An alkyd resin comprising allyloxypropanol and unsaturated drying oil compound residues in the resin chain. The invention further includes the method for manufacturing the resin and coatings made therefrom.

Alkyd resins have been widely used as coating materials over the years due to their many desirable physical properties and low material cost. Especially, architectural varnishes and enamels which require high gloss have predominately adopted the solvent based alkyds. However, rising health and environmental concerns over organic compound emission from solvent based paints has resulted in strict regulation on the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOC) emitted from paint after being applied.
In order to comply with such challenging regulations, many research efforts have been exerted toward developing water-borne and high solids coatings which employ far lower amounts of organic solvents than conventional coatings.
Water-borne coatings which use water as a dispersing medium are mainly latexes and water-dispersible resins. Although showing an impressive success in replacing organic solvent coatings in many applications, water-borne coatings have not been able to satisfy the coating industry's needs completely because of their inherent problems such as insufficient gloss, water sensitivity, and the difficulty of controlling water evaporation after application.
As a result, other high solids systems, which employ less organic solvent than the conventional ones, have also been gaining a lot of attention. Since viscosity usually increases dramatically with a decrease in amount of solvent, it has often been necessary for high solids systems to use lower resin molecular weights to maintain a workable paint viscosity. Due to possible adverse effects on coating properties caused by low molecular weight, additional functionality, which may build up the coating molecular weight after application is usually required for such high solids systems.
It is well known that alkyds form a crosslinked structure through an oxidation of unsaturated fatty acid at ambient conditions after being applied on a substrate. In order to offset lower molecular weights than conventional resins, high solids alkyds require an increased level of unsaturated fatty acids, which may be considered as the functional component in alkyd, to ensure enough crosslinking to achieve acceptable coating properties. One of the major drawbacks in such high solids alkyds is severe yellowing development in the cured coatings due to the increased level of unsaturated fatty acids. Oxidation of fatty acid double bonds is accompanied by development of yellow color bodies.
In order to overcome such problems, the polyhydroxy based allyl ethers have been incorporated into alkyds to replace a part of or all the fatty acids. Allyl ether compounds undergo oxidation as does unsaturated fatty acid; however, such oxidation does not cause yellowing in the cured coatings. However, the synthesis of polyhydroxy based allyl ethers usually results in a statistical distribution of allyl ether functionality in polyhydroxy compounds due to the reaction between monofunctional allyl compound and multi-functional hydroxy compound. This makes it quite difficult to design a low-VOC resin since the heterogeneity in hydroxy functionality will broaden molecular weight distribution. Furthermore, since the two starting raw materials, allyl alcohol and polyhydroxy compound, react reluctantly with each other, the need of special processes and/or catalysts in the synthesis of polyhydroxy based allyl ethers often results in high raw material cost.
Due to their oxidation ability to form a crosslinked coating at ambient condition without leading to yellowing, allyl ether compounds have been either incorporated into the coating resins as chemical building blocks or blended physically with unsaturated polymers.
The general oxidation chemistry of allyl ether compounds is well known and can be found in various literature, for instance, "Allyl ethers in solventless and water-based coatings", Journal of the Oil and Color Chemists' Association, Vol. 148 (II), 1025 (1965); "Effects of chemical structure of allyl ethers on polymerization and properties of multi-functional acrylate systems", Journal of the Applied Polymer Science, 42, 2681 (1991), "Influence of allyl ethers in coating resins", Journal of Polymer Science, Polymer Chemistry Ed., 29, 1638 (1991).
Numerous prior literature reveals the chemical incorporation of allyl ether compounds into polyesters or alkyds ("Air-drying oil free polyether-esters", Paint Technology, Apr. 17, 1962: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,670,308; 4,745,141; 4,997,480; European Patent Application 0234641), polyurethanes (U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,111, and European Patent Application 0315920), reactive diluent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,052 and UK Patent Application GB 2,190,672) and epoxy ("Surface coatings based on water-soluble epoxy allyl ether polymers systems", Journal of the Applied Polymer Science, 32, 3177 (1986). However, all the allyl ether compounds used as chemical building blocks in the literature were polyhydroxy based allyl ethers.
The following three patents disclose a certain allyl ether alcohol compound as a useful compound to prepare certain specific coating compositions, but not to the preparation of alkyd compositions.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,156,667 and 4,195,102 reveal an allyl ether alcohol dispersing solvent for an aqueous polyester and aminoplast system. A baking process at 120.degree.-130.degree. C. was employed to incorporate allyl ether alcohol into a coating composition through the reaction with aminoplast resin. Since allyl ether alcohol is physically blended with a coating material, purge was required prior to application to minimize volatility and toxicity problems. No air-drying coating composition with chemically bound allyloxypropanol, i.e. O-allyl polypropylene glycol, is mentioned.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,041 disclosed air-drying or heat curable polyurethane coating compositions prepared with allyl ether hydroxy compounds. Although allyl oxypropanol is suggested as a possible allyl ether hydroxy compound, all the examples were limited to trimethylolpropane diallyl ether (TMPDAE). Since strong hydrogen bonding in polyurethanes contributes significantly to improving their physical properties, polyesters and alkyds need a different molecular structure in order to achieve desired coating properties. This structure becomes more important when a monofunctional allyl oxypropanol is employed in place of a multi-functional allyl compound such as trimethylolpropane diallyl ether (TMPDAE) as it usually provides better dry and hardness because of its high crosslinking density in a cured film.
In addition, the air-drying polyurethane compositions in U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,041, includes no air-drying oil or fatty acid. The addition of castor oil, which mostly consists of non-drying fatty acid, was suggested as a plasticizer in order to improve flexibility. Therefore, the present invention combining an air-drying fatty acid (oil) and allylether compound is not suggested by U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,041 in which only air-drying polyurethanes using an allylether is described.
In summary, none of the above prior art publications reveal an air-drying alkyd composition or structure including chemically bound an allyloxy propanol.
Due to their oxidation ability to form a crosslinked coating at ambient condition without leading to yellowing, the allyl ether compounds have been either incorporated into the coating resins as chemical building blocks or blended physically with unsaturated polymers.

Yellowing resistant, air-drying coating composition containing allyloxypropoxylate


A hollow, inverted U-shaped housing assembly is provided and the lower ends of the legs thereof are mounted from lower marginal portions of opposite longitudinal sides and in certain installations, mounted to the roof or top of a passenger vehicle body. Guide tracks extend forwardly from the lower ends of the housing legs and the interior of the housing is divided into a forwardly opening forward compartment and a rearwardly opening rear compartment. Front and rear sets of inverted U-shaped support bows are mounted within the front and rear compartments and have elongated front and rear cover portions supported therefrom. The front bows include followers guidingly engaged with the tracks for movement there along and from which the lower ends of the bows are pivotally mounted. Thus, the front bows may be forwardly displaced from the housing and forwardly and downwardly swung relative to the tracks for covering the front portion of the associated vehicle. The lower ends of the rear bows are pivotally supported from the housing and may be swung rearwardly and downwardly for covering the rear portion of the associated vehicle. The forwardmost bow of the forward bows and the rearmost bow of the rear bows each include closure cap structures supported therefrom which close the corresponding compartments of the housing when the bows and the cover portions are in their fully retracted positions.

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a hollow, generally U-shaped housing arch supported from the lower margins of opposite sides of a passenger vehicle and in certain installations, mounted to the roof or top (preferably a two door sport coupe) and the housing opens both forwardly and rearwardly and supports in the front of the rear portions thereof front and rear sets of inverted U-shaped support bows for forward and rearward extension from the housing, each set of bows including a flexible cover portion supported therefrom by which the entire passenger vehicle may be covered when the bows are in their extended positions.
2. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
Various different forms of covers for vehicles, both supported from and independent of the associated vehicles, heretofore have been provided. Examples of these previously known covers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,492,043, 4,088,363, 4,019,484, 4,519,644, 4,684,165, 4,746,163 and 4,825,889. However, these previously known forms of covers do not include the refinements incorporated in the instant invention, nor are they as readily transported with and deployable over the associated vehicle.


Systems and methods for training a neural network model includes providing a quantization function including a quantization log threshold parameter associated with a log value of a quantization threshold. A quantization training to a neural network model is performed to generate quantized neural network parameters. The quantization training includes: generating first values with a first precision for the neural network parameters; performing a first optimization process to generate an updated quantization log threshold parameter; and generating quantized values with a second precision lower than the first precision for the neural network parameters by applying the quantization function with the updated quantization log threshold parameter to the first values. The neural network model with the quantized values for the neural network parameters is provided for performing a task.

Machine learning capabilities are fast evolving. For example, neural networks (NNs) may be used in both data centers and embedded applications. As the size of a Deep Neural Networks (DNN) continues to grow to improve the prediction capabilities, its memory and computational footprints also increase, which makes the DNN more difficult to deploy in a constrained hardware environment in ICs. One method to reduce these footprints is to use a smaller number of bits to represent weights and activations in a neural network, which is referred to as quantization. In particular, Quantized Neural Networks (QNN) (e.g., Binarized Neural Networks (BNNs), Ternary Neural Networks (TNNs), etc.) represent weights and activations in DNNs with low precision (e.g., binary/ternary) number representations. This may significantly reduce the computational, spatial, and memory complexity for specialized hardware implementations for the DNN. However, QNNs often incur significant accuracy drops from their full precision counterparts for challenging datasets.
Accordingly, it would be desirable and useful to provide an improved way of implementing DNNs.

System and method for implementing neural networks in integrated circuits


A probe for use with a measurement instrument includes a circuit connected to the probe. The probe comprises a process adaptor for mounting to a process vessel and including a through bore extending from a connector end to a process end. A tubular body is received in the process adaptor at the connector end and has an outer diameter less than an inner diameter of the process adaptor at the connector end to define a cavity therebetween. The cavity is open to the process vessel. A coupling secures the body to the process adaptor. A center conductor is coaxial with the tubular body and the process adaptor. A seal element is disposed between the tubular body and the center conductor. Process pressure in the process vessel increases compressive force between the tubular body and the seal element.

