxin can include the removal of the N- and C-terminal peptides from the protein and can also include internal cleavage of the protein. Other proteases can degrade pesticidal proteins. See Oppert, ibid.; see also U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,057,491 and 6,339,491.
Researchers have determined that plants express a variety of proteases, including serine and cysteine proteases. See, for example, Goodfellow et al. (1993) Plant Physiol. 101:415-419; Pechan et al. (1999) Plant Mol. Biol. 40:111-119; Lid et al. (2002) Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 99:5460-5465. Research has also shown that insect gut proteases include cathepsins, such as cathepsin B- and L-like proteinases. See, Shiba et al. (2001) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 390:28-34; see also, Purcell et al. (1992) Insect Biochem. Mol. Biol. 22:41-47. For example, cathepsin L-like digestive cysteine proteinases are found in the larval midgut of Western corn rootworm. See, Koiwa et al. (2000) FEBS Letters 471:67-70; see also, Koiwa et al. (2000) Analytical Biochemistry 282:153-155. The preferred proteolytic substrate sites of these proteases have been investigated using synthetic substrates. See, Alves et al. (2001) Eur. J. Biochem. 268:1206-1212 and Melo et al. (2001) Anal. Biochem. 293:71-77.
While investigators have previously genetically engineered plants, particularly crop plants, to contain biologically active (i.e., pesticidal) Cry toxins, researchers to date have not effectively utilized the protoxin forms of pesticidal polypeptides in conjunction with insect gut proteases to control plant pests. Moreover, these foreign proteins can be degraded and inactivated by proteases present in these transgenic plants. Thus, new strategies for modifying insect toxins and utilizing these modified insect toxins in pest management strategies are desired.

Nucleic acids encoding Cry8Bb1 endotoxins engineered to have insect-specific protease recognition sequences


Provided is a carbonated drink having a high gas pressure which has improved bubble qualities and enhanced drinkability, is packaged in a container having a resealable cap, maintains a refreshing sensation, a light flavor and a pleasant cooling sensation expected in a carbonated drink having a high gas pressure even when opened and recapped and stored. The carbonated drink is a container-packaged carbonated drink, contains a condensed phosphate(s) in a concentration of 50 ppm or more and less than 2000 ppm, and has a gas pressure of 2.0 to 5.0 kg/cm2.

The properties of foam and bubbles in carbonated drinks are one of the major factors that determine the taste of carbonated drinks. For this reason, various methods have been proposed to create a fine foam when drinking, to make the foam created last longer, and further to enhance the texture and taste. Examples thereof include a method in which a fine foam is caused to form by adding saponin, a foaming agent, thereby improving the foam retention (Patent Literature 1), and methods in which a fine foam is caused to form and/or the foam retention is improved by adding a protein, a degraded protein product, an emulsifier, a degraded starch product, a tea extract, or the like (Patent Literatures 2 to 6).
On the other hand, various phosphates have been used in carbonated drinks and non-carbonated drinks to serve as acidifier, chelating agent, anti-fade agent, antibacterial agent, and the like. For example, Patent Literature 7 discloses a non-carbonated diluted juice drink product which contains (i) a specific preservative, (ii) specific polyphosphate (sodium hexametaphosphates, and the like), (iii) added water having a hardness of 0 to 60 ppm, and which has a pH value of 2.5 to 4.5 as a final product and can be stored at environmental temperature for at least 10 days without substantial bacterial growth; Patent Literature 8 discloses a non-carbonated diluted juice drink product which contains (i) a specific antiseptics, (ii) a specific sodium polyphosphate, (iii) added water having a hardness of 61 to 220 ppm, and which has a pH value of 2.5 to 4.5 as a final product and can be stored at environmental temperature for at least 28 days without substantial bacterial growth. Further, Patent Literature 9 describes a carbonated drink with a green tea powder which contains the green tea powder, an antioxidant and 0.2 g/100 g (=2000 ppm) of a polymeric phosphate with carbon dioxide gas injected therein, is free of color fading or changing over an extended period of time, and maintains the green tea taste and flavor; Patent Literature 10 describes an orange juice having a low gas pressure containing 0.6 g/2.3 L (≈260 ppm) of polyphosphate and 350 mL of carbonated water. Furthermore, the above Patent Literature 5 discloses that the polymeric phosphate added to the carbonated drink is capable of achieving the improvement of taste, i.e., imparting mildness, but fails to exhibit the effective in creating a fine foam or improving the foam retention.
Still furthermore, Patent Literature 11 describes an additive for carbonated drinks which comprises spilanthol or a spilanthol-containing plant extract or plant essential oil used to solve the problems of the reduced carbonate sensation (stimulation, cooling sensation, etc.) caused by rapid evaporation of carbon dioxide gas after opening and of thus quickly lost function and palatability demanded for a beverage after opening.

