The present invention provides a novel method for disposing of spent bleaching earth that is economically beneficial and avoids the problems typically associated with its disposal. By adding fine-particle lime (calcium carbonate) to the spent bleaching earth discharged from the process filters, spontaneous combustion can be eliminated. The material can then be transported in solid form to a production facility for use as a nutritious ingredient in making a wide range of feed products for poultry and livestock.

Spent bleaching earth is a solid waste material generated as part of the refining process in the vegetable oil industry worldwide. A minimum of 112 million pounds of bleaching earth (clay) are used per year in the United States alone for edible vegetable oil processing. A typical vegetable oil refining process involves pretreatment of crude vegetable oil with acid and/or caustic soda followed by bleaching and deodorization.
Bleaching is a process of adsorbing impurities. The most common adsorbent used for bleaching is the bleaching earth or clay. In edible oil refining, the bleaching process is generally considered to be of critical importance in determining the quality and stability of the final product. Although bleaching was originally intended for the removal of coloring substances from the oil, it is now recognized that this process is responsible for the removal of a whole range of impurities. Besides decolorization, the most important purpose of this bleaching process is the removal of trace elements such as iron, copper, calcium, magnesium, nickel, and phosphorus, some of which are known to promote oxidation of the oil and to limit the storage stability of the oil if they are not removed.
The bleaching process is followed by deodorization, which is intended primarily for the removal of traces of constituents that cause flavors and odors. Subsequently, the treated oil is separated from the bleaching earth by filtration. In order to minimize oil losses, the filter cake resulting from the removal of bleaching earth from the oil stream is commonly blown with steam. By weight, oil retention of spent bleaching earth from edible oil processing ranges between about 30-50% entrained edible oil. Thus, there is about 50-70% clay. The edible oil has significant nutritional value for livestock. At a 30% retention level, about 33.6 million pounds per year of edible oil is lost in the spent clay. While the clay component is inert, it is not harmful for ingestion. This is reflected by the fact that clay is added to soybean protein meal as a flow agent for animal feed.
Disposal of spent bleaching clay has been and continues to be a problem due to the spontaneous combustion of the material. With the thin film of oil on the massive surface area of the clay particles, air exposure results in rapid oxidation and generation of sufficient heat to ignite the oil. To avoid this hazard, the most common disposal method is to haul the spent bleaching earth to a landfill site or land farm and immediately cover it with earth to prevent the rapid oxidation. For both solid waste disposal sites and land farming applications, the spent bleaching earth must be immediately covered or adequately mixed with soil upon receipt to exclude contact with air and prevent spontaneous combustion.
Disposal of spent bleaching earth in landfills is not ideal and presents problems. This disposal method is expensive and results in no economic benefit from the oil component. Additionally, there are environmental concerns with the continued use of landfills. Finally, the necessity to dispose of the spent bleaching earth within 24 hours is problematic with respect to safety, transportation, and timing. As a result, many attempts to find a safe and economic use for spent bleaching earth have been contemplated. For over fifty years, numerous ideas for economic utilization of the spent bleaching earth have been explored including inclusion in some liquid animal feeds. These methods have not proven to be satisfactory because of the spontaneous combustion hazard in handling. Furthermore, these methods have not been able to dispose of spent bleaching earth on a large scale and for a sustained period.
Other attempts have included efforts to regenerate the spent bleaching earth by controlling the oxidation, and thereby the temperature due to ignition of the spent bleaching earth, within a fluidized bed. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,256,613. However, regeneration of the spent bleaching earth presents other problems, such as the expense of purchasing and training personnel to operate stationary fluidized beds capable of withstanding temperatures around, or in excess of, about 1000° C. Another problem is that regeneration does not necessarily avoid environmental pollution as the gases released from the combustion may include heavy metals and other pollutants. Therefore, attempts to regenerate spent bleaching earth on a large scale may present high costs due to equipment purchases and pollution controls.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a safe method for disposing of spent bleaching earth.
Additionally, it is an object of the invention to provide a method for disposing of spent bleaching earth where the spent bleaching earth is not deposited in a landfill.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method for large scale disposal of spent bleaching earth that avoids the existing problems and concerns.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method for disposing of spent bleaching earth where the spent bleaching earth can be profitably reused for another application.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method for disposing of spent bleaching earth that uses the spent bleaching earth to create a high-demand feed ingredient for poultry and livestock.
A further object of this invention is to incorporate spent bleaching earth in the feed ingredient at weight percentages up to a maximum of 95%.

Use of edible-oil-processing spent bleaching earth in formulating poultry and livestock feed products


A silver halide photographic light-sensitive material is disclosed. The material comprises a light-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer and containing both of a latex stabilized by gelatin and a redox compound from which a development inhibitor is released when the redox is oxidized in the emulsion layer or other non-light-sensitive hydrophilic colloidal layer. The silver halide photographic light-sensitive material is suitable for graphic arts plate-making use and is excellent in Ming-Gothic type reproduction, screen-image enlarging and screen-image reduction aptitudes, white-on-color letter quality, paste-up trace prevention, easy handling and stability.

A photographic plate-making process, in which a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material is used, include, for example, a step for converting a continuous-tone original into a halftone dot image, that is, a step for converting a continuous gradation density variation into an aggregate of halftone dots having an area proportionate to the density, and another step for converting the halftone dot image obtained in the above-mentioned step into a halftone dot image having more excellent sharpness, that is, a contact step.
It is inevitable that the light-sensitive material applicable to these steps is to have a high contrast, because an excellent halftone dot quality is required.
As for the processes for obtaining the above-mentioned characteristics, there has been a well-known process in which a light-sensitive material comprising a silver chlorobromide emulsion having relatively fine grains, a narrow grain-size distribution and a high silver chloride content, such light-sensitive material is processed by an alkaline hydroquinone developer having an extremely low sulfurous acid ion concentration, that is so-called a lith development process.
When the process is used, however, there has raised such a defect that a preservability is seriously deteriorated, because a sulfurous acid ion concentration has been low in a developer and a development speed has been slowed down, because a single hydroquinone developing agent is used, so that a rapid processing has not been achieved.
Accordingly, there has been a demand for the development of a novel light-sensitive material capable of providing a high contrast when processing it with a so-called PQ or MQ type developer, which contains a developing agent having an excellent preservability, a rapid processability and a super additive property and a sulfurous acid salt having a relatively high concentration. As for the novel light-sensitive materials, the silver halide photographic light-sensitive materials each containing a tetrazolium compound are disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 59-17825/1984, 59-17818/1984, 59-17819/1984, 59-17820/1984, 59-17821/1984, 59-17826/1984 and 59-17822/1984.
On the other hand, the processes for rapidly obtaining a high contrast image based on the other principles are disclosed as cited in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,419,975 and 4,224,401 and Japanese Patent Publication Open to Public Inspection (hereinafter referred to as JP OPI Publication) Nos. 51-16623/1976 and 51-20921/1976; and the silver halide photographic light-sensitive materials each containing a hydrazine compound are disclosed as cited in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,419,975 and 4,224,401 and JP OPI Publication Nos. 51-16623/1976 and 51-20921/1976.
On the other hand, however, such a hard contrast light-sensitive material as mentioned above has a defect that a letter reproducibility is deteriorated when a line image is photographed. To be more concrete, in the case where, for example, an original with a mixture of 7-point Ming type and Gothic types is exposed to light through a photographic process camera and when the fine line of the Ming type is exposed to light so as not to be defaced, the background density which should be defaced in black is lowered to increase pin-holes and the line width of Gothic type is made fine without thickening to a desired Gothic type thickness. On the contrary, when an exposure quantity is adjusted to meet the line width of Gothic type, the fine line of Ming type is defaced. In the printing and print-making industry, therefore, there uses such a process that Ming type and Gothic type are separately photographed and then to synthesize the two in the post processing step. In this process, however, the labor and material are required double or more.
Also in an operation for enlarging or reducing an original converted into halftone dots, that is so-called a screen-image enlarging, there is a problem that a halftone dot range is clogged when a hard contrast light-sensitive material is used. Therefore, for a screen-image enlarging, an exposure is usually made through a so-called Lee filter. However, there also raises a problem, because a filter has to be attached and detached every time when making an exposure and a finished quality is varied by the deterioration of the filter used.
Recently, a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material so stable and operationally efficient as to be handled by any amateur has been demanded, due to the shortage of labor force especially including skilled workers and the increase of unskilled workers.
As described in JP OPI Publication No. 3-290644/1991, there has been an increasing necessity for a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material better in the enlargement or reduction of a screen-image and in Ming type-Gothic type reproduction aptitude and further better in white-on-color letter quality, paste-up trace prevention and, besides, pin-hole prevention.