Process control systems require the accurate measurement of process variables. Typically, a primary element senses the value of a process variable and a transmitter develops an output having a value that varies as a function of the process variable. For example, a level transmitter includes a primary element for sensing level and a circuit for developing an electrical signal proportional to sensed level.
Knowledge of level in industrial process tanks or vessels has long been required for safe and cost-effective operation of plants. Many technologies exist for making level measurements. These include buoyancy, capacitance, ultrasonic and microwave radar, to name a few. Recent advances in micropower impulse radar (MIR), also known as ultra-wideband (UWB) radar, in conjunction with advances in equivalent time sampling (ETS), permit development of low power and low cost time domain reflectometry (TDR) instruments.
In a TDR instrument, a very fast pulse with a rise time of 500 picoseconds, or less, is propagated down a probe, that serves as a transmission line, in a vessel. The pulse is reflected by a discontinuity caused by a transition between two media. For level measurement, that transition is typically where the air and the material to be measured meet. These instruments are also known as guided wave radar (GWR) measurement instruments.
In one form, a guided wave radar (GWR) transmitter uses a coaxial probe that functions as an electrical transmission line into the process vessel. The GWR measurement process begins with an electrical pulse that is launched along the probe from one end. A TDR circuit identifies impedance discontinuities along the length of the probe. One source of an impedance discontinuity occurs at the vapor to liquid interface due to the difference in the relative dielectrics of the media. The TDR circuit detects, and locates in time, the reflected signal from the interface. Another source of an impedance discontinuity can be a change in geometry in the transmission line. This is a convenient method for producing a known reference location, called a fiducial (FID) in the probe. The difference in the TDR time measurements of the fiducial to the vapor to liquid interface is used to calculate the liquid level. Another impedance discontinuity exists at the end of the probe (FOP). With this type of probe and TDR circuit an increased impedance creates a positive reflected signal.
Process instruments are sometimes used for sensing level of a pressurized vessel. Often, the contents of the vessel are at a high temperature. In order to seal the vessel at the probe connection, an appropriate seal must be included. The seal must be appropriate for the relatively high temperatures and pressures when used in such applications.
One known seal with a coaxial probe has a pin conductor coaxially received in a metal body. An annular seal is hermetically sealed to the pin conductor and the metal body. The seal may be of glass, ceramic or glass-ceramic. With such a design, internal pressure from the process vessel causes tensile hoop stresses on the metal body. This lowers the compression force between the seal and the metal body. This can result in catastrophic failure of the seal which would result in loss of seal for the process vessel.
The present invention is directed to solving one or more of the problems discussed above in a novel and simple manner.


An apparatus and method are provided for performing a high-speed event, such as a cut/add of a tow, in an automated fiber placement process, by initiating the high-speed event prior to a fiber placement head reaching a location along a tool path of the fiber placement head at which it is desired to have the high-speed event completed.

Automated fiber placement is a process that is widely used for fabricating composite structures using pre-impregnated composite materials, such as carbon fiber, fiber glass and Kevlar. The materials, for use in automated fiber placement, typically take the form of a strip or yarn of composite material impregnated with a resin.
During automated fiber placement, groups of tows or tapes are deposited on a mold or tool by an automated fiber placement machine, to form a composite structure. The fiber placement machine includes a fiber placement head which has provisions for simultaneously handling groups of, for example, 12, 24, or 32 tows, which are positioned parallel to one another by the fiber placement head to form a substantially contiguous band of pre-impregnated composite material.
During the fiber placement process, it is sometimes necessary to cut and stop the feed of individual tows, thus removing them from the band of material, in order to reduce the width of the band so that it may be placed onto the surface of the mold or tool in a manner that precludes having excessive gaps between successive bands of material, or having the edges of successive bands of material overlap one another. In similar fashion, it is often desirable to add tows to the band in order to increase its width, at various stages of the automated fiber placement process, in order to facilitate manufacture of the composite structure. The process of removing or adding tows is commonly referred to "cut and add" (cut/add).
Automated fiber placement machines are capable of depositing material onto a tool surface at high feed-rates, of, for example, 1200 inches/minute or higher. For maximizing productivity, it is desirable to operate an automated fiber placement machine at such high feed-rates throughout the fabrication of a composite structure. It is highly desirable, therefore, that automated fiber placement machines be capable of modifying the width of the band of material being applied without stopping, or slowing down, the machine to cut or add tows to the material band. In the vernacular of the automated fiber placement industry, it is highly desirable that automated fiber placement machines be capable of cutting or adding tows "on-the-fly."
In order to cut or add tows to the material band on-the-fly, the cut/add process must take place in real time. The components of the automated fiber placement machine which perform and control the cut/add process are incapable of instantaneously cutting or adding a tow to the band of material, due to inherent and unavoidable lag times or other latencies in the operation of mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, or electrical actuation and control components of the automated fiber placement machine. These unavoidable and inherent latencies result in the end of a cut or added tow often being positioned well outside of the tolerances required for constructing the composite structure where on-the-fly cut/add is attempted at full operating speed using prior fiber placement machines.
The problems described above, with regard to cut/add operations, are also encountered in other operations performed at high-speed on-the-fly during fabrication of a composite structure, such as changing tension, temperature, or pressure applied on a tow or the material band during automated fiber placement.
What is needed, therefore, is an improved method and apparatus for performing high-speed events on-the-fly during fabrication of a composite structure by automated fiber placement.

Performing high-speed events “on-the-fly” during fabrication of a composite structure by automated fiber placement


A method for dry-cleaning articles such as fabrics and clothing in carbon dioxide. The article includes a stained portion or region, which is pretreated with a pretreatment composition prior to initiating the cleaning cycle. The pretreatment step is followed by contacting the pretreated article to be cleaned with a liquid dry cleaning composition for a time sufficient to clean the article. The liquid dry-cleaning composition comprises a mixture of carbon dioxide, a surfactant, and an organic co-solvent. After the contacting step, the article is separated from the liquid dry cleaning composition. The pretreatment composition, in a preferred embodiment, comprises at least one of (a) a surfactant; (b) d-limonene, and (c) a C12-C15 alkane co-solvent. Preferably the pretreatment composition comprises at least two, and in some particularly preferred embodiments, the pretreatment composition comprises all three, of the aforesaid ingredients.