Carbonated drink having high gas pressure


Disclosed are novel methods and apparatus for persistent queuing in distributed file systems. In an embodiment, an apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes a distributed file system including a plurality of remote systems. The plurality of remote systems includes a sender site and a receiver site. The apparatus further includes a local queue accessible by the sender site; a remote queue accessible by the receiver site; a next attempt time indicator; and an attempt counter. The next attempt time indicator may specify a next time to install a transferred file on the receiver site. The attempt counter indicates how many attempts have been made to install the transferred file on the receiver site.

As the use of digital data becomes more prominent in everyday life, the need for access to reliable data sources increases. For example, a user may need regular access to data that can be physically located across different buildings or even around the world. This is often the case with respect to large company projects that may involve many groups worldwide working on a same solution.
As these types of joint projects become more commonplace, so does the need for having access to such data in real-time. In other words, the data accessed by each remote site will need to be current whether that data is stored locally or halfway around the world. Accordingly, the users need to have access to the latest version of the data as soon as it is released into the system from any site.
In many current implementations utilizing transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP), file transfer protocol (FTP), and other similar facilities (e.g., RSYNC command provided in Unix systems) are utilized to maintain data amongst remote sites. These tools, however, are generally useful only for transferring files from one point to the next. Moreover, automation of these tools only results in synchronization among multiple sites when a batch update or a nightly synchronization is performed. Also, if one of the remote sites goes down or cannot accept external data, the data may be dropped and unavailable.

Persistent queuing for distributed file systems


A measuring device for determining an operating state variable of a rotating structural element, in particular a bearing, which has a plurality of components. Specifically, the measuring device has a permanent magnet, an encoder ring for manipulating the magnetic field which is generated by the permanent magnet, a magnetic field sensor, a radio unit for transmitting measurement signals from the magnetic field sensor to an evaluation unit, and an energy converter unit for converting rotation energy into electrical energy. The encoder ring is produced from a ferromagnetic and non-premagnetized material.

Operating state variables which describe the rotation movement of the rotating structural element, such as rotary position, angular speed, angular acceleration etc., are of particular interest in the present case. Therefore, the invention relates primarily to a measuring device which detects at least one operating state variable which describes the rotation movement.
A measuring device for identifying rotation is disclosed in European Patent Specification EP 1 342 633 B1. The measuring device comprises a current generator, which has a stator and a rotor, a power supply circuit and a magnetic field sensor. In this case, the rotor, which is also called an encoder ring, encoder plate or incremental wheel in this context, has a large number of opposed magnet poles which alternate with one another in a direction over the circumference of the rotor, and a multipart ring element which is produced from a magnetic material is provided as the stator. The magnetic field sensor is arranged in a fixed position relative to the stator and is fixed either to said stator or to a support element for the stator. The magnetic field sensor, which is supplied with power by means of the generator and the power supply circuit, is used to register the alternating passage of the magnet poles of the rotor past the magnetic field sensor during rotation of the rotor, as a result of which the presence of a rotation movement is detected. The measuring device can be used, for example, as a component for an anti-lock brake system in the automotive sector. However, this considered to be disadvantageous since because the production costs are regarded as being excessively high.

Measuring device for determining an operating state variable of a rotating structural element, in particular a bearing


The invention discloses method and apparatus for providing a desired batch flow through desired regions of an extrusion die for forming honeycomb structures, and more particularly to the enhancement of batch flow in the skin-forming region of the die so as to provide a bounding wall of desired thickness and strength about a honeycomb core. Unlike prior methods, a recess or trough of desired depth and width is formed in a desired region of the inlet face of the honeycomb die, which reduces the pressure required to flow batch material through the die in such region. Such reduced pressure requirement translates in an increased flow rate in such region under constant extrusion pressure. Thus by increasing the flow rate through a honeycomb extrusion die in an outer peripheral region of flow in this manner, improved skin formation around a honeycomb core is obtained during the forming process.