Silver halide photographic light-sensitive material


First and second lifting and lowering units are connected to first and second shielding members hung from a head rail, and an operating cord drives the units to lift and lower the shielding members independently. An operating cord is wound around a rotating member. Between a first input shaft to which the turning force of the rotating member is transferred and a first output shaft that can lift and lower the first shielding member, a first clutch of the first lifting and lowering unit is provided, and a first stopper is provided in the first output shaft. Between a second input shaft to which the turning force of the rotating member is transferred and a second output shaft that can lift and lower the second shielding member, a second clutch of the second lifting and lowering unit is provided, and a second stopper is provided in the second output shaft.

In the past, as this type of solar radiation shielding apparatus, a solar radiation member lifting and lowering apparatus that supports first and second solar radiation shielding members suspended from a head box and can lift and lower the first and second solar radiation shielding members independently by effecting the operation of first and second lifting and lowering operation sections with operation of one endless operating cord hung from the head box has been disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The solar radiation member lifting and lowering apparatus includes first and second stopper units that allow a state in which the solar radiation shielding members are not lowered as a result of the first and second solar radiation shielding members being prevented from being lowered under the own weights thereof or a state in which the solar radiation shielding members are lowered as a result of the first and second solar radiation shielding members being allowed to be lowered under the own weights thereof to be selected, a first clutch unit that allows a lifting operation of the first solar radiation shielding member and a lowering operation thereof due to the own weight thereof by making the first lifting and lowering operation section and the first stopper unit operate with operation of the operating cord to one side without lifting or lowering the second solar radiation shielding member or an operation to prevent the falling of the first solar radiation shielding member due to the own weight thereof to stop the falling of the first solar radiation shielding member due to the own weight thereof to be selected, and a second clutch unit that allows a lifting operation of the second solar radiation shielding member and a lowering operation thereof due to the own weight thereof by making the second lifting and lowering operation section and the second stopper unit operate with operation of the operating cord to the other side without lifting or lowering the first solar radiation shielding member and an operation to prevent the falling of the second solar radiation shielding member due to the own weight thereof to stop the falling of the second solar radiation shielding member due to the own weight thereof to be selected.
The first clutch unit is formed of a first rotating drum that is rotated based on the operation of the operating cord, a first transfer drum driving the first lifting and lowering operation section, and a first clutch section transferring the rotation of the first rotating drum to the first transfer drum. The first clutch section is configured such that the turning force of the first rotating drum based on the operation of the operating cord to one side can be transferred to the first transfer drum and the first transfer drum is freely rotatable independently of the first rotating drum when the first transfer drum is rotated based on the falling of the first solar radiation shielding member due to the own weight thereof. Moreover, the second clutch unit is formed of a second rotating drum that is rotated based on the operation of the operating cord, a second transfer drum driving the second lifting and lowering operation section, and a second clutch section transferring the rotation of the second rotating drum to the second transfer drum. The second clutch section is configured such that the turning force of the second rotating drum based on the operation of the operating cord to the other side can be transferred to the second transfer drum and the second transfer drum is freely rotatable independently of the second rotating drum when the second transfer drum is rotated based on the falling of the second solar radiation shielding member due to the own weight thereof.
Furthermore, the first and second clutch sections are each formed of a clutch drum rotatably supported on a shaft, a guide groove formed on the outer periphery of the clutch drum, a clutch ball that moves along the guide groove, and a stop spring that prevents the rotation of the clutch drum based on the turning force exerted from the clutch drum and integrally rotates the first or second rotating drum and the clutch drum based on the turning force exerted from the first or second rotating drum. The above-described guide groove is formed of an engagement groove that makes it possible to transfer the turning force of the first or second rotating drum to the first or second transfer drum via the clutch ball and a release groove leading out of the engagement groove in such a way as to be offset to the side where the first or second rotating drum is located, the release groove allowing the first or second transfer drum to rotate freely with respect to the first or second rotating drum. Moreover, when the turning force of the first rotating drum is transferred to the first transfer drum via the clutch ball, the turning force of the second rotating drum is not transferred to the second transfer drum; when the turning force of the second rotating drum is transferred to the second transfer drum via the clutch ball, the turning force of the first rotating drum is not transferred to the first transfer drum. In the solar radiation member lifting and lowering apparatus structured as described above, by making it possible to lift and lower the two solar radiation shielding members independently with one operating cord and automatically perform lifting or lowering operation of each solar radiation shielding member with one-touch operation of the operating cord, the solar radiation shielding members can be lifted and lowered easily.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 4119692 (claim 1, paragraphs [0043] and [0157])


A dual-stage gas bag inflator, operable initially, when activated, to cause the gas bag to deploy slowly and then, after a delay, to deploy rapidly, includes a housing having first and second compartments of different size separated by a bulkhead. The first compartment is the smaller since it is to produce a smaller amount of gas to cause the initial slow deployment of the gas bag. A gas generant charge is ignited in the first compartment, and after some delay, a gas generant charge in the second compartment is ignited. The delay is produced by an initiator including a squib, igniter material in each of the first and second compartments, and a fuse cord which is ignited by the squib. The fuse cord passes through the bulkhead and ignites all igniter materials in both inflator compartments simultaneously. The igniter material in the second compartment is so characterized that it burns slower than the igniter material in the first compartment. When ignited, the igniter material in the first compartment burns outwardly rapidly while that in the second compartment burns outwardly relatively slower. As a result, the gas generant in the first compartment is ignited before the gas generant in the second compartment. The burn rate of the igniter material in the second compartment may be made slower than that in the first compartment by using igniter materials of different chemical composition or by increasing the size of the igniter material, giving it a greater burn area, thus causing it to be consumed slower.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to gas generators for inflating vehicle inflatable restraint cushions, commonly known as air or gas bags, to provide impact protection to occupants of the vehicles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The gas bag is located forward of the occupants and normally is in a deflated condition. In the event of a crash, however, the gas bag is inflated in a matter of a few milliseconds by a gas produced by the burning of a gas generant material in an inflator. The gas generant is ignited by an igniter. The pressure of combustion gases resulting from the rapid burning of the gas generant material causes gas to rush into the bag to effect a rapid rate of inflation thereof.
An out of place child standing in close proximity to a gas bag compartment of an automobile could be injured if all of the gas pressure were released into the bag instantaneously. In order to preclude the possibility of such injury, the bag should initially deploy slowly to gently push the child away. Then, after an appropriate delay, an interval of twenty milliseconds, for example, the bag may be allowed to expand rapidly to protect all passenger seat occupants. A graph of pressure vs. time performance that will produce such an initially gentle but firm gas bag inflating action followed immediately by rapid gas bag inflation is commonly known as an S-curve. Such a curve is illustrated in each of FIGS. 1 and 5.
Several proposals have been made in the prior art to accomplish such performance. In order to establish S-curve parameters, it has been proposed to use a so-called two-stage inflator.
In one such prior art proposal, two driver side inflators are arranged to deploy into a single passenger side gas bag with a time delay between initiation of the initiator of a second one of the inflators after the initiator of a first one thereof has been initiated.
Other proposals have involved two-stage inflators comprising a single inflator housing that has been divided into two chambers or compartments each of which contain combustible gas generant material, and which may be of unequal size. Because a smaller amount of gas is required from the chamber that is first to be ignited, that chamber may be the smaller of the two chambers. When deploying the gas bag, the gas generant material in the first or smaller chamber is ignited, and after some delay, the gas generant material in the second or larger chamber is ignited. Several methods have been proposed for achieving such ignition delay.
As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,663,035 to Norton, each chamber of a two chamber or two-stage inflator is mounted at one end of a block containing an ignition cavity. This ignition cavity is common to both chambers. A fixed delay line separates one of the chambers from the ignition cavity and delays ignition of that chamber by a few milliseconds.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,972,545 to Kirchoff et al., which patent is assigned to the assignee of the present invention, a consumable partition is provided in an inflator. The partition divides the inflator into two chambers each of which contains gas generant material that is ignitable by an individually associated initiator or squib. An impact sensor determines whether one or both of the squibs is initiated or fired on collision impact, depending upon the force of the collision, and thus the rate at which the gas bag is to be filled with gas. That is to say, if the impact is less severe, only the first or downstream squib will be fired. In such case combustion proceeds upstream through the consumable partition to fire the squib and the gas generant material in the upstream chamber, thereby to provide a slower rate of inflation for a softer cushioning effect.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,213,635 to Inokuchi et al. discloses an inflator having two gas generating chambers that are separated by a dividing wall. An individually associated igniter is provided for each chamber. Ignition of the igniter in the second chamber is delayed by a signal generator in the first chamber that detects the level of gas pressure therein. When the pressure level reaches a predetermined value, the igniter in the second chamber is ignited.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,358,998 to Schneiter et al., which patent is assigned to the assignee of the present invention, there is disclosed an igniter assembly for an inflator that is operable to cause the combustible gas generant material in a single combustion chamber to ignite in a progressive manner so as to effect inflation of the gas bag slowly initially but more rapidly later as inflation progresses. The igniter assembly includes a solid propellant disc between two portions thereof whereby the gas generant material disposed around one portion is ignited immediately, and then, after burn through of the disc, the gas generant material disposed around the other portion is ignited. The time required to burn through the disc is the delay time.
Pending U.S. applications for patent bearing application Ser. No. 310,122, filed Feb. 10, 1989 and application Ser. No. 372,994 filed June 29, 1989 by Lauritzen and Ward, which applications are assigned to the assignee of the present invention, each disclose a gas bag inflator comprising an elongated extruded housing having an extruded portion with an intermediate imperforate bulkhead integral with the tubular portion whereby there is provided two isolated chambers. Combustible gas generant means is included in each chamber as is also an individually associated squib. Tailoring of the inflator to the specific needs of a vehicle at the time of a crash may be effected by cutting each end to size after the housing is extruded. The chambers may be provided with different gas generating materials for a softer onset of inflation of the gas bag. Also, some of the common input parameters such as speed and ambient temperature that are monitored by microprocessors in common use in vehicles may be employed to determine the correct time delay in the firing of the individually associated squib in each of the chambers.
A continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 310,122 bearing application Ser. No. 409,456, filed on Sept. 22, 1989 by Lauritzen and Ward, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, contains a similar disclosure.
The foregoing proposals for providing more controlled gas bag inflation that is tailored to the needs of the occupants of a vehicle at the time of a crash have advanced the state of the art. There is, however, a need and a demand for further improvement in reducing the complexity of the inflator ignition delay system, the number of failure modes of the inflator, and the cost of inflator fabrication.