The present invention relates to methods and compositions for carrying out the dry-cleaning of fabrics (e.g., garments) in liquid carbon dioxide.
Commercial dry cleaning systems currently employ potentially toxic and environmentally harmful halocarbon solvents, such as perchloroethylene. Carbon dioxide has been proposed as an alternative to such systems in U.S. Pat. No. 4,012,194 to Maffei.
German Patent Application DE3904514 A1 of Schollmeyer, published Aug. 23, 1990, describes a cleaning system combining various conventional anionic or nonionic surface active agents with supercritical CO2. The system described therein appears to combine the detergency mechanism of conventional surface active agents with the solvent power of supercritical fluid carbon dioxide. A carbon dioxide dry cleaning system effective for liquid carbon dioxide is not provided.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,473 to Jureller et al. (see also U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,977 to Jureller et al.) describes a dry cleaning system utilizing carbon dioxide in liquid form in combination with surfactants that contain a functional moiety that is CO2-philic, which surfactants are not conventionally used for detergent cleaning. Since there are numerous advantages to employing conventional surfactants (e.g., cost, ready availability, established regulatory approval, established toxicology, etc), it would be extremely desirable to have a dry cleaning system for liquid carbon dioxide that employs conventional surfactants that do not contain a CO2-philic group.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,858,022 to Romack et al. describes dry methods and compositions for dry cleaning in liquid carbon dioxide formulations in which a conventional surfactant (i.e., one that does not contain a CO2-philic group) is used in combination with an organic co-solvent. The conventional surfactant is soluble in the organic co-solvent. Ingredients such as bleaches, whiteners, softeners, sizing, starching, enzymes, hydrogen peroxide or a source of hydrogen peroxide, are described at column 3 lines 39-43, but recommendations for the structure or composition of ingredients that are particularly advantageous in carbon dioxide cleaning formulations, as opposed to functional statements thereof, are not provided. Accordingly, there is a continued need for additives or ingredients that can be advantageously employed with carbon dioxide cleaning formulations.
A method for dry-cleaning garments or fabrics in carbon dioxide, said garment or fabric including a stained portion comprises pre-treating the stained portion of a garment or fabric article to be cleaned with a liquid pretreatment composition, said composition preferably containing a pretreatment surfactant. The pretreatment step is followed by the steps of contacting the article with a liquid dry cleaning composition for a time sufficient to clean the article, said liquid dry-cleaning composition comprising a mixture of carbon dioxide and a cleaning surfactant; and then separating the article from the liquid dry cleaning composition.
In one embodiment, the pretreatment surfactant is one which does not contain a CO2-philic group. In another embodiment, the pretreatment surfactant is one which does contain a CO2-philic group (e.g., a fluoropolymer or a fluorine-containing segment such as a fluoroacrylate polymer, or a siloxane polymer or siloxane containing segment), which CO2-philic group is in turn coupled to a hydrophilic or lipophilic group. When present, the pretreatment surfactant (either type) is preferably included in an amount of from 0.05, 1, 2, or 3 percent to 5 or 10 percent by weight.
Without wishing to be bound to any particular theory of the invention, it is believed that surfactants that do not contain a CO2-philic group remain localized in the area to which they are applied to a greater extent during the cleaning cycle in the presence of the carbon dioxide cleaning solution and facilitate holding water to the stained area, thus facilitating cleaning of the stained area during the cleaning cycle.
When the surfactant comprises a CO2-philic group coupled to a lipophilic segment, the pretreatment composition is particularly useful for grease, oily stains and the like (e.g., hydrophobic stains). When the surfactant comprises a CO2-philic group coupled to a hydrophilic segment, the pretreatment composition is particularly useful for protein and tanin-type stains and the like (e.g., hydrophilic stains).
In another embodiment of the invention, the pretreatment surfactant is a poly(ether-carbonate) copolymer. Again, when present, the pretreatment surfactant is preferably included in an amount of from 1, 2, or 3 percent to 5 or 10 percent by weight of the total formulation (the surfactant may be one or a combination of surfactants as described above).
Preferably, the cleaning composition comprises (or further comprises, in addition to the surfactants noted above) an organic co-solvent. Particularly preferred organic co-solvents are C12-C15 alkane co-solvents. When present, such organic co-solvents are preferably included in an amount of from 2, 30 or 40 percent to 70, 80 or 90 percent by volume.
In another embodiment, the pretreatment composition contains d-limonene, either alone or, more preferably, in combination with an organic co-solvent (particularly a C12-15 alkane co-solvent as above), and/or a surfactant as noted above. When present, the d-limonene is included in the pretreatment composition in an amount of from 5 or 10 percent to 30, 40 or 50 percent, by volume.
The balance of the pretreatment compositions described above may comprise water.
A particularly preferred pretreatment composition includes both an organic co-solvent as described above and d-limonene as described above. Such a composition optionally but preferably also includes a surfactant or surfactants as described above.
The term xe2x80x9cpretreatmentxe2x80x9d as used herein refers to contacting a pretreatment composition, typically a liquid, to a stained portion or particular region of an article to be cleaned so that the pretreatment composition is deposited on that portion or region in an amount effective to enhance subsequent cleaning of the article, and then continuing or initiating further dry cleaning of that article with the pretreatment composition deposited upon the article to be cleaned.
The term xe2x80x9ccleanxe2x80x9d as used herein refers to any removal of soil, dirt, grime, or other unwanted material, whether partial or complete. The invention may be used to clean nonpolar stains (i.e., those which are at least partially made by nonpolar organic compounds such as oily soils, sebum and the like), polar stains (i.e., hydrophilic stains such as grape juice, coffee and tea stains), compound hydrophobic stains (i.e., stains from materials such as lipstick and candle wax), and particular soils (i.e., soils containing insoluble solid components such as silicates, carbon black, etc.).
Articles that can be pretreated and cleaned by the methods of the present invention are, in general, garments and fabrics (including woven and non-woven) formed from materials such as cotton, wool, silk, leather, rayon, polyester, acetate, fiberglass, furs, etc., formed into items such as clothing, work gloves, rags, leather goods (e.g., handbags and brief cases), etc.
The present invention may be carried out in any suitable carbon-dioxide based dry cleaning system, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,858,022 to Romack et al. or 5,683,473 to Jureller et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
1. Cleaning Compositions and Processes.
Liquid dry-cleaning compositions useful for carrying out the present invention typically include water. The source of the water is not critical in all applications. The water may be added to the liquid solution before the articles to be cleaned are deposited therein, may be atmospheric water, may be the water carried by the garments, etc.
In one embodiment of the invention, better particulate cleaning may be obtained in the absence of water added to the dry-cleaning composition. There is inherently water present on or in the garments or articles to be cleaned as they are placed in the cleaning vessel. This water serves in part to adhere particulate soil to the articles to be cleaned. As the water is removed from the garments into the cleaning composition during the cleaning process, the removal of water from the article to be cleaned facilitates the removal of particulates from the articles to be cleaned. Thus, decreasing the amount of water originally in the cleaning system can serve to facilitate the cleaning of particulate soil from the articles to be cleaned by the action of the water inherently carried by the article to be cleaned.
Liquid dry-cleaning compositions useful for carrying out the present invention typically comprise:
(a) from zero (0), 0.02, 0.05 or 0.1 to 5 or 10 percent (more preferably from 1 to 4 percent) water;
(b) carbon dioxide (to balance; typically at least 30 percent);
(c) surfactant (preferably from 0.1 or 0.5 percent to 5 or 10 percent total, which may be comprised of one or more different surfactants); and
(d) from 0.1 to 50 percent (more preferably 1, 2 or 4 percent to 30 percent) of an organic co-solvent.
Percentages herein are expressed as percentages by weight unless otherwise indicated.
The composition is provided in liquid form at ambient, or room, temperature, which will generally be between zero and 50xc2x0 Centigrade. The composition is held at a pressure that maintains it in liquid form within the specified temperature range. The cleaning step is preferably carried out with the composition at ambient temperature. For the purposes of the invention, the pretreatment composition may be a heterogeneous or homogeneous composition.
The organic co-solvent is, in general, a hydrocarbon co-solvent. Typically the co-solvent is an alkane co-solvent, with C10 to C20 linear, branched, and cyclic alkanes, and mixtures thereof (preferably saturated) currently preferred. The organic co-solvent preferably has a flash point above 140xc2x0 F., and more preferably has a flash point above 170xc2x0 F. The organic co-solvent may be a mixture of compounds, such as mixtures of alkanes as given above, or mixtures of one or more alkanes. Additional compounds such as one or more alcohols (e.g., from 0 or 0.1 to 5% of a C1 to C15 alcohol (including diols, triols, etc.)) different from the organic co-solvent may be included with the organic co-solvent.
Examples of suitable co-solvents include, but are not limited to, aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, and esters and ethers thereof, particularly mono and di-esters and ethers (e.g., EXXON ISOPAR L, ISOPAR M, ISOPAR V, EXXON EXXSOL, EXXON DF 2000, CONDEA VISTA LPA-170 N, CONDEA VISTA LPA-210, cyclohexanone, and dimethyl succinate), alkyl and dialkyl carbonates (e.g., dimethyl carbonate, dibutyl carbonate, di-t-butyl dicarbonate, ethylene carbonate, and propylene carbonate), alkylene and polyalkylene glycols, and ethers and esters thereof (e.g., ethylene glycol-n-butyl ether, diethylene glycol-n-butyl ethers, propylene glycol methyl ether, dipropylene glycol methyl ether, tripropylene glycol methyl ether, and dipropylene glycol methyl ether acetate), lactones (e.g., (gamma)butyrolactone, (epsilon)caprolactone, and (delta) dodecanolactone), alcohols and diols (e.g., 2-propanol, 2-methyl-2-propanol, 2-methoxy-2-propanol, 1-octanol, 2-ethyl hexanol, cyclopentanol, 1,3-propanediol, 2,3-butanediol, 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol) and polydimethylsiloxanes (e.g., decamethyltetrasiloxane, decamethylpentasiloxane, and hexamethyldisloxane), etc.
Any surfactant can be used to carry out the present invention, including both surfactants that contain a CO2-philic group (such as described in PCT Application WO96/27704) linked to a CO2-phobic group (e.g., a lipophilic group or hydrophobic group) and (more preferably) surfactants that do not contain a CO2-philic group (i.e., surfactants that comprise a hydrophilic group linked to a hydrophobic (typically lipophilic) group). A single surfactant may be used, or a combination of surfactants may be used.
Numerous surfactants are known to those skilled in the art. See, e.g., McCutcheon""s Volume 1: Emulsifiers and Detergents (1995 North American Edition) (MC Publishing Co., 175 Rock Road, Glen Rock, N.J. 07452). Examples of the major surfactant types that can be used to carry out the present invention include the: alcohols, alkanolamides, alkanolamines, alkylaryl sulfonates, alkylaryl sulfonic acids, alkylbenzenes, amine acetates, amine oxides, amines, sulfonated amines and amides, betaine derivatives, block polymers, carboxylated alcohol or alkylphenol ethoxylates, carboxylic acids and fatty acids, diphenyl sulfonate derivatives, ethoxylated alcohols, ethoxylated alkylphenols, ethoxylated amines and/or amides, ethoxylated fatty acids, ethoxylated fatty esters and oils, fatty esters, fluorocarbon-based surfactants, glycerol esters, glycol esters, heterocyclic-type products, imidazolines and imidazoline derivatives, isethionates, lanolin-based derivatives, lecithin and lecithin derivatives, lignin and lignin derivatives, maleic or succinic anhydrides, methyl esters, monoglycerides and derivatives, olefin sulfonates, phosphate esters, phosphorous organic derivatives, polyethylene glycols, polymeric (polysaccharides, acrylic acid, and acrylamide) surfactants, propoxylated and ethoxylated fatty acids alcohols or alkyl phenols, protein-based surfactants, quaternary surfactants, sarcosine derivatives, silicone-based surfactants, soaps, sorbitan derivatives, sucrose and glucose esters and derivatives, sulfates and sulfonates of oils and fatty acids, sulfates and sulfonates, ethoxylated alkylphenols, sulfates of alcohols, sulfates of ethoxylated alcohols, sulfates of fatty esters, sulfonates of benzene, cumene, toluene and xylene, sulfonates of condensed naphthalenes, sulfonates of dodecyl and tridecylbenzenes, sulfonates of naphthalene and alkyl naphthalene, sulfonates of petroleum, sulfosuccinamates, sulfosuccinates and derivatives, taurates, thio and mercapto derivatives, tridecyl and dodecyl benzene sulfonic acids, etc.