Honeycomb extrusion dies are commonly used to form cellular or honeycomb ceramic substrates for use in catalytic converters, which are utilized in exhaust systems of internal combustion engines. In order to reduce back pressure within the exhaust system, it is necessary that the cell walls or webs of the substrate have a substantially thin cross-sectional dimension so as to provide a substantially large open frontal area. However, the thin walled structure must be protected so as to withstand normal automotive impact requirements. One way to protect the inner cell walls is to provide an outer skin of increased thickness, thus providing additional strength to withstand external loads.
The present invention relates to honeycomb die designs, and more particularly to die designs offering improved control over the delivery of plasticized powdered ceramic batch materials toward the skin-forming regions of such dies, in order to better control the thicknesses and flow properties of the co-extruded skin layers needed to effectively surround and protect the honeycomb core portions of the extruded honeycomb structures.
Current methods of providing a sufficient flow of skin-forming ceramic material on extruded ceramic honeycombs have involved modifications of the pin or outlet side of the extrusion die. Generally, such methods comprise the cutting away of material from the pin side of the die and/or attaching throttling plates to the inlet side of the die bodies to provide a thick, smooth skin area on the extruded part. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,219,509 to Cocchetto et al and 6,455,124 B1 to Beall et al are representative of such methods. Also U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,612 to Gangeme et al utilizes a mask associated with the discharge face of the die and a forming plate positioned on the inlet face of the feed holes to produce an outer skin on a honeycomb substrate.
However, many of these know methods are subject to various handling and extrusion problems, including damaging the die pins during the cutting away process which renders the die completely useless. Partial pins, formed by a square cell pattern when being cut by a rounded skin pattern, are subject to excessive wearing. Also, the cutting of the pin surface results in a variable surface finish on the completed die, which produces changing extrudate flow rates as the die is slowly eroded by the flow of abrasive batch through the die. Also of concern are variations in flow from one die to the next, which can cause high variability in selects between dies and therefore reduced material utilization in the forming plants. Further, where such variations in flow exist, the ceramic skins are not always well adhered to the honeycomb core portions of the extruded parts.
It is known to increase the flow of skin-forming material by widening the discharge slots in the outer skin-forming region to improve the wet strength of the formed part and to provide improved adherence of the skin on the ceramic honeycomb part. Such widening techniques, however, are expensive in terms of tooling and machine time. Further, the necessary machining is irreversible. That is, the die cannot be re-converted to a uniform slot width design, which may be necessary due to surface finish wear that eventually results in excessive flow of batch material in the skin-forming region.