Two-stage automotive gas bag inflator using igniter material to delay second stage ignition


Multicolor printing on a high speed web-fed press with cold-set ink increases production efficiency over that of a press with dryers. For this purpose, newsprint is used because of its good oil absorptiveness, however, the printing quality is not satisfactory. A coating including needle form pigments, the average oil absorptiveness of which is more than 65 cc/100 g, was applied on the base paper, and coated paper for the high speed press was produced. The present invention increases the reproducibility of dots and sharpness of print patterns compared comparing to usual newsprint without decreasing the handling efficiencies

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a newsprint, in particularly to a newsprint which is suitable to the multicolor news printing on high speed newspaper presses with cold-set ink.
2. Prior Art
Recently, printing speed is rapidly increasing and the percentage of multicolor printing is also increasing in accordance with the development of several technologies. This tendency is now also common for news printing. However, the multicolor news printing must be performed in the usual conditions, namely, on the high speed presses using common newsprint and penetration type cold-set ink because of its needs for mass production and printing cost.
However, the printability of the conventional method mentioned above, especially the color and tile sharpness, has been very poor compared to that of coated paper, and has had less impact on the human eye. Accordingly, the conventional method can not be applied to color pages or multicolor leaflet because they need good printing appearance. Usually, other printing methods are used for such purposes.
Several method for the better printing quality have been suggested. One of these methods is the use of heat-set ink instead of cold-set ink. In this case, the printing is performed on presses equipped with dryers using heat-set ink and newsprint. However, cost for equipment and printing is relatively high. Alternative method is the combination of cold-set ink, high grade papers and the high speed newspaper press without dryers. When usual coated paper, such as woodfree or wood containing based, is used, it is impossible to get satisfactory results except at low printing speed because the cold-set ink is not dried at high speed on the press without dryers.
Secondly, clear coating of paper is popular for the improvement of the paper printability. In this case, solution of sizing agents or high molecular materials without pigment are coated on the base paper with conventional coaters such as the size press. However, it is also impossible to get good printing performance on the press using cold-set ink because the ink absorptiveness of the paper decreases with increasing sizing degree.
Thirdly, uncoated paper such as fine paper is thought to give a better result than newsprint. However, even if the sizing degree of tile fine paper is same as that of newsprint, the difference of the printability between the fine paper and newsprint is limited to the better reproducibility and contrast for monochrome parts. And, the color reproducibility and sharpness of the mixed color does not improve. When the calendered fine paper is used to obtain the print gloss, the printing speed must be set at lower level because of its poor ink set problems.
Pigment coated or clear coated newsprint shows the same tendencies like common coated papers as described above because the surface properties were mainly decided by the coating layer, and the results of the multicolor printing using coated newsprint and cold-set ink on the high speed presses were not satisfactory. As mentioned above, there is not a kind of paper with which a sufficient printing speed and good multicolor printing can be obtained. Additionally, it is impossible to achieve the desired results with the conventional technologies or the mixture of conventional technologies. Accordingly, a new kind of paper has been strongly desired.


A clutch for a belted transmission comprises a sheave, a first torque ramp member, a second torque ramp member, a drive ring and an electromagnet. The first torque ramp member is attached to the sheave and has a ramp face. The second torque ramp member is spaced apart from the first torque ramp member and has a ramp face opposing the ramp face of the first torque ramp. A drive ring is disposed between the first and second torque ramp members and has a button slider engaged between the ramp face of the first torque ramp member and the ramp face of the second torque ramp member. The electromagnet is configured for one of repelling the first torque ramp member from the second torque ramp member along a reference axis and attracting the first torque ramp member toward the second torque ramp member along the reference axis.

A belted constant velocity transmission (CVT) is a relatively simple, inexpensive, effective and reliable system for transferring power in vehicles. Belted CVT's are presently used in or have application in vehicles including snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, small road racing vehicles and the like. Belted CVTs, albeit more complex versions, also have application in automobiles.
Belted CVT's as used in recreational vehicles such as snowmobiles are relatively efficient in power transfer when properly tuned (i.e., calibrated) for a particular type of usage. In the case of a snowmobile, examples of particular types of usage include mountain trails, touring activities, circle track racing, endurance racing, etc. Overall CVT clutch efficiency in conventional belted CVT's is based on clutch system factors such as, but not limited to, sheave diameter, sheave weight, sheave face angles, belt contact patch area, clutch spring rates, clutch flyweight weights and torque ramp rates. However, clutch spring rates, clutch flyweight weights and torque ramp rates are the factors that are generally tunable by a rider or mechanic once the vehicle leaves the factory.
Conventional belted CVT's and their associated clutch systems exhibit one or more limitations that adversely affect their effectiveness, desirability and/or practicality. One limitation is that clutch system efficiency is application dependent. For example, a clutch tuned for mountain trail riding will generally offer less than desirable efficiency and performance in an endurance racing application. Another limitation is that tunability is limited. Generally speaking, tuning is limited to a few factors (e.g., clutch spring rates, clutch flyweight weights and torque ramp rates) and such factors are only coarsely adjustable (i.e., discrete rates/weights with limited selection). Another limitation is that tuning is time consuming in that it requires the clutch system to be at least partially disassembled and manually tuned. Still another limitation is that achieving effective tuning results is largely based on experience garnished from trial end error.
Therefore, a clutch system for a belted CVT that overcomes limitations associated with conventional clutch systems for belted CVT's would be useful and novel.

Clutch system for belted constant velocity transmission


An image forming apparatus is provided and includes: an image forming unit that forms an image on an image carrier with a transparent material and a coloring material; a controller that controls an order of an image forming with the transparent material and an image forming with the coloring material to be different between in an image portion and in a non-image portion in an image forming region on the image carrier; and a transferring unit that transfers the image formed on the image carrier onto a recording medium.

(i) Technical Field
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and an image forming method.
(ii) Related Art
An image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic method forms an image by utilizing a toner which is a coloring material on an image carrier such as a photosensitive drum or an intermediate belt and transfers the toner image thus formed onto a recording medium such as a printing paper, thereby forming an image on the recording medium.
An image portion corresponding to the toner image formed by the coloring material and a non-image portion in which a ground (a ground color) of the recording medium appears unchanged are present together in an image forming region on the image carrier. It has been known that a so-called "toner fog" might be generated, that is, a slight amount of the toner which is the coloring material might become attached to the non-image portion though it is not put thereon intentionally.
However, a processing for controlling the fog preventing potential is complicated. In particular, it is supposed that a perfect control is almost impossible when the configuration of the image and non-image portions is detailed. Furthermore, occurrence of secondary problems such as an image defect might also be increased.