Additional examples of surfactants that can be used to carry out the present invention include alcohol and alkylphenol polyalkyl ethers (e.g, TERGITOL 15-S-3(trademark) secondary alcohol ethoxylate, TRITON X-207(trademark) dinonylphenol ethoxylate, NEODOL 91-2.5(trademark) primary alcohol ethoxylate, RHODASURF BC-410(trademark) isotridecyl alcohol ethoxylate, RHODASURF DA-630(trademark) tridecyl alcohol ethoxylate) alkylaryl carbonates, including salts and derivatives thereof (e.g., acetic acid, MARLOWET 4530(trademark) dialkylphenol polyethylene glycol acetic acid, MARLOWET 1072(trademark) alkyl polyethylene glycol ether acetic acid), alkoxylated fatty acids (e.g., NOPALCOL 1 TW(trademark) diethylene glycol monotallowate, TRYDET 2600(trademark) polyoxyethylene (8) monostearate), alkylene oxide block copolymers (e.g., PLURONIC(trademark) and TETRONIC(trademark) products), acetylenic alcohols and diols (e.g., SURFYNOL(trademark) and DYNOL(trademark) products), mono- and di-esters of sulfosuccinic acid (e.g., AEROSOL OT(trademark) sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate, AEROSOL IB-45(trademark) sodium diisobutyl sulfosuccinate, MACKANATE DC-50(trademark) dimethicone copolyol disodium sulfosuccinate, SOLE TERGE-8(trademark) oleic acid isopropanolamide monoester of sodium sulfosuccinate), sulfosuccinamic acid and esters thereof (e.g. AEROSOL 18(trademark) disodium-N-octadecyl sulfosucciniamate, AEROSOL 22(trademark) tetrasodium N-(1,2-dicarboxyethyl)-N octadecyl sulfosuccinamate) sorbitan esters including derivatives thereof (e.g., SPAN 80(trademark) sorbitan monoleate, ALKAMULS 400-DO(trademark) sorbitan dioleate, ALKAMULS STO(trademark) sorbitan trioleate, TWEEN 81(trademark) polyoxyethylene (5) sorbitan monoleate, TWEEN 21(trademark) polyoxyethylene (4) sorbitan monolaurate), isothionates including derivatives thereof (e.g., GEROPON AC-270(trademark) sodium cocoyl isothionate), polymeric alkylaryl compounds and lignins, including derivatives thereof (e.g., LIGNOSITE 50(trademark) calcium lignosulfonate), alkylaryl sulfonic acids and salts thereof (e.g., CALIMULSE EM-99(trademark) branched dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid, WITCONATE C-50H(trademark) sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate, WITCONATE P10-59(trademark) amine salt of dodecylbenzene sulfonate), sulfonated amines and amides (e.g., CALIMULSE PRS(trademark) isopropylamine sulfonate), Betaine and sultaine derivatives, and salts thereof (e.g, lauryl sulfobetaine, dodecyldimethyl(3-sulfopropyl)ammonium hydroxide, FOAMTAIN CAB-A(trademark) cocamidopropyl betaine ammonium salt, FOAMTAINE SCAB(trademark) cocamidopropyl hydroxy sultaine), e.g., imidazolines including derivatives thereof (e.g., MONOAZOLINE O(trademark) substituted imidazoline of oleic acid, MONOAZOLINE T(trademark) substituted imidazoline of Tall Oil), oxazolines including derivatives thereof (e.g., ALKATERGE E(trademark) oxazoline derivative, ALKATERGE T-IV(trademark) ethoxylated oxazoline derivative), carboxylated alcohol or alkylphenol ethoxylates including derivatives thereof (e.g., MARLOSOL OL7(trademark) oleic acid polyglycol ester), diphenyl sulfonates including derivatives thereof (e.g., DOWFAX(trademark) detergent diphenyl oxide disulfonate, DOWFAX(trademark) dry detergent: sodium n-hexadecyl diphenyl oxide disulfonate, DOWFAX(trademark) Dry hydrotrope: sodium hexyl diphenyloxide disulfonate) fluorinated surfactants (e.g., FLUORAD FC-120(trademark) ammonium perfluoroalkyl sulfonate, FLUORAD FC-135(trademark) fluoroalkyl quaternary ammonium iodides, FLUORAD FC-143(trademark) ammonium perfluoroalkyl carboxylates), lecithins including lecithin derivatives (e.g., ALCOLEC BS(trademark) soy phosphatides), phosphate esters (e.g., ACTRAFOS SA-216(trademark) aliphatic phosphate ester, ACTRAFOS 110(trademark) phosphate ester of complex aliphatic hydroxyl compound, CHEMPHOS TC-310(trademark) aromatic phosphate ester, CALGENE PE-112(trademark) phosphated mono- and diglycerides), sulfates and sulfonates of fatty acids (e.g, ACTRASOL PSR(trademark) sulfated castor oil, ACTRASOL SR75(trademark) sulfated oleic acid), sulfates of alcohols (e.g, DUPONOL C(trademark) sodium lauryl sulfate, CARSONOL SHS(trademark) sodium 2-ethyl-1-hexyl sulfate, CALFOAM TLS-40(trademark) triethanolamine lauryl sulfate), sulfates of ethoxylated alcohols (e.g, CALFOAM ES-301(trademark) sodium lauryl ether sulfate), amines, including salts and derivatives thereof (e.g., Tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane, ARMEEN(trademark) primary alkylamines, ARMAC HT(trademark) acetic acid salt of N-alkyl amines) amide sulfonates (e.g., GEROPON TC-42(trademark) sodium N-coconut acid-N-methyl taurate, GEROPON TC270(trademark) sodium cocomethyl tauride), quaternary amines, including salts and derivatives thereof (e.g., ACCOSOFT 750(trademark) methyl bis (soya amidoethyl)-N-polyethoxyethanol quaternary ammonium methyl sulfate, ARQUAD(trademark) N-alkyl trimethyl ammonium chloride, ABIL QUAT 3272(trademark) diquaternary polydimethylsiloxane), amine oxides (e.g, AMMONYX CO(trademark) cetyl dimethylamine oxide, AMMONYX SO(trademark) stearamine oxide), esters of glycerol, sucrose, glucose, sarcosine and related sugars and hydrocarbons including their derivatives (e.g., GLUCATE DO(trademark) methyl glucoside dioleate, GLICEPOL 180(trademark) glycerol oleate, HAMPOSYL AL-30(trademark) ammonium lauroyl sarcosinate, HAMPOSYL M(trademark) N-myristoyl sarcosine, CALGENE CC(trademark) propylene glycol dicaprylate/dicaprate), polysaccharides including derivatives thereof (e.g., GLUCOPON 225 DK(trademark) alkyl polysaccharide ether), protein surfactants (e.g, AMITER LGS-2(trademark) dioxyethylene stearyl ether diester of N-lauroyl-L-glutamic acid, AMISOFT CA(trademark) cocoyl glutamic acid, AMISOFT CS 11(trademark) sodium cocoyl glutamate, MAYTEIN KTS(trademark) sodium/TEA lauryl hydrolyzed keratin, MAYPON 4C(trademark) potassium cocoyl hydrolyzed collagen), and including thio and mercapto derivatives of the foregoing (e.g., ALCODET(trademark) polyoxyethylene thioether, BURCO TME(trademark) ethoxylated dodecyl mercaptan), etc. Thus the present invention may be carried out using conventional surfactants, including but not limited to the anionic or nonionic alkylbenzene sulfonates, ethoxylated alkylphenols and ethoxylated fatty alcohols described in Schollmeyer German Patent Application DE 39 04514 A1.
Surfactants that contain a CO2-philic group are described are known in the art and described in, for example, J. DeSimone et al., Science 265, 356 (1994), U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,882 to DeSimone et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,473 to Jureller et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,977 to Jureller et al.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, numerous additional ingredients can be included in the dry-cleaning composition, including detergents, bleaches, whiteners, softeners, sizing, starches, enzymes, hydrogen peroxide or a source of hydrogen peroxide, fragrances, etc.
In practice, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, an article to be cleaned and a liquid dry cleaning composition as given above are combined in a closed drum. The liquid dry cleaning composition is preferably provided in an amount so that the closed drum contains both a liquid phase and a vapor phase (that is, so that the drum is not completely filled with the article and the liquid composition). The article is then agitated in the drum, preferably so that the article contacts both the liquid dry cleaning composition and the vapor phase, with the agitation carried out for a time sufficient to clean the fabric. The cleaned article is then removed from the drum. The article may optionally be rinsed (for example, by removing the composition from the drum, adding a rinse solution such as liquid CO2 (with or without additional ingredients such as water, co-solvent, etc.) to the drum, agitating the article in the rinse solution, removing the rinse solution, and repeating as desired), after the agitating step and before it is removed from the drum. The dry cleaning compositions and the rinse solutions may be removed by any suitable means, including both draining and venting.
Any suitable cleaning apparatus may be employed, including both horizontal drum and vertical drum apparatus. When the drum is a horizontal drum, the agitating step is carried out by simply rotating the drum. When the drum is a vertical drum it typically has an agitator positioned therein, and the agitating step is carried out by moving (e.g., rotating or oscillating) the agitator within the drum. A vapor phase may be provided by imparting sufficient shear forces within the drum to produce cavitation in the liquid dry-cleaning composition. Finally, in an alternate embodiment of the invention, agitation may be imparted by means of jet agitation as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,492 to Chao et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. A particularly preferred apparatus is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,049,331 to McClain et al. As noted above, the liquid dry cleaning composition is preferably an ambient temperature composition, and the agitating step is preferably carried out at ambient temperature, without the need for associating a heating element with the cleaning apparatus.
2. Pretreatment Compositions and Processes.
In one embodiment, a liquid pre-treatment composition useful for carrying out the present invention typically comprises:
(a) water (to balance; typically at least 30, 40 or 50 percent);
(b) a surfactant (preferably from 0.1 or 0.5 percent to 5 or 10 percent total, which may be comprised of one or more different surfactants); and
(c) from zero (0) or 1 to 40 percent (more preferably 2 or 4 percent to 30 percent) of an organic co-solvent)(or in another preferred embodiment from 30 or 40 to 80 percent by volume), with C12-C15 alkane cosolvents particularly preferred.
The surfactant and any organic co-solvent may be any of those described above in connection with the cleaning formulations, or the surfactant may be a poly(ether-carbonate) copolymer as described below.
In one embodiment, the surfactant contains a CO2-philic group as noted above. In another embodiment, the surfactant does not contain a CO2-philic group.
Surfactants that do not contain a CO2-philic group are particularly useful in pretreatment formulations in carbon dioxide dry cleaning processes. Without wishing to be bound to any particular theory of the instant invention, it is believed that such surfactants advantageously remain localized in the stained area to which they are applied during the washing cycle and hold water therewith, facilitating cleaning of the stained location. These considerations are separate and distinct from those involved in the selection of a surfactant that does not contain a CO2-philic group in the cleaning formulation, as noted above.
Additional ingredients can be included depending upon the specific stain that is being treated, in accordance with known formulations.
The pretreatment formulation currently preferred for miscellaneous food and protein stains is a mixture consisting of (% w/w) 74.8% water, 18.5% ISOPAR M(trademark) organic solvent, 1.9% TERGITOL(trademark) 15-S-3 Surfactant; 0.9% TERGITOL(trademark) 15-S-7 surfactant; 0.9% TERGITOL(trademark) 15-S-9 Surfactant, 1% Lipolase, 1% Alcolase, and 1% Temamyl.
The currently preferred tannin specific pretreatment (% w/w) is a mixture consisting of 73.3% water, 18% ISOPAR M(trademark) organic solvent, 1.9% 15-S-3, 0.(% 15-S-7, 0.9% 15-S-9, and 5% glycolic acid.
In another embodiment, a liquid pre-treatment composition useful for carrying out the present invention typically comprises:
(a) water (to balance);
(a) from 30 or 40 percent to 80 percent by volume of an organic co-solvent (preferably a C12-C15 alkane cosolvent);
(b) from 5 or 10 to 40 or 50 percent by volume of d-limonene;
(c) optionally, but preferably, a surfactant as described above (preferably from 0.1 0.5, 1, 2 or 3 percent to 5 or 10 percent total by weight, which may be comprised of one or more different surfactants); and
(d) optionally, water (to balance, typically 0 or 1 to 10, 20 or 40 percent by volume).
Again, the surfactant and organic co-solvent may any of those described above in connection with the cleaning formulations or the surfactant may be a poly(ether-carbonate) copolymer as described below.
The pretreatment formulations can be conveniently provided in a squeeze bottle or spray container for use by dry cleaning personnel and application to garments prior to their being deposited in the dry cleaning apparatus. The pretreatment composition can simply be applied to a stained region of an article to be cleaned, with or without scrubbing or brushing, and the article deposited in the dry cleaning apparatus for subsequent cleaning.
The formulations noted above are useful in aiding the removal of a variety of stains, including spaghetti sauce, some types of pen ink, some types of make-up, coffee, miscellaneous food drippings and miscellaneous bodily fluids. They leave little or no residue on garments relative to commercially available pretreatments, and do not result in undue damage to garments.
The formulations and methods described herein are particularly useful for treating garments, fabrics and the like that have previously been provided with a water or stain-resistant coating, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,030,663 to McClain.
3. Poly(ether-carbonate) Copolymers as Pretreatment and Cleaning Surfactants.
A non-fluorine, non-siloxane class of surfactants for CO2 that show amphiphilic character in CO2 are poly(ether-carbonate) copolymers. These materials can be derived from the catalytic polymerization of alkylene oxides with CO2 and are known in the art. See, e.g., T. Sarbu, Nature 405, 165-168 (2000). With catalyst controls amphiphilic poly (ether-carbonate) copolymers with hydrophilic character can be generated as represented by the formula:
(xe2x80x94R1xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94)xxe2x80x94(R2xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94CO2)y
Where R1 and R2 are each independently alkylene oxide (preferably propylene oxide, ethylene oxide, or hexylene oxide (the R groups can comprise a mixture of the three), and x and y are selected to provide the desired molecular weight as noted below. Such materials may be used as both pretreatment surfactants in the pretreatment formulation disclosed herein or as cleaning surfactants in the carbon dioxide cleaning formulations disclosed herein. Preferred copolymers for use in the present invention have a molecular weight of 200 or 500 to 2,000 or 10,000.