A transition metal-containing ceramic made by the process comprising the step of pyrolyzing an organometallic linear polymer containing at least one metallocenylene unit, at least one silyl or siloxyl unit, and at least one acetylene unit to form a ceramic; where the ceramic has a ceramic yield of at least about 75% by weight. A transition metal-containing ceramic made by the process comprising the steps of: forming an organometallic linear polymer containing at least one metallocenylene, at least one silyl or siloxyl unit, and at least one acetylene unit; crosslinking said linear polymer through the acetylene units, thereby forming a thermoset; and pyrolyzing said thermoset to form a ceramic; where the ceramic has a ceramic yield of at least about 75% by weight.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a new class of transition metal containing linear polymers of varying molecular weight that are useful for conversion to high temperature thermosets and ceramics. These new materials have repeat units that contain alkynyl groups for cross-linking purposes along with organotransition metal complexes, silyl, siloxyl, boranyl, or di(silyl or siloxyl)carborane units. These novel linear polymers with the metal units in the backbone are soluble in most organic solvents and can be easily fabricated from the melt into shaped components, which enhance their importance for high temperature structural, magnetic, and microelectronic applications. Cross-linking of alkynyl groups is known to occur by either photochemical or thermal processes. The ceramics may also contain carbon nanotubes and/or metal nanoparticles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The incorporation of transition metals into a polymer structure has long been seen as a good way of preparing materials with different properties from conventional carbon-based polymers. Small molecule transition metal complexes and solid state compounds possess an array of interesting high temperature, hardness, redox, magnetic, optical, electrical, and catalytic properties. In addition, the rich diversity of coordination numbers and geometries available for transition elements offer the possibility of accessing polymers with unusual conformational, mechanical, and morphological characteristics.
The development of polymers with transition metals in the main chain structure would be expected to provide access to processable, specialty materials with similarly attractive physical properties that would be of interest as pyrolytic precursors to metal-containing ceramics. Transition metal-based polymers might also function as processable precursors for making metal-containing ceramic films and fibers with high stability and desirable physical properties. Most transition metal-based polymers reported to date, however, do not contain units for conversion to a thermoset and thus afford low char yields at elevated temperatures.
Despite early synthetic problems of constructing macromolecular chains, researchers have now prepared a variety of metal-containing polymers with novel properties. Ferrocene-based polymers appear to be particularly promising as reported by Ian Manners in Chain Metals, Chemistry In Britain, January 1996, pp. 46-49. Because of ferrocene""s ability to release and accept an electron reversibly, there is considerable interest in developing these materials as electrode mediators and in energy storage devices.
These mediators, for example, facilitate electron transfer between an enzyme such as glucose oxidase, where the redox active sites are buried in a protein sheath and an electrode. Ferrocene-based polymers have been successfully used as electron relays in electrochemical biosensors for measuring glucose levels. Scientists have also fabricated microelectrochemical devices such as diodes using ferrocene-based polymers.
Other studies have reported on the formation of Fexe2x80x94Sixe2x80x94C materials from the pyrolysis of iron containing polymers. See, for example: (1) Tang, B. Z.; Petersen, R.; Foucher, D. A.; Lough, A.; Coombs, N.; Sodhi, R.; Manners, I. J Chem. Soc., Chem Commun. 1993, 523-525; (2) Peterson, R; Foucher, D. A.; Tang, B. Z.; Lough, A.; Raju, N. P.; Greedan, J. E.; Manners, I. Chem. Mater. 1995, 7, 2045-2053; and (3) Ungurenasu, C. Macromolecules 1996, 29, 7297-7298; (4) Hodson, A. G. W; Smith, R. A. Transition Metal Functionalized Polysilazanes as Precursors to Magnetic Ceramics, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol, BS16 1QY.
Spirocyclic [1]-ferrocenophanes have been reported to function as convenient cross-linking agents for poly(ferrocenes) via thermal ring-opening copolymerization reactions by MacLachlan, M. J.; Lough, A. J.; and Manners, I, in Macromolecules, 1996, 29, 8562-8564.
The use of ring-opening polymerization (ROP), a chain growth process, is reported by I. Manners in Polyhedron, Vol. 15, No. 24. pp 4311-4329, 1996 to allow access to a range of high molecular-weight polymers with skeletal transition metal atoms having novel properties.
Several poly(ferrocenylsilanes) have been synthesized and converted into ceramics upon heating to 1000xc2x0 C. under inert conditions. See, for example, Pudelski, J. K.; Rulkens, R.; Foucher, D. A.; Lough A. J.; MacDonald, P. M. and Manners, I., Macromolecules, 1995, 28, 7301-7308. The ceramic yields by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), however, were in the range of 17 to 63%.
Alternative transition metals such as ruthenium have also been reported as being incorporated into a metallocenophane structure by Nelson, J. A.; Lough, A. J., and Manners, I in xe2x80x9cSynthesis and Ring-Opening Polymerization of Highly Strained, Ring-Titled[2]Ruthenocenophanesxe2x80x9d Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. Engl. 1994, 33, 989-991 and in xe2x80x9cSynthesis, Structures, and Polymerization Behavior of Di-silane-Bridged and Bis(disilane)-Bridged[2]Ruthenocenophanesxe2x80x9d in Organometallics 1994, 13, 3703-3710. Novel ruthenium or iron containing tetraynes as precursors of mixed-metal oligomers are reported in Organometallics 1996, 15, 1530-1531. Mixed valence diferrocenylacetylene cation compounds have been reported in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, 96:21, 1974, pp. 6788-6789.
The synthesis and characterization of linear boron-silicon-diacetylene copolymers is reported by R. A. Sundar and T. M. Keller in Macromolecules 1996, 29, 3647-3650. Additionally, the efficient, xe2x80x9cone-potxe2x80x9d synthesis of silylene-acetylene and disilylene-acetylene preceramic polymers from trichloroethylene is reported in the Journal of Polymer Science: Part A: Polymer Chemistry, Vol. 28, 955-965 (1990).
Furthermore, the preparation and reactions of decachloroferrocene and decachlororuthenocene is disclosed in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, 95, 870-875 (1973). Symmetrically disubstituted ferrocenes are discussed in the Journal of Organometallic Chemistry, 27 (1971) pp. 241-249, as well as ferrocenyl-acetylene being disclosed in the J. Organometal. Chem., 6 (1966) pp. 173-180 and 399-411. Ferrocenyl- and 2-thienylarylacetylenes are reported by M. D. Rausch; A. Siegal and L. P. Kelmann in J. of Org. Chem. 1966, Vol. 31 p. 2703-2704.