Image forming apparatus and image forming method


A pressure sensor comprising a plurality of sensor parts arranged in matrix. A first electrode being connected with first wiring and a second electrode being connected with second wiring are disposed oppositely through a cavity part in the sensor part. The second electrode bends to the first electrode side in response to a pressure from a specimen and touches the first electrode upon application of a pressure of a specified level or above. When the specimen is pressed against a pressure detecting region, both electrodes touch each other at a sensor part corresponding to a protrusions of the specimen and are separated at a sensor part corresponding to a recess. When a scanning signal is fed from a scanning circuit to one wiring and presence of a signal flowing through the second wiring is detected by a sensing circuit, a pressure being applied to each sensor part can be detected. Furthermore, the shape is detected by feeding the scanning signal from the scanning circuit to each first wiring sequentially and scanning the pressure detecting region generally.

A finger print sensor has been conventionally employed as an individual identification device, and a requirement for the finger print sensor is detection of a finger print with simplicity and good precision. Various types of finger print sensors of this kind have been studied and developed, which include a type to detect a finger print optically, a type to detect a finger print electrically, and the like. JP-A 09-126918 (1997) and JP-A 10-300610 (1998) describe, for example, that microsensor sections having electrodes are arranged in a matrix, wherein a pressure from a finger is converted into an electric signal to thereby detect a finger print. The microsensor sections each are constructed such that two electrodes are disposed opposite each other with a cavity present therebetween.
FIG. 16 is a sectional view of a microsensor section in fabrication process. An etching barrier layer 102 is stacked on a silicon substrate 101 and a first metal layer 103 made of Au or Ti is formed thereon in a predetermined pattern. The first metal layer 103 is used as a first electrode of a variable capacitor or a first terminal of a microcontactor. A separation film 104 made of polycrystalline silicon or Al is formed on and covers the first metal layer 103, and a second metal layer 105 made of Au or Ti is formed on the separation film 104. An insulating film 106 made of silicon nitride covers all over the surface of the substrate 101. An opening 107 reaching as far as the separation film 104 is formed on the surface of the microsensor section through the second metal layer 105 and the insulating film 106 to expose the separation film 104 to the outside in the opening 107. Note that this state is shown in FIG. 16. Thereafter, wet etching is applied to the substrate 101, in which a solution etches the separation film 104 made of polycrystalline silicon or Al to remove the separation film 104 and to form a cavity. After the etching, the opening 107 is closed with silicon nitride or the like to hermetically seal the cavity. When a pressure from a finger is imposed on the microsensor, the insulating film 106 and the second metal layer 105 is curved to the first metal layer 103 side depending on the pressure, to which situation an electric signal is outputted in response to thereby detect a pattern of a finger print.
The second metal layer 105 serving as the upper electrode of a microsensor requires a flexibility to curve itself to the first metal layer 103 side depending on a pressure of a finger and a restoring force to restore its deformed state to the original one when the pressure does not act any longer. Despite such a requirement, in a case where the insulating film 106 covers the second metal layer 105, which has been conventionally adopted, differences in flexibility and elasticity between the second metal layer 105 and the insulating film 106 are large since the insulating film 106 is harder as compared with a metal, resulting in a high possibility that the second metal layer 105 or the like is broken during usage. Since, especially, an insulating film which has a large thickness and plural insulating films are formed on the second metal layer 105 in order to ensure an insulating property, a large difference in flexibility occurs between the insulating film 106 and the second metal layer 105.
With increase in the number of usage times of a microsensor, the second metal layer 105 is easy to be broken to thereby reduce a precision and durability since the second metal layer 105 having a flexibility is low in strength. Because the conventional second metal layer 105 is formed flat on the whole, a flexibility and a restoring force are set by selecting a material or a thickness thereof. If a film thickness is reduced in order to obtain a flexibility, however, a restoring force is weakened, while if a film thickness is increased in order to enhance a restoring force, a flexibility is lost; therefore, it has been difficult to achieve the second meal layer 105 having sufficient flexibility and sufficient restoring force in a conventional technology.

Pressure sensor and method for fabricating the same


A reinforced wrap around ground and method includes a substrate, including opposite first and second substrate surfaces separated by a substrate edge. A first metalization layer is coupled to the first substrate surface and a second metalization layer comprising an electrical ground, is coupled to the second substrate surface. An electrical ground reinforcement is coupled between the first metalization layer and the second metalization layer around the substrate edge. Conductive paste coats the electrical ground reinforcement, and the conductive paste is fired to bind the wrap around ground to the substrate and to electrically ground the first metalization layer to the second metalization layer through the electrical ground reinforcement and the conductive coating.

In microwave circuits, attachment of components or circuitry to the ground plane is very critical to electrical performance of the associated device. Such attachment is typically accomplished by plated through holes or wrap around ground connections.
Plated through holes have the disadvantage of having to be placed in a particular area of the substrate. The particular location for the hole is not always known, however, and it is difficult to change the location of the plated through hole late in the process because the holes are punched in the "green state". If a plated through hole is required after the ceramic is fired, the change is effected by drilling or laser action, which can crack the ceramic substrate.
Wrap around grounds can be applied after firing the ceramic substrate and can be moved and applied at various locations around the periphery of the substrate. Traditional wrap around grounds use a conductive paste, such as silver, to make connection from the top metalization to the ground plane on the bottom surface. Once a wrap around ground is placed on the ceramic the bottom surface of the ceramic is no longer flat or planar. This lack of planarity prohibits subsequent screen printing operations and other process steps which require the substrate to be flat. In such cases, the wrap around ground must be placed on the substrate after all such process steps have been performed.
The silver paste comprising the wrap around ground thus may need to be fired at relatively low temperature (e.g., below the firing temperature of screen printed components such as resistors so as not to change their resistance value or cause oxidation). As the firing temperature of silver paste is lowered, the paste is increasingly subject to cracking and lower adhesion. The paste is particularly vulnerable to cracking and flaking at the edges of the substrate. The paste or wrap is also easily damaged by subsequent handling. The silver paste cannot be matched to the thermal coefficient of expansion of the ceramic and can crack simply due to repeated temperature cycles.
Additional wrap around ground techniques include clips. Clips, however, have the disadvantage of expense and thickness greater than 0.0254 millimeters (0.001 inches). In addition, clips are not comprised of silver (leading to galvanic action with silver metalizations), and must be preformed.
Thus, what is needed is a reinforced wrap around ground and method which provides for strong adhesion to both the circuitry to be grounded and the ground plane. The adhesion of the wrap around ground should not depend on the properties of conductive paste. The wrap around ground should not be susceptible to cracking or peeling, even from differences in the thermal coefficient of expansion between the paste and the ceramic substrate. The electrical performance of the wrap around ground should not degrade even if the fired conductive paste cracks. Finally, the wrap should not be susceptible to handling damage and should fit in the same space as a conventional wrap around ground.

Reinforced wrap around ground and method


The prior-art CO.sub.2 adsorbent masses used in oxygen-supplying respirators have the disadvantage that they can be granulated only very poorly. The granules have low strength and a tendency to dusting. The goal of the present invention is to produce harder granules which do not give rise to dusting any longer. This is achieved according to the present invention by adding an alkali salt of an oxo acid, preferably sodium hexametaphosphate, to the calcium hydroxide paste prior to the granulation. The present invention is not limited to this salt, but it is also possible to use alkali salts or other oxo acids, such as orthophosphoric acid, sulfuric acid, hypermanganic acid, chromic acid, and vanadic acid. This leads to a substantial increase in the strength to the calcium hydroxide granules without any reduction of their CO.sub.2 binding capacity.

Adsorbent masses for CO.sub.2 have been known, which are used to bind the exhaled CO.sub.2 in recirculating respirators. Such adsorbent masses are often referred to as respirator lime. Respirator lime adsorbent consists essentially of calcium hydroxide containing a certain percentage, usually 14-18% of water. To increase the reactivity, the prior-art respirator lime adsorbent usually contains a few percent sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide. For use in respirators, the respirator lime adsorbent must be granulated The particle size of the granules ranges from 2 mm to 8 mm, depending on the intended use. Crushed granules or shaped lime particles with a diameter of about 4 mm are used very frequently. The prior-art types of respirator lime adsorbents have generally good CO.sub.2 binding properties However, if they are used in personal respirators exposed to high mechanical stresses, e.g., in an oxygen-supplying escape apparatus, they are destroyed in a short time due to the lack of strength to the point that the respirators generate much dust and their fitness for use is no longer guaranteed. The use of the prior-art types of respirator lime adsorbents in oxygen-supplying escape apparatus is therefore associated with a great risk.
Attempts to increase the strength of respirator adsorbent lime have been reported on numerous occasions, but they always led to a marked reduction of reactivity. These attempts include, for example, the use of alkali silicates as an additive to the calcium hydroxide paste. Liquid alkali silicates (water glass) cause strengthening of the structure of the calcium hydroxide granules, but they reduce its porosity and form an outer layer of greatly reduced reactivity on the lime granule. This makes it necessary to use more respirator adsorbent lime to maintain a sufficient CO.sub.2 adsorption capacity, as a result of which the respirators become bulkier, heavier, and clumsier. This is highly undesirable, especially in the case of an escape apparatus.