Pre-treatment methods and compositions for carbon dioxide dry cleaning


The embodiments employ a transaction based design methodology to supply clocking when clock pulses are requested. The transactional module receives a clock when it requests a clock pulse and one stage of a logic pipeline is clocked at a time. This methodology reduces dynamic power dissipation by the transactional module from the dynamic power dissipated by traditional synchronous logic designs.

Integrated circuit (IC) design tools are designed for synchronous designs, and therefore, asynchronous designs must be constrained in IC design tools using synchronous constructs. As a result, the asynchronous design cycle using traditional design methodologies is typically longer than the synchronous design cycle.
Digital logic designs are composed of a plurality of pipeline stages that are clocked synchronously. Many digital logic designs only require a small percentage of pipeline stages to be clocked as the logic in these stages process information. However, current design methodologies using current design tools produce designs that clock more pipeline stages (for example flip-flops) in a logic design than necessary. Accordingly, there exists a need for solutions which improve over the state of the art.
This background information is intended to provide information that may be of possible relevance to the present invention. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art against the present invention.

Method and apparatus for transaction based propagated clock-gating for low power design


The breaker is provided with a fixed contact, a movable piece having an elastic portion and a movable contact, a thermally-actuated element deforming with a change in the temperature so as to shift the movable piece from a conduction state to a cut-off state, a case main body housing the movable piece and the thermally-actuated element, a lid member attached to the case main body, and a plate-shaped cover piece embedded in the lid member. The case main body is provided with a first fixing surface fixed to the lid member, and the lid member is provided with a second fixing surface fixed to the case main body. The second fixing surface is provided with a protruding portion protruding toward the first fixing surface, and the protruding portion and the cover piece are overlapped with each other in the plan view as viewed in the thickness direction of the cover piece.

Conventionally, a breaker has been used as a protection device (safety circuit) for a secondary battery, a motor and the like of various electrical equipments.
When an abnormality occurs, e.g. when the temperature of a secondary battery during charging/discharging rises excessively, or when an overcurrent flows through a motor or the like installed in an equipment of an automobile, a home appliance or the like, the breaker cuts off the current to protect the secondary battery, motor and the like.The breaker used as such a protection device is required to operate accurately (to have good temperature characteristics) in accordance with temperature changes in order to ensure the safety of the equipment as well as to have a stable resistance value when the current flows through.
The breaker is provided with a thermally-actuated element which, according to the temperature change, operates to conduct or cut off the current.
Patent Document 1 discloses a breaker using a bimetal as a thermally-actuated element. A bimetal is an element, which is formed by laminating two types of plate-shaped metal materials having different coefficients of thermal expansion, and which changes its shape according to the temperature change to control the conduction state of the contacts.
The breaker disclosed in this document is formed by housing in its case, a fixed piece, a movable piece, a thermally-actuated element, a PTC thermistor and the like. And terminals of the fixed piece and movable piece protrude from the case to be connected to an electric circuit of an electrical equipment in order to use the breaker.

Breaker, safety circuit and secondary battery pack


A system for making real-time predictions about an arc flash event on an electrical system is disclosed. The system includes a data acquisition component, an analytics server and a client terminal. The data acquisition component is communicatively connected to a sensor configured to acquire real-time data output from the electrical system. The analytics server is communicatively connected to the data acquisition component and is comprised of a virtual system modeling engine, an analytics engine and an arc flash simulation engine. The arc flash simulation engine is configured to utilize the virtual system model to forecast an aspect of the arc flash event.

I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer modeling and management of systems and, more particularly, to computer simulation techniques with real-time system monitoring and prediction of electrical system performance.
II. Background of the Invention
Computer models of complex systems enable improved system design, development, and implementation through techniques for off-line simulation of the system operation. That is, system models can be created that computers can "operate" in a virtual environment to determine design parameters. All manner of systems can be modeled, designed, and operated in this way, including machinery, factories, electrical power and distribution systems, processing plants, devices, chemical processes, biological systems, and the like. Such simulation techniques have resulted in reduced development costs and superior operation.
Design and production processes have benefited greatly from such computer simulation techniques, and such techniques are relatively well developed, but such techniques have not been applied in real-time, e.g., for real-time operational monitoring and management. In addition, predictive failure analysis techniques do not generally use real-time data that reflect actual system operation. Greater efforts at real-time operational monitoring and management would provide more accurate and timely suggestions for operational decisions, and such techniques applied to failure analysis would provide improved predictions of system problems before they occur. With such improved techniques, operational costs could be greatly reduced.
For example, mission critical electrical systems, e.g., for data centers or nuclear power facilities, must be designed to ensure that power is always available. Thus, the systems must be as failure proof as possible, and many layers of redundancy must be designed in to ensure that there is always a backup in case of a failure. It will be understood that such systems are highly complex, a complexity made even greater as a result of the required redundancy. Computer design and modeling programs allow for the design of such systems by allowing a designer to model the system and simulate its operation. Thus, the designer can ensure that the system will operate as intended before the facility is constructed.
Once the facility is constructed, however, the design is typically only referred to when there is a failure. In other words, once there is failure, the system design is used to trace the failure and take corrective action; however, because such design are so complex, and there are many interdependencies, it can be extremely difficult and time consuming to track the failure and all its dependencies and then take corrective action that doesn't result in other system disturbances.
Moreover, changing or upgrading the system can similarly be time consuming and expensive, requiring an expert to model the potential change, e.g., using the design and modeling program. Unfortunately, system interdependencies can be difficult to simulate, making even minor changes risky.
For example, no reliable means exists for predicting in real-time the potential energy released for an alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) arc flash event is available. Moreover, no real-time system exists that can predict the required personal protective equipment (PPE) or safe distance boundaries (i.e., protection boundaries) for technicians working around components of the electrical system that are susceptible to arc flash events as required by NFPA 70E and IEEE1584. All current approaches are based on highly specialized static simulations models that are rigid and non-reflective of the facility's operational status at the time that the technician is conducting the repairs on the electrical equipment. As such, the PPE level required for the repair, or the safe distance boundaries around the equipment may change based on the actual operational status of the facility and the alignment of the power distribution system at the time that the repairs are performed.
Conventional static arc flash simulation systems use a rigid simulation model that does not take the actual power system alignment and aging effects into consideration when computing predictions about the operational performance of an electrical system. These systems rely on exhaustive studies to be performed off-line by a power system engineer who must manually modify a simulation model so that it is reflective of the proposed facility operation conditions before conducting the static simulation or the series of static simulations. Therefore, they cannot readily adjust to the many daily changes to the electrical system that occur at a facility (e.g., motors and pumps may be put on-line or pulled off-line, utility electrical feeds may have changed, etc.) nor accurately predict the various aspects (i.e., the quantity of energy released, the required level of worker PPE, the safe protection boundaries around components of the electrical system, etc.) related to an arc flash event occurring on the electrical system.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System for comparing real-time data and modeling engine data to predict arc flash events


Dual action lethal containers, systems, methods, compositions and formulas used to kill mosquitoes and their larvae. The containers can have separate interior larvicidal and adulticidal coatings separated from each other by horizontal water line holes in the container. Another container can use a novel combined coating of a larvicidal and adulticidal coating. Unique compositions of adulticidal coatings, larvicidal coatings and combined adulticidal and larvicidal coatings can be used as liners.