Ferrocenyl ethylene and acetylene derivatives are also reported by P. L. Pauson and W. E. Watts in J. Chem. Soc. 1963, 2990-2996. Studies on the reactions of ferrocenylphenylacetylene and diferrocenyl-acetylene are reported in the Journal of Organometallic Chemistry, 149 (1978) 245-264. The chemistry of xcfx80-bridged analogues of biferrocene and biferrocenylene is discussed in the Journal of Organic Chemistry, Vol. 41, No. 16, 1976, 2700-2704. The synthesis of 1xe2x80x2,6xe2x80x2-bis(ethynyl)-biferrocene and metal complexes referring to non-linear optics is presented in Polyhedron, Vol. 14, No. 19, pp. 2759-2766 (1995).
In addition to these documents discussing the various compounds and polymers, the catalytic graphitization by iron of isotropic carbon is reported in Carbon, Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 81-87, 1983. Preceramic polymer routes to silicon carbide are disclosed by Richard M. Laine in Chem. Mater. 1993, 5, 260-279; and the comprehensive chemistry of polycarbosilanes, polysilazanes and polycarbosilazanes as precursors of ceramics is thoroughly reported in Chem. Rev., 1995, 95, 1443-1477.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,800,221 and 4,806,612 also respectively disclose silicon carbide preceramic polymers and preceramic acetylenic polysilanes, which may be converted into ceramic materials.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,241,029 and 5,457,074 disclose diorganosilacetylene and diorganosilvinylene polymers that can be thermally converted into silicon carbide ceramic materials.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,851,491 discloses polyorganoborosilane ceramic polymers, which are useful to generate high temperature ceramic materials upon thermal degradation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,919 also relates to boron-containing ceramics formed from organoboron preceramic polymers, which are carboralated acetylenic polymers.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,272,237; 5,292,779; 5,348,917; 5,483,017 disclose carborane-(siloxane or silane)-unsaturated hydrocarbon based polymers reported to be useful for making high temperature oxidatively stable thermosets and/or ceramics.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,552,505 discloses copolymers formed from aromatic acetylenic monomers or prepolymers formed therefrom and carborane-(siloxane or silane)-unsaturated hydrocarbon polymers reportedly useful to form articles, adhesives, matrix materials, or coatings, or which may be pyrolyzed to form carbon-ceramic composites. Each of the documents cited herein contains valuable information and each is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and for all purposes.
Most of the carborane-siloxane and/or carborane-silane polymers made by others have elastomeric properties rather than properties of more rigid polymeric products like thermosetting polymers or ceramics. There is a need for polymers that behave less like elastomeric polymers and more like thermosets and which, upon pyrolysis, form ceramics.
U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/216,469 to Keller et al. and 10/216,470 to Keller et al., incorporated herein by reference, disclose the formation of carbon nanotubes and metal nanoparticles from the pyrolysis of compositions containing metallocene, ethynyl groups, and/or metal ethynyl complexes. These complexes did not contain any silicon. Upon heating, the ethynyl groups crosslinked to form a thermoset. Further heating caused the metal-containing groups to degrade releasing elemental metal. This process can catalyze the formation of carbon nanotubes in the bulk material. The metal can also coalesce into nanoparticles.
There is, therefore, a need for oxidatively stable materials having thermosetting properties for making rigid components therefrom which withstand high temperatures and which have high strength and high hardness properties and/or which optionally may have magnetic properties.
Furthermore, there is a need for transition metal-based polymers that contain units for conversion to thermosets and which afford high char yields at elevated temperatures. There is also a need for such polymers which would be useful precursors to novel materials unavailable from other sources, and which may exhibit unique nonlinear optical (NLO) properties.
There is a further need for materials containing silicon and carbon nanotubes or metal nanoparticles in the bulk material.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide polymers having backbones incorporated with organotransition metals complexes along with silicon, acetylenic, and/or boron units which are useful as precursors to novel materials unavailable from other sources.
It is another object of the present invention to provide polymers having backbones incorporated with organotransition metal complexes along with silicon, acetylenic, and/or boron units which can be readily converted into high temperature thermosets.
It is another object of the present invention to provide polymers having backbones incorporating organotransition metal complexes along with silicon, acetylenic, and/or boron units which can readily be converted into high temperature materials which exhibit high strength properties, high hardness values, and electrical and/or magnetic properties.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide transition metal based polymers that contain inorganic units and units for conversion to thermoset polymers and which afford high char yields at elevated temperatures.
It is still another object of the present invention to permit the formulation of ceramics containing a variable and controllable amount of metal and various cluster sizes.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide transition metal based ceramics that contain inorganic units and carbon nanotubes and/or metal nanoparticles.
These and other objects of the invention may be accomplished by a transition metal-containing ceramic made by the process comprising the step of pyrolyzing an organometallic linear polymer containing at least one metallocenylene unit, at least one silyl or siloxyl unit, and at least one acetylene unit to form a ceramic; where the ceramic has a ceramic yield of at least about 75% by weight.
The invention further comprises a transition metal-containing ceramic made by the process comprising the steps of: forming an organometallic linear polymer containing at least one metallocenylene, at least one silyl or siloxyl unit, and at least one acetylene unit; crosslinking said linear polymer through the acetylene units, thereby forming a thermoset; and pyrolyzing said thermoset to form a ceramic; where the ceramic has a ceramic yield of at least about 75% by weight.