A rotatable crown for a rotary drill comprising a working end and an opposite end for engagement in a drill rod, stringer or adaptor coupling, the working end having a cutting face and a plurality of discrete, spaced, elongate cutting elements located in the cutting face, each cutting element:. (1) being of square or rectangular cross-section; PA1 (2) presenting a cutting point which is defined by a corner of the element; PA1 (3) having a longitudinal axis which extends behind the cutting face; and PA1 (4) being made of thermally stable abrasive compact.. The crown has particular application for the drilling of substrates having a compressive strength of at least 180 MPa such as Paarl granite, Norite Gabbro and Reef Quartzite.

This invention relates to drilling, drill bits and abrasive elements for use in such bits.
Rotary drills comprise a rotatable crown having one end threaded for engagement in the drill rod, stringer or adaptor coupling, and a working portion or cutting face at the other end. The working portion comprises a plurality of cutting elements firmly held in a suitable bonding matrix. The bonding matrix may contain an alloy such as bronze cementing together hard particles such as WC, Fe, or W.
The cutting elements may be made of a variety of hard material such as diamond, cemented carbide and abrasive compacts.
Abrasive compacts, as is known in the art, consist essentially of a mass of abrasive particles present in an amount of at least 70 percent, preferably 80 to 90 percent by volume, of the compact bonded into a hard conglomerate. Compacts are polycrystalline masses containing a substantial amount of direct particle-to-particle bonding. The abrasive particles of compacts are invariably ultra-hard abrasives such as diamond and cubic boron nitride. Diamond compacts are also known in the art as polycrystalline diamond or PCD.
Diamond compacts which are thermally stable at temperatures above 700.degree. C. are known in the art and are used, for example, as the cutting elements in rotary drills. Examples of such compacts are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,534,773, 4,793,828 and 4,224,380. Such cutting elements have generally been provided in the form of cubes or equilateral triangles which are suitably mounted in the cutting face of the rotatable crown of a drill so as to present a cutting point or edge.
European Patent Publication No. 0156235 describes and claims a diamond cutter insert for use in a drill bit which comprises a plurality of thermally stable polycrystalline diamond cutting elements each characterised by a longitudinal axis and held in a matrix material in such manner that the longitudinal axes of the elements are generally mutually parallel. The cutter insert may be mounted on the end of a stud for insertion into a drill bit body. Alternatively, the cutter insert may be bonded directly into the cutting face of a drill bit. The individual polycrystalline diamond cutting elements are said to be capable of having a length of up to 10 mm.
European Pat. No. 0101096 describes a method of producing a plurality of inserts suitable for drills or drill bits including the steps of providing a disc-shaped abrasive compact and severing the compact along planes which are transverse to the flat surfaces of the disc to produce the inserts.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,126 describes a rotary abrasive drilling bit comprising a plurality of cutting elements held in a bonding matrix in a working face of the bit, each element comprising a stick-like body of cemented tungsten carbide which presents a curved cutting edge. The drill bit is said to be useful in drilling rock which is of relatively soft formation or semi-hard formation. The drill bit would not be suitable for drilling hard rock formations.

Drilling method and rotary drill bit crown


A cordless dental handpiece, a system including a cordless dental handpiece, and a method of connecting a cordless dental handpiece are disclosed. The cordless dental handpiece includes a first module and a second module. The second module is configured to detachably engage the first module. The second module includes a battery compartment.

Generally, dental hygiene instruments are exposed to undesirable substances including, but not limited to, plaque, blood, saliva, and/or paste. Sterilizing and/or disinfecting dental hygiene instruments can result in down-time for clinicians. To reduce or eliminate down-time, clinicians can purchase additional dental hygiene instruments. However, the purchase of additional dental hygiene instruments can result in undesirable and high costs.
Additionally or alternatively, clinicians can utilize a protective sleeve on the dental hygiene instrument. The protective sleeve can become dislodged, can undesirably add bulk to the dental hygiene instrument, can create waste, or some combination thereof. In addition, a protective sleeve may add additional cost to utilizing the dental hygiene instrument. Attaching a protective sleeve to a handpiece does not prevent wear associated with engagement and disengagement. If the wear harms the handpiece, then the technician is unable to use it.
Being capable of manipulating dental hygiene instruments is also important. Cords on dental hygiene instruments can restrict movement by the clinician. Using batteries can permit additional mobility for the clinician. However, including a battery in the dental hygiene instrument can add substantial weight, can add substantial cost, can eliminate safety concerns due to the proximity of an electrical power source to a patient, and combinations thereof.
What is needed is a dental hygiene instrument, a system including a dental hygiene instrument, and a process of connecting a dental hygiene instrument that does not suffer from the above drawbacks.

Cordless dental handpiece, system including a cordless dental handpiece, and method of connecting a cordless dental handpiece


A method and apparatus for developing a computer screen layout provides a plurality of physically manipulable pieces each representing one of a plurality of computer screen objects. The pieces are removably secured to a surface representing a computer screen. The pieces are arranged on the surface to provide a proposed computer screen layout. The pieces may then be moved on the surface, added to the surface, or removed from the surface to provide a revised computer screen layout. The revised computer screen layout is then recreated in the computer program under development.

The present invention relates generally to the development of computer screen layouts and more particularly to a method and apparatus for assisting in the development of a computer screen layout.
Computer software developers often have to optimize or customize the layout of the computer screen. For example, when customizing a computer database program, the computer software developer often must design several data entry and/or data output screens. Each screen contains a plurality of objects of many different types arranged on the screen. The computer software developer optimizes the location, placement and selection of those screen objects on the screen. For example, screen objects include data entry fields, data output fields, buttons, pulldown menus, pop-up menus, toolbars, etc.
The objects on the screen are arranged by the computer software developer based upon both ergonomics and aesthetics, but the final approval of the computer screen layout must be made by the client of the computer software developer. Thus, the computer software developer typically develops the computer screen layouts on the computer program and submits them to the client for approval. If the client does not approve, the computer software developer must go back to the computer and revise the computer screen layout. The computer screen layout may go through several iterations of revisions. Generally, this process is time consuming and inefficient.
Computer software has been developed which permits the computer software developer to manipulate "dummy" objects on a computer screen in a separate computer program. These screens may be printed and submitted to the customer for approval. After approval, the computer software developer recreates the approved screen in the final product.

Method and apparatus for developing computer screen layout


Novel solid forms of ceftolozane are described, as well as methods for the preparation and use of these solid forms.

The crystal state of a compound may be important when the compound is used for pharmaceutical purposes. Compared with an amorphous solid, the solid physical properties of a crystalline compound may change from one solid form to another, which may affect its suitability for pharmaceutical use. In addition, different solid forms of a crystalline compound can incorporate different types and/or different amounts of impurities. Different solid forms of a compound can also have different chemical stability upon exposure to heat and/or water over a period of time.
Ceftolozane is a cephalosporin antibacterial agent, also referred to as CXA-101, FR264205, or by chemical names such as (6R,7R)-3-[(5-amino-4-{[(2-aminoethyl)carbamoyl]amino}-1-methyl-1H-pyrazol-2-ium-2-yl)methyl]-7-({(2Z)-2-(5-amino-1,2,4-thiadiazol-3-yl)-2-[(1-carboxy-1-methylethoxy)imino]acetyl}amino)-8-oxo-5-thia-1-azabicyclo[4.2.0]oct-2-ene-2-carboxylate, and 7β-[(Z)-2-(5-amino-1,2,4-thiadiazol-3-yl)-2-(1-carboxy-1-methylethoxyimino)acetamido]-3-{3-amino-4-[3-(2-aminoethyl)ureido]-2-methyl-1-pyrazolio}methyl-3-cephem-4-carboxylate. Ceftolozane sulfate is a pharmaceutically acceptable ceftolozane salt of formula (I) that can be formulated for intravenous administration or infusion.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,129,232 discloses ceftolozane hydrogen sulfate salt among other salts "with a base or an acid addition salt such as a salt with an inorganic base, for example, an alkali metal salt [e.g., sodium salt, potassium salt, etc.], an alkaline earth metal salt [e.g., calcium salt, magnesium salt, etc.], an ammonium salt; a salt with an organic base, for example, an organic amine salt [e.g., trimethylamine salt, triethylamine salt, pyridine salt, picoline salt, ethanolamine salt, triethanolamine salt, dicyclohexylamine salt, N,N′-dibenzylethylenediamine salt, etc.]; an inorganic acid addition salt [e.g., hydrochloride, hydrobromide, sulfate, hydrogen sulfate, phosphate, etc.]; an organic carboxylic or sulfonic acid addition salt [e.g., formate, acetate, trifluoroacetate, maleate, tartrate, citrate, fumarate, methanesulfonate, benzenesulfonate, toluenesulfonate, etc.]; and a salt with a basic or acidic amino acid [e.g., arginine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, etc.]." In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 7,129,232 discloses a crystal solid form of ceftolozane sulfate obtained by dissolving ceftolozane sulfate in a solution of water and ethanol, adding seed crystals, to obtain the crystal form described herein as (Comparative) Example 1. A synthesis of ceftolozane is also described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,129,232.
As reported herein, there remains a need for solid forms of ceftolozane having improved ceftolozane stability. For example, the purity of ceftolozane in an aqueous ethanol solution during precipitation according to the methods of U.S. Pat. No. 7,129,232 decreased from about 97% to about 68% during a 6-day stability test (See Example 3), as measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Accordingly, there remains a need for solid forms of ceftolozane greater ceftolozane stability for use in drug substance and drug product development.