Over the years, Ovitrap type containers, such as Ovitraps, have been used and deployed to control mosquitoes. See for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,983,557 to Perich et al.; 6,185,861 to Perich; and 6,389,740 to Perich et al.; and Zeichner, Brian C. "The lethal ovitrap: a response to the resurgence of dengue and chikungunya", U.S. Army Medical Journal, July-September 2011. These types of Ovitraps have generally used a paper strip having insecticide that hangs within a cup filled with water up to a series of drain holes. The insecticide strip will hang into the water, with the intention of killing female mosquitoes as they land on the Ovitrap to lay eggs. However, these types of Ovitraps have limitations due to the insecticide on the paper breaking down rapidly because of water contact, and also the trap is not designed to kill larvae.
For example, these traps have lacked the use of a timed release of insecticide, and the water ended up breaking down the insecticide to become ineffective or not killing fast enough to prevent egg laying because of insecticide resistance in the mosquito population. A study in Key West, Fla. that used thousands of Ovitraps ended up producing mosquitoes from these water filled containers. Additionally, the Ovitraps only used an adulticide which was not effective in killing mosquito larvae.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a prior art lethal Ovitrap that uses a strip of paper, P, having insecticide thereon, that hangs into a water, W, filled container, C.
Thus, the need exists for solutions to the above problems with the prior art.

Dual action lethal containers, systems, methods and compositions for killing adult mosquitos and larvae

University of Florida Research Foundation, Inc.


An apparatus comprises a signal layer including a first and second signal trace. The apparatus also comprises a first reference plane including a first slot substantially parallel to the first and second signal traces. Further, the apparatus includes a dielectric layer having at least a portion disposed between the signal layer and the first reference plane.

Increasingly complex designs are resulting in challenges to designers of printed circuit boards. Printed circuit board designs are becoming more complex due to various factors. One factor making printed circuit board designs more complex is related to the increase in the density of integrated circuit devices (i.e. the amount of logic on integrated circuit devices) that are used as part of a printed circuit board assembly. As integrated circuits increase in density, the number of input/output (I/O) signals to those integrated circuits increases while trying to maintain similar footprints on the printed circuit board. Thus, printed circuit boards supporting these increasingly dense integrated circuits become more complex with respect to the increased number of signal traces they support.


A liquid crystal substrate managing apparatus comprises a data management section with a database for recording a defect information acquired from a liquid crystal testing device, and an image information and a repair information acquired from a liquid crystal repair device. The data management section performs the reidentification of a defect and/or the redetermination of a panel and/or a substrate based on the defect information, the image information and the repair information recorded in the database.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for managing a liquid crystal substrate for use in a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display, and more particularly to management of a liquid crystal substrate on the production line of liquid crystal substrates.
2. Description of the Related Art
On the production line including various processes, a liquid crystal substrate is tested for defects by a liquid crystal testing device, and repaired by a liquid crystal repair device based on the defect information detected by the liquid crystal testing device. On the production line, the liquid crystal substrate is usually provided with a plurality of panels on a glass substrate, each panel being formed with a plurality of TFT arrays.
The liquid crystal testing device tests the liquid crystal substrate for defects, for example, by inspecting a gate or a source provided on each of the plurality of TFT arrays for a gate-source short circuit, a point defect or a disconnection, thereby making determination of whether or not each panel or substrate is defective. The liquid crystal repair device repairs the defect of the liquid crystal substrate based on the detect information acquired by the liquid crystal testing device.
The detect information is simply exchanged between the liquid crystal testing device and the liquid crystal repair device. However, the liquid crystal substrate is not managed, regarding how the detect information acquired by the liquid crystal testing device is reflected to the liquid crystal repair device, or what defects occur on the production line of the liquid crystal substrate.
In addition, the recipes including the number of panels arranged on the substrate and their arrangement and the size of pixel on each panel are set for each liquid crystal substrate. The liquid crystal testing device or the liquid crystal repair device needs to test or repair the liquid crystal substrate based on the recipe information. In the related art, this recipe information is managed for each liquid crystal testing device or liquid crystal repair device, whereby each device is required to make the settings for every recipe information.
In the related art management of the liquid crystal substrate, the information acquired by each processing device or the recipe information is managed by individual device on the production line including a testing process and a repair process. Therefore, when a liquid crystal substrate managing apparatus performs identification of the defect or determination whether the substrate or panel is defective or not several times, it is difficult to make a redetermination by comparison with the determination in the previous process. In addition, since the determination precision depends on that of each device, the liquid crystal substrate managing apparatus is not expected to have higher determination precision unless the determination precision of each device is enhanced.
Also, since the information common to each device such as the recipe information and the defect information are managed by each of the liquid crystal testing device and the liquid crystal repair device, there is a problem that it is inefficient in the information management and it is difficult to manage a trend information of defects over the liquid crystal substrate management.