Transistion metal containing ceramic with metal nanoparticles

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


A shifter brake interlock system for an automatic floor mounted transmission shifter which includes a locking button to be depressed prior to removing the transmission from park position including a cable comprising a strand connected to the brake pedal arm at one end and interconnected to the floor shifter such that the floor shifter is prevented from moving out of park position until the brake is engaged.

One of the problems that sometimes occurs in the operation of automobiles is that it might be possible to shift the automatic floor transmission shifter out of park position at the transmission even though the shift handle has not been moved from the park position. It has been found that in the interest of safety it is preferable that the brake be engaged prior to movement of the transmission shifter out of park position.
Accordingly an objective of the present invention is to provide a shifter brake interlock system which insures that the shifter can only be shifted out of park position when the motor vehicle operator has engaged the brake.
In accordance with the invention, a shifter brake interlock system for an automatic floor mounted transmission shifter which includes a locking button to be depressed prior to removing the transmission from the park position includes a cable comprising a strand connected to the brake pedal arm at one end and interconnected to the floor shifter such that the floor shifter is prevented from moving out of park position until the brake is engaged.


Systems and methods of dispensing adhesive in a bookbinding system are described. Sheets may be bound into bound text bodies having respective spines exposed for adhesive application and characterized by multiple length dimensions and multiple thickness dimensions. In one aspect, a sheet binding system comprises an adhesive dispenser that is configured to dispense across the thickness dimension of a text body spine solid sheet adhesive having one of multiple effective widths that is sized to correspond substantially to the length dimension of the text body spine. In accordance with this approach, books of different lengths (or heights) may be readily bound with solid sheet adhesive that may be contained within a single, replaceable cartridge housing.