A method for checking products with labels, wherein:

The present invention relates to a method for checking products with labels.
It is known to provide products with decorations by providing labels thereon. These labels may be adhered to the inside or outside of a product or, preferably, are provided by in-mold labeling technique. These labels moreover, besides providing the decoration, typically afford protection of goods to be packaged in the products, for instance from the influence of light. In this connection it is highly important for the labels to be fitted in the correct manner. In substantially rectangular holder-shaped products, often labels are used that in flat condition have roughly the shape of a Maltese cross, that is, a central surface having four adjoining cross surfaces. The central surface is then placed against the bottom of the holder, the cross surfaces against the four side surfaces of the holder. The cross surfaces must adjoin each other accurately along the ribs of adjacent side surfaces, such that no light can pass between these surfaces and, moreover, any decorations continue across the ribs. If this has been achieved to an insufficient extent, the products are rejected.
Commonly, products are inspected visually. To that end, the products in a production line are looked at by quality inspectors, who remove poorly labeled products from the production line. In more advanced methods, cameras with pattern recognition means are used. The labels are then provided with printings recognizable to the pattern recognition means, which printings can be compared with pre-inputted patterns. In case of insufficient agreement, the product involved is removed. These known methods have the drawback that they are particularly labor-intensive and moreover lead to an undesirably high percentage of errors. In the known method, the use of the pattern recognition means moreover leads to the drawback that only specific patterns are recognizable. Furthermore, for this purpose, a relatively large number of cameras must be used, which is costly and involves susceptibility to trouble.
The invention has for its object to provide a method of the type described in the opening paragraph, in which the above drawbacks of the known methods are avoided, while retaining the advantages thereof. To that end, a method according to the invention is characterized by the measures according to claim 1.
In a method according to the invention, use is made of a light source and light-sensitive means to trace any errors in a product with a label. It has been found that with a method according to the invention errors can be traced particularly fast and accurately. In the method, moreover, use can be made of simple light-sensitive means. Especially if use is made of both measurement of light falling through and of pattern recognition, a particularly high accuracy can be achieved. Moreover, by means of a rejection signal other parts of the same or a different apparatus may be controlled, for instance discharge means for rejected products or means for positioning the labels. Thus, an optimally automated method can be obtained for manufacturing and checking products with labels.
The invention further relates to an apparatus for checking products with labels. According to the invention, such an apparatus is characterized by the features according to claim 7.
In an apparatus according to the invention, use is made of a light source and light-sensitive means to trace any errors in a product with a label. It has been found that with an apparatus according to the invention errors can be traced very fast and accurately and use can be made of simple light-sensitive means. Especially if use is made of both measurement of light falling through and pattern recognition, a particularly high accuracy can be achieved. Moreover, by means of a rejection signal, other parts of the same or a different apparatus may be controlled, for instance discharge means for rejected products or means for positioning the labels.
An apparatus according to the invention is particularly suitable for checking in-mold labeled injection molded products to be used as packages, with both the bottom and the longitudinal walls labeled, and the labels having edge portions adjoining each other, in particular adjacent the ribs of the holder. An apparatus according to the invention is preferably provided with a table having an opening against which or over which the holder can be placed by an open side thereof, the table being provided with an abutment edge around the opening to provide a substantially light-tight seal between the holder and the table. Thus, the desired light-tightness of the holder can be checked particularly fast.
An apparatus according to the invention is preferably provided with a discharge device controlled on the basis of the presence or absence of a rejection signal for a respective product. Thus, products can be automatically conveyed further for later use or be discharged if the labels have not been provided in the correct manner or if other defects are established. The products are preferably supplied by means of belt conveyer means and picked up and displaced within the apparatus with the aid of suction means, at least reduced pressure means, such as suction cups, or the like. By these means, the products can be picked up and displaced simply, rapidly, and accurately, without damage.
An apparatus according to the invention is preferably of such design that at least two products can be handled simultaneously, in particular can be checked simultaneously. Also, the apparatus may be of such design that in each case two juxtaposed feeding and discharge means make use of a checking apparatus disposed between them and comprising the at least one light source and light-sensitive device. Furthermore, it is then preferred that the apparatus be of modular construction, such that it can be easily and rapidly adapted to other types of products.
Further advantageous embodiments of an apparatus and a method according to the invention are described in the subclaims.

Method and apparatus for checking products with labels

Abstract: a product is formed and is provided on one side, in particular an outer side, with a label which, at least in fitted condition, forms at least one closed surface;

Abstract: the product is brought between a light source and a light-sensitive device; and

Abstract: with the light-sensitive device, the pattern and/or intensity of light originating from the light source and falling through the product, in particular through and/or alongside the label, is measured;

Abstract: wherein the light-sensitive device produces a rejection signal if the pattern and/or the intensity do not agree with a pre-set pattern and/or intensity.


Isolated MUC17, Muc3 or MUC3 derived polypeptides and polynucleotides encoding the same are described. The MUC17, Muc3 or MUC3 derived polypeptides, polynucleotides, and pharmaceutical compositions can be used to treat gastrointestinal tract diseases and disorders including, inflammatory bowel disease and its associated colitides, for example, Crohn's Disease.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Mucins are a family of secreted and cell-surface glycoproteins expressed by most epithelial tissues. Mucins are directed to the surface of epithelial tissues and are thought to play a protective role. Alterations in mucin proteins have been noted in conditions such as gastritis and peptic ulcer disease, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and intestinal cancers. Mucins can be grouped into two categories, secreted mucin proteins or membrane-bound mucin proteins. Secreted mucins are characterized by carboxyl- and amino-terminal domains termed "Von Willebrand-type D" domains that flank a large serine and threonine-rich domain that is heavily glycosylated. These mucins are able to join end-to-end to form long polymers that are highly viscous in solution. Membrane-bound mucins are characterized by a carboxyl-terminal domain containing a small cytoplasmic domain, a hydrophobic membrane-spanning domain, and an extracellular domain that is characterized in some cases by a cysteine-rich domain and a large serine- and threonine-rich glycosylated domain. Messenger RNA splice variants of these genes have been described that encode proteins without the membrane-spanning domain, which allows them to function as a secreted monomeric mucin. In this regard the membrane-spanning mucins can be considered bi-functional, existing as both membrane-associated proteins and as secreted proteins.
The etiology of IBD is not well understood. However, pre-clinical data in rodent models of IBD indicate that treatment with E. coli-derived mucins (Mouse Muc3 proteins) prevents and reverses the ulcerations of the colonic wall and decreases the accompanying chronic symptoms of diarrhea and body weight loss.
IBD is prevalent in the United States and Western Europe and currently estimated to afflict 1.2 million people in the United States with approximately 30,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Worldwide, it is estimated that 4 million people suffer from IBD. In addition, IBD has been associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. To date there are no approved medications to treat IBD that act by restoring the epithelial layer of the intestine or colon. Currently there is no known cure for IBD and existing drug therapies are only utilized to suppress symptoms. In addition, current therapies are associated with significant toxicities.
Ulcerative colitis is a common form of IBD. Ulcerative colitis is generally recognized as an immune-mediated disorder resulting from an abnormal interaction between colonic microflora and mucosal immune cells in a genetically susceptible host. The nature of the mucosal immune abnormality remains unclear, and how this interaction develops is not well understood. In addition, all drugs currently on the market for the treatment of ulcerative colitis have side effects and none of them can cure the disease. Oral mucositis is a condition that occurs in cancer patients treated for head and neck cancer with chemotherapy or radiation and has no accepted therapy
The current treatments for IBD are often only partially effective and have numerous toxicities. Thus, there is a need for additional treatment compositions and modalities to treat IBD and related colitides that are safe and do not induce cellular proliferation or increase the risk of tumorgenesis.