Apparatus and method for managing liquid crystal substrate


System and method for the hot deployment of shared modules, for example standalone resource adaptor modules (RARs), in systems. A class loader mechanism may utilize, in a hierarchy of class loaders, a shared “delegator” class loader which delegates received load class requests to a chain of class loaders, each representing a hot-deployable module. Hot deployment of a module results in the redeployment of the associated class loader in the chain rather than in a single, shared class loader. In one embodiment, when a load class request is received, the delegator class loader traverses the chain to find the class loader to load the class indicated by the request, the request is delegated to the class loader, and the class loader loads the class. If the module and class loader are subsequently redeployed, the redeployed version of the class loader loads the new version of the class.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to computer software, and more particularly to the "hot" deployment of shared modules in computing systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Enterprise component developers may require the ability to dynamically load new implementations of their components in distributed component-based systems such as Java™ 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE™) application servers for reasons including one or more of, but not limited to:                Lower system downtime: Large enterprise deployments of business components need to stay "alive" and reduce downtime to provide better service to users of the system and still work with modified implementations of business components.        Faster development cycles: Developers would like to see changes to a component without restarting the application server. Hot deployment of self-contained components in a system such as a J2EE application server may help to accelerate development cycles.Class Loaders
Class loaders are one of the cornerstones of virtual machine architectures such as the Java™ Virtual Machine (JVM™) architecture. A class loader is an object that is responsible for loading classes. Programmatically speaking, class loaders are ordinary objects that may be defined in code (e.g. Java™ code). In Java™ technology, class loaders are instances of subclasses of abstract class ClassLoader. Java, J2EE, and JVM, as used throughout this document, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.
Given the name of a class, a class loader may attempt to locate or generate data that constitutes a definition for the class. A typical strategy is to transform the name into a file name and then read a "class file" of that name from a file system. The default class loading behavior in the JVM is to load the class file from a specified location (specified in a class path) into the memory and to execute the byte code as and when the request comes in for the particular class. Whenever a class refers to another class, for example, by initializing a field or local variable, the referent is immediately loaded (or delegated by that class loader to its parent class loader) by the same class loader that loaded the referencing class.
Class loaders may enable a system (e.g., a virtual machine) to load classes without knowing anything about the underlying file system semantics, and may allow applications to dynamically load classes such as Java™ classes as extension modules. Virtual machines such as JVM may provide a facility by which a user can introduce a custom class loader. In Java™ technology, applications may implement subclasses of ClassLoader in order to extend the manner in which the JVM dynamically loads classes. For example, in JVM, a hook is provided to the loading mechanism through the custom class loaders.
The Java™ class loading mechanism may provide the following features:                Lazy loading, or "laziness". In lazy loading, classes are loaded on demand. Class loading is delayed as long as possible, reducing memory usage and improving system response time.        Type-safe linkage. Dynamic class loading should not violate the type safety of the JVM, and should not require additional run-time checks in order to guarantee type safety. Additional link-time checks are acceptable, because these checks are performed only once.        User-definable class loading policy. In Java™, class loaders are first class objects, and programmers may control dynamic class loading. A user-defined class loader may, for example, specify the remote location from which the classes are loaded, or assign appropriate security attributes to classes loaded from a particular source.        Multiple namespaces. Class loaders may provide separate namespaces for different software components. For example, an application may load applets from different sources into separate class loaders. These applets may contain classes of the same name, but the classes are treated as distinct types by the JVM.Delegation Model
Class loader mechanisms such as the Java™ ClassLoader class may use a delegation model to search for and load classes and resources. In the delegation model, each instance of a class loader has an associated parent class loader (with the exception of a highest class loader in a hierarchy). Note that, in the Java™ class loading model, a class loader can have one and only one parent class loader. In the delegation model, whenever a class loader receives a request to load a class, it consults or delegates to its parent class loader first.
A standard Java™ application begins with a delegation of three class loaders: the system class loader, the extension class loader, and the bootstrap class loader. The system class loader loads classes from the class path, and delegates to the extension class loader, which loads Java™ extensions. The parent of the extension class loader is the bootstrap class loader, also known as the null class loader. The bootstrap class loader loads the core API.
In the Java™ class loading model, the system class loader may serve as the parent of one or more ClassLoader instances, which may themselves be parents to one or more other class loaders. Thus, in a JVM, there may be a hierarchy, or tree, of class loaders. When requested to find a class or resource, a class loader instance in the hierarchy may delegate the search for the class or resource to its parent class loader before attempting to find the class or resource itself. In turn, the request may be passed to the parent class loader of the parent class loader, and so on up the hierarchy. If none of the parent class loaders can provide the class, the request is returned to the originating class loader, which may then attempt to load the class.
A class loader may cache a class once it loads the class and then service subsequent requests for the class from the cache. In Java™, to achieve temporal namespace consistency, the virtual machine maintains a "loaded class cache". The default ClassLoader.loadClass( ) implementation invokes a ClassLoader.findLoadedClass( ) that performs a lookup on this cache, before delegating the loading of a class to a parent class loader.
The delegation model may provide benefits including one or more of, but not limited to, the following. First, the delegation model protects the core API. Application-defined class loaders are not able to load new versions of the core API classes because they must eventually delegate to the bootstrap loader. This prevents the accidental or malicious loading of system classes that might corrupt or compromise the security of the virtual machine. Second, the delegation model makes it easy to place common classes in a shared location. For example, in a servlet engine the servlet API classes may be placed in the class path where they can be shared. The actual servlet implementations may be loaded by a separate URL class loader so that they can be reloaded later. Third, the delegation model makes it possible for objects loaded by different class loaders to refer to each other through superclasses or superinterfaces that are loaded by a shared class loader higher in the delegation.
Since the Java™ class loading model allows user-defined class loading policies, users can create their own class loaders; however, these class loaders should follow the delegation model.
Module Deployment
With the introduction of the delegation model in class loaders and the ability to load multiple classes with the same name (multiple communicating namespaces) into a virtual machine, component developers can partition their code as self-contained modules and 'hot-deploy' these modules. For example, the Java™ delegation class loading model used by J2EE may allow developers to hot-deploy self-contained modules.
Hot deployment of modules is typically supported for modules that are loaded by class loaders that are "leaves" in an application server's class loader hierarchy. In J2EE, for example, an EAR (J2EE enterprise archive) or WAR (J2EE web archive) are candidates for hot deployment in application servers as these applications are loaded by class loaders that are leaves in the application server class loader hierarchy. These applications are either self-contained or use classes that may be loaded by parent class loaders. There are no applications/components, dependent on these applications deployed in the application server instance. Hot deployment of such components may be achieved by re-creating the class loader instance that represented the corresponding EAR or WAR and the new definitions of the classes in the EAR/WAR may be lazily loaded when they are first referred to.
The J2EE Connector architecture provides a Java™ solution to the problem of connectivity between multiple application servers and enterprise information systems (EISs) using resource adapters. By using the J2EE Connector architecture, EIS vendors no longer need to customize their product for each application server. Application server vendors that conform to the J2EE Connector architecture do not need to write custom code to add connectivity to a new EIS.
As an example of modules that may be hot deployed, within the J2EE Connector architecture, support for deployment of standalone RARs (Resource adapter modules) is mandated. The standalone deployment of a resource adapter is typically performed to support scenarios where the resource adapter is provided as a standalone module. The J2EE Connector architecture allows standalone RARs to be shared by multiple J2EE applications. This allows multiple J2EE applications deployed in an application server instance to share a single resource adapter module.
Since a standalone resource adapter and its classes may be used by multiple applications deployed in an application server instance, the standalone resource adapter(s) needs to be realized via a class loader that is placed higher in the class loader hierarchy and serving as a parent class loader to all deployed J2EE applications. A single class loader is typically employed in application server implementations to realize all standalone resource adapters, and this class loader either is a direct parent of all deployed applications in the application server instance or lies in the path from a deployed application to the root class loader.
Module developers including resource adapter developers may require the application server to provide the capability to hot-deploy modules such as shared standalone resource adapter modules (RARs). The hot deployment of modules such as RARs may present problems including one or more of, but not limited to:                The hot deployment cannot be performed in a manner similar to the hot deployment of "leaf" applications because the single class loader, that realizes all standalone resource adapters, is shared by multiple applications deployed in the application server instance.        The idea of removing the entries in the single class loader that realizes all standalone resource adapters corresponding to the classes of the resource adapter that is about to be redeployed will not work, because the loaded classes cache, described earlier, maintained by the virtual machine for each class loader, will return the old cached implementation of the class that has been redeployed.
Thus, the hot deployment of such standalone modules may present problems as a shared class loader is typically employed by application servers to realize the standalone modules, and it may be difficult to recreate (redeploy) the class loader instance due to the use of a shared class loader.
FIG. 1 illustrates a portion of an exemplary class loader hierarchy including a shared class loader. In this example, the shared class loader (main class loader 104) may have a parent class loader 102 between it and the system class loader 100 (note that there may be no, or more than one, levels of class loaders between main class loader 104 and system class loader 100 in the hierarchy). Main class loader 104 may have two or more child class loaders 108. Child class loaders 108 may be associated with one or more applications; thus, main class loader 104 may be shared by two or more applications. Also, note that there may be one or more levels of class loaders below a child class loader 108.
As described above, main class loader 104 may cache loaded classes to a loaded class cache 106. Note that, while FIG. 1 shows the loaded class cache 106 within the main class loader 104, the loaded class cache 106 may be implemented external to the main class loader 104. Subsequent requests for a class to the main class loader 104 may lookup the class in the loaded class cache 106. Thus, if the class is redeployed, subsequent requests for the class that are handled by the main class loader 104 may return a cached version of the class from loaded class cache 106 rather than the redeployed version of the class. In addition, the main class loader 104 cannot itself be redeployed to solve the problem because the main class loader may be shared by two or more applications. To cause the correct version of the redeployed class to be accessed, the entire application server may need to be stopped and restarted.
In the J2EE Connector architecture, main class loader 104 is a main connector class loader that is the class loader for all RARs. The main connector class loader a URL class loader that loads URLs of all the RARs. It may be necessary or desirable to redeploy a RAR (undeploy a current version and deploy a different version) to work with the different version of the RAR, for example during a development cycle. When a RAR is undeployed, its URL is removed from the URL connector class loader. However, as mentioned, class loaders have a loaded class cache which serves to maintain temporal consistency. When a class is loaded by the class loader, the class is cached to the loaded class cache. When a request for a previously resolved class is received by the class loader, the loaded class cache is accessed to service that request. After a RAR is undeployed, the loaded class cache returns the previously resolved class to service load class requests. Thus, even if a RAR is redeployed, the older classes are still returned unless the entire application server is stopped and restarted.
The above information on class loaders generally refers to the Java™ programming language and to the Java™ Virtual Machine (JVM) architecture as an example of an implementation of class loaders. This information, however, may be relevant to other architectures, programming languages, environments including virtual machine environments, platforms, applications, application servers and/or implementations of class loaders.

Hot deployment of shared modules in an application server


A magnetic conveyor system for transporting ferro-magnetic cans through an immersion or electro-immersion coating bath includes a magnetic infeed conveyor for transporting the cans toward an inlet end of the coating bath, a magnetic coating conveyor for removing the cans from the infeed conveyor and transporting them through the coating bath, and a magnetic outfeed conveyor for removing the cans from the coating conveyor at an outlet end of the coating bath. The magnetic coating conveyor includes an endless conveyor belt which defines inclined inlet and outlet runs relative to a surface of the coating bath. The cans are transported on the conveyor belt with a closed bottom of each can magnetically held to the conveyor belt and an open top of each can facing outwardly from the belt. The cans are transported into the coating bath at the inlet run with the closed bottom of each can entering the bath before the open top. At the outlet run, the cans emerge from the coating bath with the closed bottom of each can leading the open top. A series of spray nozzles are mounted near the bottom of the coating bath to direct pressurized coating composition into the open top of the cans for displacing trapped air within the cans and to ensure adequate coating.

In an immersion coating process, the hollow object being coated is simply immersed in a coating bath which contains a pool of coating composition. As the hollow object is submersed in the coating composition, the coating flows into the object and adheres to its inner and outer surfaces. With an electro-immersion process, a potential is created between the object being coated and the coating composition, thereby causing the coating to preferentially adhere to inner and outer surfaces of the object being coated. Electro-coating is generally advantageous to simple immersion coating as it creates a physical attraction between the coating composition and the object being coated to ensure adequate coating.
Hollow objects such as open cans are typically electro-immersion coated and several patents discuss this process, including Jorgens U.S. Pat. No. 5,474,610. One problem with coating cans in an immersion process is that they are opened at only one end during the coating process. Thus, removing trapped air from within the cans as they are immersed in the coating is problematic, as is removing the coating from the can as it is withdrawn from the coating bath.
To address the problems associated with coating of hollow cans, the Jorgens reference discloses a method wherein the cans are sequentially transported through a coating bath by a double-sided conveyor system having upper and lower runs in contact with the open tops and closed bottoms of the cans. As the cans are immersed in the coating bath by the conveyor apparatus, a jet spray of coating composition is used to force coating material into the open tops of the cans, thereby displacing trapped air within the cans. The cans continue through the coating bath and pass underneath a second series of coating jet nozzles which further force coating composition into the can to ensure adequate coating. Finally, as the cans are withdrawn from the coating bath, air is injected into the can to ensure that all of the coating composition is removed.
An alternate method of addressing problems associated with coating hollow cans is to simply introduce the cans into the coating bath with the opening of the cans facing upwardly relative to a surface of the coating bath. As the cans are brought into the coating bath, coating liquid will flow into open tops of the cans and displace trapped air within the cans. The cans are then withdrawn from the coating bath with the opening of the cans facing downwardly relative to the coating bath surface to allow excess coating composition to pour out of the cans.
The conveyor apparatus disclosed in Jorgens does not provide the advantageous orientation of the open tops of the cans relative to the coating bath as it relies upon upper and lower conveyor belts to hold the cans in position to prevent them from floating away in the coating bath. With such a conveyor system, the upper and lower belts must move at the same speed or the cans will become tilted or even dislodged. For this reason, it is impossible for the apparatus disclosed in the Jorgens reference to transport cans and rotate them to the degree necessary to ensure that the openings are in the proper orientation as they enter and leave the coating bath to allow the coating to flow into and pour out of the can. This would require a change in the arc of the conveyor belts as they move, which in turn would cause them to move at different speeds.
The Jorgens reference refers to European Patent Application 0118756 which does disclose an apparatus which accomplishes upward orientation of the open tops of the cans as they enter the coating bath and downward orientation of the open tops as they are withdrawn from the bath. However, as the Jorgens reference indicates, the European patent application discloses a relatively complex circular conveyor system which grasps and manipulates the individual cans as they pass through the immersion bath. While such a conveyor apparatus does provide the advantageous orientation of the cans relative to the surface of the coating bath, the conveyor apparatus disclosed in the European patent application is generally not practical for rapid coating of a large number of cans.