This invention relates to systems and methods of dispensing adhesive in a bookbinding system.
Today, a variety of different bookbinding systems can deliver professionally bound documents, including books, manuals, publications, annual reports, newsletters, business plans, and brochures. A bookbinding system generally may be classified as a commercial (or trade) bookbinding system that is designed for in-line manufacturing of high quality volume runs or an in-house (or office) bookbinding system designed for short xe2x80x9con-demandxe2x80x9d runs. Commercial bookbinding systems generally provide a wide variety of binding capabilities, but require large production runs (e.g., on the order of thousands of bindings) to offset the set-up cost of each production run and to support the necessary investment in expensive in-line production equipment. Office bookbinding systems, on the other hand, generally involve manual intervention and provide relatively few binding capabilities, but are significantly less expensive to set up and operate than commercial bookbinding systems, even for short on-demand production runs of only a few books.
In general, a bookbinding system collects a plurality of sheets (or pages) into a text body (or book block) that includes a spine and two side hinge areas. The bookbinding system applies an adhesive to the text body spine to bind the sheets together. A cover may be attached to the bound text body by applying an adhesive to the side hinge areas or the spine of the text body, or both. The cover of a typical commercial soft cover book generally is attached to the text body spine. The covers of hardcover books and some soft cover xe2x80x9clay flatxe2x80x9d books, on the other hand, typically are attached to the side hinge areas of the text body and are not attached to the text body spines (i.e., the spines are xe2x80x9cfloatingxe2x80x9d).
The invention features novel systems and methods of dispensing adhesive in a bookbinding system. In accordance with this inventive scheme, books of different lengths (or heights) may be readily bound with solid sheet adhesive that may be contained within a single, replaceable cartridge housing.
In one aspect, the invention features a system for binding sheets into bound text bodies having respective spines exposed for adhesive application and characterized by multiple length dimensions and multiple thickness dimensions. The system comprises an adhesive dispenser that is configured to dispense across the thickness dimension of a text body spine solid sheet adhesive having one of multiple effective widths that is sized to correspond substantially to the length dimension of the text body spine.
Embodiments in accordance with this aspect of the invention may include one or more of the following features.
The adhesive dispenser may be configured to dispense multiple segments of solid sheet adhesive along the length dimension of the text body spine. The solid sheet adhesive segments may have different widths or the same width. In some embodiments, the adhesive dispenser may be configured to dispense at least one solid sheet adhesive independently of the other solid sheet adhesive segments. For example, the adhesive dispenser may include a roller system for dispensing the multiple segments of solid sheet adhesive. The roller system may include a drive shaft supporting multiple drive rollers. The adhesive dispenser also may include a motor for driving the drive shaft. A clutch may be disposed between a pair of drive rollers to enable one or both drive rollers of the drive roller pair to be driven selectively by the motor.
An adhesive quantity interrogator may be configured to obtain indications of the length of each solid sheet adhesive segment remaining in a plug-in cartridge housing. A controller may be configured to transmit a warning message when any of the solid sheet adhesive segments is nearly spent.
In some embodiments, the adhesive dispenser is configured to dispense multiple segments of solid sheet adhesive along the length dimension of the text body spine simultaneously. In other embodiments, the adhesive dispenser is configured to dispense multiple segments of solid sheet adhesive along the length dimension of the text body spine sequentially. For example, the adhesive dispenser may be configured to position a plug-in cartridge housing containing a roll of solid sheet adhesive at multiple locations along the length dimension of the text body spine.
In some embodiments, the adhesive dispenser comprises a width cutter for cutting solid sheet adhesive to an effective width substantially corresponding to the length dimension of the text body spine. The adhesive dispenser also may include a length cutter for cutting the solid sheet adhesive to a length at least as large as the thickness dimension of the text body spine. In this embodiment, the adhesive dispenser may be configured to advance the solid sheet adhesive beyond the location cut by the width cutter, and to cut across the solid sheet adhesive with the length cutter to prepare a clean leading edge for a subsequent sheet binding. The adhesive dispenser may include a waste reservoir that is configured to store excess solid sheet adhesive that has been cut by the width cutter.
The invention also features a method of binding sheets into bound text bodies.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, including the drawings and the claims.

Dispensing adhesive in a bookbinding system

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A sealing device is provided on the outer circumference of an oil pressure unit of the oil pressure rush adjuster, or on the partitioning wall of a sub-reservoir surrounding the oil pressure unit, or therebetween so as to provide a sealing between said partitioning wall and said outer circumference of the oil pressure unit while the engine in which the rush adjuster is mounted is stopped and so as to allow a portion of the oil to leak therebetween while the engine operates. Since the oil is perfectly prevented, while the engine stops, from leaking between the outer circumference of the oil pressure unit and the partitioning wall of the sub-reservoir, the oil amount residing in the reservoirs is enough even though not supplied from the cylinder head, and the air cannot be drawn into the high pressure chamber.