A mount assembly for supporting the arc tube of a lamp within an outer envelope has first and second axially aligned banding straps. Each of the straps has a closed crimp section and an open crimp section. The straps are positioned so that an open crimp section of one strap overlies a closed crimp section of the other strap, thereby equalizing tensions when the crimps are closed. The mount assembly includes also a mount frame comprised of two elongated rods which are affixed to the banding straps. The straps are mounted upon the glass stem of the lamp.

In the manufacture of metalarc lamps, it is necessary to properly orient the arc tube within a lamp envelope.
This has been done in the past by hand-crimping a single metal strap having a mount frame comprised of a pair of elongated rods attached thereto to the glass stem of the lamp. The strap was clinched at a single point about the glass stem and frames. In addition to being labor-intensive, this method was ineffective; the proper alignment of the frames about the glass stem was not always achieved. Another problem common to this earlier procedure was maintaining a small, compact configuration of the band around the glass stem, so that subsequent manufacturing processes could be accommodated. A further problem with the aforesaid procedure was its inability to maintain proper stem tolerances and hand crimping pressure. Stem breakage was a fairly common occurrence. Needless to say, the hand clinching of the strap about the lamp frames and glass stem was both costly and inefficient.


In a dual damascene process to form a fine interconnection structure, a semiconductor manufacturing method includes: forming a first film to be etched on an insulating layer on a semiconductor substrate; forming a first mask film with an opening on the first film; forming a second film to be etched on the first mask film, burying the opening; forming a second mask film on the second film to be etched; forming an interconnection pattern in the second mask film in the upper portion of the opening; forming an interconnection pattern by etching the second film using the second mask film, forming a via pattern by etching the first film to be etched using the first mask film; and forming a via hole and an interconnection trench in the upper portion of the via hole in the insulating layer by selectively etching the insulating layer using the interconnection and via patterns.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device with a dual damascene structure.
2. Related Art
There has been known a dual damascene process by which an interconnection trench and a via hole are formed in an insulating interlayer, and a metal layer is buried in the interconnection trench and the via hole at the same time to form multilayer interconnection. A process has been described as the dual damascene process in, for example, Japanese Laid-Open patent publication NO. H11-163143. The dual damascene process described in the above publication is shown in FIGS. 7A to 7D
In the first place, a hard mask 114 with an interconnection pattern is formed on an insulating film 112 formed on a substrate 110. Subsequently, a resist film is formed in such a way that the resist film covers the hard mask 114. Then, a resist film 116 with a via pattern is formed by etching the resist film. This via pattern is formed in the interconnection pattern (FIG. 7A). Subsequently, the resist film 116 is etched as a mask to form a via pattern 118 in the insulating film 112 (FIG. 7B). After the via pattern 118 is formed, the resist film 116 is removed for further etching. Thereby, a via hole 120 reaching an electrically conducting layer 111 formed on the substrate 110 is formed. In this case, an interconnection trench 122 is formed in the upper portion of the via hole 120 (FIG. 7C). The interconnection trench 122 is formed, and the hard mask 114 is removed to form the dual damascene structure.
In this dual damascene process disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. H11-163143, a mask pattern for self-alignment is formed just above the insulating film 112 with the hard mask 114 and the resist film 116. However, it has been difficult to form a fine interconnection structure, because accurate patterning and etching can not be realized when the hard mask 114 with this interconnection pattern is formed, and removed. Accordingly, a dual damascene process by which a fine interconnection structure can be formed has been required.

Method of manufacturing semiconductor device


The device for connecting a fractured bone in the femoral neck is of two-piece construction that includes a bone fastening cover plate (11) and a trochanter supporting plate (20), in which the bone fastening cover plate (11) is provided with a bone screw reception sleeve (13) assuming an angle which, below the trochanter supporting surface, is passed through a cover plate-like section connected with the trochanter supporting plate (20) which bears upon the bone fastening cover plate (11) which, as well as the cover plate-like section are provided with a number of fastening screw perforations (12) which can be brought into coincidence, in which the trochanter supporting surface is so configured as to correspond to the shape of the trochanter so that, on account of the two-piece construction, an improved adaptability to anatomical conditions by an arbitrary combination of the individual components is possible.