Immersion can coating apparatus and method


A locking mechanism for electrical connectors is disclosed. The locking mechanism comprises one or more sockets affixed to one of a pair of electrical connectors, e.g., a male electrical connector, and one or more mating studs affixed to the other of the pair of electrical connectors, e.g., a female electrical connector. The sockets lockingly engage the studs when the pair of electrical connectors are connected. The sockets are affixed to the male electrical by ribs, which form part of elongate socket fittings that also include the sockets, and socket fitting retainers. The studs are affixed to the female electrical connector by threads.

Electrical connectors are often connected in an environment in which external forces can unintentionally loosen, or completely disengage, the connectors. Accordingly, it is often desirable that electrical connectors include a locking system that prevents unintentional disengagement.
One common electrical connection environment where a locking system is highly desirable is serial or other cable connections to computing devices, such as desktop and laptop computers. FIG. 1 is an example of a prior art electrical connector assembly designed for use in such an environment. More specifically, FIG. 1 shows a standard D-type serial cable type electrical connector assembly 101 that includes a male connector 110, a female connector 120, and a locking system. The male connector 110 is attached to the end of an electrical cable 115, and includes a plurality of male elements 111 located in a housing 114. The female connector 120 comprises a plurality of mating female elements 119 located in a housing 121 mounted in the chassis of an electronic device 123.
Still referring to FIG. 1, the locking system comprises a pair of thumbscrews 112 and a pair of jack-sockets 122. The thumbscrews are located at opposite ends of the male connector housing 114. Each thumbscrew 112 has a threaded portion and is disposed within a hole 113 in the male connector housing 114 such that the threaded portion of the thumbscrew 112 protrudes from the housing 114. The jack-sockets 122 are located at opposite ends of the female connector housing 121. The jack-sockets are threaded and positioned so that each jack-socket 122 is able to receive the threaded portion of one of the thumbscrews 112 when the male connector 110 is attached to the female connector 120. In order to lock the first connector 110 to the second connector 120, each thumbscrew 112 of the male connector is rotated until the threaded portion of the thumbscrew 112 fully engages the corresponding jack-socket 122 of the female connector 120.
While a locking system that includes thumbscrews 112 and jack-sockets 122 adequately secures a male connector 110 to a female connector 120 in a standard electrical connector assembly 101, this system has several disadvantages. For example, screwing and unscrewing the thumbscrews 112 can be tedious and time-consuming, especially when multiple connectors must be engaged or disengaged, or when one or more connectors need to be engaged and disengaged multiple times. It can also be difficult to engage and disengage the connectors when access to the thumbscrews is limited due to close proximity to other connectors, or by limited access to the connection.


Disclosed herein are compositions and methods that involve using compositions containing one or more of ETV2, FOXC2, FLI1 and a miR-200b inhibitor for directly reprogramming somatic cells into induced vasculogenic cells both in vitro and in vivo. These compositions and methods are useful for a variety of purposes, including the development of pro-angiogenic therapies.

Pro-angiogenic cell therapies offer a promising strategy for the treatment of a number of ischemic disorders. However, current approaches to pro-angiogenic cell therapies face major translational hurdles, including limited cell sources/donors, and the need for cumbersome and risky ex vivo cell pre-processing steps (e.g., induced pluripotency, expansion, differentiation). Thus, compositions and methods for the derivation of blood vessels through direct cell reprogramming in vivo are needed.

Compositions and methods for reprogramming somatic cells into induced vasculogenic cells


An acidic solution can be used to dissolve undesirable impurity phases in UV-emitting SrB4O7:Eu phosphors that reduce the UV emission intensity of said phosphor. In particular, the impurity phase, SrB6O10:Eu, is no longer detected after treating the phosphor with an acid washing process. The phosphors after acid washing are shown to have improved UV emission intensity without greatly increasing the mean particle size.

The manufacture of UV-emitting SrB4O7:Eu phosphors is a complicated process. Solid-state reaction is difficult due to the large amount of boron-containing reagents required to produce the correct stoichiometry. Boric acid and/or boron oxide reactants will melt at relatively low temperatures, leading to phase segregation and hindering the further reaction needed to produce the phosphor at higher temperatures. Upon cooling the reaction, hard glassy materials are commonly formed. Traditional solid-state syntheses of this phosphor requires repeated cycles of heating and grinding to prepare the phosphor.
A chemical precipitation method is described U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,719,033 and 5,068,055 to circumvent these repeated cycles of heating and grinding, but this method also has its own unique problems. In particular, the method involves adding a SrCO3—Eu2O3 mixture to a concentrated boric acid solution at ˜95° C., whereby an exchange reaction takes place forming (Sr,Eu)B6O10.5H2O and CO2 gas. A carefully controlled excess of the SrCO3—Eu2O3 mixture is added to result in an intimate mixture of (Sr,Eu)B6O10.5H2O and SrCO3—Eu2O3 which is then dried and granulated before being fired in a reducing atmosphere to produce the final SrB4O7:Eu phosphor. However, if the mixture is not intimate enough before firing, the formation of SrB6O10:Eu can occur. SrB6O10:Eu is known to be a very poor UV-emitting phosphor and the presence of this phase drastically reduces the UV emission intensity of the phosphor.
This problem of SrB4O7:Eu phosphor containing the impurity phase SrB6O10:Eu has been encountered in the past and solutions to improve the UV emission intensity of such material have been proposed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,398 teaches that mixing SrCO3 or SrF2 or NH4F with such a phosphor material, and then firing said mixture in a reducing atmosphere converts the SrB6O10:Eu phase to SrB4O7:Eu and improves the emission characteristics. In practice, the emission characteristics are dramatically improved, but this treatment results in very sintered, hard cakes of phosphor that are difficult to finish. Even after milling, the particle size of the phosphor can be unacceptably large.

Method of removing impurities from a SrB


A needle-exchangeable and self-destruction insulin syringe comprises a barrel (1), a push rod (2), a rubber piston (3) and a needle seat (4). The barrel (1) is provided with a connection needle seat (7) matched with a needle hub (5). The connection needle seat (7) is supported and fastened at the front end of the barrel by a support seat (8). The needle hub (5) is extended downwards to form a fixing ring (9). A snap ring (10) is formed at an upper end of the connection needle seat (7). The snap ring (10) is protruded into the bore of the fixing ring (9) and locked with the fixing ring (9). A large groove (13) is provided in the wall of the bore of the connection needle seat (7). The upper end of the support seat (8) is protruded into the bore of the connection needle seat (7). First elastic detents (14) are formed at the upper end of the support seat (8) and come together towards the center. A ring of flange (15) is provided at the outside of the upper end of the support seat, and falls in the large groove (13), capable of sliding up and down along the large groove (13). First elastic support pawls (16) are formed at the lower end of the connection needle seat (7), and the inner wall of the barrel is correspondingly provided with a small groove (17) in which the first elastic support pawls (16) can be embedded. A ring of flange shoulder (18) is provided at the outside of the lower end of the support seat, and abuts against the first elastic support pawls (16).

As people's living standard is improved, a rate of incidence of diabetes is gradually increasing. According to statistics, at present there are approximately 40 million diabetes patients in China. Studies show that injection of insulin at an early stage assists in protecting the function of a patient's islet β cells and preventing occurrence of complications. Therefore, the most important measure for treating diabetes is to inject insulin. The conventional insulin syringes are usually confronted with the problem of reusability and a high scrappage during manufacture. Currently, there are some self-lock insulin syringes available in the market in which during injection, a force for pushing the piston is not consistent, and when a liquid medicament is right injected up, the pushing force must be increased a little so that an instant speed of the liquid medicament entering the patient's body is quickened, thereby causing pains to the patient. There are also some self-destroying insulin syringes in which an aperture is formed through the rubber piston after use. Also, some syringes, which are provided with safety devices to avoid a needle from pricking a patient's body due to exposure during operation, by no means achieves an object of self-destruction. Since a barrel of an insulin syringe has a smaller inner diameter, it is not easy to place a reasonable self-destroying mechanism in the barrel with such smaller inner diameter. Besides, the needles of the conventional insulin syringes are mostly fixed together with the barrel so that needles of different specifications cannot be changed as desired to meet different needs of the broad mass of patients. Up to now, in the market there is not yet developed a self-destroying insulin syringe in which needles of different specifications can be changed as desired and the needles can be retracted into the barrel upon completion of injection.

Needle-exchangeable and self-destruction insulin syringe