This invention relates to an improvement of an oil pressure rush adjuster of a directly acting type which is incorporated with an oil pressure unit within a bucket.
A "bottomed" condition herein refers to such a condition that an oil pressure unit is displaced a maximum amount by a cam nose as seen in FIGS. 2 and 9.
A valve actuating mechanism used in an internal combustion engine is subject to influences of wears or thermal expansions, whereby a space or a clearance formed at the valve is deformed during operations and gives bad influences to outputs and makes noises. An oil pressure rush adjuster has been therefore used to rectify the problems caused by the deformed space.
A directly actuating valve mechanism is known which is light in weight with a cam directly striking a shaft end of a valve, and this mechanism has been also employed with the oil pressure rush adjuster as shown in FIG. 8.
The oil pressure rush adjuster is composed of a bucket X and the oil pressure unit Y housed therewithin, and is placed between a cam 300 and the shaft end of a valve 400.
The oil pressure unit Y is slidably mounted on the outer circumference of a cylindrical plunger 101 having an oil hole 104 at its bottom, and comprises a cylindrical body 100 defining a high pressure chamber 102 together with the bottom of the body 100; a spring member 105 provided in the high pressure chamber 102 and biasing the body 100 downward; a check valve 106 disposed in the high pressure chamber for opening and closing the oil hole 104; and a valve spring 107 supporting the check valve 106 and a check valve cage 108 in the high pressure chamber 102.
The oil pressure unit Y is housed in the bucket X, defining a main reservoir 103 as an oil storage between the rear side of a face disc 202 and the hollow portion of the plunger 101 as well as a sub-reservoir 200 communicating, via an overflow recess 203, with the main reservoir 103 partitioned with the circumferential wall of the plunger 101, the sub reservoir 200 being supplied with the actuating oil through an oil feed hole 500 of a cylinder head and an oil hole 510 of the bucket X.
On the other hand, a cam 300 contacts the face disc 202 of the bucket X, while the shaft end of the valve 400 contacts the closed face of the body 100, so that the cam 300 strikes the shaft end of the valve 400 via the oil pressure rush adjuster.
The oil pressure rush adjuster makes use of a rigidity of the actuating oil effected when exerting pressure to the actuating oil filled in the high pressure chamber 102, and the restoring force of the spring member 105 which when releasing the pressure so as to correct the space which has been thermally deformed in the valve actuating mechanism.
A part of the oil to be supplied to the sub-reservoir 200 leaks via a space between the outer circumference of the oil pressure unit Y (the outer circumference of the body 100 in the drawing) and the sleeve 201 forming a partition of the sub-reservoir 200.
If the oil leaks while the engine operates but since the actuating oil is supplied into the sub-reservoir 200 from an oil field hole 500 of a cylinder head and an oil hole 510 of the bucket X, no special problems arise. But once the engine stops, the oil is not supplied from the cylinder head until re-starting the engine. Especially when the engine stops which is furnished with a rush adjuster under an oblique state, sufficient amounts of the oil cannot be secured in the both reservoirs 103, 200 due to the oil leaking. When the engine re-starts, there arises a possibility that air is drawn together with the actuating oil from the reservoir 103 into the high pressure chamber 102.
When the internal combustion engine stops while a cam nose 301 keeps pressing the face disc 202 of the bucket X, the oil pressure unit Y is compressed as shown in FIG. 9, that is, it is most shortened (bottomed condition). If the engine re-starts under this condition, the sliding stroke between the plunger 101 and the body 100 is maximum, and the oil is drawn into the high pressure chamber 102. But since the oil is not supplied thereinto from a cylinder head, as said above while the engine stops, the oil amount is reduced in the main and sub-reservoirs. Therefore air is drawn into the high pressure chamber 102 as much, and the rigidity of the actuating oil which is generated in the chamber 102 is considerably reduced when the plunger 101 is pressed, so that the space of the valve cannot be rectified (the rigidity is changed to be soft, and called as "sponge" condition).

Oil pressure rush adjuster of a directly acting type


A first rectification circuit includes a bypass element connected to both ends of a rectification element. The bypass element is smaller in voltage drop amount than the rectification element. A power supply device is configured to perform switching between a first mode and a second mode based on at least one of information showing a magnitude of electric power that is being supplied to a load and information showing a magnitude of electric power that is to be supplied to the load. In the first mode, an AC voltage is rectified in a path including the rectification element. In the second mode, the AC voltage is rectified in a path including the bypass element.

Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a power supply device, and more particularly to a switching power supply device including a transformer having a plurality of secondary windings.
Description of the Related Art
There are some multiple output-type switching power supplies including a transformer having a plurality of secondary windings, in which feedback control is performed so as to set only a specific output at a fixed voltage in order to implement a simple configuration. However, it is known that cross regulation occurs, in which the voltage output from a power supply system and not constant-voltage controlled is to fluctuate in accordance with the fluctuation in the load connected to the output of this power supply system or the outputs of other power supply systems.
With regard to the technique for suppressing this cross regulation, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2007-37379 discloses a configuration in which current control means is connected between the first direct-current (DC) output terminal that is fed-back and the second DC output terminal that is not fed-back, and a constant ratio of the second DC output voltage is connected to the input terminal of a differential amplifier based on the first DC output voltage as a reference, in which state the conduction state of the current control means is controlled by the output from the differential amplifier, thereby suppressing a sudden rise of the second DC output voltage caused by influences or the like of the magnetic flux leakage (leakage) from the transformer on the light load conditions during which the load current of the second DC output voltage is relatively small.
From the viewpoint of energy saving, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-319649 discloses a multi-output type switching power supply device having a configuration in which a field effect transistor (FET) that is lower in ON voltage than a diode is used in a synchronous rectification circuit, and a synchronous rectification control circuit turns off the FET of the synchronous rectification circuit in the energy saving mode that is set after the completion of the operation mode, thereby interrupting the current in the synchronous rectification circuit.

Power supply device for suppressing cross regulation and image forming apparatus including power supply device