The present invention relates to a device for connecting a fractured bone, more particularly within the femoral neck area, consisting of a bone fastening cover plate with fastening perforations that can be connected with the bone by means of a bolt connection and which extends parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bone, a sleeve positioned at an angle to the fastening cover plate for accommodating a bone screw or a bone pin and a trochanter supporting plate.
For the osteosynthesis of pertrochanteric fractures, i.e. for the stable retention of bone fragments in transverse or short oblique fractures it is known to take care of the fractures of the femoral neck by means of dynamic cover plate screws. Such cover plate screws consist of a bone screw which, from the trochanter, i.e. from the greater trochanter which is located laterally on the proximal femoral shaft, is driven or screwed into the proximal fragment and of a bone plate which is fixed to the distal fragment by means of screws. So-called Pohl's plate screws are employed here which consist of the bone plate and a sleeve formed onto the same at an angle for receiving the bone screw or a bone pin, while the bone plate is, by means of a bolt connection, attached to the same extending parallelly to the longitudinal axis of the bone and fitting snugly against the bone.
It is known furthermore to form onto the bone contact plate of such cover plate screws a trochanter supporting plate which projects cranially, thus in the direction of the head, over the actual fastening cover plate or bone contact plate and which has a configuration approximately adapted to the shape of the trochanter and which, subsequent to the cover plate screw being fastened to the bone, fits snugly against the trochanter and thus supports the trochanter. For it has been shown that when the femoral fracture extends into the trochanter or extends as far as underneath the trochanter, the otherwise so ideal technique developed for taking care of a fracture has reached the limits of its efficiency. That is why, in order to improve the efficiency of the cover plate screw in the case of such types of fractures, the known cover plate screws are provided with a trochanter supporting plate. However, it is essential that a cover plate screw provided with a trochanter supporting plate forms a one-piece implant, which presupposes that the surgeon has to have an extensive assortment at his disposal besides the already existing assortment of implants.
According to the DE-A-20 30 249, a device is known intended for surgical purposes for connecting a fractured bone, particularly within the area of the femoral neck which, with the aid of screws that engage into the latter, is connected with a splint, on which, at one of its extremities, a connecting member is disposed that is adjustable at an angle to the bone, which member is mounted on a mounting means constructed so as to have the form of a circular arc, which is rotatably and fixably arranged in a circular cap in the splint, whereby the possibility is provided of making use of differently constructed splints, each splint in this case being equipped solely on one of its ends with a circular cap in which the mounting means can be rotated. Due to the circumstance that the mounting means of the connecting member is secured to the splint, in many instances merely the additional mounting means and no specially constructed splint is required, which is always of advantage when, besides a femoral fracture, a fracture of the femoral neck supervenes which then calls for the employment of a connecting member, whereas, when it is a question of a fracture of the femur, only one splint is required, different forms of splints being made use of here depending on the size of the thigh and the type of the fracture in question. However, owing to the fact that the mounting means is rotatably attached to the splint and that the connection is effected by means of a bolt connection, the possibility cannot be excluded that the mounting means with the connecting member is twisted relative to the splint or that, already when applying and securing the entire device, a displacement of the mounting means relative to the splint takes place, as a consequence of which, in the case of a femoral neck fracture, the femoral neck is displaced within the area of the fracture surface relative to the femur. To this is further added the circumstance that no trochanter supporting surface exists at all. For the mounting means provided and secured to the splint, when the connection is mounted, does not rest against the trochanter, but projects from the trochanter surface while forming an interspace; nor is any provision made for shaping the mounting means so that the trochanter is embraced by section.
The EP-A-0 046 773 relates to a device for fixing the femoral neck and the greater trochanter on the shaft of the femur of a human being. This device is characterized by an angle plate whose leg, constructed as blade portion, is driven axially into the neck and who$e other leg constructed as shaft section is fixed on the shaft, as well as by a forked plate that is fastened to the shaft section of the angle plate and/or to the shaft and which fixes the trochanter on the neck. For the purpose of rotating the femoral neck about 90.degree. in order to remove the destroyed point on the femoral neck from the load area and so as to bring a non-destroyed point of the condyle into the load area, the blade portion of the device must be driven into the neck. If the femoral head has a plurality of fractured areas and if, for example, a substantial area of the greater trochanter is worn, in that case the driving in of the blade portion would lead to a further damaging of the femoral head. To this is added the circumstance that in numerous cases a driving in of parts into the femoral neck or into the femoral head is not possible at all, so that this device cannot be employed in all cases of femoral neck fractures This device is constructed in two pieces and consists of a forked plate and an angle plate, the forked plate in this case being displaceable on the shaft section of the angle plate in the longitudinal direction of the shaft; the shaft section of the angle plate and the forked plate have to be fastened to the shaft so as to lie on top of each other by means of screws. This device is constructed exclusively for a fixation of the femoral neck and of the greater trochanter on the shaft of a femur. One proceeds here from the assumption that the fixation becomes necessary for the healing process of a fracture which is e.g. of such a type of double fracture in which the greater trochanter has detached itself from the femoral neck and the femoral neck from the shaft, but also in other cases as, for instance, where the condyle is destroyed within its load area. In that case the femoral neck is separated from the shaft and from the greater trochanter and turned about 90.degree. in such a way that a healthy area of the condylus becomes the load area. It is for this reason that this fixation device has to be provided with a part, viz. the blade portion, which is driven into the neck in order to be able to twist the femoral neck after its separation from the greater trochanter.
A femoral neck implant with a femoral neck plate which, for its attachment to the outside of the femur is, along its longitudinal axis, provided with several reception apertures for cortical screws and which, on its upper area, is provided with a shaft to be implanted extending in an obtuse-angled manner in its longitudinal axis and reaching subtrochanterically as far as into the femoral neck and, possibly, into the femoral head, is known further from the DE-A-35 34 747. In this integrally constructed femora neck implant, its upper area forms a one-piece connected extension approximately adapted or adaptable to the outer contour of the greater trochanter which possesses one or several reception apertures for spongiosa screws to be fastened extending pertrochanterically as far as into the femoral neck or into the femoral head, while the shaft is constructed so as to be externally smooth and a and circularly cylindrical in shape and is, by means of an external thread at its end, detachably fastened in an internal thread recess within the upper area of the femoral neck plate.
It should be possible to use a femoral neck implant constructed in this way with a minor operative effort while maintaining the physiological femoral neck angle, and it should also permit subjecting it to a primary post-operative load in the case of unstable pertrochanieric fractures without the existence of a mechanical breakdown of the effected osteosynthesis. However, what is essentially involved in the case of this femoral neck implant is the fastening of a one-piece femoral neck plate with a formed-on plate-shaped section as trochanter supporting surface. Due to the one-piece construction of the femoral neck plate, no possibility of adaptation to the most widely varied anatomical conditions and no combinability with another implant assortment for pertrochanteric and subtrochanteric femoral fractures is possible.
The DE-A-10 46 827 describes a one-piece connecting device for juxta-artucular bone fractures, in which case said connecting device consists of a shaped member constructed in one piece which is provided with one section as bone fastening cover plate and one section as trochanter supporting surface. Within the area of the trochanter supporting plate, which is constructed so as to extend in the form of a circular arc, drilled holes or perforations for fitting screw pins, fastening screws and the like are provided, while the shaped member of the connecting device is provided with a screw or pin guide sleeve which has an internal thread into which an external thread engages that is constructed within the area of the screw head of the screw pin.
The hip pin according to the DE-A-18 13 807 consists of a shaft plate which is made to fit snugly along the lateral surface of the femoral shaft below the trochanter and which is equipped with a trochanter contact plate and which, furthermore, has a pin portion which is provided with a passage or axial bore that serves to accommodate a compression means which is characterized by an elongated shaft or stem which, on its outermost end, bears swivelable gripping members so that, when the hip pin is tightened, the femoral neck portion to be aligned in its fracture point is urged against the shaft plate fastened to the femur. This connecting device, too, is of one-piece construction.
The U.S. No. 2,443,363 describes a shaft plate for fastening on a femur, in which case the shaft plate consists of an approximately U-shaped sectional member and can, with the aid of an extensible or telescopic section, be varied in its length. Even if this shaft plate is constructed in two pieces, the two-piece construction solely serves the purpose of rendering a variation in length of the shaft plate possible. However, the shaft plate according to this U.S. publication does in no way consist of a bone fastening cover plate with a bone screw reception sleeve and the actual trochanter supporting plate with a perforation for passing through the bone screw reception sleeve of the bone fastening cover plate.
The present invention is based upon the technical problem of providing a device for connecting a fractured bone, more particularly within the area of the femoral neck and to thus provide a cover plate screw for the osteosynthesis of pertrochanteric fractures according to the type described in the beginning which, for the sake of achieving a greater degree of adaptability to anatomical conditions, renders possible an arbitrary combinability wit: a smaller assortment with the existing implant assortment of a manufacturer for pertrochanteric and subtrochanteric femoral fractures.


A liquid crystal display device according to the present disclosure includes a timing controller, a power supply unit, a data supply unit, and a liquid crystal display panel. The timing controller analyzes image data to sense a target pattern, and generates an operating signal in a case where the target pattern is sensed. The power supply unit generates first to fourth gamma voltages in a case where the operating signal is not received. The power supply unit generates first to fourth modulation voltages after a variable time in a case where the operating signal is received. The difference between the first and second modulation voltages is smaller than the difference between the first and second gamma voltages, and the difference between the third and fourth modulation voltages is smaller than the difference between the third and fourth gamma voltages.

1. Field
The present disclosure herein relates to a liquid crystal display device (LCD) and a driving method thereof, and more particularly, to a display device that decreases power consumption and a driving method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Flat-panel type display devices include a liquid crystal display device (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), a field emission display device (FED), and a light emitting diode display device. Among others, the LCD is excellent in resolution and picture quality and thus being widely used for a notebook computer, a terminal, a TV or the like.
The LCD uses an electric field to adjust the light transmittance of a liquid crystal to display an image.
Driving methods of the LCD include line inversion, column inversion and dot inversion methods according to the phase of a data voltage that is applied to a data line. The line inversion method is a method of inverting and applying the phase of image data applied to a data line for each pixel row, the column inversion method is a method of inverting and applying the phase of image data applied to a data line for each pixel column, and the dot inversion method is a method of inverting and applying the phase of image data applied to a data line for each pixel row and each pixel column.

Liquid crystal display device and driving method thereof


In a vehicle control system, a running controller (120) that executes running control of a vehicle without depending on a driving operation of a vehicle occupant and a running device (44) that is a control target of the running controller and outputs a predetermined signal to the running controller are included, and the running controller stops the running control of the vehicle in a case in which the predetermined signal has been blocked from the running device.

Conventionally, vehicle systems having a redundancy function by adding a preliminary device to a part of a device mounted in a vehicle are known. In relation to this, a vehicle power supply device that mounts a plurality of batteries in a vehicle and can supply power to each electric load from any one of the batteries is known (for example, see Patent Literature 1).

Vehicle control system, vehicle control method, vehicle control device, and vehicle control program


Technology for isolating suspicious activity on a plurality of servers for the purpose of mitigating damage (for example, unauthorized access to server data) to a network of computers and eliciting information about any suspicious clients involved in the suspicious activity. A suspicious client is identified, isolated, and permitted to continue interacting with the computer network to elicit information about the activity (for example, the identify of a suspicious client). Suspicious activity is defined by network administrators and determined using conventional techniques. The suspicious activity is isolated to prevent the suspicious client(s) from unauthorized and/or harmful actions on the network. The suspicious client(s) are permitted to resume network requests, in isolation, to covertly elicit information about the suspicious activity. Any data collected about the suspicious activity and/or suspicious client(s) are output, during and/or after the suspicious client(s) have disconnected from the network, for analysis.

The present invention relates generally to the field of network security, and more particularly to programmatic counter measures to isolate suspicious activity and elicit information about said activity.
Network security covers a variety of computer networks, both public and private, that are used in everyday jobs; conducting transactions and communications among businesses, government agencies and individuals. Networks can be private, such as within a company, and other networks might be open to public access. Network security is involved in organizations, enterprises, and other types of institutions.
Big data is a term associated with the harvest and analysis of large data-sets to be utilized to extract useful information in the fields the data is related to. Current usage of big data tends to involve predictive analytics to predict individual user behavior, financial market trends, and other valuable predictions in various industries. Analysis of large data sets can lead to the discovery of correlations between various factors that may otherwise seem entirely independent from a human perspective alone.
In computers and computer networks an attack is any attempt to expose, alter, disable, destroy, steal or gain unauthorized access to, or make unauthorized use of, a computer asset. A cyber-attack is any type of offensive maneuver that targets computer information systems, infrastructures, computer networks, and/or personal computer devices. An attacker is a suspicious person, or process, that attempts to access data, functions or other restricted areas of a system without prior authorization.

Augmented data collection from suspected attackers of a computer network

International Business Machines Corporation